The Hunter's Companions Ch. 11

"Neither do I," Livinia whined, but it was only half true.

"So, have you made a decision?"

"About what?"

"Kalendras, Belcarm or both?" Caristra asked with one perfectly shaped eyebrow raised in interest. Livinia's mouth fell open in surprise. She had come here to escape talk of betrothals, not discuss the dreaded decision.

"I don't know," Livinia groaned despondently, burying her head in the thick blankets. "I wish I could go with your solution, I really do, but they'd never go for it."

"Are you sure?" Caristra asked carefully, stroking her hair softly.

"They have been working well together, healing me and all, but that is entirely different to what you're suggesting."

"Can you decide between them?" Caristra asked.

"No! I am no closer to making that decision now than I was three weeks ago!" Livinia growled.

"Let them decide, and throw in the idea of them sharing you for good measure. Give them the chance to fight it out dear- it is tearing you apart."

"I don't know..." Livinia said slowly, not taking her face out of the covers.

"Or you could always just keep going the way you are." Her Aunt said evenly "But how much longer do you think you can keep all of this up?"

"Fine!" Livinia said suddenly. She raised her face off the bed.

"Fine?"

"Yes, fine. Can you please do me a favour and ask both Kalendras and Belcarm to meet me at the Well Son Tavern tomorrow evening?"

~*~

Just as Livinia drifted off to sleep her Mother stormed into her room and brought a light spell with her. She strode over to her bed and slammed her hand down on Livinia's pillow.

"LIVINIA SUNSPEAKER! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU ARE DOING?" Her mother shrieked angrily. Livinia rolled her eyes and turned her head to face the other direction. "You should be thankful that the Swiftspells were willing to reconsider you at all after the stunts you've been pulling lately!"

"Go away Mother!" Livinia groaned, wishing that the high pitched wailing would stop so she could get to sleep.

"No! I will not go away until I can talk some sense into you! You need this marriage to Rioden more than you will ever know, young lady. In three days the Swiftspells are coming back for another visit and you will accept them, you will be gracious, and you will tell Rioden that nothing could make you happier than the thought of being his wife!"

Livinia almost vomited there and then, but it was lucky she had learnt how to stifle her gag reflex early in her adventuring years. Turned to face her mother again and could see the rage glowing in her cold green eyes.

"Not going to happen." She told her as though it were the most simple concept in the world.

"You think so, hmmm?" Deanna snapped. "Until the Swiftspells visit you will not be allowed any guests, nor will you be able to leave the house. This horrid behavior of yours has to stop Livinia!" And with that her mother turned and stormed from the room.

Livhthia couldn't help but smile at how wrong her mother was if she thought that she could confine Livinia to the house.

~*~

The next day crawled by with agonizing slowness. Being confined to the house was not something Livinia enjoyed. Even though it gave her a good opportunity to do some reading, which she so rarely had time for in recent years. However, she couldn't concentrate on what she was reading and reread several pages a number of times. The knowledge of what she was going to do that evening weighed heavily on her, and she was counting down the seconds until she needed to leave.

Livinia had decided that she would be heading back to Orgrimmar the next morning. After talking to Belcarm and Kalendras she would return home, pack up, and then be ready to leave at the crack of dawn. The plan was to get out of the city well before her mother knew she was gone; she had no intention of sticking around to meet with the Swiftspells.

Livinia's back was still sore, but if she sat in the right position she was able to ignore the pain. Her Aunt Carististra had given her a number of potions that Kalendras and Belcarm had sent back with her after she gave them Livinia's message. They had helped significantly, and Livinia was pleased as it would make sneaking around the house undetected much easier. The thought of being a shadow through the night made her laugh; it was funny how being back in Silvermoon made her feel like a child again. She was an adult and had been completely independent for five years. It was ridiculous that her mother felt as though she had the right to control her like a puppet.

Finally it was time for Livinia to leave. She pulled on a plain green dress and then slipped into a roughspun brown travel cloak. She tied her hair up and then tucked it under the hood and then pulled on her boots carefully- the barely healed skin on her back stretching uncomfortably as she did so. It was an easy and familiar route to get out of the house. She knew that her mother would have instructed their household staff to alert her if Livinia tried to leave, so instead Livinia went out into the garden and scaled the back wall. It was hard, with her back being injured, but she had been climbing for years and she found it to be extremely liberating after her long and idle confinement.

As Livinia made her way towards the Well Son Tavern her stomach flipped about nervously. Caristra promised that both Kal and Bel had agreed to meet her at the proposed time, and that both were looking forward to seeing her. She wondered if they would still be even remotely interested in her after she told them about her decision. Either way, it was heartening to know that the responsibility would soon be out of her hands. She had tried, and failed, for the past month to decide between them to no avail. When she walked into the Inn it took her a minute to locate Belcarm and Kalendras. They were sitting at a table right up the back, Kalendras's hulking mass fading into the shadows of the dimly lit alcove. With a nervous smile she steeled herself and made her way over. They both noticed her approaching at the same time and smiled at her nervously. Livinia smiled back at them both and slid into the bench seat.

"Good evening." She said, struggling to keep her voice from wavering.

"Hello,", "Evening," they replied, looking at her expectantly. She realised that they were both as eager to get this over with as she was. She couldn't blame them.

"How's your back?" Belcarm asked quickly.

"Much better. Thanks to you both for sending those potions, it made a huge difference." Livinia said, they both nodded their acknowledgement.

"Caristra said that your mother confined you to the house. What happened?" Kalendras asked with a frown.

"For some reason my mother has decided that I am to be betrothed to Rioden Swiftspell." Livinia said, her nose wrinkling in distaste. "I don't know where she got that stupid idea from, but until I agree to her terms I am confined to the house... apparently."

"But you are here?" Belcarm asked.

"She doesn't know that,obviously!" Livinia said rolling her eyes. Kalendras laughed.

"Livinia has known how to sneak out of her house since the age of six," Kalendras said in an approving tone. Livinia would have loved to tell Belcarm some stories about what she got up to when she snuck out, but all that would do was delay the inevitable. She wanted to get it over with.

"But that isn't why I asked you both here," Livinia said, taking a deep breath.

Livinia could tell by the way that Belcarm's skin paled and Kalendras's grip tightened around his drink that they thought they knew what was coming.

"You have both asked me to make a decision. To pick one of you," She told them, taking it in turns to eye each of them carefully. She could feel the tension in the air increase as both waited, with baited breath, to find out who would be the one to go. "And after a month of thinking about it I have made my decision. Please know that it hasn't been easy- and I have tried as hard as I could to find a better solution..."

Livinia at Kalendras, reaching across the table to take his massive hand in hers.

"Kal, you are my oldest friend and I have loved you for years," He smiled at her and she let him go, turning her attention to Belcarm and taking his hands in her own. "Bel... you have been with me for so many years now and I trust you, I always feel safe in your company and you have always been there for me."

Livinia stopped and took a breath before taking one hand from Belcarm's and grasping Kal's hand so that she was touching both of them.

"The fact of the matter is that I just can't decide between you both."

"What?" Kalendras growled with an awkward laugh.

"Seriously?" Belcarm asked, voice thick with disbelief

"Not a word of a lie. To lose either of you would be like losing half of myself. I just can't do it," She said earnestly. "Like I said- I have tried to pick between you but it is impossible. So instead I am leaving it up to you... You two can make this decision for me. I'll take one of you, or both if you are so inclined, but I can't make that call."

"That's crazy," Belcarm said, giving Kalendras an appraising look from the corner of his eye.

"Belcarm, which arm would you give up if you had to make the decision?" Livinia asked with a sad smile, he raised his eyebrows questioningly. "Your right or your left? Your shield or yourr mace?" Belcarm crossed his arms over his chest and Kalendras watched her with interest. "The answer would be neither, given the choice. So that is my answer also."

"What if you lose both of us in the process?" Kalendras asked her, voice husky and raw with the beginnings of emotion.

"Well then at least I know that you took part in making that decision," Livinia told them. She released both of their hands and sat back in her seat, and an odd sense of relief washed over her. She had finally done something, and now all she had to do was wait for them to make their own decisions. "All I ask is that, if either of you decide to stay with me, you meet me at the Orgrimmar portal at sunrise. I want you both to know that, regardless of who shows up tomorrow morning, a part of me will always love both of you. That is why it is something you have to decide- because I am not strong enough to do it myself. I just can't willingly say goodbye." Livinia leant forward and kissed Kalendras, and then Belcarm, before she turned and walked out of the tavern, leaving two dumfounded males in her wake.

When Livinia's feet hit the cobblestones of the main drag she breathed a sigh of relief. All she had left was an agonizing ten hour wait and then she would see where she stood. A part of her was aching at the thought of losing either one of them, but she knew that nothing she could do would make that any better. If she had picked one of them she would have lost the other and felt terrible about it. At least this way she was giving them the opportunity make the decision for themselves.

Livinia lifted her skirt slightly and went to take a step forward when a blinding pain shot through her body and her cry of surprise was muffled by a gloved hand.

Then, her entire world swirled into darkness.