Unknown Heritage

[Demeter]

Carma laughed. "No, there are no cameras in the house. If we take a tour of the greenhouse, we may have to do some stratigic tossing of clothing." He rested his head on Rune's shoulder and wondered when he would regain the ability to breathe properly. The last time he'd had a work out this good, he'd been a young man visiting Apollo.

Carma craned his head around and kissed Rune. "We should clean up and retreat to my apartment over the garage." He stood up, pulling Rune up with him. "Exactly where did we leave our clothing?"

[Demeter]

Lord Lucius Margaritas glanced up at the castle and used a handkerchief to mop the sweat off his brow. It wasn’t hot in northern France. In fact, it was downright chilly but it was what he was here to do that was caused him to sweat. He didn’t want to be here but if he went back to Italy without speaking to Lord DeLorme, Juno would have his head on a platter. Swallowing, Lucius stepped out of his car and quickly mounted the steps of the castle. He didn’t have the pleasure of a long wait. It seemed that his arrival had already been noted as Darius was descending the stairs with a smile on his face.

The Custos lord bounced right up to him, clapped him on the back and asked how he was doing. “Well enough,” he responded, shaking off the idea of mention the lapses in memory he’d been experiencing lately, “I haven’t come for a social visit, Darius. I need to speak to you, about your son, Rune.” As expected, his reception at the castle went from cheery to even colder than the weather outside. He grimaced when he was invited to come up to Darius’ private office.

Once in the room, Lucius waved away the offer of a brandy to warm his body. He really was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He didn’t want to damage the relationship between him and Darius but Juno had him by the balls. “This isn’t an easy thing for me to do or say. I would have preferred to let it alone but my wife, she refuses and, I fear, is willing to go through any lengths to accomplish her goals. Darius, my friend, you have to believe me that I had no knowledge of this until the bargain had been struck and sealed by ancient customs. Years ago, Juno entered into an agreement with Shadis Dahl.” Lucius winced when he noticed Darius sitting straighter and his eyes grow darker. “She promised our daughter, Zhara, to Rune. The agreement was struck and later, when Shadis was despite for ready cash, we gave him Zhara’s dowry.

“I thought Juno had forgotten about the agreement. And it certainly never seemed like Shadis had ever informed Rune about him being betrothed as a child. In fact, I doubt that Shadis would have gone through with it but Shadis isn’t the problem here. Juno, she wants to force the marriage through. She knows something, Darius, she won’t tell me what it is but she says she’ll take it public if Rune doesn’t comply and wed Zhara. She says it will ruin everyone.

Darius sat back in his chair and tapped his fingers together. Oh, this was a tangled web he thought. Rune was downstairs, learning the history of the DeLorme family with Carmine as his tutor. Except, Darius doubted there was much learning going on. He could see what was happening between the two men. He flicked his gaze towards Lucius. “Sit down before you fall down, Lucius. While Juno could follow through with her threats, this family could weather them. But there is someone else that needs to be in on this conversation. He leaned forward and pressed a button on his desk phone. When his secretary answered, Darius told the young man to summon Rune as well as Carmine.

***

Darius was right about the learning that was going on in the downstairs library. It just wasn’t happening. They’d given up any pretense of instruction of family history and Carma was in Rune’s lap and rocking against the man. He’d ask Rune some question about the finer points of family history and, if he answered correctly, he got rewarded. He’d just answered one such question correctly and Carma’s hand was snug between their bodies and in the process of rewarding Rune when a maid knocked on the door.

The young woman yelped and turned to face the hallway. “Excuse me, my lords, but His Grace would like both of you to attend to him in the study. Immediently.”

Both men grumbled but they pried apart from each other and straightened their clothing. A summons from Darius was not to be ignored. They kept their hands off each other and made it to the study in short order. Except, they were both stunned to hear of this news about Rune being betrothed. While Rune stared at the two men, Carmine slumped against a wall and sighed.

[Maira]

The words that Darius had the obviously upset other man repeat for Rune and Carma's benefit shocked Rune to his core. He was betrothed? How come he didn't know? Surely this would have been something his father, or even his devious mother, would have loved holding over him. They would have made it clear that no matter what he would never be able to choose a mate on his own, that no matter if he fell in love or not, he would have to marry this man's daughter. He wasn't sure if that would have been a better or worse situation though because while it hurt like hell to hear the words, seeing the look on Carma's face as well as the slumped posture of defeat in his body language ripped out Rune's heart and tore it to shreds. When exactly -had- he fallen in love with the older custos?

Finally, unable to stand the waiting silence anymore, Rune answered the unasked questions, "Duty demands I do this. I do not believe in arranged marriage and will not go into it willingly. I also do not react well to threats, and Lord Margaritas you would do well to inform your wife of such." Then, daring to look at his lover where he was still slumped against the wall he finished, "I only do this to save three Houses from whatever ruin it is that Lady Juno threatens, -not- because I choose to." Having spoken his mind, Rune bowed stiffly to the other Lords and excused himself claiming a sudden need for a nice brisk round of combat practice to clear his head.

As he passed Carma on his way out he asked, "Would you like to hold the other blade? Or shall I utilize whatever troops are training today?" He really hoped Carma would agree to join him as Carma's skill was the only one to actually challenge him, but if he needed to beat the troops into exhaustion to get a similar workout he would.

[Demeter]

Carma shook his head at Rune's request. "Not right now, my Lord, I need some time to think. Lord Darius, Lord Lucius, if you will excuse me," he said before ducking out of the room and going to his own quarters. He knew that if he went with Rune down to the training rooms, they'd end up doing more then just sparring. He didn't think that would be a good thing right now. Once he reached his quarters, Carma simply fell, face first, onto his bed and groaned.

Just when things had finally started going right, this had to happen. Carma turned his head to the side and peered across the room to where Talos was displayed. He could still remember Talos' whispered commands to let Rune hold the God Sword all those months ago at their first meeting. His heart had just about been beating out of his chest when he'd handed Rune the sword. He'd gone light headed for a moment when Rune proved that he could hold the sword without being electrocuted; giddy at the knowledge that there was indeed someone else who could hold Talos. And then he'd railroaded the man into a relationship before he could think twice.

And he'd never told Rune just what it meant to hold another's god given sword. He'd found his match but hadn't wanted to tell Rune because he'd seen to many matches ruined because the other person didn't like the idea of being destined for someone else. And Rune had had so little control of his life until now. And it still seemed that people were trying to run Rune's life for him. Now, with this news and Rune's promise to go through with the marriage.

Carma groaned and rolled over onto his back. Damn Rune's sense of honor and duty! Of course, those were just two of the things Carma liked about Rune and he doubted that those two virtues would allow Rune to have an extramarital affair. He'd always found those types of entanglements distasteful himself and his own sense of honor wouldn't allow Carma to engage in such a affair.

He just wouldn't tell Rune anything about what holding another's God Sword meant.

****

In the south of Italy, Zhara Margaritas raged. Her dragon, Syryn, and her younger half-sister, Arianna, watched as Zhara stalked up and down the hidden stretch of coastline. Just that morning, her mother had announced that her arranged marriage would be happening. The announcement was a shock to Zhara, who'd known nothing about any arrangement, and she'd exhausted every option she could think of.

Arianna, flopped on her stomach with her legs kicking the air behind her, swallowed a giggle when Zhara swatted at a low hanging tree branch. "Can you just ask Tavi to go back in time and prevent Juno from doing this?"

Their brother Tavi, the chief devotee of Saturn, has the ability to not only see ahead and behind the line of time but he could travel through it. And Zhara had already thought of that option. "He can't. I asked him to but Saturn refuses to allow it and Tavi won't tell me what he's seen."

"Well, he is bound by Saturn not to reveal what he's seen," Arianna sighed, "Why is she pushing this all of the sudden?"

Zhara sat beside her sister and leaned against Syryn's shoulder. "Probably because Lord deLorme has adopted Lord Dahl to make him his official heir. The future Alati King of France and Overlord of Europe is a bigger catch then plain Lord Dahl."

"She can't make you go through with it, can she? Wouldn't Father put a stop to it?"

Zhara shook her head. "She's holding something over Father's head. She's got something against him that causes him to go along with her schemes. And she's forcing me to go through with his by threatening Luc."

Arianna growled at the thought of anyone harming her baby nephew. "If only Captain Hottie was alive. He wouldn't let this happen."

Zhara raised an eyebrow at her sister. "Captain Hottie?" she asked.

"You know, Luc's daddy, Lorenzo. He wouldn't allow this arranged marriage to happen. Why, I bet he'd swoop in and steal you and Luc away. Father certainly had no problems with him."

Zhara tilted her head back. "Father thought he was a fine, young Alati and welcomed him as part of the family. Juno, she wasn't about to let her cash cow get away though and refused to think about a marriage between me and a, and I quote, 'low bred commoner'. I can't prove it yet but I think she was responsible for Lorenzo's death." Even now, six months after Lorenzo had died, and four after the birth of his son, Zhara had a hard time just thinking about it.

"No!"

Zhara nodded. "The straps on his riding gear were cut just enough to make them give out mid-flight. He fell to his death."

The sisters lapsed into silence. After a few minutes, Arianna spoke. "Go to France, that's where Father went this morning to talk with Lord deLorme. Go and speak with Lord Dahl. Perhaps he can be made to see reason and will call this off. He might even be able to offer you and Luc sanctuary from Juno even if he doesn't marry you."

Zhara glanced at her sister. "Maybe; though if he is anything like his father, the former Lord Dahl, I doubt it, but there has to be something good in him if Lord deLorme not only adopted him but made him his heir."

****

He'd been debating his decision all night. He'd waffled on telling Rune why being able to hold Talos was so special. And yet, in the end, he always reached the same conclusion. He had to break it off with Rune.

June was a heartless bitch and he'd no doubts that she knew the truth about Rune's parentage. After all, she'd been close to Shadis and Ellen when they'd been alive. She could have easily discovered the truth.

Even though all the tests indicated that Darius had fathered Rune, they'd promoted the belief that Rune was a Dahl by birth. IF the world knew that Darius had allowed his son to be raised by Shadis, it would cast doubt that Rune was a deLorme. Tests, after all, could be faked. And, while the deLorme family and estate could weather the scandal, there would be a power struggle for control of the Dahl estate that would tear the smaller holding apart.

So Carma didn't doubt that this was what Juno knew. She would use whatever information she had, and it had to be good to threaten Darius with it, in order to get her way. Carma knew what had to do but that didn't make it easy. Nor did he want to do it. In such a short time, Rune had become his rock and being parted from the man made him tremble and ache.

When the house was quiet, Carma slipped from his quarters and into Rune's. Judging from the scatter trail of clothing, Rune had stripped as he'd walked through the rooms. Carma followed the trail to the bedroom where he stopped and smiled softly. Judging from how he'd sprawled across the bed, Rune had worked himself in exhaustion.

Carma quickly disrobed and crawled onto the bed. Since Rune, normally a light sleeper, didn't wake, Carma guessed that he was dead to the world. Naked, he ranged himself over the younger man, careful not to rest his weight on Rune's body, and set about waking the man by kissing him. When Rune did wake, it was with his usual response to a rude awakening by trying to knock his attacker out. Carma, dropped his weight down to pin Rune to the bed. He caught Rune's wrists in his hands while nuzzling the man's neck. He slid his hands up over Rune's palms and, entangling their fingers, pinned his arms to the pillows. "Be with me, Rune, one last time. Stay with me tonight," he said before kissing Rune.

Because in the morning he would be gone.

[Maira]

Carma calling him "my Lord" had rankled. Rune was not only hurt by the sudden formality between them but pissed that he wasn't even going to be allowed to talk to the man alone any time soon. In a silently building rage, Rune left and went in search of willing members of his father's armed guard. He had spent many hours training them what he knew, which while not as much as Carma he did have a few tricks the other man didn't. He hoped that the familiarity with the men and women he'd built over the past few months would be enough that they would forgive him for taking out his frustrations on them.

After hours of working himself, and the troops, into sweaty exhaustion, Rune made it back to his room and stripped on his way to collapsing into his bed. He didn't even remember pulling the blankets up over him when suddenly he was being woken up. He tried to attack the intruder but before he knew it a familiar weight was pinning him to his bed and familiar calloused hands were gripping his wrists above his head. Instantly Rune relaxed and let Carma have his way with him.

His relationship with the older man had been a surprise to both of them, and while it wasn't something he had been looking for he had no idea what he would do if he had to give it up. Carma coming to him after the cold distant way he'd spoken to him earlier eased Rune's worry and fear. If Carma were truly going to distance himself from Rune, he wouldn't really be in bed with him would he? Too groggy from sleep and distracted by Carma's attentions, Rune shoved the worry aside as it was just too hard to think.

*****

The sunlight coming in his window is what finally woke Rune the next morning. It was warm on his body and no matter how hard he tried he just couldn't ignore it. He'd never been able to sleep well when he was too warm, and considering his bladder was informing him it was well past his normal wake up time there was no way he was going to be able to fall back asleep. He slipped out from under the sheet and quietly made his way to the bathroom. Only on his way back to bed did Rune realize that Carma had left sometime while he'd been sleeping. Even though his father, and nearly everybody else in the household, knew about their relationship it wasn't uncommon for either man to leave the other's bed before morning so Rune didn't think anything of it. Especially with Lord Margaritas in the house.

At that last though, Rune's mood soured. Why did his mother and her husband have to arrange a marriage for him? He was too duty-bound to say no to the obligation but he had never even met the woman. He was happy with Carma, ridiculously so, and now he was going to have to hide that relationship for the sake of some woman he'd never met.

With his temper rising once more, Rune hurried to get dressed. He needed to talk to Carma. Surely the older man would have some ideas on how they could make things work while still honoring this stupid arrangement made when he was an infant. If nothing else the other man would likely be able to calm Rune's temper and help him handle things better. He wasn't sure any of the remaining troops would want to cross swords with him for a long time after yesterday's attempt to work out his anger over the situation.

His mood must have been clear to everybody who saw him because all of the servants in the halls hurried out of his way at his approach. The few whispering in doorways scampered away when they saw him coming. The closer he got to Carma's quarters the stranger the servants were acting and Rune started to get suspicious that something was going on. Only when he reached the other man's open bedroom door did Rune realize why everybody had been looking at him the way they were.

Carma was gone.

All of Carma's personal touches to the room were gone. The case that Talos was normally displayed in was missing. Carma's wardrobe that his armor was kept in was open and empty. Even the linens on the bed that Carma preferred were gone and replaced by the generic House linens found in all other guest rooms of his father's home.

The anger that had been building in Rune all morning collapsed in on him and there was a sudden tightness in his chest that made it hard to breathe. His heart started hammering in his chest. His vision started to blur. The dizziness, however, is what finally won and knocked him to his knees. He stared blankly into the emptiness of the room that had belonged to his lover. What the hell did Carma think he was doing? Why had he left when Rune needed him the most? Rune knew the answers, and while he didn't like them he understood. Understanding was not enough to curb the sudden resurgence of Rune's temper however.

The longer Rune stared into Carma's room, the angrier he got. Not necessarily at Carma for leaving, but because of why he had left. His parents, one dead the other exiled, were still running and ruining his life! When the anger was too much to bear any longer, Rune hauled himself up off the floor and slammed the door behind him as he stalked off down the hallway in search of his father. On his way through the house, anything that reminded Rune of Carma fell victim to Rune's rage. It was good he didn't have his sword belted at his waist yet (it had been left in the care of the weaponsmith to repair after yesterday's rage) because otherwise more damage may have been done.

When Rune finally reached his father's office, he didn't wait to be announced but just barreled in. "Where is he?!" he demanded, his voice gruff with the warring emotions of rage and sadness that were surging through him as he faced down Darius.

Only when Darius stared at him in silence did Rune realize that there were other people in Darius's office with him. Lord Margaritas and a woman about his own age, presumably the Lady Zhara, both stared at Rune with confusion clear in their eyes. Normally Rune would have been ashamed of his actions and lack of manners, and later it would likely hit him, but right now Rune just didn't care. He'd already ruined the Lady's first impression of him and it was too late to fix it. Instead of trying, he instead stiffly bowed to the other Lord and his daughter, then to his father, and with an apologetic, "If you'll excuse me, I'll return later," he turned and left.

Not willing to abuse his father's house guards any further, Rune stalked out to the stables and ordered the groom to ready his mount. He needed to escape and a nice long hard ride sounded like just the ticket.

[Demeter]

Darius sat in his empty office, leaning back in his chair and staring out the windows. He'd dismissed Lucius and his daughter but now he needed to think. Carma had come to him that morning to tell him that he was leaving for Olympus and that he didn't know when, or if, he'd be back. They'd argued about it before Carma had shouted at Darius, saying "what would you have me do, Darius? Stay and watch him marry another woman, knowing I could never have him? Or continue in a relationship with a married man, always in the shadows? I cannot stay and watch that!"

And so Carma had left, going off to serve his deity directly from Olympus.


By the time word arrived that Rune had returned, it was early evening. Darius chickened out and sent his wife to speak with his son. Pretty damned sure that Rune wouldn't strike out at Genesis, he gave her the sealed envelope given to him by Carma and sent her down the stables. Genesis, muttering threats against her husband, stalked down to the stables and handed the letter to Rune.

In the letter, he'd explained why he'd left and why he wouldn't be making any further contact with Rune.

Genesis leaned against the wall and watched as the man seemed to crumble. She'd only known Carma for a few decades but she knew he was a man of honor. She also knew that Carma would never submit to a affair.

***

Zhara bided her time and once she thought that enough time had past, she sought Rune out. Lord Darius had already invited her to spend time here at the deLorme house but there were some things that she just couldn't talk to him about.

She found Rune in the family library, alone. "My Lord, can I speak with you?"

After he nodded, Zhara sat across from him. "I want you to know that I would never agree to anything like this and I don't care about dowries or coin or status. If I had a choice, I would call this off in a heartbeat. But I don't have a choice. I have to go through with this because it's the only way to get away from her. My Lord, I can't release you from this agreement that was made without our knowledge."

[Maira]

The day long ride had done Rune some good. Unfortunately, almost as soon as he returned to his father's home he was greeted by his step-mother Genesis with a sealed envelope from Carma. He had barely had a chance to untack his horse before she greeted him softly and handed him the envelope, worry clear in her eyes as she watched him open it. Rune read Carma's words and noted that his lover's normal handwriting was shaky, likely with emotion, as he explained to Rune just why he wouldn't be making any further contact with him. Having exhausted his anger on the ride, all that was left to Rune was his grief. As he read, his shoulders slumped and his free hand and arm wrapped around his middle as he tried desperately not to succumb to the tightness in his chest and the dizziness that had knocked him to his knees earlier that morning.

When he finished reading the letter, he read it once more and then shoved it into the pocket at the waist of his pants. "Thank you Genesis," he mumbled softly and then turned from her to lose himself in the grooming of his horse. Sure, one of the House grooms could take care of his horse for him but it was something that Rune had always found soothing. And truth be told, right now Rune needed a whole lot of soothing.

*****

After the day of Carma's departure, the next few were a blur for Rune. He spent a lot of time on horseback and exhausting himself against both the deLorme and Dahl troops. By about day four after Carma's departure Rune finally seemed to be able to function at a mostly normal level. Unfortunately, this also meant that he was back to his normal duties which he had normally worked side by side with Carma at. Except his duties had changed with Carma's departure. Rune was now in charge of most of what had been Carma's responsibilities and he had been spending the day trying to find himself a replacement for himself. Of the five people he had interviewed, only three seemed to have any potential to fill his place and only then if he hired all three together as each of them specialized in different aspects of what he had done and had absolutely no experience with anything else. He made a note to talk to whoever was giving him candidates to find somebody more well-rounded.

After his last interview for the day left his office, Rune wandered the house for a while lost in thought. When he found himself outside the library he couldn't resist the peaceful space and quietly slipped in. Silently, he wandered among the bookshelves until he came to his favorite corner. Along one wall were floor to ceiling windows, and the other wall bore a nice cozy little fireplace. The fireplace didn't do much to heat the rest of the room, but it heated up his corner quiet nicely in the winter time.

As this part of the library was a normal haunt of his, Rune had a stack of books on the table beside his favorite chair that the staff knew not to disturb and after a quick glance at the various titles he slipped one out of the pile and cracked it. He wasn't sure how long he had been reading, but after a while a soft female voice startled him from the story he had lost himself in. Only after placing his bookmark did Rune look up to see who had found him in his favorite hiding spot.

When he saw it was the Lady Zhara, Rune set the book down on his table and nodded at her in answer to her request to speak with him. He watched curiously as she sat down in the chair across the little sitting area from him and then listened carefully as she spoke. To hear her words, a now familiar ache tightened Rune's chest and it took all his self control not to leave her where she sat. Instead, he waited until she finished speaking and then answered her in a surprisingly calm tone, "My heart isn't in this arrangement either, I don't believe that anybody should be forced into something as special and important as marriage. Unfortunately it seems neither of us have a choice in the matter so I am heartened to hear that we share that opinion." Then, with a bit more strain as he tried to keep his emotions under control he added, "I'm not looking for a lover at the moment, and while certain things will be expected of us to consummate the marriage when the time comes. I would honestly prefer the engagement to be long enough to give us time to at least become acquainted with one another and hopefully develop something of a friendship before tradition dictates we take things farther."

Knowing that his first impression in Darius's office had been anything but spectacular, Rune hoped that his words would impress on his wife-to-be that he wasn't always so hot-headed and out of control as that first brief meeting. After all, he really wasn't a bad guy. He'd just been having a really, -really- bad day.

[Demeter]

Perhaps it was against her better judgement but Zhara trusted Rune enough to introduce him to the reason she had to go through with this marriage. A few weeks had past since their conversation in the library and they'd gotten to know a little more about each other. She wouldn't call the times they were together dates, more like chance encounters in the same location. 

During the weeks she'd been part of the DeLorme household, she'd heard about the serious relationship between Rune and the famed Carmine Valerio. And how it was her fault that Carmine had left. It was actually her mother's fault but there wasn't much she could do. 

She'd asked Rune to meet her in the Children's Garden; a corner of the estate that was safe for kids to play with and possibly eat the plants that had a pretty cool play structure. It was the first time she'd asked Rune to meet her anywhere and the reason was a doozy. She'd asked her father to go and pick Luc up. He was one of the few who knew where she'd taken the baby for safekeeping. After all, Lucia was not only his best friend but Arianna's mother and his sometimes lover. Now, as she waited for Rune, Zhara sat and watched as her son rolled onto his belly and tugged at the grass. Her father was a few feet away, leaning against a tree and checking messages on his phone. She'd asked him to stay incase Rune didn't take kindly to the baby. 

When Rune finally reached the Garden, Zhara stood up to greet him. "Rune, thanks for coming out here. I wanted you to met the reason I can't back out of this stupid arranged marriage," she said before stooping down to pick up Luc. She straightened, comfortably holding the baby. "Rune, this is Luc. He just turned five months old. My mother is threatening to "take care of him" if I don't do this. And I, unlike our mothers, actually care what happens to my son."

[Maira]

As much has he missed Carma, and as much as he hated the situation he'd been put in by his mother, Rune was trying his hardest to make the best of the whole thing. Zhara was pleasant enough, she had a nice smile and seemed genuinely interested in a friendship with him if nothing else. For Rune, at the moment, that was all he could handle anyway so it was enough. They hadn't exactly had any dates since their first meeting, but they had met and enjoyed each other's company in passing. Because of this, Rune was more than a little surprised when Zhara asked him to the kids' garden of all laces. He wondered if maybe she had a little cousin coming to visit or something, and when he arrived at the garden he noticed her father propped against a tree and a small child rolling around on the grass. It must be her baby brother, he thought, as he closed the distance left between them.

Before he had a chance to say more than a greeting, Zhara started talking and she picked up the infant. He listened, glared at the mention of Zhara's mother's threat against the child, and then tried not to gawk when Zhara casually slipped in the words, "my son". Luckily he recovered, visibly, from his shock rather quickly. He looked at Zhara's father, who was now watching him like a hawk, and Rune realized that the older man was waiting to see if he'd strike at Zhara or the boy. Offended, Rune shook his head once at the older man and then turned with a smile to Zhara and Luc.

"May I hold him?" Rune asked before saying anything else. When Zhara handed Luc over, with barely any hesitation, Rune smiled at her and then the chubby baby now happily tugging on his shirt. Not looking at Zhara, concentrating soley on the small fragile being in his arms, Rune asked her simply, "Did your mother 'take care' of his father as well?" At Zhara's affirmative grunt followed by her answer of, "I'm certain that is who ordered him killed, yes", Rune wanted to snarl but so as not to risk frightening the baby he instead snuggled the boy-child.

Luc, having no idea what was going on, latched onto Rune's hair then and gave it a sound tug. With a sharp intake of breath, and laugh Rune "nibbled" on the chubby arm until it let go of his hair. Once he was freed from Luc's clutches, Rune turned to take in both Zhara and her father with a glance before focussing on his betrothed. "With Luc being in danger, and there being no paternal claim on him, if it would please you I would like to formally adopt him as soon as possible. Before the wedding if possible. That way your mother would not dare risk harming him for fear of my father's armies descending upon her fueled by mine and my father's wrath. Darius takes family very seriously, more seriously than any man I've ever known, and if Luc is his family, his grandson, he will protect him until his dying breath. I'm still learning what a real family is, but I would love to make you and Luc my family if it will keep you safe from your bitch of a mother."

Rune realized that he was maybe presuming too much, maybe Zhara didn't want him to adopt Luc at all. Maybe she had just brought him as a show and tell and she would then send him off into hiding again after this meeting. Rune hoped not, the boy had already somehow managed to capture his heart. He'd never considered children of his own before this very moment, not even while thinking over all of the things involved in marrying Zhara. He just never really expected her to want children with a man she was being forced to marry. While he waited for Zhara or her father to answer him, Rune found himself on the receiving end of a very solid punch, watery eyes, and a bloody nose. With an even heartier laugh than when Luc tugged his hair Rune tilted his head back and switched the boy from in front of him to balanced on his hip, like he did with his younger nieces and nephews, while he fished in his pocket for a tissue or rag or something else to stop the bleeding..

[Demeter]

Carma took his chance at a break while his students went to lunch. Running herd on twenty five, hormone driven teenage boys was as back breaking as leading an army of well trained soldiers. So far his reputation and threats had kept his students in line but he'd only just started with this group. He didn't doubt that he'd have to wipe the ground with a few of them before the year was out.

By the sake of the gods, what part of Wielder of the Sword of Mars did those brats not understand?

Leaving his students to the tender mercies of the lunch matrons, Carma snuck away to share his lunch with his horse and reflect on his life. Leaning against Kublai's shed and sharing an apple with the stallion, Carma thought about the past handful of years.

Rune had wed and, given that Zhara had recently been delivered of twins, he assumed the marriage was going well. Not that he knew any details as he'd insisted on being stationed at the estate in France while Rune, like Darius, spent most of his time half a world away in Cedar Valley.

Carma's reasoning for returning to the De Lorme clan was two-fold. Firstly, it got his young daughter, the seer named Aeven, away from Mount Olympus and the randy deities that resided there. Carma snorted; he hadn't gotten her off the mount fast enough as she'd informed him that she was pregnant by Aries.

Twins. His first grandchildren where going to be twin hell beasts whose father wouldn't intervene and raise them in an environment suited to demi-gods.

The other reason was that it allowed him to keep guard over his brother-in-law as the man healed from horrible burns. The only time he'd seen Darius during his self-imposed exile to Olympus was during the battle against what remained of the Magda Clan.

He'd returned most of the missives from Darius unread but when his deity had thrust a note at him after saying it had been delivered to him by Hades himself, Carma sat up and read it. Darius had written to inform him that Lorcaine Magda was challenging him and Darius was offering him the chance to seek vengeance for Claudio's death.

He'd jumped at the opportunity, Carma remembered. He could also remember the day his brother's body, mangled and stripped of his shield and sword, had been dumped on his mother's doorstep.

He'd seen Rune on the battlefield. He'd wanted to go to him and snuggle into his warmth in order to keep the memories of his mother sobbing over Claudio's body away. He'd also managed to stay away from Rune, not wanting the man to see his anger. He knew he'd shocked Rune when the man had witnessed his violent execution of Lorcaine. And his rage at what had been done to Ransom. He's sadistically brought Lorcaine to the edge if death before having him healed time and again.

He'd retreated back to Olympus after the battle and only returned to the Clan after he'd learned that Redemption Magda-Oshiro had snuck into Darius' personal study. Redemption may have been a master spy but that just wouldn't do so he'd returned to retrain the clan.

It had only been a handful of weeks since his return but things had been manageable. Until a few days ago when Darius, Rune, and Zhara had arrived at the estate in order to conduct a review of the Dragon Compound in the nearby French Alps. He'd avoided any direct confrontations as they were gone most of the day and he'd been sleeping in the stables. He couldn't come into contact with Rune, not until the sword found another to be his mate.

But the sword was quiet and the pain of being away from Rune was unbearable. He wanted to go to Rune and tell him what it meant that he was able to hold Talos yet the sword demanded that he not say a word and the situation was too politically fraught. He knew that no relationship with Rune could be platonic. Though he was unsure of Lady Zhara, he knew her mother would make thing's difficult for his parent's respective clans should he try to return to Rune's affections.

Lady Juno had separated her own husband from his mate and Carma doubted that she'd hesitate to do the same to her son-in-law.

Grumbling because all reflecting did nothing to improve his mood, Carma tossed his apple core and started to trudge back to his students. Midday was time for classroom studies and he loathed keeping the boys in line during the lectures. Luckily, today's class time was meant for study so he'd slip out and visit with Ransom while the boys worked.

He was halfway between the stables and the main house when he noticed a figure skulking around the kitchen doors. Instantly suspicious, Carma slowed and squinted. When he recognized the person, Carma blinked. What in the hell was Ellen doing on the estate?

Knowing that the woman had been banned from all of Darius' property, Carmine followed at a distance. The woman appeared to be distracted by her mission to notice that she was being followed. Carma stopped the first of the house staff he found and ordered the man to send an urgent message to Lord Darius, as well as Lord Rune and Lady Zhara.

He tracked Ellen up to the nursery. What on earth was she doing up there? He roused his connection to his own dragon in order to reach Darius and inform him of Ellen's location. Carma kept a close watch until he saw her draw a dagger on the children. Summoning Talos, he rushed the woman.
***

Darius hit the staff door to the nursery seconds behind Rune. Carma's message about Ellen being in the house had reached them and they'd wasted no time in returning. Zhara was rushing up the main stairs of the house.

As Rune went to his children, Darius took stock of the body on the floor. Ellen, dead of an sword thrust to the gut and there was the faintest stench of an electrical discharge. Talos. She must have touched the blade at some point. Where was Carma?

With his grandchildren still screaming, Darius turned to help Rune. As he approached the crib that contained his granddaughter, his boot struck something that shocked him. Crouching down, he found a sword half shoved under the crib. Recognizing the wrapped hilt, Darius pulled Shattersoul and used it to pull Talos out from under the crib. The blade was coated in blood. Where was Carma?
***

Zhara rushed up the main staircase, Tavi behind her. Her babies were in danger. Ellen, that woman who'd allowed Rune to be tortured, was in the nursery with a dagger and her babies.

The message routed through dragons let her know that while they were upset, no harm had come to her children. Distracted by her relief, Zhara didn't see the body on the landing until she tripped over it.

She came down, hard, on her knees and scrambled to turn around. She'd only met him once and seen him maybe half an dozen times but she knew the body on the stairs. Carmine. Rune's former lover and the man Darius considered a brother. And he was bleeding.

Even an Alati could bleed out, she thought as she pressed her hands to the wounded man's side and shouted at Tavi to find help.

The blood oozed over and between her fingers.
***
Genesis hurried from the healing wing of the house towards the nursery. Darius had informed her that the grandbabies were upset. Very upset.

Nearing the doors, she stumbled over her own feet when she caught sight of the landing below. Carma was sprawled out on the carpeting with Zhara trying to staunch the flow of blood from her side. She hurried down and knelt next to her daughter in law. Zhara's hands were slick with blood and the carpet below was soaked.

Genesis ripped open her kit and pulled out as many bandages as she could. She pressed them against the wound and told Zhara to keep the pressure on.

Unlike Ransom, Carma was strong and healthy and could survive an full healing so she plunged into his body to fix the wound. Except the fibers of flesh, organ and vessel wouldn't knit back together. Genesis went in search of an explanation. She found it in the noxious poison coating the edges of the wound.

Gagging, she pulled away and ordered Tavi to fetch Bella. While they waited for their resident poison expert, Genesis kept one hand on Carma's pulse point while she helped Zhara to apply pressure. She could feel the life draining out of him with every slow pulse.

"No! No! No! You are not going to die on me, Carmine! You don't get to die like this!"

***
High on Mount Olympus, Mars woke with a start. Carmine's life was rapidly draining away and Talos was screaming for help.

[Maira]

Their little brood now numbered three and while Luc was the oldest he still shared a room with the newborn twins. Rune smiled warmly at the dozing trio as he shut the door behind him, listening briefly for any stirring, before he made his way to his father's office. He knew that Carma was on the premisise and he wanted so badly to go find the older Alati, but he had a feeling that his presence wouldn't exactly be welcome. The few times he'd spotted the man it was very clear that Carma was keeping his distance. Yes he was a married father of three now, but gods help him his heart still ached for his ex-lover. Deciding against his heart's desire to seek out it's mate, Rune forced himself to readjust his path which had wandered in search of Carma instead of to Darius's office.

*****

Midway through their working lunch, going over some strategic details of the Dragon Compound they had come to inspect, a servant rushed into Darius's office with panic in her eyes. At the same time that the young woman was delivering her message, Darius's eyes took on the far-away gaze typical of those being spoken too by a dragon. Rune didn't even thank the poor woman before he shoved past her, quite intent on finding his cursed mother and demanding to know why she was on his father's estate. When Darius came bolting out of his office behind him, Rune took one look at his father's face and his stomach seemed to drop to the floor. He had already turned to run when Darius caught up to him and hoarsely choked out, "She's at the nursery!" Upon hearing that, Rune's run turned into a panicked all out mad dash for his children. He almost made for the main stairs but Darius yanked on him then shoved him toward a nearly hidden door to the servant stairs that he had forgotten about.

Clambering up the stairs, Rune felt a sharp tearing pain in his side causing him to stumble into the wall and his vision to go blurry momentarily. Only his rush of adreneline kept him conscious and able to continue on up the stairs, as he burst through the servant door into the nursery and heard his children wailing, Rune promptly forgot the agonizing pain in his side and ran first to Luc, who was standing in his crib tears and snot running down his cheeks and chin. As soon as he had his oldest, he rushed to the other two cribs to gather each of the twins into his arms too. Only when he got to Alessia's crib, both Luc and Kayden in his arms, he saw his father pull Talos out from under her crib. The pain rushed to the fore of his mind again in an instant and Rune wavered on his feet. He quickly passed Luc and Kayden to Darius and he stumbled out of the room in search of Carma.

The farther he went from the nursery, the weaker Rune felt and he kept staggering into walls and furniture. He was barely upright when he saw Genesis rushing toward him from the opposite end of the hallway, she stopped and then bolted down the main stairs. When he saw his brother-in-law Tavi bolt up the stairs and toward the healing wing, Rune's panic grew and he was momentarily able to push through the pain and weakness to run the last few feet to the top of the stairs. At the sight that greeted him, Genesis and Zhara kneeling next to Carma and both of them covered in the warrior's blood, Rune felt his God's strength and fury tear through him in a way he never had before. Rune's wings tore through his back and his talons burst from his fingertips as an unearthly bellow of rage roared out of him. Just as he lept into the air to reach Carma, the other man's heart began to falter.

Rune was mid-flight when his own heart faltered as well and he fell out of the air to land in a tangle of limbs and wings next to his wife and his ex-lover. He barely managed to sit up before Carma's heart stopped all together. He looked to his wife and barely managed to whisper, "I'm sorry... I love you...." before he collapsed next to Carma, unconscious but alive. His God, feeling the pain devastation to Rune's soul, was trying to protect him from the seemingly inevitable and had shut his body down.

[Demeter]

Genesis slouched in a chair, still wearing the bloody clothing from trying to save Carma’s life earlier in the day. Belladonna was burning the midnight oil to try and find an antidote to the toxin that threatened his life. She lifted her head, fixing tired eyes on the king sized bed and the two men stretched out on it. Carma’s life had been saved by the last minute appearance of Mars. The man’s deity had burst into the scene as Carma’s pulse had slowed and put the man into a sort of static state. Belladonna now had the time to find the toxin that kept Genesis from healing Carma.

Laid out next to Carma was her step-son, Rune. He had also shut done, going into a similar static state. It seemed that the souls of these two men were more closely entwined that they knew. Sighing, Genesis dropped her head again; exhausted from the day’s events. Mars had told them what they needed to know; Rune was capable of holding Talos. What a mess, Genesis thought, as she rose to her feet and shuffled over to the bed. Though she knew nothing had changed in the last hour, she checked the vitals of both men.

***
Zhara kept all three of her children close. They were snuggled together on her bed, securely tucked beneath the blankets. Out cold, none of them saw their mother staring across the room at the sword propped against the fireplace. Mars himself had appeared, placing the sword there, and dared her to accept what it meant that he’d placed Talos into her care until Carma woke.

With a brother who was the Chosen of Saturn, Zhara knew what it meant. She was part of a God Triad. Swallowing a breath, Zhara climbed from the bed and crossed to the fireplace. She brushed her fingers against the wrapped hilt, braced for an electric shock. Instead of being shocked, Zhara released a shaky breath the when a voice echoed in her head.

“Welcome, Mate.”

***

Genesis watched as an IV line delivered the anti-toxin Belladonna had just handed over into Carma’s body. Mars had warned her that this wound would need to heal on its own; she would only be permitted to knit the blood vessels and organs back together. Her fingers itched to heal.

Once the bag was empty, Genesis did just that. After the healing, Genesis finally sought out her bed. When the room was empty but for the two men, Zhara crept in and sat next to her husband. She nudged him until he woke. When he blinked up at her, Zhara lifted Talos and laid the blade across his lap. “We need to talk. How do you feel about threesomes because I don’t think we have any other choice but to form one.”

[Maira]

The last thing Rune remembered upon waking, was falling from the air to land in a heap next to where Carma lay bleeding out on the stairs. He barely remembered telling Zhara he loved her before Vidar, his deity, shut his body down to preserve and he was lost to the darkness. At some point, Vidar released his hold on the young Alati lord, his soulmate's health no longer endangering them both. It was only because Vidar had let Rune's body return to its normal functional level that Zhara was able to wake him with a nudge.

He stared at her blankly for a moment as his most recent memories flashed to the forefront of his mind. If he hadn't known by instinct that Carma lay in the bed next to him, on the opposite side of the bed from Zhara, he likely would have brushed past his wife in search of the man. Instead, he was able to sit and listen to her words and try to figure out what on Earth she was getting at.

Zhara had to wiggle the sword, where she had placed it across his lap, to get his attention on the weapon. He still didn't know why she had brought the thing so he asked, "Why do you have Carma's sword, and what exactly do you mean about not having a choice but to form a threesome?" He honestly could not see how a weapon and sex could possibly be connected. The look on Zhara's face at his question made Rune feel like a child that asked why they couldn't play with sharp knives before they'd been trained to handle them.

*****

Rune had never yelled at Zhara, had never yelled around Zhara, had never even expressed any sort of angry emotion around the woman unless it had to do with their idiotic mothers. And now Zhara was telling him that all along he'd been meant to be with Carma?! The bastard had to know, he wouldn't have been chosen as a partner to a God Sword if he didn't know he would need two others to support him. The frustrated growl that escaped Rune as he pushed past Zhara to leave the bed he shared with Carma, and leave the room altogether, was mild in volume compared to the bellow that erupted from him in the hallway once the door shut behind him.

He heard the door open and close again behind him and he turned to see Zhara watching him warily. She had brought the blasted sword with her out of the room and Rune took it from her brusquely. Rune received the same greeting of, "Welcome Mate," from the sword that Zhara had gotten and before he could think better of it, Rune yelled at the sentient weapon, "Why the Hell didn't you say anything before you worthless hunk of lead!" Then he threw the sword as hard as he could and watched with pleasure when it sunk halfway up the blade in the wood paneled wall across the hallway before storming off in search of his father.

*****

After his brief, but informative, yelling session with his father, Rune was much calmer and he was able to return to Zhara. He found her snuggled and snoozing in her bed with their trio of littles, and smiled as he watched silently from the door until her eyes opened and she caught him staring. Her gaze gave away nothing, so Rune let himself in and shut the door silently behind him so as not to wake the children.

He settled in the chair next to the side of the bed nearest Zhara and, while staring at his scuffed boots, apologized to her, "I'm sorry for letting my temper get the best of me. My relationship with Carma has always been rather volatile, and to find out that I am his after all, and more importantly that he knew and didn't tell me, tipped me a bit beyond my breaking point." Knowing he couldn't chicken out of the next part, he forced his gaze upwards and met hers before continuing with a slight tremor in his voice, "I never stopped loving him Zhara, even after I grew to love you, my feelings for him never faded in the slightest. If you are certain that we are both meant to be his mates, then by all the Gods I couldn't be happier. It means I can love you both, that I can have you both, that I don't have to choose between the halves of my heart." With growing confidence, Rune smiled at her and took her hands in his own before finishing, "If what you say is true, then you have made me a whole man once more."

Zhara looked at him slightly askew, clearly a little confused by his sudden change of attitude, and he couldn't resist the temptation to swoop in and steal her off the bed. He carried her in his arms to the rug near the fireplace and showed her, quite passionately, how a man who is once again whole loves his wife.

[Demeter]

Genesis snuck into Carma's sick room. Though she doubted it, she kept quiet in case the man had finally awakened. With the antitoxin coursing through his veins, Mars had removed the stasis spell from his chosen.

While his body worked to replace the lost blood and heal the damaged parts, she still had to keep an eye on him till he woke. The lights were on low and she slipped over to the bed. After checking his vitals and looking over the wound, Genesis turned to leave. She yelped, jumping when she caught sight of Rune, sitting quietly in the shadows with Talos over his knees. "Gods above, Rune, you could have said something," she hissed.

Slapping at the light switch, Genesis glared at her stepson. He looked miserable. "He's going to be fine, Rune. Mars won't allow him to die so easily," she said while ghosting a over the blade. "Talos was crafted for his hand; the previous blade melted down and reforged into this one."

She'd never gotten close to Rune; he'd already been a grown man when he'd first come to them and hadn't needed her to act as such. Now she stood to the side and ran a hand through his hair. "Mars told Hades the information and Hades told Darius and myself. You've always been able to hold Talos. From the first day you were in this house, you've been able to hold the blade but Carmine was under strict orders not to tell you and, judging by your lack of reaction to holding Talos, your education was lacking in this area.

"Now, considering the way you came to us, how would you have reacted if you had known all of this on the first day?"

"As for two years ago when Zhara first appeared on the scene and Carma left that was for preservation of family. For all his status, Carma is a landless lord who is technically illegitimate. His paternal family has been in disgrace for centuries at Carma's hand. His maternal family is small; his mother the daughter of a younger son. His legitimate brother, heir to whatever small legacy Alessia Valerio leaves behind, was not only killed by his brother in law, but considered disgraced because he took a half-breed consort as his mate, the very same young man who is in a room a few doors down.

"We both know what type of woman Lady Juno, your mother-in-law, is. She was in league with both Ellen and Shadis and she has separated her husband from his true mate. She could have easily made life hard for Carma's maternal family. Not to mention, if Juno knew Ellen, she very well could have known the truth about your birth."

Genesis kept running her hands through Rune's hair. "The circumstances suck, Rune, but now everything is out in the open. He'll need to be cared for while the wound heals. Talos may have been crafted for his hand but that doesn't mean people won't try for it if they know about his weakened state. You wouldn't happen to have some remote Dahl estate where we can stash him?"

[Maira]

After loving his wife to exhaustion, he waited until she was sound asleep and then carried her back to the bed to tuck her in with their children. He smiled warmly as the three wormed their way up against her in their sleep and then he turned away to re-dress. Once he'd found all his clothes and pulled them back on, Rune slipped out of one bedroom and padded barefoot down the hall to another.

*****

He'd been snoozing, Talos across his lap, when Genesis snuck into Carma's bedroom to check on him. He didn't say anything while she was busy checking on Carma because he didn't want to startle her and wind up waking up his mate. He really hadn't meant to scare her but when Genesis hissed at him, he felt both a little sheepish and a little devilish. She didn't raise him, so he'd never really gotten a chance to play boyish pranks on her so despite feeling bad about scaring herit was also a little amusing to him.

When Genesis approached him and started speaking to him, running her fingers through his hair, Rune almost pulled away. His birth mother had never shown him affection and it wasn't a gesture he was used to, but the more he forced himself to sit still and listen, and let Genesis run her fingers through his hair, the more calm Rune felt about the whole thing.

At the end of her talk, she asked if there were any remote Dahl estate that he could stash Carma at to keep him safe from those that would want to take Talos from him. Rune shook his head and answered, "There are, but I wouldn't take him there if Juno were in league with Ellen as we think. Its too likely that she'd know where all those places were. I do have a private retreat, however, that I haven't been to since before we all discovered who I really was. It should still be staffed by my people as I haven't heard of it being taken but I would want to check on its status before taking him there." Rune's voice trailed off as his mind started formulating a plan. After a few moments he practically jumped from the chair, Talos in hand, and made for the door. Before going out he asked Genesis, "Can you keep him safe for a couple days while I'm away?" Her affirmative nod was all he needed and Rune slipped out of his mate's room to go make preparations.

*****

The trip to his retreat, a surprisingly well laid out and equipped tunnel system that opened up into a sea cave off the coast of Spain, to make sure it was still secure and in his possession was quick and uneventful. Encouraging his household staff to get the place in order was another story. They were older and had lived a relaxing life the past few years without their Lord in residence, and the place had fallen a little into shambles. He he had to borrow a few staff from Darius's household to make sure that the place could be restored to full functionality before Rune brought his family there.

It took a bit of convincing, but eventually he got Zhara to see the validity of the plan for her and the children to come along as well. Carma needed both of them to heal properly, and the children needed to be hidden away until Carma was well again. They had already been a target because of who their parents were and Rune wasn't going to be separated from them and be constantly worrying about their safety. The only people beside their little family that would know the location of the retreat were Genesis and Darius and Zhara's brother Tavi. All of the extra staff that they borrowed were blindfolded until they were inside the sea cave.

*****

After getting Carma and everybody else safely to the retreat, Rune was finally able to relax a bit. His family was safe, only three people outside of the sea cave knew just where they were, and none of those three would tell a living soul that didn't need to know. On the first day that Carma was allowed by the healers to leave his bed, Rune took him to the sea cave. He showed him the steps that led down into the warm, gently lapping waves, and then rubbed his shoulders while the older man sat submersed in the water up to his armpits. A swim would have been more relaxing for Rune, but helping Carma work out some of the kinks from being stuck in bed for so long was a wonderful excuse to just get to spend some time with the man.