And when the nights stretch long

[mitochondriaaya]

Nevara and Irkun were harsh task masters as far as lessons were concerned. While they were forgiving of the fact that the prince had not had access to the schooling he should have received as a much younger man they were intent to cram as much experience and information into the few weeks they had now. There were practical lessons in the daylight, swordmanship and bow, fighting even to the meanest, dirtiest aspects, and when the day waned spoken instruction began over the evening meal and often drew long into the night.

She was not at his side for every lesson; she had her own lessons to begin learning from the women of Irkun's harem. She did not know if Braig found himself as lost as she did, but she knew she was ever glad to see him when she brought the evening meal and settled beside him at the table or fire. She was glad the men were not unhappy to have her listening to the late night lessons; much of the instruction were things she had been taught by her father, but she was uncertain as to her proper place now.

Not that she was unhappy to be wed! No, far from! Just...shaken. Shaken was the best term for there were many things she yet needed to learn as a woman and she had thought herself educated before.

Tonight that sat in soft sand, she leaning against his side as the wind grew crisp and cool, his hand in her lap as she gently rubbed oil along the welts on his palm. She was proud that he never whimpered or complained; he just pressed a kiss to her temple and returned his attention to Irkun's discussion of economics across the flames.

She knew the tale; it was a grim one of merchants no longer wishing to brave the desert sands. It reached far beyond the silk trade that had been slaughtered by the vizier and to the very stands of the common market. Taxes were increasing and food was not yet scarce but likely to be so soon. Such happened when trade was mishandled on any scale, much less on the scale of the country her prince would take upon himself.

She would not see the country in any other hands.

It had been weeks since they wed and yet love still held true. There were many things he did not know, and he held both pride and temper in equal measure when provoked, but so did she when the days dawned. Heavens saw she held pride! The harem found it unfitting, but he did not. Just and so she weathered the storm when he was angered, and then they spoke things through.

She expected such equal speech with her father; to find it with her husband was a joy.

He held food to her lips as she worked soothing balms into his other hand, both of them silent in deference, but she liked the easy balance he offered with such smiles and wonder when they saw each other again at each evening meal. When his hands were soothed she slipped her veil aside just long enough to press a kiss behind his ear, then settled her head on his shoulder so he might continue feeding her if he chose, it was a gentle aside to the grim words being spoken.

"We can offer alternate routes," she spoke up to her father's questions after the tale. "But that is an outside solution, and far from ideal."

"The problem in this tale is the guards the vizier employs and ensorcels," Braig agreed. "He cannot spend time with each guard every day, especially the outriders that now meet the merchants willing to come so deep. The enchantment must be upon an item they each carry." He knew far more of such magic than they did, and yet it was still not enough. Not yet.

"We need..."

"...a spy." Irkun finished. "I will find several among the servants to watch, they should see items yes? It is a place to start. That does not prevent the shortages coming though. What of that?"

Aya bit her lip, thinking, then shook her head. That amount of supply was...

"North," Braig noted. "We seek North. We also plant and shelter along your oasis, Nevara. It will not be enough but there are wild herders beyond the bounds of our lands for meat...and far beyond them kin to your wife. Seek them."

Both the elders stared across the flame at Braig while Aya smiled behind her veil. "I was wrong," Irkun noted after a while. "He is teachable."

"Yes. My second and third also speaks my wife's tongue." Nevara noted. "I must stay."

"As must I," Aya pointed out.

"Then we send Havim." Nevara waved his hand gently over the flame, sealing the intent. "He will seek our kin, daughter."

"And my mother was a woman of sun and water," Aya pointed out. "They may know of more food than we have ever seen."

"We will find other small measures," Irkun promised, "but this will be the unexpected one. I approve and so the lesson will end for this eve." The older horse trainer pulled himself to his feet and smiled at the younger couple, "I will tell the harem not to expect you."

Aya ducked her head and Braig laughed, watching Nevara rise as well. "A good evening, children. We will see you at dawn."

Aya twined her arms around Braig's waist as the fire burned low, content to rest for a time as the sound of boots in the sand faded. "This life we are headed toward," she spoke at last. "It will be a harsh one. I am not certain I can hold as your court would wish."

"It will be my court," Braig growled softly, turning to lift her veil aside. "And it will be different than my father's. We will have a room for us. A bedroom and chambers that is ours; you may have the harem chambers as you wish but you will ever have a place my flower."

She smiled for him and moved to kick sand over the remaining embers before finally pulling free of his arms, "Lessons my prince."

"As ever,: he sighed with a dramatic flop back on the sands before holding his poor, abused hand up to her. "Lay with me in the sands?"

"Later my tempting love," she laughed and wrapped both her pale hands around his to try to pull him up. "Later and ever as you wish when you do not have a horse you wish to ride!"

"Ah, well...it is quite the horse," his grin slid sardonic before he rose to catch and kiss her properly. "Come, how much further training could we both require? Then I may have our nights back!"

"Much," Aya giggled and pulled him past the dunes to where Irkun's special herd was resting this evening. "And so..."

"And so," Braig agreed, whistling. The stallion he had chosen was at least trained to raise his head at such a call? Still they spent several hours with a lead rope and his wife's hands upon his wrists, "He fights," he noted.

"As he will," Aya agreed softly in his ear, drawing his fingers further back along the rope as the stallion fought the lead. "He must trust you my love, and he must know you will not keep him from the wind even as you must trust he will not fail. You worry about tomorrow, and people, and the food. He feels your worry and it trembles in the air between you. Tomorrow matters little to such as he; you must feel secure in his now, even as he will trust you to such tomorrows." She could feel the tension in his frame as she held his arms, the tightness off his wrist as he held the horse...

Tomorrow was a terrifying thing.

"I have such belief in you, husband." Every faith in fact. "This is not a world I would bring our children to, not yet. But it will be, and you will have a mount worthy of you when we ride into the city." He was concentrating properly now, a distant, serene look on his face under the moonlight. This night, this darkness, was her time. As much as her mother may have treasured the sun it was harsh for her, it was no hardship to abide with her husband as he concentrated.

And the privacy of the dunes meant there was no pride at stake as they worked. He was as able a student by moonlight as by sun; and when even their knees shook with too much exhaustion to continue they laughed and let the stallion return to his herd. It was not yet time to claim their hours of sleep though. There was much to learn and far less time to learn it in.

Their bedroll was simple and the stars above were still bright and hard in their dark sky though the moon was waning. He traced fingers over her face as she braided her hair for sleep, smiles upon both their faces. "Tell me their tales, husband?" She could lead and navigate by the stars, but only her mother had told stories of the heavenly bodies.

Her mother and Braig..."Lessons," he reminded, tapping her nose.

"As ever," she chuckled and pressed a kiss to his shoulder. Magic was a foreign science to her, and her lessons long delayed, but he would have her learn and so she would. As much as she was able.

The tales could wait for a time when the world was kinder.

Or for a time when sleep eluded them until the bloody dawn.