Think happy thoughts

Writers: Kaysea
Date Posted: 14th April 2007

Characters: Tanallyck, Minaretta
Description: Tanallyck wakens Minaretta from yet another nightmare
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 3, day 10 of Turn 4

The man came towards her, the anger he felt was evident as his hands reached out for her. "All these years, all these years!" over and over the words rang out, she could feel his grip on her upper arms, and feel him shaking her, enough to make her teeth rattle. "How could you? My son! I should have been told!"

She shook her head, "No! NO! You'd have taken him away and he was mine, not just for nine months, he was my babe. You couldn't have him, I protected him and I protected you..." She shook her head from side to side, "No...No..."

"Mina! Mina! MINA!" The shaking became fiercer; his voice louder in her ears - but now, his voice had changed, it was not the voice she remembered from so long ago...

"Mina - please, wake up!" Tanallyck's voice gradually broke through the nightmare. She held onto his wrists, and stopped his shaking. Despite his turns he still had the strength of a younger man.

"Nal, Nal, its okay, I'm awake." she croaked at him, still half asleep, but enough to calm him. "I'm...I'm okay, okay?"

"You sure Mina? I was worried; you yelled so loud this time..." His voice was hoarse, and over the last few turns had become feebler, but still held the same timber of turns gone by.

Her hands slipped down from his wrists and clasped his hand tightly, "I promise Nal, and I'm fine _really_." In the dark, her hands released his and they followed the length of his arms, until she could feel his shoulders and then his throat. She brought his face down close to hers and kissed him softly. "I promise." she whispered to him.

"I was so worried Mina. What's causing this? You need to see a healer, this can't go on." His words tumbled out, his concern evident as he lay back down beside her and pulled her into his arms. "I love you Mina, and I'm worried."

"Nal, I'll be fine. It's the move, it's worn me out." Her hand lay on his chest, the steady beat of his heart comforting to her. Now she was fully awake and once again she was aware of how close she had come to her secret being discovered, and how much it was playing on her mind.

"We shouldn't have come; we'd have coped; we'd have found a way..." the litany he had been repeating for the past few sevenday came back again. But he hadn't been thinking this way until her dreams had started. With them had come the doubt, and maybe, just maybe he held a little suspicion?

"We had to come. You know that Nal. We really had no choice, at least we were safe. Many just didn't make it. We have so much to be thankful for."
She tried hard to soothe him, but only managed until the next time she had a dream and everything repeated itself. "May be if Threads hadn't returned, but they have - and we need the protection of Weyr and Hold to survive." she said to convince herself, as much as Tanallyck.

"Once the land is cleared and you can sow the crops, we'll be settled. It's having to start again, its just playing on all our minds." His breathing had steadied, his heart had slowed to a more relaxed beat and she could sense he was almost back to sleep.

Now she just had to convince herself that everything truly would be alright.
They had to go and report to the Steward in a sevenday's time; tell him what crops they wanted to plant in each field and receive the permit to collect the seeds from stores. Hopefully this time she wouldn't catch sight of _him_. It was seeing him again after all these turns; _that's_ what had started these dreams again. Dreams she hadn't suffered from in over forty turns.

She snuggled down further under the sleeping furs; the steady, deep and even breathing coming from her husband was enough to make her feel drowsy. She hoped she wouldn't wake them both a second time this evening. **Think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts.** She repeated over and over to herself.
The same thing she had told her children turns ago whenever they had had bad dreams. She hoped this time it would work for her.

Almost fifty turns she had kept her secret, surely one chance meeting at the Hold wouldn't ruin the lives of so many? If she could trust _him_ to keep his mouth shut. She had never thought to see him again. The relief she had felt when he had left Amethyst Cliff Hold had been immense. She'd had no idea where he had gone; just that he had left the Hold and good riddance to him, as far as she and the rest of the Hold staff had been concerned.

But now she wondered why he had chosen this place of anywhere on Pern to go?
Why here? It was with this troubled thought that she finally dozed off to sleep. Restless and troubled, she would wake in the morning still feeling as though she needed a nights sleep.

Last updated on the April 14th 2007

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Think happy thoughts