When he wasn't fighting, however, he was more fun than a pint of Guinness. Emotional outbursts are hardly foreign to the Irish character. It's something of a cultural pastime. And everyone knows that fits are easier to overlook when the owner of the temper is also a renowned joy-giver as was the case with both Ram and his mum, the queen.
However, adding Elora Laiken to the mix seemed to have raised the intensity of Ram's tirades. Or at least the volume.
Having heard the disturbance on the way to breakfast, like everyone else in that wing of the palace, their teammate, Kay, decided to seek out Ram's little sister for help. Since coming to Derry for the wedding and meeting Ram's family, he had learned that the beautiful and lively Aelsong was an extraordinarily talented clairvoyant - just the thing needed to restore peace in a super-sized household.
After asking around Kay located her having coffee and croissant in the solarium while she pored over details of the pending handfasting. She and Ram's mother had taken it upon themselves to make this wedding the event of the century and that sort of staging required mega organization and dedication. Kay asked if - just between the two of them - she could please look to the future and see the baby.
Ram couldn’t remember ever wanting to throttle anyone more. Since that wasn’t a possibility, he did the next best thing, which, according to his somewhat unique logic, was to grab Elora and kiss her like he hadn't seen her for months.
Kay knocked on the door twice, but the occupants of the room were too preoccupied to take note. He opened the door, expecting to find his teammates locked in combat or throwing things at each other. Instead, he and Aelsong were greeted with the sight of Ram and Elora rolling on the floor and groping each other desperately, like teenagers in the back seat of a car.
Aelsong barked out a laugh. Kay blushed and looked at Song thinking that Ram and his sister really were like twins because laughing in such an awkward situation was precisely what Ram would have done.
“Song!” Elora laughed with embarrassment as she untangled herself from her mate and pulled at her zip-up sweater to make it come back together in front.
Ram sat up and glared, looking from one intruder to the other with lines drawn between his brows. "By all means. Please do no' be put off by the closed door."
Kay was clearly more embarrassed than Elora. "Sorry," he finally managed. "I thought you were fighting."
"We are." Ram didn't look at all less angry. "I'm tryin' a different form of persuasion. What has that to do with you?" His attention swiveled to Song. "And you."
"Well, Aelsong is psychic."
Ram gave Kay a look that was priceless. "I know that, Kay. She's my sister."
Kay gestured toward Aelsong. "Well, go on then. Tell them."
Aelsong looked down at the couple still on the floor and flashed them one of Ram's signature high beam smiles. Of course, Elora had fallen in love with her sister-in-law within seconds of meeting her. How could she not adore someone who was so very like Ram?
"'Tis a boy! He looks exactly like you, Ram, except for Elora's turquoise eyes and somewhat strange hair." She looked like she was going to tear up. "He's so beautiful. I can no' wait for you to see him."
The lines on Ram's forehead smoothed away. "You're talkin' about the baby."
Aelsong nodded enthusiastically.
Ram looked adoringly at Elora. "Our baby."
Elora sucked in a breath and jerked her gaze away from Ram. "Song. I’m begging you. Please tell me he has Ram’s ears. I mean, ears like Ram's and yours.”
"And why would he no'? Cosmetic surgery has no' affect on genetics."
Elora froze and stopped breathing. She'd just bungled the cover story. This business of hiding everything about themselves and their real lives was harder than it sounded. Then she noticed the gleam in Aelsong's eye. She knows and is teasing me.
Aelsong's laugh was like the sound windchimes would make if they were vocal chords proving that she was well-named indeed. “Aye. Indeed his wee ears are comely elfin. And his name is….”
“No!" Ram held out his hand like a traffic cop, as if he could stop words in mid air. "Do no' tell us!"
Kay, with his ever-steady wisdom and calm demeanor, so necessary for keeping his berserker side in check, was good with solutions. "Look, my friends, the point is this. If Aelsong sees the baby in your future, then the argument is moot. Right?"
Ram seemed to be considering. "Song, did you also see Elora?"
"Aye, and..." She stopped.
"...and what, Song?"
"I do no' want to say too much. Much of the fun of livin' is in the mystery, findin' out what's to be."
"Mouths of babes and all that, Song."