Chapter 11
Aquila frowned. “No, I believe she has one other son. At least if she did not, I would not be married to him.”
The woman, Aquila assumed to be Poges, looked up at Oserene. “I am Poges, Oserene's wife.”
Aquila laid a hand on her stomach. “Oh, I hope we shall become fast friends and that our children might grow together. The bigger the family the merrier, I say.”
The woman smiled. “I would very much like that. But...we were under the impression that Trouble Woman was dead.”
Aquila laughed. “Dead? I believe many have thought him dead at times and many have tried to make him that way, but he is very much alive. He is at this very moment taking care of the grounds at Mother Woman's—“
“Sh,” Oserene quickly hushed her as a tiny bell rang above the doorway proclaiming the entrance of a client. “Please refer to her as Mother Dravaar.”
Aquila frowned but did as requested. “He is right now taking care of the grounds at Mother Dravaar's. He is looking forward to his reunion with you.”
“That is one reunion I should very much like to miss,” Oserene muttered.
Kasaba walked up at that very moment and panic seized her. “Oserene, I see you have met Aquila.”
“Yes, Mother, and I hear she is my sister-in-law, above all things,” Oserene gritted out between clenched teeth.
Aquila shrunk back at the menace in his voice. Have I done something wrong?
“Oh, I was hoping you would not find out about that until tonight,” Kasaba pouted. “It would have made so much better a reunion if you did not know ahead of time who you were meeting.”
“I'm sorry, Mother Dravaar, I did no—“ Aquila said.
“Oh, tsk tsk, no worries at all. You did no real harm,” Kasaba assured her. “But come. We are finished with our errands in town. Oh, Poges, would you bring over the baby clothes you have from Olga tonight? It seems we have a shortage of baby clothes.”
“Yes, Mother Dravaar,” Poges smiled.
“Thank you. We will see you tonight.” Kasaba steered Aquila out the door.

*******

Once Aquila had had a thorough tour of town, she and Kasaba returned home. Aquila wanted to tell Trouble of the events of the day, but got no chance, as Kasaba dominated the conversation all through lunch up until the time that Trouble left to cut some wood.
Kasaba seemed so intent on keeping the two world's apart that in her haste she had Trouble out the door before he remembered to bid Aquila a good afternoon. Aquila turned on her mother-in-law the instant he was out the door. “What are you doing? You would not let me get one word in edgewise all afternoon about the morning's events. Do you not think he has a right to know? Oserene thought he was dead. And he is not very happy about his return. Trouble should know these things.”
“He does not need to know such things until tonight,” Kasaba disagreed. “Now hush and get busy. We have plenty to do for supper tonight.”
Kasaba kept Aquila so busy cleaning and cooking all afternoon that Aquila wondered if she had not invited the whole town. Surely five people with an additional child could not eat so much food as they were preparing.
Time flew quickly though and Aquila soon found herself inviting Poges and Oserene with their daughter into the home before she knew it. But she did not forget that Trouble had not returned from his last assignment and would probably have liked to have cleaned up before his reunion with his brother.
Oserene frowned as he searched the room for his wayward brother. Poges ushered Olga in tentatively watching for the brother-in-law she had only heard about.
“Trouble has not returned from the afternoon's chores, but he should be in soon,” Aquila informed them.
Tension held the room's occupants in suspension. The table was set and all were gathered around it. Suddenly as if by cue, the door opened and Trouble stepped in. Aquila smiled with relief and rushed to her husband's side. “I wondered when you would be returning to me.”
One side of Trouble's mouth turned up in a cockeyed grin as he had eyes for Aquila alone. “I could not forget you so soon.”
Kasaba cleared her throat stopping Trouble from placing a kiss on Aquila's inviting lips. Trouble straightened and then tensed. Aquila looked over at Oserene and could not miss the way the fire flashed through the man's eyes. “Oserene, you already know him, but Poges, this is my husband, Trouble Woman.”
Poges looked down and Oserene stiffened. Trouble shifted uncomfortably. The tension was so thick that even six-year-old Olga knew that silence was the best thing at the moment. Kasaba was not going to stand for it. “Oserene, your brother has returned. Do you have nothing to say?”
Oserene glared at her, obvious hatred burning in his eyes. “How could you say that, Mother, after all he has done to you?”
“Your brother has returned to make amends, Oserene, and I must say that I am just as much to blame for his actions as he is,” Kasaba choked out.
Oserene came to her defense. “You could never—“ “Yes, Oserene, I was and am to blame,” Kasaba cut him short. “I treated him with contempt and disdain. I failed him and thus caused him to run as he did. And doing so he turned to the only thing he knew how to do. And that was vent his anger. But no matter what he did, I cannot turn him away, because it was I who made the first mistake. Now I want my family back—“
“We could never have our family back. He killed Father!” Oserene spat.
Trouble stepped to his own defense. “I did not.”
Oserene turned back to his estranged brother. “Then who did? Every report we have gotten says that the Woman killed Dirrach Dravaar. After all you have done, what have you to prove your innocence?”
“Me,” Aquila spoke up.
“Dirrach kidnapped my wife, Oserene. I retrieved her and Dirrach followed after me. In the presence of Aquila and thirty other men, he charged me with sword in hand while Aquila stood in between us. Those thirty other men fired upon him in defense of Aquila and Aquila alone. They had no choice,” Trouble explained. Suddenly he frowned. “Dirrach Dravaar?”
Aquila tugged on his sleeve. “They changed their name.”
“That would explain why I have not been able to find any news of their well being.” Trouble growled.
“Oserene, your brother is trying to make amends. Please, let us try and reach out to him,” Kasaba pleaded.
“You left here too long ago, Trouble. What have you been doing all these years? You sure made a good name for yourself. Yes, I am sure you started out with something small, maybe pickpocketing. Then you began pulling off bigger heists, until one day you had to kill somebody to keep from getting caught and turned in to the authorities. Then it did not stop there. You liked the taste of blood. And so you killed more—“
“Oserene, stop!” Kasaba cried.
Oserene ignored her. “—took more chances, until soon enough you had made a name for yourself. But you got real tired of that, did you not? You finally got tired of it and decided to make a grand turnaround. You go find a child barely able to care for herself and marry her. Did you force her to marry you, Trouble? I cannot see how any one in their right mind would agree to such an arrangement. You intimidated her into agreeing to marry you, that is exactly what you did. Then like the no-account killer that you are, you impregnated her and then left her. Which is when Father came in. He picks her up to save her from you and the fate you had left her to. But you could not stand someone stepping in and taking over what you should have taken responsibility for in the first place, nevermind that you left her. So you rounded up all of your friends, if you can call them that, and then you picked her up and then led your own father into an ambush. Well, I am not going to be so easy to get by. I came prepared.”
“Oserene, what did you do?” Kasaba demanded.
Poges sobbed. “I told you not to—“
Aquila felt Trouble tense next to her and then relax. He took a bite of chicken and chewed it with deliberate care. Aquila picked up her napkin and began fanning herself with it. “Oh, my.”
“Aquila, are you all right?” Kasaba asked, concern etched across her brow.
“Yes, I just need to go lie down. Excuse me,” Aquila smiled and stood.
Aquila could feel Trouble's eyes following her the whole way and when she opened the door she turned back and smiled at him. Kasaba was frowning down at her plate and Oserene was sitting back in his chair, triumph registered across his face as he watched Trouble. Aquila winked at him conspiratorially and then disappeared inside the room.
Oserene had obviously called some friends out and were no doubt waiting outside for Oserene to give the signal for them to close in. Aquila had to move fast.
Aquila packed Trouble a few of his belongings inside his saddlebag first. If nothing else could be done, Trouble could escape now and Aquila would follow later. When she had that complete, she packed a few of her things in a separate saddlebag. After it was complete, she stopped to think for a minute. She could hear Trouble making casual small talk.
A horse. That would be tricky. If Oserene had help out there, they would surely see her and intercept her. But she had to try. She peaked out of the window but saw no one. No doubt they would be hidden away. They would think it odd that she was coming out of the window but she had to try anyway.
Chair legs grated against the floor as Aquila heard Trouble say, “I am going to check on Aquila.”
Aquila quickly opened the window and forced her bulk through the window. If nothing else, she could distract the attention to her, and Trouble would be able to get out the window while she had the others around front.
Tip-toeing around the back of the house, she kept an ear out for activity. As she was reaching the corner she heard them. At least three men were moving through the thick foliage, just beyond eye sight. Aquila rolled her eyes. Amateurs. Surely Oserene could have done better if he expected to catch the Woman.
Continuing on, Aquila was sure to stay out of sight from the house, ducking under windows and running through bushes. She was inside the barn before someone grabbed her arm. “Hold it right there, Ma'am,” a low voice commanded.
Aquila turned to look at her captor and inwardly screamed with victory. Five men were now standing around. Three of them had to be the men she heard earlier.
“Raldo!” Oserene called.
The man holding her looked up and nodded. “Move in, men!”
Aquila was escorted to the front yard where she met four other men other than the her five companions. Oserene scowled at her. The men looked around puzzled. The man who held her arm spoke up first. “Where is the Woman?”
“You do not have him?” Oserene paled.
“He was inside with you, Boss,” another replied.
The corners of Aquila's mouth turned up smugly. “If he is not with you, Oserene, and your men clearly do not have him, where did he go?”
Oserene cursed. “Leave her be and find him! He could not have gone far.”
Aquila chuckled at the same time that she whispered a prayer to Deus to give her husband wings. Aquila walked inside and was met with surprised glances from Poges and Kasaba. “How did you—“
“I snuck out the window,” Aquila smirked triumphantly.
Kasaba chuckled. “You were not feeling ill at all.”
Aquila winked at her and then disappeared inside her room. She frowned. Both saddlebags were missing. Why would he take her things, too?
The door slammed against the wall and Aquila whirled around. She screamed and shrunk back at the sight of Oserene who's eyes were spitting fire.
“Where is he?” Oserene bellowed.
“How should I know? You were the last one to see him,” Aquila hollered back. For a moment she wished Trouble had not left and had stayed to fight for her, but she dismissed it, knowing that this was the only chance they had of a life together. He would either come back for her when the excitement had died down, or she would escape on her own. Finding him would be easier afterwards for he would certainly be looking for her.
“You were not ill at all. You came back here to sneak out the window in order to aid his escape. Where did he go?” Oserene slowly moved forward, his own domineering height towering over hers.
“I will admit to helping his escape, but I have no idea where he went. We had no original plans of escape. We did not expect to have to make such a feat. So if you think that intimidation is going to force it out of me, you can think twice.” Aquila squared her shoulders and placed her hands on her hips.
Oserene glowered at her for a moment before stepping back and crossing his arms. “So you admit to helping him escape?”
Aquila faltered a moment at the unreadable gleam in his eye. “Y—yes, I do.”
“Then you are under arrest for aiding and abetting a known felon.” Oserene grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out of the room.
Kasaba gasped and Poges paled. “Oserene, what are you doing?”
“Stay out of this, Poges, she has admitted to aiding and abetting a known felon,” Oserene informed her.
“You cannot arrest a pregnant woman, Oserene,” Kasaba cried after him.
“I can and I will!”
Aquila thought he said it rather loud and thought it unwise. While Trouble had left, he could certainly be lurking about watching to see what would happen and would no doubt have heard that.
“Raldo, bring the wagon,” Oserene commanded.
Aquila's stomach knotted in fear as the man who had grabbed her earlier came up the road from the barn with a wagon. One of the other men sat next to him a second standing in the bed of the wagon both with a bow in hand, armed with an arrow, and quivers full of arrows.
Once the wagon had come to a complete stop, Oserene took Aquila's wrists and fastened cuffs to them. Aquila silently breathed a sigh of relief he was merciful enough to fasten them in front of her. “Lock her in the third cell. He will never be able to get her out of that one. I will be there once I have taken my family home.”
Aquila examined every tree and bush on the way to town, praying fervently that Trouble would be there to rescue her. But it never happened. They rolled into town, uninhibited.
Raldo helped her out of the wagon and led her into the jail house. Ruffly pushing her into a cell, he said, “Get comfortable, this is your new home for a while now.”
Aquila lifted her bound wrists. “Could you—“
“Shut up,” he growled and turned on his heels.
Aquila's mouth gaped. Aquila grabbed hold of the bars and shook it. “You will not get away with this!”
“That is what you say,” Raldo said, laughing mockingly.
Aquila looked at the small, thinly covered board they called a cot. As silent tears slipped down her cheeks, Aquila laid on the cot and closed her eyes. It would be a long cold night.

*************

Three men guarded the jail from the back and three men guarded the jail from the front. Both sides could be seen from at least two men, one from the front and another from the back. A fresh and energetic crew of six men had replaced the previous shift every two hours. They were not taking any chances.
From the tree where he sat, high above the town, he could pick off each of the guards along the back wall with a bow. But the front guards would be trickier. They would certainly be discovered within seconds of going down and would hinder his ability to get inside the jail and out safely.
Another plan would have to be concocted. There had to be another way of getting inside without actually getting inside. Maybe even one that would not require bloodshed.

******

Aquila had pleaded with Oserene to release her from her restraints many times but to no avail. Aquila wished she could rub her back. It was hurting from her added weight combined with the hard cot she had to sleep on. There was no chair and the bars were painful to lean up against as well.
The ground was covered in dirt, besides the fact, she had reason to believe she had rather large rodent friends in the middle of the night, thus over ruling the idea to sleep on the floor. The pain continued to grow steadily worse as the hours passed. Aquila lay on her side on the cot and moaned. Her mouth was dry as she only got a small cup of water with each of her two meals a day and she had cried what other moisture she had in her body.
Now only her wet stained cheeks told of her tears as she stared carelessly through the other two cells to the wall that separated her from the office of the jail house. Oserene came in daily asking her where Trouble had disappeared to. This would be the third day and she could care less if he came in today. The answer was the same.
Aquila shuddered as a spider crawled up her arm. Rolling over, she brushed it off of her arm with the edge of the bed. She shuddered one more time, wishing for the hundredth time that she could take a bath. She was filthy and at night it felt like the dirt itself crawled over her skin.
The front door was thrown open and slammed shut by someone in a rush. Voices could be heard, but Aquila could not hear what was being said until Oserene exploded. “What?”
Aquila cringed. The other voice answered calmly and then all went silent. Seconds turned into minutes as Aquila waited. No one left. No one came. Someone shifted his weight causing the boards to creak underneath him. Then hard footsteps hit the planks and the door closing the cells off from the office opened. Oserene stood there in the doorway and looked down the row of cells at her.
Seconds later it closed and Aquila was left to wonder what it was all about until the following day when a similar event occurred. This time, Oserene calmly walked in and stopped in front of Aquila's cell. Aquila struggled to a sitting position and watched him. He said nothing. He just looked at her.
“What happened?” Aquila asked.
Oserene still said nothing. Raldo appeared in the doorway. “Shall I ready the wagon?”
“Yes,” Oserene muttered.
Raldo disappeared as quick as he had come and Aquila felt a glimmer of hope rising within her. Why would he need a wagon? Why was Oserene so obviously upset about whatever it was Raldo had come to tell him?
It had to mean only one thing: Trouble had found some way to get her released. Moments later Raldo returned with two other men. “The wagon is ready, Boss.”
Oserene nodded and lifted his keys to the cell. “Do not talk, just listen. Whatever we say goes. You do not walk unless we say walk, you do not blink unless we say blink. One wayward movement from you and you are history, got that?”
Aquila nodded and stood. Oserene headed for the door and frowned when she did not follow him. “Why are you not coming?”
“Because you said I was not to walk unless you said so,” Aquila replied smartly.
“Walk!” Oserene growled.

******

Aquila was ushered into the back of a wagon and drove out of town the oppositie direction of Kasaba's house. This area was mostly open and free of trees. It was also bare of grass and the horse's kicked up so much that Aquila had to shield her nose and mouth with her arm to keep from breathing it in.
They kept rolling across the barren wasteland, seeing only a jackrabbit bound across the way every fifteen minutes or so. Aquila watched the sun move across the sky and wondered if she was not being carried to some lost and forgotten prison.
Just before dark they crossed a river into grassy woodlands and Aquila could breath clearly. The wagon pulled up just then and as they assisted Aquila from the wagon.
Oserene pointed her in one direction. “Start walking that way. Straight. Keep walking and do not stop.”
Aquila looked at him uncertainly and then back in the direction he had pointed. At this point they were only surrounded by a few trees, but the direction with which he sent her would lead her farther into the woods. It was dark already but the thickness of the trees blocked out the light of the full moon.
Aquila turned and lifted her arms. “Would you—“
“No, now go!” Oserene wasted no time and pushed her forwards.
Aquila willed herself to place one foot in front of the other as she moved farther and farther into the darkness. She could not see a thing and found herself running into tree after tree. Praying that she was still going straight and not turning to the left or the right, she would feel her way around the tree and continue on.
Struggling to breath despite the agonizing fear that held her around the throat, she started to shake. The cold night air was now beginning to get to her. Stumbling over a root, Aquila gasped in pain, as she landed on her hands and knees on pine cones, rocks, and roots. “Deus, lead me out of this! Light my way. I cannot see what is in front of me. I do not know where I am going. Help me to trust You.”
Aquila pulled herself off the ground and kept on. She was certain she had taken a few turns in there but kept going. She would have no idea how to tell.
Hours passed and Aquila began to shake. Sheer will forced herself to keep moving and by the time she could feel the sun's first rays, she could not feel her hands or feet. Suddenly she stumbled into a small clearing. A fire was built and licking away at thick logs. The thought briefly passed her mind that she might have made a full circle and just found herself back at the same fire they had dropped her off at, but she did not care.
Aquila collapsed next to the fire and reached her frozen hands to the warmth. “Oh!”
Suddenly, two strong arms grabbed her and before Aquila knew it, she found herself nestled against a broad chest, a thick black coat covering both her and her captor. Aquila looked up and gasped. Trouble smiled down at her. “Miss me, Love?”
Aquila released the flood and cried. “Oh, Trouble!”
It was quite some time before Aquila could stop but Trouble sat there, with her in his arms, gently rocking back and forth. “Everything is all right now, my love. Everything is just fine.”
When the tears finally subsided and Aquila could feel her fingers again, she reached up to stroke his unshaven chin. “How did you get them to release me?”
“The Holy book says something about an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. So I figured that if Oserene was going to insist on keeping my wife and child, then why could I not take his wife and child? With the knowledge that I had his family would then lead him to exchange mine for his,” Trouble grinned.
“Did you make them walk like they did me?” Aquila frowned.
“No. I actually left them at the jail house shortly after you all left.”
“Then how come I had to walk so far?”
“Because I was following them follow you.”
“They followed me?” Aquila pushed back from his chest looked around.
“Up until two hours ago. But I wanted to make sure you were alone before I revealed myself so I rode on ahead and fixed this fire and then backtracked to see if you were still alone.”
Aquila snuggled back up against his chest and sighed. “Oh, it was awful, Trouble, just awful. I have not had a bath in ages and I feel like there are millions of little bugs crawling all over me. My back has been in pain since the morning of the first day in jail and I have not been able to relieve it in any way. I have had these handcuffs on me since he first arrested me and he has refused to remove them.”
Trouble noticed the cuffs for the first time. He held her away from him, examining them and frowning. “That is going to be a trick. Hmm.”
Aquila winced as they seemed to be tightening around her wrist. Her wrists were red all around them. “They hurt, too.”
“Well, you are just a basket case,” Trouble teased.
Aquila nodded. “It was horrible!”
Trouble pulled her back to his chest. “I know, I know.”
Aquila melted up against him and was happy to simply be in his arms despite the cold and undesirable situation. The methodical motion of his large hands across her back eased her pain immensely and she closed her eyes, reveling in the serenity of the morning.
Moments later, Trouble took his coat off and wrapped it around her frame. “We need to get on the road. I want to get as far as possible away from Kantuuk, yet to the closest town we can to bed down for the rest of the winter. I would like to be settled long before this baby decides to enter the world.”
Aquila tried to put her arms through the sleeves before remembering her cuffs. She frowned. “Would you button this thing? I cannot get my hands through the sleeves.”
Trouble obliged and then lifted her onto a horse that had been tethered nearby. “Can you guide the horse like that?”
Aquila accepted the reigns through the jacket in between two of the buttonholes and nodded. “I can do it.”
Trouble mounted a second horse and turned his horse down a small path. “We should be in a small town by nightfall.”

********

Aquila was ready to fall asleep by the time they rode into a small town that boasted the name Tyracue. Down the street they cantered. A lively tavern named the Red Bull sat on their right, the light from the door illuminating the man sitting on the porch of the jail house directly across the street from it.
Next to the jail house sat a bank and two doors down from it was Tyracue Inn. Across from the inn, three doors down from the Red Bull, was a livery and next to it, only two doors down from the tavern sat the blacksmith shop. Trouble led Aquila around to the back and then pulled up.
“We will have to do this quickly,” Trouble whispered as he dismounted and tied his horse to a post.
Aquila handed him her reigns and he tied it before helping her down. Sneaking up to the back door, Trouble slowly opened it and peered inside. Aquila bounced underneath the coat to try and generate body heat, as she eagerly anticipated the relief coming.
When Trouble was satisfied that they were alone, he ushered Aquila in. Trouble built a fire in the forge. As it heated up, Trouble kissed Aquila tenderly. “We shall have that off in no time.”
When Trouble was satisfied with the intensity of the heat, he stuck two thick rods with pointed ends into the fire. Then he led her to the anvil and placed her wrists on either side of the anvil's thinner side. He placed a hammer on the anvil and then went to examine the rods.
After ten minutes of heating, Trouble picked them up with tongs and examined them. They were glowing red hot. He stuck them back on and quickly slipped on two heavy, thick gloves. Picking them back up, he stuck the pointed ends of the steel rods in the holes of her cuffs.
Picking up the hammer, he looked at Aquila. “You might want to look away. And do not jump!”
Aquila looked away and braced herself. Wham! Aquila jerked slightly, the cuff around her left hand loosened. Wham! Aquila jerked again as relief flooded her senses.
“All right, you are free,” Trouble announced.
Aquila shook the broken pieces free of her wrists and sighed as she rubbed each wrist. “That feels so much better.”
Trouble did not let her stand there long. “Come quickly. They would have heard the hammer hit the rods and will be investigating soon.”
They quickly disappeared out of the back door, but instead of lifting Aquila onto the horse, Trouble led them in the back door of the livery stable. He had them both unsaddled and rubbed down while Aquila found hay and oats for them. Trouble left a coin at the office in the front and then together they walked across the street to the inn.
Trouble had Aquila in a room before she could think. Aquila looked longingly at the bed. “I want to go to sleep but I know I would be miserable if I did not take a bath first.”
“I will get you one ready shortly,” Trouble assured her. “Sit down until then.”
Aquila was only too happy to obey and took a seat in a wooden chair to her right. Rolling her head back, she rolled it from side to side. The room was rather drab. Torn curtains hung on the window above the rather small and thinly covered bed. A wardrobe missing it's left door with the right one hanging by one nail sat directly across from her to the left of the doorway and next to her chair was a small, rudely crafted table with a single lamp that provided the only light to be found.
Aquila removed her thin shoes and kicked them towards the bed. She instantly regretted the action as her feet touched sandy floors. Trouble walked in as she frowned and shuddered. “What is the matter?”
“The floors are filthy!” Aquila complained.
Trouble sighed. “This is just not going well for you. I am sorry. But the water is hot and once you have cleaned yourself from head to toe, I shall carry you across the floor so you do not have to touch it.”
“No, you do not have to do that. I am being a baby,” Aquila shook her head and pouted.
“You have every right to be, my love, for what you have been through. And I know I do not have to, but I want to.” Trouble leaned down and kissed her nose. “Now go get in the bath.”
Aquila picked up her saddlebag Trouble had thought to bring in with him and quickly waddled out the door and down the hallway to the tub room. She had only just begun when Trouble joined her.
Wishing for all the world time would freeze right there, Aquila leaned back against his chest and sighed. “You are too good to me.” Forgetting half of the job, Aquila fell asleep there in Trouble's arms.