Between lovers a little confession is a dangerous thing
Hardoleth was often gone when she awoke, though this morning he had overslept, hardly surprising, it had been a long night, a catharsis, a defining moment followed by tenderness and love.
The bedroom slowly came into focus, the sun spilled in through the windows. A spider had busied itself during the night and spun it's silken silvery web across the corner of the bedroom door frame. Neyaa blinked her eyes several times, the fitful nights were gone and for once anxiety did not greet her at daybreak.
Neyaa recalled the events of the previous days, her past had been slowly unravelling her. The appearance of yet another one of Hardoleth's bastards, Taala had unsettled her greatly, most disconcerting was that the girl had barely arrived in Bree and had sought her out and asked bluntly if rumour was true that the child was not her fathers. She even knew the name of the man with whom Neyaa had entered into a love affair with at a time before she and Hardoleth became a couple. Hardoleth had aired his suspicions about this affair some months earlier and she had lied quite convincingly, when asked, or so she thought!
It had been the most foolish and selfish thing Neyaa had ever done in her life. Wayward and thoughtless, she had pursued this man. Oh she had began to love Hardoleth as much as she dared, but he was whoring around, he didn't really care what she did, so why shouldn't she? Then things changed, but by then it was too late she was in love with them both.
Neyaa felt helpless and made the hardest decision of her life, the situation was growing ever more dangerous, she had to let this other man go, something that she simply could not explain bound her to Hardoleth, her Captain.
And here she was many months later, heavily pregnant with Hardoleth's child, whispers everywhere, more and more people seemed to learn of her affair. Neyaa shook with fear but the time had come to confess to Hardoleth, it was better he heard this from her lips than the wagging tongues of others. She was troubled to the point where she was ill. Her dearest friend Fiontann had urged her to tell Hardoleth the truth, Fiontann always did the honorable thing himself and lived by that. He had faith his Captain would know she spoke the truth and refused to believe that he would hurt her. He was right, Neyaa was such a hypocrite, she would defend Hardoleth with her last breath, yet she, herself was doubting that he would do right by her, where was the faith she urged others to have in him?
Her courage was rewarded, she trembled and wept when she unburdened herself. Much was said, questions were asked, faith was tested. But eventually he took her into his arms and told her that he believed the child was his and to forget what had happened in the past, for it seemed she had chosen him now. At that moment, Neyaa knew she had made the right choice. Thank the Gods this was over at last, well perhaps not for everyone, and that would always make Neyaa very, very sad, and equally as sorry.
His arm was draped over her, his hand resting on her stomach. Neyaa smiled recalling the conversation, Hardoleth's words often blunt and crude, but they were honest and to the point. He was a hard man, often course, brutally honest, if one did not wish to hear the truth about themselves then simply do not ask his opinion. An advocate of hard justice, a fair man, judged more on rumor than truth, Hardoleth would always admit his shortcomings and seek no pardon. Theirs was a coupling, that simply should not work, but it did, and probably because neither had tried to change the person they had fallen for.
She felt him stir and snuggle against her back, kissing her neck gently as he drifted from dream state to reality. He clambered over the top of her to get out of bed, complaining she was getting too big to climb over, Neyaa grinned as she watched him limp on one foot into the other room without a stitch of clothing on, unaware that she was awake. "Not in the jug Hardoleth!" she called to him, smirking as he put the jug back down and grumbled heading to the door, cursing that it was cold outside.
Unusually for him he climbed back into bed and ran his hand over her belly feeling his child move, and typically as always he would smirk and say "I hope it isn't gas!". Neyaa smiled up at him and reached out to him and they were both very late for work that day.
