Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't... I also don't own the Narnian Calendar. It belongs to Elecktrum who was kind enough to let me borrow it for my story. Her own stories are awesome and you should go read them too.
Summary: Don't judge a book by its cover...or a knight by their rumors... A lesson Peridan and his family learned as they adjusted to their new life in Narnia.
A/N: This is part of my A Light in the Darkness universe. I recommend reading the main story arc (Awakening, Shadowed, and Revealed) first, but you can give this one a whirl on its own too.
Chapter Fifteen
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Katerina took several calming breaths before finally looking in the mirror to make sure she looked anything but panicked. She frowned a little then forced a friendly expression in place and nodded. No one can see through the mask unless I allow it...and I won't allow it. Still, walking out of her quarters, Katerina felt a frisson of worry over whether she could keep up the charade throughout a dinner when she had to be in relatively close proximity to someone who bore an eerie resemblance to Heikki and Hendrik. She kept walking, even though a small part of her wanted to react to the visual reminder and the accompanying memories by running and hiding...after all, running never kept the monsters at bay for long, you always had to turn and face them.
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Marsalla smiled as Peridan kissed her hand, "Why did you not tell me that Uncle Teppo's old friend, Duke Toomas, was coming to Cair Paravel?"
He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close as he answered, "I was going to tell you, my Tesoro, but I didn't know they were going to be here so soon. No one did." He smiled down at her, "Are you certain you are well enough to attend the banquet? I will be sure to ask Duke Toomas to visit with us when he is available, so you do not have to go if you're not truly up to it."
Marsalla smiled again, her Peridan was always so worried about her health, but he didn't need to that evening, "I am more than well enough. Besides, Queen Susan sent the invitation for both of us to attend and we cannot insult our sovereigns and then it would be all the more insulting if we entertained the Duke privately afterward." There was protocol about such things and she would not risk their futures by going around them. After all, they still hadn't been in Narnia long enough to be secure in their position in the Narnian court and her father's diplomatic experiences in both Archenland and Sisemaal had been used to drill into his daughters the importance of adhering to the strictest of protocols until one has a full understanding of the court intrigues. No, they dared not offend the Four or their most trusted counselors.
Peridan kissed her forehead then let go of her waist and nestled her hand in the crook of his elbow, setting his larger hand on top, as he led her out of their quarters. She smiled and nodded to the Narnians they passed, slowly starting to become accustomed to the disturbing sight of large carnivores baring their teeth in smiles, though she still tightened her grip on Peridan's arm ever so slightly when they passed three Tigers and a Bear who all grinned at them. However, Marsalla could not deny how much she looked forward to spending time with Humans who were not her children or the Four.
As guards opened the doors to the room where the banquet was being held, Marsalla was still surprised to see how informal and unstructured the arrangement was compared to both Archenland and Sisemaal. She curtsied and Peridan bowed to the Four, who acknowledged their presence with nods and smiles, before Queen Susan directed them to their seats. Marsalla glanced around, relishing the increased number of Human faces, and the familiarity of some of them only made it more enjoyable. Then, she stiffened when she saw the woman sitting to the General's right. Golden hair with white streaks. Peridan gently squeezed her hand and Marsalla took it as a warning not to show her alarm, although she knew it was most likely his attempt to comfort her. The Lady and rumored Strega Katerina did not seem to notice their actions though as she was engrossed in a conversation with the General.
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Katerina was careful to keep her focus on Oreius. Of course, she knew it wouldn't work forever, not when Duke Toomas had insisted she join the dinner in order to talk to her. Actually, they had barely made it through the first course when Duke Toomas turned his attention to her. "Dame Sepphora! I have heard it from a Sisemaalian trader that you have taken to burning buildings to make yourself listened to by those of the Seven Isles. Is it true?"
She looked at him, seeing naught but respect and perhaps a slight anticipation in his gaze. He probably had heard what kind of building she had ordered razed; now he merely wished for her answer. She smirked, "Well, it was only the one, Duke Toomas." Then, because she couldn't help herself in spite of knowing Oreius was right next to her, she smiled and sweetly asked, "And, since when did Sisemaalian traders take to sea voyages? After all, you are most definitely landlocked...did he get lost perchance?"
Oreius would probably scold her once he got her alone and several of the other council members looked askance at her, but then Duke Toomas laughed and gave her a deferring nod, "The man had lost a gioco d'azzardo and was sent to join some Archenland traders visiting the islands."
She tsked and smirked, "The poor man. I do hope the bonfire distracted him from his seasickness...I know it did make sure I was not ignored again."
Duke Toomas chuckled and gestured from his nephew to her, "You see? You see, Antti, this is a woman only very few men can hope to tame, a donna di fuoco e di bellezza." (...woman of fire and beauty.) Katerina barely suppressed the urge to flinch as Count Antti studied her then nodded his agreement with his uncle's statement. Duke Toomas raised his glass to her, "Dame Sepphora, may men never ignore a woman of your fire and beauty again, or you shall assuredly burn a building down around them."
Katerina forced herself to smile and laugh a little as she raised her glass in kind before sipping her wine. Antti watched her still. She drank a little more wine as she fervently prayed Antti wasn't thinking about how to court her. Dear Lion, she would never be able to keep up this façade of calm and diplomacy if he tried to get any closer to her. She was having enough difficulty with him across the table and up four people. And then Duke Toomas turned to Peridan and the woman who could only be his wife, smiling and nodding as he spoke, "Ah, Lord Peridan, Lady Marsalla, it is good to see you again." He looked at the Four, still nodding, "You are most fortunate, your majesties, to have the addition of Lord Peridan and his family to your fair court. For you gain not only strong ties to Archenland but also strong ties to Sisemaal. Lady Marsalla's mother's brother, Teppo, he is a high advisor to King Jukka, very good, non? I see much strength between Sisemaal and Narnia, si, much strength."
Katerina's gaze darted to each of the Four and then to Oreius, but she could see in their expressions and in the stiffening of not only their posture, but also that of Peridan and Marsalla, that no one knew about the ties to Sisemaal running so deep. She took another sip of her wine as her gaze returned to Marsalla, whom she had not been introduced to officially yet. Peridan's wife was pale and she looked as though she were just recovering from a long illness or perhaps it was from shock and fear. Susan quickly diverted the awkwardness by asking after the rest of Duke Toomas' family, but Katerina did not pay close attention to the new conversation. Between watching how Peridan and Marsalla interacted with everyone and doing her best to ignore the way Antti's gaze continually returned to her, she barely had enough focus to vow that she would try not to judge them...she would speak to the Kentauri first. And, she would do her utmost best to keep from being alone with Antti or in a private enough setting that he could ask her whatever he was thinking... Katerina had no desire to engage in conversation with him, not when she could barely see him instead of his twisted brother and cousin leering at her as clearly as if it had not been nearly two years since they met their fate. Her mask wouldn't hold up if she allowed any close interaction with the young man who bore such an unfortunate family resemblance. And, she definitely couldn't let her mask slip when there were Sisemaalians around. She didn't need Stonebrook to tell her that would have disastrous repercussions. She took a cleansing breath then sipped her wine again before forcing another smile when Lucy and several others laughed. She was definitely going to need some coffee after the banquet concluded...make that a lot of coffee.
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Peridan knew Marsalla would be upset by everything that had happened, however, he did not expect her to revert to speaking solely in Sisemaalian as soon as they entered their rooms. She was speaking so quickly that he couldn't follow what she was saying. He feared she would work herself into another bout of illness if she continued in this state for much longer. Crossing the room, he gently caught her by her upper arms as he spoke in a firm but gentle tone, "Marsalla, you must calm down, my Tesoro. We do not want the children to wake and I do not want you to fall ill again. It is all right."
Marsalla shook her head as she clutched his tunic, "Non, it is not all right, Peridan. We...we might have lost everything. The General, he could cite you for treason. The Four could banish us for lying to them, even though we merely did not elaborate upon my family's ties with King Jukka. What of our children? And, the strega! The strega, oh she watched us so closely after Duke Toomas spoke of Uncle Teppo. What if she plots something? And, she, she is Dame Sepphora! Why did you not warn me? I had thought we would have an ally against the strega...but we don't. We don't."
Peridan gently slid his hands from her upper arms to wrap around her hands, which were still clutching his tunic. He could feel her trembling and he carefully moved her to sit on the edge of their bed. "I know, Marsalla, I know and I am sorry I did not tell you earlier that Dame Sepphora was the Lady Katerina. I will go to the General and the Four tomorrow morning. I will apologize to them for the apparent deception and assure them that it was not our intention to deceive them. But, my Tesoro, you must not call Lady Katerina a strega, there is no proof that those rumors are true...and she has the favor of the Four and the General though I confess I do not understand why. What you saw tonight and how she interacted with Duke Toomas was but a trifle compared to how she has addressed the Kings and the General."
Marsalla leaned her forehead against his chest, still trembling, as she whispered, "I do not want her near our children."
Peridan wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close, "I promise she will not be allowed near them until we know whether she can be trusted or not." He did not mention that Tarrin would be in close proximity to Dame Sepphora every day he had training. That would only cause Marsalla more distress and fear. Her health couldn't handle such a thing...not now. It could wait until she was not as fragile and not so prone to falling ill again. He would be keeping a very, very close eye on Dame Sepphora and he would have to reconsider Marsalla's uncle Teppo's request for him to aid the Sisemaalian envoy. Would it be worth the risk? He didn't know...
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Katerina gave Oreius a slight smile, allowing him to distract her from the unpleasant flashbacks just waiting to spring on her, "You exaggerate."
He glanced at her with amusement in his eyes, "No, I do not. The colts were conducting midnight raids on the kitchens and that is what happened when I caught them in the act."
She smiled and shook her head as she sipped her coffee, "Okay, I can believe Peter and Edmund would end up having that sort of encounter." Her smile faded as she recalled the other slightly troubling occurrence at the banquet. It was time to speak of the subject they had been avoiding...even though she believed she already knew the answer. "Did you know?"
All amusement faded from his eyes as he sighed, instantly confirming her suspicions before he even spoke. "No, I did not know that Peridan and his wife had such close ties to the Sisemaalian crown. They took pains to keep the strength of their ties to Sisemaal hidden even as they acknowledged Marsalla's family mostly lived in Sisemaal now."
Katerina gave him a considering look as she drummed her fingers against her mug, "Do you trust Peridan?"
"Yes, he has earned my trust."
She nodded, "Then, I shall continue to make the effort to be nice to the Peridan family." She quickly held up a hand before he could say anything, "I am doing it for your sake, Kentauri, because you trust him not because he's earned my trust. He still has to prove he's worthy of my trust, but I won't give him a harder time than necessary, I promise."
Oreius bowed his head in silent thanks, and then gave the mug in his hand a dubious look before glancing back at her, "Alambiel, why are we drinking coffee?"
Katerina rolled her eyes as she set her coffee down and ticked the reasons off on her fingers, "One, it is my coffee and therefore, very good. Two, we had wine at the banquet. Three, and most importantly, I got to choose the refreshments for this week. This is definitely the kind of Sixthday that calls for coffee, so I picked coffee. You'll have to wait until next week to choose a different drink when it's your turn."
He chuckled, and then she allowed him to draw her into a debate over how many visits to the points of the compass was actually a reasonable assignment for his human students. And, she was adamant that twenty was not a reasonable number. Fortunately, for Peter and Edmund, not to mention their newest fellow student, Peridan's son, Tarrin, she won that debate.
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A/N: Please Read and Review! Okay, so there is tension with even more to come in the next chapter. Leave a review and let me know what y'all thought about this one.