(Leisha n'ha Ursula: Laura Lulli; Rakhail the Drytowner, aka Ricardo Delleray: Jay, [email protected])

…"Your accent is good as anyone else's among the Halym'in, cousin...for your name, I'd rather call you Ricardo, since Rikki sounds a bit too much like a child nickname. But now come, I know Emelda's cook pretty well, and if I ask her some herbal dye she won't question. I sometimes use it for my -few!- white hairs, and she knows it. We can arrange all in a couple of hours, and then we may leave"

"Ricardo it is. Ricardo Delleray--it has a good sound. Be careful what you say to Dina, though. She knows me."

"No need to worry, Ricardo." Leisha blinked at her cousin. "I know how to keep my mouth shut"

Looking at his cousin, Rakhail said, "Leisha, I have a plan for after we reach Dalereuth. I'm going on to Temora. I hear there's work there and it's about as far as I can get from the Dry Towns and still be in the civilized world."

"You'll find something to do for sure...and I know most of the sisters at the local guildhouse, they will suggest us something. How do you like Renunciates, anyway? I thought Drytowners hated us..."

"And while you're getting some dyes from Dina, could you please smuggle out something for me to eat? I'm starving!"

Leisha slapped her forehead. "Blessed Evanda...I should have remembered this before, sorry cousin. I'll bring you something, there's plenty of food with this party going on. In the meanwhile, I trust you can reach my room without anyone noticing you, can't you? It's upstairs, the second door on the left. See you in fifteen minutes!"

And she left, heading for the kitchen, without waiting for an answer from Rakhail.

Rakhail devoured the small roast birds, the flat bread, and the cakes Leisha brought him and drank a pitcher-full of shallan. Then Leisha took out her knife and began lopping off his long blond hair. She took some dye Dina had given her and tinted his hair a shade of chestnut. With a stick, she also tinted his eyebrows, then carefully applied dye to his almost-white eyelashes. The effect was startling: he looked so much like a younger version of her father that Leisha almost dropped the dyepot.

The transformation from Rakhail to Ricardo was almost complete, and soon they would begin their departure from Edelweiss.

"If I had had still any doubts about your parentage, then they're gone, Rakhail- I mean Ricardo. The Delleray features are so clear in your face, now that your hair is of the right colour" Leisha stared at her perfect job for some istants more.

"Well, I've never been so happy to hear such a thing believe me, Leisha. Shall we go? I can't bear the idea of being under this roof for a minute more." Ricardo pointed out impatiently.

"Here, I'm ready. help me with this sacks, I can't bring them all."

"I thought Amazons didn't want any man to help them"

"Yes, and we usually die with our backs broken. Don't be silly! I can't lift all this weigh, and I ask for help to the first person near me" Leisha grinned at her cousin.

"Come, Ricardo. Let's go in the stables. I had my horse be prepared. Curious how noone ever asks anything to Emelda's guest...this place is stranger than I thought" The last words were said almost to herself.

Ricardo went to fetch a horse. "Cousin" he said to Leisha, "I came on foot. But Paolo is a nice man and he likes me. I'm sure he would lend me one of Emelda's horses. She doesn't ride them anyway. Can you picture her in a saddle?" Leisha burst out laughing.

"Anyhow, it's time to get going before someone gets suspicious. And look, we have the truth on our side. If anyone asks why we're together, we just say we're cousins, that my mother and your father were brother and sister. We look alike and I think we'll be believed. Come on. Let's go to Dalereuth."

Dawn was near, and while it wasn't very wise to travel tired as they were, Leisha knew that the first shelter wasn't very far from the Lanart-Hastur estate.

The road to Dalereuth was long, and a sudden tought hit the Renunciate's mind: would everyone believe that the man she was with was really her cousin?

Leisha suddenly stop worrying about people reactions when she noticed that every commoner they met was bowing to her cousin like they would do to any Comyn lord, and her trained eye couldn't catch any gossipers at their passage.

She stopped worrying also about her own reactions, (she hadn't even realized she was worrying about this, until the uneasiness was gone) when Ricardo fell soundly asleep the very moment he touched his sleeping bag in the shelter....now she was sure that she had nothing to fear from him.

The following morning, she found both the horses already saddled, and had just to pack her own things, since Ricardo was ready to leave. They were only a couple of days away from Dalereuth.

Rakhail was surprised how good he felt. It couldn't have been just the full stomach, or even the good night's sleep. Then it dawned on him--he had been starved for companionship. And his cousin Leisha was a merry traveler, full of stories about her life as a Renunciate. Hours on the road seemed like minutes to Rakhail, so much so that he was surprised when Leisha suggested they stop for lunch. Why, hadn't they just had breakfast?

During lunch, he told her of his "business" dealings with Marcello Ridenow at Serrais and how the deal had gone sour. Leisha told him of her relationship with Marcello and of her revenge. Laughing heartily, the remounted their horses and resumed their journey.

Talking to Ricardo brought many surprises to Leisha. He was far too open-minded to be really born in the DryTowns!! More, he seemed to like her being a Renunciate, and a very independent one, as if this sharp contrast between her and the women he was accustomed to made hime feel at his ease.

*It must be because of Aunt Gylian, of course* Leisha told herself *Father kept telling me how much I reminded him of her*

As if Rakhail *Ricardo, I must remember* had heard her thoughts, he said: "You know, my mother was quite alike you. She never lost her strong soul, even when she was chained" and he quickly shifted the subject of the conversation on something very trivial.

The trip went on almost uneventful -if you don't count a lost horseshoe...-and in a couple of days they reached the last shelter they were to sleep in before raching Dalereuth.

Leisha could barely contain her excitment at the thought of meetig again her Oath Daughters, Eliadha and Amalie...Blesses Evanda, how much she had missed them.

Just a little question from Ricardo, and she was already telling him all about them...poor man! Stuck in a travellers shelter with a logorrhoic Renunciate!

"Ricardo" was enjoying his cousin Leisha's company. He even liked her stories about her Renunciate friends. It kept his mind off his problems.

Rakhail was desperately lonely before he ran into Leisha at Edelweiss. He had no idea where his unfaithful wife, Gwenneth, had gone. His father and half-brothers wanted to kill him because they blamed him for scothing the deal with Marcello Ridenow, damn his soul.

But Leisha's presence was soothing and she was a wonderful cook. He wished there was more distance between them and Dalereuth, but soon he and his cousin had to part company.

Dalereuth was finally more than some roofs in the distance. A couple of hours -maybe something more, if they weren't in the mood to ride very quickly- and the trip would be over.

Leisha thought back once more about the past few days, and realized that she was going to miss her strange cousin. She realized also that she didn't know precisely what he was going to do, and felt the urge to ask.

"Ric...which kind of job are you looking for?"

"Almost any job I can be payed for. With some possible exception, of course"

"And do you plan to stay in Dalereuth for long?"

"I don't think it would be a good idea if I stayed."

"I ask you because..." Leisha felt doubtful about telling Ricardo what had come to her mind "..because it crossed my mind that I could ask some of my sisters of the Guild if they could use some help....it's not very common, but I think it can be done. How is this with you?"

"Ricardo" replied, "Cousin, I don't think Dalereuth is safe for me. I heard that some of the Renunciates from the ill-fated caravan may be there and they knew me as Rakhail. I will be honest with you, for even here I fear for my life. No, I think my original plan, to join the fishing fleet in Temora, is what I ought to do." All Rakhail could think of really was how much he was going to miss his cousin's company.

"Oh, Goddess, I had forgot that they may know you...I guess at least Jaelle does. Anyway, you can trust them: if I asked them, they would not tell anyone they know you by another name. They wouldn't do in any case I think. We Amazon are accustomed to people fleeing from their past..." Leisha sighed, and her face spoke volumes.

She looked at her cousin thoughtfully, wishing that he hadn't to leave so soon.

"But I can understand your feeling uncomfortable. I wish i could do more for you, Ric. Just remember that you're always welcome in my place at Thendara, and that I can recommend you to my parents at castle Delleray."

Then Leisha kept silent, as they were entering Dalereuth City.

In his Ricardo Delleray guise, Rakhail gave his cousin Leisha a kinsman's hug. "Leisha, I really don't want to say goodbye, but I have to go. I promise you, I will send word to you via the Sweet Shop that I am safe in Temora. We'll see each other again, I know it. Thank you for everything. From now on, I will always think of you as "breda".

And before his eyes got too full of tears, he took off on the road to Temora.

Leisha watched her cousin going away. Would she ever see him again? She sent a silent prayer to Avarra, that she may protect him along his way.

She could still feel Rakhail's embrace, and a sudden thought crossed her mind. That boy needed a family.

The more she thought back about their final greeting, the more she convinced herself that her cousin had been actually clinging to her. The way he had turned his back confirmed her feeling.

When she reached the Guildhouse door, she was still thinking about him.

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