[piosenniel]

Relief flooded through her at his words and actions. She walked with him as far as the gangway, then excused herself to go to her cabin and change clothes.

'He's right, you know.' she said to her reflection in the small mirror as she towelled her hair. 'You're not the only one on board with concerns about what might happen. Nor are you the only one who can make it happen.'

She pulled at the tangles in her hair with a comb. Perhaps she could put Ancalimon in the foreward ship and she could stay on the Star alongside Veritas. A viable option, but it irked her not to be in the midst of action.

And then there was the problem of Mithadan. It was difficult, learning to consider things in terms of being a 'couple'. True, she had learned the lessons of patience and wisdom in the Halls, but it proved harder work to translate these lessons into action. Old inclinations warred with newer insights as she pulled on warm, dry clothes.

Her thoughts tenuously resolved, she drew herself up and stretched to relieve the tension and tiredness of her body.

Almost to the galley, she met Cami just coming from it. Her old friend looked at her and opened her mouth to speak. 'Let me speak with him first.' she said, cutting off the hobbit before she could utter a word. 'Then later, come to me and we will speak.'

Mithadan sat at ease, reading from some book and glancing often at the door. She smiled at the sight of him, and went to sit with him. He had fixed her a bowl of porridge sprinkled with dried fruits and honey. A cup of strong, hot tea stood beside it. 'Thank you!' she said, touching him on the shoulder as she sat down.

They made small talk as he watched her eat. She told him of her talk with Levanto, his promise to watch the coastal waters for any signs of increased patrols and the river, also. Her last spoonful half-way to her mouth, she noticed him watching her with narrowed eyes.

'That wasn't all you spoke of, was it?' he asked gently. 'What trouble lies beneath the surface of these other concerns? Surely not that he and I would be at odds somehow?'

She lowered the spoon back to the bowl. 'No, not that Mithadan. That has been resolved, and concerns me no longer.' He waited patiently, saying nothing, for her to make the decision to clear the air of any remaining secrets. He would not press her, she must come to him willingly. She saw this, and made her decision.

Pio took his hand and led him to the deck, to a place in the fresh, clear air that afforded them some privacy. They stood close together at the railing, watching the waves rise and curl. Then she turned to him and sighed. 'There is something else which lies at the base of my concerns of late. Though, I would not call it a "trouble". I only wish that it had come for us in less shadowed times.'

His brow furrowed, and he looked at her with concern, fearing what she might tell him. 'Speak, then, to me.' he said, his voice low. He took her hand in his. 'Let me share the burden.'

She brought his hand against the flat of her belly, and opened her mind briefly to him, letting him feel the energies that sought his.

A look of great wonder and astonished joy filled his face. A light shone in his eyes. He bent to kiss her as she broke the contact.

'A child! You bear my child!' he said, laughing.

'Our children, Mithadan,' she corrected him, placing his hand once again upon her, letting him sense the already curious energies.

'A son!' he smiled. 'And a daughter!' He laughed, feeling his daughter's energy fight to be first in his mind. 'And a spirited one, if I have the right of it!'

[ September 28, 2002: Message edited by: piosenniel ]