“38? That is sort of old for a first marriage,” he admitted, “But you’re pretty and smart; some guy would like you, I bet. Why not just find a guy now, and make an arrangement for when you leave? Or geez, just have a baby and let the stupid Florae work it out themselves.”
For a moment, tears came to Tsuga's eyes, and she rubbed them away anxiously with her fists, hoping that Petro had not seen them. Recovering, she spluttered, “You are an immoral pig. And besides, you don’t know what you’re saying, Petro. We have rules. Rules with harsh, well-defined consequences. If I were to have a baby now, I would be killed and the baby taken and raised as a ward of the Emperor. Even its own father wouldn’t be allowed to keep it. And I would be dead, do you understand me? Dead.”
“That’s absurd!” Petro complained, “No one would make a stupid rule like that.”
“No one? Are you allowed to marry and settle down?”
“Well, no, I’d have to get transferred to one of the garrisons or a division in the capital. But that’s just because I’m in an actual, you know, military unit.”
Tsuga narrowed her eyes at him and sighed, “So’m I.”
“I – I guess you are,” Petro had to admit. It had never occurred to him that a woman, even a well-trained assassin with a flair for espionage - and who happened to outrank him - had military importance, but he supposed that the Florae in general, and Tsuga in particular, did. It was an odd thought.
“Still,” Petro tried, “Once I’ve done the four year term I signed up for, I can quit, and even if not, I could try to apply for a transfer to one of those other units where the rules are different.”
“It’s just the same for me, Petro,” Tsuga tried to explain, bouncing Aurelia on her knee, “Except that my term is longer, and there are no other units to transfer into.”
“Longer, my dear, is an understatement.”
“We need more training than you. And besides, it’s . . . typical, for women who serve the gods.”
“Serve the gods? Like in a temple?”
Tsuga nodded. “His Majesty is a god after all, isn’t he? And we serve him, and protect the state. We also keep the Temple of State. In fact, that’s our cover. It’s what Salix’s parents and fiancé think she’s been doing, for all these years.”
“Really? But the Temple of State is involved in . . . everything. Coronations. Good fortune in war. Everything. It’s really run by a - a cadre of girl assassins? By the gods, girl, you outrank me and you people basically run the country?!
Tsuga rolled her eyes, “I did get thoroughly trained in religious ritual, you know. We all did. The girls who tend the Sacred Fire don't go out on missions. Anyhow, it’s a fairly good excuse to maintain a school for girls with access to military training grounds, if they have to be taught to ensure that the sacred boundaries are properly prepared. After all, we can't have the dark urges of military violence crossing the boundaries and spilling out into the city, now can we?”
Petro whistled, “Darn clever. Explains why you’re so reticent about any attention from men, too, if you’re a temple maiden as well as an assassin.”
Tsuga made a face, “It's more that you’re a pig. I've seen you watch me. Salix, too. Besides, men and I - ”
Petro ignored this, and instead asked, “Hey, Tsuga, you want to cut a deal? Fourteen years from now, you’ll be free, right?”
“Sure. Yeah, I will,” Tsuga nodded, her expression doubtful but intrigued.
“Alright, so, we keep in touch, you and me, or at least, I stay easy to find. I don’t think I’d be much good at any other sort of job, so you’ll be able to find me no problem by keeping track of my postings.”
“Sure, that should be easy,” She said, still sounding doubtful.
“So there you are, problem solved. You won’t have to try to find a guy when you’re out, and you can have your baby.”
Tsuga blinked, frowning. “I don't want a baby. And what exactly are you suggesting, Petro?”
“Of course you want a baby. And I'm suggesting exactly what I was suggesting to you a couple of days ago. Only, you know, for fourteen years in the future.”
Tsuga’s only response was to turn bright red, scoop Aurelia up in her arms, and stomp off in the direction of the stream. Petro sighed and laid on his back on the grass. He had thought it was the perfect solution. Girls.
YOU ARE READING
The Baby and the Battlefield
FantasyA baby? On a battlefield? Marcus is a clerk in the Imperial army. When he finds an abandoned baby on a battlefield, he has no idea what to do with her. His best friend is no help; he thinks Marcus is a sucker for taking the kid in. The slave who end...
