The Other Man

Writers: Heather
Date Posted: 17th February 2021

Characters: H'riv, Gyllie, Dysmin
Description: The puzzle pieces of Gyllie's life finally come together for H'riv, and it's not a pretty picture.
Location: Barrier Lake Weyrhold
Date: month 8, day 22 of Turn 10

"Cold, cold, cold!" Gyllie hissed as she tiptoed across her weyr and then dove into bed beside H'riv. The redhead burrowed beneath the furs and wrapped herself around the brownrider to get warm.

"I thought you were used to the cold?" H'riv chuckled, wrapping his arms around her as she tucked her freezing feet under him.

"Just because I grew up in Amber Hills doesn't mean my feet don't get cold." She nibbled at his earlobe. "Besides, you like warming me up."

That was certainly true, H'riv thought.

Today they were in her weyr, a change since they usually met in his, but he wasn't complaining, any time spent with Gyllie was time well spent.

"Come 'ere, I'll really warm you up," H'riv growled playfully, moving over Gyllie and pinning her beneath him.

Gyllie giggled, but easily surrendered.

The rasping of the door latch, however, cut through her euphoric haze like a dash of cold water.

"H'riv!" She pushed him off of her, one hand jerking the furs up over her naked torso as the door swung open.

H'riv, rolling over onto his side and pulling the fur up to his waist, turned and looked toward the portal with an eyebrow arched.

A man of medium height, with jet black hair laced with a solitary silver streak in the front, shouldered the door open and looked up with blue eyes that showed mild surprise.

"Ah, I see." The stranger dropped the sack he had been carrying over his shoulder by the doorway.

H'riv's brow furrowed as he sat up a little straighter. "Excuse me? I think you have the wrong weyr." Glancing sideways at Gyllie, he saw that her lips were drawn into a tight line.

"Oh no, I have the right weyr," the man said as he began unbuttoning his coat and shrugged out of it. "It is you," searing blue eyes turned to H'riv, "that have the wrong weyr."

"Gyllie?" H'riv questioned.

"Yes, Gyllie, tell the poor guy. Put him out of his misery." The stranger stepped over to the hearth, uncorked the glass container there, and poured himself a drink.

Gyllie turned apologetic eyes onto H'riv.

"Gyllie?" he whispered again, not understanding.

"Wow, you picked a slow one this time, Gyllie," the stranger said with a sigh as he downed the drink in his glass in a single gulp. "I'm her husband, and that's my wife, you idiot."

H'riv's mouth fell open as he looked between Gyllie and the man. Husband and wife?!

"Yes, I know, shocking, isn't it?" The man poured another glass. "But if you had been observant, then all of this should make sense, shouldn't it?"

"Dysmin," Gyllie warned, saying her husband's name between gritted teeth.

"Aw, come on, Gyllie, you've strung the poor fellow along, let's at least show him the breadcrumbs that prove he should have seen this coming." Dysmin took a seat by the fair, draping one leg over the other to watch the faces of his wife and her lover.

"Here are the things you should have noticed," Dysmin continued matter-of-factly. "She made you promise that you would never profess love for her, she most frequently would only see you in your weyr, but then there would be times when she was inexplicably 'unavailable' to come and see you. Then there's this weyr," he gestured with the glass in his hand. "Surely it must have occurred to you that a mere drudge, a laundress," he sneered, "couldn't have acquired a weyr this size in such a good location?"

H'riv's eyes zeroed in on the Master Harper knots on Dysmin's shoulder.

"Ah, there's the realization dawning," Dysmin said, watching H'riv's face. "It's also now occurring to you that this must have happened before, how else would I know all of this, right? Right. You're not the first man I've found in _my_ bed." This time his boiling blue eyes turned to Gyllie. "You are far from the first man my loving wife has brought home."

The fact that Gyllie did not refute anything Dysmin said, and that all of the clues Dysmin pointed out were spot on, solidified in H'riv's mind that he'd been duped. He felt his cheeks flame. She'd been lying to him this entire time? She was _married_.

**And I was falling in love with her like some lovesick pup.** H'riv left the bed and hastily pulled on his clothes. It didn't escape his notice that Gyllie didn't speak or try to keep him from leaving.

"I apologize," H'riv said in a clipped cool tone. "I had no idea, as you already seem to know. Or I would have never...." Sleeping with a married woman. His jaw clenched.

Dysmin's eyes pinned H'riv in place. "Let's just see to it that you don't show up in my bed again."

Underlying anger at Gyllie's deception made H'riv's tone brittle. "You don't have to worry on that front."

Tipping his head to Dysmin, H'riv did not even look back at Gyllie as he slipped from the weyr and slammed the door shut behind him.

Last updated on the February 19th 2021

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The Other Man