The Baby and the Battlefield

Chapter Forty-Nine: Outside the Temple Precinct (Part I)

Please Note: As a reminder, this story is rated PG-13. This chapter contains references to mature themes. Yes, such things do seem to come up more often when Petro is around.

It had grown dark, and with the night breezes the garden had grown cold. Petro managed to talk Tsuga, who had been still cradled in his strong, warm arms, into letting him buy her a meal in the tavern just outside the walls of the temple complex.

“So,” Petro asked as the food and drink arrived, "How does an innocent little duck like you end up in this line of work, Tsuga?"

He desperately hoped that the light question would keep her mind of Salix, off of the dragon, off of the fact that they had left the others to go on alone, off of everything.

Tsuga glared darkly at him, "I am not so innocent, fool," she said, taking a gulp of the beer. She had expected a small beer, with only enough alcohol to purify the water, but this was much stronger -and more costly - stuff. She coughed in surprise, then protested, "It's bitter!"

"You claim that you're not innocent, but you've never had a pint of proper ale before?" he snorted.

"I have too! Just – not often. I never had the money for such fripperies, Petro! You know that. I told you where they found me. And I was already 17 then."

“You said they found you on the street.”

Tsuga shrugged, “In a manner of speaking. And you can't imagine that I was an innocent, living as I did.”

Petro's face grew pale as his mouth fell open, "You mean to say . . . you worked in a place like – like the one you wouldn't let me visit?”

"Worked there? No. Did that sort of work?" Tsuga looked down into her drink and frowned, "Well, if it's winter and you're cold and hungry and a man offers you a warm, dry place to spend the night, and a warm meal to fill your belly, and all you have to do in return is one, little, small thing . . ."

"I never - I never would have dreamed it!" Petro spluttered, "You seem so - so innocent, so pure," he sighed in disappointment. If he ever did manage to talk Tsuga into being his wife, he'd now have to worry about her comparing him to gods only knew how many men. Men who'd, perhaps, badly hurt her. He'd have to watch carefully, make sure her heart was mended, make sure she trusted him. He had assumed she was completely inexperienced, and it was disorienting to find out otherwise.

"I was naive, and foolish. I may still be. But I don't think I was ever innocent, Petro. My brother was dead; I was on my own on the streets of the capital."

Petro gulped at his ale. Poor little Tsuga. She should have had someone to protect her. She still needed someone to protect her, he thought to himself.

"But you don't do that sort of thing now, right?"

"Of course not! What kind of girl do you think I am? I only did it to stay alive, and the temple takes care of that now. Besides, I already told you about - about the rules."

Petro's reply was peevish. "Yes, and you told me about how you can't have what you want. How you can't marry and have a baby, even though you obviously like babies. It's a pity you'll never have one."

Tsuga looked down into her mug again, "I did have a baby, Petro. Once."