The scene that greeted Anshi and Sya Mu as they entered  Dawa Tuya's yurt, was chaotic. General Ge Ban lay on the floor while the doctor worked to bring him out of his stupor. Xiao Mian was trying to calm Dawa Tuya and all the Chieftain could hear was her soothing her with, "Tuya, he only fainted. Settle yourself, it's not good for the baby!"

"Baby? Baby...?" Anshi looked at Sya Mu in shock, then back at his unconscious mentor, then glanced  over toward his wide-eyed Aunt. He strode over to a bucket full of water, grabbed it, and ordered everyone to stand away from the prone figure. Then he unceremoniously dumped it, soap suds and all, on his adjutant. The man sputtered and sat upright, looking around, dazed. He blinked in confusion, then everything started to clear as he saw his upset wife in Xiao Mian's arms. He saw a pair of booted feet before him and slowly raised his head until he met the very appalled and glittering green eyes of his Chieftain. He struggled to rise and Anshi thundered, freezing him, and everyone else in the yurt, into place. 

"STAY WHERE YOU ARE GENERAL!!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY AUNT, YOU LECHEROUS OLD REPROBATE?  How dare you two give the two of us lectures about courtship and chastity and...and...and...waiting until bows are made??? How do I hold my head up when a couple of my most valued people; people chosen as good examples in this caravan, act like silly, ridiculous adolescents." 

"Wait a minute, Brother!" Snapped Xiao Mian and Lan A'Qiang in near unison. A'Qiang carried it further. "I may only be sixteen, but I have acted with a great deal of moderation and restraint, I think! At least compared to Ge Ban and Auntie Tuya" He gave a sharp yelp as Xiao Mian kicked his shin. 

"And Xiao Misnhas been on her best behavior as well!" Then they all heard him mutter in a soft aside. "After she decided to get over that stupid crush on you and wake up!"

This earned him another swift slam against the opposite shin. Xiao Mian turned and stomped off with her begging suitor, in limping tow, on her heels. "My little Peony, I didn't mean it. I just hate the thought that you liked him first. Come back, my little Cherry Blossom!"

Anshi ignored the teens and continued to circle the hapless General. Sya Mu stepped in.

 "Chieftain. May I speak?"

He whirled around, and she placed a calming hand on his arm, leaned in, and whispered, "Play your cards to your advantage. Do not squander a gifted opportunity,"

He looked at her and nodded. "Speak, Speak, Guardian Leader."

"You have been aware of their entanglement for some time. You looked the other way due to their advancing years. Who would have thought a baby would have been a probability?"

Here, Dawa Tuya shot her a rather sour look.

"Dawa Tuya? Am I speaking out of turn by pointing out the obvious? You were doing the beast with two backs this entire time, while scolding us endlessly if we even looked cross-eyed at each other." 

"What we need to do is move forward and get ready to welcome a new life into this caravan. PROPERLY!  Am I understood? Good! Chieftain, will you allow the General to rise? He could catch his death sitting in a puddle, and he will soon have another mouth to feed."

Anshi, arms folded,  nodded curtly. Ge Ban started to rise, and his feet slipped, landing him back into the dishwater. Disgusted, Anshi reached down, grabbed a powerful bicep, and steadied him into a standing position. Then he folded his arms again and turned halfway from the sheepish man.  Dawa Tuya ran to her man and began to dry him off with a towel.

Sya Mu called out to a Guardian and, when he entered, quietly ordered, "Go to the General's quarters and bring a dry change of clothes. " She spoke sharply a second time as he just stood there, mouth open, taking in the scene.

"NOW! And use discretion. Not a word to others!"

"Yes. General."

Dr. Lan was packing his instruments, and she addressed him next.

"Remind Xiao Mian of her oath and the discretion that comes with it. Is there anything urgent that we need to attend to at the moment?"

"No Lan Sya Mu. She and the child seem healthy. Nothing comes to mind unless you'd like to get some vows under their belts. She'll be showing before you know it."

"WE understand our duty, even if they do not. Thank you, Doctor." Snapped Anshi. He turned to the couple and felt himself soften as he looked at his Aunt.

"Take the time you both need to freshen up. I will ask Boloramaa to come and take over your duties today and to prepare a suitable breakfast. You two will be at my yurt in two  hours. We have much to discuss. Bows will be made. Dress accordingly. And any disciplinary action deemed necessary will be given then as well. Lan Sya MU, stand ready here and see to their needs. I have much to decide before our breakfast arrives. Two hours only."

He shot a disapproving and disappointed look at them as he left

.Anshi walked into the quiet of his yurt before he took a deep breath. The frown left his face as he dropped the role he had needed to assume and suddenly he began to laugh. The looks on their faces had been priceless, and the opportunity to turn those lectures back on Lan Ge Ban and Dawa Tuya had been a gift from the gods! This was a chance to get a little of his own back. But not too much. He was terribly fond of them both, and he had looked the other way at their indiscretions since the beginning, but he would be damned if he was going to let this slip by without using it to his own advantage for a while.

Sya Mu stared at the parents-to-be. 

"Ge Ban, to the baths. Now. I suggest you wear your dress uniform when you report to Anshi's yurt later." He nodded in agreement and turned to embrace Tuya. 

"Are you alright, my Love? And the baby?"

She smiled. "It is fine and so am I.  Run along. Come for me in two hours, alright?"

He kissed her and looked deeply into her warm eyes. "No matter what, I am telling you, right here and now, that I am happy. I have never been happier in my life. I had given up hope of finding a woman who could equal me in so many ways. And here we are! About to bring a life into the world.!I love you, my Nomadic Queen."

Sya Mu, looked away as Dawa Tuya nestled into his chest for a moment. Then she patted his cheek gently. "You will always have mine as well. Go! We must not piss my nephew off further, and I have a dress to find!"

She walked to a trunk ,immediately rummaged for a few minutes, then pulled a cotton-wrapped package from within. A talisman, worked to keep the contents fresh   and the moths away. She opened it carefully and inside was a magnificent, hand-wrought Mongolian wedding dress. Sya Mu gasped as the older woman slowly unfolded it and held it up. The deel was made of many colors of silk, predominamtlyly red, with leaf-greentrim, There was a second garment , a long cloak made of peach-colored silk, and a red veil. All were heavily embroidered in ivory silk and gold stitching, that represented good fortune, best luck, and fertility for the couple. 

"I made this slowly over the tears, starting at the age of eight. i was talented in dress-making and I had such dreams. My parents hated my lover's family and forbade the marriage, and we stole away, married as secretly as possible, and never returned. We were brave and only wanted one another. I brought few things along and left this behind. My elder sister knew of the village we settled in after we ran away and sent it. It was too late since we married in haste, but I always kept it. It was too precious to me.." She smiled. "I have stayed trim and even lost a little weight since I have worked hard all my life. I wonder..."

It fit. The fabric, sheltered by the talisman had held up and she stood, regal and straight, and her eyes filled with tears. "We have traveled a long way over the years, my wedding deel and I. I never dreamt that we would end up back here on the Steppes, ready to marry another great love of my life."

 "Let us get a hot bath going. We can hang it near so the steam will ease the few wrinkles out. It is perfect Dawa Tuya, and it deserves its spot in this day as well."

"Do you think Zurkhwould have minded?" She asked in a small voice.

"Zurh?"

"His name was Zurh. It means heart."

"Not at all. If he is anywhere here in these Steppes, he will be watching and wishing you well. A person who loved truly would want that for you."

A/N:  A deel is the ankle-length tunic worn over an A-line skirt in a Mongolian wedding.

Zurh is pronounced Zurk in Mongolian.

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