Not The Best Idea (1)

Writers: Devin, Cali
Date Posted: 17th January 2010

Characters: Zanen, Talmina
Description: Zanen takes drastic action to save Talmina from herself.
Location: Elsewhere on Pern, River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 6, day 17 of Turn 5

"Zanen, I'm not going with you." Talmina had agreed to dinner in Zanen's quarters for what was supposed to be a peace offering, but he was still trying to convince her she could leave the Weyr without being married. "If I wanted to be thought of as having low morals and of poor character, I would have stayed at Garnet Valley. At least then when I was being beaten and choked, I could go home to my family after."

"I won't let that happen to you."

"You can't protect me without giving me your name." Talmina replied as she sipped at the glass of wine in front of her. She knew it was a lost cause, but she was still going to keep trying. "And since you won't do that, I'd just as well stay here. There is a hatching tomorrow and who knows, perhaps I'll get a dragon to protect me."

With her cousin able to hear dragons, Talmina probably did have a good chance of Impressing, but if she didn't she'd be stuck alone in a place where she was clearly not happy. If she was willing to marry him just so she could leave, what would happen the next time some guy was nice to her? Would she marry him to get away? The next guy might turn out to be someone horrible, and Zanen didn't want to think of Talmina in that situation. "So I really can't change your mind?"

Zanen might be able to protect her for a while, but after a few months, he'd tire of her. Then she'd have to fend for herself. Being raped every few months because of a dragon mating was better than being beaten to death in some Hold, if only marginally. She'd make due. "You could, with a proposal; but barring that, no, you can't."

"Then I suppose this is goodbye." Zanen stood and took the near empty glass from Talmina. "Here, I'll refill that for a toast." He went to the small cabinet and took out the bottle of wine -- an actual bottle, from the Vintner Hall, a gift from one of his friends. He took his time refilling her glass and then his own. Setting her glass back in front of her, he lifted his. "To friendship, and to seeing our friends again."

*********

Talmina felt herself moving, a rocking that was both soothing and unnerving. There was something over her face, a blanket perhaps, but when she attempted to reach up and remove it she found it difficult. Her arms were weighted, as were her eyelids when she tried to open them. As she started to move, she realized that her body ached and her head throbbed as if from too much wine. Wine... something about wine... she couldn't connect her thoughts, everything was jumbled and she fought to bring them together.

Even over the creaking and rocking of the wagon, Zanen heard the soft noises next to him. Gently, he turned down the edge of the blanket so he could see the young woman's face. "Talmina?" he asked softly.

"Zanen?" Her voice was slurred as she looked up and recognized him in the low light. "What... Where are we?"

"We're in a wagon, on a road." He kept it simple since she was groggy.

She gave a weak nod, that explained the rocking. She was ready to close her eyes again, she was so tired, when she realized that she _shouldn't_ be in a wagon. She should be at the Weyr. "Why am I in a wagon? What happened?"

Zanen cleared his throat and wouldn't quite meet her eyes. "I couldn't think of another way to get you out."

And with that, several things clicked into place inside Talmina's mind. She sat up abruptly and stared at Zanen, not wanting to believe what she realized was true. "You _Kidnapped_ me?!"

"You weren't happy there," he said, as if that made it alright.

"Stop the wagon! she yelled as she tried to scramble towards the wagon opening. Her limbs were heavy weights to her and she mostly just rolled over onto Zanen. "What's wrong? You _drugged_ me?!"

He lifted her into a sitting position. "Just enough to make you sleep for a while." On the far side of the wagon, one of the canines whined.

"I said stop the wagon!" she yelled again, furious and scared all at once. He must have drugged the wine, she remembered drinking it. That was how Sypher had tricked her, with wine. He'd plied her with so much of it she could hardly stand, and then he'd cut her face when he couldn't rape her. Was Zanen going to try to hurt her too?

"We'll stop, in a bit." Zanen rubbed the back of his neck. "This isn't exactly the best idea I ever had," he muttered.

Talmina wanted to scream, and she almost did. She didn't though, suddenly realizing that she didn't know anything about who they were traveling with. She might be furious at Zanen, and she _really_ _really_ was, but she didn't want him to be thrown in the mines or left out for thread for kidnapping her either. "You think? Or no, that's the problem, you _didn't_ think did you. You've got to be insane! What did these people think when you dragged my unconscious body on to this wagon?"

"I told them you were asleep." The caravan leader knew, but Zanen didn't want her to place any blame on him.

"Well you've got to be traveling with morons then!" Talmina hissed, her head now completely clear. "Where are we headed? As soon as we get to a hold I'm getting off this thing and going back to the Weyr."

"So you can marry the next man that comes along?"

"Maybe." Talmina growled. He was in no position to do anything but beg forgiveness, "It's no concern of yours, you already rejected me."

"I said I wouldn't marry you. That doesn't mean I don't care," he said. "I'm afraid you'll end up with someone that'll hurt you, or treat you like a piece of property."

Talmina grunted, her voice resigned. "That'll happen _anywhere_ I go. At least married, it'll only be one man. There is protection in that. Anyways, how is that different from what you've done? You've kidnapped me, taken away my right to choose."

"Because _I_ know I won't hurt you, and I know my friends here won't hurt you. You don't need a marriage to protect you in the caravan. We'll _all_ protect you." This particular caravan was full of good, honest folk that Zanen had been friends with for turns.

"Oh for Faranth's sake, we're on a Caravan?" Talmina started to scramble for the back of the wagon. "Who knows how long we'll be before we stop at a hold! I'm leaving now. I'll _walk_ back to the Weyr!"

Last updated on the January 19th 2010

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Not The Best Idea (1)