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[Elyna]

10th Ashan 717

It was a hard, cold rain that drove the Skyrider into the shelter of the Olde Inn. Dressed in woollen leggings, a tunic, jerkin and cloak she stood trying to shake off the worst of the water. It was a bleak day, grey swollen clouds showed no sign of passing overhead and leaving the city to thaw out. It was hard to believe that they’d left Cylus behind, but the calendar told her otherwise – even if the weather did not.
Predictably, with such foul temperatures outside, the tavern was packed and almost bursting with bodies and noise. The skyrider skimmed the crowds for a face that she could recognise. She had been drilling sword-practises in sleet. Her fingers had gone numb, despite her leather gloves and eventually she’d taken pity on the airmen and woman and let them retreat for a break of rest in the barracks. After lunch the young woman would consider her options. If the weather did not improve they would spend some time in the stables, clearing out hall stalls and checking over the volareon equipment.
Since discovering she was pregnant the young woman had made a more determined effort to step aside from the more dangerous aspects of her role. She was determined not to make the same mistakes and risks as she had with Elsie. What the Airmen didn’t want, was their commander watching over their break and so she had retreated to the city for a decent meal.
Every table was filled and the bar was noisy with the clink of glasses and chatter of voices over the heavy fall from the skies. It was therefore hard not to notice a small sanctuary of quiet in the room. Elyna realised that she’d been stood, staring at a corner of the room whilst the sleet melted into a puddle at her feet. There was a blonde woman, who looked familiar with her pale hair and freckled features. Quiet on a table of her own, like a mouse, trapped in a corner by cats.
Elyna approached without further hesitation, unfastening the cloak from her neck and folding it over her arm. She lingered beside the table and the only empty chair she had seen in the entire place.
“Excuse me?” She asked, lifting her voice just above the din, “may I join you? My name is Elyna…” then, for reasons she couldn’t explain she added, “Burhan, Elyna Burhan?”

[Lei'lira]

Eri was sleeping again. From what Lei'lira could tell, the wounds from being branded were healing as well as could be expected. But the poor girl was still in a considerable amount of pain whenever she was awake. And as the scabs had formed over the wounds, they had begun to itch terribly, making her even more uncomfortable. Sleep was the best thing for her. That, and the knowledge that Eri would be hungry when she woke up was what drove Lei'lira to take Teirue out of their room, and downstairs to the eating area. Lei'lira hated the thought of being in the crowd of people that would likely be there this time of trial, but Eri needed peace and quiet so she could rest and heal. Teirue would be hungry too, if not now, then soon. So as much as she dreaded the thought, she had little choice in the matter.

As soon as she reached the bottom of the stairs, she regretted it. The strong scent of food, and drink assaulted her, making her stomach lurch uneasily. Lei'lira told herself that it was because she was so nervous about facing a crowd of strangers. At least...she tried to. She really, really wanted that to be the reason for her sudden bout of nausea. But she had been sick when she'd first woken up, too. It could have been nerves; sleeping in a strange bed, and missing her home combined with the unpleasant reason that had dragged her into the city in the first place. Or maybe she was getting sick. It certainly was the right season for it. Despite it being Ashan, it was early enough in the season for the weather to be cold, and raw. That, after two seasons of cold, and it seemed as though everyone was either sick, coming down with something, or just getting over an illness.

But there was another possible reason for her stomach problems...one that horrified her to think about. Given what Drayas had done to her the last time she'd seen him...Lei'lira shuddered. Hadn't it only been a few trials ago when she had caught her reflection in the mirror as she was dressing, and noticed that she seemed to be gaining weight? She'd dismissed it as eating too much and not working it off as she worked on her farm, but there was another, more sinister possibility for that, too. When had been the last time her cycle had come? Lei'lira added up the trials in her head, and the answer filled her with dismay. Not since before she'd gotten pregnant with Tiran and Taerin.

How could I have missed that? Was I just not paying any attention? I did have enough other things on my mind...but still. But...how is this possible, anyway? I'd just given birth a few trials before Drayas returned! How could he have...

Lei'lira's thoughts stilled when she remembered the tea Drayas had forced her to drink shortly before he raped her. It had been sweet...but she hadn't recognized the flavor. It wasn't mint, or honey, or...could it have been Saikuru? Lei'lira had never used the herb herself, but many of her neighbors had, so she knew what it was capable of. Called Farmer's Friend, it made it much easier for a farmer to breed their livestock. But it worked on people as well, and if Drayas had drugged her with it before raping her...it definitely would be possible for her to be pregnant now.

Needing a distraction, Lei'lira tightened her grip on Teirue's hand, and entered the tavern section of the inn. It was even more crowded than she's feared it would be due to the weather, but Lei'lira was grateful for that now. Being nervous about the strangers surrounding her was a relief when compared to the dread she felt about carrying Drayas's child. She quickly found an empty table in the corner, and hurried over to it, claiming it for herself. Then she buried herself in reading the menu, wanting nothing more than to be left alone. Teirue sensed her mood, and watched in silence, with wide, somber eyes.

Lei'lira nearly jumped out of her skin when someone spoke to her. She stared up at the woman in wide eyed silence for several trills before she could calm her fears enough to speak.

"Umm...sure." she said softly as her eyes fell to the table nervously.

The woman introduced herself as Elyna Burhan, and Lei'lira's eyes widened again as she looked up at her once more. A noble. Someone who would expect her to be someone she couldn't even understand much less be once she offered her name in return. She almost didn't. But that would be rude, and Lei'lira couldn't bring herself to be rude. That might anger Lady Burhan, and angry people were dangerous people.

"I'm...umm..."

Lei'lira swallowed hard, trying to make her suddenly dry throat work before she tried again.

"Sorry. I'm Lei'lira."

Lei'lira hesitated again. She really didn't want to say anything more.

"Lei'lira...Warrick." she said finally, the last word little more than a whisper that might well go unnoticed in the surrounding noise if Elyna wasn't listening carefully.

Teirue made a small sound beside her, and Lei'lira started as she looked at the young child.

"And this is Teirue." she finished, her voice sounding a little stronger now, if no less nervous.

[Elyna]

It was hard not to smile as she realised that the blonde lady had been hiding behind her menu. The actions reminded her of Elsie at her most mischievous; though it didn’t seem as though the skyrider’s daughter was going to suffer from shyness, unlike her mother.
“Thank you,” Elyna accepted the offer but remained standing. With her cloak unfastened she draped over her arm she pulled it free and hung it from the nearest peg, watching the water drip down and form another new puddle on the floor. Then she, right hand wrapped over her left shoulder and thumb sneaking beneath the layers of leather and wool, trying to ease tension from the muscle as she studied the pair. The woman was reluctant to speak and Elyna wondered if she would be much happier, if she, a skyrider and a self-announced noble were to leave? Some people hated the nobility, on principle. Though she didn’t expect the small woman before to her to try and pick a fight, there was just no way to accurately judge the level of crazy in some people.
“Lei’lira?” Elyna blinked in surprise. A Warrick? “Oh,” she exclaimed, “I think that I met your sister? Lazuli?” She leant forward, arms on the table top and offered a cautious smile at Teirue, “she was here in the city a few seasons ago,” Elyna found herself holding her tongue for a moment. She’d been tortured and she’d been in pain, desperate and huddled beside the buildings of the Iron Hand. “I leant her a horse and enough provisions to return to Warrick, do you know if she arrived safely?” There hadn’t been any news, which had been a disappointment. For what she’d known of the young noble, she had liked. She found herself watching Lei’lira now and recognizing the familial traits. Perhaps it was why she had approached in the first place.
The young woman twisted in her seat and stood, “I’m sorry, if I don’t order anything to eat then I’ll not return to the barracks in time…can I fetch you anything? It would be my honour?”

[Lei'lira]

Lei'lira started again, this time out of surprise.

"You know my sister, Lazuli?" she asked.

Lady Burhan told her that she had been the one to help her sister get back to Warrick, so she thanked her for her help. Teirue beamed at Elyna, and waved cheerfully.

"Yes, she did get back to our grandmother's house safely." Lei'lira said softly.

But she didn't elaborate any further. How could she when she herself didn't really know any more than that? Her attempt to visit her twin last Saun had ended in disaster, and so many things had happened since then that she hadn't seen Lazuli since before she was tortured...she wasn't even sure where her twin was now. There were some days that she longed to see her sister. She wanted things to go back the way they had been before...everything. That was impossible, though, and Lei'lira knew it was useless to even try. There were other days when she thought that was rift that had grown between them was too deep to ever bridge. She, despite trying, hadn't been there when Lazuli had needed her. If she had been the one who was tortured, she would have wanted Lazuli there, yet she had failed to be there for her twin. And in turn...she had heard nothing from Lazuli the entire time she had been married to Drayas, or in the trials after she'd been help captive last Saun. Perhaps it would be best to simply let things be.

Lady Burhan's voice distracted Lei'lira from her thoughts, and she looked up, considering the woman's question. Her first thought was to politely decline. But Teirue was with her, and one look at her told her that the little girl was hungry. So she took a quick look at the menu, actually reading it this time, rather than just using it to hide behind.

"Maybe some stew for each of us, and some bread and cheese to go along with it?"

Teirue's eyes brightened at the prospect of food.

"And some water to drink?" Lei'lira added after a few trills.

[Elyna]

Elyna found herself waving back at the child, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “I’m glad to hear she returned safely home,” and she was. The skyrider had worried about sending the Baroness back on her own. If it hadn’t been for her impending mission to Burhan, she would have joined her. If the Baroness hadn’t been so untrusting of strangers, she would have sent someone with her. So it was a relief, the worry had worried the back of her mind for the year but been overshadowed by more immediate concerns; namely her capture and torture at the hands of Marcus.
Lady Warrick agreed to lunch and Elyna nodded, spinning to pick her way through the crowded bar. She was used to this kind of crowd, and slipping through it. She returned a few bits later with a loaf tucked beneath her arm, cheese in one hand a bottle of water in the other. She set the wares down on the table and sank down, trying to shake her thoughts away from darker times.
“Lazuli didn’t mention that you had children,” she opted for a safer conversation and smiled at the small girl, “my own daughter was born not long after I met your sister…” common ground as parents, maybe this was a way to make friends. “I think you would get on well with Elise, Teirue,” the young woman smiled at the girl. Children were easier than adults.
“Are you here to attend the king’s council, in Lazuli’s place?”

[Lei'lira]

"Who's Elsie?" Teirue wanted to know, looking interested.

Lei'lira thanked Lady Burhan for bringing the food. Then she took a small portion for Teirue, who began eating it happily. The topic turned to children, and Lei'lira struggled to think of what to say. It was something of a loaded topic for her. She truly loved children, and she would do anything for hers, both the ones she had given birth to, and the one she hoped to adopt. But thinking about how they came into existence, and the consequences that came afterwards was very painful for her.

"I'm not sure she knows." Lei'lira said softly.

"Lazuli and I..."

She shook her head, clearly struggling to figure out what to say.

"I know that she made it back to our grandmother's estate, but I haven't actually seen her since before she was tortured. Our family told me not to come visit her. I wanted to...but they told me that I would only be in the way, and I believed them. Then when I tried to go see her last Saun despite being told that she didn't want to see me...things happened. I never even got to see her. I gave birth to twins last Zi'da; Tiran, and Taerin. They're too young to travel yet, so I had to leave them with a neighbor because the business that brought me here couldn't wait."

Lei'lira hesitated a bit before continuing.

"My family and I...aren't...it's complicated, but we don't get along well. I'm a disgrace to them, and I don't know if they would have told Lazuli about the twins. To be honest...I don't know if they know about them either."

It was certainly possible that Drayas might have told them that she was pregnant, but she would never know if he had. And either way, he had died before he would have had the chance to tell them about the twins. To distract herself from her darkening thoughts, Lei'lira looked at Teirue, who was still eating, blissfully unaware of the tension around her.

"Teirue here isn't mine, but one of the things that brought me to Andaris is that I'm going to adopt her. I found both her, and Eri in my barn this past Cylus. I learned that they had escaped from bandits, and they had no where else to go, so..."

Lei'lira glanced at Teirue fondly.

"It's only been a short time, but already, I can't imagine my life without Teirue in it. She's such a sweet child."

She frowned.

"I would adopt Eri, too, but I can't. She was branded with a personal mark when I found her in my barn. One of the local guards found her soon after I did, and when he found out about the brand, there was no choice other than to bring her here, and register her as a slave. I bought her, of course. It was that, or leave her fate up to someone else. And she doesn't deserve that. I would have freed her immediately, but I was told that I couldn't because she was a thief. She'd stolen some food, and clothing while she was on the run with Teirue. Since she couldn't pay the fine, it was decided that she would serve her punishment as a slave. I offered to pay the fine in her stead, but that wasn't allowed either. So now I own her."

Lei'lira's expression made it clear how unhappy she was with the idea of "owning" anyone.

"But I plan to free her as soon as I can. When that happens, if she will allow me to, I will adopt her as well."

When Lady Burhan asked her if she was in Andaris to attend a king's council in Lazuli's place, she gave the woman a startled look.

"King's council?" she asked in confusion.

[Elyna]

“Elsie is my little girl,” Elyna explained with a fond smile. It had only been a few hours since she’d seen her daughter, but she still missed her. Settling down and pulling a slice of bread apart between her fingers, Elyna twisted, watching for the stew that had been ordered.
Lei’lira surprised her and she looked back at the Lady. Lazuli wouldn’t know about the children? Then…Edmund hadn’t known about Elsie either. Families, difficult things. How could the bonds of siblings be so easily divided? Elyna curled her fingers around a mug of hot ginger tea and sat back in her chair, waiting without staring. Her eyes fixed on the small child as Lazuli struggled for the words to express her story. It was a feeling that Elyna could understand and empathise with. The back of her neck and ears felt hot, her stomach tight and the bread was discarded in shredded crumbs.
A disgrace? It was a twist of fury that accompanied that word. How could the mild lady before her, be a disgrace? Her gaze fell to Teirue, watching the child eat. The rest of Lazuli’s tale followed and Elyna moved, uncomfortable with tempered fury. Finally she reached forward, “the council is for Barons and Baronesses, I’m not invited, I just didn’t know if you might be,” she dismissed it then with a wave of her hand. Somethings were more important than noble politics. Most things really.
“It’s wrong,” she said softly, “it’s all wrong. No one deserves to be a slave in this life,” her voice dropped lower still, “if I can help you, Lei’lira I will. Just let me know how. It sounds as though you’ve a kind heart, Lady Warrick…” and she, Elyna, would like to try and protect it. “Where is the twins’ father?” She expected it to be a difficult question, and so reached for the bread again, nibbling sections that hadn’t been entirely decimated. “Are you alone, in all of this?”

[Lei'lira]

Lady Burhan seemed angry, and that made Lei'lira very nervous, though she tried to hide it. In her experience, angry people could be dangerous ones, and Elyna was a noble. Powerful angry people could be even more dangerous than those who were not powerful. To hide her anxiety, she took a small bite of the stew. It was thick, hot, and very flavorful. Good, hearty food, and the kind she was used to eating. It was comforting in a way, and Lei'lira drew strength from the simple, familiar meal.

When Elyna explained what the king's council was, Lei'lira almost dismissed it as well. Lazuli was the older twin, so she was the heir. Technically, Lei'lira was a baroness too, but the thought of her attending such a meeting was a laughable one. What could she possibly say to such people? Surely nothing she knew could be of any value to them. Noble or not, her world was entirely different from theirs, and Lei'lira couldn't imagine that the topic of such a meeting would be related to horses...which was the only subject she could be considered to have anything approaching "expertise" on. Besides...a meeting with the king? After what he had done to Lazuli, Lei'lira hated the man. If for some reason she did have to go to this meeting, would she be able to spend any time in the same room with the man who had ordered her twin to be tortured without telling him to his face that she hated him, and why she did?

And yet...she had no idea where Lazuli was. Did anyone else in her family? Did Lazuli know of this meeting? Would someone else from her family attend the meeting if Lazuli did not? They couldn't possibly be expecting her to go...could they? The thought alone was enough to fill her with dread.

"This meeting...do all Barons and Baronesses have to go? Technically, I am a Baroness...sort of. But it's by birth, only. Lazuli is the one who is supposed to become Duchess when the time comes, not me. She's the older twin. I'm a farmer, Lady Burhan. I raise horses. I couldn't possibly...I don't know anything that could even remotely be of value in such a meeting. I wouldn't even know what to wear, or how to act, or what to say, or...or anything. I can't...I'm not..."

Lei'lira's words were quiet, but high pitched, and spoken rapidly in her sudden anxiety. And her wide eyes were an obvious sign of how frightened she was at the thought of having to attend this king's council. She calmed slightly when she remembered that Lady Burhan had mentioned that she had not been invited to the king's council. She hadn't been either, so surely that meant that she was safe? Or...did it? She'd left home in Cylus to come here to deal with adopting Teirue, as well as registering and buying Eri. There had been no time to tell her family what she was doing, even if she had been inclined to do so. What if the invitation had come when she had been here in Andaris? She was a disgrace to the family already...how much trouble would she be in if she was supposed to attend this meeting, and didn't? They had punished her for being raped by bandits by forcing her to marry Drayas. What would the punishment for not showing up to this king's council thing if she was supposed to be?

"I...I don't really know if I was invited, or not. I left my home in Warrick late last Cylus to take care of my business here, and I haven't been home since. It's possible that an invitation came, and I wasn't home to get it. I didn't tell anyone I was coming here, and the other Warricks would never think to look for me here since I never come to the city...what should I do?"

The topic turned to slavery, and Lei'lira nodded, calming slightly as she was distracted from her fears about being forced to attend the king's council.

"You're right. It is wrong...and if you really mean it about helping me, can you help me free Eri? They told me I couldn't free her as soon as I bought her because she was being punished for stealing. I was told I might be allowed to free her in the future, but they didn't tell me when that would be. Or how I would go about doing that. Right now, all I can do is return each season, and try to ask someone if I can free her yet. Do you know of anything else I can do? Or who I could ask about freeing her?" she asked eagerly.

Lady Burhan addressed Lei'lira by her title, and Lei'lira shook her head, feeling uneasy about being addressed in such a way.

"Please call me Lei'lira. I don't...I'm not really...I may be a noble by birth, but I don't really see myself that way. When you call me Lady Warrick, I start looking around to see who you're talking to." she confessed with a weak smile.

She was truly uncomfortable with being addressed as a "lady." It made her feel as though she was pretending to be something she was not, and never could be...nor did she even want to try. When the topic of discussion changed again, this time to Tiran's and Taerin's father, Lei'lira couldn't help but flinch. It wasn't something she wanted to talk about...or even think about. But somewhere deep down, she felt compelled to speak.

"Their father...it's complicated. The reason I haven't seen Lazuli since she was tortured...after I was turned away when I tried to visit her, I was captured by bandits. The twins' father was one of them."

Lei'lira shuddered as she relived the trials she spent as a captive.

"After I was rescued, my grandmother decided that I would have to marry to spare the family the shame of being pregnant outside of marriage, if it turned out that I was pregnant...which I was." her tone was more than a little bitter at this.

"I had no say in the matter at all. After what happened...men terrified me. The thought of giving a man what any husband had a right to expect from his wife terrified me even more. I tried to tell them that I couldn't do it, but it didn't matter. I was already a disgrace to them because I don't act like the noble they want me to be. The added shame of an unwed pregnancy simply wasn't to be endured. I would have been happy to be excommunicated from the Warricks, or to simply stay on my farm for the rest of my life, but neither of those options was even considered."

Lei'lira's voice failed her as she shuddered again. It took her a few bits before she could bring herself to continue.

"I met my husband the day I was married to him. I don't know what they told him, or what they offered him to get him to agree to such a quick marriage, but he did agree to it. It might have been because his father was an unacknowledged noble bastard, and Drayas felt that he deserved to be a noble because of it. Marriage to me gave him that. Thankfully, he lived here in Andaris most of the time, and he allowed me to stay at home on the farm. From time to time, he would visit and take what he wanted from me, and the rest of the time he was here, running his business. The last time I saw him was shortly after the twins was born. He wanted his heir, and he was furious when he realized that the twins weren't his. He left soon after that, and I was told later that he had been killed by bandits."

Lei'lira laughed bitterly.

"Ironically, it looks as though Drayas will be getting the heir he wanted after all. There's an herb that farmers use to help make breeding their livestock easier. It can be used on people, too, and often is when an heir is needed in a marriage where no love is involved. Drayas used it on me the last time he visited me, and the signs are all there, so..."

Lei'lira shook her head.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be telling you these things. I don't usually speak this freely, and we've only just met. Please forgive me, Lady Burhan."

Lei'lira didn't know why she had said as much as she had. Normally, she didn't talk to strangers at all, never mind speak of things that were so personal. But she was feeling horribly overwhelmed with fear over the possibility of having to attend this king's council thing. That, combined with her nervousness of being surrounded by this crowd, and in the presence of a noble, as well as her dread at the realization that she was most likely pregnant...when Lady Burhan had asked about the twins' father, everything else that was connected to that issue came out along with the answer. It was all jumbled up into a nightmare that Lei'lira didn't think she would ever wake up from.

[Elyna]

“Uh…” Lei’lira asked about the meeting and left Elyna dumbfounded, and wishing that she hadn’t raised the subject. “I’m uh…I’m sure if you’re supposed to know about it, you would? I know very little,” she offered a smile, “I’m not important enough, thank the immortals, to be sucked into that viper’s den.” The young woman was clearly uncomfortable the idea and Elyna sank a little in her chair, sorry to have upset her. “I don’t think…I don’t think we can ever be anything we’re not,” she offered.
Elyna let out a slow sigh. Slaves. How she wanted to free slaves and stop them being taken in the first place. “I don’t know,” she admitted eventually, “but I will try and find out. My father is a judge and I’ll ask him. There are registration offices, perhaps we can visit those. I can add my name to your petition?” She grimaced. It seemed like such paltry suggestions. Yet, was anything worth a try?
“Apologies, L- Lei’lira,” she corrected herself in time. A small smile returning, “if someone addresses Lady Burhan, I admit, I look for my mother,” she admitted, shoulders folding sheepishly as she reached for her own stew and began to eat. It was good stuff hearty and filled with a rich gravy and vegetables. It was then that Lei’lira began to speak. Openly and frankly about her experiences and the horrific things that had occurred to her. The twins’ father was one of them. Elyna felt sick. A murderous rage settling into her bones that made her choke on her lunch. She reached for water and took careful tips, with a hand that trembled. An arranged marriage…shame. The colour drained from her face. She, Elyna, had been so lucky… what if she had been alone.
Elyna had chosen to leave her noble heritage behind, but her parents, though disappointed, had not requested that of her. They loved Elsie, and they believed, maybe somewhat naively that everything would work out. Perhaps she and Malcolm would be married one day? Fat chance, given their current inability to exist beside each other in the same house. To be forced into a marriage? She nearly rejected the meal that she had managed and pushed the bowl away. Hiding her hands behind the table as she gripped them tight, and held them. Determined to listen to the bitter end of the sorry story.
“You’re pregnant again?” Only once Elyna was sure that she had control of her features, did she look up. Eyes wet with unshed empathy. “That makes two of us,” she kept her voice low and reached out again, across the table to touch Lei’lira’s hand. “There is nothing to forgive, Lei’lira,” she spoke the truth. “I…I’ve made mistakes…I’ve…Elsie… I chose to deny an arranged marriage and face a life without my family.” She had chosen Elsie and Malcolm. “My parents though…in the end they would not force me as your family has you. Lei’lira, I’m so sorry for the wrongs done to you. I hope…perhaps we can be friends and together maybe we can set some of the world to rights?”
The young woman drew a breath, "I'm so...afraid, most of the time for Elsie and her father and this new baby. I'm so frightened of getting everything wrong or causing harm and...and I just...I can't imagine facing all of this alone."

[Lei'lira]

Viper's den. That's what Elyna called it, and Lei'lira couldn't help but agree. Most nobles seemed to live in a confusing world where a smile was rarely genuine, and could be hiding anything from intense boredom, to hatred. People didn't say what they meant, any more than they meant what they said. There were rules about what you could wear, when you arrived, who you spoke to, what you ate, who you sat beside, who you danced with, and when you could leave. Wearing the same dress twice appeared to be a crime worthy of death. It was a world Lei'lira would never understand. Nor did she want to. Being a farmer was a far simpler. cleaner, and healthier life. Even with all the manure of various animals that needed to be cleaned up. Manure was at least valuable as fertilizer. The poison hidden behind a polite smile at a fancy party was only good for causing trouble, and pain. Viper's den, indeed. They could have it. Elyna's reassurances that she would have known about the meeting if she was supposed to attend helped to calm her fears, and she thanked her for it.

Lei'lira thanked her again when she agreed to help her free Eri, mentioning registration offices that she hadn't even known existed.

"Anything you can do to help me free Eri would be much appreciated by both of us. If need be, I will own her as long as it takes before she can be freed. But I truly hate the thought of owning another person. It's wrong."

Lei'lira took a sip of water. The stew smelled delicious, but after talking about Drayas, and the bandits, she had little appetite. So instead, she watched Teirue eat, happy to see the little girl get her fill. How many hungry trials had she faced while she and Eri were trying to escape from the bandits that had captured them? If Lei'lira had any say in the matter, the precious child would never go hungry again.

When Elyna asked if she was pregnant, Lei'lira simply nodded. She had already burdened the woman with her enough already. She didn't need to know how worried she was about this pregnancy since it was conceived so soon...mere trials after she had given birth to the twins. Elyna mentioned that she was pregnant too, and Lei'lira congratulated her softly. She couldn't help but wish that her own family had given her the choice to deny the marriage to Drayas, and live without them, but she was soon distracted by Elyna's offer of friendship.

"I would like that." she said softly, with a shy, but genuine smile.

Elyna talked about her fears for her family, and of having to deal with everything alone, and Lei'lira could understand where she was coming from all too well. She too, shared those fears, and admitted as much to her new friend.

"Perhaps we could help each other, then?" she suggested.

The door opened, and a man stalked into the room wearing a look of deep anger that made Lei'lira flinch. She clutched Teirue tightly, instinctively trying to shield the young girl from harm. The man looked so much like Drayas that for a trill, Lei'lira thought he was Drayas, despite knowing that the man that had tormented her was dead.

Meditation was a technique that was supposed to help calm the mind, and bring focus; there were many techniques, some simple, others not. Desperate for both, Lei'lira tried one her mother had taught her as a young child in an effort to help her overcome she shyness. She closed her eyes tightly in an attempt to shut out the world. Then she took a deep, slow breath, counting to ten as she did so. After holding it for ten trills, she exhaled just as slowly. She repeated this several times to no avail. It hadn't worked often when she was a child, either. She didn't know if that meant that she was doing it wrong, or if it just didn't work if the person attempting it was too stressed out.

Either way, it didn't matter now. Giving in to her growing fear, Lei'lira scooped Teirue into her arms, made a hasty apology to Elyna, and fled towards the back of the room where the stairs leading up to the guest rooms were located. At the bottom of the stairs, she saw an elderly woman struggling to go up while carrying what looked to be more than she weighed worth of baggage. The poor woman looked exhausted, and Lei'lira feared she might collapse before she made it up to her room. The need of another gave her the calm that meditation had not.

"Please let me help you with that, ma'am. Which room are you staying in?"

The woman gave her a grateful look as she handed some of her bags to Lei'lira. Lei'lira shifted Teirue so that she could manage both the child, and the bags.

"The third on the right. And thank you."

Lei'lira smiled, and followed the elderly woman up so that if she lost her balance, Lei'lira might be able to catch her. After seeing the woman to her room, she headed to her own to check in on Eri.

Off Topic

I am uncertain who should be paying for Lei'lira's meal. It seemed as though Elyna was from the context of the post, but she didn't mention deducting the cost from her ledger. I am unable to ask her since she doesn't seem to have been on ST since last October. Please let me know if I should deduct the cost of the meal from my ledger