To Serve a Lady

Writers: Anaria, Suzee
Date Posted: 16th May 2011

Characters: Benani, Lyranel
Description: Lyranel asks Benani if there is anything she can do around the Hold.
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 1, day 26 of Turn 6

Benani

As Zathris had advised, Lyranel had decided to try and talk to Benani,
to see if she had any ideas for work that might suit her a bit better.
Thus far, the tasks that Zelanka had assigned to her had not gone over
quite so well. She straightened her tunic, which appeared 2 sizes too
large for her, and then knocked decisively on the Lady Holder's door.
Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself for whatever tasks Benani
decided to give her.

"Come in" Benani called without rising from her desk.

Lyranel opened the door, forcing herself not to stare at her feet as
she walked in. "Lady Benani, my name is Lyranel. Lord Zathris advised
me to speak to you. I'm new to the Hold," she explained softly.

She looked up from her parchment "Oh?" she asked and looked at the
girl who looked like she was wearing clothing that hanging off her
body. She rose "Welcome Lyranel." she said with a sincere smile. She
waived the girl to a seat across from her. "What brings you to Amber
Hills?"

"Well, I suppose lack of anywhere else to go after my husband's
death," she explained. It wasn't a pretty truth, but that was the
case. "I've been helping out the Headwoman with various tasks, but as
you might have heard, I seem to have a hard time learning how things
work around here." She flushed hard, embarrassed at speaking to the
woman who's husband she made quite ill.

**Oh _that_ girl** The thought didn't show on her face. She had heard
some of her story and realized that they would have to make some kind
of place for her. At her young age there was a lot she could learn. "I
am sorry for your loss," she meant every word. She couldn't imagine
how she could live with out Zathris.

"Thank you, but I think it might actually be good for me in the long
run, once I pick up some sort of skill that is," Lyranel said. "It was
a marriage of convenience, not love. He was thirty some turns my
senior. I am willing to learn anything that I possibly could though,"
she added eagerly.

Benani heard him before the sound arrived at her door. That was one
very unhappy child. Nandrie came through the door bouncing her nephew
Ailnim and shaking her head. She really was overworked with another
small one to nurse and this one a handful. "Lady Benani can you do
something with him?" she asked.

She rose and crossed the room to take the child from his nurse.
"There there." She rocked and bounced "Go on Nandrie, I'll keep him
here a bit and see what I can do." The nurse slipped out the door to
attend to her other charge. Of course Ailnim continued to wail and
stiffen his body in protest of imagined wrongs. "He's almost two now."

She shook her head. "Sorry about this, now what kind of things do you
think you'd like to do?" She rocked back and forth with the toddler
on her hip.

Lyranel watched the child with curiosity. She hadn't ever really been
around children before, but something about the child's wailing made
her heart go out to him. Transfixed, she reached out a tentative hand
to the child. "There now little one, what's wrong?" She rubbed his
back reassuringly, and when he turned to face her, Lyranel squished up
her face and stuck out her tongue."Oh, sorry!" Lyranel said, facing
Benani once more. I'm really willing to take on whatever you want me
to do, although cooking and stock are probably out of the question."

Ailnim stopped his crying for a second for an involuntary giggle then
leaned forward unbalancing poor Benani and almost sending her into the
young woman's lap. "Ok!" she exclaimed. "I guess he's decided he wants
you." She handed him off saying "this is Ailnim."

"Well hello there, Ailnim!" Lyranel said, picking the child up easily
despite her lack of experience. She had heard that some women were
just naturally good at dealing with children, but had never seen it in
action. "See? Isn't this much better than crying? You just want
someone to pay attention to you, don't you?" Looking back up at
Benani, she asked, "He... he's not yours in he?"

"In a manner of speaking. He's my brothers child. Ailnim's mother
didn't survive his birth and my brothers work keeps him on the road
most of the time. Zathris and I are all the parents he knows right
now." Her face showed the love she bore the little guy. She sat back
and watched the way Lyranel was holding and playing with the baby and
an idea began to form.

"That's very kind of you," Lyranel said. "I would expect most would
have just had him fostered." Seeing how much Benani cared for her
nephew, and also the way that she looked at her husband, Lyranel knew
that she had made the right decision to come to Amber Hills. Perhaps
she too could find this love. "He is adorable though, so I can see why
you'd be so eager to take him in."

She smiled at the other young woman. "Well in a sense he was. I'm his
foster mother. Not only that but one of Lord Corowals' sons will also
be coming to foster with us soon." She thought about it another
moment. "And one more thing." She smiled at the way Ailnim had taken
to the young woman. "We haven't announced it yet but I'm expecting
soon. Things will be very busy around here and I will need help."

"Oh wow, congratulations!" Lyranel said with a genuine smile. "Well,
anything that you need my help with, I can certainly take care of for
you, even if it's just something as little as getting the youngun's
out of your hair for a few candlemarks. I don't have a lot of
experience with children, but this little guy seems to like me well
enough."

"Thank you," she said nodding her head. "Then lets start with that
shall we?" Benani thought the girl could learn from the other foster
mothers and Ailnim's nurse and they could see if they'd found
something she could do. "Oh and please tell the Headwoman's assistant
that I said you need a new dress. One that fits you properly and
befits the station of caregiver to the Lord's family." She grinned to
take the sting out of her words and held her arms out to the now happy
Ailnim.

Last updated on the May 20th 2011

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To Serve a Lady