Torgan Wine Ch 22

My thanks to Todger65 for his help with editing!

*****

Isonei's head ached as she woke. The air was close and smelled of fruit; she was curled uncomfortably, upright, somewhere dark. Whatever she was in was moving and the way she was jerked and jostled it felt as if she were on a cart. She reached out, touching the sides of the wooden container, her warm cloak was wrapped around her and from the feeling of soft fur on her skin, she had no other clothing on.

Nervously, she knocked on the wooden side of the thing. The muffled sound of laughter and Torgan voices made her heart beat in her throat. Draeseth wouldn't be laughing and if he'd had her smuggled out of Leria he might not be close by. The Daga might have ordered him imprisoned until she was found or simply hung him over the gate and kept Burgath to bargain with. The thought of being naked and alone in Torga made her tremble with fear.

The Torgan voices quieted. Isonei clutched her cloak and tried not to think about what might happen if the wooden cask was opened... or if it wasn't. Hot tears spilled out and she buried her face in the edge of her cloak trying not to let herself break into sobs. That she was completely alone was too much to bear. Prayer wasn't something Arans often did; the Gods wanted them to rely on the brothers and sisters around them. But she had no one.

She prayed to Maeralya for hope and intervention, if anyone might help it would be the mother. Tyhnoth's name came into her mind and she prayed to him as well for comfort and protection. If they wished to harm her, Tyhnoth could spare her the pain. Isonei began to murmur quiet pleas to them both, over and over, "Maeralya, mother of all, I beg you, give your child hope and put these wrongs to right. Your child is lost and alone. Sweet Tyhnoth, dour Tyhnoth, I beg you for your gentle comfort and your firm cold hand. Protect me from pain and give your mother's child a gentle death." The whispered repetition made her feel calmer.

At some point in her prayers she must have fallen asleep. Isonei was startled awake as the container was sharply knocked on and jerked out of its position. Her quiet, tearful, pleas began again, growing more urgent as the lid of the wooden container was pried away.

"Isonei?" Draeseth's concerned voice made her look up. '"Wife, come to me." He looked down at her for a moment and, when she didn't move, reached in to lift her out. "Forgive me."

She trembled as he crushed her in his embrace, slowly calming as he murmured soothingly to her in Torgan. After a time when she had ceased trembling, he asked softly, "What were you whispering? Were you praying, my sweet wife?"

"Yes."

"Will you let me hear an Aran prayer?" Draeseth kissed her hair.

Taking a deep breath she repeated it again. "Maeralya, mother of all, I beg you, give your child hope and put these wrongs to right. Your child is lost and alone. Sweet Tyhnoth, dour Tyhnoth, I beg you for your gentle comfort and your firm cold hand. Protect me from pain and give your mother's child a gentle death."

"You were so frightened you prayed for death? Why would you not pray for me to come to you?" He rubbed her back and arm.

"Gods don't do things that way. You can't ask for something so specific."

"Your Gods perhaps. My God has granted you to me again because I asked for it. I have brought you out of Leria and into Torga, my Duchess. We were permitted to pass through the gate after our carriage was searched. You had already been sent ahead."

"What of Captain Valothe and his men? They can't have been patiently waiting for hours."

There was hesitation and he stiffened slightly. "They were to be released after we were safely past the gate." Draeseth kissed her hair again. "Come, I want to get you properly dressed and be on our way."

Carrying her, making sure her cloak covered her well, he brought her out of the barn the cart and barrels were in. The air was cold and the afternoon sun peeking through the clouds was painfully bright after the darkness she'd endured in the barrel. The small inn was bustling but most of the people inside studiously avoided looking at her.

In a small but scrupulously clean room, he set her down and gently led her to a tub of warm water. "The innkeeper's daughter has a dress you can wear. Yours should come soon. I thought you might wish to wash."

"You think the Daga will allow your things to be brought out?" Isonei looked at him as he unfastened her cloak. Daga Lothlaerith would be furious. She needed to get a message to him to explain, to beg forgiveness.

"I think he will not know which carts are carrying our things. Krouth left careful instructions. He may be only a servant but he is the rival of any lord in cleverness. Without him I could not have gotten you this far." The large Torgan smiled faintly as he ran his fingers over the marks he'd left on her breasts and up her neck. "Bathe or I will let you travel smelling of fruit." He took the cloak and walked behind her.

"A poor bruised fruit?" She couldn't resist the jab as she stepped toward the tub.

"Woman..." Draeseth returned to stand over the tub as she sank into it, sitting with her legs bent. "You look pitiful."

"I feel pitiful."

He made an amused sound in his throat and began pulling down the braids that had managed to survive her ordeal. "Your husband will wash you; perhaps it will make you feel better."

"You'll get your sleeves wet." After her journey in the barrel she wasn't entirely sure she wanted him to wash her but the need to be touched and consoled was almost an ache. Isonei watched as he stripped off his tunics and pulled a seat next to the tub.

"If you wish to look at my chest you can ask, wife."

Her lips twisted as he smiled smugly down at her. "You're trying to make me smile?"

"I would have you smile at me and call me husband. I know you are displeased and that you have been frightened, but I love you and you will see that Torga is more beautiful and welcoming than you have imagined." Draeseth picked up an odd metal ladle that was hooked over the side and turned it in his hands. "I did what I needed to do to bring you home, I hope you will forgive me."

With a sigh she bent forward and hugged her knees. If this was love she wasn't sure that she liked it. He ladled the water over her head as she contemplated his words and actions. It wasn't ideal but she was here now and there were months yet of their year. She could write letters of apology and explanation... Her eyes closed as he began to massage her head with a little bit of herbal smelling soap, she remained still and quiet until he had rinsed it out.

"Husband?" Two pressing questions fought to be asked and she struggled to choose one.

Draeseth made a relieved sound and bent to kiss her wet, bowed head before he answered, "Yes, wife?"

"If I don't like it here, will you let me go home as you promised?"

His face pressed to the back of her head. "If you truly try to enjoy my home and cannot... I will send you back to Liadith."

"Not in a barrel, husband. If you ever put me in a barrel again I will never forgive you."

He barked a laugh and kissed her head. "Not in a barrel, even if you drive me half mad." The Torgan began washing her back and the weight of his touch felt soothing as he rubbed the soap into her skin.

She relaxed, taking a deeper breath preparing to ask the easier question about the missives when Draeseth made a pleased sound that brought her eyes up to his.

"We have four days of travel to my home. Burgath has gone ahead to the Keep of Dalcur to prepare for our arrival."

"Who is Dalcur?"

Draeseth snorted. "Do you know nothing of Torga?"

Isonei fixed him with a deeply unhappy stare. "Would you like to hear what I was told about Torga?"

"Perhaps when you have seen some of it and are in better spirits." He frowned. "The Torga Dalcur is where we are. It is the valleys that funnel down into Leria." Water was ladled over her back. "The Keep is farther up in a more defensible position, I had you brought to the inn above the split city. Few of import come here; I knew they would obey my orders without question."

Nodding, she let him pull her gently away from her knees to begin washing her neck and chest. Learning where she was would be wise. "Dalcur," she paused glancing at him, "Kroscur, and the other is Moccur?"

"There is more to Torga than those three, my Duchess." He seemed pleased at her interest and leaned in to kiss her tenderly. Isonei tentatively responded and when he tried to deepen the kiss she invited him, lifting a hand to touch his face. Draeseth groaned softly into her mouth and his kiss grew more needful.

A soft knocking on the door made him pull away reluctantly and bark something in Torgan. A woman's timid voice answered him and he scowled at the door. "You will have to bathe yourself, wife. I am required."

"Go. I have water and soap, I can make do." She made a dubious face at the ladle in his hand.

"Woman, you should be grateful. This is not the time of year for frequent baths." At her miserable look he leaned to kiss her again. "Wash. I will be back shortly." He pulled his tunics back on and belted them before leaving her alone.

Her attention turned to washing, the water was cooling quickly. The soap was strange and left her skin feeling dry but at least the smell was not unpleasant. Rising from the water, she saw the thin towel laid next to a plain Torgan dress and undergarments and dried herself as best she could.

The stockings laid out with the rest of the undergarments were thick and scratchy but they would be better than nothing in the cold weather. She put on all of the layers, including the ridiculous small clothes. Once dressed she looked around for a brush.

Another knock, this one more confident, came at the door. Isonei looked at it wondering if she was meant to answer it or if whoever it was would simply come in on their own. The door opened a crack, "Lady Isonei?" Krouth's polite voice made something in her stomach knot angrily.

"Yes?" The edge to her voice seemed to make him hesitate.

"If you're dressed, the innkeeper's wife and daughter would be pleased to attend to you."

"I'm dressed."

The door opened and he allowed the two Torgan women to enter. They had the dark hair most Torgans seemed to have, though not black as Draeseth's and their green skin was more green-brown than grey-green.

Krouth spoke to the two women in Torgan and Isonei understood her name, the slim man then turned to her, "Lady Isonei, this is Urzul and Dura. They speak neither Aran nor Lerian. If you wish I will remain to assist in-"

"I'm certain you have other tasks." She cut him off in a smooth, frigid tone. "Your services are not required."

A speculative look crossed his face but he bowed and left without a further word. The women immediately looked nervous without a translator. Isonei softened her face and made an attempt to be kind. "Urzul?"

The older of the two women nodded and received a warm smile. "And Dura?" She turned to smile at the younger woman. Touching the dress she asked, "Yours?"

Dura smiled shyly and responded with something that included Isonei's name.

Isonei looked at the way the girl's hair was braided, two of the braids hung down in loops at the sides of her head, tucked behind her ears. She reached out and touched them while smiling and then touched her own hair with a hopeful look. Urzul immediately began to fuss, sounding very displeased.

Frowning she tried again. "In Ara?" The woman looked at her dubiously as Isonei began to twist her hair and held it to the side of her head. "Ara." Releasing the hair she looked around as if confused and held up her hands, "In Torga?"

Urzul looked at her oddly but Dura seemed to understand, speaking hurriedly to her mother in Torgan. The women then began to brush Isonei's silvery hair and braid it putting it up in crossed braids and pinning black piece of cloth to cover the back from crown to nape.

When they had finished, Dura tentatively touched her mother's hair and then Isonei's. "In Torga." Isonei beamed at her and the girl seemed delighted.

"Thank you." They looked baffled and Isonei tried Lerian just in case Krouth had been wrong, or lying.

"Thank you."

Both women recognized the words and curtsied. They escorted Isonei out of the room and to a common room that was bustling with men eating and drinking, depositing her in a comfortable chair by the fire before miming a drink and eating while speaking Torgan to her.

She rested her hand on her stomach and said gratefully,

"Yes, please."

Isonei was left sitting by herself to wait as the smiling women disappeared together. They at least seemed to understand some Lerian even if they didn't speak it.

Only a moment later she was joined by a stocky young man with bright green eyes that looked odd with his slightly greenish grey skin.

"Did I hear you speaking Lerian, little one?"

He settled on a wooden chair he had pulled from the small fireside table.

"Yes, you're Lerian?"

She couldn't keep herself from asking as she looked at him curiously.

"You have the lovely eyes."

"Half. Which, I think, is more than you are."

He leaned closer with a smile.

"How did you come to be here little one? Such a pretty thing."

"I am Isonei of House Ernelis, daughter of Liadith. I came in a barrel. I was not to pass under the Daga Lothlaerith's gate. I am taken."

Watching his smile falter she reached out and touched his arm.

"Who is your Daga? I must-"

Isonei stopped speaking and took her hand away as the room went quiet. There was no way she was going to be able to get a message to Daga Lothlaerith or even to her own Daga without first asking Draeseth, and from the scowl on his face as he entered the room she was certain the answer right now would be 'no'. Dropping her voice she gave the boy a warning look,

"Run."

The large Torgan stalked toward them. "Isonei, who is this?"

"I don't know. He came to speak to me but we haven't finished our introductions yet."

He barked at the young man in Torgan and received a stuttered reply as the man rose bowing deeply and backing away. "You dismissed Krouth? Why?" Draeseth scowled down at her.

"I have no need to be attended by a poisoner." Isonei tilted her chin up and frowned at him.

"He did not poison you, wife. I trust him and I would have you remain with someone trustworthy."

"I

don't

trust him. Urzul and Dura are bringing me something to eat and drink and that boy is half Lerian. I'm in no danger."

His lips twisted for a moment as he stroked her upturned face. "Wife... a woman alone is vulnerable. Did you call the boy over?"

"No, he heard me speaking Lerian and came over to me to tell me I was pretty." Touching his hand she spoke pointedly, "Husband, Urzul and Dura understand it. Krouth lied when he said they didn't."

"I will speak with him." His dark eyes glittered. "You are furious with him, but not with me."

"You apologized and you've been sweet since you pulled me out of the barrel." That it was Krouth who had made the plan to smuggle her from Oyeth Lothlaeri and not Draeseth had also helped. The feeling that saying so would be unwise kept the words from spilling out.

He made an amused sound in his throat. "Krouth will never be in your good graces again if sweetness is required, wife." She shrugged delicately giving him an icy look and Draeseth's lips curved mirthlessly. "I will advise him to make the effort."

"No, husband. See how long it takes him to come to the idea on his own."

Moving his hand lower to curl around the side of her neck he brushed his thumb up and down the front of her throat over the high neck of the dress. "I think he will come to it quickly."

Urzul and Dura interrupted them chattering pleasantly as they brought a bread bowl of some sort of stew and a mug of what looked like the same beverage Krouth had served her. Isonei looked at Draeseth questioningly.

He spoke briefly to the women and then nodded with a smile. "Goat stew and mulled wine. This wine has nothing in it to make you sleep, I promise you."

"Thank you, my Draeseth. Will you eat with me?" Her question earned her a pleased smile.

"If you wish." The Torgan Prince said something politely to the women and they curtsied. The fireside table was moved so that she didn't have to and more food and drink were brought in a rush.

The stew was surprisingly good, if strange to eat with the bread from the bowl lid, and she laughed as Draeseth began to eat his bowl encouraging her to do the same. To her relief the mulled wine tasted much better without whatever wretchedness Krouth had put in it. When she told Draeseth so he laughed quietly and smiled into his mug.

After the meal the two women returned and Isonei beamed at them thanking them sweetly in Lerian,

"I have not had many Torgan foods, I am glad to learn the flavor so pleasing. And the warm wine is very nice. Thank you for your kindness and care."

Draeseth spoke to them in Torgan and the women nearly dropped to the floor curtsying so low. "You will have all of Torga on their knees if you keep praising so generously, my gracious Duchess."

"They were very kind, and they deserve the praise."

"Come, I wish to take you to the Keep of Dalcur. Burgath will be eager to receive praise of his own."

She allowed him to tuck her under his black cloak and lead her out of the inn to the waiting carriage. Krouth and Taugh were perched on top waiting in the light rain that had begun again. Inside the carriage she looked for her cloak. It was nowhere to be seen.

"Draeseth? My cloak..."

"Leave it, my Duchess. It smells of fruit and there are stains on it. I will keep you warm under mine and buy you a new one for the winter." He pulled her into his lap as the carriage began to move.

"With white fur?" Isonei teased him resting her head in the crook of his neck and reaching up to caress his face. His annoyed growl made her smile.

"You are the Duchess of Kroscur you should wear black."

"You look beautiful in black, husband. I prefer lighter colors. I only wear black to please you."

"I like to see you in it wife." Draeseth pulled her tighter against him and the closeness was comforting. "We have the carriage to ourselves and I have not yet finished begging your forgiveness. Will you let me bend you and please you? I will make you wail with pleasure."

"You want to beg my forgiveness but you won't have my cloak fetched?" She teased tilting her head up to kiss and nip at his neck.

"As my Duchess desires." He carefully pushed her from his lap and cracked the door open barking an order. The carriage barely paused. "Krouth will run and fetch it."

His eyes glittered as she straddled his lap with a bright smile. "You really do want to beg my forgiveness, husband."

Grinning wolfishly, he pushed her skirts up enough to get his hands beneath them. "Do not doubt your husband. I will do anything you desire to see you smile and hear you call me your husband." His eyes narrowed as he encountered the small clothes. "Woman, you were told..."

"You would rather I had scandalized the women who so kindly gave me warm clothes to wear?" She grinned impishly at him. "Besides, if I never wear them what will you have to tear off of me? I enjoy it when you-"

He captured her lips with a lustful kiss and groaned as she returned it ardently. The seams on the small clothes gave as Draeseth gripped them and yanked. Her hands moved lightly up and down his arms, the layers of fabric couldn't hide the strength of the muscles underneath. Strength that was undeniably intoxicating; strength that eased her feelings of fear and vulnerability.