Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Join us!
Triad Weyrs welcomes new members - join us to create a character and begin your adventure on Pern!

   

Forgotten Password? | Join Triad Weyrs | Club Forum | Search | Credits

Schemes and Polite Conversation

Writers: Curious, Estelle
Date Posted: 22nd May 2022

Characters: Brina, Islyn
Description: Brina has a conversation with Islyn, and suggests inviting a friend to stay.
Location: Sunstone Seahold
Date: month 2, day 5 of Turn 11
Notes: Mentioned: Bryvin, Asaile


Brina

Brina

The young ladies of the Hold had returned from their duties with the
Headwoman's staff, and now the rooms where they spent their afternoons
were filled with the sounds of chatter and lively gossip. Some of them
were working at embroidery, drawing or writing letters, one girl was
slowly plucking scales on a gitar and others were admiring a new dress
that one of their group was wearing.

Brina watched them all, noticing the friendships, the shifting alliances
and the little rivalries. Nothing very troubling, she thought, between
the Headwoman and herself they were kept too busy for much mischief. But
still... She caught sight of one particular girl, a master crafter's
daughter. They hadn't spoken much before now, she'd mainly concerned
herself with the high-born fosterlings from outside the Hold, but she
stood out, her confident manner drawing attention. Leaving the book
she'd been reading behind, she got up and walked over.

"May I join you - Islyn, isn't it?" she asked.

Islyn wasn't he _best_ at embroidery. Yet she could not deny the beauty
in the works that could result from it, nor the fact the the art was
held in decently high esteem for young ladies. That made it worth her
time. She had been practicing studiously for the past several weeks, and
although she was no great natural talent, she was pleased to be able to
say that she _was_ improving.

Of course, the fulfillment of improving a skill was _nothing_ compared
to catching the attention of Bryvin's sister.

Islyn set her embroidery - a white sheet displaying what would be a
delicately petaled rose - down in her lap and beamed up at Brina. "I
would be honored, Lady Brina."

"Thank you." Brina sat down beside the girl and examined her work, aware
that around them there was a lull in the conversation as the others
watched them with interest and perhaps a little envy of the favor being
shown to one of them. "How lovely. A flower?"

Islyn fought to keep her smile from falling when Brina couldn't
recognize what kind of flower it was. She would _not_ frown in front of
the Lord Holder's sister - no, no, absolutely not. Instead, she wove a
touch of pride into her expression as she said, "Thank you, my lady.
It's a rose. I'm afraid I'm not very good yet-" apparently "-but I hope
to improve in due time."

"That is an admirable sentiment," Brina said approvingly. "But I think
you're doing well. Your stitches are very neat." She wished some of the
other girls would put so much effort into their work. "You grew up at
Sunstone, didn't you, Islyn?"

Warmth blossomed in Islyn's chest. There was a chance that lady Brina
was just saying that to be nice, but... Oh, Faranth, she hoped not! A
touch of that joy bled into her voice as she said, "Thank you, my lady.
And yes, Sunstone is the only place I've ever called home."

"You're lucky. I sometimes think how exciting it would have been to grow
up in a Hold like this, with all the trade and the people coming and
going. Where I come from, at Amethyst Cliff, we were snowbound for much
of the Turn." Brina smiled. "Though perhaps you think the snow would be
just as much fun."

"My feelings about the snow are..." Islyn tapped her chin as she tried
to think of the correct term. When it came to her, she dropped her hand
back into her lap. "I do not enjoy the cold, so I don't think that I
could like it too much. But it _does_ sound quite gorgeous."

Brina laughed. "It's as well you were born at a warm sea hold, then."
The winters back at her childhood home had been fierce, although her
rank had meant she'd never had to suffer the worst of them. She thought
for a moment. "How are you settling in with the other young ladies? Are
you making friends?"

Islyn caught herself just in time to keep her smile from faltering. "I'm working on it," she says. "It's... Challenging. I want to be cautious,
you see, to make sure that I am only surrounding myself with the sorts
of people that I should." She paused before brightening slightly. "I
have made the acquaintance of Lady Kaede though! From Silver Peak? She's
clever, well-mannered, and absolutely gorgeous besides."

"Oh, yes. I remember her. She stayed at the Hold for a while, until my
brother's wedding," Brina replied. There had been many pretty young
women fostered at Sunstone, but after the competition for her brother's
hand had been won, most had returned to their families. "It must be hard
to have a friend living at a different Hold. Perhaps you'd like to
invite her to visit, if her parents are agreeable?" She privately
thought it would be no bad thing to have a properly behaved lady of the
Blood to set an example for Lady Tarani, who she was sure was up to no good.

Islyn gasped. She cut it off at the last second, lest she risk being
overly loud or improper, but she did not attempt to stop her smile from
growing. "Truly?" she asked. "That would be wonderful! Do you think..."
Islyn paused, starting to nibble on her lower lip, but stopping herself
at the last second. Her eyes dropped down to the embroidery in her lap.
She gently ran her fingers over the stitches as she considered her next
words. Finally, she looked back up at Brina and said, "I know it may not
be my place to ask, but... do you think yourself or Lord Bryvin might be
willing to help her father find a good match for her? I know Kaede hopes
for a truly promising suitor, and I'm sure the two of you could do a far
better job than her father alone."

"I'm flattered that you think so." Brina couldn't help but smile,
imagining what Bryvin would say to that. "But it really isn't my place,
either. Lady Kaede's marriage is for her father to decide, unless he
should ask for my brother's assistance in the matter." She thought for a
moment. "All I can say is that while she's here, she will have the
opportunity to move in good society and make advantageous connections,
as do all the ladies."

Islyn sighs. "Well, let's hope that her father makes good choices." Then
the smile is back on her face and she's looking at Brina like she put
Timor in the sky. "I truly cannot thank you enough though! I really
appreciate your offer, and I'm sure Kaede will too."

"You're quite welcome." Perhaps it would do Lady Asaile some good to
have some more young faces around her. Brina felt a slight misgiving
about Lady Kaede, who she remembered as being a little too aware of her
rank, but perhaps now that the girls were no longer competing for
Bryvin's hand they'd be able to make some genuine friendships. "I'll
write to her mother. Now, I'd better not keep you from your work any
longer." She rose. "Perhaps you'll show me your embroidery when it's
finished?"

"Of course!" Islyn exclaimed. "I hope it's to your liking!"

Psssh, _hope_. She would work for _hours_ to make sure that it was.
Impressing Lady Briana could only serve to help her. Plus with her doing
something so thoughtful, it was practically an obligation. There were no
misgivings about Kaede on Islyn's part only bright, blind admiration.

"If you work as hard on it as you have until now, I'm sure it will be,"
Brina replied warmly. "Good day, Islyn." She turned and went to her desk
to fetch writing paper and a pen, already planning how she would begin
her letter to Lady Kaede's mother.

Last updated on the July 15th 2022


View Complete Copyright Info | Visit Anne McCaffrey's Website
All references to worlds and characters based on Anne McCaffrey's fiction are © Anne McCaffrey 1967, 2013, all rights reserved, and used by permission of the author. The Dragonriders of Pern© is registered U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, by Anne McCaffrey, used here with permission. Use or reproduction without a license is strictly prohibited.