"I am going to hunt for a little while, Ky. Will you be ok here by yourself? Karnwyr will stay with you." Bishop pulled on his boots, and strapped on his dagger.
Kyrie looked up from her book. She was reclining in the bed, nothing else seemed comfortable to her lately. The baby was extremely active, but she didnt have the energy to go for a walk which usually served to rock the little one to sleep inside her.
"I will be fine. Dont worry about me."
"As if I can manage to not worry about you. I dont want to leave you right now, but we need some serious meat around here. I cant live off these fruits anymore and Karnwyr isnt sharing his prey, are you boy?" Bishop ruffled the big wolf's fur affectionately. He walked to the bed and gave Kyrie a lingering kiss.
"Mmm yeah...you keep doing that and neither of us will be eating for the next few days!" He pulled himself away and ventured outdoors.
He had not been gone long when Kyrie decided she needed some fresh air. Maybe picking some berries not too far from the cottage would be alright, she didnt have the energy to go too far. She called the wolf out with her, and gathering up a small basket she set out.
Bishop came back from the other direction hauling his prey, and found her gone; a quick look around told him she had gone looking for fruit. Well, I can get to preparing this meat then. She will need to eat when she gets home. He proceeded to skin and prepare the deer he had shot, singing quietly to himself.
He heard the sound of hoofbeats, and wiping his forehead with the back of his hand stood up and turned around. He half expected it to be Torio or Neeshka, but when his eyes landed on the visitor his heart turned to ice and all the color left his face.
"W...what in the nine hells...!"
Casavir's eyes narrowed and began to glitter and anger formed on his features. He dismounted and stalked towards the ranger, standing there covered in blood, knife in hand.
"YOU!" the knight's voice dropped to a menacing growl. "Where is my wife?! Where is Kyrie? What have you done to her?"
Bishop backed up, but stopped when he hit the side of the cottage. His breathing shallowed, and he didnt know what he was seeing. Was it a spectre? This man was dead! He had died and been buried twice over! What was worse, the knight's countenance had changed. The almost sullen, brooding look was gone, replaced by an animalistic openness that unnerved Bishop to the core. The quiet restraint that once held Casavir's actions in check was not there, and he was angry. Very angry.
"She's not here, C...Casavir. Gods man...you are dead! What is the meaning of this?!"
Casavir saw the dead deer on the ground and inwardly sighed with relief. His information gathering at the Keep had told him that the Knight Captain lived here, but no one had mentioned Bishop. Bishop! The traitor who had sold them to the King of Shadows, who had not once, but twice betrayed them.
"Where is Kyrie? I will not ask you again! I will send you to the Wall where you belong, faithless scum!"
Bishop saw that Casavir did not carry a sword on his person. He might have it on his horse, so as long as he kept him away from the horse he couldnt retrieve it.
"I told you, shes not here. She went for a walk with Karnwyr!"
"What have you done to her, traitorous Luskan dog?! What evil sorcery have you foisted on my lady?!"
He stalked ever closer to Bishop, his glittering eyes filled with rage, cornering the ranger who had run out of areas to back up to, having moved sideways to the fence.
"I havent done anything to her! This is her home. This is our home. Hers and mine." Bishop felt his own ire rising. He had fought and suffered for Kyrie's love. He had gone through a living hell to prove to her he was worthy of her love. If it meant he would die fighting for that love now then so be it. He was tired of being on the losing end. What cruel game were the gods playing now? Why couldnt you just be dead and stay dead! his mind silently screamed at the knight.
They both heard Kyrie's happy voice as she sang and bantered with the wolf. The beast turned into a puppy around her, leaping and yipping and spinning. She came around the corner and saw Bishop, his back to her.
"Hey you! Im back! I got us some berries!" she called out, covering them again with a cloth after having nibbled on a few on the way back.
Kyrie looked up and dropped the basket in shock.
She gripped the big wolf's scruff tightly to stop herself from falling to the ground. Her whole body trembled, her heart began to pound. A low moan escaped from her now pale lips, and her legs felt like jelly. Her eyes darted to Bishop who didnt turn around, then back at the man she once called beloved.
"Ca...Cassi?" her voice shook with emotion, and the sudden tears in her eyes blurred her vision. "By Tyr's heart, what is this vision? What cruel sorcery is vested upon me?"
Casavir saw her as she came up on them from behind Bishop. His eyes drank in the glossy ebony hair, blowing free in the breeze. When she saw him she dropped her little basket and he could see those beautiful sunset eyes glow. His eyes raked over her and stopped when he saw her swollen belly. He stared at it, then his eyes shifted to the ranger. He heard Kyrie say his name, heard her speak but he didnt hear the words. His blinding rage was focused on the other man.
"You DOG! Traitorous BEAST!" he shouted. "You did this to her?! You got her with child?! I will send you to the Wall where you belong, demon spawn!"
Casavir ran at him, slamming Bishop hard against the fence. He had never fought without a weapon, yet it was not an issue as he balled up his fist and struck the ranger hard in the face. The younger man held up his arms in defense, yelling for him to stop, but did not fight back. He heard Karnwyr barking loudly.
Kyrie screamed at him. Casavir heard her screaming his name over and over, but it sounded so far away, so surreal. He felt something grab his arm and he shoved it away, thinking it was Bishop or even the wolf. Too late he turned and saw Kyrie stumble into the fence. The wolf Karnwyr leaped to her side, breaking her fall. She doubled over, clutching her abdomen, and fell to her knees, her arms around the wolf.
It was too much for Bishop. He had not wanted to fight the knight, for Kyrie's sake, but the man was out of control. He fell to his side and curled up, then lashed out with his feet and legs. He connected with Casavir's body and the older man fell over backward with a cry of pain and surprise. The blood in his eyes made it hard to see, and Bishop struggled to right himself. Casavir, seeing Kyrie on the ground, stumbled over to her.
"Milady, Kyrie...my love..." he put his hands on the sides of her face. She raised her eyes to his and he saw the fear there. It wasnt the love he thought he would see, but open unbridled terror. She pawed his hands from her face, sobbing, her eyes seeking the ranger.
"Bishop!" she called out. "Bishop, please! Get him away!"
Casavir put his hands on her shoulders.
"Kyrie! Its me, Casavir! I am not dead! I am alive...Kyrie please look at me!" there was an edge of desperation in his voice, but Kyrie's fear of him was mounting. The glittering in his eyes was unnerving her, and her voice rose as she cried out for Bishop again. The ranger, wiping the blood from a head wound out of his eye, crawled over to her. She reached out an arm for him, but Casavir tried to stop her. She let out a wail of anguish and shoved him away, hard.
"Get away from me! Just go!" she screamed and put her arms around Bishop's neck and clung to him, sobbing. He helped her to her feet, then gently picked her up in his arms. Ignoring the knight who sat dumbfounded and shocked on the ground, he carried her into the cottage.
Bishop lay Kyrie gently on the bed, her sobs subsiding. He put his hands gently on her belly, then smoothed the wet hair from her face.
"Are you alright? Is the baby ok?"
"I...Im not sure. I had a few cramps when I almost fell but they seem to be gone now." He saw her eyes drift to the doorway, then shut tight.
Casavir looked around the little cottage and saw the evidence of a life being lived. Portraits on the wall of friends that were no more, a nightdress draped over a chair, a suit of armor and a bow and quiver. Out of a window he saw his warhorse, Azrelaine, calmly eating from a bale of hay. Everywhere he looked he saw Kyrie, and everywhere he saw Kyrie, he saw Bishop intertwined with her. What had happened? Why was she here with him?
The ranger spoke.
"You are welcome to come in here, if you can control yourself. I will not have you upsetting Kyrie or breaking anything in our home. Got it?"
Casavir didnt move, his eyes were riveted on his beloved lady lying on the bed heavy with child, her eyes closed. The ranger stood up and faced him, anger plain on his face.
"You almost hurt her and the baby, and for that I should kill you, paladin. However, I think you will find that a lot has changed since you died. And yes, you are dead to the world as you knew it."
Kyrie spoke softly, her voice shaking with emotion, not opening her eyes.
"Casavir, please return to the Keep. Wait for me in Deekin's shop, in the back. When three days have passed I will come to you, and we will talk then. I...I just cant deal with this right now."
The glittering in his eyes was gone, and subdued, Casavir looked away, then nodded.
"As you wish, milady. Three days."
"Oh and Ca...savir..." her tremulous voice stopped him mid stride. "Azrelaine is in the paddock out back. He is yours, if you wish to take him you may."
Kyrie turned her head away from him, still not opening her eyes, her hand holding tightly to Bishop's as it lay on her belly. The ranger's face was still bleeding and was beginning to swell where Casavir had hit him. The knight was mildly shocked to discover that he gleaned a great satisfaction from that vision.
"Goodbye, paladin." Bishop's voice was dismissive and hard.
Just like that, everything that Sir Casavir de Chantraine had lived for, was gone.
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Kyrie greeted her little friend, the kobold Deekin warmly, and asked him if he wouldnt mind closing up his shop for the afternoon to give her and Casavir some privacy. She gave him a handsome sum of gold for his trouble, but the little fellow refused to take it.
"Sunset Captain Deekin's friend! Deekin help Sunset Captain all Deekin can! Yes yes yes!"
He had grabbed his fishing pole and happily skipped off.
Kyrie walked slowly to the back of the store, where the small guest room lay. The 20 ft walk felt more like a thousand miles to her, and she was trembling so hard she thought she would come apart. By Tyr's heart, what on earth has happened? she thought to herself. I did everything I could, and then some. I accepted his death, I accepted Bishop's love...and now to have it all torn apart, what do I do? She had no idea what she would say to Casavir. She had no idea how to feel about Casavir. Her heart was haunted by the look in Bishop's eyes as she left that morning.
"Should I expect you back, Ky?" the question was posed to her gently, carefully, as she stepped into the carriage. Bishop's amber eyes were larger then usual, his lips tight as he fought for control of the emotions threatening to overtake him. He held onto her hand, his thumb stroking the side of it.
Kyrie had raised his fingers to her lips and kissed them, then pressed her cheek against the back of his hand.
"Bishop, I am hurt, confused and frightened. All I know right now is that this is my home, you are my love. I just...well I dont want to deprive my child of her father, and because of that I need to talk to Cassi...Casavir. He deserves to know this child is his, and deserves the opportunity to know her if that is what he wishes."
"I think I should come with you, in case...in case he loses his mind again. I dont want you getting hurt, Ky." He looked down, the last vestiges of his control slipping away. When he raised his head again, there were fresh tears on his cheeks.
"I love you, Kyrie. I...gods...I just want you to be happy, whatever that means for me."
He had turned away so quickly and run off into the forest, Karnwyr on his heels.
Kyrie knocked softly on the door. It was opened, and she hesitated a moment before stepping inside. She left the door open, knowing no one would disturb them, and she was honestly a bit concerned how Casavir would react, given his extreme reaction to Bishop at the cottage. Kyrie planned to tell him about the baby, tell him she was married to Bishop, and leave.
That whole plan went out the window when those steely blue eyes locked onto hers.
"Milady Kyrie...my love..." his voice was so low as to almost be a whisper.
"Casa...Cassi..." Tears fell onto her cheeks as she realized that she completely, and desperately still loved this man, and that her heart had never let him go.
His eyes left hers and wandered to her swollen belly, then back up. She put out a hand to stop him as he took a step towards her.
"Casavir, wait. There is something you need to know, first." She lay a hand on her abdomen.
"This child...is yours."
Casavir opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He stared at her, then took a halting step backwards and sat down hard on the bed. He remembered what he had done at the cottage, how he had very nearly injured his lady, his love...his child.
Casavir, for the first time in his life, covered his face with his hands and cried.
Kyrie could stand it no longer. All the hoping, waiting, praying and grieving released in one big cry as she moved to his side and pulled him into her arms, inhaling the scent of him, feeling his hair beneath her fingers.
Her lips crushed his, her tongue seeking entrance to his mouth. Kyrie tore his shirt open, and covered his chest with kisses, pushing him down on the bed. Casavir didnt resist, his hands were entangled in her beautiful ebony waves, their kisses and their tears mingling together. He let her push him down, kiss him, touch him. This woman whose mere memory had kept him alive, whose love was the force behind his desire to survive his capture.
"Cassi, my Cassi..." she breathed, sitting astride him, feeling his hardness beneath her. He gripped her hips and grinded against her, his eyes wild. She reached down and fumbled with the buttons on his breeches, wanting to free him from the constraints, wanting to wrap her hands around that beautiful member.
Then Casavir grabbed her hands, stopping her.
"Milady...this is...this is not right."
She stared at him, incredulous.
"You have returned from the dead...and you tell me its not right to want to love you?"
Casavir gently moved her from him, and sat up, running a hand through his hair.
"This little one...milady...you are far advanced in your pregnancy it would be ill advised for us to do this now. I would not wish to hurt either of you."
Kyrie didnt know what to think for a long moment, then she smiled, and lay down on her side. The baby was awake and dancing. Kyrie took his hand and laid it on her, letting him feel the happy movements. Casavir's eyes lit up and he laughed, then he stared at her in wonder, tears filling his eyes and spilling onto his cheeks once more as he silently praised Tyr for such a great miracle. Kyrie noticed that he allowed his emotions free reign, there was no sign of the stoic battles he used to fight with his heart and his mind. She liked being able to read his feelings in his eyes, his face expressive and alive. He lay his cheek against her belly, speaking softly to the tiny life nestled safely inside his beloved's body. The baby kicked and squirmed and Kyrie giggled.
"Cassi, she knows you! She is never this lively for us, ever!"
At her mention of the word "us", Casavir sat up and looked at her. A strange light crossed his eyes then, a light she had never seen before, and his eyes glittered oddly. It changed his entire expression, and Kyrie wasnt exactly sure she liked what she was seeing. He reached out and took her hand, looking down at the ring on her finger. He had expected to see the carved mithril ring he had given her, and the sight of the crossed bow and sword hurt him beyond measure.
"Why, Kyrie? Why...him?"
"He has been changed, Cassi. He has been forever changed by Tyr. Lord Nasher declared you dead...twice. I grieved your loss, but I had no choice other then to move on. Bishop was there, he was always there for me. This baby needed a proper home and family. I had to make that decision and it was the hardest one in my life. I know now that my heart spoke the truth, always telling me you werent truly dead, but after the failed rescue attempt...I couldnt do it anymore."
Casavir's brow knit in consternation.
"Milady, I am sorry but I am confused. What failed rescue attempt are you speaking of?"
Kyrie then recounted to him everything that had happened to her, including Bishop's trials, their wedding, and leaving the Keep. She detailed the near fatal rescue attempt and how she had had to let him go in order to save herself.
"Y...you went into Luskan... like this, so heavy with child?"
"Yes, but it was several months ago. We all did. Even Bishop was there to help. It just didnt turn out like we had hoped. The guards recognized Torio, and..."
"Torio? Torio Claven? The Luskan ambassador? No wonder you failed! That she-devil betrayed you, of that I am sure!"
Kyrie looked at him, shocked. The sudden harshness of his voice startled her, and she crawled back from him.
"N...no Cassi. Torio isnt...shes not the same anymore, either. She is Sand's wife, and my best friend."
Casavir stood up abruptly and stalked to the other side of the room, then back again.
"Is it just me, milady, or do you not also see what is happening here? Torio Claven and Sand, both of them are Luskan! Luskan infiltrators, in your Keep!"
"Casavir...you dont realize that things have changed. The war, and everything that happened after, changed people. Sand was always my dearest friend you knew this and accepted it, and when he and Torio realized their love for each other, it was a blessing, for them and for me. She is a good person, Casavir, she has proven that and has always done right by me. Torio has never put a foot wrong since the day she was brought to this Keep in chains. You even approved of my decision to bring her to us! She has two beautiful children too, orphans that she took in." Kyrie sat on her knees, eyes brightly shining with joy as she recounted her first meeting with Torio in the little village. Casavir, however, did not share her joy. His glittering eyes were narrowed.
"I am sure those so called children are Luskan also, being trained as spies!"
"Casavir, the little girl is Luskan, yes. Not every Luskan is a monster to be hunted! There are regular people who live there, families who love one another and are trying to survive. Torio's daughter's family was murdered Cassi, and she was left to wander the streets alone. Can you imagine such a fate befalling our daughter? If not for that merchant and Torio...little Marian would be dead, or worse by now."
"Death is the only just fate for every Luskan dog!" he shouted, looming over her.
Kyrie was horrified at the look in his eyes. The stoic, faithful and gentle Casavir was gone. The man that stood before her was not her beloved; her Casavir would never have accused children of being enemy spies, nor would he condemn them to death because of their bloodline or place of residence.
"Why are you saying this? These babies lost their parents! Torio did not have to take them in but she did, and she had willingly gone back into a city that wants her dead for treason, because she wanted to see you rescued and me happy, because she believes that our baby deserves a whole family! What sort of person would do that if not for love, if not for the belief in what is right and good, Casavir?"
His eyes glittered with rage. "The sort who is trying to fleece an enemy and lull them into a state of vulnerability, thats who!"
Kyrie swallowed back her tears.
"Casavir! Stop! This isnt like you! Please!"
He stared at her, his eyes and voice hard and unyielding.
"And that Luskan ranger, that traitor. Sold us to our deaths not once, but twice. How long was I buried before you let him into your bed, my lady? How do I know this child isnt his, that Luskan dog! I should put an end to the lot of you Luskans and Luskan sympathizers!"
Kyrie backed off the end of the bed in horror at his words and stood up, her back against the wall. Terrified of him now, she wanted to leave, but the door seemed so very far away. She was too frightened to move, too bereaved to speak. She looked down at the bed, tears falling free.
Whatever had happened to her beloved Casavir in that Luskan prison had stolen his heart, and his beautiful soul. What was left was a shell of the heroic, noble paladin he had once been. This shell was unpredictable, a dangerous, traumatized crusader. He heard only one word: Luskan. That word was enough to send him over the edge, and who could know what harm he could cause when in this state? Kyrie felt the responsibility of the Keep and its people crush down on her, her responsibility to her child, their child, to her friends and their families, and her tears stopped, replaced by the mantle of the Lady Knight Captain of Neverwinter's Crossroad Keep.
She raised her head, her eyes narrowed and hard, her lips tight to contain her emotion.
"Casavir de Chantraine, I hereby relieve you of your duty to Crossroad Keep. You are to leave the Keep and its environs immediately. You will not accost any resident of my Keep and the surrounding lands on pain of death. Your warhorse, the steed Azrelaine is in the stables, you are free to take him. Now go."
Kyrie pointed to the door, hoping he didnt see how hard she was trembling. The look of shock on his face as the color drained from him tore her heart out. The Casavir that she loved, that once had been, was fighting for control over the shell. The harshness left his eyes, that strange glittering stopped. With an agonized look at her, Casavir bowed and walked out of the room. She heard him cross the shop floor, open the door to the outside world and shut it again. Kyrie locked the door of the room she was in, and crawled onto the bed.
She let go of every dream, every unrealized possibility, shelved her precious memories of him in a room in her heart, and cried until she had no tears left to cry.
She didnt see the glowing white orb that pulsated in the corner of the room.