crack_van | The Hand that Rocks the Cradle by Philomytha (General Audiences)

Fandom: VORKOSIVERSE
Characters: Alys Vorpatril, Koudelka
Length: 12,847 words
Author on LJ:

philomytha
Author Website: AO3
Why this must be read:

Alys, Kou and baby Ivan flee Vordarian. A missing subplot from Barrayar

This is Alys, making her harrowing way across a city and a world torn by Civil War, knowing that if she is caught they will kill her newborn son because he has a better claim to the throne than the pretender trying to take it. She's just seen her husband murdered, and given birth, and now she is fleeing. But she is a strong, smart woman who is determined to survive. This is a gripping story, and I love how Alys and Kou work together here, and I love how we see Alys growing, and I love the bits of the civil war we didn't see in the book, how it was affecting people from all walks of life.

Figuring out how to attach a screaming, flailing baby to her breast was every bit as difficult as she had feared, but in the end Ivan was sucking rather than screaming. It seemed to relax her as well as the baby, and she sat back against the wall, a brief oasis of calm. Kou stood with arms folded, leaning against the wall beside her, trying to project confidence and not entirely succeeding. He was tired and frightened too, she realised. Unexpectedly, the thought made her feel stronger rather than weaker. Instead of a helpless passenger on Kou's mission, she could be an equal partner. If Padma had let her be an equal partner instead of… she cut that thought off. He was dead and nothing she thought or did would make any difference now. But she could avoid making the same mistake twice.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

Kou jumped, looking at her out of the corner of his eye as if he didn't believe he was allowed to talk to a nursing mother.

"Um. The new truck depot, I think. I should be able to get us a lift on a truck heading out of town, south to Vorinnis' district where we can get the monorail. The Central Market is probably going to be guarded, but the smaller depots give us a better chance. We'll go by back streets as much as we can, keep away from any official checkpoints." He paused, evidently planning routes in his head. Alys realised she had no idea where they were or how to get to any place she knew.

"How far is it?"

"A couple of miles, I guess. We'll come out at the edge of the Old Town, head down into the Russian Quarter, and it's in there."

Alys nodded. It seemed like a good plan, so long as she could keep going. She would just have to find the strength. She recalled her aunt once saying that after she'd given birth, she knew how much she could endure. Alys thought she understood that now. She'd survived last night; she could survive anything.

The Hand that Rocks the Cradle