Interlude - Jungby
With Eldigan's release, Augustria officially 'surrendered' and peace talks began. Chagall was huffy and almost bratty the whole time, but thanks to Eldigan, the talks with King Azmur's representatives went smoothly enough. Chagall was forced to cede Agusty to Sigurd and live in one of the neighboring castles. Eldigan, on orders of Chagall, moves into Silvail with his Cross Knights, which Eldigan agrees to without a fuss, though it's easy to see that he wishes he could go home to Noldion instead.
When the peace talks conclude, things settle into an uneasy peace, and, thus, Aideen, Midir, Chulainn, Deirdre, and I make a quick trip to Jungby to show Deirdre Grannvale… and Chalphy, the duchy where she will eventually live, and rule alongside Sigurd.
It was only when I arrived that I realized it had been over a year since I'd last been to Jungby. My birthday had come and gone before the trouble with Augustria, with me turning twenty. I knew it logically, of course, since I'd gotten presents, but it hadn't really hit me until I was looking at my former house, and how dusty it all was.
"It's so cute~" Deirdre cooed, happily darting from one corner to the next. She hummed a little song as she did so. "Ah, you used blankets to divide the room like I did with my little house!" She giggled and ran a hand over the patchwork thing. "It's so pretty…"
"You can have it, if you want," I replied, shrugging. It was just a blanket I had made to help divide out a work area for myself. "It's a simple thing, but…"
"I love it!" She instantly went on her tiptoes to unpin it from the walls. "Yay!"
"You get happy over the silliest things." I shook my head and headed over to the dusty vials on the shelf, moving them into a box. This was the main reason why I'd decided to visit my old house; I remembered I still had some ground herbs and the like. "You okay? It's dusty."
"I'm fine, though I can't believe they didn't at least send someone to dust for you." Deirdre huffed, annoyed on my behalf. "I bet you saved their lives lots of times, but they can't do a simple thing like dust for you?"
"Well, do you think the people of the Spirit Forest are dusting your place?"
"...They probably burned it by now, actually." She sighed, drooping a little. "I suppose I should be happy they left it alone, then." She smiled again, though. "So, we should… oh…" Deirdre suddenly brought a hand to her head and swayed. I quickly moved to help her to the bed. "Ugh… dizzy…"
"This is what happens when you're five months pregnant." I smiled gently at her as she pouted. "At least you didn't get a nosebleed this time?"
"Thankfully." She sighed, and leaned against me. "I might need to head back to the castle, though…"
"Can you wait for me to pack up the last of my medicine?"
"Yes, I think so."
"Okay." I gave her a gentle hug. "I won't be long."
Very quickly, I packed up the rest of the medicines, tucked the blanket and some other things under my arm, and helped Deirdre back to Castle Jungby, where she could be spoiled with long baths, food, and soft pillows and blankets. After making sure she didn't need me near, I went to find Aideen to let her know we were back early. The original plan had been just to spend some time in the village, but Deirdre's health took priority.
"You're going back?" A snappish voice I didn't recognize made me bristle, and I followed the sound to the little parlor Aideen liked having tea in. I peeked inside to see she was talking with a young man who bore some resemblance to her, except I'd never known Aideen to have such an annoyed look on her face. "Seriously, sister?" the man grumbled. With a start, I realized this was Andrei, the younger half-brother of Aideen, and the 'heir-presumptive' with Briggid still missing. "You're needed here!"
"I fail to see what more I can do, considering our steward, and I have a debt to repay to Sigurd," Aideen pointed out calmly. She even sipped her tea like a proper lady. "If not for him and King Jamke, you would have a brother-in-law by now, and one I did not choose willingly."
"...Ugh…" Andrei leaned back in his chair, glowering at some spot above the wall. "I told Father we needed to leave more people behind, but he was all like 'oh, we must do our duty, son!' and all that nonsense. And look what happened! You were kidnapped and nearly forced, and now you and Sigurd are caught up in another country's business and not able to do your duties here at home where you both belong."
"It's not all bad. I've met many wonderful people, and Sigurd even found a wife."
"Still can't believe it. I thought he had no interest in any of those things and would just adopt Ethlyn's second child as his heir, if he didn't name Oifeye as the heir instead." He sighed. "Still shouldn't have listened to the old bugger."
"Oh, Andrei…" Aideen set her cup on the table and smiled sadly. "I'm fine. It all worked out. Please try to get along with Father?"
"Bah…" He scowled, but nodded brusquely. "Fine. For you, I'll try. Maybe. Don't expect anything good, though."
"I ask for nothing more." Her smile warmed. "But, when everything calms, I would very much like to have a family dinner like we used to, instead of you eating alone as you have been."
"..." Andrei rolled his eyes, but finally smiled. It was easiest to see the family resemblance when he smiled. "Fine, sister. When things calm, I'll have dinner with you."
"You promise?"
"Yes."
"Wonderful!" Aideen stood up, and leaned over the table to give him a big hug. "I'll be away in Agusty for a while longer, but I know Jungby is safe in your hands."
"Agusty, huh?" Andrei hesitated, but slowly lifted a hand to hug her back. "Briggid disappeared north of there, right?"
"I'll write you if I find out anything." She smiled sweetly at him as she pulled away. "If I find her, maybe you can relax a bit? I know you've been overworking because everyone threw the burden of heirship on you…"
"I can handle it." He sounded a little cross. "I'm more than capable-"
"It is not your ability I doubt, Andrei. It's your happiness." She rested a hand on his cheek, and her smile saddened. "You may be grown, Andrei, but you're still my beloved baby brother. I will always worry for your happiness."
"..." He sighed, and shook his head, smiling wryly. "One day, I'll win an argument."
"I have more practice at arguments." Aideen giggled. "Ah, but you have to return to the front, don't you?"
"I do. I've delayed too long."
"Then let me see you off."
"Fine, fine. I know when to give." Andrei sighed, but this smile, his smile became teasing as he stood up. "So, dear sister, how are things with Midir going?"
"Andrei!" Aideen's face went bright red as the two exited the room. I flattened myself against the wall so that they wouldn't realize I'd been eavesdropping on their conversation, and smiled as they passed by without noticing, with Aideen blushing badly and Andrei teasing her relentlessly.
There had been rumors that Andrei's relationship with both Lord Ring and Aideen had been strained in recent years, but it seemed like they'd be able to make up in time. That made me happy for Aideen. Hopefully, they could spend more time together when peace came.
A couple of days later, Deirdre felt steady enough to visit Chalphy. We made arrangements with the servants there to overnight in the Castle, and to keep Deirdre's visit absolutely quiet, so it was just Deirdre, Chulainn, and me while Aideen and Midir dealt with some administrative things for Jungby. The story, if anyone asked, was that she and I were sisters wanting to visit, and Chulainn was my boyfriend who'd come to make sure we weren't attacked. It wasn't quite a lie, all things considered.
As we approached the town, Deirdre took my hand in a crushing grip and she leaned against me when the chatter of the market started washing over us. We actually had to stop on the edge of town since between her nerves, the shortness of breath that often came with a pregnancy, and the walk, she actually was on the edge of hyperventilating. Chulainn rubbed her back as I worked to calm her down, and reassure her that it didn't matter what they said. We, the army, adored her, and if the people of the town were wary, she would only have to win them as she had won over the soldiers. It took a couple of times to get her to nod, and a few more reassurances to help her calm down enough to get her breathing under control. Only after all of that did we enter the town.
The very first words were enough to bring Deirdre almost to tears: 'Oh, I can't wait for Lord Sigurd to bring his wife home! I want to meet her!'.
I grinned at Deirdre and she smiled back almost shyly before leading the way into the market proper. As Chulainn hovered protectively near, we wandered, listening to all the rumors. Each of them were as encouraging as the first. 'I wish they could've gotten married here, but politics are silly!' 'I hope they come home soon! I miss them!' 'Hurry up with those decorations, child! We need to send some proper ones to our Lady Deirdre, you know!'
There were even happy rumors about the baby. 'We need to prepare for a festival to celebrate the birth of Sigurd's heir!' 'I hope Lady Deirdre is taking care of herself. Pregnancy can be hard on the body.' 'I'm sure Lord Byron will be beside himself to have another grandchild!' 'Come with me to the temple, child. I want to pray for Lady Deirdre and the baby.'
"They're so happy…" Deirdre whispered. She sniffed, and dabbed at the corners of her eyes with her sleeves. "Ah… I'm weepy…"
"They love their lord, and so, they love those he loves," Chulainn summarized. There was a small amount of pain in his eyes as he looked over the crowd, but when he caught me looking, he quietly shook his head. He wasn't ready yet, and that was fine. I smiled to reassure him. "You will still have to earn, but they are willing to give you a chance."
"I will earn it. I will." She smiled warmly, determined. I squeezed her hand. "But, for now, I would like…" She trailed off, trying to get onto her tiptoes to see something. "What's with that group there?"
"The group?" Chulainn peered over everyone's head with a little frown. "Ah, it seems like some locals are organizing a group to go pick herbs."
"Can I do that?" She looked at me entreatingly. "Can I? Please?"
"Well, you have been doing well healthwise today…" I began. Her eyes sparkled. "You can if Chulainn goes with you."
"Yay!" she cheered. Then she paused and gave me an odd look. "Wait, you're not going?"
"No, I'm going to look for premade medicines and snag some herbs that are hard to get in Agusty. It'll also do you some good to be around them without me."
"I… suppose…" She frowned a little, but nodded. "Okay." She looked up at Chulainn, whose expression locked up. "I don't think he's happy with it."
"He thinks I get in trouble all the time," I half-joked. I smiled up at him. "Please?"
"You do get into trouble all the time," he immediately pointed out. I simply shrugged. "But you'll fret if Deirdre goes alone, and clearly, Deirdre wants to go…"
"I will just pass through the market and head straight for the castle. I intend to rest my poor feet anyway."
Chulainn frowned and fell silent, clearly thinking it over. "You promise?"
"Yes." I hesitated a moment and then leaned up and brushed a kiss over his cheek. He stilled at the action, while Deirdre squealed, giggled, and blushed all at once. "Have fun, you two."
"We will!" Deirdre reassured, hooking her arm around Chulainn's and dragged him down the path. "You're completely smitten with here, aren't you?"
"Huh?" Chulainn replied, actually looking startled as she continued to pull him away. "Wait, hold on…"
"Smitten, smitten~" Deirdre's singsongy teasing joined the murmurs and laughter dancing through the market, and I started giggling, unable to help it. I rather enjoyed the thought of him being 'smitten' with me.
Shaking my head, but unable to keep the silly smile off my face, I headed to a nearby medicine stall and looked through their wares for anything I might need for the army. I found a couple of things, and tucked them safely into a little bag after purchasing them. Afterwards, I made my slow way through the market, and found myself lingering at a toy stall. Among the items was a beautiful stuffed bear made of soft browns and whites, and I just couldn't take my eyes off it.
"That caught your eye, miss?" the stall owner asked. She was an older lady with a bright smile. "My daughter made that one. Said that I needed more things in the stall for babies. Of course, you really shouldn't leave a baby alone with it until they're a year old, just in case they roll over on the thing and suffocate, but something soft to play with under supervision."
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking…" I whispered. I reached out to carefully poke the bear's 'cheek', smiling at how it 'squished'. "Do… you have others like it?"
"Got two more, actually." She ducked into the back of the stall briefly and came out with two other bears, one that was black and brown and one that was brown and black. "They're actually made from the same materials."
"...I'll take them." It was an impulsive purchase, one that I almost never would've done in the past, but… but I had people I wanted to buy things for. "All three."
"Triplets expected in the family?" She laughed and wrapped up the three bears in a cloth to keep it from getting dirty, and set them into a high-walled basket. "60 gold."
"Take 65." I passed it over easily, and almost laughed at how ridiculous the sentence was. A year ago, the price would've made me balk and hide behind my healer-mask. Actually, a few months ago, I even argued with Sigurd about things being too expensive. Now, I was purchasing three stuffed bears and paying extra. "No, there are no triplets, thankfully. I just know three children who will love them, and their fathers will adore the idea of a 'sibling toys'."
"I should use that as a marketing trick." The woman winked as she handed me the basket and accepted the coin. "I hope they enjoy!"
"Thank you!" It took me a moment to juggle the two baskets, but then I was off through the market again, humming a little song. I ended up stopping again at another stall, this time to pick up little trinkets for Deirdre, Ethlyn, Aideen, Lachesis, Ayra, Erinys, and Sylvia. Another stall led to more purchases for Chulainn, Azel, Finn, Oifeye, Lex, and Shanan. A third led to even more, this time for Sigurd, Lord Quan, and Eldigan. At the fourth, I snagged something for Lewyn and Sir Midir.
By that point, I decided I finally understood why the others bought things for me. There was a certain amount of joy in buying things for my friends, especially since they were things I was relatively certain they'd enjoy.
At some point, though, I bumped into someone, and struggled to keep all my purchases from falling out of the baskets I had. "I'm sorry!" I yelped, stumbling back and checking the ground to make sure nothing fell. "I wasn't paying attention…"
"No, it's my fault," the someone reassured. The voice was instantly familiar, but I still had to look up to confirm it was Arvis. To be fair, he also stared at me in shock. "Alicia?"
"Arvis, what are you…?" I started laughing as I realized something. "Oh, dang it! I saw Deirdre and Chulainn off while they went with a group of locals to pick herbs."
"I… almost joined in on that." Arvis laughed too, shaking his head. "That's almost hilarious."
"Almost." I grinned, deciding today was wonderful. Deirdre was reassured that the people of Chalphy loved her. I got things for my friends. I got things for Ares, Altenna, and Seliph. Then, to top it off, I got to see Arvis. "Well, you're an unexpected sight. What brings you here?"
"I told Byron I'd check on Chalphy for him, since Sigurd was stuck in Agusty for the time being." His smile fell slightly. "I'm sorry. I tried to argue for someone else to take over, but the people of Agustria refused. Sigurd won them over so completely, and he is the dear friend of their beloved Eldigan…"
"It's fine. We all expected this." I started back for the castle again, and Arvis fell in step with me easily. "How goes everything?"
"The campaign is going well, but warn Sigurd to be careful. There have been some… rumors." He hesitated a bit, glancing around before leaning forward to whisper. "Some accuse him of treason for harboring Crown Prince Shanan."
"I warned him his kindness would get him in trouble." Still, I felt incensed on his behalf. "But you may kindly inform people that if they try anything on a sweet child who has lost much and has only recently recovered enough that he can be without his protectors for long durations… well, they'll have to deal with a Vala's wrath."
"A Vala's wrath?"
"Mine. You don't want a healer angry at you. I know how people are put together. And Shanan is adorable, and my charge."
"I look forward to when you have kids." He snickered, but then got a thoughtful look. "That does remind me. Are you planning marriage?"
"Chulainn and I are still working through courting, given our respective personalities." I smiled sheepishly. "If you are in any danger of becoming an uncle, however, I will be sure to warn you."
"It's no 'danger'. I would welcome the chance to spoil some nieces and nephews."
"Should I inform Azel?"
"Only if you give me a detailed description of how red his face goes at the implications."
"Certainly!" I giggled, in far too good of a mood. "Sigurd and Deirdre will have a child soon, though."
"I've heard. I'll be sending presents in a month or so."
"No stuffed toys! I just bought one."
"Just one?"
"I bought other things too. I finally understand why you like buying things for me now."
"So, you won't protest your next present."
"Maybe." I grinned and he rolled his eyes. "It might be force of habit…. Ah!" I almost pouted, actually, when I realized we were at the castle gates. "Darn…" I looked up at him. "Would you like to come in? I'm sure Sigurd won't mind."
"If only, but I'm due back at the capital." He shook his head and sighed. "I suppose I'll have to hope that next time I see you, I get to also meet Deirdre and Chulainn."
"I look forward to that." I stepped in front of him and smiled. "But, if you must leave, then you should head off before you give Aida trouble."
"I suppose." He still looked a little grumpy. "Both you and Azel need to write more, by the way."
"The disturbance in Augustria cut into our writing time, but I promise we will be better in the future." My smile grew, and he softened to smile back. "I love you, Lord Brother. Be safe."
"You as well, dear sister." He leaned down to kiss the top of my head. "...Don't worry. Everything will be alright." He turned away then, walking to his carriage. I watched him leave with a frown, even as he disappeared, trying to figure out just why he said that.
I hadn't been worried. But now I wondered if I should be.
Author's notes: Andrei is the younger half-brother of Aideen, though in-game, he doesn't make an appearance (or even get a mention, I think?) until Game-Chapter 4. Dizziness and nosebleeds are not uncommon for the 4th/5th months of pregnancy.
Next Chapter - Interlude, Seliph
