Chapter Thirteen



It was shortly after noon as Daine rode to the head of the procession, with five minutes left before they arrived back at the palace. She had successfully avoided Numair all day, scared that he might learn her secret, but even she couldn't avoid his frantic signals any longer.

"My darling!" he cried as she approached. "I thought we'd left you behind!"

Daine giggled. "Oh, it would take more than just leaving me behind to keep me away from you," she told him.

"Magelet, I really was worried. I still am - you haven't been yourself all week. Since before we were properly engaged, even! Why? What's the matter?"

Daine was trying to reply as honestly as her Secret allowed when Wyldon's voice interrupted her stammerings.

"Dismount!" The pages did. "Rub down mounts!" They began to do so. "When you finish - don't stop work, Joren of Stone Mountain - go in and change. The noon meal has been put back to twixt-bells. After it, go to your normal lessons. That's all. Mindelan, report to me as soon as the meal is over."

As the lord finished, Daine hopped from Cloud to Spots. Sitting astride the gelding behind her lover, she whispered into his neck, "How about now?" Holding tight as he twisted around, she seized his lips with hers. After a long, hungry, passionate kiss he gently pushed her away, shaking his head.

"No." he said. "You were different, somehow. And just now, you were acting yourself. What's wrong?"

"Nothing... Nothing's wrong." It isn't quite a lie, she told herself sternly. It isn't exactly wrong...

What? asked Cloud in her mind.

I'm going to be a dam.

A foal! How lovely! So why not tell him? He's the sire... isn't he?

Of course, Cloud. You have a really dirty mind, for one of the People! But... Oh, wait, he's saying something.

"Magelet? Can you talk to me now? I can see there's something wrong, something you're not telling me. Why? Can't you say?"

Daine buried her head in his shoulder. Somehow, it felt easier that way. "I'm going..." she mumbled.

"I can't hear you when you do that! Is it so hard to say?"

"Oh, yes."

"Harder than the story of the wolves? You told me that. If you really can't say it, I could get it from your mind..."

"No. You'd see... other things."

"Darling! Not more secrets from me?" His voice was light and amused, but carried a biting undertone of worry and fear.

"You'd be insufferable if you knew some of them, I tell you! You really want to know? You should, I suppose. It's your business as much as mine... I'm... I'm... No! I can't!"

Shaking his head, Numair took her in his arms and cuddled her close. She lay back, snuggling into him. His deep love and care shamed her and she resolved to tell him the Secret, although as fast as possible. She took a deep breath and blurted it, fast and quiet as she could, "I'm... going to have a baby."

His silence lasted for a long moment. Scared, Daine turned in his grip and looked up at her friend and lover.

"Numair?" she asked shakily. What would he do? How would he take it? Was he going to be angry? Worried? Perhaps he'd think she was only marrying him because of that! A host of horrible thoughts, each more horrible than the last, ran through her mind in those minutes and it must have shown in her face, for Numair bent over her and kissed her lips, full and long. She relaxed. Perhaps it was going to be all right.

"Ah, you poor thing!" sympathised Alanna, to whose chamber she had gone as soon as Numair had had to leave her - what had passed between them in that time is immaterial to the story!

"I was so scared. I've never been so scared in my life before!"

"Poor child. Do you feel all right now?"

"Yes, absolutely wonderful!"

"Then you're lucky! Me, I was sick. Every day, every minute it felt like, 'til I was six months gone. Then I only had a month of glorious freedom before I started again! Not that it was exactly free when I couldn't do anything energetic but it felt absolutely great to be able to eat!"

"Oh no! If I felt like that, I'd never have any children again!"

"Don't tell anyone, but... I felt just like that. Never again, I vowed. The twins were a mistake! Even more so when they were crawling around, ripping up all our things... Kara ate half my best new leather jerkin once. Then she threw it up all over my shield. Took weeks to clean!"

"Nice," commented Daine dryly. "Thank you for that! At least you can't tell me any horror stories about birth!"

"Oh, can't I?"

"My ma was a midwife." Daine informed her friend, blinking hard. "What I don't know about birth isn't worth the knowing! Can you give me some advice on a guest list for the wedding? We've got nearly seven hundred people we can't not invite, and we need to get it down to four hundred at the most."

"Fine..."

Three hours later, Baird walked in.

"You've been here long enough, Daine." he announced. "Alanna needs her rest, especially today."

Daine looked at her friend, who laughed. " I didn't tell you? I'm getting up for half an hour tomorrow!"

"Great! Congratulations! Thanks for the help... My lord duke," she added. "I would like to respectfully invite you to my wedding to Numair Salmalín, on the first day of Midwinter."

"Thank you! I'd be pleased to come."

Alanna looked at the younger woman. Daine bit her lip, knowing what the Lioness was telling her to do. "Uh, sir... do you know of any healing women in the palace? Or the city." she added in some confusion.

The healer's dark eyes searched her. She fidgeted uncomfortably, sure that somehow the chief of the palace healers knew her Secret. But he only answered "Yes, quite a few. Do you want to decide now?"

"Please," said Daine and followed him out. Alanna watched them go, violet eyes sad. She wished with all her heart that she could follow.

Lord Wyldon had chastised Kel for clumsiness after her lunch. Then she had gone to Master Oakbridge's etiquette lesson, where at that moment she and Esmond were discussing this forthcoming wedding. As the palace master of ceremonies, Oakbridge was explaining the serving system for the Midwinter Feast. This lasted eight days and was the most formal of the year's few celebrations. As second-year pages, Kel's friends would be serving the guests. All would be nervous, but at the moment they were too absorbed in gossiping about the court wedding on the first day of the Feast. Not that they were invited, of course, apart from lucky Roald - an old friend of Daine's and who, being the Prince, was at most court occasions - and Neal. He was still sulking away and even talked of refusing the coveted invitation! Still almost none of his friends were really speaking to him, which was why he was the only one paying attention in the class. Kel's soft heart was sad for him, but she tried not to sympathise. Instead she gossiped with the best of them about the recovering Lady Knight and the wedding... although she knew much less about both than Neal, with all his contacts all over the palace, would have known.