Page 40 of A Suitable Captive

Traces of Fen’s hands were all over him and Lan had made no move to hide them when his friends had arrived. His hair was tinted almost purple in places where the blue dye was lost in his reddish-brown hair. He had a spot on his jaw by his ear as well.

When Fen removed his pants, he would show even more marks than that.

“Shared joy,” Lan explained to the others, shivering at the cold but otherwise unmoving. He looked at Fen, eyebrows high. “Right, Fen?”

Fen tripped out of his clothes as fast as he was able, then straightened, his back and backside and whatever was painted on them visible to anyone who cared to look. He smiled at Lan, no longer concerned with the presence of others, before he stumbled, gasping, into the water.

Fen occupied himself with wondering if the Bal would be flattered to know how seriously Lan had taken their tradition. He would not have been the only noble from outside that territory to do so, but since Fen doubted The Acana, for one, would have let anyone stain his skin for any reason, it might mean something to mention it if Lan ever spoke with them.

Which he certainly ought to. Fen would peel away The Acana’s allies one by one for Lan if he could, and the Bal as well as the Lylanth seemed the easiest starting points. Of course, The Acana’s allies desert him openly, not at first, but if reminded of The Acana’s duplicity and selfishness, they might fail to act at critical moments or show only minimal support.

It was one of several thoughts running through Fen’s mind at the moment but he tried not to let him distract him so he wouldn’t tug too hard on Lan’s hair or fail to secure it properly. He had volunteered to deal with Lan’s hair for him so that Lan would actually eat a morning meal instead of taking care of every task in the campbuteating. Or more likely for Lan, deliberately forgetting to eat so that everyone else could.

In order to make Fen’s work easier, Lan was seated on a large piece of a log intended to be split into firewood. Lan’s advisors had found him again not long after Lan had first sat down, relieved to find him dressed and prepared to be sensible. They had begun discussing the state of the camp while Lan was eating his porridge.

They still kept their greater plans between them, although Fen wondered if all of them knew what those were. Even if Lan had decided something—which he likely had—he probably wouldn’t tell that many until he had to. Keeping it secret from potential spies was important, but also, possibly, he hadn’t reasoned it out all the way and was itching for a chance to go do something so he could think it over in the way he preferred.

What Fencoulddetermine from their talk was that they were all to leave this camp and travel on, although Fen didn’t think everyone would travel together. He suspected some of them wanted to wait out the winter or gather more information. He also didn’t think Lan liked that course of action, probably for the same reasons Fen didn’t; the Earls would have the same time to rest and plot that he did.

But winter was winter and couldn’t be ignored.

Fen paused after tying off the last of the small decorative braids Lan liked to wear, examining all of them to make sure they were uniform. He couldn’t braid as prettily as Lan, but they would do well enough. He used his fingers to comb out the rest of Lan’s hair before he could twist it all up into a knot at the crown.

Perhaps winters in Maben territory were different and Lan was used to cold the way others were not, and would journey and fight in it if he felt it necessary.

Fen paused his wondering again while trying to secure Lan’s hair so it would stay in place without being so tight it was painful. He didn’t yet have any skill with hair, though this must be routine to Lan. “What if it’s loose and it falls?” he worried aloud and caught Heni concealing a smile.

“Then I will retie it,” Lan answered mildly without turning. “Unless it’s not actually my hair which vexes you?”

The little group around them seemed to quiet. Not all at once, but close to it, they each looked directly at Fen the way that they had been careful not to since many of them had seen him naked earlier. They might think anything. Plenty of The Acana’s alliances and spouses and lovers had opinions and feelings of bitterness over whoever was thought to be influencing The Acana the most at that moment. Those were the ones who hadn’t realized yet The Acana didn’t let any of them influence him and would abandon them as he pleased.

Lan’s advisors were often his friends. They might be concerned for him personally as well as for what Fen might demand from him. Fen was, after all, a child of the Horror.

Fen gave Lan a frown which Lan didn’t see, then glanced up, first to Race, then to Heni, then to each of the others. Tai had her eyebrows raised in expectation.

He rolled his shoulders gracefully and lowered his gaze. “I’m not vexed.”

Lan exhaled, then reached up to find Fen’s hand and place it on his shoulder. “We don’t cuff people for speaking here.” He pressed down when Fen tried to twitch his hand away. “We might not agree, but no one is struck over their opinion.”

Fen didn’t like how the others regarded him and turned his face to the side.

“It makes sense to wait out the winter,” he answered at last, very quietly. “But it makes so much sense that I don’t think you’ll do it. The Earls call you what they call you because you don’t think like them.”

“What is it you think he will do?” Race asked as if genuinely curious. Fen turned back to look at only him.

“He wants to act,” he answered. Lan reasoned before he acted, but he did act, and decisively. “But he doesn’t want it to be wasteful. He values all of you so much.”

Lan squeezed his hand.

“Not only us,” Race said, as honey-sweet as Fen might have. Fen had done that to appease others, The Acana usually, but sometimes his siblings or, lately, the Wild Dog. He didn’t know why Race would do that unless he was teasing Fen.

“If Lan hesitates, it’s out of concern… probably for all of you,” Fen answered uncertainly, working on the problem only moments before speaking. “That’s why he’s waiting now. Isn’t it?”

Race looked confused. “What?”

“Isn’t it?” Fen turned to Heni, who had gone nearly as blank as her brother. Heni, who looked like she might be Lan’s twin, but who was actually The Maben’s claimed child and had joined Lan of her own will. Tellan and Lan were the two meant to be cast out. Heni might know more of the ways of nobles than Lan and could have told him much of the information Fen had. Maybe she had in the days before Lan had taken Maben lands for his own.

Which had been an unexpected and bold act, the kind of thing Fen would have expected Lan to do now. Take the lands of an Earl, not some lesser noble, and make a statement that the other Earls would immediately understand in order to hopefully convince the rest not to fight.

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