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Ever since learning that her betrothed, Raskogr, intended to be a lawspeaker, Seqi had taken pains to learn more about what that would mean. What it would mean for him, and what it would mean for her, as his wife.

Unfortunately, none of the pride's lawspeakers were married at present, so she didn't have any direct sources she could turn to for information. Seqi was a problem solver by nature though, and so she was undaunted. She had asked around, found out which of the lawspeakers was most likely to have time for her, and the proceeded to seek out Lawspeaker Tuomas to quiz him about his life and what she could expect, considering her betrothal and the plans Raskogr had made for their future.

It had not escaped Kraken's notice that his adoptive father was suddenly spending a good deal of time cloistered with one of the pride's prettier lionesses. At first he had thought that Tuomas was going to train her as his successor, which kind of stung actually. True, Kraken had been offered a place as Tomi's apprentice and turned it down, saying that wasn't the life he wanted, but that didn't mean he wanted to watch Tomi train someone else for that position. It felt like being replaced.

Eventually, though, he had realized that wasn't the case. Okay, so he'd had to ask Tomi if that was what was going on, but how he found out didn't really matter. It had been a relief to hear that he wasn't being replaced, but then more questions had flooded his mind. If she wasn't studying with Tomi, what was the golden lioness doing with him for hours at a time? Were they...involved? That was an unsettling thought. She was Kraken's age! He was determined to find out.

One day leaving Tuomas's den Seqineq found her way blocked by a dark-coated lion with a shockingly blue mane and a marking like an octopus on one side. She had seen him around before, and wondered if he was the lawspeaker's son, but it had never been particularly important to her to find out, so she had never asked about him.

It occurred to her as he stood before her that he might have some valuable insight on a lawspeaker's life. He might even be Tuomas's apprentice. If so, he could still have useful information for her about what it was like to train as a lawspeaker. She wanted to know what her betrothed would be doing, after all, and how she could ease things between them to give their future together more of a chance.

"It is a good day to die," she greeted the golden-eyed lion.

"It is," Kraken agreed, a little relieved that she had spoken first. It would make what he had to say next sound less accusatory than it might have done if he had been the one to approach her. Although he had positioned himself so that she couldn't walk past him easily, so he still had some agency here.

"I'm Kraken Ghostborn," he introduced himself, using the title he could technically lay claim to as one of the dark cubs found on the edge of the pride, where the mists where thick and the marshes haunted. It made him sound more interesting, he thought.

"I have been wondering for days why it is you keep coming here," he went on, growing in confidence as she didn't immediately dismiss him. "Will you take pity on me and tell me so that I can sleep at night?"

Seqineq had not expected her greeting to occasion an actual conversation, but it seemed that it had, and that was all right. After all, she had just now decided she wanted to talk to the young lion, just in case, and she had greeted him. Clearly she had subconsciously meant to talk to him today.

"Good to meet you, Kraken Ghostborn," she replied. She got the sense that they would get along well. "I'm Seqineq Boyesdottir."

She very much wanted to ask him what it was like to be ghostborn, as she'd never met one before, but that would have to be a question for another time. Right now she was a lioness with a mission, and that mission was to learn as much about lawspeakers and their lives as she could.

"Can you really not sleep?" she teased him, returning his grin. His was an easy grin.

"I'm glad to meet you, Seqineq," Kraken replied, his grin growing wider by the moment in answer to her grin. He liked the way she looked when she smiled and hoped to the gods that she wasn't romantically involved with Tuomas. That would be the worst thing ever.

"In answer to your question, no. I haven't slept since the second time I saw you leaving here. So, please. Put me out of my misery and tell me you and my old man aren't carrying on a sordid affair."

Kraken had actually chosen his words with some care, as he had been raised to do. His intention being, of course, to ascertain whether she and Tuomas had a thing, but also to remind her of the impressive gap between her age and the lawspeaker's.

He looked at her with wide, earnest eyes and asked, "Are you my new mommy?"

"What?!" Seqineq exclaimed, practically sputtering at the alien concept Kraken had suggested. "Am I...what?!"

The concept was utterly ridiculous. Sure, the lawspeaker was good-looking, but he was also really old, and if pride gossip had anything to it, he was hopelessly in love with the daughter of a former warlord who had been exiled after losing his position during breytast vindar. She, by the way, was supposedly in love with the current warlord, and had actually borne him a litter of cubs, despite his relationship with the golden-striped healer Gyllene. It was all very complicated and not something Seqi wanted anything to do with.

"Of course I'm not. Is that really what you thought was going on? Gods. Does anybody else think that?" She hoped not, based on the aforementioned tangled web of attraction.

Kraken's grin was luminous upon hearing her response, and as he joined Seqineq in her laughter he was pleased by the vehemence of her denial.

When their laughter subsided somewhat and they could both breathe once more, he let his head fall to one side as he regarded her frankly. He wasn't obviously checking her out, but he was checking her out subtly. The frank regard made it seem as if he was just meeting her eyes though. It was one of many useful things he had learned while training to be a lawspeaker.

"I'm so glad to hear it. You are far too young to be my mother, and believe me when I tell you you want nothing to do with Tuomas. Not romantically, anyway. I mean, he's a great lawspeaker. The best, I think, though I'm a little biased, what with him raising me and all."

"Believe me, I know" Seqineq said, alluding to same romantic tangle Kraken had.

"Is he really your father?" she asked. They did both have dark coats, but that was pretty much where the similarities ended. In truth, Kraken had Aesir marks, named for the warlord who had been exiled, but whose distinctive markings were borne by many of his many descendants.

"Wait. You said you're ghostborn. How can he be your father?" He might be vikingborn somehow, or bastardborn, but if he had a known parent it was unlikely that he was ghostborn. For that matter, he had Aesir marks. He was definitely from the pride in some way. Then a thought occurred to her: "Is Kazul your mother?"

She had completely forgotten her original intention to interrogate Kraken about lawspeakers. This was why she should avoid gossip.

Now it was Kraken's to sputter, except he didn't. He had been met with many of those questions and insinuations his entire life, and he didn't find them amusing. The fact that Seqineq knew about Kazul and Tuomas and that whole mess didn't help, even though most of the pride knew about it. At least the older generations.

"Kazul is not my mother and Tuomas isn't my real father. He adopted me. I spent most of my cubhood hidden under furs so that Warlord Njal wouldn't think the same thing you just did and have me killed or enthralled." All warmth had left his expression and his voice was hard.

"Do not die in bed, Seqineq Boyesdottir," he said stiffly, walking past her and taking care not to touch her as he went into the den to ask his father to warn him the next time she came so he wouldn't encounter her.

She'd said something very, very wrong. Seqi sensed it almost immediately from the way the light left Kraken's eyes and his smile vanished like he'd been smacked. Unfortunately, she couldn't take back what she'd said. Instead, she was forced to listen as he explained a series of what had to be uncomfortable truths and then bid her a prickly farewell.

"I'm sorry," she called after him, probably too late to be heard.

Oh well. It seemed her lot in life to be surrounded by prickly, moody young men. She supposed there were worse things, although admittedly, none came to mind at this very moment. She would have to ask the lawspeaker next time to let her know when would be the best time for her to come by to run into Kraken so that she could apologize properly.