Down came the rain

[Elyna]

9th Ymiden 717

It was late afternoon but the sky was black. Rolling with clouds and thunder, with lightning flashing over the rooftops. The skyrider had her hood up, and cloak wrapped around her young son. Luke was crying, clutched one armed to her chest. She’d wrapped him in a sling and it hung around her neck. The soft cotton starting to rub against the sensitive flesh beneath her long hair. She felt like a drowned rat. Puddles pooled at her feet, water pouring from the gutters and falling in torrents from the corners of the building. It hadn’t been so bad when she’d stepped off the boat. They’d caught the carriage back to the city before crossing the final streets home.
She held Elsie’s small hand in her own, the little fingers were cold. Thunder boomed overhead and the little girl started to cry. Large crocodile tears sliding down her cheeks, she pressed her face to her Mother’s skirts, trying to hid. Elyna wrapped her cloak around her, pulling her close as they sheltered beneath the awning of a shop. The rain hit the cobblestones so hard, that it bounced back up again. The sewers were gurgling, filled from a wet Ashan. A bakers sign swung overhead, creaking in the rising wind.
“It’s alright,” Elyna promised, “it’s just a storm, it will pass.”
Elyna bent and scooped up her daughter, holding her against her hip and balancing Luke carefully in her free arm. Elsie wrapped her arms around her Mother’s neck and clung. It was hard to breathe, but they couldn’t stand here forever. Another flash of lightning lit the sky and the Skyrider set off. Head bowed she focused on crossing the deserted street, then turned sharply and made her way uphill. Their luggage would follow afterwards, but for now she just wanted to be home. To be welcomed by a pair of strong arms.
Never had she been so glad to see their new home appear through the gloom and unending rain. Her hood had fallen back from her face, wet hair clung to her features as she unfastened the lock and pushed the door open. Her arm ached, locked into place as she bent to set Elsie down. The little girl miserable and standing, her own cloak drenched over her shoulders as she huddled, staring at her feet and crying.
“Malcolm?” Elyna peered into the room, turning to shut the door behind her. “Mal?” Was he home? Had he returned from his business in Warrick…had he already left again?

[Malcolm]

A sanctuary from the rain, the inside of their home offered warmth and shelter from the storm outside. The living room flashed orange, a roaring fire burning within the fireplace behind an iron grill. The door to the office was open, papers left in disarray across the man’s desk, he had been working all day to finish assignments and prepare for an upcoming lecture. A beef stew bubbled away on the stove, burning coals keeping the abandoned dish just the right temperature.
Despite the rain, the house was very dry, cosy and welcoming. The smell of the stew lingered in the air. It was nothing fancy, roughly cut bits of carrot mixed through the thick stock, meat so tender it fell apart on contact with wooden spoon. Vara rushed out from the living room, her bed turned over in her excitement to greet Elyna and the children. The dog rolled on her back, tail beating furiously against the ground, a display that coaxed a smile from Elsie, left miserable on account of the rain.
A cold gust of air raced through the house as the back door opened and a tall figure stepped inside. Elsie wandered down the hall towards the familiar silhouette, and gave a little cry of glee as she was able to confirm that it was indeed Malcolm she saw, her excitement causing her to dance on the spot. The man dropped the wood he had cut up for the fire and pushed the door closed before sweeping up the child who had run into his arms.
“Elsie!” he beamed, expecting her to greet him with the usual chorus of ‘dadadadaa’ but was instead met with tears. “Hey,” he cooed, pressing his lips to her cheek.
She ducked her head against his neck and put her arms around him, her weak cry turning into uncontrollable sobs. “My baby,” he laughed, “I missed you. Where’s mum?”
Malcolm went down the hall to find Elyna peeling off her wet cloak to hang beside the door. He stopped a few steps from her, one arm wrapped across Elsie’s legs, the other holding her close. Slowly, he closed the distance between them and reached out to embrace her with one arm, drawing her into a hug. A brief kiss was bestowed to her lips before he bowed his head to edge back the sling and look upon his son’s face.
In the short time they had been apart, Luke had changed, as babies did, the colour of his eyes no longer that smokey blue, instead taking on the brown of his mother’s. Unlike Elsie, Malcolm’s voice did little to sooth the babe, who paused to listen to the quiet house and distant sound of rain, only to continue crying.
“Can I hold him,” Malcolm asked, but Elsie refused to release the man, and Elyna looked so worn from travel. “Come, sit down near the fire. I’ve cooked a stew that is ready to eat.”

[Elyna]

There was nothing quite like coming home. With the door closed against the element, Elyna felt weight lifting from her shoulders. She bent at the knees, using her free hand to unfasten the tie of Elsie’s cloak and whisked the material away before the child ran full pelt down the corridor and vanished out of sight. Vara whined, wriggling happy on her back and the young woman stooped, her cloak pooling on the floor as she fussed the puppy’s belly. The back door opened and tension returned, before Elsie let her welcome and Elyna closed her eyes. Relief washed over her and she untied her own cloak, turning to hang it on the peg. Her fingers were cold, stiff and shook as the cloak sat snug on the hook.
She heard his footsteps down the corridor and Elsie’s sobs into his shirt. Elyna turned on the spot and lifted a hesitant gaze to the mortalborn man. He approached with caution and she smiled at him, trying to offer peace instead of discord. The storm howled beyond the door and the young woman moved onto her toes and returned the brief kiss. Lips brushing with the smallest touch. Luke continued his wailing and she felt drained. A dark night flying on the back of a volareon in a storm, surely that would be better than this.
“Elsie,” she scolded gently, “let your Father hold Luke…” Elyna offered the little girl a cuddle and was ignored. Her hair was dripping down the back of her neck and the baby screamed. Feeling a little helpless the young woman moved towards the fireplace, rocking him back and forward in her arms. Just as he started to quiet, thunder caused the curtains to shake and a low rumble move through the house, and he screamed again. The noise cut through the crackling warmth of the fire and she felt on edge. Give her a Jacadon roar any day, over the cry of an infant. She adjusted her shirt and attempted to feed the baby and finally, he settled. Sated, his arms fell limp to his side and he sank back against her arm. Wrapped up and snug once more, Elyna fixed the fasten on her top. She felt as though she slid half-way off the chair but looked up, cheeks flushed as she offered Luke to his Father.
Malcolm had kindly prepared a bowl for her and she reached for it, one handed and began to eat. Had anything ever tasted so good? “Thank you for getting everything ready. I think that’s the best meal I’ve ever had,” after devouring her dinner the young woman felt warmer. Her bones still felt stiff with the cold and she sniffed, blowing her nose on a handkerchief with as much stealth as possible, trying not to disturb their son. Her eyes felt heavy with exhaustion, and child free, she bought her legs up on the chair, curling up. Her clothes hung loose from her shoulders, any residual baby-weight lost in the recent trials of their trip.
Her eyes lingered on the mortalborn man. He looked so warm, calm and inviting. In that moment, she wanted to do nothing more than curl up on his lap, with the children in bed. His strong arms curled so gently around his son and her heart squeezed harder. Was it possible to love him more? They had been uneasy before her journey to Burhan.
“How was Warrick?” She propped her elbow on the table and her chin in her palm, watching him with a heavy-lidded gaze. Warmer, safe, filled with a delicious stew, exhaustion stole her thoughts.

[Malcolm]

While Elyna was sat feeding Luke, Malcolm tried to coax Elsie to eat something, but the girl would have none of it. Thunder shook the city and Elsie startled, looking alert all of the sudden. “It’s Chrien,” he told the girl, “Immortal of Storms.”
“Treeing,” Elsie tried to repeat the name.
“She makes the thunder go bang!” he said, and the girl giggled.
Malcolm ate a bowl of stew, and Elsie stole some of the soaked bread he had cut up and left in the bowl to absorb the stock. Green eyes watched him chew every bite, and he smiled at his daughter, who looked more and more like Elyna every day.
On his feet again, Elsie had been content to sit down nearer the fire beside Vara, petting the small, growing dog. Malcolm took Luke and stood, twisting his body slowly in an attempt to keep his son asleep. He didn’t take his eyes off the boy, dwarfed in his protective arms, that was until Elyna spoke, inquiring about Warrick.
“I went to see Lei’lira about the disappearance of her husband. I didn’t realise he had been killed by bandits. Says he was a bastard of Gaius Burhan? I don’t think bandits killed him,” Malcolm admitted, but he didn’t want to add anymore, not until the truth was proven in court, and that would only happen if they could hunt down Vivian Warrick.
Malcolm lifted Luke against his shoulder to burp him. The babe had that unsettled look about him, screwing up his face in sleep until he was roused from rest. He rubbed the child’s back and stood near the fire to keep warm and make sure Elsie didn’t get too close to the heated guard that would stop her from fall in, but would still burn the girl if she touched it.
“How was your trip home?” he asked.
He felt a rumbled like thunder echoed in the child, and before he knew it, Luke had spat out a mouthful of curdled milk on his shoulder. The baby hiccuped, and Malcolm twisted his head to find the white sick-up running down his tunic. “Lovely,” he laughed, and handed Luke back to Elyna.

[Elyna]

Chrien, Elyna added the word silently to her growing collection of Immortal names. Malcolm knew so much more about that side of the world than she ever would. Sometimes she felt like a little girl, curious and eager to just listen to him talk. She’d suggested attending his lectures and he hadn’t seemed keen on the idea, but the history of Rynmere and the world fascinated her. Besides, she could listen to that low melodic voice for hours. It seemed he didn’t realise the power he had over Elsie’s attention was extended to her as well. Chrien, Immortal of Storms… Perhaps she should enrol herself on a course anyway and sneak into the back of the room.
A bastard by her Uncle? Elyna lifted a brow. Content and warm by the fire, she was just about thawing out. She pulled the blanket they kept close to the fire, around her shoulders, and cuddled into it. Lei’Lira’s husband had gone missing? She frowned a little, trying to recall the conversation she’d had with Lady Warrick in the previous season. The young woman rubbed her hand across her temple. She hadn’t known Malcolm had intended to visit the shy young woman, and could only imagine that Lei’lira had been frightened. A frown creased her brow and she let out a slow sigh.
“I think she mentioned something to me,” the frown deepened, “she’s been badly treated.” Elyna stood, blanket around her shoulders and moved slowly around the room to collect the empty bowls and stow them beside the sink. She wouldn’t clean them now, but at least the place was a little neater. She returned to the comfortable leather chair, thoughtful. Sinking into the soft furniture, she grinned as Elsie climbed onto her lap and curled up against her chest. The little girl would be asleep the moment she was set down in her bed.
Elyna tilted her head back, trying to recall the details of what Lei’lira had discussed, “she spoke so…fast and so freely about what happened. It was a bit of a surprise,” she admitted. “She has twins by…” the young woman let out a slow breath, “by the result of abuse. Bandits held her captured and they-” Elyna curled a hand around Elsie holding the girl close to her chest as she studied the flame. She could empathise with Lei’lira’s fear. Marcus had not been her first and it been a struggle to recover from his abuse. She flinched to imagine how terrified an innocent would have been when exposed to such treatment. “Her family requested she marry and hide any ‘complications,’” Her top lip drew back in a snarl, “it sounded as though her husband saw fit to treat her just as badly,” though this wasn’t her family, it still was not fair. She was furious on behalf of the mild-mannered Warrick. “I should have told you,” Elyna glanced at her lover, “I…I didn’t realise it was an open investigation or I would have. The law would not support Lei’lira…and as much as I cannot condone murder,” that was what he was suggesting, was it not? “I cannot help but feel there is justice in his absence from her life and that of her children.”
In regards to a bastard son of Burhan, Elyna could only shrug. Luke spit up down Malcolm’s back and the woman held back her laughter, lifting her arms to accept her son. He stared up at her, blinking before snuggling down against the blanket. Burping once again before drifting into sleep. A quick peek at Elsie told her that their daughter was sound asleep.
“It was…it was alright, there are a few things we need to discuss” Elyna replied quietly, “I missed you,” as she’d promised she would. She held back a smile, watching him sort out the liquid that slid down his back with a grimace. She waited until he turned back to her. Her babies asleep and settled in her arms, she offered Luke back to him, intending to put them in their beds.
“…you were kissing Violet.” Her ears and the back of her neck were burning, it was suddenly hard to look at the man. “That’s all Kathryn could tell me…and reluctantly too.” Elyna swallowed and eased off the chair and picked up Elsie. She moved towards the stairs looking back at the mortalborn and forced herself to meet his gaze. “Did you?”

[Malcolm]

In light of the new information regarding Lady Warrick, Malcolm could only sigh. He didn’t agree with what Drayas had done to the woman, or the men before that, but it was not her or her cousin’s right to kill or have the man killed. He thought of Edmund then and Marcus, as much as he had wanted to cut the two of them out of this world for good, he had stayed his hand and let the law deal with Elyna’s brother. Marcus would be caught one day, and as much as he wanted to pound his pretty little face in for hurting Elyna, again he must trust that the law of the country would see justice served. After all, he had brought Vivian back from the Burning Mountains, she had been stripped of her title and decided to leave the country for what she had done.
Malcolm had pulled off his tunic to wash the stain from it, long, muscled arms already coloured as a result of the few days of fine weather the country had finally seen. He hoped this storm wasn’t the beginning of something worse. After dressing again, he accepted Luke and was just turning to head for the stairs when Elyna spoke words that made him go rigid with unease. She moved past him to the stairs with Elsie in her arms and their eyes met. His shoulders sunk as the muscles relaxed, and he held Luke a little closer.
“I did,” he agreed with a nod, he had never meant to keep that from her but he had to know where Kathryn’s loyalties lay, reluctant or not.
Malcolm closed the distance between them in a few quick steps and handed Luke up to her. “I’ll be up soon,” he said, took a candle, and disappeared to his study.
At his desk he cleared a space and took a small piece of parchment from the drawer to start writing out a letter to the would-be captain, a promotion she had missed out on, and would continue to fall short of now, having to prove herself to someone else. He paused, and instead the letter was addressed to Benjamin, and detailed his wishes regarding the woman. From there it would be up to Benjamin to do as he pleased, being that he controlled all those positioned below him in rank within Malcolm’s army.

[Elyna]

It was a simple confession and Elyna only nodded in reply to it. There came no apology or explanation. Malcolm had been kissing Violet and though he seemed a little deflated to admit it, he didn’t seem to regret his actions. She lent forward to accept Luke and trailed up the stairs with both children, she set Elsie down on her bed before weaving her way through the dark and putting Luke in the cradle. The covers were cool and she smoothed them to warm them first before tucking him in. Stripping off her wet outer layer of a dress, the young woman hung it up to dry and returned to Elsie in her shirt and legs exposed to the chill air. She saw their daughter settled into the bed, little dress pulled off and replaced with a night-gown. Elyna tucked Elsie in, pressing kisses to her cheeks as the little girl stirred in her sleep. Seeing that they’d been followed, Elyna shooed Vara back down the stairs before returning to the bedroom she shared with Luke, and Malcolm.
She had left for Burhan with things uneasy between them. Malcolm had told her that they needed to think about things and what they both wanted. Elyna sank down on the side of the bed long legs extended in her socks. Lightning flashed beyond the window and illuminated the items in the room for a moment. Children’s toys, mainly and a few books neatly stacked away. With the house empty for the end of the season there had been no one around to cause a mess.
The young woman had found out about Malcolms continued infidelity at the outset of her journey to Burhan, and though they had exchanged a few brief letters, she’d not wanted to discuss it in writing. What did she want? She wanted a man who looked only at her, who loved and kissed only her…wasn’t that what Malcolm had wanted? Hadn’t she betrayed his trust with Vakhanor? Did he suspect that she’d been with the Smith during their journey to Burhan and back? Elyna had done a great deal of thinking, yet didn’t feel that she was closer to any answers. She waited for Malcolm to climb the stairs and studied him as he entered the room.
She cleared her throat, “my mother told me that she had the record removed; our marriage…it’s no longer in the city books.” Elyna studied her fingers, perhaps this was a good thing. "It would have been an arc. Twenty-one days and we should be celebrating..."

[Malcolm]

Malcolm stayed down stairs a little while to do some cleaning up so that Elyna wouldn’t have to the following day. He had wanted some time to think about the kiss and what it meant that Elyna had found out, and by what means. The man had no secrets, not from her, and yet something wasn’t working. Perhaps relationships needed some secrets to survive, he pondered to himself, maybe it was best not to know every intricate detail of each other's lives. While Malcolm had lived a very long time, socially he sometimes felt stunted, especially in the arena of love.
The climb up the stairs saw him sigh, again expecting to walk into another argument, how many more times would they do this? If he told the truth she wouldn’t understand, and if he spoke one word of a lie, Elyna would know. He peeled off his shirt on the way through the door and kicked off his boots, trading his trousers for a pair of longs that were more comfortable for sleeping in. He sat on his side of the bed with his back to Elyna and bent down to take off his socks one at a time, leaving them where they fell.
Elyna admitted that her mother had seen to it that the record of their marriage the previous year had been scratched from the record without so much as consulting either one of them, but wasn’t that so like nobility, Malcolm thought.
“Well that’s that then,” Malcolm said, what else did she want him to say?
Malcolm had wanted their marriage to be real and binding, he had been charged with the murder of his ex-wife, who had turned out to be very much alive, at least for some time after their wedding. Most of those who knew the truth were dead and gone, or just wouldn’t think to breath a word of it now, besides, who could have proved it anyway, beside Elyna or Marcus? Her mother had no right to do what she had done.
“I suppose she wants you to marry someone more up to her standards,” he commented, knowing the words were irksome. Malcolm didn’t care anymore, and admitting things like the end of their marriage weren’t going to change that any time soon.
He lay back on the bed, stiff from cutting up firewood all afternoon, and sucked in a breath as he straightened his back and stretched his legs out beneath the covers, taking a moment to get comfortable before he spoke again.
“I don’t understand why it mattered so much, Vanessa is dead now, hardly anyone knew she was alive then.”

[Elyna]

The pale shirt rose up over his chest. He’d caught the sun, his forearms darker than the rest of him but the colour creeping up towards his shoulder. The young woman ached to reach out and smooth her hands across his skin and explore the tanned skin. Her lips parted, eager to press kisses to his jaw and neck and the stubble that had appeared with the evening. Desire had never been their problem. Though such a simple impulsion felt complicated. Elyna edged back on the bed still and set her spine to the headboard, drawing up her bare legs. She looped her arms around her shins and watched her toes atop the sheets as Malcolm got comfortable.
Another low rumble of thunder made her own heart jump. Not easily afraid, Elyna wasn’t fan of loud noises and was on her feet, padding to the door. She peered beyond the frame and listened out of Elsie. Hearing nothing but their daughter’s snoring, she retreated and studied Luke before returning to the bed. One leg curled beneath her as she sat, watching the Mortalborn. He looked sore and she folded her hands together, holding them tight in her lap and resisted the urge to try and ease the stiffness from his muscles.
“When you were…when we believed you were dead she wanted to discuss the future,” the young woman watched his profile in the flickering candlelight. “She wanted to find me a new match. I said no.” Her hair fell in curls and waves over her neck and shoulders, like shadows against her pale skin. “My grandfather is ill…they don’t like to talk about it, but he is old and his health is failing. Edmund won’t become Baron now so it would fall to me,” Elyna swallowed the lump in her throat. Malcolm had accepted the title of Lord and was working out the details of his land. If they were to marry, would he loose his hard won gains?
“Mal…” she reached out despite her restraint and touched her fingertips to his forearm, “why did you kiss her?” Why didn’t you tell me? “You said that she’d drugged you, and that you tried to kill her.” Her brows drew together in a frown, “when…when were you kissing her?” Were they even now? Two transgressions against him, for two against her?

[Malcolm]

“Congratulations,” Malcolm echoed, with her pending title as baroness and her grandfather's timely death, Elyna would be the perfect target for some noble brat to come sweeping in and save her from her terrible current life, just like her mother wanted.
Malcolm rolled onto his side to face the wall and closed his eyes, moving his arm away from her reaching hand. He felt her fingers touch his skin and got out of bed, frustrated by her words, what would follow this time, more accusations?
“Wow Elyna, your mother just took it upon herself to destroy the record of one of the only things I care about in this world and you want to talk about why and when I kissed Violet? Please do spare me the bloody bullshit, just once!”
He paced and turned sharply from the dresser, avoiding coming into contact with anything, knowing the type of mood he was in called for destruction. Malcolm pointed a finger, gritting his teeth as he faced the woman to bark something, but bit his tongue, just like he always did.
Malcolm took a deep breath. He returned to bed and pulled the covers over himself, he wasn't going to lose his temper, if Elyna wanted answers, he would give her answers.
“Yes I kissed her, after I strangled her, and I didn't tell you because it wasn't important,” he said. “No I didn't enjoy it, no it won't happen again, yes she is still banned from the house, anything else?”
Fury, deep and burning, tightened in his gut. His skin was hot, he wanted to yell at her, to tell her how unbelievable it was that she could deliver such news and think it more important to discuss a kiss with Violet than the fact that her nightmare of a mother had undone something so important to him. His throat felt constricted and his heart squeezed. A sharp pain raced through the man’s chest and he sat up with a grasp, mouth open, his right arm closed over the left which was tucked hard against his body.
The veins in his neck and the side of his face were thick and swollen, and his skin was red, not with forgotten fury, but fear. Malcolm gave a painful groan and tried to steal a deep breath of air. He thumped his chest hard with his palm and forced himself to gasp, but it still wasn't enough. His muscles were starved and he started to shake, his body going into shock.
Malcolm fell back against the bed, and the pressure released all of the sudden, but his whole body was humming, his pulse pounding in his ears. He reached out and closed his hand around Elyna’s wrist and then her fingers clumsily. His muscles were weak and his chest and arms were covered in sweat. He lay there with his eyes closed, mouth dry, breathing heavy. His feet were numb and every muscle in his back felt pinched.
Soon his breathing returned to normal and he made a weak, senseless sound, a murmur that sounded a lot like “water.”