Interlude - Marpha


Prince Gandolf is dead. The royal family of Verdance is getting significantly smaller, but it's impossible to feel too bad about it. After all, they attacked us, and so brutally at that. But now, we wait in Marpha, having moved all of the wounded into the castle, to see what Prince Jamke, now Crown Prince Jamke, can do to end this peacefully.

I have a suspicious feeling it's not going to be peaceful at all, but I hold my tongue. Lord Sigurd and Lady Aideen believe in this man. I won't be the one to crush their hopes.


The infirmary was strangely lively, especially considering it was filled with wounded civilians and soldiers. I thought it was because of Lord Sigurd and Lady Ethlyn. They were almost insufferably cheerful, as bright and blinding as the sun. But to the wounded, that light was everything.

"It's amazing how good with kids Lord Sigurd and Lady Ethlyn are," Lord Oifeye murmured as Lord Sigurd managed to get some kids to laugh while Lady Ethlyn worked on charming, and healing, their parents. "Well, I suppose Lady Ethlyn is a mother now. Maybe she sees Altenna in them."

"That could be it," I replied absently before nudging his hand. "You're not sewing that straight."

"Ack!" He ducked his head and went to work undoing the thread. "I'm sorry…"

"You're still learning how to sew, so you must not let yourself become distracted."

"Yes, ma'am." He smiled sheepishly, before laughing. "You have a friend."

"I… what?" I had maybe two seconds to process his sentence before a cat jumped into my lap, right on the blanket I was mending. "Oh." This was… awkward. I already had a couple of puppies asleep on my feet. "Okay, cat, you need to get off." The cat completely ignored me, purring up a storm as it rubbed its face against mine. "Lady Aideen tried to get you to come over to her." She was in here as well, weaving bandages as she gossiped with some of the patients. "Why are you with me?"

"Because cats, Miss Alicia!" Lord Oifeye was far too amused by the situation. "They like making a muddle of things."

"I have work to do." I sighed heavily, and slowly managed to extract the blanket from underneath the cat. It protested, but quickly settled into my lap to stare at my thread. "If you bother it, I will throw you out, cat."

"I've got him!" Prince Shanan popped into my view and scooped up the cat with ease. He laughed as it squirmed before reluctantly settling down in his arms. "I'll bring him to the kids," he told me, already running off. I chose to not point out that I had assigned him to do some sweeping. After all, Sir Finn was doing it, and Prince Shanan likely had never done a chore in his life. Besides, I was just glad to hear him laughing and see him smiling so much, even when the room was filled with strangers. It was progress.

"Break time!" The booming voice startled most of us in the room, but we still couldn't help but smile Lord Lex stepped into the room, bearing a few trays piled high with snacks. In fact, the room cheered at the sight, especially the kids. They knew that meant a sweet for them. "Where should I set this, Alicia?" he asked, barely keeping his balance as the kids and pets tried to swarm him. "Before I drop it!"

"On the tab…" I began, only to realize it was covered in the blankets Oifeye and I had mended. "Ah. Well, let's see. Prince Shanan? Sir Finn?"

"We've got it," Sir Finn answered immediately. He scooped up the larger of the blankets, and left the smaller ones for Prince Shanan to grab, which he did so cheerfully. "Side room?"

"Yes, please. Don't worry about folding them. I'd rather not see your attempts again." I smiled slightly to soften the little barb, and Sir Finn made a face. He was very bad at folding clothes, as I'd learned a few days ago when I set him on laundry. "Well, Lord Lex, on the table."

"Got it!" Lord Lex replied. He managed to wade his way through the sea of kids and pets to set the trays on the table. "Azel, you coming in or not?"

"Oh, Azel is here as well?" Lord Sigurd asked. He smiled when Azel shyly poked his head in, bearing a couple of trays too, this one with little cups. "Hey, let me help you with that."

"Thanks, Lord Sigurd," Azel replied. He smiled sweetly as he passed one of the trays to Lord Sigurd and took the other to the table. "I thought you all might want something besides water with your snacks today."

"That's very thoughtful of you." Lord Sigurd set his tray on the table as well, and gently nudged some children away when they looked like they were going to go ahead and grab something. "What is it?"

"Apple cider. We had some fresh apples from Genoa."

"Oh, marvelous!"

"Yeah, Azel was strangely insistent that we serve the cider," Lord Lex said with a teasing grin. Azel promptly flushed in embarrassment. "Very insistent."

"W-well, it's good!" Azel promptly squeaked, face turning redder. Still, he gave me a shy smile and I couldn't help but return it. It really did warm my heart that he made sure to serve my favorite. "Anyway, what about you? You're only here to avoid Miss Ayra, again."

"I am not!"

"I heard my name." Lady Ayra poked her head into the infirmary then, and then frowned as the room erupted in giggles and snickers. "Did I miss a joke?" she asked calmly, stepping inside. She frowned a little suspiciously. "What's so funny?"

"We were just praising your skills, and then you arrived with perfect timing," Lady Aideen lied easily, smiling sweetly. "Why don't you come in for snacks and cider?"

"Well…" She glanced up at Lord Lex, who smiled a little awkwardly. "Very well. But please, allow me to help out here in exchange."

"That sounds wonderful." Lady Aideen set her weaving to the side and stood up. "Ethlyn, why don't you help me serve everyone?"

There was a bit of fuss as everyone insisted that no one had to serve anyone, but as always, Lady Ethlyn and Lady Aideen prevailed in their stubbornness, treating each and every patient, soldier and civilian alike, like lords visiting their home.

I simply smiled and returned to my mending until Azel sat beside me to share his snacks and cider. Days like this were not so bad.


"The town is quite lively," Lord Sigurd noted as he and I walked through the town. We had run out of herbs, thread, and spare cloth in the infirmary, so he and I went shopping while the others continued to tend to the patients and do chores around the infirmary. "I'm not sure how to feel about that."

"What is the problem this time?" I asked, paying more attention to the crowd than his introspection. There were a lot of 'rougher' looking people than usual in the crowd, and I did not like the way some of them leered at me. "I was already proven right in how happy they were with you."

"But that means they suffered so much before." He sighed and looked almost forlorn. I focused on trying to find the stalls we needed to get everything. "Then there are those who-"

"Stop the thought there, or you will drown in 'what ifs'." It was what I had to do. Otherwise, I would be bogged down by all those I couldn't save. "They are happy now. They are safe now. Focus on that, or you shall frighten everyone with your frown."

"...Well, I guess we can't have that." He sighed heavily. "How do you keep from 'what-ifs'?"

"Typically, I don't have the time for it. There is always something to be done, Lord Sigurd."

"I see." He paused, and actually stopped walking. "Hey." He waited until I stopped as well, and turned to face him. "I have a request. Well, it's two, but one is more of an asking."

"Oh?" I crossed my arms. "What is it?"

"Can you stop calling me 'Lord Sigurd'?" He looked strangely serious about it. "Please?"

"It is only proper, Lord Sigurd." I kept my voice neutral, mostly to hide my surprise. I'd heard others suggest it, but I didn't think he would've.

"I think it's actually very improper to keep to such formal titles when you had to work together to keep someone's intestines inside them so that they healed properly." He grimaced and turned a little green. "Oh, wait, I was trying to forget that one. And the eye one. And the-"

"Breathe."

"Right, sorry." He sighed, shaking his head, and actually sulked a little. "Regardless, my point is that you have really done a lot for us. Perhaps, in the eyes of politics, our stations are different."

"Only perhaps?"

"Okay, definitely, stupid politics." His sulk deepened. "However, in terms of this army, ragtag as it is, I would say you're easily my equal. I may command the soldiers, but you are in charge of their health. You can, and have, given me orders to keep them alive. I might decide where the soldiers go and how they fight, but you are the one who decides who gets to fight. You are the one who decides, ultimately, how many soldiers I have."

"...You really think too highly of a simple healer."

"A 'simple healer' you may be, but these soldiers of mine live only because of your skills." He looked me right in the eye, and gave me the most entreating look. "So?"

I matched him look for look, stoic to his entreating, before I sighed. I could resist Lady Aideen and Lady Ethlyn, but Lord Sigurd had a simple sincerity that was hard to refuse. "I have one condition."

"Yes?"

"You must stop calling me 'Miss' Alicia." I frowned. "If you are so insistent that we are equals, then we must speak as equals."

"I think I can agree to that, Alicia." He grinned, as pleased with his 'victory' as a child who got extra sweets. "Thank you."

"I still say you think too highly of me, Sigurd." But I was rapidly learning that Lord Sigurd was simply someone who followed his own path and beliefs, no matter how much the world hated him or how much people teased him. "You mentioned a second request?"

"Ah, yes!" He snapped his fingers, as if to spark the thought back to life. "Alicia, do you think I can get Shanan a practice sword?" He looked almost eager at the thought, like a puppy. "I think the exercise would do him well, but if he's not well enough…"

"Mmm…" I closed my eyes as I thought and nodded. "I think he is recovered, physically, to exercise some. But I would recommend bringing Lady Ayra into this conspiracy. I'm sure she would rather his primary form of fighting be Isaachian."

"Of course." He grinned. "This'll be fun!" He really was attached to Prince Shanan. I could only pray that it wouldn't lead to tragedy. "So, let's get our stuff, and a practice sword for him, and…" He trailed off, cheer fading for a frown. "What's that there?"

I turned to where he was looking and frowned as well. "It looks like a trio harassing a young woman." I assumed they were harassing her. The men were leering, and the girl was trembling and trying to get away. "You're going to intervene, aren't you?" I had meant for my tone to be a little exasperated, but something about the girl turned it entreating instead. I couldn't help but think how much my own mother had likely wanted 'someone' to help her, back when my father had…

Regardless, Lord Sigurd strode forward purposely and I trailed behind him, mostly to give the girl a woman to run behind, just in case Lord Sigurd only scared her further. I could barely contain my scoff when I heard one of the men say, "Don't be so stubborn!" He snagged her arm. "We just want to show you around, have a bit of fun."

"Please, I really must be going!" the girl replied. Her voice shook as she tried to pull her arm out of his grip, but she failed. "I…"

"You won't regret it; I promise!"

"I think you are doing something you're going to regret," Lord Sigurd sighed as he reached the group. He easily pried the man's arm off of her, twisting it a bit for good measure.. "She doesn't want to go. Leave her be."

"Oh? And just who do you think you are?" the man sneered. His eyes narrowed, and his friends started crowding around. "We saw her first, buddy!"

"Are you two or something?" Lord Sigurd sighed again, and shifted to stand protectively in front of the girl. "Just go on. I'm tired already."

"You really think you can-!"

"You know, considering their armor and weapons, it's possible they're from Prince Gandolf's army," I noted, keeping my voice as innocent as possible. The three instantly squirmed, and the nearby villagers turned some surprisingly cold glares their way. I tried to not scowl at how they'd been willing to just stand back while the girl was harassed. "I could be wrong, of course, but…" I laughed a little as the three ran. "Well, maybe I'm not."

"I'll have someone track them later," Lord Sigurd replied. "Maybe Ayra. I'm sure she'd have fun with it."

"Let her take Lord Lex along."

"Sounds good to me. They need to work through their awkwardness anyway." He shook his head and turned to the girl. "Are you okay?"

"Ah, yes, I am," the girl whispered. She looked up shyly and then both her and Lord Sigurd froze, as if time had stopped for them. She blushed a little and ducked her head to break the 'spell'. "Thank you very much, Lord Sigurd…"

"You know my name?" He looked a little started by that, and yet strangely happy. "How?"

"Sigurd, you do realize you're rather distinctive," I deadpanned, mostly because I couldn't believe he'd lost that must sense. Both of them jumped and I waved to remind them both that I was still here, and they were in the middle of a market. "Miss, do you require healing?"

"No, I'm fine," she whispered. Her smile faded slightly, but returned again as she laughed. "Thank you, though. But, I am afraid I do not know..."

"It's Alicia." I nudged Lord Sigurd's leg to try and get him to stop staring. "You know him already, from the town gossip, I guess?"

"No, actually." She shook her head. "I talked to this lovely woman with beautiful gold hair and a gentle smile last time I was here. She seemed scared, so I told her my favorite story. I came to town to see if she was still okay."

"A woman with…" I trailed off as I remembered something Lady Aideen had told me, about how a girl with silver hair and amethyst eyes had told her a story. This girl… had silver hair and amethyst eyes. "That was Lady Aideen. She's safe with us."

"Oh, I am so glad." Her smile somehow brightened, to the point that I was almost dazzled. Lord Sigurd looked beyond coherency at the sight. "I… should get home, in that case, though."

"Would you like me… us… to escort you?" Lord Sigurd asked. He smiled softly, and the girl's face went bright red with a blush. "I would hate for you to be accosted again."

"I… um…" the girl stammered. Her face went even redder. "N-no, I will be fine. Thank you!" Her voice ended with a little squeak, and she fled. There was no other word for it.

"Ah, wait!" Lord Sigurd reached out, and a look of longing flicked over his face. "Ah…" He glanced at me. "Did I... ?"

"I'm sure she was simply embarrassed," I replied, answering the unspoken question. "You didn't really do anything that I would've thought untoward. Then again, things might be different in Verdane."

"That's true," he murmured. His eyes returned to where the girl had run. "I hope we meet again…"

"You had best forget about that hope, my lord." The soft voice made both of us whirl, and I vaguely recognized the speaker as the 'elder' for the village. "She is a maiden of the Spirit Forest," he explained, coming to stand before us. "She, like the others of the Forest, are forbidden attachments to the outside world, lest catastrophe consume the world."

"That… forgive me for my blunt words, elder, but that sounds like a bunch of superstitious nonsense." Lord Sigurd's demeanor became far too determined, by my eye. "Something that vague… that sounds like something used to justify the persecution of others!"

"Perhaps to you, but to us…" He continued talking, but I stepped away then and tuned their conversation-argument out as I studied Lord Sigurd. Everything from his tone to his posture reminded me more of a husband protecting his wife from slander, instead of simply a young man hoping to see a girl again. It was as if he was in love with her.

The very thought unnerved me. Lord Sigurd had been infamous in the gossips in having no real interesting in anyone romantically, leading people to fret over who would inherit Chalphy. Yet, he met a random girl in another country, in the middle of a market, and fell in love at first sight? It seemed ridiculous, like the plot of a bad romance story. But, more importantly, it reminded me of the stories back in the Church, about how 'love at first sight' was truly the gods manipulating the world. It was their way of saying 'you two must meet, and must fall in love in order to allow or prevent something from occurring'. The stories also said that when you had people falling in love at first sight, trouble and devastation were on the horizon, because the gods did not interfere with humanity's free will otherwise. It made me wonder just what could be coming, to make Lord Sigurd fall in love with that silver-haired girl.

It made me fearful of the future, because that 'catastrophe' the elder mentioned was likely coming, no matter what that girl did, and I wondered just why the gods hated her, and Lord Sigurd, enough to force both of them into that sort of fate.


Author's Notes: So, for Sigurd and Deidre, I'm taking some notes from the Valdemar series by Mercedes Lackey, where you have 'lifebonds', which typically involve the gods of that universe either a) ensuring that a particularly powerful yet not exactly mentally stable person sticks around long enough to actually fulfill their destiny or b) making sure certain people are bonded to make sure things run more smoothly.

Next Chapter - Goddess