AN: Sorry it's been a while (I know. Try a very long time). Inspiration was lacking, but now that I've re-read "Terrier," I've got another chapter. SPOILERS FOR TERRIER CONTAINED IN THIS CHAPTER! Please let me know if you think Sabine is ooc. Berly is an original character. Should it have been longer?
Review Returns:
MageWhisper705: Thanks! JaDe-ViPeR08: Thank you! Lady Genevieve: Thanks for your review! Steelsong: I'm glad you enjoyed it. Grace of Masbolle: I'm doing a drawn-out story about Dom's Mother that is called "The Duty of a Noblewoman." Check it out! Thanks for reading. Mage of Dragons: Thanks! Nutz Nina: I'm taking it that you don't think it's too short. Thanks for reading. Cry of the Wolf Child: Here's another Terrier chapter, though Beka's not in it :(. nmmi-nut: Thanks for reading! Thunder Ring: Thanks for reading. x17SkBdrchiczxx: Thanks for your review. CopperIslander: Thanks! Idyllic nocturne: A Kora/Ersken chapter is definitely in the works. I feel so stupid for misspelling his name. I'll have to fix it one of these days. Thanks for reading. Mrs. Dom Masbolle: I'm glad you liked it! Darking Girl: Yay for faithful readers! Kaededainecalwyn: Thanks for reading! Pandora of Ithilien: I thought he'd be too stressed out for humor. Thanks for your review. pinky: I love your review. :D. untamedspiral: I'm glad you liked them! Thanks for reading. deathequalsoul: I think it took about twenty minutes to write it. I was bored during psychology class. ;D. Thanks for reading. dinawen: Thanks! Phoenix-rises-from-the-ashes: I'll have to start thinking about a Sarai chapter. Spy In Training: I definitely made up the lung rot part, but it's so perfect for Gary. It also could help explain why we haven't heard anything about his children yet. Thanks for reading! a: I'm working on her too. Thanks for reading!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tell Him
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter Twenty-Five: Sabine of Macayhill
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was a late morning, but the night before had more than made up for it. Sabine swung her legs over the side of the bed and stretched her arms behind her back. The large man slept still as she pulled one of the sheets around her bare body. She picked her way to Matthias Tunstall's washroom, stepping around his discarded Dog gear and her own strewn clothing.
Though Sabine and Mattes been close for seventeen years, this was their first liaison in nearly four years, as the lady knight had been in the south, fighting Barzuni warriors. She took a chug from a bottle of twilsey, glancing in the looking glass. Her brown hair was matted and stuck out at all angles. It took nearly ten minutes to straighten it with Mattes's single wooden comb.
She heard him groan and turned out of the washroom. Leaning against the doorframe, Sabine smiled at him.
"Good morning, Sleepy," she said, allowing a teasing tone to slip into her voice. Mattes grinned.
"It's been awhile since I've had such an exhausting night." His hands motioned for her to come closer. Sabine crossed the room to kiss his forehead. He fingered her blanket mischievously.
"Listen, you mumper, you don't realize how late it is. You've got duty in less than two hours," she said, mellowing him. Mattes slowly got up and looked around at his clothes that had been thrown about the room.
"We were busy," he said with a smile. "I certainly didn't expect you to be standing at my doorstep when I got home last night." Sabine felt heat rise in her cheeks.
"I didn't come here for this," she said, gathering up her tunic. Confusion crossed Mattes' face.
"Why did you come then?"
"I wanted to talk to you." Sabine had collected all of her garments and began to put them on. "About Berlyne Jarmin."
"Me an' Clary's new puppy?" he asked in confirmation. Sabine nodded. "What's your interest in her?"
The knight took a deep breath and looked up at her lover. "She's my daughter," she said at last. Mattes stared at her. To avoid meeting his eyes, Sabine continued pulling on her stockings and speaking. "When she was born I made the decision to give her up. I wouldn't have been a good mother; she deserved so much better. Her foster family was far more conducive to her growing up than being dragged to and fro by a bad knight mother would have been."
"I can see the resemblance now," Mattes said. "She's got the same eyes, and she's as brave as her mother."
"Mattes, you're her father," Sabine told him softly. He caught her hand.
"Really?" Sabine met his deep-set brown eyes. She nodded again. "Sixteen years is a long time. Ox's eggs, why didn't you say anything afore now?"
"I didn't know how to tell you," Sabine replied. "And I couldn't see you raising her by yourself. This way Berly grew up happy and healthy, and ultimately that is all I ever wanted for her. Please don't be mad at me for that."
"I'm not mad, Sabine, but I am a little upset that my daughter only knows me as 'Guardsman Tunstall'."
"All I can do is apologize," she said. They were both dressed now. Mattes stood, fingering a circle of wood with his name on one side and the Provost's mark on the other, a token that would get him into the Dogs' bathhouse.
"I need to think about this," he said. "Tomorrow is my day off. Will you meet me at the Mantel and Pullet?"
"Noonish?" she asked. He nodded and Sabine got up to leave.
"Sabine?" he called behind her. The lady knight turned and faced him. "Thank you for telling me now."
…..
When Sabine walked into the Mantel and Pullett, Mattes Tunstall was sharing a table with a pretty girl. Her hair was brown and so clean that it shone, and the girl wore it unbound so that curls cascaded over her shoulders. Her blue dress set off her dark eyes. She was muscled, but not so much that passing boys didn't wink or whistle at her. Sabine noted that Mattes gave each one a stern glare. This was their daughter, Berlyne Jarmin.
Taking a deep breath, Sabine walked over to the table. "I thought this was to be a private meal, Mattes," she said pleasantly. He stood and pulled out a chair for her.
"We got to talking after muster-out last night. Berly knew who I was before she was paired with me an' Clary," he said, reseating himself. Berlyne smiled and extended her hand.
"It's nice to meet ya, Mother," she said happily. Sabine took her hand, noticing a firm grip.
"You know who I am?"
"I've known the truth for awhile now. My foster mother thought I should know, especially since I wanted t' be a Dog," Berlyne explained. "I s'pose I should've told Ahuda, but I really wanted t' meet my father. He's a wonderful man."
Her daughter's words hit Sabine's guilt squarely.
"Did I do you both an injustice, keeping you apart?" she asked.
"I never felt neglected as a child, if that's what ya mean," Berly said. "I think that knowing when I was little would have complicated things. I am glad that I get t' know you both now, though." The young woman stood.
"We need more ale," she said, picking up her father's mug as well as her own.
"Sabine, you made the right decision," Mattes said as Berly walked towards the young barkeep. "We would not have been good parents to a little mumper, but now that she's older, I think we can have a good relationship. She's resilient."
"It just goes to show that I should trust my own judgment," Sabine said. "Now, I believe it is my job to properly threaten you. Keep our girl safe on those Cesspool streets."
"I promise," he said with a charming wink.
Berlyne returned to her seat smiling.
"Why are you grinning like a wolf?" Sabine asked.
"The barkeep is a hopeless flirt," Berly said, passing out the mugs.
"He better watch himself," Mattes said sending a stony glare in the young man's direction. Sabine smiled.
"You weren't this protective of Beka," Sabine said. "Clary's going to think you've finally cracked.
"Maybe I have," he retorted.
Berly was watching this exchange with silent mirth.
"You two are perfect for each other," she said at last. Mattes turned to Sabine.
"See, my daughter thinks I'm perfect."
"Don't let it go to your head," Sabine said, squeezing his hand.