The Trade: Elswyth

"There you are!" Wen said happily, coming down the hall to lean close to him. She looked out the window where he had been staring, but her eyes went past the tree to one of the smaller houses. "Was that her house?"

"Who?" he asked with a smirk as he half hugged her to him and looked over her head at the tree,

"Her," she said softly.

"If you mean Elly, no. She lived across the green out front in the other large house. She is royalty too. How do you feel today, how is our little seedling?"

Wen smiled shyly and put a hand to her belly. "I am well, I supposed, and it seems fine? I am just aching."

Elswyth smiled happily, looking down at Wen's hand on her tummy and the hand Ranger put over hers. That was wonderful!

"Has she still not answered any of your letters?" Wen asked Ranger softly.

Ranger scowled. "No, but I doubt they are even reaching her. Every time Lei passes them off, she says the man just smirks at her like she is wasting her time. I should go myself, ask to see her. Go under the guise of royal duty, check on her."

"They do not allow outsiders where they live, not even a visit. Even those who deliver must take it to a spot and their portal guardians have people come out for them. Oh!... Ranger, I ache a bit. Perhaps I should lay back down," Wen said softly, laying against Ranger.

"What are you doing here?" Azazel hissed.

Elswyth spun to him, her face red. "I was just listening to them talk," she said quickly, defensively as he moved closer. She thought he meant to grab her and go, but his look. His eyes going to Wen and her belly, she knew. "NO! No, Azazel, please!"

He grimaced. "I do not make the choice, El," he cried pleadingly. "It will happen with or without me, I only guide. You must let me do my job."

Elswyth covered her mouth, tears springing to her eyes as Azazel knelt in front of Wen and put a hand on her belly.

Ranger was hugging her close and rubbing her back, still looking out at the tree.

Elswyth broke down sobbing as Azazel rocked back on his heel with the tiny light, then cupped his hands over it to whisper.

Wen did not notice the change as she lay with her head against Ranger's chest, his arms around her.

Azazel stood, then put a hand on Elswyth's shoulder comfortingly. "Do not despair, little one. They will have a newborn boy in eleven months. He is on my list soon to come into this world again. Come. We must go now."

"This is why you didn't wish me to come today," she whispered.

"It is," he agreed. "Come." Pulling her closer, he Shifted away to the next location.

Elswyth turned away from him, not wanting to see any more of what he did. There was too much sadness in it! She wished there was a way to see the joy in it, the new life, but that was impossible. She took solace in knowing that with every visit he made, a new life sprang into the world somewhere.

Soon, she felt so full of despair again that she went to his arms and pleaded with him to just take her home and hold her again. He hugged her against him and looked torn.

"El, I must do my duty for just a while longer, I must, or they will become lost. Would you like me to send you back to your body so you can..."

"No! No, please, I don't want to be alone. I... just hold me close then, please?" she asked softly, feeling helpless and small for the first time in her life.

He knelt and lifted her up, holding her against him as she hugged his neck and laid her head on his shoulder. She breathed him in, her face in his neck and immediately felt better. More calm. He had her and she had him. Nothing bad was going to happen as long as they had each other.

She felt him go very still and very tense as he stopped completely and just held her a moment. Finally, he whispered. "You... stopped smelling afraid and upset... you smell... I don't know? Not pleased, but not displeased... something I cannot place."

"Content?"

"Yes! Content. You... are calm now. Content," he half whispered, his voice almost in awe.

She sighed and tightened her grip. "Can we go home now?"

"Soon," he answered softly. He clutched her close to him as he moved to the next place as if he were afraid that if he let her go, she would not return to him the same way. He released her only briefly as he did his job, immediately pulling her back into his arms to hold her.

When he took her back to her body, he lay over her, looking down at her and still holding her, his eyes a little wide. He was afraid she was going to pull away now, but she didn't. She pulled him close down next to her on the bed and curled into him. He held her and pressed his cheek to her head.

"I need to go get some food for both of us... Do you want to come to the hall to eat? I think..."

"No! No, I'm not hungry. Please... can you stay?"

"I will, I will stay until my next shift, El, but you must eat first. Please? I am worried for you. I will go and come right back."

"Promise?"

"On my honor."

She let him go, still stressed. She still felt like something was wrong. Something bad was going to happen.

He translocated away and wasn't gone an entire minute before coming back with two bowls. "Here we are," he said softly, setting the bowls at the small table. "Come and sit down, El. I brought you soup."

"What kind?" she asked, not recognizing the smell.

"Potato, it's good for you, come on and eat," he coaxed, pulling her off the bed gently and helping her sit at the table.

"Azazel?" she asked softly.

"Yes, El?"

"Must you work tomorrow?"

"No, not until the day after."

"Can you... switch? Not work the next few days at all? Stay here with me where you will be safe?"

"Is it truly bothering you so much, Little El?" he asked gently, his face full of both hope and concern.

"Yes... something bad is coming and I am afraid for you. Terrified. Promise me you will stay here? And... if you must go away from here you will bring me with you?"

He smiled gently. "I will stay here, El. If I go into the hive, I will bring you. I will need to go after we eat to ask that another takes my next few shifts. Hurry and eat so I can go and do it. If I do not give enough notice, I will have to go."

That prodded her to try the soup, then eat it quickly. He actually seemed amused as he finished eating, watching her.

"You seem very different, El," he told her as she watched him eating.

She looked up at him. "I feel different. I told you... I need my trees, I wasn't just saying it. Without them... I am nothing. I feel lost and broken. Here, with them... I am me. I think you simply did not understand before... that I was so broken without them."

He gave her a sad look, then nodded, color rising to his cheeks. "I am ready then, let's go switch my shifts. Unless you want to wait here?"

"No... I want to stay with you, please," she told him, standing quickly.

She had no idea what she would do if something happened, but she still felt like she needed to be there with him.

He pulled her close, lifting her up to hold her like he had been earlier and she felt the awful swirling, sucking pull of the translocation, then her trees were gone. She hated that feeling of loss and immediately, she felt despair trying to take hold of her again.

She peeked around and blinked. She had not seen this room before. There were several of his brethren all laying out on small beds and guards standing over them. She realized they were all out working and the guards were there standing watch over their bodies. There were also two men holding long staffs with blue stones to a wall and a portal was open into another land. More of his own kind were out in a clearing, bringing in supplies, taking them through to another room beyond where she could see. The two holding the portal open were older than Azazel by quite a bit.

"Zay," a woman called softly. "You are not expected. Is this your little wife I have heard so much of then?"

"Yes, Aunt Rian, this is Elswyth. She has asked that I stay close the next couple of weeks or so, she has had a seer's vision of some sort. I need to have another take my shifts."

"Even the one you asked for in eleven days?" she asked, flipping through a thick ledger.

"No! I will keep that one. She... I will take her with me."

"Very well, Zay, I will take you off shift until she deems the trouble passed. You know you will have to speak to your father? Inform him of an extended leave?"

"I am aware, he will not mind. I intend to go see him now."

"They are in the grand hall. Your little wife is beautiful, I am happy for you, Zay," the woman smiled. It was a professional smile more than a warm smile, but Elswyth knew that was the woman's manner. She liked her nephew and he liked her as well.

He turned after a nod and left the room and Elswyth got a peek at what looked like a storage room or a pantry as men put things away, then they were in a hallway.

The grand hall was packed full, people laughing and eating, but everything went quiet when Azazel came in with Elswyth in his arms.

His mother and father both stood, his mother looking angry and his father looking wary. "Welcome, Azazel," his father called, trying to ease some of the tension in the room. "Elswyth. Come and sit down, eat with us."

His mother looked like she wanted to say something very different, but she stayed quiet, just glaring daggers at Elswyth as Azazel crossed the room.

Elswyth turned away from everyone and hugged Azazel, hiding her face in his shoulder. She didn't want to lose her temper or say something to upset him.

"Father, I only came to let you know that I was taking some time off of work. Only ten days. El and I will be in her..."

"She is finally deigning to be a wife to you?" his mother snapped. "Have you bedded her yet? Gotten her with child?" she demanded, putting a hand on Elswyth as if to test her to see if she were with child.

Azazel turned away, pulling Elswyth away as she tensed up. "It is a different reason, but yes, we will be alone in her cove for the next ten days and we..."

"Why out there? This is an obvious trap!" his mother raged. "So much can happen in that time and with you not being missed for ten whole days she can do anything! I insist that you come here three times a day for your meals or I will not allow it!"

"That is not your choice to make," Azazel told her darkly, his entire posture going rigid with anger.

"When it comes to your safety, it is! She is a viper! I intend to see you safe from her and her manipulations! What has she done to you that you are suddenly so solicitous of her? Did you ever even punish her or take her to your bed, or has she fooled you so completely? I will see that..."

"Bela," Damon snapped, cutting his wife off. "Zay, what is this all about? Why should I dismiss you from your duties and overburden the others?"

"She has had a premonition, she is worried for me. She feels something bad is going to happen and she fears for me. I promised her I would stay close to her until the feeling passes."

"And is that common magic for her? Premonition?"

"Not that she has spoken of, but she has been stressed about it all day and even last night. Her dreams were troubled with it and she woke sick with worry. Regardless of whether her feelings are true magic or stress, I wish to soothe her and stay close. You have never taken issue with another taking personal time for less."

"She is toying with you!" Bela snarled angrily. "This is some ruse, a way to make you let your guard down! You need to keep your distance and not buy into this farce, Zay. Don't let her dissuade you from your duties, either. You must bed her immediately, do not let her talk you out of it. She is demanding an heir, you must give her one! She can say nothing if..."

"I know my duties!" Azazel said quickly, his cheeks turning pink. "Father, will you say no to me for this, after allowing so many to step away for less?"

"I will not, Zay, but... I agree with your mother. I want you to come here for every meal, both of you. I do not know what game she is playing, but I do not trust her sudden concern for you."

"Once!" Elswyth countered quickly. "One meal. Noon meal. I do not like it here, away from my trees, it makes me anxious and upset and angry."

"It is true, she is very different away from here. With her trees she is a very... agreeable person," Azazel said quickly, before his mother could say no outright.

Still, Bela pursed her lips and scowled. "Three meals. A couple of hours with your family is not so much!"

"One meal," Elswyth replied, turning to look at Bela, her anger rising. "Or none. I cannot stomach you for that long. Three meals with you and I would starve, you make me sick. One meal and I can eat an apple when I get back. That is all."

"Three meals here with us, or you can starve! It is your choice! We are feeding you and you are refusing!"

"Bela!" Damon barked angrily. "Both of you, stop! Two meals, girl, that is not so much."

"Every other meal. Two one day, one the next."

"Very well, but the one day, you must stay after and join us for discussions or a card game, or another game for at least one hour."

"Azazel, can we please go?" she asked softly, turning away from his father and his petty bargaining. "I wish to be with you alone, not these angry and hateful people who only wish to hurt me."

"Soon," he whispered gently, his lips in her hair. "Father, no more negotiating. I am not here most days anyway and you have seen her face rarely. You are only insisting now to make her miserable. Do not dissemble, mother, you know it is true! You do not like her and she doesn't like you, you demanding her presence is a punishment for her. She is my wife, not your child to bring in line, leave over or I will never bring her back here and bring her food from above. I alone am capable of it. I asked for a reprieve from my duties as a courtesy, not as a way for you to try and pin her under your thumb! Allow it or don't, but either way, I will not be there, I will be with my wife. Do you wish to alienate us both? This is the last I will hear of it. We will return in the morning for a meal and if you cannot be courteous to us, then we will never return again. That is all!" Azazel raged.

Elswyth felt the now familiar swirling pull that meant he was translocating them both, then she felt her trees around her.

Immediately, she felt better, letting out a breath and squeezing Azazel even more tightly. "Thank you," she whispered, clinging to him. "Thank you!"

"Shhh," he whispered. "Sit down now, look at me. Is the feeling gone? Did me taking time off work stay the feeling of foreboding?"

"I feel... it is not as bad now. It is there, but distant. Still... promise you will stay close?"

"Of course," he answered, inwardly pleased. He sat with her on the bed and pulled her close to him, hugging her against him. She did not pull away or turn or act shy. She clung to him just as tightly as she had been and he felt a little bad about it, like he was taking advantage somehow in the way he was enjoying having her in his arms. After a long while, she finally shifted and relaxed her grip, moving to lay against him instead of holding on to him so hard. She slid over between him and the wall on the bed and reached out to touch the living wall, the trees as she held on to him. "Do not exhaust yourself!" he said quickly, stroking her hair. Even as he said it, he felt her mind go further away and the joy rise up. He could smell the pure bliss wafting off of her and it astounded him. It was not just her trees this time, it was her trees and him. She was happy because he was there and close and holding on to her.

His heart ached with a real, physical ache as tears sprang to his eyes. She was happy he was with her. Not just afraid of him being gone and being alone or him being hurt... she was pleased to have him there.

He lay there enjoying the feeling, the smells coming off of her. The way she spoke to the trees and the feelings that evoked in her. He could smell the amusement, the outside, the sun and the wish for more. The wish to be above. He couldn't speak to trees himself, but he could almost hear them, being there close to her, smelling every single emotion as it rolled over her. He knew everything the trees spoke of, if not what it was exactly.

Hours passed and eventually he felt her fall asleep, her dreams of him and her trees and happiness above in the sun. He slept next to her and let her dreams meld into his own.

It was the best night of sleep he had had for as long as he could remember.

He woke up smiling, rolling to lean over her and kiss her on top of her head.

"Nnn?" she mumbled, her hand sliding up his arm to his shoulder.

"It is morning, Little El," he whispered.

"Just... a few more moments?" she asked with a yawn.

He smiled and pulled her in more tightly.

"Hello? Zay? El?" a voice called.

Azazel jumped up and looked out the small opening in the room made by the trees.

"Zay!" Dabria cried happily. "Isn't that clever and adorable? Is that a little house in there? For her?"

"It is! What are you doing here? Liss, close the portal, I will bring her out!"

"I came to get you," Dabria called.

Elswyth peeked around him in the opening to look out at Dabria across the water. "I would ask you up, but there are no stairs or a ladder yet!" she called out to her. "Perhaps Azazel might fetch you?"

He grinned down at her, "You want her to come in?"

"Sure," she answered, yawning again.

He blinked away and returned immediately with Dabria, who looked around, her eyes huge.

"It's a bit close in here, isn't it?" she asked hesitantly.

"I like it," Elswyth said happily, laying back on the bed. "But he said he would make it bigger for me. Make it so it would fit more of my things. Once he has some time."

"That's... this is very splendid. I am glad you have this here for you. Zay... Father sent me for you, to ask that you come to breakfast. A formal invitation for both of you with a promise of welcome for both of you."

"I didn't realize we were late."

"You aren't! You aren't, he wanted to extend a real invitation in recompense for the way you were both treated. He feels badly about it."

"Does Bela?" Elswyth asked, brushing her hair.

Dabria laughed. "As to that... well... she did not disagree when father asked me to come and get you?"

"That is about as good as it will get from her," Azazel told Elswyth, his face amused.

She stopped what she was doing and stared up at him a moment, until the amusement slipped away to wariness. "You should smile more," she told him, continuing with her brush as she looked down. "It looks pleasant on you, I like it."

"I smiled a great deal last night, you just couldn't see it."

"I could. He told me, Alleen."

"Alleen?"

"My tree. The first one that was here. Alleen is his name, though they set less store by names, he finally told me. Alleen, Horraah, Blint and Sillell. Anyway, they showed me how you were smiling, how pleased you were and how you could feel them through me. It was nice. You need to smile more, be happy more. I will try to see it done."

That made him warm. Not demanding he smile because she liked it, but telling him she would try to please him enough to see him happier more often. Giving him a reason.

"You two are a little bit adorable," Dabria giggled. "Anyway, Are you coming? To breakfast?"

"We are," Azazel said quickly, blushing. "I told them we would. Are you ready, little El?"

"I guess," she sighed. "Dabria, will you stay close? To talk to?"

"Sure, if they let me. Mother is in a pretty foul mood, she may send me away for spite because father told her she couldn't snipe at you," Dabria grinned.

"Let's get it over with," Azazel sighed. "After, we can get you some books," he promised, picking her up like he had the day before. He was half afraid she would insist on walking, but she put her arms around his neck instead and hid her face before he translocated with all three of them to the grand hall.