"Well, I don't think it wise, mother. You've heard Captain Ru has returned to the pride. I don't think now is the time to do things that might upset your uncle more than he's sure to already be."
"It only makes sense, Yakuti. If Gruvan is a seer, surely he will provide me with more seers if I allow him to rut. You understand? I would ask it of you, but I gave it great thought and I think that it would be best if they came from me; you will need to raise them as your own, Yakuti, so that I remain... well, you understand, daughter, do you not?"
Yakuti narrowed her blue eyes slightly and watched her mother. Brynja had gone mad in recent times; more power, more visions, more knowledge. To Brynja, it seemed that the only way to remain as High Priestess was to have all sorts of magics available to her. Even Kjar had been sent out to run what he called 'Fool's Errands' for Brynja, and because Yakuti had been seeing Kjar, she had been lucky enough to listen to the lion complain.
He was strong, powerful and capable, but Gods did the lion love to complain.
"If you are certain, mother," Yakuti conceded with a slight shake of her head. "I will do as you ask of me. We must keep you hidden, I think, or shrouded in furs if the thrall's seed takes." She watched Brynja pace, and Yakuti couldn't help the surge of concern she felt for the High Priestess.
"Perhaps I will speak to Thorgrim. Convince him to allow me to stay at a nearby outpost. I will tell him the Gods have deemed it necessary, or that my Gruvan has seen that it must be so."
Yakuti's mouth tightened at the phrase that Brynja used. Her Gruvan. Yakuti knew that Brynja was to wed Aedel at some point; sooner rather than later, from the talk about the pride. Yakuti had to wonder if Aedel would still have her should the truth ever come out.
It didn't bear thinking about, and Yakuti sighed softly.
"You must be sure that this is what you want to do. You must be certain, mother. If Thorgrim ever finds out what you've done -- what we've done -- I fear it might be exile for the both of us." Her voice was quiet yet concerned. Exile was not something that Yakuti wanted to dwell on. She'd lived nearly her entire life in the pride, and the protection that living with a band of warriors offered, well.
It beat living on one's own.
"It is what I want, Yakuti. It makes sense. I do not understand why you cannot see that. Surely it is not such a difficult concept to grasp, is it? Surely? Gruvan will fill my belly with seer cubs, I know he will, and they will all be mine and I will use them to keep my power in the pride. Thorgrim will die someday; he is old and I am young, and when he is gone where will that leave me? Where will that leave us?!"
Brynja looked maddened, her breath coming heavily as she continued.
"Where will we be without my father? Without Thorgrim? And now Ru is back - and while it was Aesir that sent him away, who can say what ideas will be in his head now that he is home. If he challenges Njal and wins, we are in a terrible position. Do you understand, Yakuti? Do you? Would it not be profitable to us - to our family - to have seers who can see what needs to be seen in order to better protect our family?"
Yakuti could only nod, a worried look in her eyes. This was not the Brynja she knew. This was not the High Priestess that the pride respected. This lioness was a mere shadow of who she'd once been, strong and wise and patient.
"Yes, mother. I am sorry that I doubted you. Even still, let me bear this burden for you. Let me take Gruvan, and instead of you, let it be me. Let me do this for you."
Brynja was silent for a moment, her mismatched eyes narrowing on her daughter's face.
"No. He is mine. I will not let you have him, Yakuti." Brynja paused and adjusted her tone. "This must be my burden to bear, and I will do it with dignity and grace and love for my family."
It was a weak excuse, and Yakuti saw through the thin veneer of her mother's facade. Gruvan was never allowed away from Brynja. The two ate together, slept together, walked together. Gruvan never looked happy about it; Yakuti knew that Brynja was fixated on the seer in such a way that was incredibly unhealthy, but what could be done?
"Yes, mother," Yakuti conceded, looking entirely concerned for Brynja's well-being.
"I will not speak to Thorgrim. We will simply move to an outpost. All will be well, daughter. We can leave word with Kjar; he can inform Thorgrim that we have gone, and that we will return soon. We will say that you are pregnant and that we must leave so that you can rest; the noise of the pride bothers you far too much, and you need some silence."
Brynja was pacing now, pausing now and again to peer over at Gruvan; he'd been there the entirety of their conversation, remaining seen but not heard. He looked exhausted, defeated. More than that, he looked despondent. Yakuti glanced from the seer to her mother and gave a curt nod.
"I will talk to Kjar. Perhaps he will send a few more robust thralls with us, for protection."
Brynja nodded and paused by her seer, lifting a paw to brush it thoughtfully along his mane.
"I will ready our things. Do not dally, Yakuti. Do not speak to anyone else. The sooner we leave, the faster we return."
(wc: 1000)
