My Brother's Keeper (2)

Writers: Heather, Suzee
Date Posted: 31st July 2018

Characters: Zathris, Benani, Benamil, Nazli
Description: Zathris learns the truth behind Nazli and Benamil's marriage.
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 5, day 18 of Turn 9

Zathris

Benani

Benamil

Nazli

"Journeyman Benamil, sir, Lord Zathris would like to see you in his
office, immediately." The little drudge that had run out to deliver
the message looked winded and red in the face.

Benamil turned away from the runner that he was working with and
pushed his hat back from his eyes. "What is it? Has something
happened?" His mind immediately went to his family.

"He didn't say, sir, only that you were to come at once."

Swiping his hat off his head, Benamil slapped it against his thigh to
get rid of some of the dust, and then he stepped to the basin inside
the stables to at least wash some of the grime from his hands,
forearms and face.

Hoping he was presentable enough, Benamil approached the Hold, his
long strides eating the distance up at a quick pace. There was a
niggling feeling of dread in the very pit of his stomach. That icky
feeling when you were sure someone had discovered the very thing that
you had been working so hard to hide.

**It's probably something completely unrelated,** he told himself,
trying to shake off the nerves as he walked the familiar path to the
Lord Holder's office.

Knocking on the door, he opened it when he heard Zathris's voice, and
any chance of remaining calm immediately fled. Sitting across from his
brother-in-law was Benani and Nazli, the only two people who knew
about his secret aside from Arion.

"Zathris, Benani, Nazli," he nodded to each one in turn, trying to
decipher any clues as to what was about to happen from the looks on
their faces.

"Sit, Benamil," Zathris said without a hint of his normally good-natured smile.

Benani recognized her husband's mood as his 'Lord Holder' face and
remained still in her seat, reaching only to take Nazli's hand and
squeeze it gently. This particular group of people made her suspicions
go in exactly one direction. She looked up at Benamil and gave her
head a tiny shake to tell him she hadn't said anything... yet.

Nazli was puzzled and after responding to Benani's squeeze got up to
go to her husband's side and take his.

Zathris's eyes flickered between the trio, watching their
interactions. They seemed nervous.

"Someone has come forward today with a couple of accusations that we
need to get cleared up. I am going to ask you all some questions and,"
his blue eyes were piercing, "I expect the truth. If I find out later
that you have lied to me today," he looked from Benamil, to Nazli, and
then lastly to his wife, "there will be consequences that you won't
like."

Zathris turned his attention back to his brother by marriage,
"Benamil, how often would you say you visit the Vintner Hall?"

Warning bells and red flags were flying all over the place in
Benamil's mind. "Three to four times, sometimes more."

"There is a woman who frequents the tavern there who is in a room down
the hall. She says she knows you, intimately," Zathris the Lord Holder
did not care to spare feelings in this moment, his eyes didn't even
look to Nazli for response. "Tell me her name."

Benamil stared at Zathris, not liking the stony expression on his
face, it didn't fit with the man he knew as his brother-in-law. There
was only one woman Benamil knew from the tavern, it had been months,
but he remembered vividly. "Saedriel."

Zathris said nothing to indicate whether this was correct, but turned
his attention to his wife. "Tell me again, Benani, how Nazli came to
be in your employment."

"She was referred to me by a friend who knew about my former...
situation." Shadows darkened her eyes as she looked directly into her
husband's eyes. "Nazli has been repeatedly," she couldn't say the
words when she saw her friend stiffen and clutch at. "In a similar
situation she was powerless to change. She came as a servant, became
one of my ladies and then my friend."

Nazli for her part simply clutched her own husband's arm, terror in
her eyes. They grew huge as dinner plates while Benani spoke. She
looked at Lord Zathris his obviously stern demeanor frightened her.

Benamil brought a hand up and settled it over Nazli's reassuringly. No
matter what happened with Zathris today, Benamil still planned on
keeping the promises he had made to Nazli.

Zathris turned his attention back to Benamil, "Saedriel came to tell
me that you aren't being truthful about your marriage to Nazli. That
you are actually sneaking off to the Vintner Hall to carry on a
relationship with Journeyman Arion. Is this true?"

And here it was, the scene from the nightmare that Benamil had
experienced a thousand times. The moment when he would have to be
upfront and truthful to the person that could tell him to leave Amber
Hills.

"It is true." The three words weighed heavily in the tense room.

Last updated on the August 21st 2018

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My Brother's Keeper (2)