What Are the Options?

Writers: AL, Suzee
Date Posted: 4th June 2013

Characters: Zathris, Benani
Description: Benani brings her husband some news
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 13, day 23 of Turn 6
Notes: Mentioned: Yanley

Zathris

Benani

"My dear," she said knocking on the jam of Zathris' office door. "Do
you have a moment?"

Benani knew she had to tell Zathris of what she'd just learned. He
would want to be informed before the news became public. He might even
have some ideas to keep it from happening.

"For you? Always." Zathris set aside some parchment he'd been
combing through then smiled to his wife. That smile faded when he saw
the seriousness that had swept across her face. "Benani, what's
wrong?"

"It's my sister," she started and then realize that was less than
helpful since she had so many of them. "Yanley," she added. She rushed
over to his desk her mouth working for a moment as she tried to spit
out the news. But there was no easy way to put it. "She is pregnant."

Zathris sat up at that bit of news. "Whoa, wait...what?"

"Well it turns out Golasin was wrong," she said with no little venom.
She'd almost hated the man who'd divorced her sister for apparent lack
of fertility. "She wasn't the infertile one."

For a moment, Zathris couldn't do anything but just stare at his wife.
When his mouth finally opened, the only thing that came out was,
"Uh...what?"

She leaned on his desk and narrowed her eyes. "Yanley is pregnant. So,
she wasn't the one who couldn't have a baby and my dear former
brother-in-law can eat vtoles."

Zathris leaned back heavily in his chair and ran his hand through his
hair. "And who _is_
the father?" The situation was not a good one,
not by a long shot.

"All I know is he's a brownrider from the Weyr." She remembered the
look on her sister's face and added, "I think she's in love with him."

Zathris' hand took a turn to run down his face. "How did you find
out? Has she said anything to you?"

She sighed herself and sat down in the chair opposite him. "There were
things happening with her that are just woman things. They clicked,"
she snapped her fingers, "when I was talking to her and she admitted
it to me."

He knew he'd never get the whole 'woman' thing. He'd never had
noticed, not in a million turns. "Well this is a grand kettle of
fish." Zathris shook his head. He agreed about Yanley's former
husband, but..."And what does she intend to do?"

Benani's eyes misted slightly and she blinked. "She wants to keep it."
She didn't add that Yanley had been rather fierce in that declaration.

"Of course she does. I'd be angry if she didn't. But what does she
intend to do with herself and her baby?" Zathris hadn't doubt that
Yanley would do what was honourable and keep the child. Holders
weren't like Weyrfolk in that aspect.

"I don't think she knows what to do." She paused a moment looking
hopefully at her husband. "What can she do?"

"Well, she has some choices. She can either stay here or go
elsewhere. If she stays here, she'll have to deal with the
consequences." Zathris didn't particularly care for unwed
pregnancies, but he also knew he couldn't control others. He would
never abandon Yanley, but she also had to know how difficult it would
be for her after word got out.

"From the way she's talking," Benani took a deep breath, "she wants to
stay at least until the baby is born."

"So she's decided to leave eventually then?" Going to the Weyr might
be the easiest option for her. Holders could be ruthless at times,
which Zathris knew full well.

Benani's hands went up in the air in a helpless shrug, "I don't know.
I don't think she's completely thought it through." She twisted her
neck back and forth to try and stave off a headache that was beginning
to creep up the back of her head. "She's always been a little scared
of change."

"She's going to _have_ to think it through." Zathris knew Yanley
wasn't stupid, but this wasn't something that she could just sit down
and dawdle over. The news would get out and probably fairly soon.
She was going to have to prepare herself on how she was going to deal
with it, one way or another. "Have you talked with her? Perhaps we
should both sit down and have a talk."

"Probably a good idea," she didn't know what else to do. She'd
promised Yanley that she'd do what she could to protect her but
honestly she didn't need to protect her from Zathris. He had the most
sympathy for a woman in her condition but he wouldn't be able to
control the talk once the news got out.

Last updated on the June 18th 2013

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