Permanent Estrangement

Writers: Miriah, Suzee
Date Posted: 4th February 2019

Characters: N'call, Ninaine
Description: Ninaine's mother finally pushes the wrong button
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 9, day 17 of Turn 9

N'call

Ninaine

It looked like it was a small office. Ninori peered through the open
door, then gave a bit of a sniff as she nodded to the boy that had
lead her. "Yes. Thank you." She had traveled far enough and it was
time to get the business settled. Clearing her throat, she rapped
lightly on the frame. "Excuse me. Are you Bronzerider N'call..." Her
eyes fell on the man and she recognized him from the Hatching, even
though she hadn't recalled his name before that instant. It was a
struggle to keep her face straight. No wonder he had defended her
then; obviously he had been one of the men that had preyed upon her
child and turned her attitude to something so unsavory. Well, surely
at least he would see reason now. "May I speak with you?"

"Of course madam," N'call rose politely from his chair and indicated a
seat across from him. Of course, he recognized Nina's mother and he
was skeptical about why she'd need to talk to _him_.

She sat in the proffered chair, glancing around in expectation of an
offered drink. When none was immediately forthcoming, she straightened
her back and faced N'call. "Forgive the unexpected intrusion,
Bronzerider, N'call, but I'm here about Ninaine." She placed her hands
in her lap, looking prim. " We only recently were informed that she
has borne a child and is...weyrmated to you. Is this true?"

N'call's eyes narrowed. How many times had Ninaine told him of her
confrontations and her mothers' expectations and opinions? Cautiously
he nodded. "It is true."

Ninori tried to keep a pleasant smile on her face, but the tensing of
her jaw could be seen. "Well. At least she's weyrmated, or whatever
you call it. And I understand that the child is a girl." She took a
breath. "I know Ninaine is very busy with her...duties..." the tone in
her voice suggested that Ninori was not referring to Threadfall, "and
as such, I need to insist that the child be fostered with Ninaine's
father and I. We can provide a proper upbringing for a girl and teach
her the skills that she needs to be a good and well-behaved woman that
is suitable for marriage. " The smile on her face never faltered.
"Surely you can see that it is the only proper arrangement."

"I do not see it, as you put it," he said evenly. "The girl is _my_
daughter and will be raised where her mother and I decide." He
squashed the impulse to toss her off the nearest ledge. "As to
Ninaine's duties. She was injured in Threadfall and I do note that you
have not asked after her welfare or that of her dragon who so
valiantly protect you from that self same Thread?"

Brows immediately rose and for a moment, real concern flickered over
her face. "She was injured? No one told us that. I assume it wasn't
severe else we would have been told. I will go see her immediately
after we work this issue out." She cleared her throat and put her hand
to her chest. "I only want the best for my grandchild and the best
would be fostering with us. She would never have to know that you and
Ninaine's relationship was unofficial, if that is your worry. We'd
even be willing to adopt her officially so that no one would know that
her parents weren't properly wed. With us, she would have the best
education for a proper future. She could be married and make all of
us proud."

"Excuse me?" Ninaine appeared in the doorway, her hands full of
N'call's lunch. Her gaze found her mother and she blinked in surprise.
"Mother. What are you doing here and what were you just talking
about?"

Ninori rose. "You don't look injured." She flicked an annoyed gaze at
N'call. "We were making arrangements for your daughter to be
appropriately fostered."

Ninaine's face paled as she flicked her eyes to N'call. For an
instant, a stricken expression fell on her face, the thought that
N'call had...No. He would never have done that. Her self-confidence
began to flake off. Would he? "N'call?"

"We certainly were not," he slammed his palms on his desk and rose. A
stormy expression filled his face. "You do not listen when others talk
madam. I specifically said that you would _not_ be taking our daughter
anywhere. And for your information, I Weyrmated your daughter in front
of a harper. The accords do not allow marriage in the Holder sense but
it is as close and official a relationship as one can have in the Weyr
and still be a dragonrider." He reached out to Ninaine and took a step
closer to put one arm around her and the other took the tray and set
it on his desk.

Both women jumped at the sudden slam, but it was Ninori who paled with
surprise and then anger. "It's not a real marriage and we all know
it." She drew herself up and stared at Ninaine, who leaned into N'call
for support. "I'm trying to do what is best for your child, Ninaine.
What kind of lessons will she learn watching her mother crawl into bed
with any one that her green twitches a wing at while her father
ignores it? Or is he even the real father?" She snorted as Ninaine
gave a harsh gasp of shock as Ninori turned to look N'call in the
face. "I'm trying to do the right thing which is something you know
nothing about, N'call. How long did you wait after she got here before
you hauled her like a tramp into your bed?" The last words dripped
with venom.

With every word that her mother spoke, Ninaine began to tremble, not
in fear, but in a growing fury. At the last words, something in
Ninaine broke. "You...you..." She pulled away from N'call her hands
clenched into fists as she faced down the woman. "You bitch!" The
temper that Ninaine always tried to keep under control flared into an
absolute fury, undone by her mother's insults. " Don't you dare speak
to him like that! He shows me more love in five minutes than you could
in your entire life! Your rules for me nearly destroyed Luneth and me!
And I won't let you do that to my daughter! And you know what? I did
sleep with him before we were weyrmated. And you know what else? I
touched him all over! And I loved every second of it, you ill-bred,
shriveled up..."

She was stopped by a sudden slap across the face. "I wish your green
had been destroyed, you ungrateful, miserable child! I hope she dies!"

Ninaine didn't hesitate. She hauled her fist back and struck her
mother right in the nose.

N'call pulled Ninaine away from her mother and took the woman by an
arm. His grip was as fierce as the one he used to sling a firestone
sack and he began to march down the hall toward his weyr. "I am Lord
N'call to you madam and you are no longer welcome here. You are never
to contact my weyrmate or her daughter ever again. I will be sending
notice to your Lord Holder of the insults you have heaped on your
protectors today. You and the rest of your hateful family are banned
from this Weyr."

By the time he was done, they'd marched quickstep all the way through
the bronzerider's weyr and onto the weyrledge where two dragons sat
with eyes whirling in anger. "I would be very careful of the next
words out of your mouth woman. It will mean the difference between
riding a dragon /between/ or being carried in its claws." As N'call
let go of her arm he pushed her toward Haloth who neatly grabbed her
and bellowed.

"She attacked me!" Ninori held her hand to her bleeding nose, her
voice muffled. "You let her attack me! You can't do this! I'll report
you both to the Lord Holder and the Weyrleader! You have no right!" '
As she was caught by huge claws, she quailed in terror and squealed at
the bellow.

Luneth had her own response. She didn't bellow. Instead, she lowered
her head to stare with glowing red eyes and gave a quiet, deadly hiss,
every single one of her teeth bared. Ninori shrieked and covered her
face, certain that the dragon was going to end her.

"I should let her bite you, you fecking, loud mouthed, spiteful, hag!"
Ninaine had followed N'call and Ninori, spewing every foul curse
towards her mother that came to mind. Shaking with fury, the only
thing keeping her from lunging at her mother again was the much larger frame
of her weyrmate and Haloth's massive claws. "Let me by, N'call!" She
tried dodging around him. "You'll never see any of my children! Any!
You don't deserve them or me!"

N'call blocked Nina so she couldn't get at her mother again. "You
forget I was in the room when you struck a dragonrider, woman. You
struck her first, full in the face. Do you recall the penalty for
that?" He turned and held his weyrmate by the shoulders. "Get hold of
yourself," he said quietly. "She's never coming back. Let me take care
of it." He reached around her to the peg where his straps hung. "It
appears you're going home in his claws then," he added as he turned to
put the straps on Haloth.

Ninaine struggled for only a moment before staring up at N'call's face
with a look filled with a mixture of pain and fury. A tear welled in
her eye before she blinked it quickly away and visibly trembling, she
nodded. "Get her out of here."

Ninori was too cowed by the two dragons to do much more than hold her
bleeding nose, "You can't do this to me!"

"You should have thought of that before you came here and tried to
bully us into giving up our daughter. Now," he'd finished the straps
and stood looking at her. "Do you wish to shut your face and ride up
top or keep yapping like a little canine and be carried? Because
either way you're going in the next two minutes."

Holding her nose, Ninori's eyes were pure venom as N'call approached
her. "I should have never let her come her here! You ruined a perfectly
good girl!"

He looked at her for a long moment. Then he shook his head. "You have
no idea just how wonderful she is, do you? And what's more, you don't
care because she didn't follow your rules." He swung up Haloth's side
and into his saddle. "We're taking you home. Don't ever come back."
Haloth leaped into the air with Nonori still clasped firmly in his
claw. **Hold on to her firmly**

}:Luneth wants me to drop her /between/:{

**No,** he replied. **This will scare her enough**

Ninaine heard the scream of terror and felt no sympathy. She still
trembled with fury, but lingered there was grief and hurt. Any slight
hope that remained of reconciling with her family had vanished in the
instant that Ninori had wished harm on Luneth. The only regret Ninaine
could feel was that she hadn't listened to her Weyrlingmasters earlier
and that she had made life so much harder for herself and her dragon.
And for those who cared about her. She owed so many people apologies.
Shaking, she walked to Luneth's ledge and curled up beside her dragon.

N'call wasted no time or words on the woman who'd born Ninaine.
Instead he gave Haloth the appropriate location and moments later they
emerged from /between/ over their home hold. The touched gently down
and Haloth released the woman on the ground then with a mightly leap
they were once again airborne. They made it back to the Weyr and it's
warmth in another few wingbeats. "Nina," he called as he slid off
Haloth's back.

"Here." She sat up, wiping her face and eyes. She stared at N'call for
a moment and then flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his
sides. "I hate her. I hate her, I hate her!" She took several deep
breaths and looked up at him, struggling to find control. "You really
think I'm wonderful? Even though I've been so stupid?"

"If that woman is the one who taught you my dear," he said as he
wrapped his arms around her. "It wasn't your fault at all and yes, I
do think you're wonderful."

Since she had Impressed, there had been a small hope in her heart that
one day she would be able hear her mother say that she was proud of
her. She had tried so hard to keep to some of the standards her mother
set for her. Her attempts had made her new life far more difficult.
What had she missed in all that stubbornness? She buried her face in
N'call's chest. He thought she was wonderful. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry
for losing my temper."

"You're sorry?" He chuckled. "I'm the one that had her carried in
Haloth's claws. Would it make you feel better to know she was
screaming when we dropped her off?" He shook his head for a moment
"we actually set her down quite gently though the ride was probably
not so nice."

Last updated on the February 28th 2019

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Permanent Estrangement