An hermines' affaire.

The Marquis’ hand hit again the young boy’s neck again. They’d been travelling for so long, and the Galician had no patience enough to afford another four hours across the unknown land. The guy assured them he knew the way to Chartres but, now, Astaroth had started to suspect that paying him in advance had not been a good idea. He had guided Astaroth and his little guard for so long, and the sun had started to flee from the sky. Another sight, probably the number three million. Night was coming.

As soon as the last sunlight disappeared, so did the guy. After the initial surprise, Astaroth damned himself for being so stupid.

¡Corvos, a min!¡Coidado co bosque!

The sound of half-a-dozen swords ringed in the night. It was time to hurry. As if the Death was riding after them, the Marquis and his men continued the way. After a few minutes, some men appeared in the middle of the road. It was evident they expected the knight to stop, but their plan didn’t work as good as they’d wanted. The horses didn’t stop, and the group was dissolved in seconds, leaving the road to the men in black to ride.

Astaroth had left, days ago, the commodities of his own castle to afford the journey by sea to Donges. Once there, he had continued by horse to the East, across Brittany and, finally, France. Day by day, the distances made shorter, until they, finally, arrived to the Duchy. And that’s the moment they met the boy that offered himself to guide them. After the scrimmage, they continued the road. Just before the dawn, the walls of Chartres and the magnificent cathedral, appeared in front of their eyes.

Not much later…

Eh…bonjour-it was evident that French was not the language the Hermine spoke better.- je suis Astaroth da Lúa, Marquis de Gondomar et les Îles. Je suis le…epoux de Blanche de Walsh-Serrant. Est..elle dans le chateaux?

It was incredible, in fact, the guard had understood him. But, in fact he did it. He lefth the Marquis in the entrance, waiting for her. For the Marquise, the Hermine. For Blanche. And his son.
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HRP: A french description will be added as soon as Blanche sends it to me. Sorry =)

Did she, or didn't she tell him it was a baby girl?
She wasn't really sure about it. She wasn't sure at all. If she had not, when Astaroth would meet little baby girl Anne-Azilliz da Lua, he would be pretty disappointed she wasn't a boy. That was the first thought Blanche had about her husband, far away from any fear he'd meet Eusaias, or any fear Aimbaud could be here too : the only fear the get was such a hudge scream she'd hide inside of her. What if Astaroth didn't know about Anna? How would he react?

A guard came to her appartment, asking for her. She became white, as white as snow.
What...what did his Excellence say? she asked.
'Cause if he asked for her alone, it would be easier to hide the surprise. But if he asked for Astaroth-Junior, it would be another problem.

She found him in the entrance. How long, since she had not seen him? How may weeks, months? Did it last that long? It lasts until Anna learns how to go by her own. It lasts very too long. Oh, God...

Your Excellence, she said in front of him. I didn't know you would come. I'm... surprised, in a good way. And, as if this simple sentence could resume her feelings, she added : I missed you.
I wasn't that true, in fact. She didn't miss him as much. She missed his protection, his arms, she missed him when Eusaias came to her. She missed him when she felt alone. It wasn't that far away from friendship, and sometimes from love, what she felt for him. But anyway, at this moment, what she really felt was fear he didn't love Anna.
She'd be required to make him another baby, in preference of a baby boy, for the name.

[Résumé en français :
Blanche, mise au fait de la venue de son époux à Chartres, s'empresse d'aller l'accueillir. Cependant un long moment s'est écoulé depuis la dernière fois qu'ils se sont vus, et Blanche a mis au monde, loin de lui, un enfant de sexe féminin, alors qu'Astaroth a le désir d'un fils. Les retrouvailles se font avec une certaine distance, et la peur qu'il rejette leur enfant légitime, Anna.]

There she was. Blanche maybe hadn't missed Astaroth, but he did it, in fact. The Court had became a really hostile territory, and so the Marquis found a refuge in his own fiefs, far from Toledo. But that meant isolation, and it was not easy for the noble to stand, in the middle of the storm. Worried for his fiefis, his people and his son. That kind of situations are the ones that make a man to want a woman, his woman, by his side. But Blanche had been far away. And the Marquis, afected by a strange disease, had, slowly, became more and more reservated. His own vassals refered now to the Castelo da Lúa, in the Isle of Arousa, as the Citadel of Dusk. Those were, definetly, not happy days for the galician noble.

But, now, it all seemed quite...solved. He was miles away from Toledo. Far from his enemies, far for the intrigants. Far from the King. And there was her. He kneeled, in front of her, fixing his gaze upon her face.

My Lady, I've travelled many miles, just to meet you.-smiled.-You and our son, of course. I hope there's still a place for me here to rest. I've been sleeping in the mud for so long, I'm afraid.

He woke up and, breaking the protocol, hugged his wife. She seemed so small, involved by Astaroth's arms, as he whispered her.-I've missed you aswell.

After that demostration of southern rudeness (or so he thought any french that had seen him would had thought), he gave Blanche a small case, a present he had brought from Gondomar: a pearls neckle.

I've got good and bad news, my lady. The good news are that our finances are going better than ever. I could cancel the debts upon my titles, and our gold reserves grow every day. The bad news are that I'm afraid Castille could start a civil war. I hope it's just a paranoid thought, but I think you should know it. Any way, I could earn enough to buy you something. I guess it's probably the first real present I give to you.-he laughed.-But now, where's my son?