Tea And Dragons (2 of 2)
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyrhold
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Elsewhere on Pern
NPC Weyr (NPC)
River Bluff Weyr
Seacraft Hall
Writers: Heather, Suzee
Date Posted: 18th April 2019
Characters: Benani, Nazli, Siya, W'ser, Nazima
Description: Nazima has tea with the Lady Holder
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 7, day 28 of Turn 9
Notes: Directly follows "Faces from the Past"
Mentioned: Benamil
Nazli followed Benani toward the entrance almost wringing her hands.
"I'm so sorry My Lady," she whispered.
Nazima, cowed slightly by the guard canine scurried after them, giving
the canine a wide berth.
"Nice to meet you," Siya called after Nazima with a laugh and lift of
her teacup.
"My Lady," Nazima tried to recover some of the ground she'd obviously
lost. "Perhaps I was just a little hasty..." She froze in place for a
moment watching a brown dragon land in the plaza in front of the hold.
W'ser helped the beastcrafter down that he'd brought to the Weyr for
consultation on an unusual dragon injury. "Thanks again for your
input," he said, pulling his riding helmet off and shaking the man's
hand.
"Any time," the mastercrafter shook hands with the Weyrdragonhealer.
"Brilliant," Nazima screamed at Nazli. "Lorcan and I show up and you
call your daddy. You always said you didn't know who he was. You never
wavered even though I beat you within an inch of your life!"
"Did you now," Benani said. "Guard," she called and a couple of them
turned to approach the Lady. "This woman just admitted to beating Lady
Nazli when she was a child. Please take her into custody."
Nazli was staring at the dragonrider and walked slowly toward him. She
didn't see the guards drag her aunt across the courtyard she only saw
the brownrider. Tall and handsome like her mother had described him.
W'ser turned at the ruckus, watching as the guards took hold of a
struggling older woman. His eyes then landed on Lady Benani, who he
recognized from seeing in the crowd at Hatchings. Finally, his gaze
landed on the young woman who had taken steps in his direction. She
looked oddly familiar, he thought.
"Lizana?" He asked but his brow was furrowed. It couldn't be Lizana,
surely she would have aged over the last twenty or so Turns?
"I'm Nazli," she said softly looking into eyes as blue as the sky.
"Her daughter."
"Oh," a polite smile remained on his face as he nodded, "it is nice to
meet you, then."
Nazli'e eyes had gotten huge and her mouth worked as she tried to
speak but couldn't find her tongue
Benani came up beside Nazli and put her arm around her shoulders. "Her
aunt," she just nodded toward where the guards had left with the older
woman, "Just told us that you are Nazli's father."
W'ser's eyes widened, the smile fading from his lips. "I'm sorry, she
said what?" Surely the Lady hadn't just said that this young woman was
his _daughter_?
"You heard correctly. That woman was Lizana's sister," Benani squeezed
Nazli's shoulders. "And this is her daughter."
The brownrider's brow furrowed. "The woman there? That's being taken
away by guards? We're trusting her opinion on this?"
Nazli's eyes grew dull and she turned her face away from the
brownrider as her hope was crushed, "Don't worry about me," she said
and turned to walk back toward the Hold entrance. She just wanted to
go back to her room where she could shut the whole world out.
Benani narrowed her eyes at the brownrider for a moment then turned to
follow Nazli.
"Lady Benani!" W'ser called after the Lady Holder, taking a few steps
toward her. "I'm not trying to hurt the girl's feelings. I just want
to be sure. You understand, don't you? I've never fathered children,
so far as I know, and then today I show up at the Hold and have a
grown daughter?"
Benani turned back to him. "She's been through so very much. You can't
be more surprised than she was. That woman just admitted to beating
the girl within an inch of her life to get your name out of her as a
child." She raised her hands. "But she didn't know you and her mother
died when she was little."
There was a pain expression on W'ser's face. "I am sorry, I truly am.
I'm not trying to add to her problems. Can we...can we just
investigate the claim a bit more? If it's true than I would love to
meet her and make things right."
Benani was neither angered or friendly simply tired of the conflict.
"Feel free to talk to the woman if you wish." She pointed to where the
guards had gone. "I want nothing further to do with her. If you wish
to get in touch with Nazli in the future I'd suggest you petition my
brother Benamil. She's his wife. My duty to your dragon brownrider."
W'ser inclined his head to the Lady Holder as she left and then turned
to look at the woman who had spoken. He could leave now, go back to
the Weyr, and chalk it all up to mistaken identity but... what if?
What if it was true? He thought back to the times he had spent with
Lizana, it was very possible he could have fathered a child.
"Just a moment," he said to the guards that were holding Nazima. "Were
you telling the truth? Is that young woman mine?"
Nazima's face screwed up in hate and she spat at him. "You ruined her,
you ruined my sister with your good looks and Weyr ways. She was a
good girl and you ruined her. I _hate_ you and I hate your get. She's
every bit the whore you made of my sister." She spat again. One of the
guards pulled the woman in front of him and slapped a gloved hand over
her mouth to stop it. She screamed against it and tried to bite him
kicking and fighting as he took her away.
"Sorry sir," the other guard said with a shake of his head.
"No, no, it's fine." W'ser assured the guard. "I'm done here." He
turned and retreated to Branth, eager to get back to Dragonsfall where
he could think everything over. Despite what Nadine has said he felt
like he needed a way to know for sure if Lizana had bore him a child.
Last updated on the April 26th 2019