Her Secret (Part 2)

Writers: Avery, Eimi
Date Posted: 28th December 2017

Characters: Zelah, Kiomo
Description: Xeladrie has to decide if she's ready to open up to Kiomo or not...
Location: Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 1, day 10 of Turn 9
Notes: Notes: Part 2 of 2
Mentions: Bryvin

Zelah

"I know why I'm important to most of the Hold. But why I am important
to you? Because you're part of the Hold? Or because you think we are -
we could be - friends?" she asked him.

Well, things turned serious rather quickly, didn't they! "I
would answer that, but first I need to know if you are asking me that
as Lady Holder to Holder? Or as Xeladrie to Kiomo?"

"As Xeladrie to Kiomo. Because I'm curious. And because I'd like a favor."

"All right then," he said, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his
knees. "You are my Lady Holder, so I would always be at your service
no matter what. But I want to be your friend, even your equal if you
would allow me. In private at least. You and I were raised in very
similar circumstances that one not of the Blood could never
understand. And I have to say, there is something about spending time
with you that I find very pleasing. I enjoy spending time with you
and I would like to be able to talk to you more in the future."

She had hoped he'd say something like that, and she wanted to believe
him. Kiomo and she did have similar backgrounds - younger children
with less of their father's favor, both with a desire to make their
place in the world. Maybe he'd be willing to help her solve some of
the problems she was facing.

"I find that spending time with you is quite enjoyable for me as
well," she said.

He smiled and held out his hand for her to take. "Is it agreed then?
Equals when the door's closed?"

"Equals when the door is closed," she agreed, taking his hand. The
phrase was said solemnly, like an oath - but it also brought other
images to her mind.

**You're still pregnant and can't think about anything like that,**
she chided herself.

"Good," he said, giving her hand a squeeze before releasing it and
relaxing back into his chair. "You said something about a favor?"

"Yes," she said, wondering now how to phrase what she wanted in a way
that wouldn't immediately repulse him.

"Have you ever had to conceal a disappearance?"

Kiomo tried not to allow his expression to betray the surprise at that
question he felt. It took a couple seconds of blank stare before he
could find thoughts enough to voice. "Are you talking about a dead
body?"

"No!" she exclaimed a little louder than she meant to. "I didn't mean
a...a dead person at all. I meant more if someone was to run away."

"Ah," he said, chuckling softly in his relief. "In that case, yes, I
suppose I have helped a few people escape in my time." Willingly or
not. Faranth knew he had helped enough pregnant young women 'run
away'. But in those cases, he had a very strong motivation to make
sure they disappeared to a safe distance away.

"If you wanted to cover up the birth of a baby, what would you do?"

"It would depend on the situation and the amount of time that I had to
prepare." His eyes narrowed as he rubbed his chin with the back of
his fingers. "Is one of your ladies pregnant?"

"Imagine that it was fairly urgent, a few sevendays," she said.

Kiomo frowned and leaned forward in his chair. "Xeladrie, I can't
help you if you don't give me details. What is it? You can tell me."

She took a deep breath, aware of how much she was risking by telling
him the truth. "If I have a girl, I want to send her to the Weyr. I
can handle that part. But I'm too far along to pretend I was never
pregnant, and I need options for covering the baby disappearing."

He kept his expression neutral as his hand moved to comb back his
hair, but inside he was feeling anything but calm. This was a
nightmare! The Lady Holder was asking him, the Lord Hold's assistant,
to in essence help her kidnap her own child! He had wanted to have
Xeladrie warm to him so he could have the upper hand, to know what she
knew. He wanted to get the dirt from her, not wallow in it with her!
If it was discovered that he helped make a child of Bryvin
disappear, he had better have a sharding good escape plan of his own
in place, else he would be buried in the deepest part of the mines!
Although, if he did help her with this, he would certainly have her
loyalty and gratitude...

But it would be an awfully big risk, and he wasn't even sure if it was
possible! **But she has confided in me. I can't refuse her now or I
will lose her.** Taking a deep breath, he said, "I'm sure it is
possible. But I have no answers for you right now. It's one thing to
help make a drudge's child disappear, a very different one for a Lord
Holder. I will... think on it... But Xeladrie, please, take time to
think on this a bit more. I think you will feel very differently once
you hold her in your arms and look into her tiny face. Be careful
that this isn't just your exhaustion and fear talking."

She knew what she wanted, but she could understand why Kiomo wanted
her to take time to think about it. The fact that he had said he would
think on it was the best she could expect for now. Thinking he might
have a plan immediately would be unrealistic.

"Perhaps it is just an idle fantasy for now," she said to him. "I
understand that it would take time to think of something. I just want
to make sure she will have options, even if those have to be away from
here..."

"Well, lady, for your sake I will hope that your child will be a boy,"
he said with an understanding smile. **And for my sake, too...**

Last updated on the January 1st 2018

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Her Secret (Part 2)