Torgan Wine Ch. 53

"The Sons of Mun. They are welcome in my home. Your Daga said they would be with you."

"They're the ones who helped me live long enough to escape Torga. I owe them such a debt..."

The Daga began to smile, "Your debt is ours, daughter of Liadith."

Isonei looked at the pair of Munians standing hesitantly a few steps back, "They don't speak Lerian."

"I will reassure them." He helped her into the carriage and turned to speak to the brother and sister.

She couldn't bring herself to pay attention. Finally sitting down on the soft seat and leaning against the side, her eyes wouldn't stay open.

The sun was coming up as Isonei was gently woken to get out of the carriage. Xagorath helped her down and Ximesra steadied her as she blearily looked around for the door. It occurred to her suddenly that she was no longer holding her book and she turned toward the carriage in a panic. "The book!"

"The Daga has it. He said it needed to be cleaned and renewed. I didn't ask what he meant." Ximesra reassured her.

"Oh." Isonei took a breath and relaxed as they started for the door again.

"He said you and I could share a room if you needed to be with someone. I'd like to stay with my brother if you don't."

"I'll be fine in my own room. I just want to wash and climb into clean sheets."

"Will someone bring a basin?"

A snort startled the Munian woman but Isonei already knew who it was. Onsh-Velarith was giving them an annoyed look. "We have running water. Why-"

"Running water?" Ximesra interrupted him and got very close as she studied his face.

Onsh-Velarith furrowed his brow and answered carefully. "Of course. Why would you expect anything different?" His eyes widened as Ximesra embraced him with a small shriek. He looked helplessly to Isonei.

"There is no running water in Torga. The prospect of being able to wash properly after so long is more thrilling than you can possibly understand, Onsh-Velarith." She gave him a tired smile as he gently disentangled himself from Ximesra.

"I'll have the attendants made aware." He gestured and walked with them toward the guest rooms. "Father will inform your Daga you're here and we expect him to join us. Would sharing a room with him offend you?"

Isonei shook her head, still smiling as she glanced at him. "Not at all."

At one suite of rooms, he stopped and gestured to Ximesra and Xagorath, preceding them in and having a quiet word with the waiting servants while Isonei paused at the door.

Rejoining her, Onsh switched back to Lerian, "Are you sure it won't be... awkward? The two of you..."

"That was a very long time ago and it was never really right. I love my Daga, but not that way. We've always cared for each other deeply and, I think, when we were so young the feeling of belonging together somehow, confused us."

He nodded slowly. "I had always thought my father disapproved because you were Aran. He said there was something about it that made his skin crawl to see you being affectionate with Onsh-Liadith. When he became Daga Liadith and claimed you as a daughter, some of us were perplexed, to put it mildly."

"I remember what you used to think of me."

"I..." he cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his head. "I'm sorry. Father said when he heard you were the daughter of Liadith, he finally understood why it had bothered him so greatly. He wasn't happy to hear that I was never very kind to you."

"If you've learned from your mistakes and you try to be kinder to people you don't know well, that's all anyone could ask of you. We were all more foolish than we might care to admit the last time we met." Isonei offered him a rueful smile.

"You don't want to needle me about it?" He arched an eyebrow dubiously.

"At the moment, all I want is to be clean and in a clean bed. If you want to be teased about it you'll have to wait until I'm more awake."

He snorted again. "I was told to keep you company, so you'll have your chance."

"I'll look forward to that."

Opening a door for her, Onsh-Velarith led her into a very comfortable suite that looked fit for a visiting Daga. "Breakfast will be brought after you've bathed."

"I'll try not to fall asleep in the bath." She looked at the low table and cushions in the main room with a smile. "Daga Lothlaerith called this the Lerian style table when I had dinner with him in Oyeth Lothlaeri. I had never seen one before."

"Would you prefer an Aran table?" Onsh looked bemused.

"No, I liked it. I'm glad to see it. I can practice trying to sit and stand more gracefully."

Onsh-Velarith began to laugh. "I can teach you. Go bathe, I'll wait and have breakfast with you."