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Lena felt terrible for Dalla, just terrible. And that was an awful thing. She felt firmly that a lioness shouldn't have to feel bad for another lioness marrying into her family! It was shameful, really. Although Gaved was an admirable Reaver and a credit to his blood when it came to fighting, she had never known a lion to take such pleasure in terrorizing others. Especially females.

But Lena wasn't afraid of her nephew, and so she marched down to his new den the day after his marriage, hoping to catch him alone. Lena had wanted to have a talk with him before he wed Dalla, but Gaved had made himself scarce. She needed to speak with him about his new responsibilities, and she wasn't about to take no for an answer.

As luck would have it, Gaved was lurking outside his -- his and DALLA'S -- den when Lena approached with a very stern expression on her face. He groaned aloud. His aunt had spotted him, and if he retreated to the safety of the den either Stygg or Dalla would be on him.

Oh gods, was there to be no respite from the nattering of females?

"Hello, aunt," Gaved grumbled. He would rather have opened with a brisk What do YOU want?!, but disrespecting his aunt so would be an insult to Thorgrim as well. Gaved would never insult Thorgrim, not if he could help it.

Gaved didn't look very happy to see her, but then her nephew never looked very happy to see anyone that wasn't either a friend or a potential victim. She strode up to him and drew herself up to her full height, which was still considerably less than Gaved's, before speaking.

"I need to talk to you, nephew," Lena said. Her voice was soft but firm. "About Dalla, and Stygg. I know how you've been treating my poor Stygg, and I won't have you disgracing our bloodlines by trying the same on Dalla." She fixed him with a steely green stare.

Oh well then. Just rush right into the sassing, don't lead up to it or anything. Gaved sat heavily and rubbed a paw over his forehead.

He hated this day.

"I'm not going to beat Dalla, if that's what you're saying," Gaved said. He was tempted to yell at Lena to mind her own godsdamned business and leave him alone, but it was hard to pull that kind of thing on someone that took care of you as a cub. "I know my responsibilities. I'm not going to raise a paw to precious Dalla. I'm not as terrible as she, you, and every godsforsaken female in the pride think I am."

Over the last few days he had been told he was terrible by what seemed like every Freeborn lioness within a hundred miles. He was well aware what they thought of him by now, he didn't need Lena adding on to it.

Gaved was being sarcastic, but at least he wasn't just standing there bellowing. She wasn't intimidated by Gaved, but it was difficult to talk to people that were screaming. They tended not to listen, and she needed Gaved to listen very well.

"Not just that, Gaved. You need to treat her like a lady. Dalla is a lady, not one of your poor thralls or outlanders. You can't just use her like trash and discard her." Lena tsked. "I don't want to hear lionesses gossiping about how my nephew treats his wife like a whore."

That kind of language was very out of character for a lioness as soft-spoken as Lena.

Gaved had never expected to hear such things coming from his gentle aunt, and was taken aback. Very taken aback.

He was also embarrassed. His aunt had never spoken to him so. It made him feel like a small and very shameful cub.

To Gaved's horror, he felt his ears beginning to turn pink.

"It's not my fault if lionesses gossip," Gaved said weakly. He decided his ears must be turning pink out of a flush of rage, and tried to work himself up into a righteous anger. "What am I to do about that?! I can't go waltzing around, bedecked in flowers, singing about Dalla's charms!"

Her nephew must surely be amongst the most sarcastic lions the Stormborn had to offer. Lena sighed. "You must treat her in public -- AND in private -- with the respect she deserves. You mustn't do anything to embarrass or disgrace her. You must stop complaining about her!" Really, did he think his constant moaning about how much he hated Dalla would not filter back to his wife somehow?!

"And you must stop treating Stygg so poorly."

Gaved's jaw hung open as Lena berated him. It snapped shut when she ended on that note about Stygg. Stygg? Lena just might have the right to make suggestions on how he treated Dalla, but she had no right whatsoever to tell him what to do with his thrall!

Stygg was his, and seemingly the last vestige of control he had in his life. First Dalla told him to stop beating her, and now Lena! It was unbearable!

"You can't tell me what to do with Stygg!" Gaved said, astonished at Lena's boldness. "Stygg is mine by right. My property!" He rose to his feet, glowering down at Lena. "I'll do whatever I wish with Stygg. What does Stygg have to do with Dalla at all?"

Lena couldn't help rolling her eyes. Gaved was a crafty lion, but he certainly needed some things pointed out to him. She hadn't been able to complain about his abuse of Stygg when he and Stygg were alone, but now that Dalla had come into the picture Lena felt she had some grounds to put an end to it.

"She's another lioness in Dalla's -- yes, Gaved, it is Dalla's -- den. She should be a help to Dalla, not a thorn in her side."

Gaved sputtered, choking back his objections to their new den being referred to as Dalla's. He focused instead on Lena's last baffling statement.

"Stygg isn't a thorn in anyone's side," Gaved snapped. "She's the meekest lioness I've ever met. I can't imagine how Stygg would offend anyone."

Completely ignoring the fact that he himself was constantly irritated and sometimes enraged by Stygg's very weakness.

"She'll be a thorn in Dalla's side if Dalla has to look at her and think of you covering her," Lena said flatly. It was within Gaved's rights to do so, of course, but that didn't mean Dalla wouldn't be embarrassed by it.

Besides, Lena intended to put a stop to that nonsense somehow.

Again Gaved felt himself blushing. His aunt did not talk like this. She just did not. She had turned on him, infected by whatever b***h-itis was making the rounds of the Freeborn females. It was like being mauled by a butterfly.

"It's my right. She's my thrall," Gaved said, almost plaintively. "Besides, Dalla said I could."

He realized just how whiny and juvenile that sounded, and hated himself for it.

"Dalla is trying to be kind and cooperative, as a wife should be," Lena said. "Yes, you're within your rights, but that doesn't mean you should do it." She gave him a very stern look. "The Warlord himself doesn't drag his foxy-doxy into his den, even though he could. You can do that kind of thing on raids, but don't fool yourself into thinking Dalla won't care about it going on in her den. You're not a stupid lion, Gaved. Don't be dense."

"If you must carry on with Stygg, at least make her your proper saltwife." Dalla might not be too thrilled about that idea (lionesses tended not to be), but it would be better than Gaved disgracing her. And then Stygg would be afforded the protections of a Freeborn lioness. Gaved would have to keep his bloody paws off her.

"No! No more wives!" Gaved's voice had gone higher than usual. He felt near hysterical at the idea of adding another wife. Two wives! Good gods, would the nightmare never end? A brief vision of Dalla and a new, bolder Stygg ganging up on him made him tremble in horror. He wanted to scream, but he bit down on his tongue hard instead. The sharp pain brought back some control.

"I will think about your advice, aunt Lena," Gaved said. "I can see that ... I can see that I need to treat Dalla well. I will try to do that. And I will be gentler with Stygg." Now, no more mention of Stygg and saltwives, please, please.

Gaved looked as though he were about to cry, which was satisfying. Lena nodded. "That will do for a start."

The idea of him being gentler with Stygg still made her ill, but for some reason her nephew had become incredibly possessive of the poor thrall. The Gaved Lena knew tired of his playthings quickly, but some mulish streak in the lion was making him cling to Stygg. It was frustrating, but for now Lena could think of no way to get him to drop Stygg entirely.

As for Dalla ... well, the lioness was largely on her own. Lena would try to get Gaved to treat her more kindly, but she wasn't about to step in and split them up. Sometimes pairs didn't get along at first. It was unfortunate, but Lena firmly believed that it was their duty to try.

"I'll leave you now, nephew, but please remember what I've said." She touched her cheek to his in a fond gesture before going. It was difficult to be fond of Gaved these days, but if she struggled she could just about remember the younger, sweeter lion he had been.

"Goodbye, aunt Lena," Gaved muttered. He felt stunned by their conversation, stunned by Lena's audacity and aggression. He was a little dazed by the cheek-bump, as well. It had been many seasons since Lena showed him affection. To tell the truth, it had been many seasons since any female that wasn't his mother had shown him honest affection.

He didn't like it.

Gaved sulked back inside the den, ready to snap if either Dalla or Stygg should approach him. He couldn't deal with any more nagging tonight.