Alliance

Chapter 26- Exspectat

Exspectat

Latin

Expecting

-

what i cannot see is how,

from the green wave rising,

out of water, oh Aphrodite,

you bred a flame.

-

Edmund was feeding a very spick-and-span Jem that night at supper- for some unearthly reason, mashed cauliflower had gradually become one of his favourites this past year- when a very composed and seemingly healthier Sanya came into the dining hall, surprising all its occupants.

"Evening." She said pleasantly, sitting down next to Jem and pointedly taking no notice whatsoever of his food (it was something which made his mother puke even more), and pulling a bowl of chicken broth towards her.

"Sanya, you look- better." Lucy decided, analysing her- though something was off, definitely, but what?

"You went to Dr. Asherii then?" Susan asked, sipping her wine.

"Haan, and she recommended ginger and chamomile tea- whatever it is- for my stomach pains, and some long recipe paste for my headache." Sanya shrugged, before talking to Peter, "You were right, they didn't kill me."

He grinned at the confirmation of his rightness, "Told you. Anyway, what do you have?"

"Oh, some variation of the flu." She shrugged again. "Nothing serious or long term, thankfully, and it goes away soon with medicine."

"Good to know it's nothing major." Edmund smiled, and squeezed her hand with his free one. "Don't suppose you can feed Jem the rest, then?"

She shook her head and gave him an overly sweet smile, "Those cauliflowers made me nauseated long before I was- suffering from the flu, Ed, so no."

"Well, worth a try." He shrugged, making his siblings laugh, and he turned to the child again and sighed, "Open up, Jemmy."

Jem opened his mouth to show off the green smashed mess in it, and Sanya clamped a hand over her mouth, slid out of her seat and ran out- and retching sounds followed after.

"Tell me there's a bathroom out there." Susan said flatly, though she knew quite well there wasn't.

"No, but one of the broom cupboards for storing winter apparel is." Lucy answered.

"Guess the castle inhabitants will be freezing to death this winter then." Edmund shrugged, handing the spoon to his brother. "Feed him while I check on my wife, will you?"

"But- this stuff is disgusting-"

"This is one of the few things he likes to have, if he stops eating it, Pete, I'm going to kill you." The Just promised, before getting out of his seat.

But that was not necessary, for Sanya entered the very next moment, looking pale and a little queasy, wiping her mouth with something which looked suspiciously like a winter scarf.

"I don't think any of it landed on the clothes." She said quickly, raising her hands in surrender at Susan's questioning look. "If it has, I'm sorry, I'll replace them!"

"Calm down, Mo- Sanya." He couldn't really call her by the nickname he had given her in front of his siblings. It was something which was just theirs and private- and not to mention, he'd already got a lot of flak and teasing about their relationship. He wanted to call her Moonshine in front of everyone, but it would have to wait till they were more secure and closer. "No need to get so hyper about such a thing."