Notes: 1) If you see this anywhere but Literotica, it isn't supposed to be there!
*****
Lislora felt somewhat better in her own clothes, though fetching them from the silent, closed up house had been a little eerie. The journey to the Keep could have been a pleasant one on such a fine day, if not for the speed her cousin insisted on. She gripped the Prince's arm as they went over a startling bump.
"Perhaps your brother would like his carriage back in one piece?"
Draeseth had borrowed the light Karisian carriage from Burgath. It could be driven with concerning speed on roads that should have been better kept.
His reply was an amused grunt. After a moment he slowed the pace slightly. "My brother lent it to me with the kind of scolding I would have expected from a priest. He wanted me to find out quickly so that my wife wouldn't need to worry."
"I'm grateful I won't have to go to Court. What your brothers must think of me..."
"You wanted me to set aside my wife, a woman they've all been charmed by. Father calls her 'little Duchess' and lets her kiss him on the cheek as if he's her own father."
Her mouth dropped open.
"I left before he read the letter. He will be sour about the matter on my return, I have no doubt."
"How does she..." Lislora shook her head. "She's a lovely woman but the way she can charm people baffles me."
He made another grunt this one much less amused. "She has more difficulty charming women than men. The Queen only tolerates her because of my father's command. The only female friend she's made at Court has been Princess Kresh."
"Does she know that her Imperial Highness attempted to seduce you?" She studied his grim face.
"No. Krouth advised me not to tell her. He had concerns she might make an enemy of the woman. Even as unpopular as she is, that could be dangerous." Draeseth scowled into the distance, "Mes has cautioned me that Princess Kresh may try to seduce my wife if the friendship continues. Such things aren't uncommon in Phaethia and she dallies with her female slaves. Arans have a reputation for it as well."
The thought made her feel slightly queasy and it must have shown on her face. Draeseth laughed softly as he straightened and encouraged the horses a little faster again. "How do you think Mes and Hodrim are faring at the Keep? It was kind of the Sellac to have them taken there in your old carriage."
"It was. Neither has been there before, even with the letter they may have difficulty getting inside." She frowned thoughtfully, "Master Gilim may help her find the things you sent her for while they wait."
"If not they can be found tomorrow. A night in my own bed will be welcome. I may stretch it to two to avoid my father for another day."
"Isonei won't mind?"
"She'll forgive me." He smiled faintly.
"She should learn to scold you." Lislora gave him a stern look and he began to laugh.
"She's learning. My gentle wife rightly took me to task before I received your letter. I was being unbearable and raised my voice to her for it. She sent me to pray and welcomed me back after I had finished. Isonei cannot stay angry."
Lislora fell silent. It was difficult not to compare herself to the Aran woman. Perhaps she was too often angry or sharp-tongued. It would have taken longer than time for a few prayers for her to be welcoming after he'd raised his voice especially if she'd been right. Gentleness and forgiveness were what he always praised in Isonei, and when he'd chosen her at the convent he'd called her the one who found kindness easy.
If she had shown those traits more... a vicious little voice whispered in the back of her mind that she may still have the chance. He'd said Isonei was struggling and he'd promised to marry her if Isonei died, to give the child a mother. Lislora quashed the voice and frowned into the distance; hoping for that poor woman to die was too cruel. If she strove to be kinder it would be for her own child's sake. Draeseth's mother had been permitted to help raise him. He would allow her the same, she was certain.
"You seem sour about something." His observation drew her attention back.
She winced and inclined her head. "I sometimes compare myself to Isonei, even though I think she has some flaws I don't," Lislora smiled bitterly, "she is the better woman in many ways and it's unpleasant to think about."
"If you wished to go back to the convent-"
"NO!" The forcefulness of her answer startled even her and he began to laugh as she flushed.
"It was not to your liking?"
"It was wretched. Young Hodrim was the only relief I had from the misery of it. He's a sweet-natured, intelligent boy."
"You will have to share him with Isonei. She's refused to concede on the matter. I thought perhaps having her own child would-" A bump in the road made him stop speaking and scowl as Lislora gripped his arm harder. "I should have the roads seen to in Penst."
"Do. Until then, slow down, cousin!"
He barked a laugh and slowed again.
After a few moments of comfortable silence, he spoke again, "Your misery is why the letter was as insistent as it was."
"Yes. I was so certain that I wasn't meant to be there and that this child was a sign. I should have been more thoughtful and more gentle when writing it. I know she loves you, but she enjoyed that miserable place and they loved her there. You said she doesn't charm women easily, but the Sellac and half of the Sisters adored her and she'd only been there a day. They disliked me almost immediately and the longer I stayed it only grew worse." She shuddered, "Halloc Aurim didn't help things."
Draeseth glanced at her with a questioning frown.
"The Sellac believes he's fond of the Duchess and wanted someone to suffer for your poor behavior. He raged at me and wanted my punishments increased. Sellac Gesosin had to ask him to leave, I think." Lislora paused wondering how much more to tell.
The Torgan Prince looked toward her with a clenched jaw. "She wouldn't do that without cause. What did he do?"
"He..." She took a deep breath, "He struck me." She mimed slapping someone. "In the face. And then he spoke of having me cast out of the convent and dragged me by my arm to find the Sellac. He tried to drag me down the stairs and I don't-don't know if I stumbled or he threw me."
The sound that came out of Draeseth made the hair stand on the back of her neck. The man looked ready to murder someone.
"He will not visit my Keep again. I will not allow the Halloc to harm you."
"Isonei-"
"My wife thinks highly of him, but she thinks highly of most of the priests. Another Halloc can visit in his stead."
Lislora leaned against his arm gratefully for a moment before asking curiously, "Who does she think poorly of?"
"Kamrus Gillaugrim." His tone was almost amused. "He was rude to her after coming into our chambers without her invitation."
"He's a Kamrus and a member of the royal family." She gave Draeseth a baffled look and the man smiled grimly. "Did you explain it to her?"
"No. He was ruder than he should have been and her sharpness was not unforgivable."
"Cousin!"
He snorted, "He called her a whore. She still tried to be civil but he wouldn't make the effort. I've made amends with him but he needs to find a way to make amends with my Isonei." Draeseth made a peculiar sound, "She delighted my father when she showed him she could play politics if she wished. When the Kamrus tried to deny her visits to the convent or the permission to adopt Hodrim, she countered with amending the Arrangement to allow her a room in my Keep dedicated to the Aran Gods."
It took a moment to realized her mouth was open and she wasn't breathing. He made an amused sound. "She also used my desire to have her reclaimed to bring me into the quarrel on her side. That may have been the moment my father truly began thinking of her as a daughter. He was delighted to find that he and her father share similarities and that she isn't as ignorant and innocent as she seems."
"That sweet woman..." Lislora tilted her head in confusion.
"That sweet woman is no fool, though, I think she enjoys being taken for one. Burgath insists she could be as conniving as he is if she chose to be."
"I find that difficult to believe but..." Lislora considered the woman's manner, "to charm the way she does, there must be some intent. The Sellac said she tested what the children had been taught so skillfully that they didn't even realize they'd been tested."
"My wife is a clever woman. Her son will be as sharp as a naked blade." He sounded pleased. "What he lacks in strength he can make up for in wit."
As she glanced over she caught him eying her with pride and narrowed her eyes questioningly.
"Our son will be a fighter. Knowing that one of my sons will be able to spar with me is a relief."
"You're not angry?"
"No. It may not be ideal but learning I'll have two sons isn't something to be angry about." He gave her a wry smile. "Isonei was disappointed. She wanted a daughter."
"I can imagine her with a daughter more easily than with a son." Lislora returned his smile. "She would put the girl in dresses with ribbons."
Laughing, Draeseth grinned broadly, "I have no doubt. My father was eager for a tiny silver granddaughter as well. He might have doted on her more than Kas. I promised Isonei..." His grin faded.
"Draeseth?"
"I promised her we would try again for a daughter," his tone had become more solemn.
"You worry about her health."
"I do. She's so delicate, and there have been days she could keep nothing down, not even tea. She bleeds and needs to rest almost constantly. I've been warned not to bed her or I risk the life of my child." He looked at the reins in his hands. "You know how her mother died."
"In childbirth." Lislora took a deep breath. "You should allow her to adopt a few more orphans instead of asking her to give you more-"
"I want my own children under my roof, not someone else's." He seemed to be keeping his eyes deliberately on the road. "If... if it would not pain you both, I might have considered-"
"Giving her my children?" Her hands balled into fists. "I want to raise my own sons and my own daughters, Draeseth. I would raise Isonei's child if the worst happened, but I won't give her a houseful of children to mother in my place."
"She doesn't like the thought of me bedding someone else when she isn't permitted to do the same, but she's fond of you. My wife wants as large a family as I do and if I try to give it to her I'll live in fear of-" The sound he made in his throat as he roughly wiped at his eyes softened her anger.
