The edge of the blade

Maeve was just browsing around the market as she eyed fabrics and enjoyed one of the few sunny days in the last few weeks. The weather had been terribly rainy lately, something that was not in her preferences but sadly that was what came with this time of the year.
The reason for her eyeing was that she wanted to have a new pretty dress for next week’s diner; there was nothing special about it, but it would be a month after they discovered that they were going to be parents, and even if she was far away from showing signs of pregnancy, every day it became a little bit more real.

One would think that no one would be stupid enough to attack someone in the middle of the day, surrounded by potential witnesses, but the assassin hired by Dubois thought that it also meant that few people would see an attack coming in these circumstances, and maker was her right

Maeve’s reflexes allowed her to turn around in order to avoid getting stabbed in the chest but it didn’t spare her from the lash on the side, the sharp pain making her gasp. The assassin aimed for another strike that would have finished with her life if it wasn’t for the fact that someone interfered in the attempt.

If it weren't for an early morning class, Lucien probably would have gone straight to the market with Maeve, but instead he had class and then a meeting before he could properly get away. The class was one of his favourite's to teach, Ancient Elvhen Architecture and Art history 101. The meeting after class took a bit longer than expected, but then he also hated the meetings which made time seem to go by slower when he was in one.

They hadn't talked about meeting at any specific store or stall at the market, only that they would meet there when he was all done with his morning obligations. It was a beautiful day despite the time of year that it was becoming, it was quite warm. As he didn't feel he had any reason to hurry, he took his time getting down to the market and looking around for Maeve, when he finally found her he smiled and walked towards her.

The last thing he was expecting then, was for a man to come out of the crowd and stab at Maeve. He closed the gab between them and pushed her out of the way of the second attempt, it was then that people around started to notice what was going on. He then used his limited glamour powers to make the man's dagger look like a writhing snake, which startled the man long enough for him to drop his weapon with a look of utter confusion.

I think you'd better leave before I call the guards.... They were probably already on the way, now that some people around them were either panicking over the near stabbing or panicking over the giant snake now writing on the floor where the assassin had dropped it, still looking nothing like a sword, but it would wear off soon. Either way, the assassin's window had closed. Lucien thought about running after the assassin but, he was more concerned with his fiance at the moment than getting revenge. Maybe they'd be lucky and the guards would get to the man before he got out of the city.

Lucien turned his attentions back to Maeve.

Are you all right, is it just your side that's injured. We should take you to the healers, my healing magic is shit. Did you recognise who attacked? Let's hope the guards caught up with him. He paused and bent down, removing the glamour from the dagger, it now once again appeared to be a regular non living dagger. Maybe we can tell something about who he is from his dagger, it looks fairly well kept and fancy. For a brief moment he considered asking about the baby, but he knew enough about anatomy to know that a graze on the side wasn't something life threatening for the baby.

Time passed in a blur, the rush of adrenaline making Maeve numb as she just nodded at her lover, trying to get up from her crouched position and letting out a small cry of pain at the sharp sensation on her side when she got up. The brunette leaned on Lucien, trying to find some shelter on his warmth as he guided her towards the healers; Maeve had been injuried way worse in the past but this time she had feared for her life and the baby’s when she saw that dagger heading towards her torso. Luckily, the damage had been produced in a more secure area.

Maeve needed only a single glance at the dagger; she recognized it quite well since she had owned one in the past “I thought that my former boss favored smarter assasins; only a moron would strike at noon in the middle of the market place” said the former bard trying to make a joke.

“So he has made a move, and likely not the last one” she whispered to herself “When I am more vulnerable than before. Maker, this is fucking amazing” said the young women as she took a deep breath “What we should do now? He’s getting bolder by sending people to take me away but you know way more about the game than me, what should be our next move?” she was a former bard but Lucien was a noble, he spoke with people like her former boss eveyday, and likely would offer a better solution than Maeve.

They arrived to the healers and Maeve sat on a cot, putting her hand on her wound as she tried to apply pressure to cut the flow of blood that was pouring slowly down her side.

Lucien wasn't blind to Maeve's past, he might not know every single tiny detail, but he knew enough to not be entirely surprised that someone had finally come after her. He just wasn't entirely sure what they were going to do about it. Right now his mind was on the safety of their unborn child and her getting her wound taken care of by the healers. Despite the fact it wasn't life threatening, it very easily could have been and that had him right freaked out.

I'd like to say I know exactly what to do, and I do have ideas, but right now I'm having a hard time thinking clearly. You have no idea what it took to just stay back with you and not run after him. I don't know what I would have done, illusion magic isn't exactly the best for offensive magic and I've only been learning it for a few years now. No, we'll need to call in some favours for this, at least I still have contacts from fencing, not that I do it as much these days as I did before getting the estate back. He didn't mean to babble, but his brain was going a million miles a second.

“Maybe I can use some old contacts too. Maker knows that I try to stay away from the old days but in time of need beggars can’t be choosers I guess…” said Maeve as the healer arrived and started to heal her wounds.

“It’s okay, I am fine Lucien but this was a warning sign, this means that the threat is real” said Maeve seriously as she healer finished his job. It was not a deep wound, thanks to the rogue’s reflexes so the process was quite short.
“Time for planning is over, we need to act as soon as possible, unless we want to mourn another loss in the future"

There was a moment of silence, as the room grew quiet since they were alone in that area of the building. The brunette looked at him with tenderness, and understood that her words had been unnecessary harsh "Everything has to be fina, little Beatrix or little Vincent need to grow as tall as the father is" said the brunette sticking out her tongue

They were going to need every contact and help they could get considering who they were up against, there was no way he was going to let them get to Maeve. After all he'd done to finally get his family back and justice for Alina and himself, well, it just felt like it was always something going wrong in his life and he was sick of it. Now they had the baby to think of which made his concern for Maeve's safety that much more urgent.

I can try and get back in touch with Grainne, perhaps she will take a job as a body guard, not quite the things she usually does, but then she's a sword for hire, I'm sure she'll do whatever brings in the coin. She was quite effective in helping us get the estate back. In some ways the fact she was pregnant made him even more stubborn about keeping her safe, about doing whatever it would take to make that happen.

Do you think they attacked out in the open today because attacking you at the estate wasn't an option? I mean they definitely had the element of surprise but it feels like attacking you at home would have given them the element of stealth. Maybe we should get one of those Ferelden attack dogs, I mean there's that famous one that took on the darkspawn along side the hero of Ferelden, they seem quite capable... Then again maybe he just wanted an excuse to get a dog.

“I do like Grainne a lot, if I have to have someone guarding and being behind of me all the time as if I was a grown toddler, I’d rather have her” there was a barely hidden tone of disappointment in her voice. She knew that the option of the bodyguard was the best, but a part of her was to proud to have someone around watching for her back, as if she couldn’t do it herself

But in the end she would cave, her baby was more important than her pride.

“I think they know that I am a bard, and my trainer knew that I am not famous for lowering my defenses” said Maeve thoughtfully, as she tried to get on his line of thought “Maybe also this assassin believed that since I am pregnant our state would be way more heavily guarded than it is” Maeve wrinkled her nose at the idea of a Mabari “You know I am a cat person Lucien, no dogs darling” said the brunette

“I think for now the state is safe, we do have vigilance and I am still dexterous enough to stand up in a fight, but when I am bigger maybe I we should, or at the least I should, consider to move to a smaller, more defensive place. The state is lovely, but it is also big, and the bigger a place, the easier to hide inside of it”

Lucien understood what it was like to feel helpless, perhaps the situation with her wasn't the same as the situation had been with his family and the LaRue's, but it was similar enough. Were she not pregnant he'd probably be less hasty in hiring a bodyguard, after all she was quite capable as a Bard and he hadn't forgotten that. Things weren't that simple though, she was pregnant with their child and that made her vulnerable as well as responsible for more than just her own life.

Well, she was the logical choice, we both trust her and know her. The only choice really, what would be the odds that you would let me hire a stranger. He said with a slight teasing tone in his voice, trying to be upbeat and look at the brighter side of things, which was rare for him, but he was trying. Maeve had told him that something like this might be coming, that she was in their crosshairs, but it hadn't felt real until now. If he'd had his way the house would be full of guards, but then again they didn't have a houseful of guards he necessarily trusted, and trust was most important. The last thing he needed was hiring someone who's loyalty could be bought for a higher price.

Are you sure you want to wait until you're further along? I mean we can move to a smaller place any time, well as soon as I find a place, but I mean as far as the when goes, I'm fine with whatever you're fine with. Not that I don't trust, I mean not that you can't, I mean of course you can.... Ugh, suddenly Lucien couldn't form a sentence, he just kept picturing a stray dagger flying through the air and catching her in the stomach. Then there was the general stress of it, what if she went into premature labour, He'd heard somewhere that was possible, though he couldn't remember under what circumstances. Just snippets of a conversation he'd had with the biology professor after he'd found out they were having a baby. Lucien couldn't tell Maeve what to do, but he couldn't help but feel like she was focused more on herself and less on the baby.

“I’d rather have a known acquaintance follow me around, the situation is humiliating enough and at the least I know that Graine is a delightful company” because she didn’t want to admit that she was more vulnerable, that she needed help. It was a wound to her pride, even if she would take it for their unborn child and her lover.

“But I don’t want to make you leave your home” she said looking down before biting her lip “It was so hard for you so much to get it back and now to move a some end ass corner of the world just because I am a stupid moron who did not deal with this fucker sooner; it’s just not fair…” The brunette thought about the best way to handle the situation

“We shall decide when to move out, togheter; but it won’t be a spur of the moment choice, but something we talk calmly” it was the best compromise in her opinion, something that made them both be involved in that choice instead of a one sided sacrifice for Lucien

Lucien nodded at everything that Maeve was saying, even though he wasn't worried about leaving his home, it wasn't like they wouldn't be moving back eventually when things calmed down. Then again he wasn't sure if he'd care any more about having the place, sure he'd been driven to get it back, but that had been more on principle than his love for the estate. That and revenge. Either way, Maeve was right, they couldn't make any decisions there at the spur of the moment, they needed to really think about things and make decisions once they were calmer.

You're right, we need to tackle this but we also don't want to make hasty decisions. It's just hard for me, I've lost so much the idea I could use you and our child too would just absolutely devastate me. You are the bright spot in my life and I could never put to words just how much you mean to me, how much I need you, now and always. He smiled and pulled her close giving her a kiss on her forehead. Let's go home, faster I get there, faster I can get a letter to Grainne.