Turnabout

Writers: Eimi, Yvonne
Date Posted: 20th April 2006

Characters: Mariss, Shadux
Description: Mariss has a proposition for an overworked Shadux...
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 11, day 3 of Turn 3

Shadux was making his rounds while he waited for the end of
Threadfall. The ground crews were all ready and just waiting for the
time that they would be needed. His holders were just waiting for
the all-clear so that they could get back to work preparing the cots
for their new arrivals. The Headwoman already had her girls busily
cleaning out the unused rooms in the three wings that were to be used
by the refugees yet to arrive. Another wave would be arriving in the
morning, and Shadux was determined to be prepared for them.

The day before had gone as smoothly as could be expected. After all,
they had only had a few candlemarks to prepare for nearly a hundred
and fifty new inhabitants to arrive. Still, it had not been without
its moments of frustration and chaos. Part of him wondered just how
much better his father could have done if he had been well. Ah well,
he had learned some lessons the hard way, and he would be better
prepared for them tomorrow.

For now, though, he had to pass the time until he was needed again.
He decided to go check on the Amethyst Cliff's Steward's daughter,
Mariss. She had been understandably upset the day before. Hopefully
she was settling in a bit easier now. When he peeked inside the room
she had spent the night in, she was nowhere to be found. Instead, he
found her in the infirmary talking with a few of the refugees. When
she looked up at him he gave her a smile and a nod in greeting. He
didn't want to bother her if she was busy. She looked happier, and
that at least was a good thing.

Mariss gestured for him to join her. "Good, you're here. Elzilet,
this is Shadux, the Steward's assistant here. Shadux, this is
Elzilet."

The woman on the bed managed a weak smile. Her head was bandaged and
her leg was in a cast. "How do you do."

Mariss gave her hand a squeeze. "Elzilet hasn't seen her sister, her
brother-in-law, or her two nieces since the earthquake and she's
terribly worried. Da will be trying to conduct a census of the people
left at the Hold, but it's-" she bit her lip, "it will be difficult,
and an accurate head-count won't be possible for a few days yet in my
estimation. However, it is possible to do that here without too much
fuss. Here." She pressed a small sheaf of hides into Shadux's hands.
"I've made a list for you of who is in the Infirmary. I've also
listed family members that those here wish to find; names, ages, and
possible whereabouts. Elzilet's brother-in-law's brother is a
Vintner; you ought to try there for news. Or if you can find Litza or
Nuriv, they might know."

"Mariss assures me that you and the Headwoman here have everything
under control," Elzilet said. She held out a hand to Shadux that was
purple with bruises. "I can't sleep, thinking about them, and they'll
be frantic not knowing where I am."

"Well, it may take a while yet," he said taking her hand with a smile
much more confident than he actually felt, "but I'm sure they're
alive and well." Shards, just how much time did Mariss think he
_had_! He couldn't be running around looking for people from every
Hall, Hold, and minor Hold in the area when they were all scattered
over the forty miles that separated them all!

Mariss glanced at Elzilet, then pulled Shadux aside. "I know you mean
well, but those are empty words and she knows that. There were-
are... _bodies_ being pulled out of the Hold and Hall. Elzilet know
that there is a very real possibility that her entire family is dead,
and she's trapped here without any way of finding out. My Hold isn't
just stone, it's people, and right now we're as fractured as Amethyst
Cliff's foundations." She paused, then withdrew her hand from his
elbow. "I fully understand that you have other things to do, but this
would mean a lot. She's helpless. We all are."

"And just what do you want me to do?" he whispered, trying to keep a
smile on his face to make it appear as if they were having a pleasant
conversation rather. "I can show her lists of who is here, but just
how am I supposed to know who is at the Woodsmith Hall? The Vintner
Hall? In the rubble in the Hold?"

"Let my father and Hallsecond Daigoro handle what's happening at the
other end. Make a list of who is here and who they are looking for
and send a copy to the Hold. My father can put it up somewhere for
those at the other end to check, and perhaps scrawl a message beside
their name. Have a dragonrider bring it back the next day and post it
that the Holders here can do likewise. And you may want to
cross-reference the list of who is here and who is being looked for
back at the Hold first." She smiled wanly. "There is no need to delay
good news - or bad news - any longer than it needs to be. It causes
too much heartache."

"Obviously we have a list of who is here now." What did she think he
was, a completely incompetent fool? "But at the moment the
dragonriders are flying over our heads flaming Thread, so forgive me
for not running out of the Hold and flagging down the first rider I
see."

"Of course not! I wouldn't dream of it." Mariss shuddered. The
thought of Thread overhead and her father sheltered beneath ruined
stone walls was enough to give her nightmares. "But there'll be a
dragonrider back once the Fall has ended."

"I will send your father a copy of the list, but what he does with it
on his end is none of my affair. _My_ job is to prepare _my_ Hold
for the influx of refugees. Making people feel safe is the Lord
Holder's job." He would be sharding flamed before he would let a
_girl_ tell him what to do!

"Lord Alalir is dead," Mariss said quietly. "We have no Lord Holder."

"I meant Lord Benaroy," he said much more gently.

"And what chance is there of Elzilet speaking with Lord Benaroy about
her missing nieces? He's a very busy man at the moment and needs to
concintrate on the big picture right now for everyone's benefit.
Yesterday you assured me that you and the Headwoman have everything
under control, and these people are _scared_. They need to _see_ that
someone is looking out for them personally, and be able to talk to
someone who will listen. I've been telling them that you're the man
to do it."

"Oh shards, Mariss," Shadux breathed, "and you never once considered
that I too am a busy man with the big picture to be concerned with?
You think we can slide hundreds of people into our Hold as easily as
that? You think _we_ did not experience the earthquake as well? And
when Benaroy is making orders, who do you think is responsible to
carry those out? I have no time to look after them all personally!"

"Of course. My mistake. But... may I make a suggestion, then?"

"All right. What is it?" he asked warily.

"Give me the lists, and I can cross reference them. I know who is
related to whom, and can send a list of the missing to my Da for you
so that you can concentrate on other things." Mariss bit her lip and
held her breath.

"Fine," he shrugged. Let her take care of it if it was so sharding
important it was done now. It was all just going to change in the
morning anyway, and he wished her luck trying to track everyone down.
He was sure Cyrek had as little time for his daughter's whims as he
had. Let the Steward of her Hold deal with her. He had real work
that had to be done. "I'll have a copy sent up to you at the ladies
solar later. Maybe Royani could help you with it."

And maybe _not_... Mariss had no desire to spend any more time with
Royani than she needed to. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble,
perhaps you could send it here, instead? I've already got my notes
together and I'd rather not have to go all the way back to the solar
if I can avoid it."

He frowned slightly. "But you are expected..."

"Royani has things well under control there, and I'd hate to bother
her when she has other things to attend to. I'm sure that she'll
understand."

Shadux finally shrugged. It wasn't his concern if she wanted to
alienate herself from the other ladies of the Hold, after all.
Head-strong, bossy, willful... She was gonna be a challenge for her
father to marry off, that was for sharding sure. "Fine. You can
explain it to Royani."

"Thank you!" Mariss couldn't quite contain the euphoric grin that
spread across her face as she turned back toward the Infirmary. Amber
Hills Hold might have demeaned her, diminished her, and drugged her,
but she was sharding well going to carry out her father's orders
whether they thought her capable or not - even if it meant
participating in a little trickery.

Turnabout was fair play.

Last updated on the May 2nd 2006

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Turnabout