Karigan clenched her eyes shut and dropped her head, a deep sigh escaping her as she considered the implications of her father's words. The idea of one of their own betraying their clan was unthinkable, an occurrence that had, of course, happened to others but never to their tight knit family. And never on this scale of treachery with so much at stake. She felt a hand brush against the small of her back, a warm body pressing to her side as she registered Zachary's comforting presence. He knelt next to her and lifted her chin carefully, his eyes betraying his sorrow, 'I'm sorry,' he whispered. Karigan's eyes shone with tears but she smiled tightly and only shook her head sadly as she looked down at her hands.

Zachary reached for them, holding her tightly as he addressed Stevic solemnly, 'You are sure of this?'

'Positive,' Stevic replied grimly. 'Details of planned patrols that have only been discussed among caravan leaders and dock managers at inclusive meetings with myself present; have been made known to this faceless enemy by word of mouth. I have always been careful not to commit any plans to paper and locations are always swept thoroughly for secrecy. Even with these measures,' he sighed heavily, 'our strategy is made known before we can even act.'

Zachary considered this thoughtfully, 'And how do you know you are being watched?'

Stevic snorted, 'It could be the scruffy little urchins that are paid to tail my actions, or the dark silhouettes that seem to shadow my movements when I walk the streets.'

Karigan spoke quietly, 'Have you any idea as to who it might be?'

Stevic turned his gaze to his daughter with regret, 'That I cannot say. It could be one of many. What saddens me is that I have worked with them all, for the better part of two decades. I do not know who or what holds sway over their loyalties now.'

Zachary lifted Karigan's unprotesting form from the floor and guided her to a chair next to her silent aunts, speaking over his shoulder softly, 'What you have told us confirms our other reports.'

Stevic nodded wearily, 'I knew that some word of our troubles leaked out, but I confess I had hoped that it would gain the attention of Sacor City sooner.'

The king exhaled slowly, 'With the possibility of invasion possible at so many points on the coastline; it seemed premature to commit the army to a specific location to meet the force. Blackveil, at the time, was the bigger threat.'

Karigan interjected in slight protest, 'We do not know for certain that the fleet will choose Corsa.'

Zachary looked at her sorrowfully, 'The deep harbor is the best equipped to handle a large force, and the roads from here to the capital are better than most, funded by the merchant clans.'

'Tis true, lass,' Stevic said, a heavy gravity lacing his words. 'You could not ask for a better staging point, or an easier path straight to the heart of Sacoridia.'

Karigan gulped slightly, 'So what do we do?'

Stevic reached out for his mug, 'Well, I say we stall for time and let your husband bring up the army.'

Zachary's eyebrows lifted ever so slightly, but the corners of his mouth threatened to kick up as he regarded Stevic coolly, 'You think you can hold off the forces of Mornhavon in the amount of time it takes to fetch an army over spring roads, which took the four of us several weeks?'

Stevic took a swig of hot kauv, his eyes traveling across the ceiling swiftly before meeting the king's gaze and nodding curtly, 'I'll have to, won't I?'

After so long of a silence, his sisters could no longer contain themselves. Stace reached out to slap the back of Stevic's head angrily, 'I know, you would never think of handling all of this by yourself, would you?'

Stevic choked on the kauv, 'What on earth would you be able to do?'

Five sets of narrowed female eyes centered on him instantly, causing him to squirm slightly in his seat. He wiped his mouth hurriedly and set both hands, palms down, on the table. 'You lot would do better to pack a bag and set for the capital. Soon enough, this will no longer be a safe place for you women.'

Gretta spoke icily, 'I think, little brother, you forget from where we all hail. This lot of women did not grow up embroidering cushions, but laboring honestly on the farms and on the docks of Black Island.'

'We, in fact, can do more good in this city than we can anywhere else,' Tori stated firmly.

Brini moved to stand behind Karigan's chair and slipped a comforting hand onto her shoulder, 'We women have our own sources and leads to pursue, whilst you lot can plan the battles; we can plan for an evacuation of the citizens when the day comes.'

Stevic opened and closed his mouth wordlessly as he beheld the angry visages of his sisters, but Zachary only crossed his arms and grinned. 'But of course ladies,' he acknowledged with an incline of his head, 'I bow to the superior knowledge that you hold in regards to the populace here, and would gladly accept any help you could offer.'

Stace reached out to pat his forearm affectionately, 'Thank you dear, we'll certainly do our best when you give us the word. The vote of confidence is certainly appreciated,' she finished with a glare at Stevic. The older man huffed and crossed his arms as he sunk back into his chair.

Feeling a touch more reassured, Karigan sat a bit straighter in her chair and looked to Zachary, 'Will you withdraw the remains of the army from D'Yer to join the rest in Sacor City?'

Zachary shook his head, 'There is not enough from the neighboring garrisons to supplement the detachment in D'Yer. So they will stay to keep the beasts contained by the wall. I will send what I have in Sacor City here. And hopefully, our envoys from Rhovanny and Eletia can garner some aid in the form of military support.'

Karigan shook her head, 'Eletia has been unresponsive for a lengthy time.'

The king nodded slowly in acceptance, 'But Rhovanny has been showing some promise in negotiations. And so, we will continue to ask for their assistance as well as illustrate the threats that have been developing. What affects one of us, will eventually involve the rest.'

Stevic spoke tiredly, 'We have perhaps three weeks to a month before anything can venture into the harbor. If any decisions are to be made, they ought to be made quickly.'

Zachary regarded him calmly, 'The army has been prepared for this possibility for some time. And my messengers can be sent to ask for additional support in the other provinces.'

'But will it be enough? Can you muster enough of a response to an invading army?'

Zachary's lips formed a small smile, 'As you say, I will have to, won't I?'

Karigan grimaced, 'Heading back then are we?'

He shrugged one shoulder, 'We have the information we sought, now is the time to act on it,' he said, turning to address Stevic again, 'I trust you'll find a way to keep me informed?'

Stevic cocked his head to the side, 'Well I do have to write long and affectionate letters to my only child.'

Karigan snorted, 'It would be a change from the hastily scribbled notes I used to receive.'

Later that night, after they had eaten and retired to their chambers, Karigan had pulled her saddlebags back out from a wardrobe to pack. They had quietly informed the family of their intended departure for the next morning, with Zachary taking Stevic aside to finalize their method of communication and Karigan establishing plans for Corsa refugees with her aunts. A long night of making plans and even more contingencies for those plans left the couple weary and utterly spent.

Zachary lingered against the mantelpiece, staring into the flames idly as Karigan quietly folded the few items she had brought with her. After vainly trying to stuff a pair of trousers into a small space, she turned the bag upside down to empty the contents. It yielded a familiar package that she recognized as the same given to them by Marta. She glanced up to Zachary but he still had his back turned to her.

Karigan untied the simple twine slowly and pulled back the edges of the worn linen to reveal a small bundle of herbs. She brought it to her nose and scrunched her features at the acrid scent. He turned and grinned when he saw her almost disgusted expression, 'I see you found Marta's gift.'

She arched a brow, 'What kind of gift is this?'

He shifted to his other foot a bit awkwardly, 'She said it would prevent conception. She thought we'd need it with the amount of traveling she suspected we'd being doing.'

Both of her eyebrows then rose almost to her hairline, 'How kind.'

Zachary stifled a small laugh, 'Indeed. She did assuage some of my worries but did inform me that it was more effective with some women than others.'

'So I might be consuming bitter and unpleasant herbs just for my digestion?'

He smiled, 'Quite possibly. So let us hope the gods do not favor us with a child in the immediate future.'

Karigan rolled her eyes and wrapped the bundle back into the linen, tucking the package back into the saddlebag. She fastened both bags closed and stood tiredly, 'Foul smelling herbs aside, are you ready for bed?'

He nodded and moved to place his own bags next to hers, his eyes casually following her as she began to tug off her clothing and pile it on the trunk at the foot of the bed. When she was down to her undergarments, she yawned and stretched out her arms above her head. He felt the familiar sensation of his racing pulse and pulled his gaze away, silently chastising himself for entertaining such thoughts after such a day. But a primal compulsion willed him to look again, this time almost sending him across the room when he beheld her in nothing but her bare skin.

Karigan unraveled her braid and smiled sleepily at him, 'Are you sleeping in all your clothes?'

Zachary gulped and shook his head mutely, his eyes roving unabashedly down her body. A novelty that he was sure he would never tire of nor take for granted. Slowly he tugged off his shirt and carefully removed his trousers before approaching her slowly, 'We have an early start to tomorrow, we ought to get to sleep,' he whispered.

She lifted her gaze to his, revealing the mischievous spark in her eyes as she brushed against him, 'Of course, we wouldn't want to regret anything in the morning would we?'

Throwing his restraint to the wind, he picked her up and listened to her squeal as he tossed her onto the bed. As he climbed onto the mattress, he laughed unreservedly as he caught her in his arms again. Leaning back from his kiss briefly, she wrinkled her nose, 'I suppose an absence of an heir will not be from lack of trying.'

A little silly fluff at the end. Now that they've 'done it', I am going to give them some privacy and not be graphic for a bit.