Heirot

Atul regarded Talon with a less friendly expression than intended, judging the silver-haired man. This was Talon. Vlad's Blood son. "It is good to meet you," he said. The smile didn't quite reach his eyes, but his tone improved. "I will ask the cook for a list of the ingredients served last night. What else do you need?" Vlad blinked up at the man as he recognized Atul's coldness as worry for the first time.

"Mercy from the Gods," Tenele muttered, rolling over and grabbing the bucket and drawing it under her head before retching into it. Talon stepped forward, kneeling in front of his sister and taking a cool rag and wiping it across her mouth.

"Sorry," she muttered to him. "I know that's gross."

"Not to me," he told her, red eyes meeting hers.

Tenele couldn't place the look in his gaze. But, it wasn't very Talon-esque. Her brow furrowed, but she was too sick to care what he was thinking. She flopped onto her back, letting out a heavy sigh. Talon sat the rag near the bucket and moved back to where he'd been standing by the door.

Vlad shifted, bolting upright in order to go to Tenele's side, but throbbing nausea in his gut curled him over and left him dangerously close to joining her in her task.

"Vlad," Atul took a step closer. The vampire glowered at him, feeling too frustrated and gross to worry about the man's feelings right now. "The list, and a pitcher of water," he grumped.

Atul could have frosted over at the bossy language, but he didn't. He turned with the vampire's instructions and was gone.

Vlad gathered his nerves and slowly got himself to Tenele's side, where he gently brushed her silver hair back and let his cool fingers stroke her forehead.

He's more or less decided that Atul wasn't coming back when the man suddenly returned to the room. Carrying a tray laden with the requested pitcher, breads, and two small glasses with some sort of tonic, Atul looked like an extremely misappropriated servant. Vlad's eyes widened just a little at the way the man conscientiously set the tray on the small table anchored to the wall. "Drink this, he said, bringing one of the tonics to Tenele. "It should calm your stomach while the allergy wears off."

Tenele nodded, sitting up very slowly and taking the glass form him. She drank it down in tiny sips, because the idea of drinking or eating anything made her sick. Within a few minutes she emptied the glass. "Thank you," Tenele told him, slipping back down beneath the covers.

Talon looked between them. "Well, its crowded in this small room. I'm going to head back to mine. I'll check on you later," he murmured before backing out of the room.

"You've been a stranger again," Tenele grumbled to Atul, closing her eyes.

"I was not sure you would be pleased with my company, under the circumstances," Atul said, picking up the other glass.

"Offer me that tonic, and you will not be pleased with MY company," Vlad warned as the man approached him. Atul paused, considering him a moment, before proceeding toward him. "It will help."

"I am not the one who is ill," Vlad snapped.

"It will still help." Atul's blue-frosted eyes drilled into Vlad's.

"Dear gods, go fuss over Tenele!"

Tenele groaned loud, covering her head with her arms. "Will you two kiss and make up already?!" she pulled the covers over her head. "I'm not kidding. I swear all three of us are acting like a couple of confused teenagers. Vlad, drink the damned tonic water. If it makes you feel better then maybe it will also help me feel better."

Vlad stewed bitterly while Atul forced the drink into his hand. "This is absurd. I am not ill." He glared daggers into them both while he took down a sip of the broth. His stomach churned immediately at the unwelcome liquid. Apparently Atul saw what was coming before Vlad admitted it to himself, because suddenly there was a bucket between his knees and the glass was taken from his hand. The vampire didn't have the concentration to be humiliated as he emptied his stomach. He coughed and put his forehead to the lip of the pail when he'd finished. He'd had hundreds of years to forget how exhausted stomach bugs could be. Warm fingers lightly rubbed the back of his neck, massaging out some of the tension. Vlad's eyes squeezed shut in pleasure before he realized what was happening. "Damn it, Atul," he muttered harmlessly.

"When you're ready, try it again," the demigod's smooth voice said as the pail was taken from him and the glass returned to his hand. He frowned at the tiny, narrow bed. They would not do well on top of each other in this condition. "You will both be moved to my quarters."

Tenele shook her head. "Its fine. I'll be better. He'll be better. I don't want to force an inconvenience on you," Tenele told him softly. She sat up, rubbing her husbands back and resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, you don't have to drink it." She kissed his shoulder gently. "I'm grumpy, I'm sorry. I guess you found a down side to making love to me." She smirked against the skin of his arm. "If one day you let me find a surrogate father and I get to have children, you will experience morning sickness with me."

"How lovely," Vlad snarled, his stomach taking another dive at her words. He tried not to think too hard about the fact that this was the first time she'd mentioned wanting children. He knocked back the brew, unsure what to think. His stomach kept it this time. It took the edge off his nerves, and also made him sleepy.

Atul pulled back his laughter, not wanting to frustrate the vampire any further. "It is no convenience. I hardly require such a large bed. I will have the men move your things. The chef will prepare something bland at noontime and have it sent to your room." He placed his hand over Tenele's lightly. "May I carry you?" His gaze was both protective and vulnerable as it met hers. Perhaps they would not want his help.

Tenele's hands drew away form her husband like he was made of electricity at his reaction to her mention of children. She hadn't mentioned it before, not seriously. But, it didn't keep her from feeling hurt at his snarling remark. Instead of focusing on it, so Vlad wouldn't feel that she was, she turned her attention to Atul and the comforting warmth of his hand.

"You may carry me," Tenele murmured to him, green eyes lifting to his.

Vlad stood carefully and followed while Atul cradled Tenele up into his arms and out of the room. Something off had just happened with Tenele, but it was hard to put his finger on it through all the other sensations in their link. He glanced back at their room, sighed, and followed them to Atul's quarters.

The king's chambers were nothing to sniff at. The quality of the furniture and sheets, even the quality of the air itself, was fresher and grander than their cabin had been. The bed was larger than the standard size in Ighten, nearly square in shape. A small wood-burning hearth with several plush chairs stood in the opposite part of the room. Well, it did make sense to expect a King to entertain in his quarters during such a journey. Vlad didn't go near the bed until Atul had settled Tenele onto it. Then he cautiously followed and stretched down into the sheets beside his wife. He propped himself up on an elbow and ran his fingers up and down Tenele's back.

"Thank you, Atul. You are very kind," Tenele told the King softly, closing her eyes.

Tenele sighed, tucking a pillow under her head. She lay facing away from them, and closed her eyes while Atul's tonic started to settle her stomach. She forced herself to think of things other than children or Vlad's reaction to the mention of it. So her thoughts became rapid and random, from the texture of fabric and the feel of Atul's silk sheets to the way the waves sounded as they crashed against the ship. She thought about cats and dogs, which reminded her of Stalker and how sad she'd been when he'd disappeared. So she skipped that and went to thinking about how much better her stomach felt already from the tonic, and how she wanted to sleep... and then for a fleeting second it settled on Vlad's snarling face after her off-hand comment about children. Then, almost immediately, she started thinking about kittens again.

Atul had left again, presumably to oversee the transport of their things. In the meantime, Vlad studied his wife's mental patterns with increasing confusion. Her emotions seemed to be somersaulting. "Tenele? What is it?"

"Hmm?" she hummed, tilting her face slightly towards him. "Its nothing really. I'm feeling a little better." She settled a little more into Atul's bed, like she was trying to wallow out a place for her form to fit. After a minute she knew she couldn't keep it from him, not while he was so in tune with her.

"I'm just over reacting to your reaction at the mention of children," Tenele told him softly. Her hand stretched out and began plucking at the coverlet. "I'll get over it. I hadn't mentioned children before, so I shouldn't be upset over it. No need to worry about it, okay?"

Vlad's insides swirled. "You were serious about the children?" he breathed. Something inside was suddenly trying to ache. No. He'd definitely made it clear to her. He could not give her children. Not with this body. Sinead had warned him that she would come to resent the lack of a normal life. Was it already starting? "Tenele... my body..."