Sinful Promises
Disclaimer: I own none of the stuff that Merecedes Lackey owns. But I do own Maire and Madame Louisa and the girls and the tavern... and other things that are to come later but would spoil the plotline!
Chapter 4
Maire slid off Raya quickly, her feet hitting the ground lightly. She ran to Raya's neck, throwing her arms around her and hugging the side of her face to Raya's cheek. She felt like a giddy child.
" Raya, 'twas wonderful! 'Twas the most fun I've ever had in a long time! Thank ye!" She ran a hand over her powerful neck and cupped her nose, letting Raya preen under the complements and attention.
" Raya says thank you, and that she may just dump my unappreciative butt right here and now and take you instead." Galen laughed, dismounting as well and taking Maire away from Raya.
Maire blushed, and blew Raya a kiss as she made her way to the stables, and they started making their way to Galen's classes. Maire didn't bother to look at the Collegium at all, figuring that this would be one of her last times here. She could allow herself maybe a handful more times, but no more than that. She was already half besotted with Galen, but she couldn't allow it to go any further than that. It was bad manners to fall in love with a customer.
But she couldn't help but notice the students and teachers alike, how she was drawing their eyes and causing whispers. She wondered if Galen had told the whole lot of them who she was, but as longing appeared in the girls eyes instead of contempt, she figured otherwise. She knew she made a striking figure, she always did when she dressed up like this, and she didn't often have time to make much of it, so she took her chance now. She preened under the attention, smiling at everyone that she could, even telling them to have a good day. Before she got to the outside again, she was sure that her appearance was going to have caused a good ruckus indeed.
Galen caught up her hand and started pulling her, as if they weren't walking fast enough. He wasn't hurting her, just annoying her. She had short legs, and usually got around fine, but she wasn't up to matching her pace with taller people. Usually she was the one who set the pace and the taller people matched it.
" Galen, are ye really in such a hurry as to be pullin' me around like some kind of a prize summer hog?" Maire asked hotly, stopping suddenly when she saw the practice ring and the people already working inside it.
" Weaponsmaster Alberich-" Galen started, anxiety on his face.
" Does not like it when you are late." Finished a gravelly voice behind them, and Maire turned around on a point.
The man was tall, his face seamed with scars and his skin tanned and looked to be as hard as leather. Greying hair was slicked back into a short tail, and calm grey eyes looked down on her, his mouth set in a line that was nothing. Not approving, not disapproving. Just... nothing.
" Weaponsmaster Alberich, this is Maire-" Galen stopped, suddenly remembering that he didn't know Maire's last name, or if she even had one. He looked at her pleadingly for help.
Maire stuck out her hand, standing tall and proud as she could to a man that she had to crane her neck to look up at. She barely even came up to his shoulder, and Galen was a few inches taller than he!
" Amaire Lydon." She tried her best not to flinch as Alberich took her hand and gave it a firm shake. " I hope I am not interuppting Galen's classes in any way."
His eyebrows went up a slight notch, Maire could have sworn. " Galen knew he would not have been able to get back on time, and he went anyway. He knew the consequences of it, and now I shall see to administering them." He started walking towards the ring and entered it, as all the fighters stopped, acknowledging him respectfully and waiting for his words.
Galen sighed, kissed her softly on the cheek, and jogged over to join them. Someone handed him a practice sword, and he settled into the ranks comfortably. Maire almost had trouble sorting him out from the sea of grey Trainees. She settled herself on the fence, leaning up against it with her chin in her hand and her eyes on the students. This was going to be interesting.
" ... Remy hasn't been doing such a good job." Said a soft voice off to her right, that came louder as two people stepped up to the fence as well. " She's been getting weaker every month, and every time she seems to get better, it only lasts so long before she lapses back into it."
" We'll find something, Talia. Don't worry."
Maire didn't look, but she knew by the voices that the first speaker was female, the second being male. Finally she did look, and saw them. A short female, though taller than herself, with sleek brown hair and gleaming hazel eyes that seemed to dominate her face; she stood next to a man with thatchy looking blond hair and eyes as blue as a Companion. His eyes were what made him attractive, and his easy, laid back body language. He looked like he liked to laugh and be in the company of friends.
She looked back at the Trainees, who had apparently been given the order to pair up and start practicing drills. Alberich walked back over, going instead to the people instead of her.
" Amaire, this is Herald Talia and Herald Dirk, two of Galen's other teachers." Alberich motioned with his hand that she should come closer, and she did, half an armslength away from the woman. " Talia, Dirk, Amaire Lydon."
Maire shook hands with both of them, thier shakes being more welcoming and warm than Alberich's, but then again, the Devil's handshake might be more warm than Alberich's. " Just Maire, please. The only one who used my full name last was me mother, and she's been gone five years since."
Talia nodded, understanding in her eyes, and Maire didn't know why, but she wanted to trust and like Talia. It made her edgy right off.
Dirk looked at her closely, and then something must have come to his mind, because he suddenly grinned and laughed. " You're the girl that-"
Maire sighed. " Yes, I am the one who held Galen long enough for Raya to catch him."
" You should have let Raya spend a few more weeks looking for him, would have taken a great burden off our shoulders for a few days." Alberich growled, and Maire jumped as she realized he was making a joke of sorts. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.
" Did Galen go spreading word about me all over the place?" Maire asked, now wondering how many of those appreciative looks had been because of her appearance and not reputation.
" I'm not sure." Talia said, leaning closer. " I know he told Dirk and Kris and myself, and Alberich as well. And Selenay, because she hears all the Trainees stories one way or another, and Galen had a doozy to tell."
" How did his go?" Maire asked, narrowing her eyes.
Dirk took over, hoisting himself to sit up on the fence post. He put his hands on his knees like storytellers of old. " Galen, the young strapping buck that he is, says that he was in the market looking for a new vest to wear at his cousins coming out ceremony. A vision of dark haired, cat eyed beauty waltzed into his veiw and told him not to choose the one he'd been looking at, instead a vibrant thing of green satin and skillful black embroidery. He was so entranced in her loveliness that he didn't notice the Companion sneak up on him. But his lady did, and alerted him most nobly to her."
Maire laughed. ' Most nobly' her ass. But Dirk wasn't done yet.
" He leapt atop his Companion, profusely apologizing to his lady, and sped off into the day. Thoughts of her kept haunting him, even through his arrival here and what trouble we put him through and the days that followed him. So he made the choice to traverse back into the hellish part of her town to rescue her and safely sweep her into his arms and bring her back here to cherish and love her like the angel she is."
Dirk leapt down from the post and bowed to Talia, to Maire, and to Alberich. Talia had a grin on her face, and Alberich had less of a frown. Maire snorted, very un-lady-like, but she didn't care.
" Angel that I am indeed. Who's been slipping poppy power into yer drinks, my rainbow tongued lord?" Maire asked, sitting on the fence post herself, crossing her legs and looking down at them.
" Galen was right, you've got the tongue of a snake." Dirk laughed, and Maire appreciated the compliment. If there was anything her mother had given her that had been good, it had been the ability to speak her mind without caring about what anyone else thought about it. It came in common, most times.
" Speaking of Galen," Talia spoke up. " Has he been treating you well?"
Maire looked away suddenly, trying to find Galen among the whirling dervishes that were the Trainees. " He's been treating me well enough. He doesn't beat me, 'sbeen favorable to me ever since we met." Which was all of three days ago, she reminded herself. " He didn't tell ye what I do for a living, did he?"
" He told us, no worry." Dirk said, looking at her sideways as if he hadn't wanted her to bring that up.
" And ye aren't throwing me out on me butt for being here?" She stared straight at them.
Talia shook her head. " Maire, everyone has to get their bread somehow. I could give you some long lecture about how you should be working at a tavern where there is a good clientile, but I've checked out Madame Louisa's, I've even done some custom jobs there for her. She's a good woman, and a smart businesswoman. She knows what she's doing and she loves all her girls like they were daughters and only has their best interests in mind for every one of them. Honestly, if you had been working somewhere else, I would have carted you off to her as soon as we were done here."
That made Maire smile. This must have been the woman that Darcie had seen when she had gotten attacked a few months ago. That must have been how Darcie had met Kris in the first place, because Kris had gone with Talia. She nodded.
" True ye are there, madame Herald." Maire nodded. " Truth be told, Galen isn't one of my customers. Got Chosen three days ago before I could lay a hand on him and tonight, after this, he'll be too tired to do anything but gulp down some food and pass out on his bed."
" As most of Alberich's students are wont to do after his classes." Talia and Dirk both laughed as Alberich ignored them steadily, and then walked over to a pair of students to correct them on something.
" 'Tis a wonderful place, this Collegium of yours." Maire sighed. " Wish I could be here more often."
" You can visit with Galen any time you want, when he's free to do so." Talia said. " We don't keep our students from having friends outside the Collegium."
" Even if Galen becomes one of my customers?" Maire asked, testing them.
Talia blushed. " As long as Galen spends his own money and doesn't allow it to impede on his classes and studies, then it's fine. I'd rather have him bedding you than some other girl in the place and causing heartbreak."
Maire knew that it was meant to be a compliment, but it stung a little. Of course, the street walkers wouldn't let themselves get involved with their men, but it was perfectly okay for the men to fall in love with them, because they had no emotional stock to take care of. In a twisted way, it was true. You never fell in love with one of your men, unless you were steadily prepared to marry him and quit the life.
" So how is Darcie doing?" Dirk asked suddenly, and Maire jumped.
" You know about Darcie?" Maire tried her best to look shocked, even though she had already figured out that part.
" We've known about Darcie and Kris from the start. She's a lovely little woman, and Kris is fair entranced with her. Says that her personality is like a knot, you finally get one thing untangled and she goes and turns up with five more." Dirk smiled. " He always did have a knack for figuring out complicated things."
" And Darcie's a few knots in one." Maire said. " But she's my best friend in the world. She'd never give me up or over to anyone if she thought it would cause me harm. Sometimes she knows it better'n I do."
" She's a clever girl, that she is." Talia said. " I haven't had to see her as much anymore. She's finally taking care of her life on her own."
" I figured you were the one who was coming in and putting her head back together." Maire nodded. " She used to talk about you a lot in the beginning, but now it's all Kris Kris Kris."
Then they were all silent, watching Alberich turn his students into the best warriors that they were capable of doing.
A/N: Oh oh oh oh! dances Thank you for all the shining and encouraging reviews! I don't think there's been a story I've had yet that people have liked this much! hugs you all Thank you so much! I will keep writing, because you are so nice to me.