You Have Choices

Writers: Estelle, Miriah
Date Posted: 23rd October 2021
Series: The Assassin's Husband

Characters: Lorican, Lusilk
Description: Lorican and Lusilk mend some misunderstandings
Location: Sunstone Seahold
Date: month 10, day 13 of Turn 10
Notes: Mentioned: Bryvin, Asaile, Brennault

Lusilk

-----

The days since Lorican had discovered that Lusilk was still practicing
her skills as a fighter had been fraught with tension, as bad in some
ways as when they'd been waiting for the hunters to track them down. At
least then there'd been an understanding between them, a bond of shared
danger that had grown stronger day by day. Now they hardly spoke after
Silgan had gone to bed. The first night, after he'd come back late from
the forge and found her sleeping, curled up with her back to his side of
the bed, he'd not been surprised, not after what they'd said. But when
it happened a second night, and a third, he felt the hurt at watching
her turn from him and shun his embrace. He missed her warmth in his
arms, the feel of her hair against his cheek, the way he'd caress the
curve of her belly and imagine their child dreaming within.

He started working more often late into the evening in the forge,
working on his pieces for his Master's knots. The delicate metal clasps
for the pendant for the Lord Holder's wife were best worked on in bright
daylight, but his other project felt right to pursue in the dim evening
light, the forge fire glowing at his back. The work gave him time to
think, too, about all that she'd said, what he knew of her past. How
he'd glimpsed her in her element, her fierce concentration as she'd
fought the men who'd threatened them all.

One evening, when it was almost complete, he finished the day's orders
for the Hold earlier than he had the last few days, banked the fire and
splashed water over his face before heading back to the rooms they
shared. It wasn't yet time for the evening meal and as he'd hoped, he
found her there with Silgan. With a smile for the boy, he crouched down
and held out his arms.

Before Silgan had returned home with a creche worker, Lusilk had been
walking from Silgan's bedroom area to the far end of their dwelling,
pacing with a combination of irritation, frustration, and utter
boredom. Bryvin's "suggestions" hadn't been what she wanted to hear
and for the last few days she had felt so full on unexpressed energy
that she'd come close to chewing on walls. It also hadn't helped that
Lorican had returned from his trip to Dolphins Cove in far too
pleasant of a mood. Despite telling herself that she shouldn't care
and it should be expected that he'd been with his former lover, she
found that it disturbed her that he'd gone to the beautiful blonde to
get his needs met. It made her privately grind her teeth.

When he came in and crouched, Lusilk nearly snapped at him, but bit
her tongue, holding herself back as Silgan rushed to greet him. Little
arms wrapped around Lorican's neck, hugging him tightly as he began to
tell his Da what he'd done for the day: playing with Brylex and Yavin
and learning his letters and numbers with the Lady Asaile. Lusilk
remained quiet, holding back.

Lorican applauded as Silgan finished demonstrating what he'd learned
that day. "Well done, lad! Now you're getting so good at counting,
there's all sorts of jobs you can do around the smithy. Speaking of
which..." He looked up at Lusilk, a flicker of uncertainty visible in
his face, searching in vain for that wicked little smirk he'd grown so
fond of. "There's this special project I've been working on, and I could
do with some help."

"The smithy? Are you sure it's not too dangerous for me and the baby?"
The instant, irritable reply was out of her lips before she could bite
it back and she clamped her teeth down on the inside of her cheek to
still any further reply.

Silgan, feeling the tension in the air, frowned and piped up, trying
to help. "The forge is really okay, Mama. Just stay away from the
glowing metal and the fires. That's what I do. "

Taking a breath, Lusilk managed a bit of a smile, if only to soothe
her son. "Thank you, I'll make sure to do that." Crossing her arms over
her chest, she looked at Lorican again. "What project?"

"It's..." Lorican started to answer, then thought again, wondering if
curiosity might tempt her. "It's something I'd value your opinion on.
Why don't you both come and see?"

That brought an arched brow. He'd only ever approached her about locks
and they'd worked together on the alarm system at Barrier Lake.
Perhaps this was something similar. Rolling her shoulders, she finally
nodded. "Why not? It's not like I'm doing anything interesting this
evening."

The muscles in his face tensed for a moment, but Lorican was not to be
deterred. "All right. Let's go." He straightened and took Silgan's hand,
leading the way out of their rooms and along the passageway that led out
of the Hold while he continued to ask the boy about his day in the creche.

Now the day's work was over, the smithy and the craft workshops that
surrounded it were quiet. Lorican raised a hand in greeting to a guard
on patrol as they approached and looked back over his shoulder as the
man continued on his round back towards the Hold. Then he entered the
smithy and unlocked a door leading to the back room where he kept his
tools and finished pieces for collection. When he emerged, he was
holding a long, flat object resting on his upturned palms.

"It doesn't look finished yet. I need to polish and sharpen it, and I
won't do that until I've got the balance right." As he stepped out of
the smithy, the evening light glittered off the blade of the sword he'd
made for Brennault. It was a simple design, not so very different from
the guards' swords he'd made, but he'd studied the craft Records for
ways to make it lighter and stronger, and the steel was better than any
he'd worked with before. At first glance, the hilt seemed unadorned, but
there was a slight taper and curve in the guard that hinted at the
flowing lines Lorican sought in his work, and remembering who it was
intended for, he'd carefully engraved the stylized outline of a dragon
in flight into the pommel.

His eyes met Lusilk's, with hope. "I thought maybe...you could try it.
See if it needs any adjustment."

There was instant interest in Lusilk's eyes as he emerged holding the
sword. While she wasn't as skilled with a sword as she was with her
daggers, she was conversant enough with them to be able to test the
blade. Without waiting, Lusilk approached to carefully take the sword
in hand.

The hilt and weight were definitely for a man, she thought quickly as
she caught herself carefully, holding the blade up. Her smaller hand
wasn't as secure around the hilt, but her grip remained firm. She
turned the sword slowly, testing the balance in easy, simple movements.
She frowned in thought, then glanced at Lorican. She moved to lay
the flat of the sword over the fingers of her off-hand, watching it
waver before adjusting accordingly. "It's forward heavy. Whoever gets
the sword will have more problems following through or correcting after
a strike." She studied the sword and arched a brow. "For your runner
friend or... someone else?"

"I'll give it to Brennault, but I believe he's planning to trade it to a
young man at Dolphin Cove, in exchange for lessons in sword fighting. At
any rate, it's going to someone who'll know if the balance is off.
First, though, it'll go to the Smith Hall. I'm going to try for my
Master's knots, and they'll want to see a blade I forged." Lorican had
stood back in the doorway to the forge, giving her space and watching
her slow, graceful movements, but now he came closer. "Will you show me
how it should be?"

Now utterly in her element, Lusilk was far more relaxed as she began
to move her hand carefully down the sword. Her mind worked as she
examined the blade more carefully. Remembering the conversations with
Varlin and other men who often took part in their work, she continued.
"If you put too much weight in the hilt, the point of balance is too
low and the person using it won't be able to be fluid and fast." She
gripped the hilt again and swung it slowly. "But in this one, it's at
the end, so recovery would be difficult and will leave him open to a
counter attack. I never liked using swords too much. I liked the
quickness of a dagger or short blade. But..."

She held the blade level to move her hand to four of her fingerwidths
past the hilt on the blade. "Here's where it should be leveled at."
She tapped the spot where her last finger touched the blade. She
moved her hand and the blade's tip began to fall before she caught it.

Silgan whispered up at Lorican. "Mama likes knives."

"I know." Lorican gave the boy a rueful smile, remembering all the times
he'd wound up with one of her knives at his throat. Still, it made him
think. He came to stand behind her, looking down the straight, gleaming
line of the blade, and reached around so that his hand hovered just
below hers, as if to copy her balancing gesture. "May I try?"

Her head turned just enough to see him as she felt the warmth of his
body behind her. Her eyes briefly narrowed before relaxing her facial
muscles into an almost sweet smile. "Certainly. Just a moment." She
turned to look at Silgan even as she gave a small step back, pressing
her hips against Lorican for a brief moment. "Flitlet, would you mind
going to ask one of the maids in the hall what's for desert tonight
after dinner? I'm suddenly very hungry."

Silgan frowned, then perked up at the thought of dessert. "Okay, I'll be
right back!"

Lorican's eyes widened a fraction as her body brushed against his, which
answered with a sudden rush of heat. Had he imagined it, out of too much
hope and longing? As Silgan turned to go, he cleared his throat,
sounding very much the anxious father. "Walk - don't run! Look out for
wagons and runnerbeasts!"

He watched the boy slow to what might be described as a jog and
disappear around the corner of the potter's workshop close by. Then,
carefully, he let his fingers slip between hers, taking their place on
the blade, balancing under the cutting edge.

"While he's gone - I wanted to say..." He fumbled for the words he'd
planned, those long evenings working alone in the smithy, hurried on
before she could speak. "I wanted to apologize for what I said the other
day. About...this." He lifted the sword a fraction. "I know that this is
your skill. That you know the risks, and you wouldn't take any without
need. If it's what you want, what you have to do, then I won't stand in
your way."

"Hmmm... how kind of you." Her voice was a syrupy sweet purr in
response. She slowly turned, the blade he was holding now at her back.
She walked her fingers slowly up his chest, gazing up at him through
her lashes with what would appear to be a coy, winsome smile. "Allowing
me to do what is essentially my craft. Afterall, you're my _husband_,
and I must need your permission to step outside the bounds of what you
expect a wife should do, right?"

"Oh - that's not what I - I didn't mean..." Lorican felt his cheeks turn
hot as, flustered, he let the tip of the sword droop towards the ground.
This wasn't how he'd anticipated the evening going. A small, indignant
part of him insisted that what she did was outside the bounds of what
any law-abiding person should do, man or woman, but he bit his tongue;
this was supposed to be an apology. He tried again. "Lusilk, you don't
need my permission to do anything. I doubt I could hold you to it even
if I wanted to."

Lusilk's lips pursed as she slowly wound her fingers around the collar
of his tunic, tightening the neck just a little. "No, I don't and no
you couldn't." She tugged on the collar lightly. "I make my choices
just like you do." She met his gaze, her dark eyes locked onto his as
her voice softened. "Don't ever think that you can control me,
Lorican. Ever. Is that very clear?"

"Y-yes." Lorican's voice sounded a little breathless, though that owed
more to the rapid beat of his heart, half fearful and half eager, than
the pressure at his neck. "Very clear. I only..." He hesitated, then
went on. "All I want is for you to know you _have_ choices." Slowly, he
brought his arm around, offered her the hilt of the sword, wondering for
a moment if he was out of his mind. "I hope we can make some of them
together."

She didn't let go of his collar, not at first as he offered the hilt
of the sword. Instead, Lusilk kept her eyes on Lorican's while she
considered his words. Tilting her head to the side, she finally visibly
relaxed, shoulders easing. "Alright then. Apology accepted." She took
the sword hilt lightly, then brushed her lips over his lightly.

"Thank you." Lorican closed his eyes at her soft touch, allowed the tips
of his fingers to touch her waist. "Mmm. Too much weight at the end, you
said?" He thought for a moment, remembered the way the blade had
balanced on their entwined fingers, tilting slightly forward. "I can
adjust it and we'll try again. I'll start the fire..."

Her words were soft. "Just add weight to the pommel." Her fingers
stroked over his own on the hilt. "But you don't have to do that right
now, do you? It's getting a little late, don't you think?" The
suggestion in her tone left little doubt as to what she was thinking
and her lips lifted in a devilish little smile. "You have other
concerns with your family tonight."

"In that case, it can definitely wait till tomorrow." All thoughts of
the sword were forgotten as Lorican drew her closer and bowed his head
so that their lips met, softly at first and then deeper, the touch
sending a thrill of anticipation through him. He'd missed that smile.

Lusilk answered the kiss with growing passion, backing slowly up until
a work table hit the back of her hips. Completely prepared to hop up
on the table, she was interrupted by a small, giggling voice near the
entrance of the forge. "Ewww..." Silgan looked at them with an
embarrassed little smile. "Pie. We're havin' pie."

Lorican turned to look over his shoulder and instantly blushed a deep
shade of crimson. "Ah - Mama and I were just...we were...putting the
sword away." He took a deep breath in an attempt to control himself and
held up the blade in question, then followed the boy's gaze to the door
to the back room, where the finished pieces were kept. It was on the
opposite side of the forge. "Anyway...pie! Mmm, my favorite." He thought
for a moment, then looked up hopefully. "I don't suppose you forgot to
ask what kind of pie?"

Lusilk didn't bother to hide her snicker and grinned behind Lorican's
shoulder, with a whisper "You were trying to put the sword
somewhere..." Hidden, her fingers danced low, purposefully trying to
distract and tease while Silgan couldn't see.

Silgan's grin flashed with mischief, almost looking exactly like his
mother for a moment. "You guys were kissin'." Still, he was relieved
that the tension now seemed to be gone. "It's berry pie with cream. I
asked. "

His wife's touch was most...stimulating and Lorican was briefly tempted
to send Silgan running back to find out what was going to be served for
the main course. Regretfully, he decided against it. "Right. We'll carry
on with the, uh, sword, later. You must be getting hungry." He'd still
have to wash off the dust and grime of the forge before dinner. A cold
bath might be a wise idea.

Taking a deep breath, he carried the sword back to the storeroom and
locked it away. "Your mama has been helping me get the balance right. We
make a good team, don't you think?"

Satisfied that the matter was now settled to her way of liking, Lusilk
scooted away from the table and took Silgan's hand. "Definitely
later." A pleased little smile kept her lips turned upwards as she
looked down at her son. "I think we're both absolutely _starving_,
right?"

Silgan nodded readily. "We're all a team now, right? With the baby?
Mama? Can we eat now?"

Lusilk pursed her lips and then nodded. "Let your Da get cleaned up,
hm? We can wait for him."

"I won't be long," Lorican said, smiling, and despite the audience, he
came over and gently kissed her forehead. Pleased at the success of his
stratagem with the sword, as they started back to the Hold he began to
think of what else he could bring from the forge to spark her interest.
He'd never imagined using his craft for a courtship in quite this way,
but for all it was unconventional, he couldn't help liking the idea.

Last updated on the February 6th 2022

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