Reconciliations

It was late in the morning when Nayeli finally stirred again. Or maybe early afternoon. All she could tell for certain was that the light pouring through the window was blazing bright and hot. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up slowly...and found two arms still wrapped comfortingly around her. "Morning, sunshine," Sarahi smiled, sitting up with her and planting a soft kiss on her cheek, "Feeling better?"

Nayeli chuckled. "Much. Thank you. I am sorry for that unsightly scene I made last night," she apologized, though Sarahi merely shook her head dismissively, "Were you waiting for me? Where are the others?"

Sarahi reached behind herself, lightly patting the chest of the Rabbit still sound asleep against her back. "I promised to keep him out until you're ready. Although I am beginning to worry about his arm being hurt when that happens," she admitted, squirming a little to pull the appendage out from under her leonine chest, "Tuli's out on the balcony, I think. I have no idea where the twins are at this point," she admitted with a shrug, settling back in and searching Nayeli's eyes. "I know you didn't get much time before falling asleep. Take your time today. Think clearly, then decide what you want to do. We've got time."

Nayeli blinked, then giggled, and leaned forward to kiss Sarahi on the lips again. "Thank you. I like to think I'm pretty decisive when I'm not in a panic," she smiled, "I've already made up my mind. But I want to talk to Tuli first, so...can you wait a few more minutes?"

"Take your time," Sarahi repeated, stretching out on her side briefly before curling right back up against Oro. Nayeli nodded her gratitude, then pulled her dress back on and found the door to the balcony.

Tuli was leaning on the banister, soaking up the sunshine with a smile and letting the afternoon breeze play in her long, curly hair. She hadn't bothered to put a stitch of clothing on yet. "Aren't you worried someone will see?" Nayeli asked gently as she joined the other girl.

"You're awake!" Tuli immediately whirled around and wrapped the priestess in a tight hug, "Ooo, I was worried about you," she giggled, "But we're the only guests here right now. All the servants know how I am, and Mom and Dad gave up years ago," she winked, "Feel free to stay in your fur, if you like it."

"No," Nayeli answered firmly with a slight blush, "But I appreciate the offer. Actually, I wanted to talk to you for a minute."

"Okay," Tuli nodded, turning back to the banister and leaning over it to resume her sun-appreciation, "What about?"

Taking a deep breath, Nayeli leaned over the rail beside her. "Well, for starters, I want to apologize, more sincerely than I could last night, for whatever is about to happen between your parents. You said it isn't the first time, and that they'll probably be okay, and your confidence is encouraging...but being the source of that doesn't sit well with me. So please forgive me."

Tuli laughed. "Done! I got over that before we left the couch last night. Anything else?"

"Yes," Nayeli nodded, "I want to talk to Tiana again today. And your father. Will that be alright?"

"Of course," the busty Lioness smiled, "Heh...I guess I ought to talk to Mom and Dad a little more while I can, too. I went down to say hello this morning, but came right back in case Sarahi needed to stretch. Mmm...I'll give you a chance to get a little talk in first, before I go down, though. I tend to be a tad distracting to the rest of the house," she admitted with a sheepish smile, fingertips circling her bared nipples as if to explain.

"...Thank you," Nayeli said sincerely, despite giving a dubious look to Tuli's gesture, which explained nothing to her. "On a more personal note...I remember a night, a little over a week ago, in which you pleasured me beautifully and I promised to return the favor when the opportunity came," she reminded the other woman, leaning over to kiss her cheek, "I have not forgotten that promise...and I think tonight would be a perfect time to fulfill it, if you'll let me. And, of course, provided your parents won't throw us out in a fury."

Tuli laughed again. "Oh, I've pushed the limits of acceptable behavior way beyond that before," Tuli promised, "They'll be fine. Ooo, now you're getting me all excited," she grinned, fingers drifting down her own belly.

Nayeli quirked a brow, uncertain if she wanted to know exactly how far those boundaries had been stretched, but left that line of questioning for another day. "Okay. I'm going to go have a talk with them, then. Your father, at least."

Tuli nodded, then leaned out to wave at someone on the ground below, and Nayeli leaned over to see Kylan and Diya on the front lawn. Nayeli chuckled to herself, and was about to slip back into the bedroom when someone groaned inside, followed by a heavy thump.

Nayeli hurried back through the door. Oro was sitting up, rubbing his face with one hand while carefully clenching and relaxing the other fist. Sarahi picked herself up from the edge of the bed, rubbing her leonine ribs briskly with grit teeth. "Fusking princess," the Rabbit groaned softly, "How long did you keep me down for? Head hurts almost as much as my arm."

"Just for a night, dear," Nayeli told him, quickly moving around to help massage the ache out of Sarahi's side, "And half the day afterward. Not much longer than I slept."

"Sorry, Nayeli," Sarahi said quietly, trying to take a deep breath and force her battered ribs to expand, "He suddenly came to and kicked me off the bed."

"Yeah, even I acclimate eventually, princess," the Rabbit sneered, "Doesn't take a fusking month anymore, either. Move," he growled at Tuli, shoving passed her to move out to the balcony as she stepped inside.

Nayeli gently patted Sarahi's side as her muscles relaxed and the pain subsided. "It's okay. I didn't expect him to stay down all day, though I had hoped it would last just a little longer. I suppose I should talk to him before seeking out anyone else," she sighed, finding Sarahi's blouse on the floor and handing it to her, "You must be hungry. Enjoy some lunch. I'll be down in a few minutes."

The Sha'khari gave her an uncertain look, quietly asking Tuli's opinion with a glance. The other Lioness answered by sauntering around and taking her hand, pulling her toward the door. "Come on," she smiled brightly, "There's always food in the kitchen. And I think she can deal with him better without us, honestly."

Sarahi sighed, and nodded, and almost followed her right out the door before realizing neither of them had gotten dressed yet...a fact which Tuli seemed perfectly comfortable with, and even encouraging of. Nayeli slipped through the door to the balcony, leaving the other two to have that talk between them. "Are you angry?" she asked gently to the Rabbit's back.

Oro was leaning halfway over the banister, still clutching his head with one hand. Being under the effect of their scent for so long tended to leave him with something like a hangover. "Ha!" he laughed sharply, "Name the last time I wasn't fusking pissed off!"

"When you had me on that lovely rose bed in Kits-Inn," she answered softly, unable to prevent a smirk of her own. Of course, he had probably been some degree of angry even then. He always was. That was why she had asked the question: the answer was always the same, and he could never resist announcing it. However tight-lipped he was being, it was guaranteed to get him talking, if only for a few minutes.

Oro rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Tuli got her visit, right? Are we done here? I am fusking starving."

Nayeli grimaced a little, chewing her lip as she patted his back, then stepped up beside him. Oro could already tell from the gesture she was preparing to give him an answer he didn't like, but settled for scowling at her while he waited for her to explain the details. "I...might...have met my mother last night," the priestess told him softly, "And my father. That's why I was up so late, and why Sarahi kept you well out."

His scowl fell into a more standard frown, which he held toward her for a long, thoughtful minute. "Fusk," he sighed at last, turning to look out over the orchards, "Who do I need to eat? Or promote? Apparently I have a carrot to go with the stick now."

The priestess shook her head with her habitual, patient smile. "I don't need anything like that, I don't think. I just want to talk to them again, before we go. I suddenly find I need to know, with certainty, who they are, and if they are happy. Although I think I already know the answer for at least one of them," she admitted with a slight strain to her smile. "I just need for you to be patient for one more day. I promise we will leave in the morning, and find somewhere you can fill your belly."

"Not fusking likely, heading straight for Corruscant," Oro huffed, "Whatever. Do what you gotta do. Where's that fusking princess? I've got a message for her to send to her dad." Nayeli quirked a curious brow at that little admission, to which he explained, "I marched off without taking the fusking royal seal. Anything I try to send him will go straight into the fireplace, no doubt. I need her to make sure it gets through."

That, of course, was not what had piqued her curiosity...but she let it go for now. He was being as agreeable as he ever was, surprisingly, and she did not want to burn his already limited patience needlessly. "I think she and Tuli were headed to the kitchen for some lunch. You can probably find them there. Please don't torment our hosts while we're here...more than you can help, anyway. I'm going to go look for my mother now." She leaned over and kissed his cheek, to which he rolled his eyes and made a dismissive gesture, then took herself back into the house.

The manor was quite large, and she had been in no state after their meeting last night to pay attention to where anything was. So Nayeli simply strolled down the long hall toward the main house, looking for a servant somewhere along the way to give her directions.

But the first person she encountered was Lady Hope, sitting at a little table set under one of the windows in the hallways, apparently waiting for her. "There you are," the Lioness noble rose from her seat and bowed deeply as Nayeli approached, "Queen Nayeli, was it not?"

"Please, milady," Nayeli smiled with a slow shake of her head, "I meant what I said last night about dispensing with formalities. I am a priestess long before I am a queen, and do not even expect to reside in the kingdom I supposedly rule."

"Even so, a priestess of The Order also deserves more respect than I offered last night," Lady Hope answered softly, gesturing for Nayeli to join her at the little table, where a second chair and cup waited for her, "I was...very put out, but that's no excuse to leave in the state I did. Please forgive my loss of manners."

Nayeli winced, and sat down with her. "I think that's my line. I caused you a great deal of trouble last night, however unintentionally."

The Lady across from her scoffed dismissively. "How so? It is hardly your fault that you so strongly resemble your mother that she can be identified by your face. Am I to blame you for the circumstances of your birth, as if you encouraged your parents to it? I am a proud woman, not a fool. But now I find myself in...uncomfortable circumstances. I should like your opinion on it as a priestess, if not as a queen."

Nayeli nodded sagely, but headed off any further details with a question of her own, first: "Are you quite sure Tiana is my mother? I understand your suspicions as you explained them last night, but..."

Lady Hope was already nodding with certainty. "Oh yes, entirely. I wrung a full confession out of that...that...my husband last night," she bit back the words she wanted to use, though couldn't quite keep the bitterness off her face, "That business trip, not long after we married, was legitimate. I have known that from the start, which is why I did not suspect the rest. Apparently, he had been indulging himself with her well before that. But the timing was convenient, when she warned him she was with...you. It was still early enough in her term to keep her condition generally hidden, and he did not want me to know, so he used the trip as an excuse to cart her off and let her finish out her term discreetly. Oh, if only he'd left her with--" She cut herself off, shaking her head and looking the priestess in the eyes sincerely. "Forgive me. That sounds like my ire is directed toward your mother and possibly you. I promise it is not."

The priestess offered only a sympathetic smile. "I am well used to such things. Think nothing of it," she assured the noble lady, "So I was born, and they left me with The Order in a little-known town by the border, and returned here, leaving you none the wiser," she summed up the remainder in a gentle tone.

Lady Hope nodded with a long sigh, and availed herself of some of the tea. "To make matters worse, I cannot reasonably bring myself to be mad about it anymore. Tiana has been nothing but a reliable maid for as long as we have had her. I cannot fault her for failing to resist the advances of a noble. There have been other instances, over the years, in which Lord Hope was not so...discreet. We have had bitter words, and something like a reconciliation, and honesty compels me to state that he has...improved. I can hardly hold against him anything that happened before I first caught him," she huffed, as if she would like to take him to task over it (and probably had, in the course of getting the truth out of him, despite her claims).

Setting her cup down, the lady looked to Nayeli with a strange mix of pity and something like fear. "But now you are here. My husband's daughter by another woman. A priestess of The Order with some repute. A foreign emissary. A queen. My queen, no less, though you refuse to wield your rights as of yet. And your mother a lowly servant in my employ." She shook her head slowly. "My husband's licentious nature has put us in a terrible spot, bringing me to what I wanted to ask you from the beginning: what would you have us do?"

Nayeli's fur stood on end at the question, as she suddenly understood Lady Hope's unease, and the sheer array of options now legitimately at her disposal. "I...don't know, yet," she answered softly after a moment, her smile taking on a wistful twist as she stared down into her tea, "I cannot think it anything but a gift directly from The Authority, that one morning I suddenly find myself in a position to provide for the mother I never knew better than nearly any daughter who ever knew her mother...and by that same night, have found my mother."

Lady Hope nodded again. "Shall we send her to the castle? 'Mother to the Queen' is no light title. She certainly cannot remain a servant, and would be served better there than anything we could provide for her here."

The priestess tilted her head, blinked, and broke the subtly growing fear in her hostess with a soft laugh. "Indeed it is not, but you also bear that title now," she reminded the lady with a sincere smile, "Or did you forget that Tuli is also wife to the king, and therefore a queen?"

Seeming far from reassured, Lady Hope pinched the bridge of her nose like she suddenly had a headache. "I have such difficulty believing it...more like I do not want to believe it...that I forget almost as soon as it's mentioned. Is she really not a hindrance? It is a shame to me, but I gave up hope years ago of her becoming anything other than some other noble's concubine."

Now it was Nayeli who looked pitying upon the other Lioness, and reached out to lay one hand on hers. "Some plants only grow in certain environments. Some stars can only be seen from the darkest wilderness. Some souls only show their glory far from home. Though it would -- and should -- terrify a mother to hear the details, I swear that your daughter is both brave and strong in ways her life in this house would never provide you the chance to see. And she is already becoming powerful, though I don't know if it was haste or humility that made her neglect the mention of it in her telling last night. Yes, by The Authority, yes, she is a boon to us. Bless the mother and the father that raised her."

At that, Lady Hope blew a long, soft exhale, and finally seemed reassured, squeezing the hand in hers gratefully. "And bless you for your kindly nature. Very well. Then as mother to a queen, I return to: what shall we do?"

Nayeli nodded. "Before I can give a sincere answer to that, I would like to talk to her again, please. In private. And preferably outdoors," she smiled, "I have wasted far too much of this beautiful day and those gorgeous orchards inside walls."

"Of course," the noble woman smiled back, getting to her feet, "There is already a table at the edge of the trees, where we take lunch sometimes. I will have Balanteen guide you, and Tiana sent to you," she promised. But she paused just as she turned to make good on it. "Until last night," she confessed, "I would have been quite confident of her favorable opinion. But it occurs to me this morning that I cannot actually vouch for her treatment in all these years by anyone except myself. I think now that I can trust your mercy, but even so...please be merciful, if she proves discontent. We will make amends."

With a soft chuckle, Nayeli nodded. "As I understand it, the one with most cause to be concerned is your husband...whom I also understand now to be my father. How could I be more harsh with my family than I ever was to a stranger? Have no fear of me."

With a grateful nod, she lead Nayeli to the main house, to find Balanteen and Tiana. They'd hardly got into the main hall when Oro's voice came bursting out of the kitchen. "Put some fusking clothes on! The fusking scent is strong enough without fanning it everywhere every time you move!"

Lady Hope put a hand over her face and groaned softly, "Oh, my daughter...," but it was a figure with four legs, two torsos, and a face as bright red as an apple that came streaking passed them so fast they might not have recognized her if she wasn't already known to them. The noble lady could not muster the energy to look more appalled than she already was, and barely acknowledged Tuli as she fled, just as naked, in Sarahi's wake, headed for her room in a trail of giggles.

Nayeli only smiled. "I stand by my word," she promised Lady Hope, strolling toward the front door, "I think I can find the table on my own. Please just let Tiana know where I am." Lady Hope nodded in acknowledgment, and went off in a different direction to find one of the servants.

It was a gloriously sunny day, warm without being hot, and the breeze carried the scent of the oranges in from the rows of trees to the little table where Nayeli sat basking in the sunlight. The gentle tap of a tray alighting on the table announced her company, making her open her eyes. "You wished to see me, Your Majesty?" Tiana asked in a neutral tone, her face impassive as she laid out two tall glasses and a little box stuffed with neatly cut sandwiches.

"Yes," Nayeli answered gently, gesturing to the chair beside her, "Please sit with me. And never call me that again. If you cannot bring yourself to say 'daughter' then 'Nayeli' will do." The Lioness sat down obediently, staring out between the trees ahead of them, straight-backed and stiff as if she'd been wrought from the same metal as the chair. Nayeli wet her lips with the tea, looking her over like a master's painting, before asking gently, "Are you happy here, Tiana?"

"A servant is rarely happy, Nayeli," the other Lioness answered. Not coldly, but with a matter-of-fact tone, as someone might explain that apples are usually red while acknowledging that green and yellow varieties exist. "But milord and lady are not bad masters. I have never been hungry, or slept in the cold, or worn ragged clothes since coming into their service. Were I born a bit uglier, or dared to marr myself, it is possible I would be quite happy here indeed."

The priestess quirked a concerned brow at that. "Why would being ugly make a positive difference?"

The servant gestured with a finger around her impassive face and narrow eyes. "Lord Hope finds this attractive to his tastes, and for many years was not inclined to resist saying such aloud," she explained directly, "Were it not so, I might never have merited more than the occasional praise for work well done. I certainly would not have had to sacrifice anything that ought to have been precious to me. I do think I would have been happy, then." She then turned to look squarely back at the priestess. "You have mistaken me for your mother a couple of times now, so I thought you must know about his lack of restraint."

"...I do," Nayeli assured her, struggling with an odd temptation to be hurt by this distant attitude, even as the woman hinted at a loss she refused to fully acknowledge. "Why do you say you are not a mother, nevermind mine?" Nayeli asked directly, since the woman herself seemed to favor that approach, "Have you never given birth?"

This time the answer did not come so quickly...and was not so dispassionate when it did. "I did, once," Tiana admitted softly, looking out over the orchards again, "To a girl, many years ago, a little after dark. And a little before dawn of the next morning I left her in the arms of strange people, serving a strange god, in a strange land. I left her without question, and without complaint...if not entirely without qualm, and a large measure of cowardice." Reluctantly, as if she did not want to admit the glass was meant for her, Tiana took a short sip of tea before continuing. "I explained it last night, did I not? A mother has a place and a role in her child's life. I have never had that. I am a woman who has given birth, but I have no daughter. And somewhere out there is a woman who might or might not have had a mother. She certainly did if she was taken in by kind people, who loved her and raised her as their own. But perhaps not. I will never know. In either case, I am not hers, and she is not mine. I am nobody's mother."

Nayeli spent a long moment soaking all that in. "I am married to a demon. Did you know that?" the priestess asked softly, never taking her eyes away from the other woman, "He is a terrible man, bent on devouring the world, and I am as much his jailer as his wife. And yet...I think you are more cruel to yourself than he has ever been to me. Perhaps you have not seen her through to this day, but by The Authority you are still worthy to bear that title: mother."

Her face remained impassive, but there was a shine in her eyes that betrayed the breaking of her own heart at her next words. "On that, we will have to be content to disagree, Nayeli," she answered softly, then took a long, full drink to clear the lump in her throat. Swallowing with a gasp and sigh, she finally relaxed her formal posture, sinking back in the chair and looking out into the orchard again.

Nayeli agreed, however reluctantly, "So it would seem," and resigned herself to enjoy these few moments with, at the very least, an honestly humble woman.

"Do you intend to take me away?" Tiana asked after a thoughtful moment, "You seem pretty convinced of our relationship, and have authority to act on it if you will, whether I agree or not."

Nayeli rocked her head slowly, not denying the thought had crossed her mind. "Not with us," she answered at last, "I would not rope anyone into this way of life that could be spared it, if I have my way. But that is why I asked if you are happy. However I came by it, I do have authority now to change your way of life in nearly any way you see fit."

"Leave me, then," Tiana suggested, surprisingly, "A servant is rarely happy, but nobles are not often any better, and I am not miserable here. I have just enough experience with the running of estates to know that I would fare awfully at it. I am better suited to this." Setting the glass back on the table, she met Nayeli's eyes once more. "I may not have painted him in good light, but Lord Hope is neither petty nor aggressive. Had I attempted to deny him at all, he might never have used me as he did, and he has not approached me in years in any case. And Lady Hope has never been anything but reasonable. Please do not think unkindly of them."

Nayeli chuckled. "Even if the one is not my father, they are both my in-laws now. I would not treat them harshly in the worst of cases," she assured the other woman, leaning back in her chair to finish her tea. "But so be it. I will respect your wishes. And, though I can't say I know you well yet, I am still more inclined now than ever to think of you as my mother, for I would dearly like to have come from such a woman as you. Will you at least finish these drinks with me?"

Tiana nodded, sitting back in her own seat and taking the glass again. "You seem to be a fine woman, yourself," Tiana admitted after a thoughtful moment, "And very kind. If I had been a mother, I would be very proud to be yours. Very proud, indeed..." They sat there, soaking up the day, until the tea was drained and the ice melted as well. Then Tiana collected the tray and the uneaten sandwiches, bowed politely, and returned to the manor. Nayeli followed soon after, a little less eagerly.

She was met by Balanteen literally at the door. "Lord Hope awaits you at your leisure," the dutiful butler announced with a bow, "He may be found in the library, whenever you wish. Shall I show you where it is?"

"Yes, please," Nayeli nodded with a smile, "Take me to him now. Did Lady Hope tell you I was looking for him?"

"Indeed," the aging Zebra smiled, leading the way, "But you were at business with Tiana first. She only just returned to the house, so I was coming to inform you."

He lead her up the stairs to a small library: four walls lined with shelves around a small table and pair of chairs, and a writing desk tucked under the window. Lord Hope was standing beside this last piece, thumbing through one of the many books. The remains of his own lunch and tea sat on a tray on the table, beside a large wooden box.

"Milord Hope," Nayeli greeted him with a bow as Balanteen closed the door behind her.

The noble Lion closed the book in his hand and set it on the desk with a smile. "Not at all. If you refuse to be addressed as a queen, I certainly have no right to be called a lord in your presence. 'Taran' will do as well for me as 'Nayeli' does for you," he promised. Turning toward her, his smile lost some of its certainty. "Actually, there are other proprieties I am tempted to dispense with, but I fear you might not welcome them. You might have guessed from my daughter's behavior, but I tend naturally to be affectionate with my children...the one I have known, anyway."

Nayeli chuckled. "Tiana refuses to acknowledge the relationship, while you must restrain yourself from leaping into it," she smiled. Nayeli then crossed the room in three quick strides and threw her arms around the lean Lion, surprising him just a little before he returned the embrace gently. "I have never had a father's hug. I have long been curious how it felt."

Taran sighed in relief, and she could feel him relax in her arms. "I understand her reluctance, somewhat," the Lion admitted, patting Nayeli's shoulders as they released one another, "It feels disingenuous to call you 'daughter' at this juncture, when we are still, for all purposes, strangers."

She nodded her understanding. "I respected her wish to remain distant for now, and I can find no fault with her reasoning save that it is unjustly harsh, in my eyes. We don't know one another yet. But that is why I wanted to talk to her, and to you."

"Thank you," he smiled genuinely, reassured, "I would also like to build that familiarity. But I cannot help thinking I must start that endeavor with a heartfelt apology." He gestured toward the chairs, inviting her to take a seat and subtly suggesting it was going to be a long apology.

Nayeli took the invitation, but tried to head off the monologue. "Growing up in the ziggurat, not all of my fellow orphans were noble's illegitimate offspring," she pointed out, "Some were placed there by tragedy, some by the insecurities of their parents. Peasants as well as nobles suffer these fears, whether the children are legitimate or not. I harbor no bitterness toward you for being left there, if that is what worries you."

She caught him off-guard. The surprise crossed his face openly, wiping out the vaguely guilty look for a second. Then he gave her a grateful smile. "I suppose it shouldn't be surprising that a priestess willing to marry a demon would be so forgiving. Even so, I dearly regret handling that situation as I did. It would have been better for all of us, I think, if I had been honest and faced the consequence immediately. I might have known my wife's strength better then, and certainly avoided much trouble I caused later in our marriage. And that's to say nothing of having done better by you and Tiana."

Nayeli nodded. "That much, at least, I agree with. Honesty, especially with mistakes, is integral to a strong relationship...as you seem to have learned in later years," she smiled encouragingly, "However...and I do not mean to disparage the life I might have had...but I do not know where that life would have led. I do know where this one leads, at least thus far, and it is a life so purposeful that I cannot imagine one more fulfilling, hardships and all. I would not wish it undone if it could be. So please, with my full blessing, do not regret it even one more hour."

Taran didn't seem to know what to say to that. It took him several minutes to find his voice again, but at last he nodded. "Indeed, you have fared well in it. I highly doubt I ever could have raised a woman so sure of herself, to say nothing of so forgiving. Thank you."

"Oh, you might be surprised," Nayeli winced, her own smile finally faltering, "I don't want to go into detail, since she has not seen fit to mention it even when given the chance...but Tuli has already been subjected to more shameful treatment by our husband than I ever suffered in all my years with him. And she has not allowed it to embitter her, or even retreated from him. That indomitable spirit flourished under you and your wife's hand, so have more confidence."

"Eh...I'm afraid you have Balanteen to thank for that more than me, honestly," he shook his head, "I love my daughter, but I had less hand in her raising than I would like. Business has often kept me away for long periods, in addition to obligations to the crown. The best I can claim is to have provided well for her and those who did bring her up." At that, he finally picked up the box and set it more squarely in front of her. "On that note, you are well overdue for a gift. I have missed many a birthday, your wedding, coronation...so this is for you. I cannot say how well you would enjoy it, but I can promise it to be rare, valuable, and useful."

Quirking a brow at that, Nayeli lifted the lid. The box was lined with velvet, typical for jewelry, and contained three large flacons in cut-outs, in addition to an attachable atomizer. "Perfume?" she smiled, "That is lovely, though I have not used any since my first attempts to cover my scent among humans."

"More than that," Taran warned, "This is the bottled scent of female Lion Ferruda. Ulania's, specifically, at least for these three. I met a perfumier at one time that figured out a means to collect and concentrate it, making the effect even stronger than our natural scent," he shook his head, "I had overly romantic and naïve ideas about how it would be used in society. It was dubbed 'Essence of Ferruda' when we first began to distribute it, but quickly became known as 'Liquid Love' in most markets. It was popular and very profitable, but I ceased manufacturing it when I realized who was buying most of the stock and how it was being used. These are the last samples that were ever made, and I swore never to sell them," he explained, gesturing to the box, "I dare say you have the most legitimate use for them of anyone I have ever met."

"Our scent in a bottle?" Nayeli blinked, running her fingers over the glass, "That's incredible...and dangerous. Yes, I can easily imagine who your chief buyers might be."

"Then you understand why I call them valuable," he nodded, "You, however, have a unique use for them in keeping the demon under control. Take it, as a relief to my conscience."

"That is true," Nayeli nodded, "Though between myself, Tuli, and Sarahi, we have more trouble keeping him awake at times than quelled. Still, I don't doubt this will come in handy one day."

"Indeed, and in that case, you may find the second shelf even more useful," he chuckled, reaching forward to lift the interior of the case, which proved to be a shelf on a little hinge. Below it lay three more flacons. "I am still willing to manufacture this, though it is much less popular. It is the counter-scent, which you were seeking in your youth, apparently. Spray it on a victim of the scent to break the effect, or protect against its use, or on yourself to mitigate yours."

At this, Nayeli gasped, and very nearly jumped to her feet. Two things immediately occurred to her: it would be possible for her to walk among other species without the constant need for her habit...and she could spend an evening close to Oro without sedating him. Nayeli closed the box gently, and laid her hand on top of the lid, as though afraid the contents might shake themselves out. "Thank you, father," she whispered, "This is truly a treasure."

He managed to suppress the laugh, but not the shine forming in his eyes. "And one never better given, if for that one word alone," he sighed. Nayeli did get to her feet, then, and held out her arms to him once more. Their second hug was no less warm but far more sincere than the first, and promising to the hope of genuine bonds in the future.

"Thank you," Nayeli said once more, collecting her new treasure, "I should go find Oro now, and make sure he is not causing undue trouble to your house. I look forward to seeing you and Lady Hope at dinner, if you will join us...?"

"That question is mine," Taran bowed out of habit, "I would not miss it for a fortune."

Nayeli smiled and returned the gesture, then went to take the box to Tuli's room for safe-keeping and seek out her husband. She found him ranting to the kobolds about the time being wasted on this visit...while eating one of the horses that had pulled the carriage. Nayeli sighed and shook her head, but was thankful at least that he had not taken any livestock from their hosts.

A few hours later, they all gathered in the dining room for dinner...which looked to be at least a five-course affair, based on the number of covered dishes the servants were wheeling in on carts. Sarahi, sitting on the other side of Tuli from her mother, offered their hosts an apologetic bow as she sat down, cheeks burning with embarrassment. "I am very sorry for my unseemly behavior this afternoon. It was unbecoming of a commoner, much less royalty, and I hope you will forgive the lapse in--"

Lady Hope was already shaking her head and waving off the apology. "It is rare indeed for one of Tuli's guests to resist her invitations to...impropriety," she sighed, giving a sideways look to her daughter, who was sitting at the table still in nothing but her fur, "Shameful as it is to say, we are used to it."

Far from reassured, Sarahi seemed even more embarrassed at that information. "Thank you for understanding," she sighed, and let it go at that.

"In my experience," Diya put in gently, sitting across from her, "Most nobles have an improper vice or two. Of all the possibilities, I'd say walking around naked in your own house is among the least egregious on the list."

Sarahi sighed again, but nodded. "You would know far better than I, so I will take your acceptance with gratitude," she bowed to their hosts again, as well as the little Feline, as the first plates of the meal were set in front of everyone. "But that makes me want to ask you something, Diya," the Sha'khari continued even as she took up her spoon, "I won't ask for the name, but why do you want to keep your family a secret? At this point, as direct relatives to the crown, they might merit some recognition...or absolution, if they have a poor reputation."

Diya winced, and shook her head. "Mom is dead. Dad is gone. We are an embarrassment to what remains of our line. It is one thing to forgive shameful things, but another to deliberately bring it on your family," she reasoned.

"Runepaw," Kylan stated, clearly and curtly. Diya gave him a betrayed look, and Kylan himself refused to meet anyone's eyes, instead stirring his soup with the certainty that at least two or three sets had widened at the namedrop. "She is following the very good example set by our new family," he nodded toward Nayeli, "But we're hardly the first shameful product of our old one...and frankly, there aren't enough of us left to be concerned about. Given how everyone but Mom and her servants treated us, I don't feel any particular pride in that bloodline, much less a desire to preserve it."

"Kylan!" Diya all but cried, now hunched over her bowl with her hands squeezed in her lap, "If it's no concern, they would've been fine not knowing that!"

Kylan did look a little chastened, if for no other reason than causing his sister such alarm, but countered, "If Sarahi had thought about it seriously for even a few minutes she would have guessed regardless," he insisted, "What other family would tolerate Mom's 'tastes', to beget us in the first place?"

Tuli choked on her soup. Sarahi patted her back with a sheepish smile, hiding her mouth behind her other hand as she told Kylan softly, "This might not be the family to pose that question to..."

The little male blinked in honest surprise, suddenly looking back and forth between Sarahi and Tuli. "...I am so sorry! I didn't mean--"

Nayeli clapped her hands once, sharply, bringing silence to the room. She gave them all a second to take a deep breath before speaking into the quiet. "Family secrets seem to be coming out of the woodwork in this house," she began softly, "I presume there is some history there of which I am unaware, but I have heard almost all I can stand of family shames and embarrassments and improprieties. If it will make our good hosts uncomfortable," she offered a deferential bow to the Hopes, "Then I propose we leave this discussion for a later time, among ourselves. But if not, then I would like to reiterate my promise from our wedding night: look all that you like, and share all that you have, and I will forgive every embarrassing, accidental, and even intentionally rude word. That extends to anyone's history as well. I will hold no one's lineage or past deeds against them...and I hope we may all say that. No more apologies asked or given."

There was a moment of soul-searching among them, everyone seeking each other's eyes, before Lord Hope cleared his throat to break the tension. "This may sound hypocritical coming from me...but I agree. We are at table as family. All of us should be able to speak freely. So no, the name of Runepaw will not be held against you in this house," he said directly to Diya and Kylan. Though she remained quiet, his wife nodded her agreement beside him.

"Thank you," Nayeli sighed, sharing her usual, patient smile with all of them, "Diya, will you explain to me why that name would be held against anyone, much less you and your brother?"

She still looked a little shaken...and even afraid, which concerned Nayeli far more. But after a moment, Diya did explain, "We...the Runepaws, that is...are famous as a sorcerous bloodline. More than a few of them could be compared to Oro, as far as making contracts with greater powers goes. And more than once hatched schemes against the crown," she winced, her eyes practically begging Sarahi for forgiveness. The Sha'khari just smiled and shook her head. They had already agreed no apologies were needed anymore.

Oro snorted, as if insulted by the idea any of her ancestors deserved to be compared to him. "Doesn't seem like those schemes achieved much, if Princess is not a Runepaw," he sneered, "Sounds like a bunch of fusking failures to me. Yeah, that is an embarrassment, but not to you. How the fusk are they still a noble line?" he seemed to demand of Sarahi, "I wouldn't blame a single one of them for trying to boot me off the throne, but they'd best know I will wipe them out, to the last child, when they fail. That your dad did not crush them is the embarrassment."

Sarahi closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and carefully counted to ten as she reminded herself that this was his natural temperament. He was not, she should know by now, actually singling her out. "They have not actually caused my father any trouble, so far as I am aware. The family has been quite docile for the last generation or so...due in no small part to their dwindling and aging numbers, no doubt. There has been nothing to retaliate against."

"That is also why they have survived as nobles for so long," Lord Hope added, "It is something of an open secret that their heads have attempted to take the crown at least twice, in previous generations...but it could never be clearly proven. Their schemes were carried out in secret, using pawns outside the house itself, and always plausibly deniable. A monarch, if he wishes to remain just and true in the eyes of his people, cannot level vengeance against a house that has not clearly wronged him. It breaks trust. And a kingdom that does not trust its king, as any land that does not trust their leaders, falls easily into lawlessness and rebellion. That is why it is so important for nobles to maintain at least the appearance of just and upright morality."

"You will only ever hear open admission within the family," Kylan nodded, as though he and Diya themselves had already been brought into the conspiracies, "And they say some of the older members were seers, able to lay plots that would not come to fruition until years after they are gone...which makes it really hard to lay blame on them, if the family comes to rule decades after the seditious parties are dead."

"...And that is why Diya is so afraid," Sarahi sighed, giving the girl a pitying look, still hunched up in her seat and openly dripping tears into her soup now, "Because she has come into position to fulfill that goal."

"I am not," the little Feline hissed in a quivering voice, though it wasn't the fear she was denying, "I am not part of any plot to take the crown! I want nothing to do with anything like that! Damn it, I've been happier in the last week than all three years since Mom died! I love this family! Why--?!"

Nayeli's arms where halfways around her, bound for a reassuring embrace, when Oro snapped his fingers like a whip-crack, jerking her eyes to him. "Fusk 'em," he declared firmly, "Did you forget who I am? Breaker of traps, wrecker of cages, ruin of the fusking world. If you were laid as bait on the hook, I'll eat the fusking fisherman first." He looked her hard in the eyes with his golden orbs blazing. "I have told you when and how you will die, and it will not happen even one minute sooner than I please. Understand?"

Diya nodded, choking back her remaining tears with a sniffle, and Nayeli finished pulling her into that embrace, hiding her face behind the Lioness' sleeve until she could recompose herself. "I'm sorry, sis," Kylan apologized quietly, "I didn't think it through that far, or I'd've kept my mouth shut."

Nayeli shook her head firmly. "Nobody here suspects you of any disloyalty. Not Oro or I or even Sarahi," she insisted, accompanied by firm nods from Sarahi and Tuli, "You are our wife. Wives," she corrected with a gentle smile to Kylan, "And dear to us. Have no fear."

"My dear daughter," Lady Hope said quietly to Tuli after a long drought of her wine, "I will be rather less worried about you from this day on, I think. It is quite the remarkable family you have joined. Unreasonably understanding..."

"Thanks, Mom," the busty Lioness giggled, returning her attention to her soup as everyone gradually began to calm down again, "I think I will, too."

Lord Hope rocked his head thoughtfully, enjoying the last of his own soup before redirecting the conversation to something the little Feline might find comforting: "This won't do, though. Commoners can get by without a family name, perhaps, but not royalty. His Highness has all rights, authority, and even need to declare one. You should decide on it," he suggeste with a warm smile to Diya, "Then, from that moment forward, you will never again be a Runepaw."

Diya blinked at him like she couldn't quite understand what he'd said...or didn't dare to believe it. But Nayeli's smile was grateful and proud. "He's right," the priestess nodded, turning to look askance of their husband, "It won't do for royalty to lack a name. What will we call our family?"

The Rabbit gnashed his teeth behind his sneer, like work had been dumped on him that he didn't ask for. "The fusk do I care?" he growled, waving a dismissive hand in Sarahi's direction, "Keep 'Swordbright', for all it means to me. At least people won't have to learn a new one."

Lady Hope cleared her throat gently, and inclined her head to the Sha'khari. "With utmost respect to the former king...that won't be acceptable. A new line has been established. It should distinguish itself, both in name and deed. And for that same reason, flattering as it would be, 'Hope' should not be considered an option, either. Let it be something distinct, for the sake of clarity in the annals of the kingdom."

"I agree," Sarahi nodded understandingly, before giving the Rabbit a dubious look. "And preferably not an obscenity, either."

Oro scowled, crossing his arms and clearly preparing to deliberately suggest something vulgar in answer to that challenge, when his ear twitched like it had caught a sound from another room. "The fusk did that come from?" the Rabbit demanded, understandably confusing everyone else gathered at the table. His ear twitched again, and this time those sitting closest to him could just fainly make out the demonic voice answering him from within the long lobes. Oro rolled his eyes, unimpressed with the answer. "Kind of weird for you to be butting in on real talk," the Rabbit muttered to Gorgorond, but put forth the demon's suggestion anyway: "Ironheart. No idea why the fusk he's even paying attention to all this, but it's as good as anything I'd come up with anyway."

Everyone blinked at the scarlet Rabbit, mulling it over in their own heads. "Well...it does suit you, I'd say," Kylan affirmed a little hesitantly, to nods of agreement from Sarahi and Tuli.

"It sounds like a strong name, to me," Nayeli smiled, turning back to Diya, "What do you say, Diya Ironheart?"

"That I wish my heart was as strong as my new name suggests," the smaller Feline nodded, wiping the last tear from her cheek as she pulled back from the priestess' arms, "I love it."