Empty cradle

Writers: Eimi, Paula
Date Posted: 31st October 2006

Characters: Theyzen, Corowal
Description: Theyzen comes to report an eerie incident to Corowal.
Location: Emerald Falls Hold
Date: month 1, day 6 of Turn 4

The woodsmith sat in the chair outside the steward's office, waiting for him to have a spare moment to see him. He picked at the calluses on his hand as he waited, a nervous habit. Shards, what was he going to _say_ to the Steward? Was it even his place to mention anything? Theyzen had never been in such a predicament before. Should he really tell the Steward that the Lord Holder was acting... a little more than a little crazy?

"Hello, Theyzen. I hope you didn't wait too long?" Corowal greeted when he arrived his office, carrying an armload of records.

"Steward," the journeyman nodded politely in greeting as he rose to his feet. "Would you like help with those?"

Corowal handed him half of his load. "Just pile them on my desk, please." He looked the pile and sighed. He was doing the jobs of two people, both steward's and Lord holder's.

"Yes sir." Theyzen placed them carefully on the desk where he had been told. "Sir, do you have a free moment? There's something... Well I think there is something about Lord Enrizial that you should be made aware of. It maybe be nothing," the journeyman quickly added, "but I still think I should tell you." "Well, tell me then and I decide if it is nothing," Corowal asked. *What now? Isn't it enough that he's playing hermit?**

"Well, sir, I was summoned to the Lord Holder's room this morning early. Very early. The sun had not even come up yet, but they said it was urgent. So I got dressed and I came. I was shown to the Lord Holder's private room." **If it could be called a room anymore. It was obvious he had not been allowing the cleaning staff in at all. Or the kitchen staff to collect the dishes for that matter. "He kept saying 'It's broken. It's broken. You have to fix it', and he was pointing to a baby's cradle."

"Oh," Corowal just said. It was obvious that the Lord holder was slipping. He just hoped the master mindhealer would arrive soon.

"So I looked the cradle," Theyzen continued, "but I couldn't find anything wrong with it. And the Lord Holder just stood looking out the window. I think he was talking to himself. At least I kept hearing him say something, and I don't think it was to me. It was just one word.
Or maybe a name. But he just said it over and over."

"What word, did you hear it?" Corowal asked. This time it was plain curiosity.

"Well, sir, it either sounded like Jaela or more like _Ch_aella." Jaela was a well known name, as it was the name of Dragonfalls former Weyrwoman. But it just sounded a little different. But who was _Chaella_?

Corowal looked surprised. Chaella, his former mistress? Man, Enrizial must had been really in love with her. He had dug out that secret soon after his arrival to Emerald Falls Hold. You never knew when you need that kind of information.

"Anyway, he insisted that I needed to have the cradle fixed right away because his daughter was coming home," Theyzen continued. "But there was nothing _wrong_ with the cradle. He just keep insisting that it was broken. The strangest thing... well, his eyes, sir. His eyes look so... wild. Like some kind of trapped animal. Not that I that I would say the Lord Holder _is_ an animal, of course..." he added quickly.

"His mental health isn't the best one at the moment," Corowal said carefully. Which was a subtle way to say that the Lord holder was going insane.

"After what I saw today, sir, I would have to agree with you," the woodsmith nodded. It was an unnerving experience, looking deeply into the eyes of one who was loosing their mind. You could almost see it in those eyes - the mind flinging around trying to grasp just one coherent thought to hang onto.

"Well, a master mindhealer has been requested for, I'm sure the situation will improve after he is arrived," Corowal said.

"Yes," Theyzen nodded slowly, feeling a sudden chill at the thought of those eyes... "Yes, sir, I hope so. I truly do."

"So do I, so do I," Corowal said fervently but he DID NOT mean it. Enrizial's maddness was just the opportunity an ambitious man wouldn't waste.

Last updated on the November 1st 2006

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Empty cradle