Klain arrival
The journey to Klain was relatively short and uneventful. Naomi found the riverboat far steadier than the ship she'd been on in the ocean. The water moved faster sideways, but not nearly so much up and down.
She did her best to keep Quilina cheerful and occupied, to give Jacqueline, the girl's mother, some much-needed rest. The woman had apparently been woken many nights in a row by her daughter's nightmares.
Naomi could empathize. Rhone children often suffered from nightmares of the Darkness. However, since this child was not of Rhone and not cursed, Naomi guessed the nightmares must be intentional inflictions of the Void.
She didn't want to pry by asking Quilina specifics of the dreams. Lysander came out for a while to sit and talk with the girl, a kindness in his tired eyes.
The fact that the child avoided falling asleep and woke screaming when she drifted off was enough to discourage Naomi's questions to either her or the man who confessed that he also suffered from the dreams.
Once they arrived in Klain, Duncan and Caspian went straight to the Council to make their reports and introductions, and Naomi took Jacqueline and Quilina with her. Deirdre and Lysander's servants met them at the dock, and the couple was kind enough to send one to lead Naomi to Roland's home.
When they arrived, the servant gave a short half-bow and departed, leaving Naomi to knock tentatively on the door. If the babies were asleep, she certainly didn't want to wake them.
Perhaps it was a mistake to come stay here; often new mothers wanted space to get a handle on their new rhythm without interference.
A bustling Mrs. Sherman opened the door with a baby in one arm.
"Naomi! Come in, sweet girl. Where is your new husband? Oh, doubtlessly reporting to the Council, I'm sure. And you've brought friends? Roland's letter didn't say anything about them, did it Finn?" She turned to the now greatly-reduced-in-size woman who was sitting down with a child in each arm.
"No, but I'm sure they are most welcome," The lady of the house replied. "Do come in and sit down."
"This is Quilina, and her mother Jacqueline. Mayra sent me with a letter explaining," Naomi held out the missive, but hesitated awkwardly when she realized Finn had no free hands to take it with. She settled for placing it on a small table next to Finn's chair.
"Thank you. Would you mind taking a baby?" The new mother was clearly eager to read the note from her friend, and Naomi was honored to be so quickly trusted to hold one of the infants.
"Of course, are you sure?" She asked.
"We're cousins now, or at least married to cousins. That makes us family!" Finn's attitude was overwhelmingly kind.
Their interactions were not extensive during Naomi's brief first visit. Finn had been uncomfortably pregnant at the time and not up to a lot of conversation. Now, relieved of her physical burdens, her true personality must be showing.
Naomi beamed and picked up a baby with long, dark hair and eyes that reminded her of the sea.
"That's Lily," Finn smiled, "my daughter."
"Beautiful girl," Naomi cooed. "Quilina, would you like to come see her?"
"She's my BEST FRIEND," Victoria announced possessively as she entered the room.
"Others can still look at her," Mrs. Sherman chastised her adopted daughter. "Why don't you help make Serafina's guests feel welcome instead of rudely interrupting the conversation when you enter a room?"
The censure in the motherly tone was felt keenly, and the girl's face fell. After a few seconds of gathering herself, she took a deep breath and looked up at the new people.
"Oh! You brought me another friend? Hi, I'm Victoria!" The dark-haired girl bounced over to the new addition. "Do you have any dolls?"
Quilina held out her new Cetoan doll a little shyly. "This is Lucy. It means 'light'."
"Lucy will love my dolls! Let's go play in the garden!" Victoria grabbed the new girl's hand, and the two went from the room as fast friends. Jacqueline's face was a mixture of emotions, and she turned to watch Finn's expression as the woman finished reading the letter from Mayra.
"This… I see." Finn said as she absorbed the information.
"Can you help?" Naomi asked with a little trepidation. Apparently Mayra thought so, or she wouldn't have sent the little girl so far from home.
"I'm not entirely sure. I have some things that can encourage sleep, but I'm afraid there's little out there that can prevent dreams, especially if Mayra's suspicions are true. The Void's attacks are not natural, and so I doubt the solution would be."
"Do you have… unnatural solutions?" Jacqueline's voice shook.
"I have been learning some healing and other things that are not quite among the usual methods," Finn said thoughtfully. "Perhaps her presence here will be enough to give her some relief. The Void has never directly attacked within Klain, and I have to logically conclude that its powers are limited here, or perhaps cut it off entirely from coming within the city. Mayra and I have discussed the logic of it before, which is why she sent you here.
"In case that is not enough, I will try to ask for help tonight. Mayra attempted to do so, without success. That could either mean that this matter is too important to merit interference, or that Mayra was already on the right track, so no aid is needed. I hope it is the latter." Finn smiled.
"I don't understand," Quilina's mother admitted. "But you think she may sleep well just by being inside the city?"
"That is my hope," Finn smiled. "You look exhausted, if you don't mind my saying so. I'm well acquainted with the feeling, lately," she cast an affectionate look over her children. "Please treat my home as your own and retire whenever you wish."
"Thank you," Jacqueline looked like she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders in her worry for her child.
Finn, oddly, looked like she could empathize with that feeling as well, despite the fact that her babies all seemed in the peak of health. Naomi wondered at it, but turned to the child in her arms instead, determined to enjoy the snuggles. She gently touched Lily's nose and was rewarded with an adorable expression of confusion.
She wondered how long it would be before she might have a child of her own.
_______________
Across the city, Caspian was doing his best not to show his discomfort before the Council.
He had elected to wear shoes and long Klain-style pants for this meeting, but with a loose Cetoan shirt. He wanted to be appropriately dressed for the colder weather, but with a reminder of his heritage for the Council to see.
Duncan had given some helpful advice on practicality versus diplomacy, but admitted that he had learned much on that subject from his son.
Caspian had a fair amount of respect for his uncle-by-marriage. He'd never met Roland's mother, and so had no natural affection for the man who had married her, but nonetheless, the man was a king, and seemed a fairly good one.
Though Haf's second son hoped to avoid the weight of leadership, he'd be foolish to neglect the opportunity to learn more about differing methods from other rulers.
The Council was a bizarre and interesting affair. These men sat around a table talking about what to do instead of just doing what needed to be done? And each had different jobs?
Was Klain so vast that it needed five rulers instead of one?
Caspian chewed the inside of his cheek, regretting for the first time that he'd never bothered to study maps of the interior of the continent. He could tell at a glance that the city was far more extensive and housed many more people than the Cetoans' sprawling fishing settlements.
Klain was easily larger, land-wise, but their buildings were also multi-storied. Did the people live on top of one another here? Surely it would be like living in a cave to be underneath so much! Naomi had said something about liking the Cetoan houses better, hadn't she?
He would be saddened if she liked this way of living better and found their home disappointing by comparison.
Tugging his thoughts back to the present, he looked around at the Council members. After presenting Caspian to the Council and introducing them, King Duncan had taken what was apparently his seat off to the side of the room, close enough to be included in discussion but clearly not one of the members of Klain's government.
The Commodore's son was unsure if he was supposed to speak first or wait to be spoken to. He touched his chin, then his chest, and lowered his hand, palm up, before resting it at his side.
"Greetings from Ceto," He said confidently. "I trust you have already received what ill news we have to offer."
"Yes, but we have not yet imparted all of ours." The man in the center, had Duncan called him the judge? responded. "In light of our growing alliance and the seriousness of the threat we face, we have agreed to share it now."