“I can certainly manage that,” Madanach agreed. “All right, you can meet with the programme director tomorrow, have a look around, talk to people. You can't view private medical records or go to the support groups unless the group agrees, and if you want to talk to patients, be aware they have the right to terminate the conversation at any time, and their healer will be present unless the patient wishes otherwise.”
“I would never push anyone into sharing anything they didn't want to,” Elisif said gently. “Thank you, Madanach, this could benefit more people than you could ever realise. Here. Liriel, may I...?”
“Oh, of course!” Liriel said, just about managing to tear her attention away from Lirela long enough to hand her back to her mother. Elisif cuddled her baby, kissed her gently and then held her out to Madanach.
“She missed you,” Elisif explained on seeing Madanach's stunned face. “You're the only grandparent she's got, and I felt bad you didn't get to see as much of her as you could have last time. So here she is. That's right, Lirela, that's your granda, isn't it?”
Lirela had squealed, holding her hands out to Madanach, who took her without a word, holding her close while she babbled at him.
“You don't mind?” Madanach asked, amazed at the change of heart. Elisif shook her head, smiling as Argis rejoined her, arm around her shoulders.
“We had a talk,” said Argis gruffly. “I told her you'd been struggling for years and managed to stay clean since you got out, and Lirela had never come to any harm yet. Didn't think it was right you being kept away from her without good cause.”
“And he's right,” Elisif said, voice gentle and quiet. “So we decided it was high time we visited to see just how exactly you're managing to keep your people sober when the rest of us have been trying for years without any luck.”
It doesn't always work. But the defining characteristic of the programme was a gentle refusal to give anyone up as a lost cause, and if you fell off the wagon, your fellow group members would help you get back on it again. He'd seen that for himself.
But now was not the time to worry about any of that, not today. Lirela was babbling on, frowning and no doubt wanting to know why he wasn't talking to her, and he knew enough about babies to know that at that age, it wasn't so much the words as simply that you spoke to them. Cradling his granddaughter in his arms and pretending to marvel at a fictitious tale of dragons and heroism she was spinning him, Madanach headed back into his city. He had his family back and it was due to get bigger. Everything was going to be fine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eight months later
Screaming. Screaming from inside the Royal Bedchamber, and outside by the throne room, things weren't much better.
“Gods, why did I do this?” Madanach gasped. “I'd forgotten it was this horrific – gnnnfph!” A shot of jenever later and Madanach collapsed on the stone table, wishing it was Skooma. Yes, Skooma would be just the thing, it nullified the marriage bond, meaning he wouldn't be able to feel his wife screaming in agony and cursing his name every five minutes.
“Breathe, boss,” Borkul murmured, rubbing his back. “It's OK, you can get through this, you've done it before.”
“I was thirty years younger then!” Madanach said through gritted teeth, nails digging into stone but it didn't help, none of it helped, not even painkillers helped. It wasn't his pain that was ripping him apart.
“Reach-King, Reach-King, dearest blood brother, Cicero has hot water and warm towels!” Cicero trilled as he scampered out from the kitchens.
“You are aware I'm not actually giving birth, aren't you – oh, that's actually rather nice.” A warm towel across the forehead had a surprisingly soothing effect, which made a definite change from Liriel's mind in his head howling venom at him for doing this to her.
Re: Thicker Than Blood 14.9
“I would never push anyone into sharing anything they didn't want to,” Elisif said gently. “Thank you, Madanach, this could benefit more people than you could ever realise. Here. Liriel, may I...?”
“Oh, of course!” Liriel said, just about managing to tear her attention away from Lirela long enough to hand her back to her mother. Elisif cuddled her baby, kissed her gently and then held her out to Madanach.
“She missed you,” Elisif explained on seeing Madanach's stunned face. “You're the only grandparent she's got, and I felt bad you didn't get to see as much of her as you could have last time. So here she is. That's right, Lirela, that's your granda, isn't it?”
Lirela had squealed, holding her hands out to Madanach, who took her without a word, holding her close while she babbled at him.
“You don't mind?” Madanach asked, amazed at the change of heart. Elisif shook her head, smiling as Argis rejoined her, arm around her shoulders.
“We had a talk,” said Argis gruffly. “I told her you'd been struggling for years and managed to stay clean since you got out, and Lirela had never come to any harm yet. Didn't think it was right you being kept away from her without good cause.”
“And he's right,” Elisif said, voice gentle and quiet. “So we decided it was high time we visited to see just how exactly you're managing to keep your people sober when the rest of us have been trying for years without any luck.”
It doesn't always work. But the defining characteristic of the programme was a gentle refusal to give anyone up as a lost cause, and if you fell off the wagon, your fellow group members would help you get back on it again. He'd seen that for himself.
But now was not the time to worry about any of that, not today. Lirela was babbling on, frowning and no doubt wanting to know why he wasn't talking to her, and he knew enough about babies to know that at that age, it wasn't so much the words as simply that you spoke to them. Cradling his granddaughter in his arms and pretending to marvel at a fictitious tale of dragons and heroism she was spinning him, Madanach headed back into his city. He had his family back and it was due to get bigger. Everything was going to be fine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eight months later
Screaming. Screaming from inside the Royal Bedchamber, and outside by the throne room, things weren't much better.
“Gods, why did I do this?” Madanach gasped. “I'd forgotten it was this horrific – gnnnfph!” A shot of jenever later and Madanach collapsed on the stone table, wishing it was Skooma. Yes, Skooma would be just the thing, it nullified the marriage bond, meaning he wouldn't be able to feel his wife screaming in agony and cursing his name every five minutes.
“Breathe, boss,” Borkul murmured, rubbing his back. “It's OK, you can get through this, you've done it before.”
“I was thirty years younger then!” Madanach said through gritted teeth, nails digging into stone but it didn't help, none of it helped, not even painkillers helped. It wasn't his pain that was ripping him apart.
“Reach-King, Reach-King, dearest blood brother, Cicero has hot water and warm towels!” Cicero trilled as he scampered out from the kitchens.
“You are aware I'm not actually giving birth, aren't you – oh, that's actually rather nice.” A warm towel across the forehead had a surprisingly soothing effect, which made a definite change from Liriel's mind in his head howling venom at him for doing this to her.