Dark Fears

[Northen Light36]

The Sanderson house is slightly quieter then usual with Bas and Pas out of the house, but that doesn't mean the family isn't busy. Around the back of the house, Mat's tending to the small garden while Acqua hangs out some washing and Robin and Letha play with some carved toys and each other.

"Mama! Daddy!" Pas and Bas call, making their parents look over and smile, although there's a hint of discomfort in both adults' expressions when they notice Lya.

"Good afternoon, your majesty," Mat greets Lya as Ann abandons the basket of wet washing to hug her older children in greeting. "I hope our children weren't any trouble?"

[Kender Bard]

"Not at all," she says lightly, then lowers her voice as she leans towards Mat. "There's a grave sickness going around the kingdom. It-" her hand twitched, and she gestured "-causes spasms like just now. I don't know how much worse it will get but I'm afraid your daughter is infected."

[Northen Light36]

"I've had twitches myself," Mat murmurs. "Thought it was just a cramp. You say Bas is infected?" Mat looks a little stricken at that. Acqua takes one look at her husband's expression and shoos her children inside to change out of their good clothes.

"What's going on?" she asks, joining Mat and Lya. Mat starts to explain when he's cut off by a three-part childish scream of fear.

"BAS!"

Acqua and Mat don't hestitate, sprinting for the house to find Bas lying on the kitchen floor, twitching and shaking in a fit like state. Terrified, Acqua drops to her knees and cusions her daughter's head out of pure reflex.

[Kender Bard]

Lya watches, eyes wide with surprise. She hadn't heard of anyone getting seizures yet. She isn't sure what to do to help - nothing likely - and so stands watching in a state of shocked horror.

[Northen Light36]

The nightmare is over quickly, before Mat can do more then grab a glass to fill with healing water, Bas' seizure has stopped and she's lying calmly on the floor, looking tired. "Bas, sweetie, are you all right?" Acqua asks, sounding shaken.

"I'm sleepy. My head hurts," Bas murmurs. "Why are we on the floor, Mama?" Acqua touches the back of her daughter's head and winces as she feels a slightly swollen lump.

"You're a little bit sick, Bas," she murmurs, treating the bump with healing water. "You fell down." Getting to her feet, Acqua picks up Bas. "I'm putting her to bed," she tells her husband and carries her daughter off. Mat gives Lya a shaken, fearful look.

"Is that part of this illness as well?" he demands. "What's the cure?"

[Kender Bard]

"That's the first I've seen of it," Lya admits. "But... I would not be surprised if it was." Lya trembles in fear at the thought. "No cure has been found yet but we're searching hard."

[Northen Light36]

"What has been done so far?" Mat asks, looking consideringly at Lya. It almost seems if he's trying to decide something and is trying to weigh what her reaction might be.

[Kender Bard]

"Angel is searching our joint libraries for cures," Lya says, and shakes her head slightly. "That's all I know."

[Northen Light36]

Mat hesitates for a moment, then looks towards the children's rooms. "If someone were to offer their own resources to help find a cure," he says slowly. "Would you accept their help and not use anything you might learn against them at a later stage?"

[Kender Bard]

Lya looked away, drawing a sharp breath as she did. "I've played this game with your people before," Lya says, her voice a touch shaky. "It ended with a slaughter in my land."

[Northen Light36]

Mat stiffens. "Yes," he agreed softly. "It did. Many of them my people. I knew all of them by name, thief and non-thief. I knew most of the thieves personally. Many of them I grew up alone side. One of them was my own sister. But the monster who was responsible was not me and I am not a Clear. I have no more ability to control other people then you do, your majesty. All I could do was stop him as swiftly and with as few other injuries or deaths as was possible."

Mat walks over to the window and stares out, his reflection revealing a couple of tears slidding down his cheeks. "And there is no one all of Naruta who regrets the deaths that did occur more then I do."

[Kender Bard]

"That may be so," Lya said as she turned to keep him in her line of sight. "But I have no guarantee, no real way of knowing that I won't be signing away my soul or the safety of those I love and care about."

[Northen Light36]

"Nor do I," Mat counters, brushing the tears away before looking at Lya. "I have revealed who I am to you. How do I know now that I will not come home tomorrow or the next day and find my family murdered by the city guards?"

Little Robin, confused and upset by Bas' fit and his father's tone and actions, toddles over to Mat, holding out his arms to be picked up. Mat obeys then looks at Lya. "You are a parent too, so you should be able to understand when I say I would give my life for my children. So believe me when I say this... I swear on the lives of my children that no harm will come to you or yours for the duration of any truce between your people and mine, nor will anything learnt be used against you in the future."

[Kender Bard]

Lya bowed her head at his words. "That is a powerful oath," she admitted. "Yes, I can understand that... I agree. No harm will come to you and yours and your aid is greatly appreciated. But please don't let word of this get back to my husband."

[Northen Light36]

Mat's expression twists into a rueful half-smile. "Your husband's opinion of my people is well known, your majesty," he replies. "I am more then happy not to let this get back to him if that is your wish."

Mat frowns thoughtfully for a moment, then says, "To keep this truce quiet, perhaps messages between us should be sent through Flash? It would certainly look odd for the likes of myself to be regularly seen with you, even if our children have befriended each other."