Torgan Wine Ch. 49

Krouth placed the bag he'd brought on the table.

"I had wanted to put one inside the other but I was persuaded that giving them separately would be best. Which would you like first, the large one or the small one?"

He smiled shyly as Krouth translated and said, "Ahh large?"

Isonei stood and took out the puzzle box with a more genuine smile, hearing the boy laugh. He ran his hands over it admiringly as Krouth said something in Torgan. Shaking his head he answered back and beamed at her.

"He says you told a story at the orphanage, and the child who received the box was made more clever by learning to open it on her own. He does not want me to show him how to open it."

"Yes. There is supposed to be something in the box for him to find. Something important that may help him in life, that was why I wanted to put the other gift and the note inside it. It isn't a riddle, but I think he would have enjoyed finding it."

The slim servant spoke to him for a moment and they seemed to come to an agreement. "You may give him the other gift, and then I will take them both and put the small gift inside the box."

"That sounds lovely." Isonei smiled and stroked the boy's hair before pulling out the box with the ring. "I don't know if I can do this without weeping."

"I will help you if you stumble, your Grace."

"Thank you, Krouth." Taking a deep breath, she sank to her knees next to Hodrim's chair. "This meant a great deal to me when my father gave it to me, but I think it means more now that I'm able to give it to you."

He took the ring box from her and opened it looking to Krouth in bafflement.

"Underneath, you'll find a note. My father always insisted on writing notes with his gifts and I always kept them inside the box. I took out my father's note and put in one of my own." She swallowed and tried to remember to breathe as Krouth relayed her words and the boy looked beneath the ring. "I know you don't read informal Aran yet..." A bemused smile came unbidden as he handed it to Krouth.

Krouth read it in a warm tone and handed it back. As Hodrim sat staring at the note, the word Alma was spoken more than once. When the boy turned his head to look at her, Isonei could see the tears standing in his dark eyes. He pushed the chair back abruptly and threw his arms around her neck nearly knocking her over as he sank into the embrace.

Holding him tightly, she heard him say something softly in Torgan that ended in Alma.

In a voice barely louder, Krouth translated, "He loves you, and will call you Alma."

There was a brief knock at the door before it opened. Kamrus Rimathe returned with Kamrus Gillaugrim.

"You should not be taking him out of his studies, Duchess." He looked at them curiously as Hodrim stood up and wiped his eyes before helping her to her feet.

Isonei inclined her head with a small smile as she kissed the boy's head. "I know. It won't happen again. But there was something important I needed to speak with him about. I didn't feel it could wait."

"Alma? Ahh, you are...?" Hodrim lapsed into Torgan and Krouth smiled faintly.

"He wishes to know if you are certain, your Grace. He has made a decision."

"Yes. I trust him to choose his own best path. My love will go with him anywhere and everywhere."

His arms wrapped around her waist and he squeezed her as Krouth relayed her words. The boy then reluctantly released her and moved toward Kamrus Rimathe, keeping the ring gripped tightly in his hand. He spoke solemnly for a moment and the Kamrus gave him a warm smile reaching out his hand and placing it on Hodrim's shoulder.

"Young Hodrim has chosen to be my attendant." Rimathe's green eyes sparkled as he smiled. "I will treat him with the respect and kindness I know you would demand, Duchess."

"I'm almost certain you would have done so without seeing me demand it." She took a breath and felt herself relax. Her heart ached that Hodrim would be leaving but he was going to be well cared for and doing what he most wanted.

"Master Krouth, perhaps you would escort the Duchess to the refectory? Ig is waiting."

"Ig?" Isonei inquired tilting her head, "Ximesra said the name earlier and I didn't recognize it."

"The woman you spared, your Grace." Krouth stepped forward to hold the door open.

She nodded and took a moment to smooth Hodrim's hair and give his head another kiss. "I hope to see you for lunch, my little love."

"Yes, Alma." He beamed and turned to Kamrus Rimathe, excitedly chattering in Torgan and holding out his ring as she moved toward the door.

Walking to the refectory, Krouth gave her a pleased look, "That was well done, your Grace."

"That was the most difficult thing I think I've ever done, Krouth. I want him to stay with me, but it wouldn't be what's best for him. It wouldn't be right or fair to make him suffer for my wants."

"You are a very thoughtful and kind woman, your Grace."

Isonei breathed a bitter laugh, "It isn't thoughtfulness or kindness, Krouth, it's love. Torgans don't understand that love doesn't chain us, it sets us free. When you love someone their needs come first, even if they need to leave you. It isn't something to be praised, it's just how things should be."

A pensive look crossed his face before he schooled it to neutrality. Entering the refectory, a dark-haired woman in grey was sweeping the floor with a battered-looking broom. When she looked up, she immediately dropped into a low curtsy.

This woman looked different than the one Isonei remembered. Her eyes weren't as dull and she was flushed and smiling.

"Please, there's no need for that. You're going to be teaching me how to clean? My maid nearly laughed herself sick over the thought of me trying to clean anything, this may be a difficult day for both of us. Those formalities would only make it harder." Isonei did her best to give her a warm smile and let Krouth translate.

Ig sounded incredulous as she rose from her position and shook her head giving Krouth a stern look.

"She does not think I should allow Ximesra to behave that way; she feels you should be shown more respect."

"I didn't take it as disrespect. I enjoy amusing others. That it sometimes happens when I don't intend it to, isn't something that bothers me."

His lips twitched as he relayed her words and Ig seemed to argue. Krouth held up his hand and said something gently and the woman looked pleased but baffled.

The woman smiled almost nervously as she handed the broom to Isonei. Her smile relaxed, however, as Isonei began to attempt to use it. Ig stopped her immediately and adjusted her hands on the handle.

Isonei tried again and the woman said something to Krouth.

"The intent is to gather the dust together, your Grace, not scatter it to the corners of the room. Try to sweep in one direction, not in both."

°°°°°°°°°°

Isonei hadn't been asked to clean for long. To her relief, she was ushered out just before mid-morning prayers. Ig had been very patient, despite Isonei's seeming inability to do the simple task of sweeping the floor well. In the end, the woman had swept the floor herself, putting Isonei in a corner to practice the movements as she began to scrub the rest of it.

Still, while the task itself wasn't strenuous, something about being unable to perform it well was, as was being in the same room with the woman who'd helped Kresh. She kept telling herself that it shouldn't be. Ig had been forced to do what she did; but by the time Krouth came to take her back to the palace, she felt ready to drop the broom and run as if she'd been trapped in a room with a monster.

Walking through the Temple toward the King's Entrance, the slim servant asked quietly, "Is something wrong, your Grace? You seem... upset."

Taking a deep breath she paused for a moment and then shook her head moving forward again. "Yes and no, Krouth."

"Did Ig upset you?"

She winced, "Ig was very patient. The problem is..." Isonei tapped over her heart. "She isn't to blame for what happened, I know that. I want to treat her as if it never happened, but I-I can't. Being in the same room, I felt trapped. My heart aches but I'm-I'm angry, Krouth. The woman was nothing but sweet to me and I'm," she had to stop and wipe away the tears forcing themselves out and clear her throat of the hard lump, "I'm angry with her for something that isn't her fault."

"Very few could be as understanding as you have been, your Grace. You should not be upset with yourself for feeling angry. Prince Draeseth is able to release his fury as he spars in preparation for the bouts, though there are fewer every day willing to test themselves against him. Perhaps you should release some of your anger."

"I should visit Kresh and scream at her until I lose my voice?" Isonei rubbed her face and sighed, "I've thought about it, but I can't see that it would do any good."

"It may make you feel better, your Grace."

"I don't think I would feel better, Krouth. That isn't how I am, or how I want to be."

Gently, he guided her into the passageway, "Lady Lislora has asked to speak with you, perhaps I should offer her an apology and allow you to spend some time alone?"

"Please. If you could take me to the gazebo on the second tier, I'd like to sit there by myself until lunch. I need some solitude, Krouth."

"Of course, your Grace. I will bring Master Hodrim out to you for lunch. I believe the cooks are preparing goat stew."

"That would be perfect. Goat stew always seems comforting, and Hodrim would like the gazebo."

The walk was shorter from the door of the Temple than she realized, and they came up the few steps from the first tier instead of down the path along the second to reach it.

"Your Grace is certain you wish to be alone?"

"Yes, Krouth. If you're worried, you can always have someone bring me some sea dew flower tea." Isonei offered him a small smile, and he inclined his head.

"I will, your Grace, as well as some cushions and a blanket."

"Thank you, Krouth."

Alone in the quiet, she leaned against one of the pillars and closed her eyes, trying to push down everything she didn't want to feel. The memory of lying on her Daga's sarg and being told that anger and pain should not be swallowed came to mind strongly and the tears became too much to hold back. Letting them go felt like releasing a flood.

She hadn't realized the racking sobs had brought her to her knees, still clinging to the pillar, until the maid who brought the cushions and blanket startled her by trying to help her up. Isonei wiped at her face and tried to compose herself as she rose to her feet and the woman looked around as if trying to be sure there was no one watching.

The maid said something she couldn't understand in Torgan and helped her to the bench where the cushions had been placed before she touched Isonei's face. It was both surprising and comforting when the woman pulled her into an embrace while murmuring something that sounded soothing. When the maid finally released her, Isonei tried to give her a smile. It must not have looked like one because the maid's face looked more worried not less.

A throat cleared and the maid turned, looking chagrined, to bob a curtsy to Adareth. They spoke for a moment and he dismissed her, coming to sit next to Isonei.

"She said you were sobbing and all alone. Someone should be with you."

"I need to be alone, Adareth. I can't weep the way I need to when others are around I feel too-too pitiful." She sighed and rubbed her face. "I asked Krouth to let me be alone for just a little while, but he worries. It's thoughtful of him, but I'm-I'm drowning in tears I can't-" Isonei stopped herself with a juddering breath and wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

"My brother should be here with you."

"No." She took a deeper breath and lifted her head, "Gods, no. I'm not strong enough right now to lighten his mood and ease his pain, I can barely stand under my own, Adareth. I have nothing left to give."

"You need someone to lend you strength." He brushed the backs of his fingers against hers and tried to take hold of her hand. "Isonei..."

Isonei gently pulled her hand away. "I need to be alone. Please."

"I will see to it you are not disturbed." He rose from the bench with a miserable look on his face.

"Adareth?" Isonei tried to give him a smile as he turned to look at her. "I am glad you're feeling better."

"Thank you." As he inclined his head, she thought she saw something in his eyes harden.

Alone again, she curled on the now cushioned bench and covered her face letting the tears run. After a time, Ximesra brought tea, and the servant with her placed a small table near the bench for it. Isonei sat up, but before she could wipe her face with her sleeve, Ximesra offered her a soft cloth.

"Thank you, Ximesra."

"Krouth was going to send someone else, just to bring the tea and leave you in peace, but when Prince Adareth stormed in trying to fight Prince Draeseth... It was decided that you need someone with you. The maid who came first said she tried to comfort you; you were on your knees sobbing."

"I need to let out my pain, I'm drowning in it."

"I'll stay with you while you do." The Munian woman poured a cup of tea and handed it to her. "What did you say to Prince Adareth? No one has ever seen him that way."

Taking a sip of the tea, Isonei shook her head. "Nothing that should have made him want to fight Draeseth. I told him I needed to be alone and tried to explain why. Are they both alright?"

"Prince Draeseth may have a few bruises. He didn't defend himself until Lady Lislora tried to intervene. When Prince Adareth nearly struck her, Prince Draeseth pinned him to the floor."

Isonei frowned and looked into her cup. "Adareth shouldn't have attacked Draeseth, and he certainly shouldn't have attacked Lislora. I should go speak to all of them."

"After lunch, your Grace. Let them get it out of their systems. Torgans need to fight things out."

"Draeseth and Adareth shouldn't be fighting."

"It's what Torgans do." Ximesra shrugged. "There's been less fighting between the brothers since you've been here but you can't expect them to stop entirely."

The thought made Isonei feel exhausted. The Munian woman sat next to her once the other servant was out of sight. "You don't look well, your Grace. Your eyes are swollen and tinged with green. I don't think Master Krouth would chide you if you wanted to rest."

"Hodrim is going to join me for lunch."

"Rest before he arrives. You don't want him to see you looking like this." Ximesra gently pressed the back of her hand to Isonei's cheek. "You can lay your head in my lap."

Nodding meekly, Isonei let the woman put her cup on the table and lay back down on the bench with her head in Ximesra's lap. Closing her eyes felt like a relief but after a moment she opened them again restlessly.

She was no longer in the garden in Torga. In front of her was Daga Gildith's garden, just as she had played in it as a child.

"Daughter of Liadith," the hand that was resting on her head stroked her cheek, "are they mistreating you?"

"No." Turning to look up into his face, she could see that Daga Gildith looked as heartbroken and exhausted as she felt. His green eyes were dull and his face was haggard. "You don't look well, Daga Gildith."

"Nor do you. We were told that you were being pressed to give up the name of a Daga. That the Phaethian woman intended to be their Queen had poisoned you to that end."

"Both are true. King Orgath still thinks me ungrateful for refusing, but his sons are being very kind. Princess Kresh has been confined, though... not for what she did to me. She attacked her own daughter in a rage."

"What of Prince Draeseth? Is he treating you well?"

"When I was poisoned he couldn't..." She took a deep breath and let the Daga pull her up into a sitting position on his lap. "He couldn't bear to look at me and he's only spoken with me briefly since I've recovered. He isn't being cruel, but he's concerned with his own pain, and, I think, the child he will have with Lislora."

"You will be brought home, child. I have not lost a daughter to allow you to languish in Torga."

Isonei buried her face in his zaffre mantle and breathed in the sweet floral scent that filled his house and always seemed to cling to him. "I-I'm sorry. If-if I hadn't-"

"The fault is not yours, Isonei. I had taught her better, she made the choice to lie and betray."

"I couldn't believe she would, that isn't the Maraphina I know, but the Dagas needed to be warned."

Daga Gildith held her more tightly. "We will discuss it at length when you come home. You promised to visit me on your way."

She took a deep breath, but before she could answer she was startled awake by someone trying to lift her from the bench. Expecting to see Draeseth, it took a moment for her eyes to understand who they were seeing.

"Yornaith?!" With a lurch, she wrapped her arms around his neck and held onto him as tightly as she could. It nearly knocked them both to the ground. He sat on the stone floor pulling her into his lap as she began to laugh and cry at once.

"I've missed you, sister. Yulayn insisted I bring you some Lerian braids to cheer you. My father always brought them for my sisters."

Composing herself she looked at him in bafflement, "Lerian-Lerian braids?"

"Little braided rounds of fried dough turned gold with a candy they make. It's only made once a year in the north."

"I've never had them."

"That was what your father said. He preferred the south of Leria, the Dagas are warmer."

Ximesra coughed politely, "You can take the bench if you'd like, my lord."

"My father is Lord Yuleth of House Iarmaris. I hope to have many years before I inherit the title." Yornaith tilted his head up and gave her a smile. "But I think I'm leaning on your leg. I can move, Lady...?"

"She is not a Lady." Burgath sounded amused. "This is Duchess Isonei's maid."

"This is Ximesra, she's a very dear woman and a good friend." Isonei looked up at the woman with a grateful smile.

"I try to keep your sister from starving herself to death or leaving the rooms with her hair looking as if a child tried to fix it."

Yornaith laughed, "Our sisters were always amused, little Isonei would watch them twisting each other's hair and try to do her own. She was always terrible at it."

Isonei opened her mouth to argue and then poked him in the chest instead, "You came all this way to make jests about my hair? You're a terrible brother!"

He grinned, "I came all this way because you, my dearest sister, are loved. Our mother wants me to make certain you're unharmed and being treated well. She also wanted me to let you know she's taking good care of your father, and sent you a bouquet of pink and white silk dianthus blossoms she made." Stroking her face he glanced to Burgath, "That reminds me, I have many gifts for you, sister."

"Lunch will be served shortly. My father, King Orgath, would like for you both to join him."

"I was hoping to have lunch with Hodrim, could he join us as well?"

"He has already been sent to change into appropriate clothing." Burgath smiled wryly and stepped forward to help her up. "It will be a family lunch, only Princess Kresh will be absent."

"Are we still having goat stew?" Isonei asked hopefully.

"It will be offered, but only because Master Krouth said you were looking forward to it."

"I am. I find it a very comforting food."

"I'll eat what my sister eats. Your hospitality has been impressive, Prince Burgath, but it would be a lie to say I'm not nervous at every meal." He offered a politely regretful smile.

"Lerians also eat hare and swine." Burgath gave him an annoyed look. "Arans have no fear of eating with them."