There's going to be A LOT of plot development in these next 2 chapters. Both good and bad. There will also be an author's note at the end to provide a little clarification on a little (well, big) visitor for Zachary. Enjoy!

In the 2 weeks that passed, Zachary put much of his energy into learning his new job and all that it entailed. He first worked at building relationships with the clan's several captains. Most welcomed him into the position with opening arms. For Zachary found that they preferred to work with one man who would make the orders for repairs and provisions, that way, they may look to the welfare of their crew. Though, there were a few captains who still saw him as a man of the nobility, who had no business being alive, let alone working at the docks.

But Zachary pushed through, for his years of living in such hostility had formed a callus over his heart to such criticism.

And he had the unwavering support of Stevic, Karigan, Sevano, and Laren. Many times, Stevic and Sevano would assure him of the work that he is doing well. And they give constructive criticism when he needs it, and it takes that and applies it. He meets with them daily, sometimes multiple times a day. So, Zachary has been able to further learn more about them and to better the relationships he has with the 2 men. Karigan's support typically comes at the end of the day since they don't usually see the other for most of the day. So, they spend much of the night in each other's company, and many times, in each other's arms.

When Zachary woke up this morning, he smiled slightly at the sun that shined brightly into the room, cheerful chirps of birds, and the distant whinnies of the horses in the stable. This morning, he decided, he wanted to go out again at the spot where he thought he would build his home. And he wanted to bring Karigan with him. Which meant, that he needed to get up and catch her before she left to work in the morning. So he did not linger in his bed and enjoy the morning sounds. Instead, he flipped the blanket off of him, rose, and quickly moved for his clothes.

From the bed, Lady raised her head and yawned, snorting as she sat up on the bed. Her tail wagged and her ears perked up as she watched him hop around trying to get his trousers on. He grunted when she jumped down and tried to pounce on him playfully. "Lady," he said, laughing as he finally got his trousers on. "Thank you for the help," he finished, reaching out to stroke her soft fur on her head, kissing her briefly.

Just as he was putting on his shirt, he heard the bathroom door open and possibly Karigan's footsteps exiting. He glanced out the window and thought, 'Maybe warm . . . doesn't matter!' Without putting on his overcoat, Zachary flung open the door and started down the hall; Lady right on his heels behind him. Zachary quickly flew down the stairs as fast as he could without tumbling. Just as his feet hit the ground floor, he spotted the front door close. He rushed through it, calling out, "Kari! Wait a moment, love!"

Karigan did slow to a stop and turned around. Zachary immediately the line in her forehead wrinkled, a sign he came to know she was in pain. His brows furrowed as he reached out to her, taking her into the circle of his arms. He asked her, "What's wrong dearest?"

She glanced down and winced, "It's nothing." She looked back up and at him and gave him a small smile, "What is it?"

Taking a deep breath, Zachary let it pass for now. "I found a place a few days ago. Land I can build on. I wanted to see if you would come with me today to see it. But if you're unwell . . ."

Karigan reached up and cupped his cheek, smiling at him, "Of course I want to see it."

He grinned back at her, kissing her lips softly. When they parted, they leaned their foreheads against the other. Zachary said, "Are you alright? Really?"

The corners of her mouth dipped slightly before she caught them, "It's okay. . . I'm just cramping."

His brows furrowed as her words processed. She was cramping? What did that mean? Was she ill, or was it a sour stomach? And then it finally came to him, "Oh." Her courses. His hands went up to cup her cheeks and he asked, unsure, "Are you alright? Is there anything I can do?"

She shook her head, "You can take me to our home." He smiled at her and bent to kiss her again before stepping back. Together, they went into the stable and saddled up Duke and Condor. Lady wandered about the stable as they did so, and as Karigan finished taking up Condor, she glanced over at Lady. "I still can't believe that you named her Lady," she said.

Zachary looked up at Karigan, straightening out Duke's forelock over the browband. "I thought it fit," he said with a grin.

Karigan looked behind Zachary, laughing, "Are you sure?"

Zachary cocked his head to the side, "Yes, why?"

She nodded behind him, "Because Lady is rolling in the manure pile."

Zachary whirled around and saw just that, Lady fully on her back rolling in the smelly pile, snorting happily. Even going so far as to bury her head into it. "Lady!" he called. Lady stopped and stared at him, and then she turned and started eating some of the manure. Zachary shook his head as he heard Karigan cackling as she led Condor past them.

Sighing, Zachary whistled to her as he led Duke out of the stable behind Karigan. He mounted and smoothly slipped his feet into the stirrups. Karigan waited for him from the road and Lady had abandoned her treasure trove to follow Zachary has he joined his beloved. Karigan smiled softly and said, "Take me home, Zachary."

Overcome, Zachary pulled Duke up right next to Condor and swept Karigan in a long kiss. Her eyes were bright as they shined up at his when they parted. Zachary reached up to try to smooth out the pain line above her eyes, "I love you, Kari. I wish I can take away your pain."

She kissed him again, "I love you too, Zachary." They separated, and Zachary flashed her a grin before he gave Duke a gentle kick into a canter. The sound of hoofbeats behind him assured Zachary that Karigan followed close behind him.

Zachary took her to the far side of the city, closer to the southern point of the L'Petrie peninsula. He found that there was plenty of unclaimed land there with the potential for farmland. Additionally, it was still on the coast, so Zachary and Karigan would be able to have both. Land for animals and some crops, as well as a white sandy beach with the open ocean beyond it. And, because it was still close to Corsa, Karigan was still close to her family and they both were close to their work. Zachary felt that it was perfect for them. But he still needed Karigan's thoughts on it. Because it was going to be THEIR home.

When they finally arrived, Zachary pulled Duke up to a stop and took in the land around them. He looked over at Karigan, who stopped beside him, and watched as her face seemed to split into two. "Oh Zachary," she breathed, looking around them.

Zachary smiled and quickly dismounted, leaving Duke to graze lazily on the tall grass around them. He excitedly rushed over and gestured to a spot near them, "I was thinking the house could be built here." His hand went up, "I've talked to Thomas, and he can build our foundation strong enough and tall enough to withstand any coastal storm that he's seen. I think just 2 stories is just fine for us."

Karigan also dismounted and joined him, "Do you think we should have 3 or 4 bedrooms?"

Zachary wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "I think 3 is a good number. What do you think?"

She smiled up at him, "I agree. And a study?"

"Oh absolutely," Zachary answered quickly.

"What about the animals? A barn?" Karigan asked.

Together they walked a short distance to the side, "The barn could probably go over here. Connected to the fields so all we have to do is open a gate and let them in and out. I was thinking with our 2 horses, Condor and Storm, and then maybe a draft horse or 2 additional. That would make 4 stalls total," Zachary explained.

Karigan nodded, "Do you want to have other animals as well?"

Zachary glanced out at the land that stretched before them, silent for a moment as he thought. "Obviously I'll move some of my dogs down here. Then I thought we could have a small herd of cattle, for the milk. And I thought we might have some sheep, for their wool during the cold winter months," he explained.

Karigan smiled up at him, then she reached up to the back of his neck and brought him down for a long kiss. Normally, Zachary would need to use all of his self-restraint to not burn the eyes of her family. But with the few moments that they would be alone together, they would make use of the time by sharing long kisses. This time, though, Zachary felt his control slipping as his hand softly trailed down Karigan's back closer and closer to her hip and bottom. And the next thing he knew, Karigan's mouth traveled to his neck and a bite made him hiss. "Gods Kari," he whispered, "As much as I want this to continue, we need to stop."

Karigan did stop and Zachary wrapped his arms around her as she leant her forehead on his chest. They both took a moment to catch their breath. "Zachary," she whispered. Zachary bent to kiss the top of her head. "I love you," she finished.

Zachary breathed her in, closing his eyes, "I love you too, Kari. I love you so much."

Karigan separated from Zachary and looked up at him with a sparkle in her eye, "I think I need to get back to the house and do some training."

Zachary smiled down at her, feeling the same that she sounds like she is. He arched a brow and asked jokingly, "And why would that be, dearest?" Karigan gave him a look with a smile and Zachary couldn't help but chuckle. "So do you approve of this spot for us?"

Karigan looked around them again, "Oh, a thousand times yes, Zachary. I'm so happy that you've found this. You'll have to make sure that you get enough land for all of the animals."

Zachary nodded, "I agree. I'll track down Lord L'Petrie tomorrow about purchasing it." Karigan returned her gaze to him, smiling softly. Zachary smiled down at her and asked, "What?"

She shook her head, "Have I told you lately how happy I am that you're here. Mostly for you. We came here and you were so happy showing me this space and to see your eyes light up at all of the animals we're going to have, the house you're going to build, and the land you're going to use. All the years that I've known you at the castle, I've never seen you so happy and excited like this."

Zachary smiled at her, "You're missing one key component."

"What?"

He took her hand and squeezed it, "You. You are the light of my life. We can be together, with nothing to keep us apart anymore. And I'm not saying that I would not be able to live my life without you. But I WANT to live my life with you. You make my life better than I could ever do on my own."

"We complete each other," Karigan added.

Zachary bent to kiss her lips, "We do."

The next morning, Zachary woke up with a plan in mind for his day. He first needed to head to the port to inspect a couple of ships that were being repaired before winter. Then he wanted to stop by Lord L'Petrie's residence to make the purchase of the land that he and Karigan visited the day before. Then, Karigan's aunts want him to finish the day visiting the seamstress to get measurements for Stevic and Laren's wedding.

When Zachary made it down to the dining room to get a small breakfast, Laren and Stevic were already there. "Good morning, Stevic. Good morning, Laren," he said, pouring himself a cup of tea.

But before they could respond, rapid footsteps were heard upstairs and then the sound of retching reached Zachary's ears. Zachary, Stevic, Laren all looked at one another before Zachary put his cup down and started back toward the stairs. He went to the bathroom, where the sound was coming from, and the door had been left open in the person's haste. And when he peered around the corner of the door, he instantly went into action. "Karigan!" He rushed in the room and knelt next to her. One hand went to her back and the other went to grab a rag and dip it in fresh water.

Laren came next with a hair tie, and she gently gathered up Karigan's loose hair and tied it back out of the way. As Karigan still retched over a bucket, sniffling, Laren looked at Zachary, "Do you know what's going on? You two went out yesterday, was she ill then?"

Zachary answered, "She told me she was cramping and that her courses were here. She was nowhere near this ill when we were out."

Laren looked back down at Karigan, who seemed to quiet. Zachary rubbed Karigan's back soothingly silently offering her the wet rag. When she took it, he helped her lean back on her bottom, letting one of Karigan's aunts (which Zachary hadn't seen enter) take the bucket. Karigan wiped her mouth and looked up at Laren, "What is going on? I've never been this ill with my courses before."

Laren's eyes flashed to Zachary. He saw her look at him and immediately knew what she was asking, "No Laren, we haven't."

Laren sighed and her eyes returned to Karigan, "I don't know, Karigan."

"Should I get the mender?" Stevic asked.

"What are you feeling, Kari?" Zachary asked her.

Karigan covered her face and groaned. Zachary watched her stomach closely, finding that she was taking shallow, shuddering breaths. He held her closer to him and she cuddled into his chest, which worried him more than he liked to admit.

Laren spoke up again, "Karigan, talk to us."

He felt her tense up against him and her knees went into as much as a fetal position as she could. "Give me a minute!" she cried, moaning. Tears gathered in Zachary's eyes, and he rocked her gently. For a few minutes, the room was quiet but for Karigan's sniffles. And then, Karigan finally seemed to relax for a moment. She said, "The cramps are so bad, it feels like there's a knife twisting inside of me. My back hurts, I don't want to move. I'm nauseous, have a headache, and so tired."

Laren asked gently, "How is the bleeding?"

Karigan shook her head, "It's been normal up until today."

"How is today different? How long have you been bleeding?" Laren asked.

"I've been bleeding for 6 days. Today is uncontrollable bleeding," Karigan answered.

Zachary heard Laren sigh above them and she stepped around them to join Stevic and Karigan's aunts. Karigan tensed up again, leading Zachary to hold her tight to him and to rest his cheek on the top of her head. He heard Laren whisper to Stevic, "Get the mender."

Zachary didn't bother to look who left, but he heard Stevic whisper back to Laren, "Do you know what's wrong?"

"No," he heard her sigh. "When you're a Green Rider, Stevic, you are unable to conceive. For men, there's really no change physically at that point. But for women, some can stop having courses all together. I don't know what Karigan's were like while we were all at the castle, but I do remember Karigan mentioning around the time the heavy fighting started, that her courses had stopped. It could also have been the excessive stress that she experienced, and the constant training that she did during the war."

Zachary closed his eyes, letting the words sink in. Almost a year without her courses.

Suddenly, Karigan rushed out of his arms, leaning back forward to begin retching again into another bucket. Staying by her side, Zachary began rubbing her back again, conscious of the fact that she said her back was painful. Footsteps alerted him and he looked over to find that Stevic and Laren quietly left the pair. Laren's hushed whispers following them as they left.

Over the next hour, Zachary stayed by Karigan's side inside the bathroom. Laren came back eventually to tell him that she and Stevic had asked that the servants light a fire in Karigan's fireplace, set up a warm bowl of water with rags, and leave a pitcher of fresh water and some toast at her bedside. He told Karigan as much when Laren left, but Karigan shook her head, saying, "I can't move."

He watched her, deciding to take the chance to ask, "Do you want me to carry you?" For once in his time of knowing Karigan, Zachary prayed that she would tell him that she could make it herself. He prayed to Aeryc that her stubborn streak was still in there. But his heart wrenched painfully in his chest when his beloved silently nodded, her eyes downcast. He kissed her on her temple and whispered, "I love you. You're going to be okay. I've got you." Leaning back, Zachary spied tears running down her cheeks. He wiped them away before momentarily releasing her. He stood up quickly and then bent again to gather her tense body securely into his arms. For a moment, he thought he felt something wet seep onto his right sleeve, but he put it out of his mind for the time being.

Zachary carried his treasure out of the bathroom and back to her room, where the servants had left the door open for her. Karigan groaned again and Zachary felt her body tense in, what he could only imagine, was the onslaught of pain that she was feeling. Just as Zachary was walking through Karigan's threshold, he spied Stevic, Laren, and a mender coming up the stairs.

Zachary entered the warm room, finding that the servants had turned down the bed and put towels on top of the sheets. He stepped next to the bed and gently lay Karigan down upon the towels. She grimaced as she tried to make herself comfortable and eventually ended up turning onto her side. Zachary covered her with the sheet, bending to kiss her tenderly on the temple. He whispered, "The mender is here. Do you want me to stay?"

Karigan's eyes finally locked with his, "You can stay." Then her eyes shifted to look at his sleeve and they teared up again, "I'm sorry."

His brow furrowed and he glanced down at the sleeve in question; there was a large spot of blood on it. He turned back to her and kissed her on the mouth. And when he pulled back, "No need to apologize. It's okay, love."

"If I may see my patient now?" the mender interrupted. Zachary glanced up and glared briefly at the other man at the intrusion. But he did straighten and take a few steps back, getting out of the mender's way.

Just in that moment, Karigan cried out again and her knees went up to her chest, taking the same shallow breaths of pain. Zachary wanted to jump right back to her side to comfort her, but he used all of his strength to hold himself back.

The mender put his bag on the floor next to the bed and shushed her comfortingly, telling her, "Breath lass, breath it out. It doesn't help if you hyperventilate." Tears continued to fall down her face, but she did try to take longer breaths, which comforted Zachary. Zachary glanced over at Stevic and Laren who stood on the opposite side of the room, closer to the door. After a moment, he moved to join them. The mender asked Karigan after a time, "Now, your da and Laren explained some things to me, but can you tell me where you're feeling the pain lass?"

Zachary watched as her body relaxed again, only slightly this time, and she shakily answered, "My stomach, my back, my head. I've been puking most of the morning."

The mender nodded, then asked, "Can you describe the pain? Throbbing? Shooting? Stabbing?"

"Stabbing," Karigan answered, "It feels like a sword has run through me and is twisting and turning inside of me."

"This young man here, is he your courtier?" the mender asked, glancing up at Zachary. Karigan nodded. The other man continued, looking back down at Karigan, "Is there any chance that you could have been with child lass?"

Karigan shook her head, "No. We haven't. And I haven't been with anyone else."

The mender smiled down at her, "He's the one, is that right?"

Zachary smiled slightly as Karigan answered, "Yes."

"That's good, that's good lass. Now tell me about your bleeding?"

Karigan suddenly sucked in a deep breath, tensing with her pain. She forced out, "It's been fine. But today is just constant blood." She groaned and shifted, "Uncontrollable."

"Okay lass," the mender said, patting her arm gently. "What of your back? Is that the same as your stomach?"

Karigan took a deep breath, "The same, every time I move, even a little bit. I've been wounded there, but I don't think it's the scaring."

The mender's brows rose, "Do you mind if I take a look at them lass?"

There was a moment of silence, and Zachary was about to speak when Karigan finally answered, "Fine."

The mender nodded silently. He didn't bother to move Karigan more than necessary, so the other man walked around to the side facing Zachary. Zachary moved to the foot of the bed and watched the other man closely as he gently pulled Karigan's shirt up to examine her back. His eyes stared at the other man as the mender seemed to freeze in place at the condition of her back. Then he slowly reached out and began to touch and prod the scaring along her spine. He asked her, "Does this hurt you, lass?"

Karigan thought for a moment, "Just a little. It's mostly when I move."

The mender nodded and dropped her shirt again. He sighed as he came back around to face Karigan. And he spoke to all those in the room, "Based on her symptoms, I do believe, Laren, that you are right that it is her courses. A woman's courses stopping for extended periods of time is never good for the body." He looked back down at Karigan, "Is this the first since you have returned home, lass?" Karigan nodded. "Just what I thought." He looked at Zachary, Stevic, and Laren again, "While the severity of her courses is abnormal, the fact that this month is this severe and abnormal is what I would expect. Her hormones and her body are recovering from all that she had experienced. Her courses will be abnormal in some way for at least a few months, I'd gather. But they will even out, given time."

"What can we do for her in the meantime?" Zachary asked.

The mender took a deep breath, looking back down at Karigan. "What you have been, make her rest. Make sure she stays hydrated and see if she can keep something down. As far as the pain goes, I will give you a hot water pad that she can use to put on her stomach. And I will give you a tea blend that might help with her nausea and headache. As far as her back goes, you can try massaging it. That would help loosen the tension of the muscles."

Zachary looked down at her and moved to sit next to her on the bed. Since he sat with her back still to him, Karigan carefully turned to lay on her other side, so she faced him. He bent to kiss her temple gently, reaching up to tuck the stray tendrils of hair out of her face. She looked up at him tearfully, and he said to her, "I love you, my dearest Kari. I-"

"Zachary?" He looked back up, finding Gretta looking at him expectantly. She said, "There's some people here to speak with you."

Zachary gulped, unwilling to leave Karigan's side. He asked her, "Who is it? If it's work, then I will find them tomorrow."

"It's Thomas, and another gentleman I've never seen before," she answered.

Sighing, he nodded. While still reluctant to leave Karigan, he was also aware that he needed to see to these gentlemen and that they couldn't wait until tomorrow. He looked back down at Karigan and gave her another kiss to her lips, saying, "I'll be back soon."

He stood from the bed once more and left the room. As he was going to pass Gretta, she stopped him and whispered, "Perhaps it would be a good idea to change your shirt."

Zachary glanced back down at his arm, where Karigan's blood still stained it, 'Right', he thought. He had honestly forgotten about it. He smiled at her gratefully, and she returned it, reaching up to pat his cheek. "Thank you," he said.

He quickly returned to his own bedroom to change into a fresh shirt, silently giving the bloodied one to a maid to attempt to wash. He thanked the girl before quickly going back downstairs. But, upon reaching the bottom of the steps, he stopped in his tracks. For a face he had not seen in a while (while welcome) looked over at him with a beaming smile. The man's name fell from Zachary's lips in surprise, "Amberhill!"

I'll try to get part 2 of this chapter typed up and out to you all as soon as I can!

As far as Amberhill goes. I genuinely felt sympathetic for him and what he was suffering through in Winterlight. So, as you can see, I kept him alive after the war. But as you will see in the next chapter, he did have to make some sacrifices and did not come out of that unscathed.

As usual, love you all. Review, follow, favorite. Until next time!