A Trip Home (attn: Lor)

[_Kynwric_]

"And by someone I'll assume you mean the al'Mara girl..." Kyn paused as he sifted through his memory for her name. "Gwen?"

 

Corlin didn't answer, and so Kyn continued. "Because that's a strange place to go to meet your brother. What on earth has gotten into the two of you? One of you is spending his nights taken up with the loosest girl in the whole village, maybe the whole Two Rivers. the other one seems bent on meeting the same girl for light knows what reason when her father already wants Marus to marry the harlot." Kyn was fighting the urge to stand, trying to keep the rise in his voice from becoming manifest.

 

Marus' face was merely becoming redder by the moment, but Corlin shot to his feet. "That's right, neither of us fall very far from the tree, sleeping around with unmarried women. Seems we take after it naturally as you've been doing it for no less than 20 years. Worse yet, you two put on like you're married... well we know better."

 

 

[U4ea]

Loraine felt Kyn controlling himself and tried to help however she could. Corlin shooting up startled her for a moment, but the words spewing from his lips like venom were worse than she could've imagined. "That's right, neither of us fall very far from the tree, sleeping around with unmarried women. Seems we take after it naturally as you've been doing it for no less than 20 years. Worse yet, you two put on like you're married... well we know better."

 

It seemed aimed at Kynwric, but it was her turn to restrain herself. The urge to flatten him against the wall with a thick weave of Air was nearly overwhelming. She'd almost reached for saidar before she stopped herself.

 

"Explain yourself," she said, her voice low and flat. "You will not speak to your father that way and don't even consider raising your voice to me, either. I'm your mother and you will remember that." That she was also Aes Sedai was another reason to tread lightly. Had she gotten used to that at the Tower so quickly?

 

"This came while you were gone," Corlin said, reaching for an envelope and tossing it across the table at her. It had been opened. She looked at the lettering on the front and felt a heavy weight settle in her stomach. It was from her grandfather's attorney. She slid the letter out, her fingers shaking slightly. She forgot about how rude her son was being in light of what could only be bad news. The letter didn't disappoint her.

 

Dear Miss Kilaine,

It is of great importance that we discuss matters which have recently come to my attention. After your disappearance from Cairhien, a few issues have arisen that we have quietly handled for you. However, there is some question about whether you are still alive to oversee the House Seat that you currently occupy. We must say it was difficult to track you, but we found a small trace of evidence that lead us here. To our great dismay, it seems we have missed you, though it was a pleasure to meet your sons. They look to be taking after their Cairhienin roots very well and you should be commended for instilling The Game in them, even so far away from the city.

 

Loraine closed her eyes and took a breath. They'd found her. If they could find her, so could anyone else. She ground her teeth in frustration, then continued reading the letter.

 

We must note, however, that there is no record of your marriage to Master Larind in our possession. Before we can name your sons as heirs to the Seat, and directly in line for taking it over, should something happen to you, we must have said documentation in our records...

 

This explained so much. She passed the letter to Kynwric and pressed her fingertips into her temples. They should've stopped in Cairhien on their way back to the Tower. This could all have been avoided if they'd just stopped. A million things flew through her thoughts. How many rumors had been started since they'd found her? What horrible repurcussions would this have? Did the Tower know? There was someone who belonged to the Eyes and Ears network for the Greens within the legal system of Cairhien. Had word been sent to Jade? Did she know about her boys? How would she react when she did? What penance would she demand? The Farm? Birching? Her boys were too old to take away from her now, but it would be within Jade's rights to remove them and hide them away somewhere else.

 

Tears gathered in her eyes and she fought them off. Neither of her sons would understand them, they'd only assume she was crying because she got caught. Light help her, how much would she have to tell them before she left again?

 

~Loraine

[_Kynwric_]

Kyn's control was at its breaking point when Corlin threw the letter on the table. he sat and let Loraine read it without saying a word. then he read it and sighed deeply as he reached the bottom part. "Wonderful." He turned his eyes to the boys, "And I suppose you took this to mean that you had permission to run off and do what you did because of this situation?" The look of smugness on Corlin's face was growing and even Marus was looking less abashed. "You were wrong." He looked to Lor and sighed, "You may as well tell them the rest of it."

[U4ea]

"You may as well tell them the rest of it." Kyn's voice pulled her out of her thoughts and she looked up at him, her expression stricken.

 

"I..." she started, her eyes wide and her voice cracking. She looked back at the boys and closed her mouth. "I can't lie to them, Kynwric. You know what that means, right? They'll ask questions and I can't not tell them what they want to know." And she'd taught them just how to ask a question that couldn't be avoided. Corlin had already shown her that.

 

She sighed and closed her eyes. With them still closed, she started to tell them everything she'd been hiding from them, from their neighbors, from everyone they knew...

 

"I am not married to your father," she said softly. "We have been together nearly twice as long as you've been alive." She raised her eyes to them. "I am over eighty years old and only now getting a strand or two of white in my hair. I will outlive everyone in this room, unless I die with by my sword, which I have every intention of doing." She took a breath, leveling her eyes on Corlin, then at Marus. "I am Aes Sedai," she said, her voice quiet in the suddenly still kitchen. "Your father is my Warder and has been since he was about your age."

 

Corlin's mouth gaped open again, Marus' eyes widened. Neither spoke for a few minutes and Loraine nearly screamed with the intensity in the room. "You are lying..."

 

Loraine stopped and looked at Corlin, laughter erupting from her lips. "Light, if only I was," she answered. She wouldn't have to worry about them so much if she'd been lying about this one little thing. They wouldn't believe her, though. Not until she took away any thought they had at protesting. She shrugged and wrapped them both in a thick band of Air, pushing them against the wall a little rougher than she'd planned. Her nerves were on edge, though, and her own son calling her a liar didn't sit well with her.

 

She stood up slowly, walking towards them. "I am your mother," she said, her voice sounding strange, even to her own ears. "You will not speak to me this way. Worse still, I am Aes Sedai. If you respect nothing else, respect the fact that I can tear you to pieces before you've had time to get your swords out of your scabbards, and yes, I know your Father taught you a bit about how to do that, too." She sighed, shaking her head and stopping between them. "You are my sons. I would not lie to you. Not even to save my own neck. As Aes Sedai, I couldn't lie to you if I wanted to."

 

She paused, releasing them from the weaves and watching them slip to the floor easily. They were a little hesitant for a moment. "Don't think this is getting you out of the fine mess you've created for yourselves, however."

 

~Loraine

[_Kynwric_]

Kyn sat and watched, knowing the rough lessons had to be taught. Much as he had taught them how to use a sword they now had to learn how to deal with Aes Sedai. Worse yet, they had to deal with an Aes Sedai who was their mother. he watched as she set the boys back on the floor gently and it was his turn to look a little smug. he stood and went to their saddle bags, he reached in and pulled the pouch that Loraine had placed her ring into and also dug deeper for her shawl. He held them out for her to take, and when she did he reached into another bag and brought forth his fancloak. He also took up his sword and unwrapped the cloth ties around it, baring the herons on its scabbard. "This is a gift from your mother, it belonged to her forebears before her... and one day if one of you is worthy of it, it will pass to you."

 

he could tell the boys were shell shocked. "Now to make your lives even harder, you can't tell anyone." And he pointedly looked at Marus because the boy would tell  anyone something if he trusted them. "And I mean no one. No one within three days hard ride knows what we are and it would be good to keep it that way." He set the sword and cloak on the table and sat back down. "Now, as for you r problem Marus, I'll talk to Gervais al'Mara tomorrow. You're not marrying Gwen, you've other responsibilities to worry about than her. And You," turning his attention to Corlin, "will behave yourself befitting the heir to the High Seat, of the Noble House of Kilaine."

[U4ea]

Loraine took the pouch and the shawl, not putting either of them on. She just held them a moment, letting the truth sink in. Marus sank into his chair again and Corlin just stood there as if waiting for them to laugh and admit to playing a joke. "You are the oldest," she said softly. "It is your duty to take up the High Seat should anything happen to me. I've raised you to have the ability, to know everything you need to know. I did that for you both." She settled in a chair again. It would be his duty... if she had proof he was legitimate, which he wasn't. She cupped her hands over her face and closed her eyes. What a fine mess, indeed...

 

~loraine

[_Kynwric_]

They were both still just sitting there and it was beginning to aggravate Kyn. "Well, you both look as if you've been poleaxed. Say something."

 

"Well, ummm, why hide it." Marus finally spoke up.

 

"Because, people would have been looking for you. Specifically people from Cairhein and People from Tar Valon. We've no shortage of people playing that accursed Game that would like nothing better than to see your mother brought low. It was for your protection and sanity. Add to that, children raised as nobility tend to have personalities I find, for the most part, loathesome."

[U4ea]

Loraine looked up as  Kynwric explained, her lips twitching at his admitting that nobles generally annoyed him. Corlin wasn't letting it stop there, though.

 

"Why mother?" his eyes stabbed daggers at her and she almost felt them like a physical thing.

 

"Because of what I am, what I have, and the danger I pose," she said softly. "I've made enemies of my own that would love the chance to see me stripped of everything I love. They've tried it once, already," she looked up at Kynwric and sighed. "Very powerful enemies who nearly succeeded. Then there are friends who would be bound by Tower law to become enemies if they knew about you. They'd become enemies because I'd have to fight for you. It would break my heart, but I'd tear them apart to protect you. And then there are those in Cairhien who simply want to see our House brought down. It was never a particularly high House to begin with, but my being Aes Sedai added a little prestige and I've managed to make a deal here and there to raise it up a few notches." She shrugged and looked down at her hands. Her Great Serpent ring glinted in the lamp-light at her, as if taunting her.

 

She looked up at the boys again and sighed. "The Tower is divided into seven groups, called Ajahs. Each Ajah has a purpose, a reason to be apart from the others. I am of the Green Ajah, the Ajah of Sacrifice. We are the Battle Ajah, the ones trained from the day we get our shawl to stand next to the Dragon and fight the Last Battle. It's not unheard of for an Aes Sedai to love her warder, in fact it usually always happens at some level." She smiled at Kynwric, memories making her feel a little younger for a moment. "Your father never gave me a choice about falling in love with him. I couldn't bear the thought of another woman bonding him and taking him away from me. Being bonded is much like being married, though it's not the same thing, at all."

 

When was it going to sink in for them that it made them illegitimate? Even in the Two Rivers that wasn't something to be said lightly...

 

~Loraine

[_Kynwric_]

Kyn nodded along with Loraine's explanation and when she finished he knew there would be questions, they did their best to answer them all in turn, even the ones that were left best unasked. Finally it was late, and even though there were more questions waiting to be asked he could feel the drain the day was having on them both. "Boys, you're going to have to save those for tomorrow. Your mother is exhausted, we've been on the road for days and the only thing I am looking forward to more than a bath is my bed." he rose from the chair and stretched and looked at the pair of them, "Off to bed with you, and no sneaking out." He said the last pointedly, trying to enforce his will on them.

 

Marus and Corlin each nodded and rose, kissing Lor goodnight before heading to bed.

 

Kyn shook his head and looked to Loraine and smiled. "Could have been worse... and you'd better set a ward around the house. One of those two is sneaking out tonight." And with that he headed for their bedroom.

[U4ea]

Loraine smiled and kissed her sons as they made their way to bed. At least they didn't argue with their father about when it was time to let things go for the night. Tension pulled at her shoulders. This was the beginning of something that could get very ugly, very quickly.

 

"Could have been worse... and you'd better set a ward around the house. One of those two is sneaking out tonight." Kyn turned and walked towards the bedroom, leaving her sitting in the kitchen. The gentle rustle of movement from above told her the boys were at least pretending to get settled. She smiled, knowing Kynwric was right. She'd learned how quickly Corlin could get out of the window upstairs very quickly after he turned twelve. At least it hadn't been girls back then.

 

She sighed and started her weave, making it a rather intricate twisting of elements. She hummed as she walked around the house, pushing it into the walls and smiling at little trinkets tucked here and there around the place. She knocked and waited for Marus to answer the door, then smiled, hugging him tightly as she pushed the weave into his room and into the walls. She kissed his cheek gently as she pulled away. "I'm so glad to see you. We'll talk more tomorrow, alright? Until then, sleep well, my son." She wondered if he even felt the little weave she twisted into the pendant of the necklace he wore around his neck. She hadn't done it when they were younger, simply because the weave would give her away. Now, she had more to fear than being found out.

 

She turned to Corlin's door as Marus shut his and knocked. He didn't answer right away and Loraine nodded to herself. It would've been Corlin who snuck out. Marus would've paced his room all night, guilt twisting his insides enough to keep him from sleeping. Corlin, on the other hand... She smiled as the door opened. "Can we talk for a moment?" She asked quietly. She had no intention of staying long, or even answering too many more of his questions. He opened the door a little wider and stepped back, giving her a silent permission to enter his room. She smiled her thanks, pushing her weave into the walls as she came into the room. It hadn't changed much since he was younger and it made her smile to see it. Corlin hid the man who cared very deeply about tradition and family deep behind his mask of humor and flirting. Behind that Dark One May Care smile was a calculating mind. Was the womanizing mama's boy just a cover for something else?

 

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about your heritage," she started, turning towards him. "It's been in my thoughts since you were born and I didn't want you to grow up thinking things were going to be handed to you. Sometimes they're not," she shrugged. "I'm here, cooking and cleaning to prove it. I hope you'll understand that someday."

 

Corlin's shoulders dropped. Apparently, he'd been thinking she came to say something else. His defensive posture melted and his smile was back. She could see the glint in his eye, though, and knew it was more than just a smile. He was planning something and it was something she wasn't sure she was going to like. "It's alright, Mother. A farmboy like me could never make it in a big city like Cairhien, anyway."

 

She arched her eyebrow, but let it drop. She wasn't sure why he was trying to bait her, but she wasn't falling for it. "Perhaps you're right, dear. Marus would be more than thrilled to take up the Seat, I'm sure. It's not unheard of for younger sons to inherit the title, so don't think he'll be stared at too much." She reached for him, hugging him tightly and twisting her tracking weave tightly around the pendant on his necklace. This was the son who'd play The Game perfectly, so it was him she'd have to keep her eye on the most. She sighed and smiled to herself as she pulled away. "Sleep well, my son. Remember that I love you," she stepped back, pausing in the doorway and looking back over her shoulder. "I wouldn't leave by that window, though, love. Tomorrow is another day and you'll never get the answers to all the questions bubbling around in that head of yours if you sneak out now. Do yourself a favor and just sleep, alright?"

 

Besides, she thought, slipping into the hallway and closing the door. I can always tie knots for weaves and leave you strapped to your bed every night to make sure you're still there come sunup..."

 

She smiled to herself as she made her way downstairs and into the bedroom. "I don't know about you, but I'm washing the road grit off of me before I think about sleeping." She eyed the tub standing behind the screen and filled it with a weave of water, then warmed the water up. She was too tired to go dragging water in from the well, anyway. If the weaves around the house didn't set off warning bells, this little weave wouldn't make much of a difference, either. She undressed and slipped into the tub, leaning her head back and sighing happily. "What are we going to do, Kynwric?"

[_Kynwric_]

Kynwric was truly contemplating hauling water in from the well when Loraine came in and filled the tub and heated it. "That is cheating... and remember to rewarm it when you're done. Unless you want me in bed dirty." When she asked the question. "What are we going to do about what? The boys? They'll have to adjust, they're strong and smart and will be just fine. Well, Marus will be. Corlin's going to hold a grudge for a while."

 

He was sitting in a chair in a corner looking at her while she lounged in the bath. It was then he caught whiff of the look coming. "You mean the succession... you need a legitimate heir. We have two, albeit illegitimate ones. How do we make them legitimate? I don't know Cairheinian law."

[U4ea]

Loraine shot him a look, knowing he understood what she meant. They'd been handling the boys far longer than this and she'd only had to ask that question once. "You mean the succession... you need a legitimate heir. We have two, albeit illegitimate ones. How do we make them legitimate? I don't know Cairheinian law."

 

In this particular instance, Cairhienin law is much like any other, love," she sighed, reaching for a rag and a cake of soap. "Either their parents are married or they're not. Tower law comes as close as possible to forbidding marriage, but in order for my family heritage to be protected, I must be. If we're lucky, we can get documentation that doesn't have dates on it, so there'll be no question about why we weren't married twenty years ago when it mattered." She rubbed the rag over her skin, her mind spinning. "We must produce documentation, either way. I can name Corlin my heir, but he'll never be accepted in society. It defeats the whole purpose of naming him." She was doing more thinking out loud, hoping something that came out of her mouth made sense.

 

~Loraine

[_Kynwric_]

"Does it say that the parents have to be married when the child is born? Or does it just say that the parents just have to be married? The semantics may matter."

[U4ea]

Loraine rubbed her temples and laid her head back again. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I don't remember, Kynwric," she said softly. "I don't believe I've heard of it coming up and it's been a long time since I was in the middle of those kinds of politics. It didn't really matter to me, even before I was taken to the Tower. I never had any concerns with marriage, my grandfather made sure of that, I think."

 

"It wouldn't matter, anyway, would it? It's twenty years too late to fix it, isn't it?" She grabbed the rag and set to work on her legs, then stood and reached for the towel hanging on the screen. "There's nothing we can do about that part, I guess." She set a weave into the water and warmed it up for him as she wrapped her robe around her and sat down at the vanity in the corner. The woman looking back at her looked tired and she sighed, praying that sleep wouldn't be as difficult as it was appearing to be."

 

~Loraine

[_Kynwric_]

Kyn ignored the bath for the moment and went and rummaged in one of his bureau drawers, finally finding whatever he was looking at and corssing the room back to where Loraine sat, turning her to face him. "Its never too late to fix that which needs fixing." He got down on one knee and held his fist out to her, opening it palm up. Taking her other hand in his he asked, "Will you marry me?" He was holding a small ring, with a set-in clear stone in his hand, and he was looking into her eyes.

[U4ea]

"Its never too late to fix that which needs fixing." She turned towards him, though he was pulling her that way, anyway. She'd just loosened the knot of her hair, sending a thick wave of hair down her back. It released the tension in her head and that was blessing enough. She blinked, watching him kneel in front of her. She opened her mouth to ask him what he was talking about, but he didn't give her a chance to ask. "Will you marry me?"

 

Her eyes didn't leave his as surprise froze her thoughts. He was holding something, but that wasn't the important part. No, the important part were those expressive eyes that had been hidden from the world suddenly full of emotion. His hand was calloused and big, curled around hers and it felt good. She felt the emotions boiling through their bond, felt his hesitancy, his uncertainty. Did he really expect her to say no?  She'd loved this man since that night on the rooftops of Tar Valon. "Silly old man," she whispered, leaning forward and kissing him. "I've rode next to you for nigh on forty years, bared my sword to protect you, thanked the Creator you were there to stop me from being foolish. I've birthed two children for you, stood next to you while we raised them." She paused, her smile stretching and her eyes watering a little. "I've learned to cook and clean for you. How could you ever doubt I'd be anything but eager to be your wife?"

 

She slid out of the chair and curled her fingers around his face. "Light, yes, I'll marry you," she whispered, her eyes not leaving his.

 

~Loraine

[_Kynwric_]

Kyn just smiled, probably stupidly, and he could feel the tears playing at the corners of his eyes. He'd been close to asking her this many times before, but had always backed off. He didn't have a word to say on how he felt, he just felt happy.  He looked into her eyes and leaned his head against hers. he reached his hand down to hers and slid the ring on, then back off... removing her dragon ring from that finger before replacing the new one.

 

Finally he shifted, cupping her face in his hands and placing a soft kiss to her lips. "You get to tell the boys."

[U4ea]

Loraine smiled down at her hand for a moment, transferring the Serpent ring to her other hand. She looked back up and shook her head, brushing the tears from his eyes. She'd only seen him cry a handful of times in all the years they'd been together. "I think we tell them together or the deal is off! Corlin's got your temper, after all..."

 

~Loraine

[_Kynwric_]

Kyn laughed, "Then it's Marus you better be worried about." He stood and pulled her up too, "I still need a bath... and they can wait til morning. Besides, let them stew a while. It's good for them."

[U4ea]

Loraine laughed and nodded. "Aye, you smell like a horse," she pushed him towards the tub and laid down on the bed, waiting for him to finish. Her eyes rested on the ring glinting from her finger and she sighed, happily. She'd worry about handling the Tower, the future of House Kilaine, and the multitude of other problems they had to deal with tomorrow. For now, she was home and happy. It would be enough to hold off the rest until they could deal with them. Tomorrow was early enough for that...

 

~loraine