Have You Heard?

Writers: Emma, Estelle, Nici, Paula
Date Posted: 13th January 2004

Characters: Lindria, Enlira, Jasslara, Parwen
Description: Jasslara, Lindria and Parwen welcome Enlira to Amethyst Cliff Hold
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 11, day 13 of Turn 2

"Have you heard the news?" Jasslara frowned briefly at the stitching in her lap. Not her favorite of tasks, she was determined above all else to do better at it than Lindria. One look at the tangled pile of cloth and stitches in her sister by marriage's hand insured that that task would hardly be daunting! Since the other woman's miscarriage, she had been just as cool to her, but guilt had made her a tad...kinder.

Lindria flinched at her sister-in-law's words and bent her head lower over her doomed attempt at patching a shirt. Her brother's sensational fall from power was the talk of the Hold - and most likely all of Pern, by now. Here among the ladies it was the worst, with some speculating over whether Alajeran would end their marriage and choose another bride, fertile and more in favour with Emerald Falls.

In her distraction she'd not given much thought to the arrival of Lord Alalir's daughter beyond polite greetings. Now Jasslara would get to ingratiate herself first with the woman and remind Lindria of her troubles into the bargain.

Jasslara was undaunted by Lindria's lowered head and smiled. "I shall take that as a yes, _sister_." Her emphasis on the last word was slightly mocking. "I wonder what this will mean, with Lord Alalir's daughter _and_ her son newly arrived." She kept her voice lowered so as to not gain the immediate attention of the other ladies. They were entirely too filled with gossip at times, perhaps the one thing she and her sister by marriage agreed on at times.

Parwen had left Etawen with harpers and Paddy with old aunties and entered the Solar with her embroidery. "Good day, Ladies" she greeted, generally and politely.

Lindria nearly groaned aloud at the arrival of Parwen, and wondered if she should put her sewing aside and escape to the courtyard to play with Rufri, rude or not. She could not think of two women she had less desire to spend time with! Still, for Alajeran's sake, she managed a smile. "Good day, Parwen. Why don't you sit down with us?"

"Gladly" the redhead answered and took a seat.

Jasslara's smile was just as forced. "How have you fared, Parwen?" Not that she cared, but she also had a husband that made being polite prudent.

"Quite well, thank you. How about you, Ladies?" Parwen was able for polite chit-chat when she wanted to.

"We were only just discussing the arrival of Lord Alalir's daughter and how she and her son must be getting on...." Jasslara all but frowned in concentration as she tried to correct a missed stitch on the garment she was mending. At least she'd managed not to tangle the threads. Yet.

"Look - there she is now," Lindria said, seeing the woman in question entering the Ladies' Quarters with some relief. "Shall I invite her to come and sit with us?" Enlira could hardly be worse than the combination of Parwen and Jasslara, and would at least take some of the attention off her predicament. Besides, she was curious about the new arrival -
Alajeran's half-sister.

Enlira nodded to the ladies sat together as she entered the room. It had been so long since she was here, that although it was familiar, it was still new to her. She looked around, trying to find a place to sit for a while.

"How are you settling in, Enlira?" Jasslara asked. "Both my sister by marriage and I understand how it must be to try to adjust to new surroundings. Oh!" She covered her mouth with one hand. "How silly of me...I forgot that we came to seal alliances and marry our husbands while you..." She left the rest unsaid and looked into her lap and her sewing.

Enlira chose to ignore the implications of Jasslara's remark, instead choosing to sit near her and the other girl who must be her half brother's wife. "You must be Jasslara then," she said.

Jasslara smiled, her hand moving to her stomach where it had only begun to swell slightly. "Yes. Jeralir and I have not been married long but I have come to love his home almost as much as my own. And of course knowing we are to be parents makes it so much better."

Parwen turned her attention to her embroidery, deliberately ignoring Enlira. To her, she was just another rival more.

Enlira smiled, hiding the feeling that this girl might be one to watch. "That means you must be Lindria," she said, looking to the other girl.

"I am. It's a pleasure to meet one of Lord Alalir's kin," Lindria said, putting her stitching aside without much regret. "You must be happy to be back at your home again, after so many Turns."

"It is nice to be home again, although the north did have it's good points. I'd never have met my husband," replied Enlira neutrally.

"Or had your son," Lindria added with a smile. "How is he settling in at the Hold? He must be excited to have moved to a new place."

"He misses his friends, I think he's sulking a bit." Enlira smiled as she thought of her son. "I think he'll find his place eventually."

"I'd like to meet him," Lindria said. "Perhaps we could all go out riding, or on a walk with my puppy - does he like animals?" Anything to get out of sitting and sewing in the Ladies' Quarters, she thought, and if she chose a particularly muddy trail then they might be relieved of the company of that sharp-tongued Lady Parwen and possibly Jasslara as well.

"A walk around the grounds might be nice, I was young when I left here, I'd like to get to know it again." She decided not to say anything about riding, both she and Arien could, but since her late husband's accident, neither felt too comfortable on a runner.

"A moderate walk now that Spring is here might be nice," Jasslara said grudgingly, her hand smoothing her skirts over the growing curve of her stomach. "Exercise is good even in my condition." She smiled at her sister by marriage, feeling only moderately guilty for once again bringing attention to the fact that it was _she_ and not Lindria who would bear one of Lord Alalir's possible Heirs a child.

"We would be delighted to have you accompany us, Lady Jasslara," Lindria replied with a rather fixed smile. "And you, Lady Parwen? Do you enjoy walking?"

"Normally, yes. But this time I had to decline your delightful company. I absolutely must have this dress for Etawen ready in time" Parwen answered with a false sweet smile.

"What a shame," Lindria replied, matching the woman's empty smile with one of her own. Although the idea of dragging Lady Parwen through ploughed fields and muddy puddles was rather tempting, she wasn't sure that the pleasure would make up for the strain of having to put up with her for several candlemarks! "Another time, perhaps."

"Perhaps" Parwen answered with strangely subdued tone. She was wondering herself what was wrong with her. She didn't seem to have her usual sharpness today. She had just declined a perfectly good chance to needle the other ladies. Maybe she was coming down with something?

Estelle (estelle@triadweyrs.org)
Lindria, hold resident, ACH

Nici (nici@triadweyrs.org)
Jasslara, hold resident, ACH (npc)

Parwen, Holder's wife, ACH
-Paula (paula@triadweyrs.org)-

Emma (emma@triadweyrs.org)
Enlira, hold resident, ACH

Last updated on the August 17th 2005

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