Chapter 10
 Aquila pulled her horse up as she approached a low hanging limb.  They were traveling
on a narrow path through very heavy foliage.  Trouble had had no problem leaning to
the side of the horse to miss it, but Aquila had one big issue that kept her from ducking or
leaning as Trouble had.  “Um, Trouble.”
 Trouble, already a few feet away, reined up and turned around in the saddle.  His face
said he wanted to die laughing but one look from Aquila told him he had better think twice. 
He turned the horse around and came back.  “There is no way the horse can go around the
limb with all of the trees and bushes.  Hm...can you climb over?”
 Aquila looked at him as if he had lost his mind but then studied the limb.  It was a sturdy
limb and could probably hold her weight.  At least what the limb would get.  She could
keep most of her weight on the horse if she kept one foot on the back end of the horse as
she lifted her other foot over the limb and planted it in the stirrup of the saddle.
 “Hand me the reins and I'll hold the horse steady,” Trouble said as he climbed off of his
horse.
 Aquila obeyed and Trouble led the horse under the limb until Aquila was directly in front
of it.  Aquila slowly and cautiously balanced herself on her knees on the top of the saddle
and then stopped.  “How do I do this?”  Aquila was starting to panic.  Her original plan
had been a good one but the process of getting there was a scary ordeal.  The horse could
shift at any moment sending her crashing to the ground beneath it.  And her stomach was
hindering her from lifting her leg so that she could plant her foot securely on the horse and
lift the other one over the limb.  
 “Change of plans,” Trouble said hitting himself on the head.  Ducking under the branch,
he reached up to stabilize her.  “Let me help you down and you can walk underneath.
Then I will help you back up on the other side.”
 Aquila's mouth gaped.  “How come we did not think of this before?”
 “I have no idea,” Trouble shook his head.
 Aquila placed one of her hands on Trouble's shoulder until he had her in his arms and then
she wrapped her arms around his neck.  For a moment he held her in his arms and Aquila's
mouth parted slightly.  He is so strong.  He lifts me now with just as little effort as he
did before.
 Trouble accepted the invitation.  Dropping the reins, he enveloped Aquila with his
powerful arms and leaned forward.  His kiss was ever so gentle yet possessive.  
 When he pulled away, Aquila spoke in an almost inaudible voice.  “I think this pregnancy
is causing mental blocks.  Please excuse my lack of intelligence.  I promise it shall come back
to me when this child is born.”
 Trouble chuckled.  “You are excused.”
 Trouble held her yet for a few more seconds before setting her on the ground.  When they
were both re-situated on their horses, Aquila asked, “Who are they?”
 “Ah, yes, they,” Trouble nodded, having momentarily forgotten about their previous
conversation.  “There were two children born to one of the maidservants, who had been
married to one of the executed menservants, who were imprisoned.  Because the children
were innocent of any wrong doing, they were released from prison when they were old
enough to make a life of their own away from their mother.  But their father was one of the
band leaders, who had convinced his wife of their right to the Lucian royalty, who in turn
passed it on to her children before they left her. You see, there was one valuable, priceless,
heirloom that was known across the kingdom to represent the Lucian royalty and whoever
had it was revered as the highest person in all the land of Lucia.  Their influence and power
would be great and everyone would follow them.  That heirloom was lost in the chaos and
was never found on any of the maidservants or the bodies of the male servants.  When the
children of the maidservant were released, it was rumored that they had somehow had
possession of the priceless heirloom all along, and that now they were out to rule the
kingdom.  As that circled around, a band of the royal guard came back together to reclaim
the heirloom in hopes of restoring it to the rightful place: buried in the sea where the whole
world believed the royalty to have perished.  They retrieved the heirloom, but one of the
royal guards became greedy and stole the heirloom himself.  He disappeared without a
trace.  It is believed to have passed from one cut-throat's hands to another, but the children
of the maidservant and their clan has been after it ever since.  Finally Pleo received a
missive from one of his men that they now had possession of the heirloom but Pleo never
saw or heard from him again.  That was about two years ago.  There is word that they
have discovered the whereabouts of the unfortunate possessor of the heirloom and has
even sent two assassins to retrieve it.  The first assassin was supposed to have returned
the heirloom just over a year and a half ago...but he never returned and so they sent a
second one who was the unfortunate victim of the first assassin's blade...mine, in fact.”
 “The heirloom?” Aquila said as she reached down into her robe and pulled out the
small velvet pouch.
 “That cross pendant in the red velvet pouch you keep hidden away in your robe,”
Trouble responded without even looking back.
 “And how did you know where I kept it?”
 “Well, I searched the castle for it while you were gone, first off.  Second off, I
searched you one night and found it,” Trouble said matter of factly.  This time he looked
back.
 Aquila's cheeks reddened and she quickly looked away.  “So, that was only a week
and a half's time.  What did you do for all of those months?”
 “Well, after he told me all of that, I realized that these people would not rest until they
had the pendant back.  I figured you would not mind me being gone a little bit longer and
so I left to track them down.  It took me two months to track them down and another
month to find the right time and method of annihilating them.  Then I doubted my reasons
for keeping you the way I did.  I was obviously being selfish.  You really did not want
me anymore and I would no doubt be sentencing myself to a life of bitter estrangement
that would not make either of us happy.  It took me a few weeks before I decided that
I could not leave you without giving you the reason why I left and tell you that I had
released you from our commitment to each other.  You had been gone for what had to
have been only one week when I got to the palace.  I stayed at the palace with my
doubts for a week more before finding myself in your room.  It was there that I had
this sudden desire to hold you again.  Then I thought of how it must have been Dirrach
who had carried you off and I was furious that he would cross the line and take
something that was mine away from me. So then I tracked you down.  And that
concludes my story.  So tell me about your story.”
 Aquila shivered as she remembered the cold nights she spent wondering where
he was. “Well, I waited for you.  After about a month I found myself greeting the sun
every morning watching for you at the edge of the mountain.  It got cold, too.  I ran
out of wood and I was afraid that you would return the instant I was gone to chop
down a tree for firewood and you would be angry with me.  You should know that
I was completely intimidated by you and feared your wrath so horribly, that I spent
my nights in cold darkness.”
 Trouble was silent and Aquila proceeded.  “Then one day Dirrach showed up and
the next thing I knew, I was running off with him and his clan.  He introduced Yerik
to me first off and told me that he was my body guard.  So from then on, day in and
day out, we traveled on.  The Beldarak Thadal was the worst experience I have ever
had.  We lost my horse and I had to scramble up with Yerik on his horse.  But it was
so cold.  I had a fever for a few days afterwards.  It was only a day or so later that
Earh came running up with your threat to Dirrach.”
 “Hm,” Trouble grunted acknowledging that he had heard her.  Silence fell for a long
while as they continued to forge their way through the jungle.  Finally Trouble cleared
his throat awkwardly.   And what was Yerik like?”
 Aquila sighed.  “Nothing like you.  He was rather clumsy, not very good looking
at all...and he could hardly hold my weight.”
 Trouble looked back and grinned.  “That really matter to you?”
 “If you had not come along first it would not have mattered at all.  But having met
your strength first...I could never forget the way you could lift me with ease.  And
when he asked me if I preferred him or you...I could not help but compare you two. 
Where you were graceful and poised, he was the total opposite.  He often stumbles
or kicks rocks when he walks.  And as I said earlier...you could no doubt have lifted
me onto the horse with no help from me and not had a problem but he could hardly
assist me onto the horse.  He was the perfect gentleman, but I knew that he could
never possibly be as gentle and loving as you are, and that I could never spend the
night with him as husband and wife without thinking of you. It would not have been
fair to him and I would have regretted my choice for the rest of my life.  I would
spend it pining away for a man I willingly turned down.  I only wish he had not taken
it so hard.  He might have found him a wife who could love him like he deserved. 
He could have been very happy with someone else, if he had only given it up!”
 “Do not torment  yourself over it.  He did what he had to do,” Trouble offered.
 “What he had to do?” 
 Trouble looked back at her understandingly.  “Honor.  In his mind I was only the
wretched man I used to be.  If I had been in his place, I would have done the same
thing.”
 “But you called him a foolish boy.”  Aquila was confused.
 “I did.  But not because he tried to protect you.  Because he acted in anger.  You
never strike in anger.  It clouds your senses and leaves you prone to make mistakes. 
Deadly mistakes, like his,” Trouble explained.  Sighing, he continued, “No, he was
not foolish because he tried to protect you.  The men in his camp will give him a
heroes funeral.  After all, he tried to take a stand against the Woman.  Anyone
who does that is revered as the greatest man who ever lived.  I have that reputation.”
 “But you are different now!”
 Aquila sounded so triumphant over that fact that Trouble turned around and
smiled.  “I guess I am at that, my love.”
 “I guess that makes me the greatest woman alive.”
 “How is that?”
 “Because I took a stand and conquered you with my love.”
 Trouble laughed.  “Yes, you did.”
     **********
 It took a week of traveling before Trouble pulled up in front of a small shack
just outside of a small town.  It would have only been a few days as Dirrach had
said except that Trouble had discovered he was a little rusty on his directions from
his extended absence.  A wisp of smoke curled out of the chimney and
disappeared into the drearily clouded sky.  Lightning flashed in the distance and
the thunder slowly rolled in as rain could be smelled in the humid air.
 Aquila saw the light in the window and breathed a sigh of relief.  “She must be
expecting Dirrach back to be up this late.”
 Trouble did not say anything as he sat motionless on his horse.  Aquila studied
his profile under his wide brimmed hat as he seemed to have forgotten she was
there.  His jaw tightened and then loosened to just tighten once more.  


 “Trouble, sit down and be quiet...go cut some firewood...stop it, Trouble,
I am busy...go feed and milk the cows...you are nothing but trouble, did you
know that...clean that mess up, Trouble...why can you not be like your
brother...I wish you would just disappear...”
 It all came back to Trouble as the familiar smell of his mother's apple dumplings
met his nose.  Mother's apple dumplings were Father's favorite.  She definitely
was looking for him.  
 Why had he come back?  The last time he saw his mother was that morning they
discovered his stash of stolen goods.  It was nothing big, only a couple of pieces
of candy, a special rock he had had his eyes on for months on the general store's
shelf, a small knife, and a few other toys.  He had been ten at the time and when she
said, “I wish you would just disappear,” he decided to grant her her wish.  
 His life he had spent working for his father almost every minute of the day.  But
when he was not working, he was always asking his mother questions about things
or tried to help her do things.  They always proved disastrous and she would
constantly belittle him for his failures.  She also never found time to answer his
questions, instead telling him she was busy and he was just being a bother.
 When he left, he figured he was doing them all a favor.  She wanted him to
disappear and he wanted to get out from under his father's thumb.
 “Who is out there?” a soft voice called from the shack.
 Trouble all of a sudden realized that it had started to rain and had grown
considerably darker.  He looked at Aquila who was just watching him.  “Sorry, my
love,” he whispered and quickly dismounted.


 Aquila breathed a sigh of relief when Trouble reached up to help her down.  She
was soaked and getting rather cold.  Fear of a relapse from her previous bout with
the cold caused her to send a quick plea up to Deus for mercy.
 After Trouble set her on the ground, she preceded him to the open door.  She
could see the tall woman that stood there waiting and instantly saw the similarities in
the woman and her son.  
 When they were both in the light where the woman could see them, she gasped
and took a step backwards.  “Trouble!”
 “Hello, Mother,” Trouble nodded as he removed his hat.
 Trouble's mother recovered enough to realize Aquila's presence and state of her
pregnancy.  “Quick, come in out of the rain.  You must be cold.”
 “Mother, this is Aquila,” Trouble said once he had removed his soaked trench
coat and shut the door.  “She is my wife.  Aquila, this is my mother, Kasaba Woman.”
 Kasaba only glanced at him as she ushered Aquila over to the fire.  “Stand here
while I go fetch something for you to change into.  We can not have you wearing wet
monks clothes.”
 Aquila was led to the hearth that sat in the middle of the large room.  Kasaba
disappeared into a small room at the back of the small rectangular room.  Aquila
looked up and found an ink sketch above the modestly sized fireplace's mantle of
Dirrach, Kasaba, and a young man who resembled Trouble and Dirrach.  The sketch
seemed to be missing something but Aquila could not put her finger on it.  
 Aquila looked down dismally at the gray and white Crocotta rug that was being
drenched.  Hopefully it would dry and not ruin.  
 She sighed as she saw the Crocotta fur lined chaise with a hand carved oak wood
framed glass table in front of it.  On the other side of the room was a simple but
sturdy oak table with four chairs placed around it.  In the center of the table sat a
steaming pot that smelled of the apple dumplings that made Aquila hungry with the
rich cinnamon spices emanating from the dessert.  
 There were two windows on the front end, one on each side of the solid oak door. 
A lamp hung above both and Aquila felt sorry for the woman knowing the news they
had to bare.
 Kasaba appeared in the doorway.  “Come this way, Aquila.”
 Aquila quickly obeyed and Kasaba led her into a small room barely big enough for
them and the large bed and elegant oak armouir it held.  Dirrach must have been an
excellent craftsman.
 “You can change in here in privacy.  I hope these things work,” Kasaba said as
she handed her some pieces of clothing.
 “Oh, I am sure they are fine, thank you so much,” Aquila smiled her gratefulness.
 Kasaba disappeared out the door and Aquila quickly changed.  She then
scooped up her wet things and returned to the living room.  It was very quiet and
Aquila could feel the awkwardness of the reunion.  She hurried to the outside door
and said, “I will just toss these things outside and hang them up to dry in the
morning when it stops raining.”
 “Oh, no.  Surely you do not go around wearing monk's clothes all day.  You
can just throw them in the fire,” Kasaba shook her head.
 Trouble grinned.  “Actually, Mother, she does.”
 “Yes, I do.  And I only have two sets so I must save these,” Aquila explained.
 Kasaba looked perplexed but did not object any more.  When her mission was
through, Aquila took her place at Trouble's side and noticed that he, too, had
found dry clothes to change into.  She looked from Kasaba's averted eyes to
Trouble's concerned expression.  Aquila was completely at a loss as to what to
say.  
 “How is Oserene?” Trouble offered.
 “He is doing well.  He got married eight years ago to a lovely young woman,
Poges. They have only had one child but are hoping for another one.  Oserene is
the law around here, now,” Kasaba replied.  “I assume you have seen your father
and that is why you have come.”
 “Yes, Father.  About Father, Mother...he is dead,” Trouble said awkwardly.
 Kasaba gasped and buried her face in her hands.  “And I suppose you were
the cause of that!” she accused.
 “No, I was not.  He charged me with his sword with Aquila in between us
and he was fired upon by other men.  They had no choice, Mother,” Trouble
explained.
 Kasaba was uncontrollable for quite some time.  Aquila and Trouble had to
escort her to the chaise and wait for the flood to subside.  Aquila patted her
arm and offered comforting words like, “He was a good man.” and “He loved
you very much.” even though she did not even know how much Dirrach loved
Kasaba.  She had to guess on that part.  
 When Kasaba was finally able to compose herself, she became a completely
different person.  All signs of tears disappeared and she patted Aquila's hand. 
“When are you due, dear?”
 “In about two and a half or three months,” Aquila responded.
 Kasaba looked at Aquila's enlarged stomach and thought for a minute. 
“You must stay in my bed until the baby is born.”
 “Oh, no, I could not intrude on you like that,” Aquila objected.
 “Oh, yes you can, and you will.  Trouble will see to that,” Kasaba raised
her chin triumphantly.
 “I will?” Trouble confirmed.  Kasaba gave him a look and Trouble turned
to Aquila.  “I will.”
 Kasaba suddenly turned sad and took Trouble's hand in hers.  “Trouble,”
she sighed.  “I made the greatest mistake in treating you as I did.  I was not a
very good mother to you. A—after you left...there was this hole in my heart that
has never healed.  I have cursed myself and berated myself many a time since
that day you left.  I could not stop missing the little boy who was always asking
questions...that I never seemed to have time for.  Dirrach does not know this, but
I have been praying for you to come back ever since.  And now you have. 
Please do not leave me again.  I know I was harsh in accusing you of Dirrach's
death but...”
 Trouble wrapped his mother in his arms and gently held her to his chest.  “Do
not worry, Mother.  If we part, it shall not be on such terms.”
 Aquila furiously wiped at the tears that were pouring down her cheeks.  If only
I had a mother to go home to.  But I do not even have Wren.
 Kasaba hugged her son for a moment before noticing Aquila.  “Oh, Trouble,
take Aquila to bed.  She is exhausted.”
 Trouble kissed his mother's forehead and then stood.  “Yes, Mother.  Aquila,
you heard her.  Off to bed we go.”
 Aquila giggled through the subsiding tears at the way he said “we” and quickly
scooted off of the chaise and into the back room.  Trouble was close on her heels
and was quick to wrap her in his arms when the door was shut.  “Oh, my love!  I
am never leaving you alone for as long as I live.”
 “You know that is not possible.  You must make a living somehow and I cannot
follow you along with children and a house to tend to,” Aquila shook her head.
 “Then I suppose I shall have to leave you with my mother while I am gone. 
Mother was always a strong woman and can protect you when I am not around.”
 “Are you sure she will like that?”
 “She will love having you around with a grandchild,” Trouble assured her.
 Aquila chuckled.  “Children do have that affect on people.”
     ********
 “So, what is next for the two of you?” Kasaba asked them as she set cups of
steaming coffee in front of them the next morning after breakfast.
 Trouble had just finished filling his mother in all that had gone on for the past
two years. Breakfast had now been cleared away and Aquila was massaging her
stomach as pain sliced through her core.
 Kasaba frowned for a second as Aquila grunted but thought nothing further of
it. Trouble did not notice it at all and shrugged.  “I figure I will try to find a job
around town. Maybe go talk Oserene into deputizing me.  But I reckon a felon
such as myself could not be given such a job.”
 “Nobody in town knows your identity.  And Oserene can be talked around,”
Kasaba informed him.
 “Then I shall see him today when I go into town,” Trouble concluded.  
 “Do not bother going into town.  I shall send a missive inviting them to dinner
tonight. We can have a family reunion and you can meet Poges and Olga,” Kasaba
suggested.
 “Good.  It will give me time to get some things done around here.”  Trouble
stood and kissed Aquila on the forehead before heading out the door.
 Kasaba watched Aquila for a moment before leaning forward and placing her
hand on Aquila's stomach.  “Do you have any brothers and sisters?”
 “Eight of them.”
 “Is there a history of twins in your family?”
 “The two underneath me are twins, why...”  Aquila looked down.  “Oh.”
 “I think we are expecting more than one.  What have you been doing in
preparation for these babies?”
 “What have I been doing?”
 “Yes, like making clothes, diapers, and the other necessities needed for the
care of an infant.”  Aquila looked horrified.  She knew nothing of how to prepare
for a baby.  
 Kasaba saw the look and her mouth dropped slightly.  “You mean you have
not done anything?”
 “I know nothing of how to prepare for a child,” Aquila explained.  “The twins
were the only ones underneath me and I remember nothing of my mother's
preparations and she died when I was very young.”
 Kasaba instantly sprang into action.  “Let me see what I have left over from
Trouble and Oserene.  Probably not much.  I think I sent most of it to Poges when
she was pregnant with Olga.”
 Aquila followed Kasaba to the back of the house and into a closet.  Kasaba
opened various boxes and shook her head.  “Poges has them all.  I shall ask her
about them tonight and see what condition they are in.”
 “How far is town?” Aquila asked.
 “Oh, not far.  Why?”
 “I want to get the feel of this place.  Trouble talks as if he wants to settle down
in this town.  You could go with me and give the missive to Oserene.”
 “That is a good idea.  Let me go get the horses ready.”
 Aquila did not ask to help.  She had given up all attempts to assist in such
preparations. Instead she slowly wandered outside and towards the stables.  It
was a beautiful place.  The gray stone with a thatched roof and a chimney rising
above it to the right gave it a quaint and cozy atmosphere.  
 The smoke did not bother the birds that blissfully sang from the trees that
completely surrounded it, sealing it off from the outside world except for one gravel
road that seemed to simply disappear into the foliage beyond.  
 Aquila looked around and frowned.  Where was the barn?  She circled the
whole cottage but found nothing.  She was thoroughly confused by the time Kasaba
appeared in a buggy coming up the one road leading in.  
 Kasaba read the look and nodded.  “The barn is just beyond.”
 “Oh.”  Aquila grunted and groaned her way up into the buggy.  “You do not
think I will look a scary sight?”
 “What?  The fact that your stomach is five times as big as your body?  Yes,
but they are kind people and will not say anything,” Kasaba said matter-of-factly.
 Aquila looked at her incredulously but said nothing.  The trip into town was
much less overshadowed as the house.  The road led out of the trees into open
space that seemed to relieve the oppression Aquila had begun to feel.  “I think
I want to live on a farm out in the middle of nowhere.  Something like this. 
There are trees but not so many that you can't see the sky or enjoy fresh
uninhibited air.  Here there is plenty of room for the kids to run around without
worrying about thorns and briars.”
 “That would be a wise decision.  Trouble and Oserene were always coming
in with scars,” Kasaba noted.
 The picture of the scar that ran across Trouble's back suddenly flashed
through Aquila's mind.  She had seen it that first day when she bandaged him
up from the spear in his side. Somehow she had not thought to ask him about
it since.  Now it plagued her.  “How did he get that scar on his back?”
 “What scar on his back?” Kasaba frowned.
 “Oh, he must have gotten that while he was gone.”
 “Most undoubtedly.  What does it look like?”
 “He has one thick long scar that runs from his left shoulder to the bottom right
side of his back.”
 “We shall have to ask him about that.”
 The remainder of the trip into town was quiet but when Kasaba appeared in
town, a small town called Kantuuk, people began pouring from one side of the
street to the other to meet her.  Aquila was perplexed.  “Do you always get such
a greeting?” she asked her mother-in-law.
 “No,” Kasaba shook her head in a quandary all her own.
 “Kasaba, are you all right?”
 “Have you heard about Dirrach?”
 “Kasaba!”
 “Do you need anything?”
 Everyone was talking at once asking questions about Dirrach and her well
being. Suddenly a tall man appeared cutting through the crowds.  “Mother!”
 Kasaba had already put the brake down on the buggy and handed the reins
off to another man so that the tall stranger simply lifted her down and whisked
her away.  The crowd seemed to follow, completely ignoring the other woman
in the buggy.  
 Aquila watched the crowd disappear into a saloon.  Sighing, she folded her
hands in her lap and waited a moment.  Surely Kasaba would remember her. 
Right now she was at a loss as to what to do.  The feat of getting down from
the buggy seemed much scarier than getting up.  
 When some time elapsed and she had obviously been forgotten, Aquila finally
looked over the side.  “Fine.”
 It was slow, and even scarier than just thinking about it, but she finally
managed to touch ground.  Straightening her skirt of which she was
unaccustomed to wearing, she looked around.  The general store was easy to
spot and so she decided to venture in.  
 Tanner's General store was well stocked and seemed to be decently priced
as well.  She looked over the dry goods well and then moved on to a section
that was devoted to clothing.  There was some baby things that she began
picking up and examining.  
 “Excuse me, can I help you?”
 Aquila jumped, startled at the sudden presence of the woman addressing her. 
“Oh, no.  I am just looking.”  Aquila looked up at her and then at the taller man
beside her.  She had seen that man before.  It only took a moment to place him. 
“You must be Oserene Woman.”
 “Y—yes, I am.”  The man stuttered out as he looked at the other woman. 
“How did you know?”
 “I saw your picture with your parents above the mantle,” Aquila said as
if that would explain everything.  
 “Picture?  You know my parents?” Oserene asked.
 “Did Kasaba not tell you?  I am sorry.  I only assumed she would have
told you.  I am her daughter-in-law,” Aquila informed him.
 Oserene's face paled.  “D—daughter-in-law?  I—I am sorry, you must be mistaken. 
I am her only son.”