Childbirth Recollections

Chapter 5: Kyprioth and Risa

A/N: this is the latest instalment of Childbirth Recollections. I have some ideas left, but could people please send me ideas for other recollections. They're basically memories of Kel's life from the point of view of other people. Please! I have who Kel marries, and the circumstances surrounding their marriage, and that will be posted all at once, but I need other ideas. I don't want to give away one of the main points of the story too soon!

Again, reviews are always welcome! Please remember, this is my first Fan Fiction. Thanks, Danicakate.

PS: please excuse any slip-ups in spelling, etc. I have a brace on my wrist, and it occasionally pushes buttons without my realising! LOL

Disclaimer: These characters don't belong to me. They never have, and never will. They belong to Tamora Pierce, who doesn't get nearly as much credit as she deserves. Her stories are wonderful! The plot, and most of the memories, are mine though.

Kyprioth sighed. This was not gong to be easy. He himself had been going to play a trick at the birth. Nothing life threatening, just having the babe give some mystic words, to be taken as a prophecy. Something like: 'When the skies are dark, and no hope is in sight, look to the east on the fifth day. There, hope will shine forth and the dark will be dispersed. Look for the Blessed One. She is the one. Look for the Blessed One …'

While deathbed prophecies were his favourite, childbirth prophecies were a very close second. It would be nothing drastic. He would never actually interfere while the child was being born, as that could damage the child, and his sister had a very severe view of those who interfered with things like that, children being under her care. But some other's he knew might get impatient.

An impatient god bodes ill for those causing the impatience. Aly could vouch for that, what with that incident with the Graveyard Hag…

The Graveyard Hag, Kyprioth's cousin, had decided it would be amusing to fiddle with his grand trick, the one that was so important for the Copper Isles.

Kyprioth's trick had been to place a half raka queen on the throne of the Copper Isles. Kyprioth had been the patron god of the Isles when the raka had ruled, before the laurin and their patron gods of his brother Mithros and sister the Goddess had overthrown his rule, and taken it for themselves. But Kyprioth wasn't going to put up with that, so he started planning a trick to put all other tricks to shame. Three hundred years later, this trick was completed.

The half-raka candidate for the throne was Saraiyu Balitang. Her father was from the line of ruling laurin, the Rittevons. Her mother was from the last remaining Haimings, the line of old raka queens. Kyprioth was thwarted in his attempts to put Sarai on the throne by his dear cousin, the Graveyard Hag, who helped Sarai escape with Zaimid, a Catharki healer who was deeply in love with Sarai. Kyprioth had ended up placing Sarai's quiet, bookish younger sister, Dovarsery, or Dove as she was known, on the Kyprish throne.

Though Kyprioth would never admit it, not even to himself, Dove was doing a better then Sarai ever could have done. While Sarai got fiercely passionate, but she was easily distracted, with just a few choice words turning her thoughts to other ideas. Dove was interested in things, and when she was younger, Dove had wandered the markets, befriending merchants, priests, beggars, mothers, maids, and common people, asking questions and getting answers the people knew Dove, and loved and trusted her more than they ever could have done Sarai. Sarai simply wouldn't have been able to keep everything running.

True to their word, Sarai and Zaimid had named their first son Mequen. They now had seven children, and Sarai was pregnant again. Mequen was the eldest. Then came Georgina; Sam and Thony, the twins; Kelandria, Melinda and Zoey, the triplets.

The flame that was Sarai and Zaimid's love was flickering, weakening and growing smaller as the months passed. Kyprioth didn't think that they would last much longer. But Sarai wouldn't think it honourable to leave Zaimid for another man, even if custom allowed it, which it did. Kyprioth wondered how Sarai would deal with it. Already several young men had started calling at her house when Zaimid 'happened' to be away with surprising regularity.

Still, Kyprioth couldn't do anything. Though Sarai was still technically a Copper Islander, she had married a Catharki, she now lived in Cathark, and her children were Catharki. As she was a sister of the Kyprish queen, the Graveyard Hag had convinced the other Catharki gods to allow Kyprioth to observe Sarai and her Catharki family, but to observe only. He was not to make contact with any of Sarai's family. When Kyprioth had raised objections, the Hag had informed him that many Catharki gods were opposed to him being on Catharki soil atall. It had taken most of her negotiating skills, but she had managed to convince them in the end. She owed Kyprioth big time. After all, it was because of the Hag that Sarai was there at all. Not that she had apologised at all when she had told Kyprioth that he was allowed to see his precious twice-royal.

Kyprioth scowled at the memory. He'd had such wonderful plans for sneaking into Cathark under the very nose of the Hag to see Sarai. Being given permission took all the fun out of the whole operation.

A cackle dragged Kyprioth back to the present. He had tricksters to take care of. This whole affair was more trouble than it was worth.

Cleon of Kennan was riding as fast as he could towards Mindelan. He had passed a messenger on the road, who had looked flustered. When Cleon had registered that he was wearing Mindelan colours, he had inquired as to what was wrong. The messenger obviously couldn't see through the disguise he was wearing. So as not to attract muggers, Cleon was wearing the garb of a man-at-arms, who were generally not worth the trouble of robbing.

The messenger had given him a garbled version of events. Cleon rode harder. Kel was in trouble. He had to see her. No matter how much trouble he got in later, some things were more important than patrolling the rocky mountains that surrounded the Northern Border. And Kel was one of those things, just like Neal, Roald, Merric, Owen and Seaver. It had been many years since they were pages studying for mathematics together in Neal's room, and, later, the library, but some things never change. Friendship was one of them.

When Cleon had talked to Kel about Risa (that was what his then-betrothed had ordered him to call her, to 'add atmosphere and romance to an already blossoming love, precious, darling Cleon!'), he'd poured out everything. While Risa had seemed nice on Progress, once Cleon got to know her, he saw her true colours. She was shallow, vain and self-centred. She didn't care about the people under her care and protection. While they starved, she frittered away the money that their harvests had earnt her on gold-edged lace, expensive spices like saffron and cinnamon. While Risa wasn't going to inherit the lands and people, she was 'taking care of the' while her brother was away.

She absolutely doted on Cleon, and her very presence was enough to set his teeth on edge. More and more often he spent time with friends, rather than at home with Risa, listening to her twitter on about how she was 'so lucky to be looked after by her big, strong, handsome knight'. He convinced Risa that it was a good idea to have Kel as a bridesmaid. He then had the task of convincing Kel that yes, she did want to wear a big, frilly dress to his wedding, and yes, she did want to accept this position of honour.

Kel was with no one. She and Domitan of Masbolle had been going out for a while, but for some reason, Kel had lost interest. She was now single, and seemed proud of it. Still, she drew several eyes from surrounding men when she wore the dresses that Lalasa made for her.

Lalasa made Risa's wedding dress, and it did little r her vanity.

On the day that Cleon wed Risa, clouds, heavy, dark, wet, clouds covered the sky. Cleon remembered wondering if it was a sign from the gods. The day was very humid, and Cleon's tunic stuck to him, making him very itchy.

Cleon remembered very little about his wedding day, other than Kel hadn't been there. He had tried to convince Risa to postpone the wedding until Kel was well enough to attend, but she refused. She said that she'd just make do with five bridesmaids instead of six. She didn't appear to realise that that was not the reason that Cleon wanted to postpone.

Risa had looked pretty and she knew it. She had flounced up the aisle. His mother had glared daggers at him, as if daring him to break the betrothal at the last minute. Merric (or was it Seaver?) had drank too much wine at the feast. The flowers smelled overly sticky-sweet. It made him feel nauseous.

Cleon shook his head and tried to think of other things. He didn't wish to think about Risa. It would change nothing. Even when he had wed Risa, Cleon knew that his heart still belonged to Kel, and probably would forevermore. Thinking about Risa was a bad idea.

A/N: I couldn't remember the real name of the heiress Cleon was betrothed to, so I made up my own nickname. That's why it probably doesn't have anything to do with her real name! Please send reviews.

Thanks, Danicakate