Wedding invitation

Writers: Eimi, Paula
Date Posted: 15th August 2018

Characters: Eilomar, Merlish
Description: How innocent wedding invitation can lead to a wife storming off and puzzled husband.
Location: Harper Hall
Date: month 5, day 8 of Turn 9
Notes: Refers to "Reporting a robbery"

The runner har brough the letter to Eilomar's office. After reading
it, he hurried to find his wife. "Merlish?" he checked their home
first but the place seemed empty. At this time of the day, she might
be in the garden, or meeting some other Harper's wife.

"Husband?" Merlish almost yelped as she hid the book she had been
reading under her seat. "I'm in the garden!" she called back when she
was sure she would not be caught indulging in embarrassing pleasures.
The last thing she wanted him to know was that she had been studying
up on Emerald Falls runner bloodlines.

"Hello, dear," Eilomar walked into the garden. "I got a letter and
wedding invitation from my sister. Her youngest one is getting
married," he waved the letter around before handing it for her to
read.
"She also said that they might have to reschedule it since the wedding
necklace was stolen."

"Oh my," she said, surprised as much at the news of the wedding as she
was at the shocking news of the necklace. "I do hope no one was
injured in the theft!"

"I'm sure she had mentioned if someone was injured," Eilomar frowned,
"here, read it yourself."
"I suppose we need to get a wedding present."

"Ah, well, yes, that would be ideal," Merlish said softly as she took
the letter from him. "Oh, it seems your daughters have also been
invited."

"I'm sure Eilowyn will love to come, I'm not sure about Aileyan's
schedule, if she has duties," Eilomar said.

"It would be nice if Aileyan could take us," she observed as she
flipped over the letter and read the rest. "Are we going then,
husband?"

"If schedules allow, yes. It's always nice to see Maerly," Eilomar replied.

"I would like to see her again," Merlish confessed. Though she didn't
want to tell him that she wanted to show off the progress she had made
at improving the Master's health. The last time they had visited
Black Rock Hold, he could barely make it up the stairs. Now he might
huff and puff, but he would manage it, she was sure! "We will need to
alter your suit just a bit," she said as she gently patted his smaller
stomach with a very proud grin. He had worked hard these last months,
though he did not quite know how or why. Maerly had taught Merlish a
lot about how to convince her husband to do as she pleased. To a
point, of course.

"Yes, the trousers are starting to feel baggy again," Eilomar said,
beaming at her. They had regular walks and visited often that old
swimming place from his childhood. "Let me know if you need marks for
gifts or clothes."

"About that, husband," she said her head cocking to the side as her
fingers idly played with the button on the cuff of his shirt. "I
think I have been running your household rather well since our
marriage. Do you... think so?"

"You've been doing excellent work," Eilomar replied. He reached to
stroke those fingers with affectionate, gentle gesture.

"You are so busy with much more important things to do." Merlish
turned her hand over to catch his fingers with hers. "Might I be
trusted to keep the accounts and the marks for our household? My
mother did teach me how." And she was feeling much more confident in
her role as wife than when they were first married.

"Of course you can. That would spare me from the bother," Eilomar replied.

"Oh good," she smiled, happy that she was gaining more trust from him.
There were times Merlish still felt like a young girl, especially in
front of her much older husband, but this felt like another step
towards becoming a real woman and wife, even though she had not yet
been able to fulfill her duties to bring children into their home.
Perhaps this would help her not think of that so much. "Then leave
the altering of your clothes and the buying of the present to me."

"I'm happy to," Eilomar replied and leaned to kiss her forehead. He
was lazy enough to appreaciate if someone took work away from him.
"I better reply to my sister and let the girls know they've invited."

"Oh yes, and I need to think of a present for the bride," she said,
suddenly excited by the possibilities. Merlish stood up without
thinking, exposing the book she had been sitting on so carefully.

"What are you reading?" Eilomar asked, noticing the book. Books always
caught a harper's interest.

Merlish's face first went white and then almost crimson as she grabbed
the forgotten book and hid it behind her back. "It's nothing! You
wouldn't like it."

"Now you got me curious," Eilomar said. He was big enough to reach to
her back and snatch it from her. He looked the title. "Runnerbeasts?
You got interested in those?" he handed it back to her. As long it
wasn't those indecent ones with pictures of naked people.

She snatched it back quickly. "No, no, it's not..." In her panic she
blurted out, "It's a Harper romance with a fake cover on it!"

"Why would it need a fake cover?" Eilomar asked. There was two kind of
harper romances...the majority were innocent, romantic tales for bored
wifes, filled with dashing heroes and beautiful damsels in distress.
The other ones were more scandalous and included rather explicit
descriptions of sexual nature. He had confiscated his share of those
from apprentices.

"Ladies often put a fake cover on a Harper romance." Or at least,
that was what she had heard. "It's... embarrassing. They... Talk
about things... Romantic things..." Of course she had never herself
read one, but she had heard. The last thing she needed was for him to
ask for details, though! "I was curious and in a moment of weakness I
borrowed it from of a friend. But I will take it right back! I will
never read one again!"

"Look," Eilomar started, sounding very much like he was giving a
lecture to apprentice, "Reading a silly, romantic tale where a
dragonrider saves beautiful Lord Holder's daughter from pirates is
alright. Reading a less romantic tale where a dragonrider beds whole
Hold full of women is...frowned upon." He actually knew harpers who
wrote those stories. "Then there's even more vile stuff that involves
rape, violence and.." he shuddered "bestiality." Faranth only know who
wrote those, the stuff he had seen was just sick.

"Master Eilomar!" Merlish cried in absolute horror. "Just what kind
of woman do you take me for? You should not speak to me about such...
_shocking_ things! As if I would ever touch such filth! How could
you think that?" And in a rare moment indignation, she stamped her foot and
stormed back into the cot, book tucked in the crook of her arm.

Her reaction left Eilomar in state of puzzlement.
He just didn't understand it, he was just trying to educate her that
there were books you weren't supposed to read. He was never going to
understand how women's mind worked.

Last updated on the August 21st 2018

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Wedding invitation