42 Chapter 42

Gawain had somehow lost the argument about neatening his room. He would have known exactly how she'd won, but she had sweetly asked him to fetch her a large tent peg. And she really had been adorable. That was not normally a concept which entered his mind, but Kation had sidled in close, given him a trembling little smile and peeped up at him through her mess of hair and long lashes.

It had rendered him speechless and he walked out in a daze to get her a bloody tent peg. Girls had asked him for various things in the past, but never a big iron spike. In hindsight, if he had known what she intended to use it for, he would have handed her over to Dagonet and Arthur for lessons in sensitivity and goodwill. By the time he had returned, his room was half-tidied. Reasoning that it was useless to fight, he exchanged his room's messiness for the tent peg and hurriedly pushed her out into the corridor.

Just as she was leaving, they bumped into Tristan—who was looking particularly inscrutable.

"Alright, playtime's over!" he snarled, grabbing Kation's arm and dragging her away.

After hearing the girl's indignant retort, Gawain swiftly left the barracks by the other set of stairs. When those two fought, it was far safer to not interfere. Cador tried it once and had received two icy glares for his trouble. Gawain thought it was rather like trying to separate two enraged animals—dangerous and doomed to failure. Then he put aside thinking of those monsters for a time and focused on chores and daily duties like sharpening his axe. It wasn't hard to find something more entertaining than—

—A bucket of icy water tipped over him in a heart-stopping wave.

"Aaauuurrrgghh!" He leapt up, shuddering and pushing his hair out of his eyes, casting around for the culprit. "What the bloody—? Gods, you're insane!" he screamed, glaring at the unrepentant grins of Cador and Kahedin peeping down at him from the hayloft.

"You missed a spot when washing!" Cador crowed.

"So we thought we'd help you out!" Kahedin concluded winking.

Chores forgotten, Gawain picked up his axe and charged at them, snarling like a tiger. Both culprits yelped and fled, only to crash into Dinadan who was hastily used as a human shield for their escape. By the time Gawain had managed to get past the grumpier of the twins, he had been deprived of his axe and knife, thus making it necessary to strangle the two mischief makers to death instead.

And in the mad chase around the fort, Gawain almost sent someone flying in his haste to catch up with Cador (the cunning bastards had split up to increase their chances of survival).

"Agh!"

Too late, he realised his mistake.

"Brenna?!" he gasped, immediately changing from soaked but murderous to bedraggled and embarrassed. "I am so sorry."

"Th-that's alright," she stammered, blushing as he helped her to her feet.

Gawain stared down at her, unsure what to say. "Um… your dress is muddy." He offered lamely.

Brenna's blush darkened and she stared at her now filthy skirts. "Yes," she whispered.

The awkward moment stretched out for a long time until a much-loathed voice called out: "You're supposed to kiss her, idiot!"

He spun round, looking for Cador's face, but instead saw a thoroughly amused-looking Lancelot struggling to maintain the blond knight in a headlock. "Don't mind me," he said cheerily. "Carry on!" and then proceeded to drag Cador away. Thoroughly confused and now wishing the gods would strike him from the face of the earth, Gawain turned back to Brenna who was already walking away.

"Wait! Brenna I'm sorry, it's not—!"

She whirled around, her eyes blazing with uncharacteristic fire. "It's exactly that!" she hissed, not letting her temper rage out of control. Despite the mud and banality of the scene, Gawain thought she was transcendent in her passionate fury. "You s-stupid knights with your high-handed ways! Literally trampling all over people for your own amusement! I'm sick of the lot of you!"

And with that she flounced off, mud-encrusted skirts flapping and long golden braid swishing like an angry cat's tail.

~oOo~

The baby was now so big and heavy in her that it was a miracle Vanora could walk at all! It was early evening and with one hand bracing her aching back and the other gripping the counter, she hobbled round towards the kitchens where a sturdy chair was waiting for her. Her feet ached and she felt that if this child didn't decide to be born soon, she'd explode. Sinking into the chair slowly, the redhead sighed heavily and rested her hands on her swollen belly, running chilled fingers over the huge sphere and silently praying that her child would safely arrive into the world. She was about to call to one of the girls and ask for a cup of water when Brenna burst in, her face was red and her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"Oh V-Vanora! I c-can't s-stand it!" she howled, casting herself down onto her knees beside Vanora's chair and burying her head in her hands. She sobbed noisily.

Since Brenna only stuttered like that when she was near a complete emotional outburst, Vanora heaved another gargantuan sigh. "What's happened now?"

"Th-those horrible men!" Brenna howled. "I w-was just w-walking th-through the f-fort… a-and suddenly C-Cador and Kahedin charge p-past me, hooting l-like owls…"

Owls? Had Brenna been working too hard recently? Vanora resisted the urge to sigh for a third time and patted the blonde head helplessly. "And then what happened?" she prompted.

"Th-then G-Gawain appeared! Soaking w-wet! And knocked m-me to the g-ground!"

Ah. "So you got caught up in the middle of one of their childish jokes?"

"I-I know he ap-p-pologised, but… then Cador s-said 'kiss her'! I've n-never been s-so mortified i-in my life—!"

"The arrogant bastard!" someone hissed in an undertone as they entered the kitchen behind Vanora. "Self-important, goat-fucking, clap-ridden son of a bitch!" the voice never got above a whisper, but it rang through the room like a thunderclap.

Such was the effect this person had on a room full of people when they were in a bad mood.

"K-Kation!" Brenna gasped, voicing the entire room's horror at her invective. "Wh-what…?"

"Why," Vanora said, icily cutting across Brenna's shocked stammering, "are you storming in here swearing like a legionary over Tristan? And yes, I would like to know what he's done provided you wait your turn and keep it short. Those knights have been committing too many crimes recently."

Kation finally appeared in her field of vision. Her clothes were rumpled, but she was still and quiet after her outburst. She bared her teeth in something approaching a grin, "I can handle Tristan," she said softly.

Vanora didn't doubt it. "Aye," she said, "you can. But right now, Brenna's suffering problems with Gawain." She quickly summarised the events as Kation grabbed a carrot out of the basket and began gnawing on it, staring into the middle distance contemplatively.

"Sounds shitty," the disguised girl said eventually. "I say you look spectacular tonight and show him just who he's messing with." She waved to one of the serving girls. "Verica!"

Gorgeous Verica appeared. "Yes Kation?"

"Can you help Brenna look especially nice tonight? We need to enact some revenge against Gawain and Cador," Kation winked at Vanora, who stuffed down the urge to snort with laughter.

"Absolutely!" Verica said, smiling in a distinctly devious way.

They plotted and planned for several minutes until the perfect scenario had been established. Kation was trying to leave as they began their plans, citing important paperwork. Vanora would have liked a similar excuse and was about to say something when a deep pain lanced through her core and she felt something give inside her.

"Oh no…" she moaned, hands clutching her belly.

"What? Is it time?" Verica gasped, moving closer. Brenna also came near and took one of her hands.

"Yes," Vanora gasped, feeling a mixture of panic, pain and elation.

Kation, however, looked at her in horror. "I've never seen a birth before…" she whispered, backing away.

"What? How is that even possible?!" Vanora screamed around the pain as a contraction swept through her.

~oOo~

That bloody girl had scampered off again! She chose Gawain's festering pit of a room over theirs. Needless to say, Tristan barely slept—ears straining for some sound of… something. The thought of Kation with… with…

He sighed and glared at Tagiytei, who waggled his head and snorted back at him.

Even the damn horse thought he was an idiot.

Well, maybe he was.

"Hey, watch it!" someone yelled behind him. Tristan barely flinched, he was safe-ish in the fort. No need to—

"Master!"

He whipped round, braids flying, to see Kation sprinting towards him. Her face was white and her eyes huge in her head.

Running away… running back again… couldn't she make up her mind?!

"What is it?" he asked, getting to his feet. He'd never seen her look so scared. Kation skidded to a stop in front of him, her arms pin-wheeling to keep her balance.

"I've got to find Sir Bors. It's Miss Vanora…" she gasped, "she… she…"

"Well?"

"She's gone into labour."

Tristan felt the blood drain from his face. "Where is she?"

"In the tavern's kitchen. Verica and Brenna are dragging her upstairs and sent me to get help," Kation had got her breath back, but was still shaking slightly. "I've already got the midwife, but…" she swallowed then forcibly shook herself, "I need to find Bors," she shot him a desperate look. "Right now."

"Have you tried the training quadrant?"

"I've run round this entire sodding fort twice now," Kation growled, shoving him in the chest. He barely moved. "And I know he's not out on patrol, so unless he's absent without the proper exemption, I can only assume Dagonet finally dispensed with reason and dropped him down a well."

Tristan had to keep the small, amused smile from his face listening to her rant. It was only when she was especially worked up that she used such big words.

"And you want me to check the wells?" he drawled, crossing his arms over his chest.

To her credit, she didn't pull a face or attempt to strangle him. "I want you to provide me with the necessary muscle-bound support when I recruit the rest of the hunting party," Kation said. "We need the twins, Lancelot—he has the third loudest voice after Dinadan and our quarry—Gawain and Dagonet." She raked her hands through her hair, pushing it into wild disarray.

They found their hounds easily enough and it took little persuasion for them to see the merit of the plan. The idea of hunting Bors down like a wild animal was not only an amusing notion, but a smart one. The gods would not look kindly upon those who let a first-time mother suffer through childbirth alone. And so they set out, faces a little grim—but their eyes betrayed a sort of anticipatory glee which made them look utterly mad.

Tristan hoped that in his wilder moments, he didn't look that deranged.

As he asked a trader who had just walked up from the village if they had seen Bors, Kahedin appeared at his side.

"Hey, Tris'," he sounded agitated. "I need to talk to you and Kat."

"Not now," Tristan growled. "We need to find Bors."

"Why?"

"Vanora's having the baby."

"Dear gods… and Bors is missing?"

"Exactly."

"Well as terrible as that situation is, I have just received word from a friend of mine."

Despite his distraction, Tristan was half interested. "Oh?"

"He's just got back from Eboracum." Kahedin whispered.

Tristan glanced at him. Kahedin looked almost as excited as Kation. Why was he their first port of call when they needed something? Couldn't they just figure it out themselves? "Did you mention this to Arthur?" he asked softly.

"It's not that simple."

Tristan turned and looked at his friend closely this time. Kahedin stared back, resolute.

"Alright. Go find Kat and meet me outside the fort's eastern gate at sunset," he sighed. This had better be really important.

Kahedin seemed to relax fractionally at his words and with a sharp vulpine grin, he turned and stalked off. Tristan decided to take a break from the search and go to the gate immediately. Between Arthur's increasingly demanding orders, this farcical search for Bors, the constant effort to keep Kation's real identity a secret and trying to deal with the Prefect's conspiracy almost single-handedly… it was amazing he didn't snap and kill someone.

He waited in the shadow of the east gate for a long while, waiting stoically until Mato appeared, looking worried. Before he could ask, the stable boy provided the explanation.

"Kahedin and Kation are missing."