A Moment in Time

Writers: Heather, Suzee
Date Posted: 9th March 2024

Characters: Zathris, Benani
Description: Zathris and Benani reflect on their relationship at Lord Bryvin's wedding reception.
Location: Amber Hills Hold, Sunstone Seahold
Date: month 5, day 24 of Turn 10
Notes: Mentioned: Benaroy, Yanley, Barenziah

Zathris

Benani

"Well? What did you think of the ceremony, milady?" Zathris said in
Benani's ear, his hands possessively holding his wife as they danced.
The look in the Amber Hills Lord's eyes effectively shut down any
thought of anyone asking to cut in on his dance with the Lady of Amber Hills.

"It was lovely," she said, smiling up into his eyes. "But not as
beautiful as ours I think." She remembered the day she'd walked down
the aisle to stringed Harper music on the arm of her father Lord
Benaroy. Even now she still found him to be the most handsome man in
the room.

A smile played around the Lord Holder's lips as he remembered it. "I
remember the way you looked on your father's arm. I also remember how
incredibly nervous I was. I had never thought to marry again, and then
there I was, watching a daughter of Benaroy come down the aisle."

She smiled and tilted her head. "I thought I loved you back then, but
I didn't really understand how deep love could be Zathris." She'd been
so young back then and hadn't understood how love could grow even more
over the turns. "I love you so very much."

Zathris, in a rare display of public affection, reached out and
tenderly tucked an escaped tendril of hair behind Benani’s ear. “I
love you, too.” It was quite obvious to anyone who looked at the
dancing Lord and Lady that they were absorbed in a world of their own.

She smiled at him with a bit of moisture in her eyes. She couldn't
imagine what her life would be without him, nor did she want to. She
blushed and leaned into his arms as he swept her around the floor. It
didn't matter who was watching tonight. Their eyes were on another
Lord and his Lady and she could drop her usual mask for a moment.
"Are you hungry yet?"

"Absolutely famished." He replied, his eyes smiling knowingly into
Benani's. The Amber Hills Lord Holder was not talking about physical
food. The thought sent his mind back several Turns...

**Flashback**

Zathris left Lord Benaroy's office with sweat trickling down the back
of his neck. He had not anticipated the sudden bout of nerves to
strike him as he had been asking the Lord Holder for his daughter's
hand in marriage, but Zathris had found himself almost nauseated. He
and Benani had been exchanging letters for quite some time and while
Zathris had finally come to peace with moving on from his first wife's
death, the enormity of possibly marrying Benaroy's beautiful daughter
was now quite staggering.

The corner of his mouth tilted with a little grin when Benaroy had
raked him over the coals, determined to know Zathris' real intentions.
Benaroy wanted to know if his feelings for Benani were lust that would
be slaked in time, or if he was the honorable sort to provide for
Benani for the rest of their lives.

Now all Zathris had to do was find Benani and tell her.... He fished
in his pocket and retrieved the small velvety pouch that contained a
special necklace he'd had made just for the occasion. **Good thing old
Benaroy didn't laugh in my face and kick me out of the Hold.** Zathris
thought as he ran a thumb over the pouch. After all, Zathris was not
in line to inherit the Lordship of Jade Harbor, his older brother was
the heir. If anything, Zathris might one day be the Lord of some minor
holding somewhere in his father's territory. Benaroy could have waited
and given his daughter to someone of much stronger standing.

**End flashback**

"You know, I was just thinking," Zathris said to Benani as they seated
themselves at a table, plates of food being quickly set before them as
the bride and groom continued visiting around the room. "I can't
imagine why your father agreed to let me marry you."

"You know that young girls learn how to flirt by practicing on their
fathers right?" She lifted both brows. "I climbed into his lap and
told him all about how much I loved you and begged him to accept if
ever you were to ask." She covered the grin that threatened to escape.
"I think you'll be in big trouble in a few more turns. Nimilee seems
to have you wrapped around her little fingers already."

Zathris’s face softened at the mention of his daughter. “That she
does.” There was just something about her sweet little face and the
way her tiny hand fit in his that made it nearly impossible for the
Lord of Amber Hills to deny her anything. “Speaking of Nimilee, I
promised I would bring her something back from this trip.”

"Maybe one or two of these?" She picked up one of the tiny bells from
the center of the table. The guests were to ring the bells when the
Lord kissed his new Lady and they'd been tinkling all around the room.

A smile curved the Lord Holder's face. "Perfect," he said, fingering
one of them lightly.

**Flashback**

Patting the velvet pouch once more, Zathris's nerves abated a bit when
he caught sight of Benani in the Amber Hills courtyard. She was even
more beautiful than the delicate flowers she gazed upon, he thought.
**Ugh, now I'm waxing poetic,** he thought, annoyed by his own
sappiness.

"Benani," he called to her, noting that her female companion and
attendant stepped back a bit to allow him to approach.

"Zathris," she said with a very warm and welcoming smile with a little
wobble in the middle of her stomach. One of her ladies cleared her
throat as though to reprimand her for being too forward. She glanced
over her shoulder with a small frown. Then she turned back and held out
her hand as he came toward her.

"You look lovely," he said, taking her hand and pressing his lips to
the back of her knuckles.

Benani blushed. That wasn't her normal reaction to compliments but
somehow he made her rather shy. "Thank you," she said and slowly
withdrew her hand where his lips had left her with a burning sensation
on the back of her knuckles. "Are you here for long, this trip?"

"Just for the evening. I'll be going back in the morning. This was a
special visit." Zathris said, gesturing for Benani to walk beside him
in the garden.

She turned and folded her hands in front of her surreptitiously
rubbing the spot where he'd kissed her. But she stayed the appropriate
distance away from him so her ladies who followed could see daylight
between them. Yanley had drummed this lesson into her at an early age.
"I'm sorry you'll be leaving so soon," she said softly. "What was
special about this trip?"

This felt harder than when he had proposed to his first wife. Not
because his feelings were any less for Benani, but because this time
he felt so much more uncertainty as to what her answer would be.
Zathris was sure Benani cared for him, but she had the opportunity for
a much more advantageous marriage should she wish it.

"This trip was special because I came to ask Lord Benaroy if I could
have permission to marry one of his daughters."

"Oh?" She stopped suddenly looking at him intently. Her voice trembled
as she asked..."Wh...what did he say?"

"He said he consented, as long as his daughter agreed. I think a
little part of him is hoping she won't." Zathris said truthfully, not
that he blamed Benaroy. He hoped to be as protective over his future
daughters some day.

Looking down into Benani's eyes, Zathris took one of her hands,
threading their fingers together intimately. "What do you say Lady
Benani? Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Her eyes widened and a smile lit her face.

"M'lady," one of her attendant's stepped forward with concern and a
warning tone.

"It's alright Estla," she said, her eyes never leaving his face.
"Zathris has just asked my father for my hand and he said yes." she
couldn't help the smile that kind of went a little sappy. "Yes
Zathris," she said.

"Oh My Lady," the woman clapped her hands and stepped back to her
position just out of hearing range.

**End Flashback**

As he studied his wife across the table, Zathris marveled at how far
they'd come since the day she had agreed to marry him. Since then he'd
become the Lord Holder, they'd had children, they had faced the
devastation of Benani's kidnapping, and he'd brought himself back from
the brink after his fling with Barenziah.

Reaching for her hand, Zathris interlaced their fingers, as he'd done
so many Turns ago. "I couldn't imagine my life with anyone else, you
know. I was lucky then, and I am lucky now."

Her blue eyes twinkled at him. "I love you, my heart," she replied warmly.

Last updated on the March 14th 2024

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

A Moment in Time