3

Ianto was still smarting over the sharp tongues of the women when he found another group of visiting dignitaries for the upcoming Centennial celebrations that did more than chaff his butt cheeks.

Believe it or not, Seltherats were calmly riding into the keep like they had every right to be there and Ianto felt his mouth go dry, moments before that horrible foul taste rushed up the back of his throat that warned of vomiting in his near future.

He could smell burning flesh, smell Lisa's death on himself and still hear the distant cries of those perishing inside… oh gods. Ianto turned and fled to the stables where he stood in the stall with his hand on Janet's flanks taking deep cleansing breaths. He tired to rationalize it away, tried to be calm and tried to be a fucking better man than the one who stood there that night watching his world burn.

But he could not, no more than he could ignore the prickling of his scar on the arm that rested against the burnt skin of his mount.

Those bastards… those Seltherat bastards… in my realm.

No, the man who wept as he cradled his dying pregnant mate while the bodies of his children were covered with sheets stood with his mind whirring.

This would not stand!

.

.

The man seemed out of place and Ianto asked one of the other pets about it only to find out that he spoke a strange language that was not slaver. Ianto was intrigued as he knew over eight of the languages of the known realms now, sliding closer to find the man talking softly to a mocking bird, repeating over and over again the message he wanted it to take home and repeat upon being given food by it's master.

Seltherathian. Ianto recognized it even if he only spoke a few words of it, this being a secretive realm who did not share anything, including their culture.

Ianto tired to listen to what was being repeated, then walked away before he was noticed, repeating it over and over in his head as he tried to chew it over.

"What are you up to?" Lisa asked as she watched her mate enter their large family cage, the baby at her breast instantly popping off said breast to squeak with glee. Ianto did not disappoint, kneeling to kiss the little cheek of his youngling. This was their fifth born, as sweet and perfect as the other five she had given him, the two she had birthed to the large black buck Donovan also cute, but not like the ones with Ianto.

Once the Master recognized the mix of the two pets produced children that fetched such a high coin he placed them together permanently, something that relived them both.

Don't get me wrong, this was not a wild hot love affair. Rather, they were siblings who clung together and did what was needed to keep the other alive. This is what the Master had also discovered. Threaten the young and let them keep one with them longer, then only snatch it away once another is here. Only way to contain the anger of the Buck who was amazingly strong. Something that added to the bidding when viewed.

This was a rare time when not only did they have a newborn, they had their son with them as well as a daughter that was promised but payment had not been fully made. Master did not give the product until payment was made in full, something that had given Ianto and Lisa bittersweet extra time with their beautiful daughter. Ianto was glad that the man purchasing her did so for breeding. She would not be a sex slave, she would not be for entertainment. Like Lisa, she would be cared for by good vets and once pregnant, allowed to be chaste.

He had loved all his children, including those Lisa had produced from another Buck in the early days before they were declared a mated pair. He knew all their names, remembered their faces and his eldest child, his son was now a Page Boy. He saw him the other day riding high on the back of the coach, his grin wide like his mother's when excited. Not yet six years old and taller than the probably ten year old next to him hanging on for grim life.

Ianto was still chewing over the words in that strange language as he held her that night, the warmth of the bed soothing as he listened to the deep breathing of his younglings, the midnight bell about to toll and call him away to help start the prep for the morning meals over in the main house.

He only knew one of the words and it confused him, not sure what context it was being used in.

Nellerat.

Combustible.

.

.

Janet snickered softly and Ianto opened his eyes, the sound of his loved ones breathing still lingering in the stall and he took a deep cleansing breath "I know. I know. Let it go. But how do I do that? They were my blood, pieces of my heart. You know… you had a son, right?"

She had no answer for him, her own foal lost in the fires she knew he was just thinking on, the images in her mind as well.

Two survivors placed their heads together and mourned their losses, even as they gave thanks for their survival.

Seltherats began talking outside the stables in that strange language that had the horse drawing her lips back from her teeth to show her anger.

She remembered them too.