Say one thing for Elba, say she was sick of it all. Sick of riding drag while her husband sat in front with the other important people. Sick of the endless bickering between Cent and Moss when they thought no one else was around to hear them. Sick to her stomach most of all. Ever since she'd arrived in Danic her guts had tied themselves into knots. The food was lousy, of course, but she'd eaten worse. Something else was off, she reckoned. Something worse.

"You look tired," Cent said.

Elba snapped her gaze up from pondering, staring the man full in the face. She must have had quite the look about her too, given his own had gone very, very pale.

"What did you say?" She demanded.

"I...I said nothing—,"

"Cause I swear I just heard your last fething words," she said, cutting him off. "Out of all the stupid things I've heard come out of your mouth lately, Cent Foggardson, this has to be your greatest blunder yet! Don't ever tell a woman she looks tired, you broad shouldered buffoon! They'll be chiseling it into your goddess damned cairn stone before you can even blink!"

"All right! All right!" Cent held up a hand to ward her off. "I know when I've farked up. I apologize for Nido's sake."

"I'm serious, Cent! You don't say things like that to people! The next time I hear a disagreeable thing come out of your mouth I'll stick my fist so far up your arse I'll turn you into a Byzantian puppet." Elba made the appropriate gesture for emphasis, much to the man's horror.

"Goddess, you're worse than the Empress today. I'd rather ride beside lover boy and his tough, rebellious girly than deal with you right now."

"Go on then," Moss said, riding up beside Elba. he settled his gaze on the seasoned guardsman. "No one's stopping you."

Cent frowned as he looked over to where Brand sat further up in the van. He was chatting eagerly with the rebel girl he'd met in the mill, Tergrid if Elba recalled correctly. She was smiling, pale eyes gleaming under passing torchlight from the other riders. Oh yes, it was very plain to see what was unfolding before them.

"I'd rather get stepped on by a Jotun," Cent muttered.

"Then quit digging your grave," Moss said. "And go check on the Captain."

Elba watched the guardsman grumble off as he rode towards the front of the pack, the twisting ache in her guts never fully dissipating.

"You all right?" Moss asked.

"I've been better."

"Anything I can do?"

"Get me some meat, for starters. I haven't had a morsel since we arrived in this country."

"Fresh out I'm afraid."

Elba snorted. "You're useless to me then."

"Fig woulda found something," Moss said." A rabbit warren. A squirrel nest. Hells, I'd stoop low enough to roast a newt or two."

"Then he had to go and eat an arrow in Middengard."

"What a fool."

They rode in silence for a bit, taking in the sights and sounds around them. Horse hooves chopping in the snow. The hollow howl of the wind. Muted voices sighing through the trees. Would have been peaceful, were it not for Elba's constant, cramping guts.

"You really okay, though?" Moss asked after a while.

"You are damn talkative today," Elba said.

"Maybe I'm turning over a new leaf."

She felt his eyes flick over to her, sizing her up, thoughts churning beneath his massive, green beard.

"One of life's mysteries, I suppose. But yes, I'm fine," Elba said. "Something's just not settling right, is all.."

"Nausea?"

"Aye."

"Stomach cramps?"

"Aye." Elba flinched as a queasy wave washed over her, instantly doubling her over as she wretched onto the snow. Green sick sprayed over the frost laden road, this morning's cabbage soup, with extra leaves added for a hard day's travel. She coughed, spat, scraping the taste off her tongue and failing miserably at it.

"Vomiting?" She heard Moss ask.

"Elba!" Libro had pulled his horse around, separating from the pack as he rode hard towards her. His violet eyes shined bright with worry, hard lines etched into his face. He put an arm around her, staring down at the mess she'd made.

"I'm fine," she said as another wave of nausea slammed into her. She could feel the others watching, Shayn's gaze narrowing with viperous curiosity. Another man probing her for weakness. "The food here just doesn't agree with me."

"We make due with what we have," Shayn called back.

"Are you still able to ride?" Libro asked. He looked into her eyes, searching desperately for the right answer.

They would have turned back. Elba knew it. All she had to do was say the word and Libro would have ridden back to Byzantia without a moment's notice, Empress be damned. That was simply the type of man he was. Loving, caring, and so deliciously obedient. She had the potential to pull his strings any time she wanted.

But that was not her way, and deep down she knew the others would suffer for it if they turned back now. So she sat up straight, sucked in a deep, chilly breath and spat the remaining bile out of her mouth. "I'm fine, Captain. I can ride."

Libro narrowed his eyes, a regretful frown tugging at his lips. "Are you sure?"

"You and I both know we need to see this through." Elba gave her husband a reassuring smile before her eyes darted back towards Shayn. "There better be a decent meal waiting for us in Middlefort when we get there, Mordenson. If I don't see meat on my platter tonight I'm eating one of your dogs for dinner!"

The rebel leader snorted, appearing satisfied by her bounce back. "Good luck finding one." He hitched his horse and rode on, leaving Elba to puzzle over his words.

*

"Nido's pearly white tits," Cent breathed as they crested over a snowy hill. "What the hells happened to this place?"

"Civil war happened," Shayn said. Before them, the city of Middlefort lay like an open wound carved into the barren land. Its sprawling cityscape was a ragged line of crumbling stone, broken homes, pockmarked with cook fires, flickering candle light and the ever present buzzing of humanity. Here and there lay scatterings of once great structures, brought down to their foundations by a prior calamity and then picked apart by scavengers to make new homes.

The city itself was built around a crossroads, rag tag homes heaped up along the sides, as if the people feared to build around the ruins, afraid of its haunted past. Elba could make out worn entrenchments where walls had once stood but were now long gone, shattered or stolen she could not say.

But what caught her eye most was the mighty tower that stood at the epicenter of it all. Built from freshly hewn stone, the structure beamed like a rocky beacon in the forever night of Danic, its four surrounding walls glittering with fire light. Soldiers paced along its parapets, jagged sharpened spear points rammed along the edges to keep away invaders. Even then, she could still make out a scar or two where battle had marred its surface like a well seasoned warrior. Here was a fortress that had seen battle, and won.

Just looking at it made her feel safe. A silent promise made by the stones.

"Welcome to Middlefort," Shayn continued. "Home to Jarl Kriggith and the Lightbringers. I hope you find its walls and its people most hospitable." He said the last part with a modest degree of sarcasm, hitching his horse to ride before anyone could question him on it.

Elba and the others followed silently as they trudged through the outer edges of the city. Every now and then one of the denizens would poke their heads out, watching them with narrowed eyes before rushing back into their homes. There were scant few children she noticed as they edged closer to the tower, even less so of the animals one expected in a city.

Back in Byzantia, Elba had seen far too many wild dogs, wild cats, and the occasional rat scuttle along its polished, cobble streets. The odd emptiness of Middlefort sent a stranger shiver running down her spine.

The road to the tower terminated before a gate house, the gate itself little more than splinters now. Several Lightbringer rebels stood watch, giving them a clear path to enter once they'd noticed Shayn. A small bailey lay inside, a few buildings scattered within and largely intact.

Metal and stone grinded together as the gate to the tower itself was cranked open, a small troop of soldiers pouring out and filing into a parade stance. They bore the same purple and black tunics as the ones she'd seen at the last crumbling tower they'd visited, but with better equipment. Each man had a suit of chainmail polished to perfection, swords strapped to their sides and wielding halberds made of strange, black glass.

"Mordenson!" A voice called from the gate. "You are so, very, very late!" A man as big and round as an oak barrel plodded down the snowy steps, cloak and beard whipping in the angry wind.

"I had a run in with Keela, my lord." Shayn swept his hand out towards Elba and the others. "She brought some guests along that may interest you."

"Keela? Guests? By Aurora's golden kisses, what does that mad she bitch want this time?"

Elba dismounted as the Jarl met them in the bailey. He was as tall and broad up close as he was from a distance, the top of his head a balding patch save for a half halo of curly red hair running down his back. His nose was bulbous and dark veined, the signs of a heavy drinker, gut straining in a leather tunic lined with tarnished brass buttons.

"Friends from the Empire, my Jarl," Shayn said. "Captain Libro, you and your party have the honor and privilege of meeting Jarl Kriggith from the former protectorate of Danic. It would be wise for you to bow."

"Bah!" Kriggith spat. "That old tradition fell away when Erik killed our High King and half the country with it. Come here, you!" Before the Captain could stop the Jarl he was scooped up in a bear hug and nearly lifted on the ground. Only then did Elba realize just how strong Kriggith was, as Libro's bones groaned ever so slightly.

"How lucky are we to have agents of the Empire at our doorstep," Kriggith said as he released Libro. "And such pretty ones too." The Jarl swept towards Elba, surprisingly gentlemen-like as he held out his hand. "It would appear the rumors of the south are true."

"And what rumors would that be," Elba asked as she placed her palm in his, enjoying the delicious irony of the situation.

He gave her knuckles a soft kiss, beard hair tickling her skin. "That you cannot take two steps within its borders without seeing a miracle. Your beauty leaves me stunned beyond reason, my lady."

Elba snorted as she gave Libro the side eye. The man was smiling from ear to ear, appreciating the Jarl's taste in women. "Oh my, you flatter me, sir."

"Flattery and good manners are hard to come by these days, but enough of one. Let us start the other." Jarl Kriggith smoothed out his tunic and turned back to Libro. "I have been made aware of your reasons for being in Danic, and while I would love to discuss the opportunity the Empire can provide us, I am famished." The Jarl clapped both hands to his round belly. "Dinner first, then talk. I've had a few rooms cleared out for you all and some accouterments to help you freshen up from the hard ride. Please, allow my people here to escort you."

And before anyone else could argue, the Jarl turned and stomped back into the tower, practically bouncing up the steps with the enthusiasm of a child.

"That man is insane," Cent muttered as he trudged up beside Elba.

"Agreed, but at least he's on our side."

"Let's hope it stays that way."

The interior of the tower was surprisingly spacious given Elba's past experience. They were guided towards a rounding staircase leading to the upper floors, each given a separate room to store their gear. Libro was hesitant to let her go at first, but a few reassuring words by Elba was enough to please him.

"I'll see you soon," he said, giving her hand a squeeze.

"See you soon."

As Elba pushed past the door, however, she was greeted by an older woman in a pale dress, thin face smiling through well worn laugh lines.

"Hello, my lady," the woman's voice crackled ever so slightly. "I have been assigned as your chambermaiden to help you dress for dinner tonight."

Elba swallowed, more than a little perturbed by the idea of another woman dressing her. "That won't be necessary. I can put on my own clothes, thank you."

"I am sorry, my lady, but the attire my Jarl wishes for his guests to wear requires the aid of one such as myself. I assure you though that I am an expert when it comes to these kinds of things. You will barely feel a finger of mine, I assure you." The old woman shuffled off towards a large basket on the bed, rooting within it before Elba could protest further.

"Let me see, what would look good for tonight?" The Chambermaiden paused as she turned to look at Elba, eyeing her up and down much in the same way Moss had a few hours prior. "Ah, this will do I think." With a flourish, the maiden revealed a dress the color of fresh cream, laced with studded plates of black glass along the shoulders, looking more like armor than noble attire.

"This one should suit you nicely, I believe. The seamstress added extra cloth around the belly for such an occasion."

Elba furrowed her brows as she stepped over, running a hand over the material. "Why would I need something like that?"

The chambermaiden gave a mischievous grin as she chuckled softly. "Isn't it obvious? For your early pregnancy of course. Can't let the little one suffocate down there."

For a second, the maiden's words didn't register with Elba, until a dam burst inside her, and the realization of it all came flooding out.

"My what?" She asked, her voice sounding hollow and distant.

***