The stop at Ai-Tuek passed without incident other than Karik developing a short-lived fever, and Arman having the duty of explaining the terms of compensation to a clan head furious over the treatment of two of his clan’s women. Not personally angry with Arman, it had to be said, but angry nonetheless. Arman sympathised with him, and offered his apologies for his involvement in the war. Rather to his surprise, the man appreciated it.
Arman never knew what to expect from these people any more. The reactions to him across Darshian had varied enormously, and despite the occasional mean-spiritedness, the generosity of the Darshianese over the whole business constantly took him aback. How much of it was Kei’s very obvious claiming of him as his lover, how much due to Arman’s remorse, and how much because of the essentially peaceful, rational nature of the race, he had no idea, and nor did Kei.
Then there were only the ten people from Ai-Albon to return to their homes, and the Prij who sought acceptance with them. To say Kei was nervous was a complete understatement, and the normally polite and kind healer became someone they all approached with caution, lest he bite their heads off. Arman was worried—Reji wasn’t.
“He was just the same when he was a boy, you know. He was always trying to smuggle animals and baby birds into the house. Erte or Keiji always found them and got rid of the damn things because of the smell and the nuisance—he’d mope for days, but he still always hoped they’d let him keep a krak-krak. The fact the bastards will take your finger off given half a chance didn’t put him off, nor did Erte’s scolding.”
“So I’m another pet Fedor will have to scold him over.” Jena, listening as she bottle-fed Karik, just grinned at him when Arman said that.
“Well, there’s more than one pet this time,” Reji drawled. “It’ll be fine, you’ll see. They already had you there once when they had every reason to hate you, and you survived. Now you’re coming back with their darling boy, and a wainwright and a fully trained healer. You’ll slip in before they notice.”
That wasn’t how he wanted to be accepted by the village, but as Kei was over by the waterhole, scowling fiercely at it as if it had done him some personal harm, he didn’t want to risk a fight with him to talk about it. What would happen if Fedor refused him asylum didn’t bear thinking about.
Now they were down to two wagons and a cart for the four jombekers, they only took five and a half days to get from Ai-Tuek to Ai-Albon. Thanks to Jena, the village had plenty of warning of their arrival, and so there was a huge turnout of people at the edge of the village, cheering and waving as their group approached. The former hostages dismounted or climbed out of the wagons, and then people were running towards them, crying with happiness. It was a scene of joyful chaos, but curiously Kei kept apart from it all, hanging back on his beast, staying with Reji and Arman.
Of course he could only do that until Myka spotted him, and when Kei saw her running towards him, he climbed down quickly enough. “Kei! You bastard, running off again!”
He swung her around in unmistakeable joy at seeing her again. Then she looked up and saw Arman. “Oh! Where’s the beard?”
That wasn’t the question he’d expected. “Long story,” he said briefly, before getting off his beast. He wasn’t sure how much Myka knew about Kei and him, and wasn’t going to be the one to break the news. But then she called to Reji, who climbed down and swooped her into his arms. Kei gave Arman a slightly rueful look, but said nothing.
Unsure exactly how this was going to play out, Arman let Reji and Kei be his guide, and for now, they seemed in no hurry to dive into the mass of people milling around the returned hostages.
“Arman?”
Arman turned and saw Vikis looking out the front of the wagon. “Come down, I think it’s safe. No one’s thrown anything yet.”
Vikis raised an eyebrow, but shortly after, he, Kesa and Jena walked around from the back of the vehicle. “Now what?” Vikis muttered.
Kei heard him, and pulled his sister away from Reji. “Myka, I’d like you to meet some friends of mine. This is Jena, formerly of Ai-Rutej, a healer, and her adopted son, Karik.”
Jena held out her hand, and Myka shook it hesitantly. “I’ve heard so much about you, Myka.” Myka smiled back politely, but then looked at her brother for an explanation which was, as yet, unforthcoming.
“And this is Vikis and Kesa from Utuk.”
Myka ignored Vikis’s hand. “Kei? What’s going on?”
“Kei! Welcome back...who in hells are all these people!”
Fedor and Sira had extracted themselves from the crowd, and Fedor bore down on them with a deep frown. Kei quailed a little. Arman would have taken his hand, but this had to be handled by Kei if it were to be handled at all.
“Hello, father, I told you I’d come back.”
“Yes, but what...? Explain yourself, Kei. Why have you brought General Arman back to the village?”
“Didn’t you hear he helped free the hostages, father?”
Fedor wasn’t taken in by Kei’s innocent expression any more than Arman would have been. “Yes, of course we did—but that doesn’t explain why he’s here!”
“Um...can we do this somewhere private?”
Fedor snorted. “You mean you don’t want to be told off in public. Very well, come to the house. You too, Reji.”
Reji watched Fedor stride off. “Oh, we are in so much trouble,” he said cheerfully. “Mychichi, where’s that damn husband of yours?”
“Banji!” she promptly yelled. “Banji-ki!”
Banji struggled out of the knot of humanity, his brother Misek coming with him. “Gods, Myka, you’re a married woman now, learn some manners. Kei, it’s about damn time you came home again. The amount of complaining I’ve had to listen to from your sister....” Myka slapped his arm and he rubbed it with a grin. “Reji...who are all these people? Why is General Arman here?”
Kei sighed. “Why don’t you come to Fedor’s house so I don’t have to explain it twice. Mis, any chance you can see to the wagons and cart?”
“What, and miss out on the fun?”
“Mi-is,” Kei said in a weary tone. “I’ll tell you later, I promise.”
“All right, but you owe me one, and if anyone gets a spanking, I want to watch, all right?”
“Misek!”
Myka’s husband pulled her by the arm. “Leave Mis alone. Come on, I’ve a feeling this is going to be one hell of a story.”
Myka dragged Kei along in turn, which left Arman to trail along behind with the others. “I could be wrong about this, but I think Kei looked worried,” Jena said dryly.
“He’s shitting himself, actually,” Reji said. “This’ll either be fun, or utterly appalling. Hope everyone’s feeling in a confident mood.”
Arman wasn’t sure how he felt, actually, but he doubted he could be more apprehensive than Kei was at that very point. They managed to skirt the main group of rejoicing villagers, and slip down the main street almost unnoticed. “Pretty village,” Jena said. “Bigger than Ai-Rutej, I think.”
“I think we have fifty or so more people than yours,” Reji said. “That’s before all you incomers, of course.”
Vikis was holding Kesa’s hand, and looking very worried. “Arman, they won’t attack us, will they?”
Reji turned. “Absolutely not, Vikis. Anyone wants to hurt you, they’ll have to come through me.”
“And me,” Arman said.
“And me,” Jena added. “And Kei too, and Peit and Urki and all the others.” She smiled at Kesa. “Don’t worry,” she said in Prijian, shifting Karik to her hip so she could take her hand. “They’re Kei’s family. They’ll be as nice as him.”
“Oh. Then I won’t be scared,” she said bravely, but she still looked anxious.
Kei’s parents were stiffly polite, asking everyone to sit, offering them tea. Arman took the opportunity to give Fedor the letters he carried. But once the bare courtesies were satisfied, Fedor’s sharp gaze pinned Kei. “Right, explain yourself. Don’
t leave anything out. Start by telling me why General Arman is back here.”
“Well, father, he and I are now lovers and he’s going to live with me.”
Fedor spluttered into his tea and Sira put her hands up to her neck as she gasped. “I take it that isn’t a joke.”
“No, father.”
“Then I take it you’ve lost your mind.” Regrettably, Reji chose that moment to chuckle, which earned him a fierce glare.
“No, father. I love Arman, and he loves me. If he can’t stay here, I’m perfectly content to follow him wherever he will be welcome. I thought you’d prefer I came back to the village, but if you’d rather he and I went back to Kuprij....”
Fedor made that choking noise again, and Arman realise Kei wasn’t quite as cowed as he looked. “Don’t be ridiculous. This is your home. But him? Of all people, why him?”
“Why not? He’s now as Darshianese as you or me—if you read Lord Meki’s letters, he explains it. And he did save all the hostages.”
“Yes, after taking them away in the first place! And who’s this?” he asked, turning to look at Jena.
“Jena was one of the hostages, father, from Ai-Rutej. Because of...circumstances, she’s asked if she can live in our village. She’s a fully trained healer and a mind-speaker too—I thought she’d be very welcome.”
“Hmmm, did you, now. That child isn’t Darshianese.”
“Yes, he is,” Jena said. “Lord Meki says so.”
“Lord Meki seems to be rather busy these days,” Fedor said with heavy irony. “But whose is it?”
“Karik is...my wife’s child,” Arman said carefully. “I removed him for his own safety.”
“Wife?” This was Sira. “You’re married?”
“Not any more.”
“You phrased that rather diplomatically,” Fedor said. “The child is...not of your blood?”
“No, he’s not. But I wanted him looked after with kindness, and raised to be an honest person. I felt he had a far better chance of that among the Darshianese, and Jena has offered to adopt him, for which I thank her.”
Fedor shook his head. “And these two?”
Vikis nudged his wife, who stood and curtseyed prettily. “I’m Kesa, your lordship. I’m pleased to meet you,” she said in slow, careful Darshianese. Fedor’s eyebrows rose at the ‘your lordship’.
Vikis stood and bowed. “And I’m Vikis, her husband, sir.”
“Kesa was a wet-nurse my wife employed, Fedor. She’s recently bereaved of child and mother, and agreed to come to assist help us with Karik. When Jena decided she wanted to leave Ai-Rutej, they asked if they might be able to find a home here in Darshian. Vikis is a wainwright.”
“Is that so?”
Reji spoke up. “A damn good one too, Fedor. He’s been of great help to us on the trip.”
Fedor rubbed his temples. “So, if I have it straight, Kei—you want your Prijian lover, your Prijian lover’s wife’s bastard, your Prijian lover’s wife’s bastard’s adoptive mother, her wet nurse and the wet nurse’s husband to just move to our village without the slightest objection?” Kei, sitting very straight and looking a little pale, just nodded. “Is it too late for me to unadopt you?”
“Fedor,” Sira said reproachfully. “May I see the child, Jena? How old is he?”
Jena brought Karik over and she, Kesa and Myka sat near Sira as she held Karik, Jena keeping hold of Kesa’s hand to reassure her. Fedor made a grumpy sound. “You lot, come outside.”
‘You lot’ apparently meant the males in the room, so Arman followed Fedor out into the street. “Walk with me. I need to work off some stress.”
The four younger men followed Fedor out of the village. He was headed for the big waterhole Arman saw a little distance from the house. Kei took Arman’s hand—Kei’s was rather cold. “It’ll be all right,” Arman murmured. “So long as you’re with me, I don’t care where we go.”
Kei gave him a slight smile, then resumed gnawing his lip.
Fedor took a seat, and told the others to sit nearby. Kei rather defiantly sat next to Arman and put his arm around him, which earned him a frown from his father. “Kei...words fail me, they truly do. How do you expect people to react to all this?”
“Fedor, can I say something?” Fedor looked at Reji and nodded. “I understand how you feel, and trust me, I felt the same when I realised Kei and Arman were in love. But at the same time, they are in love, and that’s not something you or I or anyone else can interfere with.”
“That’s all very well—”
Reji held up his hand. “No, wait. If it was just that, I wouldn’t argue Arman should be allowed to stay, not if you objected. But I am going to argue that. I’ve seen him in action. I’ve seen him with our people, with Kei and I’m saying to you that if you welcome this man into Ai-Albon, you will never have a moment’s regret over it, that he’ll strengthen our village, and increase its prosperity and happiness. I say that too about Vikis and Kesa. Both are decent, honest people, both prepared to work hard and fit in—and both are committed to the life and ideals of Darshian, just as Arman is. I would stake my reputation on them being fine additions to the community.”
“You, Vikis—is that true? Why do you want to live in my village?”
“Not necessarily in your village, sir, if it’s not permitted, but I’ve received a lot of kindness from your people, and we’ve both made friends with them. But if you wish it, we will leave, because neither of us want to cause trouble.”
“Hmmm. Your wife is very young.”
“Yes, she is.” Vikis gave Fedor a short explanation of their history, and what Kesa had suffered recently. “Even if you ask us to leave, I’ll always be grateful for what Jena and Kei and everyone else has done for her. I’d like to give you something in return, but have no wish to force it on you.”
“Yes, I understand.” Fedor looked thoughtful. “Banji? What do you think?”
Banji looked at Arman. “A lot of people here are still angry with the Prij. My mother’s one of them. Are you going to try and impose your values on us?”
“Not at all. I was hoping you would impose yours on me, because I find the way my country has behaved towards yours, disgraceful and dishonourable.”
“Arman’s been disowned by the Prij for what he’s done, Banji,” Kei explained quietly. “He stood up to the sovereign, the senate and the head of their army to tell them what they’d done was wrong, and they spat on him. He’s been publicly humiliated and insulted, called a traitor for standing up for the Darshianese, and he still did it. I’m very proud of him and I love him.” He squeezed Arman tightly at those words.
Banji clearly wanted to give in to his friend’s wishes, but he had more than Kei to consider. “Is it simply my race, or what I’ve done that you object to?” Arman asked. “Or what I might do in the future?”
Fedor sighed. “General—”
“Call him Arman, father. He’s Darshianese and no general now,” Kei said sternly.
“So like Erte,” Fedor muttered, with a slight smile on his lips. “Arman...you know yourself this isn’t easy, and with four Prij to fit in.... Vikis, I feel for your wife, and she’s a lovely lass, but what of your children, growing up here, being different in looks—how will they cope?”
“They would be raised in the Darshianese manner, whatever their appearance. I’ve no wish to keep our family separate from you.”
Fedor nodded. “A wainwright, you say. You’d set up a workshop, then? But Arman, what do you intend to do with yourself? We have no place for idlers here.”
“I’ll do whatever I’m set to, Fedor. Work the fields, dig ditches, work in Vikis’s workshop—anything that you ask. I’m not lazy,” he added with a touch of asperity.
“Perhaps not, but that’s rather a come down for a man who was a lord and a general. Won’t you want to use your mind?”
“Since the work my mind has done in the past has done such harm,” Arman said bitterly, “I’m happy to retire it from my futu
re concerns.” Kei looked at him then, and gently kissed his cheek. “I owe your people my life, my happiness and sanity, and all I wish to do is serve, Fedor. Serve you, serve your country, in whatever manner you direct.”
Fedor nodded, and then went into a little reverie. The others watched in silence, Vikis looking anxious, Reji unconcerned and Banji’s expression being unreadable. Kei held Arman tightly, but said nothing.
Finally Fedor sighed. “I suppose the fairest thing is to let you all stay, for now at least. Acceptance by the clan isn’t a given, I warn you, and you’ll have to exercise patience and tolerance—you’ll face hostility, all of you, and some prejudice. I can’t stop that, and if I tried, it would make it worse. All I can do is promise to treat you fairly, as any other member of our clan, offer you the same protection—and the same justice if you cause trouble. Do you understand?”
“Yes, thank you,” Vikis said.
“You’re being more than generous,” Arman said.
“Thank you, Fedor,” Reji said. “You won’t regret it.”
“I sincerely hope not. Now, about Jena. Three healers, that’s a lot for us, Kei.”
“Yes, father, I know—but I thought Myka could do her training, and Jena and I are both interested in research. We don’t all have to be active at the same time, and Jena could teach us a lot. She’s very knowledgeable.”
“I’m surprised Ai-Rutej could bear to let her go.”
“They didn’t exactly make her welcome when she got back,” Kei said darkly. “There are personal issues there she can explain, if she wishes to. But she’s someone I’m proud to call a friend—she reminds me of Ma.”
“High praise indeed.” Fedor got to his feet. “Well, I wasn’t expecting all of this, but I suppose the village was bound to change as a result of the war. Arman, I’m grateful you repaired your crime and brought the hostages back. That, at least, counts strongly in your favour, and I intend to make that point to the elders when I give them the news. However, from this moment, you incomers are under my personal protection, and part of the clan. Don’t make me sorry for that.”
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