Post by Peregrine Inveryne-Lamont on Mar 21, 2009 8:29:34 GMT -6
Kendrew: Duty before thyself was a phrase he'd heard uttered by the Lord Marshall. Respecting the man, he respected his words. It was that simple to him, really, because like the words uttered by the duitful half-brother of the Duchess, Kendrew had been privy to embodying that belief all of his life. In the hustle and bustle of the streets he saw coin exchange hands for good. Women gathered water from the fountains to take inside of dwellings to be heated. There was duty all around that held up a place like this. As he looked to the list of his own that were extending he learned not to shy away from the chance for change but instead to be apart of it. As he'd spoken to Rosalind just earlier that day. Most men do not like to have their world changed but if you can master letting the wind carry the bulk of your body, time could change your mind. With this change would need to come others because there could be no business left undone in this new world so he set out to make his amends permanent with those who may have been wronged. (d)
Peregrine: Duty ran along with sobriety, where fountains were filled so too would the the drinks in the passing taverns, but it would not be there one would find the pirate on this spring venture. Like any slumbering beast he came alive in the sun, the dormant life came rushing to the surface and with it the hope of warmer days. The streets were crowded as so many tried their hand in recovery from the last battle, but it was now with the return of market that kept his attention. However, with all their goods displayed like the back of a peacoke's feather, he could not help but wonder if any were as they seemed. What would it take to sell their goods in the struggling economy of a war torn nation? A little show of thigh? Would that put meat on the table for her children? The pirate could almost hear her thoughts as he passed the vendor up, and made a mental note of her face. What would happen if the war did not cease soon? Who would they turn to? The market was almost clear, his path one that would be easy should he wish to walk it. Poisonous words, with a bargain for 'a better tomorrow' would have the nation turn upon the Lord and Lady as history would forever repeat itself. It was a thought, an option but more or less one he would keep to himself as he sought out his own future. Without any means of escape, he felt the need to find a life here..if only for a little while. However, this one always walked the line of good and evil, and his heart was in turmoil--torn--broken, and without the other part even knowing. He had spotted the old Knight in the streets long before he even could see his face. Kendrew was unmistakable, as the gray in his hair caught the light. The gypsy found his hand resting on the hilt of his dagger as he came up behind the man, and he could only imagine how victorious it would feel to watch this great man fall...Those were the sick thoughts that chased a bloodthirsty pirate's mind who was coming off his addiction, but for the moment his will was strong, and with a smirk he would settle his eyes upon the man's back, "Good Afternoon, Kendrew." They had met only once before, while the pirate flirted openly with the Duchess..in the tavern, with Apollo. "It is a good day is it not?" Dark eyes settled then with the man's as he circled the man's shoulder. "Out for fresh air?" (d
Rosalind: Rosalind and the child had been in the castle all day, sorting out the remaining affairs of Lamont, seeing to various duties, and catching up on such luxuries as napping. Both mother and son had indulged in a nap that lasted far too long, and though only one awoke cranky, Rosalind thought it would be a fine idea if both of them went for a walk. Aldric had his first glimpse of the market, and thanks to his small size, saw only the shiny baubles and bursts of color before his mother, seeing quite a bit more than she wished to, laughingly removed Aldric back to the castle where he could continue acting like a dragon in the G-rated courtyard of Griffin Castle. But unable to settle down for the evening, she took a shawl and wrapped it around her hair, forgoing the wimple and settling on her usually plain wardrobe, brightened today with a sash of stunning emerald green. She did have an eye for color, regardless of how simply she dressed, and her usual wry sense of humor was displayed in all its glory as that sash of green could easily be seen parting through the crowd. And whom else was easy to spot in that crowd but the impossibly tall Kendrew. "Why, Campbell, fancy we should meet again so soon!" It was only as she waved her way through the next small gathering, her guards already grumbling at her persistance, that she spotted Peregrine. *
Kendrew: The streets were bustling on some lanes and dormant on others. Fortune for many did not translate into such for all people. A bustling port still was a few months behind on what could come in. There were those anxious to buy again while the more conservative clutched their coin as if it were bullion from the Pope. Frightful of recieving no more than a few alms from the cathedral box, fortune favored the leery. How do you tell people to fear no longer when it was all they had known for so long? He watched the light fade from bright eyes until the smothered remnants of black ash took out the colors all together. Kendrew could recollect that, color, and he wondered how much of it would be for the spring celebrations soon. There could be nothing without hope. Little did he know his life hung in the balance on a field of civic warfare instead of the killing fields of the countryside. A glint of dagger was no more than the reflection from a woman's silver mirror on a cart. Peregrine's control for self was not the knight's to maintain, so he only knew that was greeted off hand by the oddity who was once an embissary and now a wild rogue galavanting in the streets. Ah well. We all find our happiness somewhere, yes? "Aye." He replied, Peregrine's odd dance-a-dance gestures making the elder knight quirk a brow. It smoothed, though, at the present of the Lady Avalle"G'evenin!" He grinned, stepping aside of Peregrine with a gesture of pardon me so that he might bow as was proper. (d)
Peregrine: Fate would find it's way into the heart of others, the proof touching wildly at his chest. However, it would be when Kendrew bowed would he turn away to hide his smirk as eyes rolled to the sky. With a complete turn his steps were slow, but would still before the lady who never did seem to greet him..anywhere. However, as to almost mock the man he would give a proper bow, with arm out and everything--one hand over his chest. Hell..had he his hat he would have removed it for show. Your Highness, words did not leave his lips, but they read very clear inside his eyes. Having to tilt his head back a little to look the man in the eye, he strangely felt less threatened, but knew well brawn only improved with age. "I was just telling Sir Knight here that the day was beautiful..so glad to see you out enjoying it as well." They all spoke in turns, and he would do well to pull the mask of chivalry over his face, if he was not bursting at the seams with his jest. "And you bring your child..good to see you out, Gelfling." Bending with his hands upon his knees he would become eye level with the boy. Do you like whiskey? "Your mother feeding you?" He would poke where he knew ALL children to be ticklish and grin, "Rosalind..he needs more sweets." His eyes grew wide with the word, just as he would imagine the boy's, "You tell her, you need to come see that ole pirate uncle of your more hmm?" Though..the last time..oh let's not talk about that now. (d
Rosalind: There was a simple reason why Rosalind never seemed to greet him in public -- he was always in the midst of doing something truly awful to those she liked. Or at least plotting it. She grinned anyway, seeing that Kendrew wasn't too bothered with Peregrine's antics, and curtsied to both men, quite a feat with a twisted leg and the extra weight of a child in one arm. "I was tempted to return to the castle. There are things in this market that my child should not see. But I imagine it is only with an adult's eyes does this market seem ... unseemly. He sees colors and light, things he wishes me to buy, and even more he wishes to stick in his mouth." With a laugh, she shook her head. "Would you look at these chubby arms, Pere, and tell me he needs more sweets?" *
Peregrine: "And I would assume you mean me." He straightened his body then as the breeze shifted strands of sunwashed blonde across his face. "There is nothing in these streets that would hurt this child.." Was that a promise? That little lostflicker of a flame that had once wanted nothing more then to have children of his own--snuffed by his own heart. Passing a look to the retreating Kendrew as he was drawn away by the men of the clan's he would then look to her guards "Hey fella's. How's it going?" He cast them a cokey little chyt eating grin, knowing full well they'd have him tied up at the bottom of the sea in a heartbeat. "Watching her behind for me, twinkle toes?" A nickname he would give one of her guards, but the meaning would remain a secret--for now. (d
Rosalind: "Ah, Pere, be kind. They have all sworn oaths to me. It took up the better part of my day yesterday." She must truly believe, for her own sanity, that though they would break an oath to a man, they would not to Christ. She might never believe herself truly safe, but this was close enough. It was far better than knowing her guards were more captors than protectors. She pulled Pere away from where they were standing, sending a look to the men that froze them in their tracks. The hand she held him with, she suddenly realized, felt as if it was on fire and she dropped him instantly, wishing she could stamp her feet and scream like Aldric, but doing the infinitely more adult thing and cursing in French. "Did I arrive at a bad time?" Her expression remained neutral, but her hazel eyes were a warning color of an oncoming storm. "Tell me I misread what I saw, that it was an illusion in a crowd of people and no more, that what you do elsehwere in Turas Lan you are not doing in a market street, to the only man in all of Scotland whom I can trust not to make war on my son?" *
Peregrine: Never one to mind being pulled along, he would wait until she was finished to pass her that dark little grin of his, "Do you believe everything you see, Majesty?" He tried his best to be shocked, act surprised she would even accuse him of such a thing! Woah woah woah, "Elsewhere? Rosalind?" He narrowed his eyes then all the jest falling away like ice melting across his features. "So you assume because I killed your husband, I'm after Kendrew too? Ha! Well..you are half right, mon cher. Kendrew is safe, you have no reason to worry. What reason would I have to kill him?" Stepping just a bit closer his shadow from the falling sun would stretch out over her, as he whispered..eyes darkening as he spoke, the words came with ease, "But trust me..if I wanted him dead, you would have been standing over his dead body hours ago." Was this man a nut or what? "Now tell me..what do you know of what I do..elsewhere?" (d
Rosalind: "Why else would you tell me not to mention your name after dark if I value my life? A man who does not have enemies would never say this. And I wonder what it is a man does, to gain such enemies that he fears for a friend seeking his company? Colban told me what happened at that pub. He met you. I could not imagine anyone else he would describe as a shifty, blond tinker." Colban had also mentioned the words pocket-sized, but everyone could fit in tha man's pocket. She did not budge when he stepped closer, merely lifted her chin a bit and stared back at him. Aldric, puzzled, looked between the pair, then decided something interesting on Perry's shirt required inspection, and tugged. Not getting the reaction he liked, his squirming forced Rosalind to break from her staring contest to place Aldric on the ground before her arm gave way and she dropped him. She held his hand, though, refusing to let him wander off. "I ... " She lifted her shoulders in a Gallic shrug. "I do not know, Peregrine. You are perfectly capable of looking after yourself. You do not need me to worry for you." It was a lie. Of course she worried for him. *
Peregrine: Just the mention of that man's name sent fire to his eyes. However where many men would have acted, he only laughed, "Is that all he had to say then? He was not quick to tell you to stay away? Hmm." Watching Aldric safely to the ground he was quick to return his attention to her eyes. "No..you do not worry about me, and now..I do not worry about you. I see you living a very happy life, and with yesterday's ceremony I watched as you put your hand in history." Of course not invited he had hid back on some perch secretly witnessing the whole thing. "I do not fear for your life, Rosalind, you can come looking all you want...but you will not like what you find." (d
Rosalind: "Why do you assume to know what I feel? First you say I cannot love you. Now you say I cannot worry for you." Her look was a mixture of annoyance, anger, and hurt, and like that smile he was so fond of commenting on, was entirely genuine. She'd left the courtier behind at the castle, along with all of the Lamont politics. "If I did not accept who you are, and what you are, I would be dead now. I know this. Look at me," she demanded softly. "I still trust you, though I do not understand you most times." She released Aldric's hand only for a moment, and he promptly sat down on the ground, folding his arms over his chest as he waited impatiently for the world to pay attention to him once again. She touched his jaw, fingertips glancing across smooth skin. "It is difficult for me to trust anyone. And all those I care for go away. So I guard my heart, though it still beats. Do not tell me what I feel." *
Peregrine: "I never told you, you couldn't love me..or worry..but you that you shouldn't. Stepping through her hand, it would be forced back over his neck and shoulder, as he touched her hip with one hand and took her other to press against his chest to where his heart beat wild and free. "If you trusted me." He spoke as he captured her then, no doubt making a little scene. "Then why did you question my intentions with Campbell? Rosalind.." He breathed her name as his lips came to rest against her ear, the illusion of dancing in the middle of the streets with a child at their feet, "You..don't know who to trust..or what to feel. You are walking blindly from your pain, as now you can walk on your own." All whispered very tenderly against the soft shell of her ear, " Let's not ruin that with you spending your nights worrying of something that will end up leaving you too in the end." With that he would release her, eyes kept low in her own as he took a step back, and smiled down to the boy. "You..worry about Rosalind..and your son. I'll worry about Pere'..deal?" Reaching out his hand to her, an offer of truce--the shake of trust, it was a civilized actbetween two who wished to make a pact as she was not the only one guarding her heart. For a man who offered his body so freely, made love to many, only one had ever held his heart. (d
Rosalind: Rosalind stepped back as he released her. She would have been a great player of chess, for she never made a move without considering each possible outcome. Yet for this move, for suddenly finding herself caring so deeply for this pirate, for this impossibly complicated tinker who knew her darkest secrets and yet held her at a distance, she had not planned for. And his reaction stung. She picked up her child in her good arm, saying cheerful things to him to put that smile back on his open face, the sparkle back in those pouting blue eyes. When she turned back to Pere, it was as if the clouds returned just for him, darkening a sunny day. She fought them off with another flickering smile, but he had ruined it. He even held out his hand, as if they were business partners. "I am sure you have your reasons for everything that you do. You are not a stupid man, Peregrine. And I am not blind." She struggled tokeep her voice level, but it cracked with emotion. This week had been so difficult, so filled with highs and lows, with love and terror, pride and despair. She wished to take back her move, to keep up with the polite words she always had for him, with the pleasant greetings. Rosalind, her eyes flickering down to Aldric momentarily, did the next best thing. "I will not accept that deal." She turned her back on him and walked away. *
Peregrine: Duty ran along with sobriety, where fountains were filled so too would the the drinks in the passing taverns, but it would not be there one would find the pirate on this spring venture. Like any slumbering beast he came alive in the sun, the dormant life came rushing to the surface and with it the hope of warmer days. The streets were crowded as so many tried their hand in recovery from the last battle, but it was now with the return of market that kept his attention. However, with all their goods displayed like the back of a peacoke's feather, he could not help but wonder if any were as they seemed. What would it take to sell their goods in the struggling economy of a war torn nation? A little show of thigh? Would that put meat on the table for her children? The pirate could almost hear her thoughts as he passed the vendor up, and made a mental note of her face. What would happen if the war did not cease soon? Who would they turn to? The market was almost clear, his path one that would be easy should he wish to walk it. Poisonous words, with a bargain for 'a better tomorrow' would have the nation turn upon the Lord and Lady as history would forever repeat itself. It was a thought, an option but more or less one he would keep to himself as he sought out his own future. Without any means of escape, he felt the need to find a life here..if only for a little while. However, this one always walked the line of good and evil, and his heart was in turmoil--torn--broken, and without the other part even knowing. He had spotted the old Knight in the streets long before he even could see his face. Kendrew was unmistakable, as the gray in his hair caught the light. The gypsy found his hand resting on the hilt of his dagger as he came up behind the man, and he could only imagine how victorious it would feel to watch this great man fall...Those were the sick thoughts that chased a bloodthirsty pirate's mind who was coming off his addiction, but for the moment his will was strong, and with a smirk he would settle his eyes upon the man's back, "Good Afternoon, Kendrew." They had met only once before, while the pirate flirted openly with the Duchess..in the tavern, with Apollo. "It is a good day is it not?" Dark eyes settled then with the man's as he circled the man's shoulder. "Out for fresh air?" (d
Rosalind: Rosalind and the child had been in the castle all day, sorting out the remaining affairs of Lamont, seeing to various duties, and catching up on such luxuries as napping. Both mother and son had indulged in a nap that lasted far too long, and though only one awoke cranky, Rosalind thought it would be a fine idea if both of them went for a walk. Aldric had his first glimpse of the market, and thanks to his small size, saw only the shiny baubles and bursts of color before his mother, seeing quite a bit more than she wished to, laughingly removed Aldric back to the castle where he could continue acting like a dragon in the G-rated courtyard of Griffin Castle. But unable to settle down for the evening, she took a shawl and wrapped it around her hair, forgoing the wimple and settling on her usually plain wardrobe, brightened today with a sash of stunning emerald green. She did have an eye for color, regardless of how simply she dressed, and her usual wry sense of humor was displayed in all its glory as that sash of green could easily be seen parting through the crowd. And whom else was easy to spot in that crowd but the impossibly tall Kendrew. "Why, Campbell, fancy we should meet again so soon!" It was only as she waved her way through the next small gathering, her guards already grumbling at her persistance, that she spotted Peregrine. *
Kendrew: The streets were bustling on some lanes and dormant on others. Fortune for many did not translate into such for all people. A bustling port still was a few months behind on what could come in. There were those anxious to buy again while the more conservative clutched their coin as if it were bullion from the Pope. Frightful of recieving no more than a few alms from the cathedral box, fortune favored the leery. How do you tell people to fear no longer when it was all they had known for so long? He watched the light fade from bright eyes until the smothered remnants of black ash took out the colors all together. Kendrew could recollect that, color, and he wondered how much of it would be for the spring celebrations soon. There could be nothing without hope. Little did he know his life hung in the balance on a field of civic warfare instead of the killing fields of the countryside. A glint of dagger was no more than the reflection from a woman's silver mirror on a cart. Peregrine's control for self was not the knight's to maintain, so he only knew that was greeted off hand by the oddity who was once an embissary and now a wild rogue galavanting in the streets. Ah well. We all find our happiness somewhere, yes? "Aye." He replied, Peregrine's odd dance-a-dance gestures making the elder knight quirk a brow. It smoothed, though, at the present of the Lady Avalle"G'evenin!" He grinned, stepping aside of Peregrine with a gesture of pardon me so that he might bow as was proper. (d)
Peregrine: Fate would find it's way into the heart of others, the proof touching wildly at his chest. However, it would be when Kendrew bowed would he turn away to hide his smirk as eyes rolled to the sky. With a complete turn his steps were slow, but would still before the lady who never did seem to greet him..anywhere. However, as to almost mock the man he would give a proper bow, with arm out and everything--one hand over his chest. Hell..had he his hat he would have removed it for show. Your Highness, words did not leave his lips, but they read very clear inside his eyes. Having to tilt his head back a little to look the man in the eye, he strangely felt less threatened, but knew well brawn only improved with age. "I was just telling Sir Knight here that the day was beautiful..so glad to see you out enjoying it as well." They all spoke in turns, and he would do well to pull the mask of chivalry over his face, if he was not bursting at the seams with his jest. "And you bring your child..good to see you out, Gelfling." Bending with his hands upon his knees he would become eye level with the boy. Do you like whiskey? "Your mother feeding you?" He would poke where he knew ALL children to be ticklish and grin, "Rosalind..he needs more sweets." His eyes grew wide with the word, just as he would imagine the boy's, "You tell her, you need to come see that ole pirate uncle of your more hmm?" Though..the last time..oh let's not talk about that now. (d
Rosalind: There was a simple reason why Rosalind never seemed to greet him in public -- he was always in the midst of doing something truly awful to those she liked. Or at least plotting it. She grinned anyway, seeing that Kendrew wasn't too bothered with Peregrine's antics, and curtsied to both men, quite a feat with a twisted leg and the extra weight of a child in one arm. "I was tempted to return to the castle. There are things in this market that my child should not see. But I imagine it is only with an adult's eyes does this market seem ... unseemly. He sees colors and light, things he wishes me to buy, and even more he wishes to stick in his mouth." With a laugh, she shook her head. "Would you look at these chubby arms, Pere, and tell me he needs more sweets?" *
Peregrine: "And I would assume you mean me." He straightened his body then as the breeze shifted strands of sunwashed blonde across his face. "There is nothing in these streets that would hurt this child.." Was that a promise? That little lostflicker of a flame that had once wanted nothing more then to have children of his own--snuffed by his own heart. Passing a look to the retreating Kendrew as he was drawn away by the men of the clan's he would then look to her guards "Hey fella's. How's it going?" He cast them a cokey little chyt eating grin, knowing full well they'd have him tied up at the bottom of the sea in a heartbeat. "Watching her behind for me, twinkle toes?" A nickname he would give one of her guards, but the meaning would remain a secret--for now. (d
Rosalind: "Ah, Pere, be kind. They have all sworn oaths to me. It took up the better part of my day yesterday." She must truly believe, for her own sanity, that though they would break an oath to a man, they would not to Christ. She might never believe herself truly safe, but this was close enough. It was far better than knowing her guards were more captors than protectors. She pulled Pere away from where they were standing, sending a look to the men that froze them in their tracks. The hand she held him with, she suddenly realized, felt as if it was on fire and she dropped him instantly, wishing she could stamp her feet and scream like Aldric, but doing the infinitely more adult thing and cursing in French. "Did I arrive at a bad time?" Her expression remained neutral, but her hazel eyes were a warning color of an oncoming storm. "Tell me I misread what I saw, that it was an illusion in a crowd of people and no more, that what you do elsehwere in Turas Lan you are not doing in a market street, to the only man in all of Scotland whom I can trust not to make war on my son?" *
Peregrine: Never one to mind being pulled along, he would wait until she was finished to pass her that dark little grin of his, "Do you believe everything you see, Majesty?" He tried his best to be shocked, act surprised she would even accuse him of such a thing! Woah woah woah, "Elsewhere? Rosalind?" He narrowed his eyes then all the jest falling away like ice melting across his features. "So you assume because I killed your husband, I'm after Kendrew too? Ha! Well..you are half right, mon cher. Kendrew is safe, you have no reason to worry. What reason would I have to kill him?" Stepping just a bit closer his shadow from the falling sun would stretch out over her, as he whispered..eyes darkening as he spoke, the words came with ease, "But trust me..if I wanted him dead, you would have been standing over his dead body hours ago." Was this man a nut or what? "Now tell me..what do you know of what I do..elsewhere?" (d
Rosalind: "Why else would you tell me not to mention your name after dark if I value my life? A man who does not have enemies would never say this. And I wonder what it is a man does, to gain such enemies that he fears for a friend seeking his company? Colban told me what happened at that pub. He met you. I could not imagine anyone else he would describe as a shifty, blond tinker." Colban had also mentioned the words pocket-sized, but everyone could fit in tha man's pocket. She did not budge when he stepped closer, merely lifted her chin a bit and stared back at him. Aldric, puzzled, looked between the pair, then decided something interesting on Perry's shirt required inspection, and tugged. Not getting the reaction he liked, his squirming forced Rosalind to break from her staring contest to place Aldric on the ground before her arm gave way and she dropped him. She held his hand, though, refusing to let him wander off. "I ... " She lifted her shoulders in a Gallic shrug. "I do not know, Peregrine. You are perfectly capable of looking after yourself. You do not need me to worry for you." It was a lie. Of course she worried for him. *
Peregrine: Just the mention of that man's name sent fire to his eyes. However where many men would have acted, he only laughed, "Is that all he had to say then? He was not quick to tell you to stay away? Hmm." Watching Aldric safely to the ground he was quick to return his attention to her eyes. "No..you do not worry about me, and now..I do not worry about you. I see you living a very happy life, and with yesterday's ceremony I watched as you put your hand in history." Of course not invited he had hid back on some perch secretly witnessing the whole thing. "I do not fear for your life, Rosalind, you can come looking all you want...but you will not like what you find." (d
Rosalind: "Why do you assume to know what I feel? First you say I cannot love you. Now you say I cannot worry for you." Her look was a mixture of annoyance, anger, and hurt, and like that smile he was so fond of commenting on, was entirely genuine. She'd left the courtier behind at the castle, along with all of the Lamont politics. "If I did not accept who you are, and what you are, I would be dead now. I know this. Look at me," she demanded softly. "I still trust you, though I do not understand you most times." She released Aldric's hand only for a moment, and he promptly sat down on the ground, folding his arms over his chest as he waited impatiently for the world to pay attention to him once again. She touched his jaw, fingertips glancing across smooth skin. "It is difficult for me to trust anyone. And all those I care for go away. So I guard my heart, though it still beats. Do not tell me what I feel." *
Peregrine: "I never told you, you couldn't love me..or worry..but you that you shouldn't. Stepping through her hand, it would be forced back over his neck and shoulder, as he touched her hip with one hand and took her other to press against his chest to where his heart beat wild and free. "If you trusted me." He spoke as he captured her then, no doubt making a little scene. "Then why did you question my intentions with Campbell? Rosalind.." He breathed her name as his lips came to rest against her ear, the illusion of dancing in the middle of the streets with a child at their feet, "You..don't know who to trust..or what to feel. You are walking blindly from your pain, as now you can walk on your own." All whispered very tenderly against the soft shell of her ear, " Let's not ruin that with you spending your nights worrying of something that will end up leaving you too in the end." With that he would release her, eyes kept low in her own as he took a step back, and smiled down to the boy. "You..worry about Rosalind..and your son. I'll worry about Pere'..deal?" Reaching out his hand to her, an offer of truce--the shake of trust, it was a civilized actbetween two who wished to make a pact as she was not the only one guarding her heart. For a man who offered his body so freely, made love to many, only one had ever held his heart. (d
Rosalind: Rosalind stepped back as he released her. She would have been a great player of chess, for she never made a move without considering each possible outcome. Yet for this move, for suddenly finding herself caring so deeply for this pirate, for this impossibly complicated tinker who knew her darkest secrets and yet held her at a distance, she had not planned for. And his reaction stung. She picked up her child in her good arm, saying cheerful things to him to put that smile back on his open face, the sparkle back in those pouting blue eyes. When she turned back to Pere, it was as if the clouds returned just for him, darkening a sunny day. She fought them off with another flickering smile, but he had ruined it. He even held out his hand, as if they were business partners. "I am sure you have your reasons for everything that you do. You are not a stupid man, Peregrine. And I am not blind." She struggled tokeep her voice level, but it cracked with emotion. This week had been so difficult, so filled with highs and lows, with love and terror, pride and despair. She wished to take back her move, to keep up with the polite words she always had for him, with the pleasant greetings. Rosalind, her eyes flickering down to Aldric momentarily, did the next best thing. "I will not accept that deal." She turned her back on him and walked away. *
