(A/N - Thanks for stopping by. What you are about to read (and review, I hope) was a real nuisance to write. The original draft was also ridiculously long, so I've lopped the chapter into two parts. Apologies if this section seems a little on the wee side – I promise the second part will be better and posted within the next seven days. Now, on to the good stuff….

Laughing Dragoness – Yes, it usually takes me a long time to update. I'm a very, very lazy writer. Thanks for reviewing again. It's always appreciated.

Poopy – When are Cal and Mai going to hook up, you ask? In truth, I honestly don't know - I sort of write this thing as I go along. But there's a fair amount of booze flying around in the next few chapters, so you never know….thanks for the review, and I love that you love my story!

Virago – Must…resist…..puppy dog….eyes….gaaah, it's no good. Your effervescent review was too powerful to resist. Yep, he bought her a ribbon all right; shame it wasn't the pink one though, eh? ; ) Thank you big time for the review – I was pleased as pomegranate punch when I saw it. Hope this chapter's okay for those pesky mind demons and thanks for sticking with it.

Jasmina – I don't know what impressed me the most – your exquisitely worded review or the fact you managed to wade through fifteen chapters [bows with awed deference]. Needless to say, I was delighted with your feedback and I'm glad the pared-down style meets with your approval. I hope you keep enjoying the fic.

Well folks, by my tentative reckoning there's only three or four chapters to go 'til the end. Let the plot thicken….or should that be curdle?)

Disclaimer - It will be mine, oh yes, it will be mine [drools]

Chapter Sixteen

'Oh Mai, they are not going to bite you.'

Mai gave Leilan what felt like a very frail, watery little smile. But then, everything about her felt frail and watery at the moment.

Tillalia patted her shoulder. 'Come along, child. It's quite simple. Just chose the one you like best.'

Mai thought that easy for her to say. These people lived in a riot of colour but seemed blissfully immune to its effects. The snug little caravan might have been charming if it didn't look like a rainbow had crawled inside to die, and simply glancing at Leilan sparked a spiteful ache in her head. She supposed the woman's crimson skirt could be bearable had it not been striped with such a startling shade of pink and pitted against a blouse of virulent green. The effect was nothing short of painful.

Sweet, glowing Leilan, however, still managed to outshine the dubious radiance of her garb. Mai thought it entirely unfair that these women should be so indiscriminately beautiful. Her quick jaunt around the budding camp had made her feel absolutely wretched. Whether tall or short, heavy or lithe, married or maid, the Tuatha'an female seemed to possess some intangible grace that she could not even hope to achieve. And yet here she sat, being prodded and peered at like some insect in the clamouring hands of several overly curious children. Even the huge, amber cat watched with its intent green glare. Mai scowled at the creature.

'Try not to make that face again, dear. It's highly unbecoming.'

She bit back an oath. How in the Light could Tillalia have seen that? The woman had a secret sense for every scowl, frown or anything else she deemed 'unfeminine', 'unbecoming' or, in her starker moments, 'ugly'.

'What about the green, child? It would bring out the red glints in your hair splendidly.'

She eyed the leafy dress askance. It would have been her first choice had the neckline not been slashed to the navel. Better even than the blue gown, the hem of which, for some fool reason, had been pinned to reveal a froth of lace and an indecent expanse of leg. The yellow was clearly the most decent even if the colour was truly revolting. In the face of indignity, modesty prevailed.

'The yellow.' Mai gave Leilan another shaky smile. 'I like it best of all.'

Tillalia snorted – she even managed to make that sound dainty – and paused in coiling a wad of unruly hair. 'With your complexion? Definitely not.'

'Maybe if she wasn't so fearful of a little colour, we could spend a little time readying ourselves for the evening.'

Thea gave a languorous yawn in answer to Mai's sharp look. The girl was lounging on dark, tasselled cushions, her lips curved in a mysterious smile below a hooded, feline gaze. Golden bracelets chimed on her rounded arms as she wove braids into her lustrous and irritatingly obedient hair. She was certainly pretty, that one, and with a pretty tongue to match.

Tillalia's hands had barely resumed their worrying at Mai's tresses when she stopped with a vexed hiss. 'Really, child, I do not think I have ever seen such bothersome hair.'

'I should think that you will have to pin it.' Thea's tone was ripe with amusement as her own quick fingers worked her ebony tresses with fluid ease. 'It seems the only way to make it presentable.'

Mai winced as her hair was gathered into a pile atop her head. Despite the cabin's warmth, the exposed flesh on her neck felt horribly naked.

'Yes, that should do the trick nicely. Leilan, would you be so kind?'

The smaller woman began plucking through a small basket of ribbon tails before something seemingly caught her eye. Her hand pressed to her distended abdomen, Leilan waddled to a small, lacquered table and grasped a coil of brilliant blue satin.

'This one.' She declared, snipping at the soft fabric with tiny, pearl-handled shears. 'It will look magnificent with those eyes.'

Tillalia seemed to hesitate before accepting the cobalt lengths but soon began to wind it into Mai's hair with swift fingers. 'Now hurry and choose, child. The green dress or the blue.'

It was Leilan who finally came to her rescue. Mai could have kissed the woman when she straightened with a jubilant smile.

'Tilly, what about the dress Galen bought for our betrothal night? Surely it would be more suitable?'

'That pale, horrid little thing?' Thea's glittering eyes fixed upon Mai. 'Then again,' she drawled. 'I suppose it might suit.'

'Thea, would you be so kind as to fix us a pot of tea.'

The younger woman's smirk vanished at Tilly's words. Rising with a frown, she all but bristled with indignation as she swept from the room, her swathe of ebony braids bustling behind her.

'Oh don't mind her, Mai. She just can't stand not being the centre of attention for once.' Leilan huffed as she headed from the small door. 'The dress will be perfect. Just you wait and see. And don't look so worried. The dress is fine by any ones standards, but certainly pretty enough to gather an admiring glance or two. I confess that it did me no harm.' She gave her stomach a suggestive pat and Mai a sly wink. Mai blushed furiously. These people had no shame. None whatsoever.

'I don't think I have ever seen anyone so happy,' Tillalia mused as Leilan left in search of her dress. 'Sickening, isn't it?'

'I think it's wonderful.' Mai clasped her hands in her lap, suddenly chastened by the wistful note in her voice. But it was wonderful. Thea's waspish outbursts aside, there was an aura of humour and affection amongst the owners of these huddled caravans. Even now the high, sweet laughter of little ones darting in their breathless games and the gentle melody of a flute drifted in the warm air, so different from the sounds she had grown accustomed to. She sighed.

'I had hoped you be a little cheerier this evening.' Tillalia patted her cheek with a fond smile. 'I do not believe I have ever seen anyone so inconsolable. Whatever was the matter, child?'

'Nothing important.' She shifted in her seat. The cushions really were far too soft. 'It was just Cal. He was cross with me.'

'Indeed? Why do you suppose that was?'

'I don't know. This morning he was a little odd.' Her face grew inexplicably hot. The caravan was like an oven.

'So that's what made you cry?'

'No. It was after you arrived.'

'You mean after your little outburst?'

Mai ticked through the memory. 'I suppose it was. I didn't even see him leave.'

'A good thing too. A scowl does not suit a pretty man, and that one left with a face like thunder.'

Cal? Pretty? If Tillalia had decided on Cal, she certainly had an odd way of showing it. And why would the man be so angry with her for being concerned about the sickness spreading? Pretty?

'So you went looking for your sweet little lapdog and found a lion instead.' Tillalia chuckled. 'You young ones and your games. They never fail to make me smile. Now, stand up and let me take a look at you. Fie, girl, do you have to be so tall?' After a few seemingly random adjustments, Tillalia gave a firm nod. 'That should do nicely.'

'Oh, you look splendid.' Leilan's voice was a touch breathless, though probably more from her expedition than the effect of Mai's hair. The woman was flourishing the dress as she heaved up the steps, her eyes gleaming. 'Well, here it is child. What do you think?'

She realised she needn't say a word for Leilan had already clasped a hand to her reddened cheek. 'Oh Tilly, I think she likes it.'

Mai could only stare. The gown was pale, almost staggeringly so in the midst of such stifling colour, and cut from a fabric that seemed to shiver with the slightest whisper of movement. She was trying to decide whether the dress was blue or lilac when Leilan gave an exasperated tsk.

'Well stop gawping at the thing and put it on.' She cried, her swollen body swaying as though she were resisting the urge to hop from foot to foot.

Then Mai found herself ushered behind a screen decorated with painted birds and butterflies so vibrant that they seemed to almost dance across its dark surface. After stepping from her breeches and shrugging the tunic to the floor, she shivered despite the warmth. Now that the excitement was dimming, the thought of wearing that dress seemed almost unbearably daunting.

'Are you ready yet?'

'Nearly.' She gasped, hugging the dress to her strapped chest. The binding felt suddenly stifling and she realised with horror that there was no way the dress would conceal the strips of bandage. A hot wave of nausea roiled through her.

'Do hurry up, Mai.' Leilan's voice was tinged with impatience now. 'I simply must see how it looks on you.'

'Just a moment.' Mai gritted her teeth. If she was sick, she wouldn't have to wear the dress. She could pretend to be disappointed and just hurry back to her tent. From the way her stomach was lurching, the prospect didn't seem at all unlikely.

It was then that Tillalia bustled into view. 'Whatever is the matter, child? Why are you just--?' Her eyes lowered to Mai's chest and graceful brows knitted in something close to incomprehension. 'Are you hurt?'

The voice was soft, bringing her close to tears. Mai shook her head. 'No, I'm not hurt.' She sucked in a long breath. 'I cannot do this. I am sorry for wasting your time. I think I'd like to go now.'

'What are the bandages for? Are you nursing?' The woman's face blanched. 'Oh, dearest, was there a child?'

Mai clenched her fists. 'Laybridge was a hard place. I worked alone, tending men who were angry or drunk. Usually both. They would not have needed encouragement. I'm sorry to have wasted your time.'

She was about to gather her clothes when a pair of deceptively strong arms enfolded her.

'My poor child.' A gentle hand stoked her back. 'Surely there is no need to hide now? No one here would wish to hurt you. I think your blonde friend would see to that.'

With some alarm, Mai realised that her lip was trembling. How peculiar. 'Cal doesn't care about me.' Was that her voice? It sounded so….odd. 'He would rather me gone from here.' A tear spilled onto her cheek. 'But it is not his help that I want.' The words were little more than a whisper, but Tillalia tightened her embrace.

'Oh, dearest,' she crooned. 'No good can come of such hopes.' Tillalia pulled away and watched her with a strange, sad smile. 'Do not look so surprised. I have seen enough to know. I think we both realise how wrong it would be to set your heart on such a fancy.' She thumbed a tear from her cheek. 'Choose another, dearest. Spare yourself more hurt.'

Mai could only nod as the woman released her and gathered the dress from the brushed boards. 'Now, put this on. You are going to enjoy yourself this night, or you will have me to answer to.'

When Tillalia swept from sight, Mai began to pluck at the bandages with surprisingly steady fingers. She felt like she should be shaking but the binding soon drifted free with something like a sigh. The dress was cool, smooth and gloriously comfortable. Mai turned, swirling the skirts about her ankles. It felt strange and burdensome and somehow wonderful.

Leilan appeared to lace the back of the dress, her face kindly as she issued a stream of compliments that Mai only barely heard.

When she emerged from the screen, Tillalia smiled. In her hand was a lacquered comb in the shape of an azure butterfly. Mai was smiling in return as the woman gently slid the comb into her hair.

'There now,' Tillalia murmured as she and Leilan stepped back to admire their handiwork. 'I think that she will do just nicely.'

The cat glided about her feet as Mai turned to face the mirror, her eyes widening at what she saw. 'I think,' she murmured in a slow voice. 'That I am going to be sick.'

'Having fun?' Mat tugged at his collar – the bloody thing was choking him blue - and strode towards Cal.

'Not particularly no.'

Mat paused in buttoning an embroidered cuff. 'My, aren't we sulky this fine evening?'

'What's so 'fine' about an evening of bad brandy, bad music and Light-blinded Tinkers?'

'Well, there's that for one.'

A group of females had swayed into view. In the middle of them, looking very much like a rabbit that had just spotted the glint of a snare, was Mai.

'Now, is it my imagination, or is Mai filling that dress a little more than she ought to?'

'I don't know what you're talking about.'

'Ha! So you noticed.'

'Shut up.'

'That's a fetching shade of red you're turning.'

'I'm getting another drink.' Cal muttered, shouldering his way past two prettily plump girls. 'What are you following me for. Can't find any décolletages to ogle?'

Mat deftly skirted the smiling pair with an admiring grin of his own. 'And when did you suddenly get so prissy?'

'About the same time we came to this stink-pit.'

Cal's snarled words were enough to halt him mid step. The man had waded on a few paces before Mat recovered enough to follow. He eyed his friend closely as he leaned against a keg. 'Thirsty?'

'Just trying to make this whole thing bearable.' Cal drained his cup and set to filling it again

'At least you're not being boiled alive.'

That earned him a glare. 'Then take off that ridiculous coat.'

'Fine bloody taste you have.' Mat brushed the dark velvet with a scowl. 'At least I made the effort.'

'Who's that?'

Cal's glare led him to a pretty Tinker girl, dark, sultry and hardly Cal's type at all. He smiled as she gave a coy wiggle of her jewelled fingers. 'Good choice.'

'Not her. Him.'

Mat shifted his gaze to an earnest looking young man. 'I don't know. Why? Thinking of asking him for a dance?'

The young, dark haired fellow Cal was glaring at seemed harmless enough. In fact, he looked positively cheery as he chatted to Mai. Well, chatted at her. Mai looked to be having trouble getting a word in edgeways.

'I don't like the look of that one. He's got shifty scrawled all over him.'

'Oh, I don't know. Mai seems to be enjoying herself.' The pretty Tinker girl was smiling at him now, her eyes warm and inviting. In truth, she was more than just pretty with those jet braids framing her pouty face and a body that looked made for dancing. At that moment, the old man struck the first note of the evening. Her admirer gave a girlish clap but her smile was positively wicked as she swayed forward, threw off her shawl and stood with bare shoulders thrust back as though daring someone to join her. When a drum began to thud in time, Mat shrugged off his coat.

'Well, it would be rude not to.' He laughed as he handed Cal his wine and strode to join the girl.

Several others followed suit, sauntering with feigned disinterest as they sought a partner, and soon the clearing was alive with whirling skirts and breathless laughter. Even Estean had found a partner, although the girl looked to be sorely regretting her decision if her winces were anything to go by.

Cal, however, had no intention of joining the frivolity. One hour. Just one, and then he would leave. No one could ask for anything more civil than that. Mai was watching the dance with large, impassive eyes. Luminous as she was, his gaze were still drawn to the idiot so intent on drooling over her hand. With a long draw from his cup, Cal swirled the brandy in his mouth, felt the bite of the amber liquid on his tongue.

'Rarely have I seen such a handsome man so alone, or so unhappy.' A small, warm hand stroked his neck. 'We must find you a remedy, my dear.'

He swallowed the mouthful, relishing the burning trail as it coursed to his stomach. 'I thank you for your concern….Tillalia, wasn't it?' The woman gave an insufferably gracious smile. 'But if you mean the remedy to be a dance, you may find me a very unwilling patient.'

'Not many men forget my name, dearest. If you were not so clearly distracted, I might take offence.'

'Please accept my boundless apologies. Good evening.'

He stalked a few paces before realising the woman was gliding beside him. He stopped to fix her with what he hoped was his sternest glower. 'I'm sorry if I have misled you in some way, but I am not in the mood for company.'

'Not my company, perhaps. And certainly not theirs.' She inclined her head towards the dancers. 'But I believe that there is one person in particular that you crave.'

The woman stepped aside, allowing him a clear view of Mai. Light, that dress was perfection on her. He glanced away before she could catch him gaping like some idiot farm boy. She was none on his concern.

'I should warn you that Andry is something of an expert in such matters.' She clasped his jaw, forcing him to look. 'He can be very persuasive.'

For a heartbeat, he was sure Mai had been watching him. But it was the dance she studied, her face pale enough to outshine a winter moon and just as cold. 'Why should I care?'

'So stubborn.' A hand slid to his chest. 'Stubborn enough to spite yourself the very thing you desire.'

'I would not foist my attentions upon the girl when it is perfectly clear it is not me she wants.'

'How can she know what she wants? She is young, dearest. She needs guidance. The matter is in hand.'

'What do you mean?'

'Don't glare so. A woman is a fool for the man who cannot make her happy. Many make that mistake, and live to regret it.' Her eyes glittered in the firelight, black and narrowed. 'I want to avoid that for the girl, so I gave her some advice. She seemed to heed it well.'

'Why?'

'Let's just say I hate to see those pretty eyes so sad.' Her laugh was throaty. 'Oh, very well. It never hurts to have a handsome man in your debt.'

He cursed the sudden heat in his face, even more so when Tillalia gave another ripple of laughter.

'Very sweet. Now go to her. And don't ruin it this time.'

A grin marred his bow. 'My lady, you have my thanks.'

'Is that all?' She scorned as fingers twined into his hair.

Her felt her smile against his lips before she released him with a contented purr. 'Now hurry along. And don't fret. A little competition might do her good.'

Cal eased the stricken look from his face, took a deep breath, an even deeper swig of brandy, and headed for Mai. That ogling Tinker had finally left her side. More fool him. He saw her eyes widen for the merest of seconds before those lashes lowered, concealing the secrets hidden in those blue depths.

Like a child preparing for reprimand, she lifted her chin and drew back her pale shoulders.

His face flaming….

Light, Mat was right about that dress…

….Cal took a deep breath and kept on walking.