Runaway Sjefs

[Inga Av Meols]

It only made sense! Sent to her room without the rest of her supper because she refused to eat her greens. Eeva hated greens! Green was not a color for eating. So instead of pouting in her bed or over her colors like she usually did, Eeva climbed through the window same as she'd seen uncle Levi did. Hers was the best for it because the little wood shed was outside to catch you.

Momma said it was only for fires or other emergencies. But Eeva thought this was that. The Sjef should know. Especially since she was going to be the next Sjef, when she was big. It was important they stick together. Plus with uncle Levi always gone, Eeva was in need of an uncle to, not take his place, but take his place.

The sjefholme itself was easy enough to get into, but finding uncle Arky was harder. The hallways all turned right and were soon filled with too many people. All of them talking too fast, or too loud, or whispering in that furious way people had that meant trouble. Stout as she was, it made Eeva nervous to see so many adults so worked up. And none of them could tell her where uncle Arky was. Pointing her down more right turning hallways until she thought she was fit to cry just like her momma always was.

Thankfully her sjef uncle showed up before she was overrun by tears. Dignity salvaged, Eeva pouted furiously up at him, arms crossed over her chest. "You'll have to arrest her, unc- sjef. She has gone all over tyrant." Eeva was very proud of her words. They'd just learned about tyrants in school. She'd even managed to spell it right on the test. It had taken a little thinking, but Eeva realized now her momma was a tyrant. And tyrant weren't allowed in Glacia.

Uncle Arky would make her see the wrongs of her ways. And maybe put her to bed without dinner or dessert!

[Arkyn Wildling]

If he didn’t seem concerned then no one would panic. That was the thought foremost on Arkyn’s mind as he left his office. A deep breath to tamp down his anxiety before he stepped out into the hallway. There were people already out in the corridor. Fear rustling through the crowd like wind through leaves. Down and through until a dozen pairs of eyes settled on the sjef. Who gave them all the same trademark scowl they expected. ”No reason to get worked up,” He promised them.

As he moved through the gathering bodies that came out to lull in the public spaces. Cutting the shortest path to the queen’s wing as he could manage. He tried to seem more confident than he felt. All the questions he heard whispered along the way plaguing his own mind too. What had happened? Why now? What did it mean?

No news was good news, his mother used to say. This time Arkyn couldn’t agree. But he had a household to keep calm. A city to both protect and reassure. So he had to go and make sure the person responsible for providing answers was actually seeking them from knowledgeable and effective sources. Because he seriously doubted that she was capable of as much.

A worry that he put out of his head to make room for a psychic thread. Sister unfooled by his calm facade. He told her the truth. That whatever was happening was not good. Even if it might turn out to be later. In the moment there would be panic. Much as he wished she were there for him to guard, she was safest off the street. A sentiment he doubled down as he turned a corner to find the most unlikely of unexpected guests. Breaking off his conversation with a final ‘stay safe’ he laid his hand on a small shoulder. Probes friendly and light as they caught the quickly dissipating worry on his young friend. ”Miss Eeva.” He greeted.

She looked lost, and for a moment he had thought overwhelmed. The sight of a familiar face wicked such things away, however, and she chinned up. Spine going straight as she started in on a short tirade. ”A tyrant? That is a mighty heavy charge to lay.” Casting a long look over his shoulder Arkyn tried a probe for Inga but she was not nearby. He had work to do. Important work. A look down at the determination in Eeva’s face put his priorities elsewhere, however. These few moments of his time were important for her to have. Five or ten minutes for Eeva wouldn’t make a difference to the greater problem at hand.

”Alright, tell me what happened. For an arrest I’ll need you to present some evidence. And to tell me who exactly you’re accusing.” Crouching to her eye level he rested his forearms on his knees. Hands templed between them and coat tails brushing the floor. From the set of her eyebrows to the way she crossed her arms it was clear this was serious to Eeva. So he treated it as such. The judicial system was for all people, and this was as good a way as any to teach a youngster how it worked.

Just as soon as the world stopped thundering around them, anyway. It started as a hard jolt. As if someone were trying to pull the rug out from under their feet. Arkyn tipped forward. Screams erupted up around them as people tried to run. Knees catching his weight he struggled not to smack face first into Eeva. A curse on his lips as he instinctively threw a shield over them both. Girl dragged in to his side as the ground shook for two entire minutes. People rushed by and he shook his head at them. Where were they going? You couldn’t run away from an earthquake. Arkyn couldn't even tell when it stopped. His body trembling with the shock. Head spinning he cupped Eeva’s cheeks, ”Are you alright?”

[Inga Av Meols]

"I know." Eeva claimed solemnly even though she didn't. A sudden new nervousness making her peek around Arkyn as he checked over his shoulder. She didn't want her mother to be in a forever sort of trouble. Eeva liked it best when she was home to tuck her in at night. She straightened quickly when uncle Arky turned back around, hands balling into fists to help keep her steady.

"My mother, of course." Everyone else was much more fair. No one but momma sent her to bed without dinner. Eeva frowned at the rest though. How did she get evidence of something like that? Toe digging into the floorboards, she tipped her chin toward the sjef coyly. Would her... testa... testa... story be enough? Paired with her rumbling stomach?

Except it wasn't just her stomach rumbling. Squealing, she latched on to the closest safe spot, which was her new uncle. Hands balled into his coat, Eeva hid under the stoop of his shoulders. A shield and arm both rising to protect her, though she could only feel one. People screamed, and the whole house seemed to thunder from their footsteps. Or maybe that was just from the way the ground was shaking.

This was the sort of emergency momma had meant the woodshed to be used for. "She is going to be so maaad." Eeva cried against uncle Arky's shoulder as the world tried to tip her away from him and into the wall. Sniffing back the tears that had sprung up hot in her eyes, she nodded at his question, thumb curling over a coat button. "I want my momma." She whimpered.

Her momma who wasn't mad but terrified. Hands and knees bruised from falling in the street. Inga had filled it with her own frantic screams. High pitched calls of "Eeva! Eeva!" over and over again as she'd rushed out of the house and into the city. Frantically searching for the daughter she'd gone to comfort and scold and found missing instead. Window still half ajar.

Worse still the world had seemed to reflect her terror. Tossing and turning until it had dumped her unceremoniously to the ground. Caught by knees and hands so she didn't bruise her belly on the cobbles. It had taken her a few moments struggle to get back up thanks to the bucking ground. And still no Eeva insight. Stumbling into the open market, Inga held tight to a stall pole, flinching as the stand next it crumpled in on itself, picturing her daughter caught under something equally weak and collapsed and praying she was wrong.

[Arkyn Wildling]

Dark eyebrows sweeping upward Arkyn tried, and quite nearly failed, to tame a smile. Lips thin to keep it from peeking out though the corners of his mouth threatened to show the child he was more amused than concerned. ”I see. You had a disagreement then?” He gave her a moment to mull things over. Brown eyes focused attentively as she worked the situation out with a shoe that twisted on the wooden planks underneath. Before she could tell him what happened, or he could explain what sort of punishments such a conviction would reap, the world began to shake.

A dozen minds shifted from their previous worries all at once. Earth energy and emotional energy filling the house. The stone walls groaned. Some even shifted. Bricks shoved by their neighbors or cracked. In the end they all held firm despite the strain. From inside it only seemed a great deal of noisy shaking. Arkyn knew that not every house in Meols was equally well built, however. One problem at a time, he reminded himself, ”Everyone needs to stop!” He shouted over the chaos. Those nearest to him did as he commanded. Watching for guidance as he stood with the girl in his arms.

”Stop. Check on your family with threads. If you can’t initiate threads, or can’t reach that far, ask the person next to you for help. We don’t want to fill the streets up. They need to be clear for the guards and sailors to reach those in need. I’m going to call in the captains, they’ll be in the dining hall taking down suggestions on people that need to be rescued or checked on.” One down. Giving Eeva a small squeeze he nodded at her quiet complaint. ”I know. She wants you too, and I’m sure she is trying to find you. Stay here with me so you don’t pass her in the road. Alright? She’ll come soon.”

Arkyn’s knees itched with the urge to run out. Find Inga. Make sure she wasn’t hurt. Or worse. His Summer-sky spread out beyond the house. Thread working to find her among the crowded streets. If he went searching they might miss one another. And the city needed him there. In command of their sailors, coordinating with the city guard. Ensuring relief efforts were underway. ”How would you like to be assistant sjef, Eeva?” He asked, crouching to place her back on her own two feet. She was frightened, but he figured by the time they reached the dining hall he could think up a job to distract her.

*Eeva is at the sjefhelm with me, Inga. She’s safe. Are you and Nan alright?* He asked when he finally picked the worried mother’s scent out of the many. His Summer-sky reached farther too. Out into the suburbs. Trying to find a glimmer of a familiar Red. Either she was too far, or not home at all. Arkyn hoped it was the latter. Not that he expected Kirsi to come running to him for comfort. It just wasn’t her style, no matter how much the dark prince in his chest wished that there was someone other than another man’s child to lean into his side and be glad he was there. ”Alright, Eeva. Let’s got to work.”

[Inga Av Meols]

Eeva wrapped her spindly arms around uncle Akry. Face turned into his coat as he shouted the people down. She'd heard its what they did, warlord princes, shouted and stormed. Uncle Arky was always nice to her though, and the the shouting seemed warranted with all the people running about and stumbling into each other. Eeva didn't like it, but it mostly stopped, just like uncle Arky demanded it do.

Her legs followed her arms as he stood. Her momma couldn't carry her anymore with the new baby in her belly. It was nice to have someone to hold her again, like she was the baby. She played with the buttons on his coat while he gave orders. Smart, calm orders that didn't even need shouting. Listening hard to his voice, Eeva nodded her agreement. Trying very hard not to be scared. But she really wanted her momma.

"Okay." The idea of trying to leave through all the people nearly as bad as missing momma. Eeva was afraid the world would shake again if she left. "Do you think it shook her too?" Holding tighter, Eeva tried not to think of her momma being all shook up like that. She didn't have an uncle Arky to keep her from falling down. Just Nan, who couldn't lift Eeva either. How would they be able to keep each other?

Worries Eeva had to put aside as uncle Arky put her down. He needed her help this time. Sliding her hand into his, Eeva looked up at him and nodded solemnly, eyes limned with tears. "I can help." She told him staunchly, birdlike shoulders tipped back military style. Unconsciously mimicking the pose she'd seen her father make.

*Oh thank the Mother!* Inga sobbed into her knuckles, warm breath like fire across her cold knuckles. Leaning against the pole, she took a deep breath, face tipped to the oddly calm sky. It felt like there should have been storm clouds rolling in. One hand cupping the swell of her belly, she pushed herself upright and made her way to the sjefhelm, stumbling through the hallways in search of Arkyn and Eeva. Asking after him as she went. Eeva was easy to miss, a child in the rushing work happening; but everyone always knew where the Sjef was.

"Eeva!" Inga nearly screamed. She did cry. Her daughter was studiously handing out reports like a little assistant, seemingly completely unruffled by the events. Blushing happily whenever anyone complimented her work or ruffled her hair. "Momma!" Papers rumbled against skirts as the girl ran over to cling tightly to her mother. Inga knelt without shame to bury her face in Eeva's hair and breathe in the smell of it. Tears dampening the fly aways and making them stick to her cheeks.

"There's my girl. Foolish child running off. You're unhurt?" She held the girl out at arms length to look her over before pulling her in tight again. Reports crinkling in Eeva's fist until Arkyn came. Eeva scooped them close to her chest. "Can I still help?" She asked, lip slipping forward and making her mother laugh. Inga let Arkyn help her up, and then hugged him too, body shuddering against his as the last of her terror worked itself out. "Thank you, thank you, thank you." She chanted into his lapels.

[Arkyn Wildling]

”We can ask her when she gets here.” Arkyn told her gently, rather than feed her worry with an honest answer. The whole city was shaken. If he opened his probes he would feel it in the air. He could see it on the faces looking at him to bring order. All shaken. Right down to their cores. He was too, but the lose of the Winds was not something he feared. They had been lost before, and Glacia had profited mightily in consequence. His whole life had been Windless. It was the how that worried him. Or would worry him. Thought put aside for the worries more at hand.

Small, cool hands that fit into his palm for comfort. Turning his attention back down once he was sure his instructions were on the move. People still frazzled but far more calm as they put purpose into their strides. ”Thank you, Eeva. You’ll be safe here until your mother comes.” He promised once she had accepted his request to help. There was something in the firm tilt of her chin and bright eyes that reminded him of Tine. An air of willfulness that warned ordering her around wouldn’t get him anywhere. She was a child that needed to feel she was leading herself to favorable outcomes. Not being led to them like a lamb.

So he put her to work. A soothing sound sent down his thread with Inga before he broke it off. The massive dining hall turned into a sort of emergency hub. Maps spread across the table. Sections marked off as captains led squads on foot neighborhood by neighborhood. No one could say how many houses had collapsed. Arkyn didn’t entertain estimates either. He would only deal in facts today. A phrase he repeated half a dozen times as misinformation tried to root itself as fact. He trekked up and down the long row of tables. Directing relief efforts and leaving the queen to plan with other city leaders on how to split the needs of unaffiliated villages who would also need help digging out their trapped and dead.

It was not an easy feat to keep Eeva from hearing more than a little girl should. But he herded her masterfully by redirecting conversations and sending her on wild chases to give or take reports from other people in the room. Organized chaos reigned in the space. Arkyn tried not to thrive on being the mistro to the wild symphony. Adrenaline pumped through him, though, and he found it pleasing to direct the search parties and settle small bouts of indecision with solid advice. Usefulness was in his veins. He couldn’t help himself.

”Eeva, I think that lady would like a word with you.” Arkyn said with a finger sweeping towards the doorway. Not even a second later Inga’s voice carried to them. Little feet had already carried Eeva towards her mother. Freeing Arkyn to speak with a crewman who had come from an older part of the city to ask for more men. The pale look on the sailors face told the sjef all he needed to know. But he asked anyway. For the sake of facts over assumptions. ”How bad is it?” Lips folding over his teeth he watched the skirting of eyes and ruffling of thick hair as the man tried to form words. ”There’s not a house on the block standing. We’re pulling out anyone making noise, but it’s going to take days to check-”

Hand falling heavy on the man’s shoulder Arkyn shook his head. ”I want you to hurry back. Tell them to use their probes to find people that can’t call for help. If you hear them screaming, they’ll hear you tell them to hang in there. The ones that aren’t saying anything are the ones that need to get out first.” Healers. They needed more healers. A lot more. Hopefully they could wrangle a few from Odense before Lady Greenstone sent them all to her former apprentice over in Reric. As soon as he could pull himself from the crowd he joined Eeva and Inga.

A strong arm offered to lift the latter up to her feet as she laughed in joyful tones of relief at her daughter’s plea to stay. ”She’s been a very diligent assistant.” Arkyn said with a grim smile. Eyebrows crawling up his face in mild surprise as Inga tossed the weight of her worry against his chest. Letting it out in shivers and silent sobs masked as an embrace. Working a hand over her spine he shushed her softly. ”It’s alright, Inga. Come here, let’s have you off your feet a while. Eeva and I want to hear all about your walk over.” With an arm around her waist he steered her towards a quieter corner of the room. *Have you heard from Nan?* He asked on a thread so that Eeva wouldn't hear and worry.

"We had quite the shake up here. Eeva had to catch me." He teased with a flashed grin at the girl. "What were we talking about? Tyranny, I do believe. Though I think she's just had a change of perspective on that matter."

[Inga Av Meols]

Her heart felt too full. Drowning in happiness that washed away all the agony and terror that had filled it upon finding her daughter's bedroom empty. Made her too quick to forgive in the moment, the severity of her daughter's transgression. The scolding would come later, when she knew the world wasn't going to come apart at the seams.

Arkyn's hand was awkward along her back. As if he could wipe her thanks away. Inga held tight to him anyway. There was no helping it. Not the tears, her gratitude, or her clutching fingers, that rumpled the back of his coat. Eeva even joined in, sliding between Arkyn's knee and her mother's skirt.

"Oh, it was a walk," she hiccuped, allowing herself to be lead to a place out of the way. Sitting, she gathered Eeva up into her lap, child molding herself to the swell of her mother's belly. *She is rallying the neighborhood. Or haranguing them, both are the same to Nan.* Inga told him, a sniffle over their psychic link as. She stroked Eeva's hair, and smiled grimly as the little girl pat her stomach.

"He shouted at everyone momma. Just like you said." Eeva explained helpfully. Inga choked and shushed her swiftly, distracting her with a string of beads from her pocket. Eeva was glad to be distracted, since Uncle Arky was telling on her now. "Oh? And who is a tyrant in this free land of Glacia I wonder?" Smile wry, Inga held her child tighter. Pressing the half grown into the still growing, as if she could cradle them both forever.

"It is bedlam out there, but I saw plenty of groups rallying people to sense. Most of the market square is still standing." inga told Arkyn over Eeva's head. One hand slipping away from her daughter to squeeze his in thanks again. "I see you've set them all to being useful in here."

[Arkyn Wildling]

Once, in the spring tourism season, Arkyn had lost Tine in the crowded market. She had not been any older than Eeva was now. And he could summon up the memory of the panic fresh as ever. It had turned into a strange moment of bonding between them. All his awkwardness with the girl child washed away by the blistering fear that he would lose her, then the swell of relief when she was safe by his side again. So he understood the emotions that sent Inga into his embrace. Understood, but wished he weren’t the object of her thanks. He had only done the right thing at the right time. The press of a smaller body squeezing between them made a chuckle rumble up from his core. Instead of trying to pull away he shifted aside to show them to a quiet part of the room.

”I can hardly imagine. Especially in your state.” Worried in that way particular to his cast Arkyn threw a glance down her body as if he could spy on the baby beneath the swell of her dress. He bit his lip at the way the sentiment sounded out loud. Especially when paired with his instinctive looking. He was too old to be making comments about a woman’s body. Could he gloss it over? ”You must have been frantic worrying about this little miss here.” Hand still on her back he brought her to a collection of chairs that had been tossed away from the table to make room for the back and forth. It was as good a place as any under the circumstances. He fretted that there were no cushioned seats or arm rests, though. *Good, then they’ll already be congregated and ready to work when the rescue squad arrives. I’m sure they’ll appreciate a little rallying- or haranguing.*

Mother and child joined together in the chair in a familial embrace. Comfort washing out of them both to envelope one another. As an outsider to the  moment he gave them a bit of privacy. Long legs carrying him to the table to pour water from a pitcher into a clean glass. Fingers templed over the rim he held it out to Inga. ”I’d offer you something stronger, but I doubt  alcohol is any better for baby than stress is.” He knew nothing about pregnancy and very little about babies. Luckily for him there was a third side to the conversation and she piped up at just the right moment. The favor of being spared a bought of embarrassment returned when Eeva’s choice of topic proved awkward too.

Arkyn didn’t think he shouted very much. And certainly much less than other men of the same caste. Mouth pinching to one side he tucked the words away for thinking over later. When things were less in an uproar. If ever such a day came. ”You know, she was just telling me when things started to shake. It slipped my mind in all the ruckus. I’m sure it’ll come back to me later.” He said with a grin that was carefully controlled to hide a laugh.

”Organized, if not actually useful. Chaos in chaos solves nothing. We’ve made up a few teams to search the older sections of the city. It’s bad on the outskirts. I’m glad the market held up alright. We’re still waiting to hear from the clinics out by the springs.” Scratching his chin Arkyn eyed the bodies that moved around the room. There was so much work to be done and it made his bones itch to physically do something. His presence was most needed there, though. ”Hopefully there was little damage there. We’re going to need all the healers we can get.”

Arms folding over his chest he turned towards the swift approach of steward's assistant. They spoke quietly for a moment before Arkyn nodded and sent the boy on his way. "All of our ships are safe and on their way to port." He didn't mention Inga's brother outright. Not wanting to put any worries in Eeva's head. But he still wanted her to know. "How is your house? I could send someone to make sure it's stable if you like."

[Inga Av Meols]

Inga accepted the glass, taking a small sip before setting in the chair beside her. "Thank you." Her tears were mostly wiped dry on her sleeves. A few left dark marks in Eeva's hair. "Babies are clever things, I'm sure it would find a way to cope." Inga joked, twirling a blonde curl around her finger and Eeva snuggled close.

Both of them equally mortified. Eeva at having been caught out, and Inga at being made to sound as if she gossiped about their sjef. She wanted to explain that she'd not been worrying the girl about Arkyn specifically. Just the tendencies of castes. But he made no comment on it, moving the conversation along to teasing the child.

"You can tell me then, I suppose. I doubt Eeva will remember anything with all this going on." Whimpering, the girl dug in closer, hiding from her shame. Smiling into her hair, Inga squeezed her tight. "Be well, little mouse." She reassured her, not wanting a bit of teasing to make the girl feel too put upon. She'd have trouble enough facing the consequences of running away.

Cheek to Eeva's hair, she smiled up at Arkyn's smirking. She knew that looked well enough. There was more weathering around the smile, and knowledge in the eyes, but she'd seen the expression before. And heard the laughter it stifled on occasion as well. The topic grew sobering, chasing laughter and wan smiles away. Inga looked at the men moving around the room and nodded.

"The springs themselves are usually well stocked. Even if there is a cave in to seal an entrance they should last until its opened." She thought of the people she knew who lived on the frosty edges of the city. Farther from the queen's warmth. "That is good to hear. With the ships in, there will be more men and transportation on hand." Leaning into Eeva's ear, she gave the girl a bit of teasing. "Maybe Uncle Levi will get his old sled out, huh?"

Giggling, the girl came out of hiding and usurped her mother's glass of water.

"Speaking of healers," Inga began, the glance she cast over Arkyn all too knowing and amused. "How are yours? Tine, and what's the other ones name? I've forgotten. The grumpy one, who 'just wanted to be left alone'?" She asked.