Who is he?

Writers: Suzee, Paula
Date Posted: 29th May 2013

Characters: Benani, Yanley
Description: Enani worms some distressing information from her sister
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 13, day 23 of Turn 6
Notes: Mentioned: Chupsin, Zathris

Benani

Yanley

"There you are, Zathan, all clean and try. Let's keep you that way,
hmmm?" Yanley hugged the baby against her chest. What really surprised
her was the way her body reacted to the baby now that she was
pregnant. She felt her breasts tingle, becoming fuller, swelling. It's
like they wanted to feed a baby. The little boy seemed to sense
something too, for his face turned towards her chest and mouth started
to made the sucking movements. "Agh, this one is getting hungry again.
How much you give them solid food?" Yanley asked, gently moving the
baby rest against her shoulder. "Sorry to disappoint you, nephew,
there's nothing for you there," she murmured quietly to the baby's
ear.

"Not much yet," smiled Benani. "Healer Chupsin advises against it too
early. But I'm thinking they're getting big enough. They certainly are
eating enough, though their milk mother never complains."

She looked at her sister and something caught her attention. She
didn't know quite what it was... "How are you feeling Yanley?"

"I'm just fine," Yanley replied, perhaps bit too quickly.

Benani turned to face her sister squarely. "Are you sure?" There was
something familiar, something she couldn't quite put a finger on. She
stood to take Zathan and then blinked. Things clicked into place in
her head. Yanley's recent illness, her difficulty dealing with smells
like the gagging over the babies diapers. And now she could see that
her sister's breasts were fuller than they'd ever been.

Her jaw dropped open and she lowered her voice so none of the other
women nearby could hear her. "Yanley, who is he?"

"What? who?" Yanley's wit seemed slow to catch up. Seeing the look in
her sister's eyes, she actually blushed and turned her face away.

"Oh Yanley," she covered her eyes with a hand and sighed deeply. She
felt behind her for a seat and dropped on the chair. For Turns she'd
practically idolized her sister and now there was a crack in the
picture she'd held inside her for so long. But beyond all that, she
loved Yanley fiercely.

"What are you going to do?"

"Keep the baby," she said with steely determination. "You know how
long I've wanted a baby of my own. How long I tried to get pregnant.
Now I will have one," tears welled in her eyes when she thought of
those long Turns of being childless.

Sympathetic tears welled up in Benani's eyes at her sister's heart
felt declaration. She dashed one away and put her arms around Yanley.
"Well then," she said in her own maternal tone. "We'll just have to
start planning the wedding." More than one bride had been visibly
carrying when she'd spoken her vows.

"With whom?" Yanley asked. "There might be bit of a problem there..."

Benani's eyes widened. "Is he married?" Thoughts of a scandal crossed
her mind with mild horror. But then she remembered, "or is he a
dragonrider?"

"No, not married! I've been there, I would never do that to anyone!"
Yanley was shocked of the mere thought. Her own marriage had been
broken, she would never put a fellow wife through the same ordeal.

"He's a brownrider from the Weyr," the mere thought of D'ale made her
eyes mist over to dreamy look.

"I'm sorry," she said automatically when her sister protested. She
watched her sister carefully and just knew in that moment. "You love
him don't you," she said.

"Yes, I do," Yaley admitted. There were no need for more words, not
between them.

Benani nodded and bit her bottom lip. Taking her sister's hand she
squeezed "I'll do what I can to protect you," she breathed.

~*~

"I'll do what I can to protect you Yanley." D'ale held her closely
against him. "If you want me to come get you and bring you to the
Weyr, I will," he vowed. There wasn't a great deal he could do if they
were separated but if she would come with him...

"Thank you, D'ale. I would love nothing more than live with you..."
Yanley looked him with her dark eyes, and hesitated: "...but I have to
confess I'm scared. I'm forty-two and this is my first one. Amber
Hills is home and I my experience of Weyr is limited to visiting
Hatchings. Right now I just can't leave," her eyes showed the fear she
felt, fear that something went wrong with the pregnancy. Fear that
D'ale would abandon her. Fear of change. She had been through so much
during the past Turn. Could she handle more?

He cupped her chin and looked deeply into her frightened eyes. "I know
it is frightening The Weyr is very different from the hold." He
smiled. "But we do have healers, you know," he twirled his finger in
the air. "Fighting Thread and all that. We have babies there too. Come
with me sweetheart," he said softly. "We'll raise our baby together."

"Amber Hills is my childhood home, I feel safe there. I never lived in
a Weyr. Can we keep the option open? I kind want the baby to be born
in Amber Hills," She tried to put into words something that was mostly
just feeling. She had tears in her eyes but they did not fall.

"Of course," he smiled. "My weyr will always be open." Inside he could
feel the slump of disappointment but in the end it was her decision
and he recognized that. "If you ever need me, send Bramble and I'll
come for you as soon as I possibly can." He gently kissed her temple
and pulled her head into his neck. Once she could no longer see his
face his eyes closed on the pain and he resigned himself to just wait.

"I will," she promised and leaned her head against his strong chest.
Going to the Weyr, being just Yanley instead of Lady Yanley. Was she
ready for such a drastic change? Not right now, she wasn't.

D'ale just held her and the precious burden she was carrying. He knew
it was impossible to share what he'd had to do for Kenza and the toll
it had taken. She wasn't ready to hear that story.

~*~
"Yanley?" Benani reached out to touch her sister and call her back
from wherever it was she'd gone to. "Are you alright?"

"Sorry, sis, I just got lost in a thought," Yanley replied with
apologetic smile.

She recognized what her sister was going through. She felt the same
way about her husband. She'd caught herself thinking about Zathris
with that same dreamy look on her face more than once. But there were
so many questions. "Does he love you?"

"Yes, he does, " there was no doubts, no uncertainty in her voice. "He
keeps begging me to move to the Weyr with him."

Benani nodded. "I'm glad," she said. She didn't know how she felt
about her sister moving to the Weyr though. "Do you want to go?"

"I don't know," she sighed heavily. "It scares me, to be honest, to
change my life so drastically."

"Ahh," sighed Benani, "but the baby is going to change it drastically
just the same." She wanted to add that she wouldn't be judged at the
Weyr and her child could live without stigma. She loved Yanley and
didn't want to push her into something that would separate them, but
neither did she see a way for Yanley to be really happy at Amber
Hills.

"I'll have to tell Zathris," she said softly.

"I know," Yanley replied simply.

Last updated on the June 4th 2013

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Who is he?