Here Comes the Bride

Writers: Avery, Suzee
Date Posted: 23rd September 2014

Characters: Bryvin, Zelah, Xelfin
Description: Bryvin meets his bride to be and she isn't who he expected
Location: Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 9, day 2 of Turn 7

Bryvin

Zelah

Xeladrie was seething inside as she was sent in to meet the man she would
marry. How dare her father trade her off to _this_ man? How dare her sibs
not support her? Was she the only one who'd cared about Elarie?

But all of that was pushed aside as she stood before the door. She had to
be perfect and pretty and charming. A pretty smile fixed on her face,
making her look girlish, and she pushed it open.

Xelfin bustled across the room to his daughter and proudly took her
hand to lead her over to the place where Bryvin stood in stunned
silence.

"May I present my daughter Xeladrie? Xeladrie this is Lord Bryvin."

"My Lord Bryvin, what a pleasure to meet you today." Her tone was soft
and high, because focusing on faking it kept her expression from
showing her real anger.

Bryvin's mouth opened and closed with a snap as anger blossomed in his
chest like a hot coal. He'd been duped and given the wrong sister. But
he mastered his voice and after a moment lightly lifted her fingers as
he bowed over her outstretched hand. "My Lady Xeladrie," he said in a
low voice. "The pleasure is mine." He wanted to add something about
her sister or ask a question but he was too wrapped up in his emotions
to formulate it without it sounding contrived. "I hope to meet the
rest of your family soon," was about all he could come up with.

"You will, you will." Xelfin put his arm around his daughter and
brought her to the settee and then turned to Bryvin indicating he
should sit with her on the small piece of furniture. "Please," he
smiled and settled his bulk in a wide chair.

His hand touching hers was perfectly polite and she could not fault his
manners.

She did fault being expected to be seated next to him, but that was on
her father. She controlled her expression and took a deep breath as he
sat by her. He was just a man, she told herself. Men could be
handled.

"And how was your travel?"

"We had a pleasant voyage and my meteorologist assures me the same
will be true on our return to Sunstone." He smiled equally at both the
young woman who was to be his wife and her father. Although he would
have cheerfully throttled Xelfin if it would have profited him. "I
have something for you," he smiled though his heart wasn't in it. Then
he reached into his breast pocket for a small box which he brought out
and opened for her. Inside lay a simple gold ring with a square cut
perfect pink sapphire.

She had to admit, the man understood how to find beautiful jewelry. She
actually smiled when she saw it, letting some real emotions out for
authenticity.

"It's beautiful, my lord."

"I'm very glad it pleases you," he said noting the interested look of
the father. Of course the man had no way of knowing the stone came out
of the self same mine he would give away when his daughter married
the Lord of Sunstone.

"May I?" He picked up the ring from the box and took her hand. It slid
easily onto her finger.

"Of course," she said, tilting her hand once it was on to see how the
light caught it. Pink wasn't her favorite color, but it had been her
sister's, and she thought she knew of some hair ribbons that would match
it. She would look stunning and bring honor to her family - and look like
the wife Elarie would have been proud to be.

"Do you have any hobbies, lord?" Maybe an interest that she could learn
something about?

"Not exactly," he said. It was no secret to anyone in the room that up
until recently he'd been the Steward at Sunstone and as such he'd
worked more than he had hours in the day. "But I intend to start," he
leaned in with a smile. "I do have a newly acquired firelizard," his
eyes softened slightly. "It is currently asleep in my rooms in a food
coma."

"Oh, how lovely! Is it very small? What color?" Would he treat a pet well,
or cast it off cruelly?

"Yes," he smiled. "It he is very small and brown. Just barely out of his
egg."

"I look forward to seeing one. They're marvelous, like miniature
dragons." Was that too simpering?

"Then I shall bring him with me to dinner to please you My Lady.
Though I cannot vouch for his table manners. He's still very young."
He was slightly flattered by her enthusiasm. Even though he couldn't
help but wonder what had happened to Elarie.

"Children are always messy," she said in a moment of sounding wise and
superior beyond her years.

He wanted to please her. He could best do that by going away before this
could happen. But at least the fire lizard would be amusing.

Xelfin smiled indulgently at his daughter. She was doing exactly as
she'd been trained from birth. Unlike her elder sister who had
disappointed him mightily. If she continued as she began, she just
might twist this upstart around her little finger. "Indeed," Xelfin
puffed up. "It will be welcome this evening at table.

**Children,** Bryvin thought with a half smile still pasted on. He
clenched his jaw and his thoughts turned inward again to the lovely
face he'd held in his heart for so long. "Thank you My Lady," he said
bowing over her hand to hide his rage. He knew he'd been neatly boxed
and he had no time to delay or find out what had happened to her
sister. Without a leg to stand on he had to go through with the
ceremony the day after tomorrow.

Xeladrie's face was much like her sisters, but it wasn't the same and
no matter how kind and sweet she might be would never replace Elarie
in his heart. Not many of his acquaintance would believe he _had_ a
heart, actually. He had kept it well hidden on purpose. Elarie's fair
coloring was likely the reason the women he chose to dally with were
usually dark haired. He could never be in any danger of confusion or
visions of his love rising up in his mind. That would not be so easy
with Xeladrie.

"I shall see you both this evening then," he stood and bowed again to
the Lady the turned and inclined his head toward Lord Xelfin. He then
strode to the door and left the room.

"Well done child," Xelfin chortled and clapped his hands when the door
closed. "I believe you've made a conquest of your husband to be."

"He does seem rather pleased," Xeladrie said, not pleased by her
father's happiness at the state of affairs.

"What do I say if he asks me about her?" she asked after a moment,
knowing it would displease him. "He's not stupid, he must suspect
something."

"You say nothing," he said. "Not until after you're wed. Then you can
do as you please for he'll be your problem. But, there is danger in
that man daughter. Were I you, I'd watch my step with him." Xelfin's
sometime bumbling exterior hid it's own measure of cunning. Perhaps if
he'd ever gotten his elder daughter to admit who'd compromised her he
might have felt differently about this whole transaction. But he
hadn't and he didn't. To his mind he'd captured the new Lord of
Sunstone neatly in a way he'd never been able to capture his
predecessor.

"Yes, father," she said demurely. What else could she say to his face?
But inside, she began to plot.

Last updated on the October 19th 2014

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Here Comes the Bride