I was very much in two minds about meeting my mother, forgetting that she would have been able to observe what happened in the grove in the trump on the wall. When she returned to human form she had tears in her eyes and just hugged me as she had done when I was a child. After a few minutes I broke away somewhat embarrassed at having to comfort and reassure her - after all it was me the Unicorn raped not her, and I could deal with that. I suppose it was at that moment that I realized I could deal with it. Whilst it was an event that will be with me forever it was in the past, after all not 24 hours ago I had nearly been killed by an abyssal energy ball and that I could handle.
We sat and talked for a while and then I retired principally as I wished to be alone once more and also to record once more the events that have recently shaped my life. As I draw this entry to a close it occurs to me that my mother was crying not for what happened to me but because she thinks she has lost her daughter. What I can do to reassure her I shall have to sleep on.
We have spent most of the day exploring the castle. It is only in daylight that you can gain a full appreciation of what changes the Serpent wrought here. The Greathall when fully decorated will be stunning. It dwarfs the Queens hall in Phehomeny which would easily fit inside it. Behind the hall rises an accommodation tower, with servants quarters and kitchens on the ground floor, function rooms on the first floor, and bedrooms and apartments on the remaining three floors.
Unfortunately none of the rooms are furnished and Cordelia has set about furnishing apartments for both of us on the second floor. We have also by mutual consent decided to use the Greathall as communal space despite its vastness. The carved roof is just to magnificent to not be admired at every opportunity.
She was looking tired again tonight and I can only conclude it is the drain the magic imposes.. When I woke her this morning she was looking strangely radiant. I had expected to find her in her room in the condo but when I went to wake her she was not there. My mother said she had not left the stables and I had a strange premonition of finding her disemboweled and the Unicorn covered in her blood. It was somewhat of a relief to find her safely asleep, although it struck me as odd that her sleeping bag was half open and she was covered in sweat. Why strange, not because of the previous facts alone but because of the way the Unicorn had been staring at her when I entered with its genitals hanging out. Her behaviour was a little odd also. Usually she is quite happy, much to my consternation, to walk around with little or nothing on and her first action is usually to make herself a coffee which she drinks some of before doing anything else.
I had arrived with
a full cooked
breakfast, my mother had helped me cook it in the kitchen of the condo,
and a large mug of fresh coffee. When I had woken her she had shrugged
off the sleeping bag and immediately disappeared into one of the stalls
to relieve herself. When she returned she had flushed as if
embarrassed, removed clean undergarments and a bag from her a
pack and disappeared back into another stall . When she emerged she had
clean underclothes on and these weren't sticking to her as
the
others had been. The counter point to all this had been the mental
stream of images and commentary the Unicorn had sent me. These were not
only of every thing she did thinking she was safely out of sight, but
also of what had happened during the night to cause her current
embarrassment. It was a good job she was
only paying attention to her own predicament for I blushed
profusely and repeatedly at what he showed me. I told him that if he
ever did it again I
would turn him into a gelding.
What I cannot rationalize is how such images can disgust me on one hand
and fascinate on
another. One image in particular now puts into context what I couldn't
see her do when she confronted Hinkin . I find this action hard to
reconcile with what I learnt of her during our conversation at the
Carter's residence.
My arm and shoulder are a little better today but I think its going to be several days before I can use them again and several weeks before I have the strength back in them. My pregnancy is progressing quicker than I would have expected and it is placing severe stains on my body. I find I'm having to eat substantially more than I'm used to and I tire quickly.
We set out to explore the town this morning, but a combination of my arm and pregnancy meant I turned back after a couple of hours leaving Cordelia to continue on her own. She returned several hours later noting that the town is pretty much the same all over, a combination of empty houses, mercantile establishments, inns and taverns of varying sizes all waiting to be occupied and furnished. Even what could be considered guard rooms, dormitory's, armouries, or smithies are all in a similar state.
I woke early this morning feeling very uncomfortable with a desire to empty the contents of my stomach. Perhaps if I'd remained where I was I wouldn't have but I doubt it. The result was that my bedclothes required washing as did a portion of the floor and my dress. With no pale to hand I had to wake Cordelia and ask her to create me one so I could clean my room. She was about to ask me why when I had the urge to regurgitate again and made a mess in the corridor.
Her reaction was not what I expected. She put her arm round me and steered me into her own room. She found me a robe and helped me out of my, now stained, under dress, found me some water and a basin, and then went to clean up. It was only when she returned about 20 minutes later with clean clothes for me that I realized she had done all this without being clothed. When I commented on this she asked me who was going to see her pointing out that we were the only two people here and we were both the same sex. I said that wasn't the point. She asked me why and to be honest I couldn't define why. As she said "because it isn't" isn't really an argument. She then chose to reinforce the point by spending the rest of the morning and afternoon naked except for her sword and only proceeded to clothe herself when the sun went down and the air started to cool.
When I returned to my room it was if it had been cleaned in the spring after the winter, with the fresh scent of pine and heather pervading it. I noticed she had also conjured me a pale and some towels. I didn't feel like our normal fare for breakfast but had a surprising desire for Grouan, a syrupy black drink high in minerals brewed from a mix of hops and barley. When I described it to her she produced a glass of what she called stout which is similar and quite tasty. Surprisingly it also settled my stomach.
After lunch I had intended to question him regarding my pregnancy but as I walked into the stables the images of Cordelia from the other night came unbidden to my mind. He turned a questioning eye towards me and said, "Can I do anything for you". I turned and ran back to my apartment the images continuing to flood my vision. At dinner she asked if I was ok and I said yes - by that point I had recovered my composure and control.
As far as I know Cordelia is still down in the Greathall finishing the bottle of wine she conjured to go with our dinner. It seems that as the days go by she gets more confident with what she can do for the quality and complexity of the food is slowly improving. I'm only sorry that I cannot do it justice.
It has been another quite day. I had another bout of sickness this morning, and was forced to wake Cordelia again. It was colder this morning and she actually bothered to pull a silk robe about herself. She cleaned up my mess, then conjured me a glass of stout which quietened my stomach again. As she turned to leave that image flashed into my mind again and I almost asked her about it, but my courage failed me and I thanked her for her assistance and kissed her on the cheek saying I'd see her in the hall later.
That kiss had a strange effect on my body one which I've only felt a few times before, the last time when Gavalin kissed me after he'd made his proposal of marriage. I also couldn't shake that image.
I shall say nothing more of the next two hours save that the image does not come anymore and I feel like a great tension has been lifted. I have even stopped hurting as much. Perhaps he put the images in my mind on purpose but that would indicate a kindness that I don't sense in him.
I woke Cordelia again this morning. It's getting to be something of a habit. At least I managed to confine most of my sick to the basin. I only woke her because I wanted the glass of stout. She said she'd see me in the hall shortly and disappeared towards my room.
By the time she joined me in the hall I had the fire lit and was warming the inside of my legs by it. It is all very well wearing only a robe but it doesn't keep your legs or other regions as warm as a dress. When I turned round she smiled at me. "We're not alone any longer" she said "Alfred and Charity got back last night although she's gone off somewhere again". She laughed as I blushed and pulled the robe around me. "It's all right, he won't walk in on us. He's up with your mother". I breathed a sigh of relief.
We had finished breakfast when he turned up. I must admit we behaved like two silly young girls when he walked in wearing, yellow trousers, an orange waist coat, and a bright red jacket. It didn't help when Cordelia muttered "Good job he's not in blue shoes and carrying a fishing rod" - strange how Gnome jokes are universal, and we both collapsed in fits of laughter.
He grabbed a few handfuls of leftover breakfast, then stormed out announcing he was going to explore the town. He was barely out of the doors before we collapsed with laughter again.
Our levity was broken by my realization that Cordelia was looking at me. At some point during the previous few minutes my robe had come undone and I was sitting in a similar relation to her as she had been to Hinkin on that afternoon in the Courts. "You're beginning to show" she said. " I know" I replied "My dresses are starting to become a little tight around the waist. I could let them out but that's a lot of work. Could you conjure me some more?". It seemed like hours before she replied that she would. Her reply also triggered a realization of how I was sitting . I hastily pulled my robe about me, thanked her and headed for my apartment.
When I returned an hour or so later she was not there. She dropped in at lunch time, created lunch , and then retreated to her apartment. Charity appeared mid afternoon looking for Cordelia. It seems she has brought an escort of Abyss demons back with her. She asked me how I was. Physically I said I was fine although the morning sickness was rather inconvenient. Mentally I was still coming to terms with what the Unicorn did to me at the conclusion of the second part of the ritual. She looked stunned. It seems she didn't know although Cordelia later assured me she'd told her. She asked what happened. So I told her in graphic detail. Perhaps I was too graphic for I could see the pain reflected in the tears in her eyes. She gave me a quick hug and retreated in the direction of Cordelia's apartment.
I stood there for a minute or two then sat down heavily tears welling in my eyes. As the tears came I felt the familiar grip of a tentacle and then the comforting arms of my mother.
Dinner that evening was a quiet a fair although Cordelia seemed to have a spark in her eye again and a lilt in her voice when ever she mentioned Prince Fredizkhankt, the leader of the Abyss demons. I have the suspicion she doesn't realize that she's giving her true feeling about him away, should you be able to read them. I also think this one is going to play out differently to the situation with Hinkin. The reason I mention him is that it is him and his men that rescued us from the Unicorn Grove on the orders of the Kraken. I suspect our first meeting is going to be interesting - as Cordelia put it "Oh I don't recognize you with your clothes on".
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