The Planned Confrontation

Writers: Jelena
Date Posted: 18th March 2016

Characters: Genna, Sinla
Description: Genna is intent on clearing the skeletons from her closet.
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 5, day 7 of Turn 8
Notes: Mentioned: A'kua, Makarl, Daihmin (indirectly)

Genna

When she finally reached the door to her family's quarters, Genna felt all the adrenaline that had been soaring through her body come to a screeching halt. For a moment, she thought about turning around, going back to the Weyr and settle on never coming back, ever again. But she was here now and she had some skeletons to clear from her closet. If she didn't do it now, she knew she never would and they would haunt her forever. So she raised her hand to the door and knocked.

The answer came swiftly and she knew - she knew - the news of her arrival had reached Sinla in time, like she had feared. Then again, all the better, because if one of her siblings had been around, she knew Sinla would have sent them off on a task the moment she heard of Genna's coming.

Sinla opened the door with a jolt to the stomach, seeing her daughter, her beautiful daughter, back on her doorstep after all that time. For a moment, she forgot about all she knew was coming and just rejoiced in the beautiful young woman her little girl had become. Then she was hit again with the cruelty of being deprived of that very same thing for so long and her face became stoic again. "Genna, I heard you were coming." There was no sense in pretending. "Come in."

Genna did step in, eerily caught with the familiarity, but mostly the similarity in her mother's face. It had been so long since she'd seen her and in her minds' eye, Sinla had transformed into a creature of madness. But now the face that looked back at her was so much like her own, she was caught off guard for a moment. But it wasn't hard to remind herself of why she'd come.

"I've come to talk. I feel we still have some unfinished business left and that is keeping me from visiting my family, like I wish I could." Sure, on occasion she had met up with her father and her uncle and whoever of her siblings they brought along, but it wasn't the same as coming home to them.

Sinla nodded, leading the way to the chairs the two of them had so often sat down in, doing mending work and talking, gossiping and scheming about the people in the Hold. When they both sat down - she was struck with the defensive pose her daughter took, sitting down in the chair furtherst from her - Sinla spread her hands in what she hoped would be interpreted as a disarming gesture. "Talk away, Genna."

"There is one question in particular that has been following me around ever since I left. What you did, supposedly you did it out of unhappiness in your marriage with dad - right?" she looked at Sinla, who gave a slow, hesitant nod. "But you choose him. That's what everyone always told me anyway. You had many suitors to choose from, but you chose dad. He couldn't have been much different then from what he is now. He was already travelling all around the continent for his work. That is the life you chose for. How can you use that as an excuse for what you did?"

It wasn't exactly the question that had riddled her mind since she had left, but Genna saw now point in explaining how it had surfaced only recently. After A'kua's confrontation with his father, Genna had been strongly reminded of the fact that each story had multiple sides to it. That even the seemingly most villainous acts, could have a story behind them that almost made you sympathize. And she had wondered about her mother's story. Being bound to a man you didn't love for the rest of your life - she could understand a little better now she'd been living at the Weyr - how that could tear you up. She'd never known better than choosing 'a suitable partner' was a fact of life and lifetime-love perhaps just a fairy-tale. But the part that she couldn't reconcile with that story was the fact that her mother had been the one to pursue her dad for marriage. No one had forced her, she knew that much. So how could she complain now?

Sinla's brow furrowed, partly in amazement that Genna didn't realize this herself, partly in saddened thought. "I made a mistake, Genna, as people tend to do when they are young. I was raised to marry well, like you were, and I didn't know any better. You never knew your grandmother and it is perhaps very well you didn't, because she would never have approved of the way I raised my children. You think I was hard on you?" Sinla paused for breath. "Your grandmother would have been much stricter. But no, perhaps that is no excuse. Perhaps I should have been more grateful for the children I have and be content with their love alone. But Genna, you must know love now, with your dragon, or maybe even with the man that -" Sinla hesitated for a moment, feeling some Hold-bound hesitation to voice the next part " - with the rider of Lissath's mate. I don't know how that works. But think on it Genna, if you suddenly found love in an unexpected corner, love unlike anything you have ever felt before, just at the moment you feel most dead inside, could you just let it go and continue suffering in silence?"

Genna fell silent, taking in her mother's words with a frown on her face as she tried to comprehend the meaning behind those words. The true meaning, not what her mother wanted her to think. "If you did feel so much regret at the mistake you made in marrying dad, why did you plan on doing the same to me? You would have married me off to anyone with enough marks, regardless my feelings for them, if I hadn't been searched. You know, if I hadn't found out about your... indiscretions, you probably would have tried to stop me from going to the Weyr." The young woman's tone was still harsh as she kept up her defenses high.

"Oh Genna, I wouldn't have, can't you see? At least that was one thing I did right. I have the marks to support you for life and a man who wouldn't protest if it came to that. I'd have kept you home as long as it took to find you a suitable husband."

Genna shook her head. It certainly hadn't ever seemed like that was the case. It was easy for her mother to talk that way now, when she knew it wasn't an issue anymore.

"Are you... are you still seeing him?"

Sinla took a deep breath and then nodded. "But Genna, please understand, things have changed around here since you've been gone. Your father.. he knows. He's known a long time. Faranth knows why - and I don't ask, maybe he's found a love of his own on his journeys - but he keeps the peace and we keep up appearances."

Genna frowned a little, finding it all increasingly unbelievable. "He never said."

"Do you think he's going to tell you kids about it, Genna? Even though you're a woman of your own now, you'll always be his little girl. And mine." Sinla sighed and she sunk back into her chair. "It's far from ideal, but it's the best we can manage right now. Maybe some day, when all your siblings have found a good, reputable future, maybe then your dad and I can talk about going our separate ways. I've gone a long way from caring about my own reputation, but I can't do that to all of you."

Genna sat in silence for a moment, letting it all sink in. She knew what her mother was like and part of her was fighting the part that wanted to believe, parted of her really wanted to make amends. Because this wouldn't be the first time she had seen her mother spin a tale to make herself look better.

"If I were to ask dad about this, would he confirm your story?" If her mother was spinning her a tale, she'd surely squirm out of this somehow.

"Your father could never keep a secret from you, Genna, you know that. You ask him and he'll tell you the same thing. It'll be awkward, I'm sure, but it'll be the same story."

Genna heaved a deep sigh, sinking back in the chair and looking at the ceiling. "Shells, I really don't know how to respond to all this. I don't even know if I can and want you trust you anymore, you know that?" she avoided looking at her mother as she spoke.

Sinla was glad of that, because she knew the pain of that statement was written all over her face. This was one emotion she couldn't hide behind a mask. Yes, she knew she had damaged her daughter with her actions and that was just about the worst imaginable pain she could imagine, But maybe, just maybe, in some weird and demented way, she had also taught her a little lesson just now and she had to hold on to that thought. "Just think about it, Genna, that's all I ask. There's always more than one side to every story, as I'm sure you've learned by now. Don't condemn someone before hearing out their part in full."

Sinla's words struck home as Genna realised how painfully close to home it struck on both fronts - her difficulties with her mother and her current issues with K'ran. But why was it always so sharding hard to see that other side of the story? She shook her head to dispel the thought and then abruptly got up from the chair.

"I need to think on it." she said, meeting Sinla's gaze for a second. "I will think on it."

It was an unspoken promise that settled some of the nervous butterflies in both women's hearts. Like a hesitant, tiny white flag after a bitter battle. A start, perhaps.

Last updated on the April 1st 2016

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The Planned Confrontation