The earth beneath the gangplank looked like heaven to Maynara as she stumbled her way along the deck. Weeks at sea in the first months of her pregnancy was not the best idea she had ever had but it was necessary in this case. Once safely on non-moving earth again she was quickly supported by a number of people and quickly checked to see that they were not trying to steal anything. Luckily they all seemed genuine and she relaxed a little.
"Which are your bags miss?"
"Oh, oh... I'm not sure, there are so many..."
She looked about the pile of luggage... "I think it's the brown one, on the side... yes, that's the one." When the young man had handed her the bag she smiled and thanked him. Seeming a tad reluctant to leave he asked,
"So do you have anywhere you're going... I could... um... I could carry that bag for you, it seems a little heavy."
Smiling at her feet she blushed. "I, well, not really, I had to leave quickly and didn't have a chance to contact anybody, I was hoping to find an inn, or a sanctuary... just until I could find work or... well, I'm not sure"
Smiling again, "You came a month over sea to a place where you didn't have any family or friends?"
"I have no family anymore, none except..." She was cut off by a loud yell,
"Boy! You little rat! You promised your Mama you'd be home by the dawning and here we are near Wolf! What do you have to say for yourself?"
Shocked at the sound she looked quickly up, fearing the sight before her to find that the man was smiling and drawing the nice youth into his arms.
"Papa! I didn't realise we'd be so long, we were thrown off course then there was trouble in..." Again the man cut him off,
"Ah, excuses!" Turning to Maynara he questioned the young man "Is this why you've been gone so long?" Smiling he held out his arms "Welcome, welcome, I am Ric'ard's father, Portari, my son has said nothing but that is not unusual," he cuffed Richard over the head, "Useless as a messenger, luckily he is a master at sea... so proud of him we are..."
"Papa! I am not... we are not... it's not like that, I just, I just met her, she has no family, no home..."
"No? Well, we must keep her safe from ruffians" giving another smile he put an arm about his son "Like you my boy, unless you've tamed those wild impulses in your time at sea?"
Richard grinned self conciously. Maynara was a bit overwhelmed at all of the activity and swayed a little on her feet for a moment wondering if she had really disembarked. Seeing it, Portari pushed his son toward her,
"Boy, you neglect your duties to our guest! Help her to the vila! I must go dabble in affairs by the inn, Master Nico has not been paying his dues and somebody must bring him to it. Oh, and as we have been waiting for so long to get a son back we are not leaving for the village until the first of wolf, you know what that means..." He gave Richard a 'look' and turned, walking down the path saying 'hello' or 'good day' to every second person, stopping every now and then to talk, Maynara watched, facinated.
"Ric'ard..."
Richard smiled and said
"Actually it's Richard but my father won't pronounce it correctly, it's a personality thing I think"
Maynara smiled "I think I like 'Ric'ard', would you mind?"
"Not at all miss...?"
"Oh, I haven't told you my name yet! I'm sorry," She gave a small curtsey, "Maynara [Gren... something starting with gren]"
...
* * * * * *
There's another scene with her... at first I though it a birth but it so is not, I think it has something to do with Taenir (below as a child)
Maynara screamed, her hands gripping the sheet so it pulled away from the bed. Her eyes were open yet did not see, she mumbled something in another language and twisted about. Upon finding that her arms were restrained she arched up in the bed, yelling again until someone put something over her mouth and she fell into unconciousness.
what is this??
* * * * *
there's more... soon... or now...
"She begged for the life of her son," Her voice was empty as she spoke, hollow, "he was such a sweet thing... I can't remember his name, isn't that odd? I can remember that he smelt like sunlight." the ghost of a smile flickered across her face, "His small hand wouldn't fit around two of my fingers but I can't remember his name... His mother was just as nice, so pretty, even when she was crying. She was crying on that day, that horrible day. Her lip was trembling as she was pleading with them, begging them... all her boy could do was touch the tears on her face before they took him. I wonder what they did sometimes but I suppose I don't want to know. Such horrible men. They all watched her you know, watched her begging them, watched her die. They all stood by and watched her."
"Where were you?"
"Me? I was watching too, I... they had me bound, they said they were helping me... I was gagged, they used a rag torn from the cuff of a dead man, it smelt like blood, like death"
"Who?"
"Some villagers, they watcher her too, they said it was 'too risky' to help her..."
"They were her friends, her family..." She look into his eyes, "how could they?"
* * * * *
Taenir:
Taenir giggled and the sound echoed round the walls of the sunlit courtyard. His watchers laughed demurely at the childish exclamation of joy. Crawling about on the dusty tiles his entire attention was focused on a tame pigeon, bobbing about looking for seeds under the dovecote.
"ba!" he cried, attempting to grab the birds tail feathers. He missed and toppled forward onto a shiny black boot.
"Ba, ba!" he cried again, trying to reach his lost target as it hopped out of the way. Laughing quite loudly, a man (who happened to be attached to the shoes) bent to pick the boy up. Once in his arms Taenir squirmed this way and that, trying to see everything he could from his new vantage point, throwing his arms about and grabbing hold of his holder's nose for balance. Pulling away, the man smiled at him,
"Taenir my boy," At the sound of his name, Taenir turned, "Taenir, you are obviously inclined to learn but you really must learn to be more polite to strangers, you never know who they'll turn out to be."
* * * * *
Teanir, a young man now, lent against a wall, his eyes dark and his mouth sullen. Without a thought for the fine fabric he was wearing he turned and vaulted over the wall when a man approached, waiting in the shadow for the stranger to pass.
* * * * *
"I will not."
"What do you mean you will not? You are my son and will obey me!"
"I . will . not."
His father was fuming. "Why! Why must I be cursed with a son who knows no discipline?"
"It is your trial in life as enduring requests such as this is mine."
"Don't you answer back to me boy or I'll bring the whip upon you!"
With a sigh he replied "I would not recommend that father, you had the best masters train me and I assure you I would be able to defend myself"
His father scowled at him, "Why? Why won't you? You are so determined to talk so tell me why it is so unsuitable"
"I do not love her"
"You What? Love? Love? There is no love in such things! Love has naught to do with it! I need this boy and if it's the last thing I do I will get you to go through with it!"
"There is another problem Father."
His father turned and scowled.
"A fairly serious problem actually"
"Well spit it out boy!"
"I am already married."
"WHAT?"
"Her name is Katania, I can assure you of her social standing if you really must have such information, personally I find it irrelevant"
"No, No I don't believe you, I would know if my son was married!"
"Actually it was surprisingly easy, it is amazing how corruptable our good clergy men are... but then I do suppose it is understandable, they are men of the cloth and I assure you that their cloth is very fine"
* * * * *
Maynara has some connection to Taenir who is a child when she is in her mid 20's yet she has no connection to his lessons master... odd,