The Curse of Chalion Fic: The Morning

[godricgal]

Title: The Morning
Author: godricgal
Rating: PG-13, for nudity and what not.
Word Count: 721 words
Summary: Lord dy Cazaril and his new wife, the lady Betriz, are journeying from the city of Cardegoss to Valenda. They are accompanied by an old friend who has not yet come to appreciate the change in their circumstance, but after an unwelcome interruption, Lord Cazaril decides that serious action is called for.
Author's Notes: I had a bet with mrstater and I lost. The agreed terms were that I'd write any fic she wanted, any fandom, any prompt, and she requested Caz and Betriz, with the prompt 'morning'. So here is my very first posted fan fic that doesn't contain the word 'Remus'. It's unbetaed and swiftly written, so please excuse any roughness around the edges. Concrit welcome. :)

The Morning

"My lord!" The words, called out in a low male voice, slipped in through Betriz's unconsciousness to stir her slightly, and she felt Caz shift in his sleep beside her.

"My lord!" This time, they roused her more fully and she turned carefully on their low pallet to wake her apparently oblivious husband.

"Caz," she whispered. "There's someone outside, calling for you."

"Hmm?" He rolled onto his back and blinked up at her sleepily; she could never help but laugh gently when she saw him thus, his grey eyes half hidden behind an expression of consternation at being awake, on a face, that was, this morning, peppered with the sturdy makings of a new beard.

"I think it's Palli," she said, running her hand through his hair, letting the soft locks fall through her fingers, tickling her skin. "Shall I go and tell him to leave us?"

"No." The word came out croakily and he cleared his throat; then, his expression cleared and reformed into one altogether more mischievous. "You're not wearing enough."

"My lady has left me a gown -- it is within easy reach."

"No, that will not do. He will leave of his own accord or by the Daughter, if I am shortly forced to run him through with my sword for causing my wife to be dressed. Surely it is befitting to the position of Lord Chancellor to own the freedom to linger in bed with his wife."

Betriz giggled.

"My lord! Caz!" A muffled thump of fist on thick, heavy fabric sounded twice on the side of the tent.

"Five gods curse you, Palli!" Her husband's voice was loud enough to reach their would-be visitor's ears.

"My lord?" came the uncertain reply.

Betriz felt her husband's uncharacteristic huff of genuine impatience shudder through his body, and watched as he pushed himself up from their pallet and donned a rich dressing gown, swiftly obscuring the scars on his back he had not yet learned to forget.

Five gods be thanked, Betriz had married a man far too sensible of polite behavior to shout his vexation so that all in the camp might hear, but she had no doubt that the low-voiced exchange contained some fairly pointed snippets of exactly why to be torn from one's relatively young marital bed before the sun was above the eastern tree line, was such a cause for grief.

She knew her supposition had been right when he returned a few moments later wearing a self-satisfied smile. "What did you tell him?" she asked.

"I simply told him that if he did not soon learn to sympathise with plight of a recently wed couple, I would ensure he came to own first-hand experience by charging you with finding for him a wife."

"How did he take it?" Betriz said, laughing, as she lifted the fine cotton sheet for him to join her once again beneath the covers.

"With the gravity with which it was intended. He shall not disturb us again until...He shall not disturb us again this morning."

"Did you find out what he wanted?"

"I did not. He was too keen to make himself scare to have a care to tell me, I believe."

"Dear Palli, he would make someone a good husband," Betriz said charitably, though she privately doubted the truth of her words.

"My dear, I shall, one day, defer to your judgement in the matter, but for now let the man be married to the plans of his campaign and leave it at that. Besides, for all that the last ten minutes might tell otherwise, my interest in the matter is low, and my interest in making the most of being awake as we are and yet still in bed, is risen."

As were his eyebrows with the double meaning of his speech. Marriage had been good for her Lord dy Cazaril, she had concluded not long after the event. He always had been good at making her laugh, even -- or especially -- when he did not mean to, but laugher was more regularly drawn from his own throat, light and foolish talk more often upon his lips.

"You make a good husband, husband," she breathed into his ear.

"And you," he said, "make the best wife a man didn't know to hope for."

The End

Comments

[mrstater.livejournal.com]

Oh, you have done so awesomely with this that I'm going to be sure to win more bets with you so I can request more Caz/Betriz! This is simply perfect, and it really did make me LOL several times!

I adore grumpy!(and horny!)Caz! "No, that will not do. He will leave of his own accord or by the Daughter if I am shortly forced to run him through with my sword for causing my wife to be dressed.

I snorted at his threat to have Betriz find him a wife. Oh, how amusing that would be! And it's hilarious how Palli just went like a dog with its tail between his legs at Caz's word. (So sexy imagining Caz wielding his power, too.) And I love Betriz secretly thinking Palli wouldn't make a very good husband and Caz confirming that he's married to his work and that's best for everyone. So much characterization here! Loved all the little details like Caz being good at making Betriz laugh when he doesn't mean to, and his scars (of course). And the last line is just perfect.

Thank you so much for this! I'm going to read it again and again!

[godricgal.livejournal.com]

Do you know, I had so much fun with this, I can't wait to do it again. I think I came off well in the bet on more than one level, lol. I'm so glad you like it. I was itching to tell you what I was writing all evening -- it's very frustrating when we do this secrecy thing!

I'm really chuffed you liked the characterisation, it feels like a while since I've read Chalion and I was a bit worried I was forgetting something important, but it was fun to make up a few things about Palli -- like he's the Sirius to Caz and Betriz's Remus and Tonks. ;)

Thank you very much for your kind words, I'm so glad you liked it and that you remembered that we'd made the bet because I'd completely forgotten, and writing this tonight was the icing on the cake of what turned out to be a very nice day. :)

You did remember to picture Matthew and Jason, right? ;)

[mrstater.livejournal.com]

You did remember to picture Matthew and Jason, right? ;)

Absolutely! And I'm so happy you want to do it again! There needs to be a little more Chalion love in the world. :)

[shimotsuki.livejournal.com]

Aww, I like this a lot! As mrstater says, there is so much characterization here, especially in the things Betriz thinks about Caz and Palli. The interaction between Betriz and Caz is warm and sweet and just what I would hope for them. And it's so nice to see, not only that Caz is changing, but that Betriz sees the changes.

I hope you lose more bets if this is what comes of it! ;)

[godricgal.livejournal.com]

Thanks very much! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Isn't it a lot of fun to write Caz fic? I've wanted to try it for a while but I needed a little push to actually get round to doing it. I'm glad you enjoyed the relationship between the two - in spite of the fact that we're always saying Caz is quite Remus like, I found it quite a different experience to write, but in a very good way. I hope I will get the chance to do it again very soon! Thanks again for your encouraging words. :)

[shimotsuki.livejournal.com]

I'd have to agree that writing Caz is pretty different from writing Remus. They have a lot of similarities, but I don't think Caz is quite as damaged in spirit as Remus. He's had a rough few years, but it seems he had a fairly privileged upbringing and used to think quite well of himself (he seems to think he wouldn't have given those pretty laundresses a second look before Gotorget, for example).

Of course, I may be making more out of the differences than is truly necessary -- as someone who didn't start shipping R/T until HBP, I think I write a darker-than-average Remus, heh.

[gilpin25.livejournal.com]

Oh, I really enjoyed the grin-inducing humour throughout this, lol. Especially the line where Caz doesn't quite finish telling Betriz exactly how long Palli has promised not to disturb them for!

I like how both Caz and Betriz have clearly got Palli sussed - in their very different ways - and the icing on the cake is that Caz didn't actually find out what he wanted. (I only hope it wasn't that they were under attack!;)) Of course, it's so nice to see the rapport and warmth between Caz and Betriz, with a perfect last line to end on.

You must make and lose more bets!

[godricgal.livejournal.com]

That you found grin-inducing humour in this is about the highest compliment I could wish for and makes me grin like an idiot in return, so thank you.

I probably wasn't all that fair to Palli, but there is a lot of humour to be got out of a clueless male friend to a couple that I couldn't resist doing that with him here.

Thanks so much for your review. I did have such fun with this fic and I will definitely try it again, bets or no bets. ;)

[scottwashburn.livejournal.com]

I like this quite a lot. A nicely done scene. Although I would think that Palli would have had more wits about him than to disturb them in the first place :)

[godricgal.livejournal.com]

Thanks very much. I'm glad you liked it. You might be right about Palli, but at some point I'd like to write a little accompanying fic which tells of why Palli did disturb them, which I toyed with including in this fic, but it would have doubled the length and I wanted something for mrstater to read that day. Anyway, hopefully I will get time to write that soon and you will find it a reasonable explanation. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. :)

[filkferengi]

Excellent characterizations! I especially liked the humor, and the last line is downright Bujoldian.

[godricgal.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much! Your comment was a lovely surprised on this bank holiday Monday, and it's especially nice to be complemented on characterisation! :D

[solochan.livejournal.com]

This is so beautifully written, I might actually have to draw the image of Betriz and Caz together, I have got friends into Chalion recently and really enjoying people's responces to it, but sadly it's not very well known here in the UK.

And I agree with you that Pali is exactly like Sirius to Remus and Tonks in terms of Betriz and Caz. <3 You need to write more.

I just need to write one in general

[godricgal.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! Your words put a great big smile on my face. Also glad to hear you agree about Palli. :) If you do draw Caz and Betriz let me know! Thank you again. Your review is much appreciated. :D