No Real Options

Writers: Miriah, Suzee
Date Posted: 17th April 2019

Characters: Jylanya, Enamra
Description: There's not many options available to fight rumors
Location: Dolphin Hall
Date: month 10, day 20 of Turn 9
Notes: Mentioned: Thayde, Naton

Jylanya

Enamra

~*~

Sitting on her bed, staring at her hands, Enamra waited. She wished
she could feel numb about the whole affair or even just not care, but
she found it impossible. She tried to be nice, she tried to work hard.
She felt a sort of weight fall on her shoulders, bearing her down and
threatening to crush her. Before she'd given birth, many of the
drudges had been nice, even welcoming. But after...she didn't know why
there had been so much change. Why did they hate her so much? She
didn't hate them...well, except maybe Hista and Hatilda. Hista most of
all, now.

At the knock, she lifted her head and then bowed it again as Jylanya
entered. "I'm sorry, Headwoman. I shouldn't have pulled Hatilda's
hair."

Jylanya pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. "The
situation is a bit more involved than pulling Hatilda's hair,"
she said and sat on the couch. "Come here," she said and patted the
seat next to her.

Enamra rose quickly and moved to sit beside Jylanya, then pushed back
her thick hair behind her ear so she could look up at the woman. "Yes
ma'am?" She knew that she was in some soft of trouble; fighting wasn't
allowed and now with what people were saying, it was probably worse.

"How old are you Enamra," Jylanya asked.

That wasn't a question she'd been expecting. "I turned fifteen in the
third month, ma'am." Her brows knit just a little. "Why?"

"Then you're old enough to be married," she said. "I believe Master
Thayde will be offering for you."

Enamra's jaw dropped open in shock, confusion and disbelief.
"But...what? No, he's teaching me. I'm just a drudge and he's a
Master. He doesn't want to marry me. I can't get married. No man wants
a girl who's ruined."

"Enamra," Jylanya held up a hand. "Don't look a gift runner in the
mouth," she said. "He's a Master. You and your siblings are guaranteed
a position at the Hall for the rest of your lives if he marries you. I
suggest you don't argue with him should he actually offer." She half
smiled. "I do believe that whatever Hista's idea was in accusing you
has backfired severely. Don't blow it."

"But...he wouldn't." She shook her head. "There's no reason for him
to. I don't understand why you'd think he would. " She was utterly
confused just trying to think about why Master Thayde would even
consider it. "He was just helping to read and I wasn't even doing good
at that. He could marry anyone." Her protestations died as realization
slowly sunk in. "It's cause of what they're saying, isn't it? But, it
wasn't his fault. He didn't do anything wrong. Nothing happened. You know I
don't _want_ to do what they were talking about. It hurts."

Jylanya threw her hands up in the air. "And you're still arguing with
me." She sat back and shook her head. "Alright Enamra. It doesn't
matter at this point what really happened. It doesn't matter what you
want. It doesn't matter what Master Thayde wants or it does but his
choices are limited. He can stay here and marry you or he can leave
and ruin you. If he chooses the second it will mean that you will be
nothing but a ruined drudge for the rest of your life. Do you want
that?"

Enamra stared at her with wide eyes and slowly shook her head. "No."
Her mind began to race with a myriad of different thoughts. Yes, she
would have protection and her siblings would have a place, but if
Master Thayde had wanted a wife, wouldn't he have had one by now? She
swallowed, twisting her fingers against each other then spoke very
softly, looking at Jylanya. "I don't want that at all." She swallowed
hard; Jylanya was right, it would a good offer, more than she could
have ever expected before. But she didn't know how to be a wife; her
mother had died before she could really explain how to be one. "You
think he'll really offer?"

She didn't have the heart to mention his prior interest or that she'd
left. She just said. "I think he doesn't want to leave the Hall. So,
he'll take the Hallmaster's offer. He has no one else here he's
obligated to."

The Hallmaster? She looked at Jylanya for a moment and another thought
came to her. "Embly and Roblyna need to stay with a foster mother from
now on, don't they?" Her voice was sad, but after they had been
mentioned by the drudges, she knew enough that the rumors were going
to affect them as well. Her sheltered upbringing at the cothold had
never prepared her for life in the Hall, but she was having to learn
quickly. "I guess I just don't have much of a choice. Not really." She
bowed her head. "Is being a wife hard?"

"It depends on the husband," she said. "My first was a sick old man so
I was basically a caretaker and cook. It's not the same with Naton,"
she smiled. "We love each other and it's lovely. Enamra have you
looked, I mean really looked, at Thayde. He's a very nice looking man."

"What if I do it wrong?" She knew what else wives were supposed to do,
and the thought of Master Thayde, doing what Doroon had, more than
disturbed her. At the next question. Enamra's cheeks immediately
flamed a deep red and she squirmed a little. "No..."

"If you want it, he'll teach you. If you don't. Tell him. I imagine
he's not thrilled about his choices and you can work something out
that is agreeable to both of you." Hopefully they could take the time
to get to know each other first. But that wasn't her call.

Last updated on the May 3rd 2019

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No Real Options