Part of her duties as the Lady of Ironstone was teaching the young ones. Just like all the other women before her who stood beside their husbands and Lords of the northern lands over the ages, Maya had become the governess for the children under their care. She'd had made no illusions. They weren't her children but it filled Ironstone with laughter and joy which it desperately needed. Only nine had survived the horrors.
Maya raised her head when the door to the bedroom flung open, and Dakran stomped in, smoke coming out of her ears, covered in what she'd gathered was food.
" What happened?" Helping Sala with breakfast hadn't gone as expected.
" Leigh happened," Dakran ground out the words, as he stomped into the bathing room.
" I don't understand," Maya stifled a smile," He is so well-behaved," She was quick to jump to his defence. Despite everything, his antics cheered up the children and took their minds off the dread of the past that they somehow survived.
" No, " Dakran drawled as he poked his head out of the bathing room," He is well-behaved when you are around. When you are not," Dakran scoffed, " He is the spawn of the very darkness itself," He grumbled as he shed his tunic and trousers to change into fresh, clean clothes.
Giggling Maya leaned against the dressing table and watched Dakran pace in front of the bed, trying to ease his rattled spirits, clenching his fists. If anyone could irk Dakran, that was Leigh.
" He is only six. He only does it because he knows he can get to you," Maya tried to appease him before she would have to go.
" They will be in the study room until lunchtime," Maya sighed when he halted his steps and mellowed. With a heavy sigh, he closed his eyes and raked a hand through his ebony tresses.
" He targets me," Dakran pointed at himself and if she didn't know any better, it sounded more like a whine than anything else. Leigh was winning.
" I'll speak with him," Dakran stilled at her words, and grimaced somewhat in disapproval.
" It will only make things worse if you do," Dakran sighed, his shoulders dropped and grumbled some more. Probably, cussing.
" On a different note," Maya decided to change the subject. It could take them a whole day to churn through the matter. It wasn't much of an issue in the first place.
" Corvin sent a missive from the Southlands. He is requesting that a number of five dresses be made. Do you know what is he still doing in the Southlands?" She asked as she pushed herself off the dressing table when Dakran lowered his gaze and then peered back from behind his lashes.
Daran cleared his throat, and his lips twitched, " I don't, " He rubbed the back of his neck, " He should be here," He sighed and narrowed his eyes, and then shook his head at his thoughts," Unless. Does he say who are the dresses for?" He took a step forward as she handed him the missive Corvin had sent.
" He is asking you to make them," Dakran smirked, " That bastard, " Dakran hissed and balled up the missive," He was supposed to apologise to Iris and come back. But as always, he doesn't know when to stop," Dakran scrubbed his face, " I think," Dakran paused, " No, I know, that he is trying to sway Iris, " He took a shaky breath in, " It will end badly, knowing Corvin," He added as he turned to the window and gazed in the distance.
" What do you mean?" That sounded rather worrying. Maya's question dragged him back, " He," Dakran blew out a breath," His way, is not something that most people can stomach. Corvin was raised on the front lines. He spent some time in Ironstone but that only came later when he was older. After the Whitsun temple fell, he returned to Dreissen. I don't know how he ended up on the border, " Dakran groaned, " But," Dakran shook his head," He either doesn't know or doesn't care. I don't know. He is like a bloodhound. Once he caught a whiff of blood he won't stop until he gets it. And I think that what he is doing with Iris," He concluded, troubled.
" Is he going to hurt her?" Maya asked as she keenly watched him, worried. Iris was a decent person. She did all that she could to help them, at the cost of losing everything.
" I don't know. I hope not. She has a strong mind. It will take him forever to breach her mind. She knows who she is," Dakran sighed," At least that's what I'm hoping," The discussion about Corvin and Iris had settled his spirits and took his mind off Leigh.
" I should go," She leaned in to kiss his cheek while Dakran merely nodded and turned to the window.
It wasn't good. Not for Iris anyway. He'd lied. He knew what Corvin would do. He had his methods of breaking someone's spirit. And he had been successful, more than once. He was patient and had a will of steel.
What on God's name did he need the dresses for? Dakran wondered as he made his way towards the garden.
The stomped flower beds, and the broken tree branches on the ground, grated his nerves.
But whatever Corvin was up to, outweighed everything in that moment. The South hadn't fared well, according to the first missive he'd sent. Between the witch and the shikari, the situation was dire.