Fanfic Time: My Baby Now (3)

Continuing on with a fantastical distraction from the shit going on in the world.

..oOo..

Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered... they made their way into Lord Vallaster's cellar. And accidentally tripped a well-hidden Silent Alarm. So well hidden that even his own paranoia didn't spot it.

His first alert that something was about to go pear-shaped was the rhythmic clanking of a Household Guard double-timing it to their location.

"It's going to be all right," he soothed. "Just put all the weapons down and assume the position. M'lady? Best pull rank and put us under your diplomatic flag until further notice." After all, a Marchess outranked a Viscount. He'd pull rank too, if he had to. Beg the protection of the Harpers. This was more important than the dubious protection of remaining incognito.

Another life was at stake besides his own.

"Aldiirn... try to stay calm. If they push you around, go limp." Kosh knew far too well how Tieflings were treated. Above the same as below.

The Marchess recited the right words and the guards still put Kosh in shackles. They didn't lock up Aldiirn, thank the shiftless gods. Just dragged everyone to a sunny parlour where the Lord Vallaster was bleary-eyed and in bunny slippers. His lordship didn't often rise before ten and it was apparently just past dawn.

"Lady Cordelia," said Vallaster, accepting a cup of coffee. "You've brought unexpected company."

"I've relied on this unexpected company for a majority of my escape from the Midsummer Ball. In fact, I trust them with my life."

"A Tiefling and a half-Drow child," Vallaster raised an eyebrow.

Kosh aimed his pointy smile at Vallaster. "Say it with more of a sneer, m'lord. Tell me how you really feel." He felt, more than saw, poor Aldiirn cower in place. Poor kid. Kosh would have to spare the time to get him used to all the ways in which this Tiefling rebelled against everyone else's habitual prejudice.

"I certainly trust them more than I could ever trust Whitekeep," said the lady.

Ouch. He didn't want to admit that he'd fallen a little in love with her, but that one... hurt. Yes, she had no love for his brother, but for all the land? That really hurt.

She went on to say, "I'd sooner bathe in boiling lava than go anywhere near any of it. Or put my faith in anyone from there."

Focus. Breathe. Just give up hope of ever seeing her again. It'd be easier. Kosh put his effort back into picking the shackles, trying not to growl under his breath.

"All right. Understood. We can work on your concealment here. As for the matter of the Adventurer. Kosh, was it?"

"That's how my allies know me," he said. Ah. There it was. He set himself free and handed a shocked guard the shackles. "You're lucky I'm with the Harpers. You have a superior grade of restraints, by the way. Took me five times longer than usual."

"Stand down," Vallaster told the guards. "If he wanted to kill me, I'd already be dead."

Kosh breathed a sigh of relief. "So nice to meet a smart Noble. M'lady here is the only other in this entire verdammt city, I swear."

"Thank you," said both Nobles.

Valaster asked, "About the child?"

"He's mine. I stole him fair and square. Custodium per Victoriam."

"Veni, vidi, cepi?" asked the lady.

"More or less. To be fair, they captured me first. Then I saw Aldiirn, here, in a state of considerable neglect and decided to take matters into my own hands, and him under my wing. You saw how long it took to get all those knots out of his hair."

"It was matted," added the Marchess.

Vallaster was wincing. "We must be prepared for this to cause... a ruckus. There's an uneasy peace between the surface and the Undercity."

"I can obtain legal documents declaring custody," said Kosh. "Official seals and all. I'll have to piss off the Earl, but that's nothing new."

"I am heartily in favour of annoying the Earl of Whitekeep," said the Marchess. "I met him once, and that was once too often." She had dimples when she smiled. Gods save his shattered heart. Dimples! "How do you plan to vex him?"

"Oh, I'll be legally requesting a single parent's pension. Since..." ah shit. Here it came. The killer of the mood. "I'm... legally... still a citizen of his realm."

She said, "Oh noooo..." behind her hands. "And I said all those things."

"I know your anger wasn't with me. My place in Whitekeep is... it will be trouble for you."