The Chronicles: Three Sisters 17

THE THREE SISTERS Chapter 17

The winter was mild, which was a mixed blessing. No one froze to death, but the snow was soft and deep - and there was plenty of it. That made getting about difficult, which created difficulties for the hunters.

Yevna did a remarkable job, assisted primarily by Nameless, while Libot worked with Seva. There were dozens of hunting parties, but those two pairs were the most successful. People in Nareven knew who was most responsible for providing meat for the spit.

One elderly woman passed away, but it wasn't due to excessive cold, or shortage of food. Guen Nadesti and two other old women came through the winter just fine.

My daughters and I were kept busy, as people brought us their concerns and complaints and their sometimes petty quarrels. It was something I'd experienced as Headman in Asphodels, when Meonwe was still alive: even the most social and most tolerant of people can get tired of sharing limited space with their family.

With all of the snow, some folk just didn't get outside often enough. Harsh words were spoken, blows were exchanged, and sometimes blood was shed.

On the brighter side, I no longer had to deal with the Lowlanders.

Whenever Prosquetel saw me, he simply narrowed his eyes, and moved away. Iduallon would lift his nose a little higher, and make a display of ignoring me. The Duchess I rarely saw at all. That didn't bother me in the least.

Young Gerimir came to see me two days after our confrontation.

- "I'm sorry." he said. "I didn't know."

- "I know you didn't."

- "Perhaps I should have."

- "I don't bear you any ill-will for it."

- "I don't how to explain what they were thinking." he continued. "They're obsessed with liberating Hvad, and with defeating the Izumyrians ... but that still doesn't excuse what they were planning."

- "I like you, Gerimir. So does my daughter, and she's a good judge of character. Just be careful not to quarrel with her in public - her sister may not take it well."

- "I would be more worried about how Guenna would take it."

- "And so you should be." I said.

He was a pleasant young fellow, who never shirked hard work. Gerimir was an honourable man, trapped in a situation that forced him to stand with immoral people. He apologized to me a second time.

- "Tell me one thing." I asked him. "What are your intentions toward my daughter?"

He was momentarily flustered, but he answered me honestly: "I ... I asked her to marry me - she said 'No'."

Armed with that knowledge, I ambushed Guenna.

- "I had an interesting conversation with young Gerimir." I said.

- "He told you that he'd asked me to marry him." she replied.

- "Damn! You knew? Already?"

Guenna enjoyed a good laugh at my expense.

- "He came to tell me right away. And to apologize."

- "That boy apologizes too much." I grumbled. "Is that why you don't want to marry him?"

- "No, Papa - that's not why. He's sworn to serve the Duchess, and to see Hvad freed from the Izumyrians."

- "That might take some time."

- "Exactly. I do like Gerimir - but I told him that I wouldn't be content to be the third of his priorities, after the Duchess and his war. Besides, I'm still young, and I haven't met all that many eligible young men. I'm not going to fall in love with the first decent fellow I meet."

- "That ... sounds like a wise decision." I said.

- "I'm glad you approve." said Guenna.

***

There was quite a bit of good news before the spring.

- "I'm pregnant." said Tanguiste.

-" Are you sure?" said Guenna.

- "Of course I'm sure."

- "How did this happen?" I asked her. I knew instantly that I'd phrased it incorrectly, judging by the big smile on my daughter's face.

- "The same way it usually happens, Papa." she said. "I would have thought that you knew about such things."

- "No - I mean ... when? Are you sure this is wise?"

- "I felt it when we first came into the Vale." said Tanguiste. "I just knew that we were going to be alright."

We all congratulated her, of course. I might have been the only one to see the wistful look on Mother Nadesti's face. I'd killed her sons before they had sired children. She had no grandchildren at all.

But it was considered excellent news by most everyone in the Vale. Almost all of them knew Tanguiste by now, and they saw this as a very good omen.

***

Tan was only the first woman to announce her pregnancy. Soon after, there was another, and another ... the third was Seva, the red-headed archer.

- "Is the father who I think it is?" I asked Guenna.

- "Iduallon? Yes."

Seva was quite pleased with herself. She strutted about just a little more self-importantly for the next few weeks.

Until another young woman in Nareven announced that she too was pregnant - and that Iduallon was also the father of her child.

- "Buildin' himself a proper little army to reconquer Hvad." said Hedyn.

Seva didn't see the humour in the situation. She put an arrow into Iduallon, but in her anger, she rushed the shot. She struck him four inches above the heart, just wide of his neck.

- "He'll survive." said Vingoldas.

- "You can't have everything." said Hedyn.

Iduallon didn't ask for justice in the matter, which was a relief. And I wasn't all that surprised - mildly disappointed, perhaps, but not surprised - when Seva and the Lowlander reconciled shortly afterwards.

- "What do you mean, reconciled?" I asked Giedra, who'd been the one to tell me.

- "They're humping behind the woodpile. I saw them on the way over here."

***

- "Veran?"

- "Yes?" I laid down my tools. Even now, Sulcen didn't often initiate conversation. When she did, I stopped whatever I was doing and listened.

- "I believe that I'm with child."

I was stunned. And, like an idiot, I didn't say anything. I couldn't; my mouth may have moved, but no sounds came out.

How could this be? I was too old to be a father - not too old to father a child, though. But I'd always thought that Sulcen couldn't ... that she had ...

Her first husband was worse than an animal. In addition to breaking her nose and flogging her, he'd beaten Sulcen so badly that she'd miscarried twice.

She wasn't old, by any means; Sulcen was only in her late twenties. But I'd believed - and she'd never corrected me - that she couldn't have children, because of the injuries she'd suffered.

I didn't know what to say, so I didn't say anything. Instead I took one step closer to her, and held out my arms.

Sulcen hesitated for a moment, but then she stepped within the circle of my arms, and laid her head on my shoulder.

- "Are you ... happy?" she whispered.

- "I'm shocked, Sulcen." I said. "I didn't know ... that it was possible. I never expected this."

"Am I happy? I have ... mixed feelings."

I could feel her tense up, in my arms.

"Let me explain: I am happy. You and I, having a child? It's wonderful. It's just that ..."

- "You're afraid for me."

- "Yes."

Sulcen's arms went around me, and she held me tighter.

- "I'm afraid, too." she said. "I'm afraid that I may miscarry again. And ... even if I don't ... will the babe be healthy? And then - even if it is ... can I be a good mother?"

- "Sweetheart ... set your mind at rest. You'll be a wonderful mother. You're patient, and kind, and gentle ..."

- "I don't know the first thing about it."

- "No one does. If parents had any idea what was coming, there wouldn't be any children."

- "You don't mean that." she said, followed by a big sniff. "Look at how your girls turned out. That's hardly an accident."

- "I had no idea what I was doing. It was mostly luck."

- "I don't believe you."

- "I am a very fortunate man." I said, holding her a little tighter, so that she knew I was talking about more than my daughters. Then I leaned over, and whispered in her ear.

"I love you, Sulcen. You make me happy in so many ways."

That caused even more tears, as my wife clutched at my arms, before grabbing my hair and one ear, to pull my head down so that she could kiss me.

***

Sulcen hadn't said anything to her mother.

- "You have to tell her." I said.

- "I want you to come with me." she said.

- "I will. But you have to tell her alone. I'll join you right after that."

I ended up waiting outside for a long time. By the time they called me in, mother and daughter had shed enough tears to flood the entire house.

Guen Nadesti hadn't kept many secrets from me. I knew that she had many regrets - first and foremost, sending her daughter to a man who'd mistreated her so cruelly. That had to be the reason behind many of the tears they were crying now.

She also had to be just as afraid as we were, about Sulcen's past miscarriages. But it was possible was that her daughter might safely deliver a healthy child, a grandchild.

I don't know quite what passed between mother and daughter. Sulcen stood up when I came in, and wrapped her arms around me. She smeared tears and snot all over my shirt, as she pressed herself against my chest.

- "I am a very fortunate woman." she said.

***

My daughters were silent, afraid, and ecstatic - in that order.

Yevna simply hugged us both. She didn't seem to know what to say. Dengelle cried, and embraced Sulcen, before turning and doing the same to me.

Tanguiste was worried. She knew Sulcen's history as well as anyone. The two of them had a sort of private conference in the corner of the room while I accepted congratulations from Vingoldas and a surprisingly tearful Nameless.

- "Woohoo!" shouted Guenna. She was absolutely delighted. "I'm going to be a sister again!"

***

Iduallon was injured again, little more than a month after Seva had nearly killed him. He made a pass at Giedra. In his typical subtle fashion, I believe that he grabbed her breast.

Giedra broke his wrist. Then she broke his nose.

***

Spring came early, and the snows melted much earlier than we'd expected. The Vale was still wet, and muddy, but people could go outside and move about.

A few weeks after that, several new folk found their way to Nareven. They brought news.

- "The Izumyrians withdrew." one man told us. "Before the winter, this was."

- "Pulled out o' the Uplands - completely." said another.

- "Any idea why?" I asked.

- "Seems they have their hands full, with the Lowlanders. There's talk of uprisings, scattered here n' there."

- "That's good news for us, then." said Tanguiste.

- "Unless they decide to come back and hunt down the Duchess." said Guenna.

- "Surely they can't do that if they're busy with these uprisings."

- "There are thousands of Izumyrians, Tan. Small risings may annoy them, but they can easily spare the men for another push into the Uplands. They may even decide that the best way to end these little rebellions once and for all is to eliminate Lady Temara."

- "So it's not good news?"

- "I don't know."

Guenna and I went to take a second look at the passes into the Vale from the way we'd come, and a first look at the approaches from above the lake - the route that Bacho and Kestutis had taken when they'd come to raid.

The terrain was very favourable for defenders. Two dozen determined fighters could hold up twice their number of Izumyrians.

- "But if they send 200? Or 500?" I said.

We both knew that we didn't have enough warriors to guard all of the possible approaches to the Vale. Even if we had - Upland fighters weren't like Izumyrian soldiers. They couldn't be asked to stay in one place, defending a pass, for six months. Not while their families were elsewhere.

- "Don't say anything, Papa. Let me think this over. Maybe there's a solution."

I couldn't see it. The only way for us to be safe was to retreat further into the Uplands, behind the most inhospitable mountains, or deeper into the forests.

If we did that, though, we would have to split up, into smaller groups, because there was no way to feed so many people in those remote areas.

- "We can't wait too long to make a decision, Guen. Your sister ... and Sulcen. If we don't move now, we won't be able to move at all."

- "I know. Just give me a little time."

- "Alright." Guenna had become extremely good at finding solutions. She deserved at least a chance to come up with something for our present dilemma.

If I'd known what was coming, I might not have agreed so quickly.

***

Tanguiste delivered a healthy baby girl. They named her Moruith, which I thought was very appropriate.

Seva gave birth to a girl as well.

That was when Gerimir came to see me.

- "I'm not here on my own, Veran." he said. "The Duchess asked me to speak to you on her behalf."

- "Oh? In that case, you can skip the flowery phrases, if you like. What is it she wants to say to me?"

Gerimir couldn't seem to help himself. He hemmed and hawed, and had trouble coming to his point. Finally, though, he was able to meet my eye.

- "We're leaving, Veran. The Duchess, too."

When you don't know what to say, sometimes the best thing is to say nothing. I did feel a tremendous sense of relief, though. It would be a great pleasure to see the last of Iduallon, and Prosquetel as well. I doubted that I would miss the imperious Lady Temara, either.

- "What about the babe?"

- "We'll take him with us. People have to see the heir."

- "Is that ... wise? Will he be safe?"

Gerimir shook his head. "Probably not. But it's no more dangerous than staying here. And this way, you and your people won't be a target anymore, once the Izumyrians learn that the Duchess is back in Hvad. I mean, back in the Lowlands."

- "There's that." I agreed. "Well, I can't say that I'll miss any of your companions, but you've worked hard - I'll be sorry to see you go."

- "Thank you, Veran. I appreciate everything you've done for us."

- "I suspect that you would have done the same for us." I put just a little more emphasis on the word 'you', because we both knew that the Duchess wouldn't have lifted her little finger to save Uplanders, had our roles been reversed.

At this point, Gerimir had said what he'd come to say, but he was still standing before me. Once again, he seemed nervous.

"There's more?" I asked.

- "Uhm ... well, I also wanted to let you know that some of your folk will be leaving with us."

- "Seva?" I guessed. "And Odma?"

- "Yes. And some others."

- "Which others?"

- "Me, Papa." said my daughter.

Guenna was standing a few yards behind me.

- "No." was all I could manage to say.

- "I'm going with them."

- "You're leaving? Why?"

- "We can discuss this later." she said.

- "We can discuss this now." I replied, far too loudly. "Why on earth would you want to leave?"

- "Can we at least talk about it in private?" asked Guenna.

She had a point, there.

She led away from the houses, and then up the slope of a hill where there was less mud. Guenna found a relatively dry spot, and sat down. She invited me to sit beside her, but I remained standing, a little lower on the hill.

- "Why? Tell me why."

Guenna took a deep breath, and let it out slowly.

- "Because you gave me the choice, Papa. You told me that I could marry whoever I wanted to. Does that not include the right to go where I wish?"

- "Those people were going to kill me, Guen. They're arrogant, ungrateful, and treacherous. I keep trying to see the difference between them and the Izumyrians, but I can't."

- "Gerimir isn't like that."

- "One man. One out of four. And he's certainly not the leader. Far from it. If anything, he's the low man on the ladder."

- "I know."

- "I don't understand! Why would you want to go with them?"

- "Several reasons." said Guenna.

I knew that tone. If I grew heated, and raised my voice, she would simply stop talking. If I became agitated, or if I began trying to argue, she would likewise simply stop, until I grew calmer. She was my little girl, but she could be damned stubborn.

- "I'm listening."

- "Why don't you sit down? Here - beside me."

- "I prefer to stand. Don't want to get my ass wet."

- "As you wish." she said.

- "Reasons?"

- "We both know that the Izumyrians will keep hunting the Duchess. If I take her back into the Lowlands, that should keep the Izumyrians from coming after you here. I want to protect my family."

"But I suspect that if the Izumyrians completely win their war, they won't leave us alone. They'll come into the Uplands. They'll seek to put a yoke on us. I know we can make the land fight for us ... but there are so many of them ..."

"I want to link up with Hvadi who are fighting back. If I can help to organize them ... maybe there's a chance we can drive out the invaders."

- "That's a tall order."

- "I know it. I also know that I don't have Yevna's skills, or Tan's. But I have my own abilities, Papa. I'm good at planning, and strategy."

I couldn't deny it. She was gifted at those things, though I couldn't for the life of me understand how that had come to be.

- "I want to do this." she said. "I know that it's a way to protect the people I love, and that it's the best hope we have of beating the Izumyrians. But the truth of it is ... I want to go. To test myself. To find out if I can do it."

"Tan has Vingoldas, and now Moruith. Yevna has Dengelle, and Nameless, and hunting. I think that Libot is in love with her, but she doesn't seem to even know that he exists."

"You have Sulcen, and a baby on the way, and all the hopes of people in the Vale on your shoulders."

"But can you picture my future here? What do you see me doing, two years from now? Or in five years?"

I should have known that she would do this to me. How could I argue with that?

- "I just ... I don't like the idea of you going with those people, Guen. I don't trust them, and neither should you."

- "I won't be alone." she said.

- "You mean Seva? Or Odma?"

- "No. Giedra will be coming with me."

- "Giedra?"

- "And Rion, and Eliv. And quite a few more."

***

Yevna was furious with her sister. Tanguiste accepted Guen's decision with more grace. Sulcen said nothing at all.

- "You haven't said a word." I pointed out. "Does that mean that you have no opinion on the subject?"

- "No." she said.

- "So you agree with me that this is a bad idea?"

- "No."

- "Should I hold out hope that you'll say more than one word about it?"

The ghost of a smile flickered across her lips. Sulcen had been about to say 'No' once more, but then she decided to have mercy on me.

- "You taught her to think for herself. You can hardly blame her for doing just that."

I was beginning to grow tired of being out-argued and out-manoeuvred by the female members of my family.

I was also annoyed with myself for not having known that this was in the air. There had to have been quite a few secretive conversations, and I'd been completely oblivious.

- "So you're leaving." I said to Giedra.

- "That's the rumour."

- "Why?"

- "Because you're already married, and I don't want to have to kill Sulcen so that I can have you all to myself."

- "Seriously, Giedra. You broke Iduallon's wrist, and his nose. Why would you go anywhere with him?"

- "I'm not going with him, Veran. I'm going to war." she said.

- "That's it?"

- "Look around, old man." Giedra waved her arm. "See any guslars here? How do you expect me to become the most famous woman of the age when I'm stuck in this Vale, and nobody outside it knows about me?"

"How can I become the next Payl unless I follow her example, and go to the Lowlands? I'll have Guenna to plan my battles for me, so that I can be at my best. Don't worry - I'll take good care of her."

I could only shake my head. Giedra was ... unique.