Telki cuddled into the warm cocoon she found herself in, letting her sleepy mind slowly catalog her environs. The comforting smell of her husbands surrounded her, so she allowed herself to drift back to reality languidly. Gideon's scent always made her think of frosty winter mornings in a pinewood. Erandur's scent was musky and earthy, like nothing she knew until that trip to Raven Rock, mixed with snowberry. Mercutio always smelled of his favorite Colovian cologne, even after being out in the wilds for a month. The only smells missing to complete 'home' were baking scones and Lydia's light fragrance.
For half a moment, with just the three of them, she wondered if they were on the road again. Afterall, that's what just their scents usually meant, but she felt the soft sheets, there was an honest to goodness pillow under her elbow, and she could hear the wind whistling about the eaves. They weren't on the road, then, but if they were home, wouldn't the kids be shrieking the housebeams down in some game or other? Telki drowsily opened one eye and raised her head slightly.
"Welcome back to the land of the living." Telki dropped her heavy head back on Gideon's thick chest. The slight "oof" was quite satisfying. She was too sleepy to deal with his brand of humor.
"Nope, not ready," Telki wiggled in, decidedly wrapping one leg around Mercutio's and hooking Erandur's arm for good measure. "Try again a week from next Morndas, maybe then."
A warm hand slid blissfully up and down her back, even as Gideon bounced her with his laughter. Mercutio's smooth voice tried to cajole her the rest of the way to wakefulness. "I thought you wanted to see how the kids liked that maze in the practice pit."
"They're doing that today?" It wasn't a whine, exactly.
"They're probably doing it right now." Erandur's quiet smugness garnered Telki's narrowed gaze. "If you hurry, we might catch some of the hilarity."
"I want it to go on record that you three do not play fair, and are boogerheads." Telki slid across Gideon, his groan at the maneuver only somewhat mollifying her. Afterall, it was their grand idea to get up now.
Telki grumbled and groused with her usual lack of grace as she wriggled back into her clothes, and happened to notice all three of them watching her with something approaching concern. "What?"
"Well, how are you feeling? Nausea? Upset?" And at Erandur's gentle questioning, Telki's knees dumped her in the floor. Three men scrambled comically to get off the bed and help.
"Did you have to remind me when I wasn't near a chair?" Telki's eyes went wide. "We're having a baby!" A downside to this whole affair quickly occurred to Telki. If she thought they'd been overprotective before, they were going to be positively unlivable now. "I want it to go on record now that there will be no treating me like spun glass, or I will start hitting people in the head with Gideon's hammer."
Just a very few minutes later (compared to their first trip herding children), with only a slight smattering of hovering, the four found themselves approaching the practice ring and the much anticipated maze. Strangely enough, there were no wild war whoops, no laughter, and all the children gathered around the maze to watch the current runner with an intensity Telki found mildly disturbing.
"Who are you, and what have you done with my children?" Telki asked from the doorway. She was immediately swamped in hugs and chatter, each one talking over the other to explain the contest to her. Apparently, among other things, the four kids that could make it through the quietest got to meet the mammoth. She briefly wondered what had given Talon that idea, then shrugged it off.
"Okay, so, who's made the run already, and who's in there now?" Telki waited for the babble to subside.
"Blossom took Orien through, it was so awesome! I mean, I didn't even know you could decapitate a pell!" Blaise enthused.
"Why did she decapitate a pell?" Mercutio's eyes were wide.
"She said the thing threatened to eat Orien's sweetroll at supper," Runa smirked. Since she was one of the best at throwing her voice, it made her parents instantly suspicious.
"Bjartr and Runa tied for first. Bjartr was through it before we even knew he called it. Runa just kinda, tore through the middle?" Lucia shook her head. "I think she's been hanging out at the Companions too much."
"Pearl and Frankie have second place, which really grumped Blossom, because she wanted to place higher," Runa side eyed Lucia.
"So, who's next?" Gideon asked, as he tried to see over the hay bale wall. "Who's in there now?"
"Demeus."
Telki tilted her head in confusion. "Why? I mean, what challenge would a Young One find in an adventure maze?"
"Plenty, when Shell's in there with him," snickered Alesan.
"Oh dear," Erandur looked slightly concerned.
"Oh gods," Gideon was hiding his face in his hands. He could imagine the glee on a certain Bitsy Bosmer face, and it boded ill for a certain hothead. As if responding to the thought, Demeus yelped and fell on his rear as several shimmering silver needles arched through the air where he had been. He landed on a shock rune. Needless to say, he had the worst sound score so far.
"I am not the one putting the bruise liniment on him," Runa stated with finality.
"Not it!" All the children followed suit, even Lucia and Alesan, fingers on noses almost simultaneously.
"Kids, pretty sure he's big enough to salve his own pride," Gideon smirked. The boy didn't look bloody, which was a blessing, but he did look as if he'd thoroughly had his ego drubbed good and proper.
"Alesan," Talon called without looking up from the pit, "Haffod, come here please."
"Yes, sir?" The boys stood anxiously before him, both nervously eyeing the maze neither one had seen Shell exit.
"You're next, you're together, and you're both taking Sura with you. She is not to do anything to assist. She is injured, and you will get her through safely. Shell is going to target her."
"A rescue mission? Will we be given tools?" There was a gleam in Haffod's eye, as if Talon had given him a divine purpose.
"No, and you both have to work together, or you all lose," he said firmly.
One could almost see the wheels turning in Alesan's head. "We can do it, Haffod."
"We will do it." The steely surety in the nascent paladin's voice had Talon glancing with amusement at Gideon. Gideon could only return the look with puzzlement.
Demeus finally finished the maze, jumping and flushing when Shell simply appeared next to him, laughing and slapping him on the back before going to retrieve her needles. He practically glowed red as he climbed the stairs, and whatever Heron snarked at him when he reached the top almost had him pushing the other boy over the railing.
As soon as he was clear, Talon caught Shell's eye and made a couple of hand motions. She grinned ferally and nodded, fixing a few pieces of the course before having a few words with a much-too-amused Ama, the pair of them concealing themselves. Talon went and had a quiet word with Sura, who shrank back from him but looked intrigued when he started talking, nodding agreement before he lifted her and carried her to the middle of the maze, putting her up on a bale stack like a princess in a tower. She giggled and kicked her feet like a child on holiday.
Murril, fond of watching people jump when Sparkles did the Funny Thing, made her own contribution by releasing the atronach into the maze. Talon looked amused and patted her head. She beamed at him.
Alesan and Haffod shared a long measuring look between them, both finally nodding silent assent. All three of their scores depended on each other, and they were the only ones that could actively do things. They would do this, do it together, for Sura's sake. Erandur, Mercutio, and Gideon, who had been having a fine laugh with each other, all sobered when Telki nudged them to look at their boys facing the maze.
"Talon, you sneaky son of a succubus," Mercutio whistled low.
Gideon had to wipe a proud tear away. "He's using their affection for Sura to overcome their jealousy, working together to get her out of the maze safely."
"Bloody brilliant, is what it is," Erandur was rubbing his chin in thought. "Do you think he'd consider wrangling our kids full time? He might be better at it than we are."
"Nope. My babies. Talon may borrow them occasionally, but mine." Telki's arms were crossed in front of her, and a determined pout rolled her lip out, sending all three husbands chuckling. Their attention turned back to the maze as Talon gave the boys their cue to start their run.
Haffod and Alesan carefully moved into the maze, back to back and alert for threats. At the first encounter, Haffod buried the Illusory bandit in a tumble of bales, then used fists until the illusion 'died,' leaving a worn pell behind.
"Take the weapons," Alesan urged, keeping an eye out for Shell or the minitronach, or whatever other traps they had loose in the maze. As Haffod moved forward, the slight gleam of a paralysis rune caught the light. "Wait!" Alesan hurled one of the loose bales at the rune, setting it off with a soft muffled "bwzzt" beneath the bound hay. "Okay, now." Alesan backed up against the remaining bale wall to watch Haffod's back as he gathered the shield and practice blade.
"And you, Alesan?" Haffod tested the shield's straps and tucked the dull blade into his belt.
The quiet hiss was the only warning they received before a chain wrapped around Alesan's ankle. Haffod caught him as he fell, and yanked the chain as hard as he could. It kept coming, then channeled sparks up its length, giving them enough of a shock to know what could have happened before ceasing. Both boys were left panting, but Alesan got his ankle free. The chain retracted out of sight before they got their bearings.
"And…you people…willingly added her to the family?" Haffod still felt twitchy, but they had to keep moving. Sura was counting on them, and if they were willing to electrocute them, who knew what they would be willing to do to another Young One? The thought angered him, but he throttled it down. After all, Sura wasn't being an active participant, so they should leave her alone, right?
"Wasn't…my call. So far she's been fun." Alesan shook himself all over, though the shocky feeling still remained. Pins and needles raced up and down his body, as if he'd slept wrong all over, instead of just an arm or foot.
"Alesan, Haffod," Sura's light voice called over the maze, "I don't mean to rush you, but I seem to have Illusion flames climbing up my hay pile, and I think it's supposed to signal my imminent doom." There was a pause and the sound of Shell stifling laughter, and Sura's voice came again. "I mean, help? Oh my. Help."
Alesan and Haffod shared a brief 'are you kidding look' before they were mildly overcome with a fit of soft laughter. Despite their silly fit, they both took off, low to the ground and close to the bales, watching each other's backs as they went. Afterall, they couldn't rescue her from the 'dread inferno' if they were 'dead,' now, could they?
A noxious splat on Haffod's shield was their next clue they were upon another encounter. A well past its prime tomato slid off the shield, and plopped wetly at their feet.
"Ahoy there, mateys! The Dreadful 'Mater pirate is upon you! Quiver in fear, and may the Good Divines have mercy on your sorry souls!" Another volley of overripe tomatoes pelted their location from where Ama was settled with a sling. Alesan hunkered down behind Haffod and his shield for safety's sake.
"Okay, how do we topple the dreadful pirate of noxious tomato throwing?"
"I'm thinking! I'm thinking!" Alesan looked about him for inspiration. Who decided he was the brains of this outfit? Oh wait, he's running with Haffod.
"Think faster, man! These things reek!"
"Okay, give me the shield, and you toss this bale at her location. If nothing else, she'll have to abandon her ammunition."
Haffod felt itchy in his own skin, the tomato stink was nauseating, he still tingled from the sparks, and this entire thing was turning out to be incredibly frustrating. Glancing up at Gideon, he closed his eyes a moment and blocked out Ama's needling laughter, focusing on their lessons and meditating, trying to reach that place of inner calm the paladin had showed him. He had it for just a moment when Ama changed the angle of her flight and a rotten fruit burst against his shoulder, and he whirled to yell at her in frustration. "FUS!" Tomatoes went flying backwards to explode along the wall and the ward Pearl put up with a flick of her fingers and a sigh.
"Thank you for saving me, Pearl," Frankie stared up at her with the most adoring of gazes.
"The tomatoes must be vanquished," she replied dryly.
"Ooy, I am slaiiin" Ama didn't sound like a very dead pirate, not with the veritable fountain of giggles from a pile of hay where the Villainous 'Mater Pirate had been. Haffod just transferred his goggled gaze back to his mentor, mildly surprised to see a huge grin wreathing his face, looking quite as proud of him as he would any of his children and applauding slowly.
"Man! I didn't know you could Shout!" Alesan pulled the shocked Haffod along behind him, making their way quickly from the exploded bales and towards Sura's hay tower.
"It's never worked before!" Haffod scanned the area behind them, since Alesan was watching front, looking for whatever their next encounter would be, hoping they could make it to Sura before anything else befell him.
Obviously it couldn't happen that way. Thanking whatever stars allowed him to catch the furtive movement out of the corner of his eye, Haffod found himself yanking free of Alesan's grip and rolling with the shield just as Gideon taught him, catching Shell full in the chest with it.
Haffod was never so thankful for the bales of hay in his life.
It wasn't very often Shell was caught by the same move twice, and she twisted like a cat midair to catch herself against the bale, staring for a second in astonishment before grinning evilly and doing a backflip over it.
"Haffod what's with the look?"
"Shell just grinned at me," Haffod felt as if frost atronachs were skating up and down his spine.
Alesan huffed at Haffod's quivering words, and pulled the young squire along behind him. "So? Shell grins all the time."
"Like she's deciding what sauce to serve over your freshly flayed bones?" Haffod's voice still squeaked. "I am scared, Alesan, and I'm pretty sure I've every right to be at this point."
Evil, merry laughter rang through the arena at that. It was impossible to tell exactly where it was coming from. Alesan found himself swallowing a few times before finally finding his voice. "Okay, I think I understand now." There was no disguising the squeak that had crept into it.
It took them ten minutes longer to reach the center of the maze than anyone except Demeus. They were harried by Illusory birds, fogs, patches of ice and flame, and the little atronach, which they finally trapped inside a "room" of hay bales. Sura was still "alive," but the fire had almost reached her feet, and she was sitting on a stack far taller than they were. She looked down at them curiously.
"You can cast frost, yes?" Haffod was studying the blaze, and cast a worried glance to his partner.
"Yeah, and just a couple others, nothing fancy, why?" Alesan glanced up at him.
"It will take us both to put this 'fire' out. I can reach higher, but that will leave the base to you to extinguish."
"Man, when did you get smart?"
"When it mattered. Ready?"
As the boys became engrossed in their task, Ama rolled out of her protective pile of hay. She was finished for the day. She did her best to disguise her faint limp, but the twitchy brows on both Wemie and Nala said she would be subjected to a full inspection. It wasn't her fault, not even the boy knew he was packing a Fus, so how could anyone expect her to know?
Telki was the only one not giving her the once over, and that was because she was thoroughly sucked into the minidrama unfolding in the maze. The maze was worlds more difficult than she would have thought (she saw now why Talon had been worried he would overdo it), but the boys were doing much better than expected. An entire rainbow of emotions played out across her face. Concern chasing worry eclipsed by pride only to be washed away by an overwhelming need to discuss what was and was not permissible for Shell to use against her babies. Hormones might have had an unhealthy amount of say in that particular discussion.
Sura tucked her feet away from the very real frost extinguishing the fake flames. "What now?" she asked them, her eyes shining with curiosity and amusement. She could honestly say she'd never had this much fun training, although she wasn't entirely certain that's actually what this was.
"And now, my lady, I shall play the part of thy carriage, whilst my stealthy partner leads us the correct path out of this suddenly much scarier maze. You heard the laugh, yes?" Haffod reached up and lifted her gently down from her perch to cradle against his chest.
"Oh," she said, blushing a bit and not entirely sure why.
"Yeah yeah, hurry up, this way's clear for the moment, as best as I can tell," Alesan continued in a barely heard mutter, "for all the good that does against someone like Shell. Sheesh." He signaled Haffod to follow closely as he made his silent way down the hay-lined corridor.
The path was mostly clear. There were rune traps, and a section of loose hay set to "landslide" down upon them that they barely avoided, and the usual collection of Illusory warriors. Perversely, the lack of strong opposition started to wear on their nerves, to the point where they both actually started to get slightly jumpy. The sight of Shell leaning against the doorway out was both a relief and a shock, like a trickle of cold water on a hot day running down their spines.
They both glanced at each other for a single moment. When they realized their mistake, Shell was missing from the door.
"Shor's bones, where'd she go?" Haffod's head whipped about, looking for some sign of the devious hellcat stalking them.
"I dunno, why'd you take your eyes off her?" Alesan's glance crossed Sura, and her head turned to watch a particular area. Alesan tapped Haffod's shoulder, catching his attention. He nodded to Sura, and Haffod caught on quickly.
Sura flinched back at nearly the same instant Shell darted through, brushing right past them, and leaving Alesan's gauntlet dangling by one less leather strap before she was out of sight again. The lower half of his arm was numb with cold, rendering it as useless for the moment as if she had broken it.
Haffod huffed in frustration. However, he saw the flinch, and there was a half tick between that flinch and Shell's appearance; he had a chance to Shout her out of their way, and they could make their escape, maybe. He'd have to hope for the best, and try not to be too obvious watching Sura watch for Shell.
There was the flinch, and Haffod tried his best to Shout as he had the first time. What emerged from his poor abused throat sounded more like an angry horker garling frogs.
There was a bit of a crash as Shell fell back against the bales she was by, staring at him in astonishment again, laughing so hard she couldn't breath. One hand steadied herself against the straw while the other held her side.
Haffod flushed from his toes to the roots of his hair in embarrassment. That blasted Nordic fair skin announced to all and sundry his consternation, but at least their last "obstacle" was indisposed. While Shell was still collapsed against the bales, Haffod quickly scooped Alesan over the opposite shoulder of the arm Sura was safely ensconced in, and turned tail and ran as if all the Hounds of Hircine were after him, never breaking stride until they were all safely out the exit. Shell rolled with laughter, sitting on a pile of hay where she whooped a congratulations at him.
Alesan watched in amazement as the scariest parent he had whooped in glee as Haffod made trails out the exit, free and clear. They made it, Holy Hepcats, they'd made it. It almost made the bruise he was sure to find on his poor stomach worth it. A quick look to the Parent Patrol revealed beaming pride all around. Telki looked smugly satisfied, Gideon was about to burst his doublet if his chest puffed anymore, and Merc and Erandur were slapping each other's backs in glee. His heart fell a little as he jumped down and took in Sura's expression. Her eyes were solidly on Haffod's face. She was still slightly flushed, and her expression was somewhat bewildered.
Above them, Demeus and Heron exchanged glances. The Redguard frowned worriedly, obviously thinking hard. Heron simply tilted his head slightly and regarded the other Nord, expression quiet and pensive. They'd been under the impression that not just anyone could learn Shouts. Obviously, there was more to the thu'um than they had been aware of, or just possibly Haffod was further along in their heathen religious order than they'd assumed. Either way, he bore watching now. Especially with Sura blushing all over him.
"Well partner," Alesan managed after catching his breath, "we won't be meeting any mammoths anytime soon, not with all that Shouting going on, but we made it out against Shell! That's gotta count for something."
"Mayhap I will properly appreciate that when I can sit comfortably again." A quick glance down was all it took to understand. The seat of Haffod's britches were thickly covered in frost.
"If that had been a real strike, you wouldn't need to worry about sitting," Talon said, coming down the stairs. His hand hovered over the boy's shoulder, soothing Healing light flowing through the Nord.
"So we failed?" Haffod's face was as blank as he could make it.
"Do not expect to best Shell as you are. She always holds back with children. For your task, you did succeed." He reached out and gently took Alesan's arm, examining it for a moment to see exactly how the strike would have gone, then Healing it as well, letting the spell go through and ease most of the bruising and shock marks. He'd wanted this to be onerous for them, to force them to work together. Now he was wondering if they were perhaps seeing themselves in a new light as well.
Haffod nodded. "Neither of us had any illusions about beating Shell should she unleash her full prowess against us. I travelled with her for a while. I've see her in action."
"She scares me just playing hide and seek!" Alesan didn't even try to hide the squeak. "No illusions here!"
"Aw, thanks sweetie!" Shell said, giving the boy a one-armed squeeze. Alesan tried not to jump, but he was still hyped up from the run. He did settle enough to return the squeeze. He was just tall enough to tuck Shell under his shoulder.
"I see you did your best to forget any discipline you ever learned," Talon told Shell evenly. She fluttered her eyelashes at him and did a terrible job looking innocent.
"Honestly, is it even possible for us to train enough we could escape someone as well-trained as Shell?" Alesan asked. "I mean, you guys have been training your whole lives."
"Escape? Possibly. Beat?" he thought a moment. "Under the right circumstances. You are clever and have resources she is only now learning about."
"Like the Shieldroll of Doom," Shell piped in, apparently unbothered by this assessment. "I had no idea Gideon had taught you that. He pulled that on me when we met and if I didn't have magic, I would have ached for a week." She leaned out the door to yell up at her fiancé, "Treenord! Why didn't you warn me you'd taught Saplingnord that trick?"
Gideon's grin was unrepentant. "I thought you liked surprises."
Alesan cracked up. "Saplingnord? Oh, I'm never letting that go!"
Haffod didn't know whether to hide behind the shield he still carried or bash Alesan in the head with it. Neither option was likely to grant him a reprieve. Besides, the shield was providing cover for covert cuddles with Sura. It wasn't like there were chairs or anything to sit her down in the practice ring, and it wasn't like she was heavy, so it just seemed reasonable to Haffod to keep holding her right where both she and he were comfortable at the moment. Sura didn't protest, somewhat enjoying the attention, though she was a bit bothered why her heart was beating faster and she felt all giddy. It wasn't as if Heron or Demeus or other members of her team hadn't needed to carry her before this, or even hug her for affection.
"Haffod, why don't you hand Sura over? You just got healed, and she'd probably appreciate a comfy chair by a fire over your sweaty hide." Alesan was very proud of his smooth move. He didn't sound jealous or cranky at all…well, much. Sura was completely hidden by the shield, but the looks Talon and Shell were giving him told him they saw right through his attempt. He had no idea where he found the wherewithal to keep his head up and meet their eyes, though he felt like his cheeks were on fire.
Haffod's smirk was no better, either. "Sura, do you wish to go inside? Or stay and visit with everyone? I would gladly bear you wherever you wish."
A bit confused by his vernacular, she asked, "Why would I need to visit? I'm already here."
Haffod looked a bit lost for an answer, and Alesan was too busy strangling his own laughter to answer her. Talon walked over and simply lifted the girl out of Haffod's arms, giving them both an admonishing look before climbing the stairs. Unfortunately for the boys, he'd been immune to lost puppy expressions longer than they'd both been alive.
Shell was snickering at them both. "Very smooth."
"But, I was just trying to help?" Haffod looked at her with confusion. "What'd I do amiss?"
"Alright, let's go with me pointing out what should have been extremely obvious," she said, looking from one to the other. "Sura has no idea you're flirting or competing for her attention. In a team dynamic, she was a throwaway. Friendship is not a new concept, but romance? You might want to give her more than two days in the world before trying to show off, because believe me, she's seen that part before."
"If I ever needed proof the Thalmor were complete idiots, there it is. And why do you look like Shell just hit you in the head with Poppa Gideon's hammer?" Alesan budged Haffod in the ribs.
"I just…she's lovely, and I wanted to spend time with her. Who would dare lower her to some prize to be won, or treat her as a throwaway? What fools were these?"
Giving him an approving look as she took in the beginnings of a full-on paladin loom, she patted the air placatingly. "Down boy. She never was a prize—at least not until she got here and Telki got her all dolled up—but a throwaway in the Thalmor means a support member of a team. She has low magical resources and is middling at combat. Her job was to get the principle out of line of fire. It's not the same as you're probably thinking." She didn't mention that where she was trained, the poor thing would have been culled long since. If anything good could be said of Dessnia, it was that she didn't cull. Mostly because it was a wasted resource, but she still didn't cull.
Haffod jerkily nodded to her, but the loom didn't settle for a good while, still upset on her behalf.
Alesan was thinking. "So, she's really never been, treated, y'know, like a girlfriend before?"
"Probably not," Shell told them ruefully. "I'm not saying don't try, just stop throwing your effort down that particular path. Try getting her comfortable with her new life first. She'll realize the rest later." Tilting her head slightly as something else occurred to her, she decided they might as well know and let her idea see daylight. "Of course, this also means she might be easy prey for anyone looking to take advantage. Poor thing could get her heart broken so easily, and us putting all that effort into making her trust. That'd be a shame, wouldn't it?"
Alesan smiled at Shell. "I know what you're trying to do. Thing is, I can see the sense in it. Sneaky adult."
"Observant child," she winked.
Haffod was rubbing the back of his head, thinking hard. "That may be trickier than you think. All the old ballads, it seemed the more the innocent young maiden was warned, or protected, the more appealing that made the interloper. I would not have that for Sura."
"Let me share a secret with you boys," she said after a moment of hesitation. "You've seen how Gideon treats Telki and I?" Both boys nodded. "Even before he showed any interest in me, once I had encountered that, I didn't want anything less. Being respected and cherished is a high bar, and once you've encountered it, you can just tell when a man doesn't want anything but…doesn't really think much of you."
Alesan gave Shell a wide, mischievous grin. "Although, it never hurts to help a cad out himself, either, does it?"
"It does if he can make it backfire," she warned. "Some people can twist what you say or do no matter how much evidence you have."
Alesan held his hands up. "I don't fancy myself any sort of a sneaky operative, but a cad will be a cad, and Sura's not stupid."
Privately, Shell thought that Sura wouldn't know a cad from a milch cow just yet, but maybe if the boys showed her what one wasn't, she'd know the behavior wasn't normal when she did finally meet one. In the meantime, the woman shrugged. "At any rate, I think you two were the last to go through, unless someone wants to take a second crack at it. You know what that means?"
"Time to clean up?" Alesan winced. Talon might have healed the worst of it, but he was exhausted and still a little sore.
"I believe Ulfric has a sauna somewhere in this pile of rocks, but I was going to say lunch," she rubbed her hands together with glee. Some people would never understand how much she loved food.
"I am famished," Haffod's stomach decided that little statement required added emphasis, and growled loudly.
"Great! Motion seconded. Let's get food," she skipped past them and flounced up the stairs, looking like she'd done nothing more strenuous all morning than get out of bed.
"How can she? I mean, I feel like I've been beaten with a bag of bricks, and she was down here half the morning." Alesan watched her dumbfounded.
"As I said, it was your family that decided to add her," Haffod teased, helping steady Alesan when he stumbled over his own tired feet.
"Yeah, because your hero asked." Alesan allowed himself a smug smile when Haffod had no ready reply. "C'mon, let's get the lead out, before that hero of yours happens to all the good stuff."
.
.
While the kids celebrated their successful runs, Gideon and Haffod went off to discuss the squire successfully using the thu'um (a milestone in their Order that few were able to reach), and Shell went off to make some arrangements for that afternoon with Jorlief, Telki was waylaid by a grouchier than normal Galmar. She and Tyr exchanged worried looks as he beckoned them both to the War Room with Ulfric.
"What do you mean, vanished?" Ulfric asked, concern dropping his voice low.
"It's as if he disappeared into the damned air. There's no trail and no trace. I know, I've had guards searching for him all night," Galmar growled, hitting the map table with a thick fist. Frustration and guilt chased each other across his face. Prisoners did not escape him, ever. "If I didn't know better, I'd say Sam or Rommy opened a portal and chucked him through it."
"He wouldn't actually do that, would he?" Tyr asked, slanting a glance at Telki, anger glimmering in his eyes. "He did say that one was mad now."
Telki shook her head. "Rommy's been in the Shivering Isles, having a full Sheogorath fit. He hasn't been cognizant enough to have done it, and Sam's been…preoccupied."
The frown deepened, "What do you mean? Er, not about Sam," he added hastily, glancing away with a slightly blush. He never, ever wanted to know what Sanguine got up to in his spare time. The time he'd discovered Tyr now knew the Big Secret and popped in to "check on" him and Fey did not bear repeating, either. One Daedric-sized dent in the wall was enough.
Telki sighed. "The turkey has been repressing his auspice to help, and now we're to this." She was not sulky. She was frustrated with him not taking care of himself, or trusting her with all of him.
"'This' being?" he prompted, blinking at her. He was caught between worrying about his problematic kinsman and being reminded of a sulky wet cat he'd taken in as a child. It had mostly ignored him after that, but had taken a liking to his father, who pretended to tolerate it but would pet it when he thought no one was looking.
"I have to give him five days for a full Sheogorath meltdown before I can even think about dragging him back to Nirn. He even sent Murril to me. He's never done that before." Telki huffed, "I'm worried and I miss him and I'm aggravated with his high-handed caution."
"I…am very confused," Tyr admitted, "but I take it he neither kidnapped the prisoner nor can help find him?"
"That's the take home message, yes," Telki grumped.
Sighing and rubbing his head, Tyr asked rhetorically, "Why do I get the feeling there is a lot more to all this than I know yet?" Lifting his eyes to Galmar, he asked, "Do we have any idea how long he's been missing?"
"The best the guards can tell us is that he was there when the other was taken out for execution. Hell, Ulfric was there for that. Damned fool was still screaming about eyes in his head. He was gone by the time supper was brought down. They didn't report it because they assumed the screaming menace had been relocated to the madhouse," Galmar huffed. It rankled him no little bit that his guards had been that lax in their duties. Punishment regimens and lessons in duty would continue until it sunk into the stoneheads to quit assuming. His mood soured when he realized that also meant he'd have to do more follow-ups and read more damn reports, too.
Tyr sighed and slouched against the wall, rubbing his forehead and wondering how he was going to explain this to Fey. "At least we got what we could out of him. How did he escape, though? Honestly, the 'how' worries me more than the 'what;' an unknown way out could be an unknown way in."
Telki was tapping her teeth. "Well, if it seems like they were chucked through a portal, then our most likely bet is magic. Surely Mercutio or Fey could check for residual magic signatures? It would give us some kind of answer, or maybe a place to start?"
"Wuunferth confirmed magic use, but couldn't tell us more than that," Galmar grumbled. He knew how to do his job, dammit.
"Well, I suppose he'll be hiding from Fey now, and not just Pearl," Tyr gave him a wry smile. "She might insist on putting spells on the prison to avoid this happening again. And if she doesn't, I bet Talon will."
"No, I will. They are my prisons, and I'll not have some damned mage pulling prisoners out as they please. If your Lady Fey and Talon would do us the pleasure, I would be indebted to you." Ulfric's eyes glittered under lowered brows, the muscles in his jaw working as he gritted his teeth.
"Better include your Court Wizard in on that," his friend put in with a hint of wry humor, "I think he's already starting to worry that we're going to put a Young One in his place and forcibly retire him."
Ulfric raised an eyebrow. "Those would be in addition to Wuunferth's wards. That man has forgotten more magic than most mages learn. Though he has complained more than once of tripping over your stepdaughter in his books."
"She does get carried away by printed words," Tyr said affectionately. "Should make it easy to keep the boys away in a few…decades."
Galmar snorted. "Don't count on it. Now the fireballs might…"
"Or Blossom might stab them," Tyr mused, not sounding like he minded.
Galmar laughed out loud, cheered by the thought. "You might have to worry about the boys chasing her first!" He waved a hand away. "I'll go see about Wuunferth and his wards, and check on those stoneheads on guard duty. Send Talon our way when he has a free moment. I can just imagine the magic mumbling I'll get to enjoy when that happens. Give me something I can stick an axe in any day. It's cleaner." Galmar waved to them, and rolled out of there like a thunderstorm looking for a place to land.
Tyr sighed. "Well, back to the family. Just when Blossom was starting to have fun, too: Now she's going to be worried about what upset her mother, who I am not looking forward to telling this to. I think Fey was planning to skin him for a hat or something." At their looks, he added, "That was an exaggeration. She's just really peeved they presumed to kidnap our children." He wasn't quite over that, either, and he probably never would be. The thought made him want to go find the mastermind and rend them limb from limb, Shout them to pieces, and for some reason call them "puny joor" a lot.
"I was about to ask how much she's been hanging around Galmar," Telki quipped. She ignored the little ping in the vicinity of her heart at Tyr's nonsense and expression. That particular method of pushing aside his anger was very familiar to her.
"Eh, Bjartr's been coming over to play with Orien and Blossom," he said, shrugging and shoving his hands in his pockets. "So, back to the madness?"
Telki sighed. Was everything going to make her think of Rommy? "One can hope."
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Hello! It's hot and I don't want to talk to people.
Birds are good, bunnies are good but Princess scratched me (ow), chins are good but would be better if I spent more time downstairs letting them run around (I need to be upstairs with kids and this is getting nuts), ducks are good but afraid of the sunshade we put up so now need to be actively chased to their pools even after we took it down, little bachelor flock contains only birds not constantly panting, chickens hot but getting lots of water and frozen veggies. Turtles are hungry. Turtles are always hungry. Gamera once ate a thermometer.
Thank you everyone who read and reviewed!
Pictish Knight: Ah good. Objective complete.
Wynni: Not so funny when you're the one playing ref between teenaged boys who happen to be roosters. *grumble grumble*
afeleon276: I suppose it'd be a fight between Talon's broody DNA and the sheer optimism in Nala's bloodline. Sam does like to nickname. So does Shell, so I suppose whoever gets to name something first. :P
AnotherGuest: Gate-crashing...wall-crashing...there'll be some kinda crashing, that's for sure.
The Celtic Dragon: What a way for the world to end, eh?
areslindragon: *blush*
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Next Chapter: Shell holds a meeting. It's Very Serious, we're sure.