Pen finds a name never mentioned in the legends, learns a secret, and meets Ciri's great-grandson...

Pen spent several days reading the book Regis had placed beside her. She made frequent trips to the healing rooms, only to be told the healers did not think it wise to wake the sage from his healing sleep. Between the trips and her duties, the going was slow.

#

She found what she was looking for as a name and a notation. It sent her looking to the Linage that Lochain had written down. She sat there with the closed tome, shock, and even more questions. She had known there was a thread of Elder blood in the lineage, but to find where it had come from.

"Why did you hide him..." She whispered. "And didn't tell Avallac'h..."

That answer came soon enough, as she researched more on the Aen Elle.

Nuada found her sitting in the Window seat, as he usually did when she'd found some uncomfortable truth. He moved her enough so he could sit behind her and hold her. It must have been very uncomfortable for her to ride the few hours between the freehold and the castle near dark.

"...No wine this time?" He asked, seeing she had no glass or mug.

"I'd rather think of this sober." She said. "They wanted to conquer, they needed the Elder blood to do it..." she took in a breath. "...Lara wouldn't let them. That act of "rebellion" led to a lie, that lie led to a hatred..."

He held her, knowing she would not say much until she could figure out how to speak the truth without giving away anything. He knew when she did it, not just because of their bond. He had watched her do it to the council as well.

"Will you tell the dying this...or share it with the Aen Saevherne..." He said. "The blade's edge..."

They used that term for a thorny situation that could cause trouble no matter which way it went.

"That is the thing, do I tell a dying male he had a child long ago and bring to him a descendant that knows nothing of him or banish a lie that will set the world afire again."

"The blade's edge again." He said. "no matter how it is swung it ends in blood."

"I have played with the idea of telling the descendants, so they may claim their lineage." She said. "But that too is the blade's edge..."

He knew she would have tracked down any other descendants before weighing out her choices.

"You found them among the Sidhe?"

"Yes, and in my own lineage." She said. "Though I am sadly human..."

He laughed at her self-deprecation.

"...As was the lady Ciri..." He reminded her. "Or so she was counted..." He looked out the window at the sunset. "...Tell the head of the house, and let them choose. I should introduce you to Cirdan, who is the current lord of the House of the swallow."

She turned slightly, she had known the one who had opened the gate to banish the Aen Elle had been of the elder blood. She had not known they had followed the Aen Elle through the gate.

"...Lady Ciri's"

"...Great-grandson." He said. "And quite proud of it." He had been saving that bit for the next feast but her research prompted him to tell her. "...He was curious as to you since I said you are the lady Freeholder of the Court of thorns. He wishes to bring his retinue to tour the freehold."

"He'll behave?"

He laughed again. "...When I mentioned your court, he almost immediately asked to visit. I have no idea why. I have made most of them believe the guild head and freeholder upon the council. I said I had to be granted permission myself to be allowed into the manse."

it was Pen's turn to laugh, knowing the freehold was as much his "retreat" as her home.

"...I will have to make the staff and students aware..."

"Yes, it will at least get one of them out of my hair for a while..." He said. "I am seriously considering tossing half of them back through the Arth gate...including their viceroy..."

"I did a little digging to the Aen Elle court, kind of what started me hunting outside the brooch." She said. "...Ge'els has been viceroy since before the banishing, so I would suspect he's even a bit more jaded than the typical Aen Elle..."

"And Twice as arrogant." He said. "Thinking on them makes my head hurt..."

She smiled. "...Then let us call up a bottle of wine, give us both an actual reason to have one..."

He smiled and signaled for a servant.

#

The welcoming of the House of the Swallow to the Court of thorns took several days preparation. Pen frowned when informed she would have to adhere to Royal protocols to keep the illusion of her being "Worthy" of the coronet, she had been given. She'd play along, but she would have rather dragged the young Aen Elle to the Orb-weaver and get him drunk as a skunk. Get them to break their composure, and you found what lay beneath. She'd already found a few of the students had done that to An Aen Saevherne, the poor sage had been in the healing rooms with a massive hangover for several days.

"...I'll give them points for originality," Regis said, after informing her. "...We are looking for their still...that stuff was rather nasty...in taste and potency..."

She had near detained the lot, but they had found out the reason the sages had been sent.

"...Well, at least we know now why we have them." She said. "They still wish to rule, but I think it will not be so easy for them this time..."

"I have watched you, humans, for several thousand years...your genius still amazes me as does your stupidity..."

She couldn't disagree, her fellow humans could really put their foot in it.

#

The welcome feast brought out the cream of the freehold to schmooze with the Young Aen Elle lord. Pen had taken great precautions to make sure there was a balanced representation of the Court to show the young lord. He, however, had a thousand and one questions for her. Most revolved around how much she knew about their kinswomen. She told all she knew of Ciri, a little more than the young Aen Elle had. She, however, decided to edit carefully when it came to Lara since her discovery would only bring pain to a lot of people.

"...It is good to see them both remembered." Cirdan said. "...even if it is by Aen Saevherne..."

"We Singers are not Sages." She told him. "though some of their traditions hold among us."

"...I was once told otherwise." He said. "I know of the Sage you have been looking after, he has told me much of my Great grandmother, he was her mentor..." He frowned. "Though I have begun to suspect it was more. He has spoken of Lara as well, her promised or so my own mentors have said."

~So here is the thread I need..~ Pen thought.

"...He has not given his use name to my healers."

"And he is not likely to." Cirdan frowned. "...When my great Grandmother died, he said that Avallac'h was dead with her. He has refused to answer to anything but Crevan since that day." He shifted in his seat. "and no one can fathom the reason other than he loved her as he did Lara..."

~That explains the Apple tree brooch, a personal device, but not how it came into his possession.~ Pen thought ~And a reason for the Soul Rot. The healer was right...~

"...Perhaps he did." She said softly. "...Is there a real reason that you wished to come to my court, other than the thin veil of blood."

"...Ge'els wishes your court disbanded." He said. "He does not like you, though I suspect the feeling is mutual."

"Quite..." She said. "My guild was granted the Manse by his Majesty, the freehold is mine..."

"I have not found anything he could use against you." He said. "He likes to manipulate, and good at it..."

"I will keep vigilant, he has had power for too long."

"That is an understatement..." He rose. "Excuse me, I see something I would like to invest in..."

Pen watched where his gaze was going, she smirked. The woman he was ogling was a dark-haired woman in black leathers of her personal guard. The Illusion of oozing sex, was a tool to the woman, along with her other skills.

"...Rhiannon strikes again." Aethen said, softly, leaning in to talk to her. "We'll know everything about him by morning. You would never know she was our spymaster..."

"...She is good at her job." Pen said. "And Aiden enjoys watching her work..."

Aethen laughed softly. "...I do not think he'd care as long as she comes home to him."

She smirked, watching Rhiannon work her magic upon the Aen Elle Lord. She was looking forward to the report the woman would have in the morning.