Behaving Respectably

Writers: Miriah
Date Posted: 21st September 2019

Characters: Riadem, Yriadha, Yavin
Description: Riadem tries to reason with his mother
Location: Sunstone Seahold
Date: month 13, day 14 of Turn 9
Notes: Mentioned: Bryvin

Yriadha

"Mother be reasonable, Garik is a man who is well off and can provide
for you. He seems a steady man and he finds you attractive as well."
Riadem paced in his mother's quarters. "He has his own cothold, two
ships, and steady trade contracts. He's interested and you'd not have
to work. You could take the time to do things you wanted to do."

Yriadha exhaled through her nose, growing irritated. This was the
third man that her son had presented to her in the past sevendays and
she was growing weary of it. She had no idea what he'd discussed with
Bryvin, neither of them had said, but it was clear that he was well
aware of the relationship between the Lord Holder and herself. Her son
had never taken an interest in her personal relationships before that
conversation. "No, Riadem. For one, I am still in mourning." She
glared at him as he snorted. "For another, I will not marry again.
Ever. I have no desire to and no need to. I am quite content where I'm
at."

"Sharing his..." Riadem's eyes narrowed.

"Careful, boy." She interrupted, her eyes narrowing. "You have no
conception of what you're speaking of."

Unlike his siblings who had never left the Hold, Riadem was less
intimidated by his formidable mother. "I have a very clear view. Lord
Bryvin openly admitted what you are and what _he_ is." He gestured to
the other room where Yavin napped. "Something that you would have
beaten Humari or Torinya for." He watched as Yriadha's jaw tightened,
but continued anyway. "For Faranth's sake, mother, you're approaching
fifty in a only a few turns. Do you actually think this dalliance of
yours will go anywhere? What will you do when you're no longer
attractive to him or when he can no longer use you?"

Her lips thinned as her son's barbs hit far too close to her own
worries. Her temper, usually carefully controlled, began to rise.
"That is none of your concern, Riadem. Drop it."

"No, I won't. Whether you like it or not, I am the eldest man in our
family now. I have to be concerned. Yavin is now my responsibility
just as much as he is yours. And you tell me that Lord Bryvin now is
in control of your inheritance because of grandfather's will. Not you
or me. Do you actually think you'll see any of it? Or me or Bortem? Or
Yavin? He's not even officially your son and do you know what Lord
Bryvin said? That he _may_ someday acknowledge him. May. And he'll be
taken from you to be fostered. Are you so besotted by the man that you
don't see that he's got you right where he wants you? He gets your
income, dangles Yavin's acknowledgment over your head, and gets to bed
you at his leisure. What do you get out of any of this? Nothing!"

Yriadha paled as though Riadem had slapped her directly in her face.
She had of course thought of all of this, even to the point of
realization that Yavin was most likely never to be acknowledged, but
hadn't realized that Bryvin meant to foster Yavin out away from her.
Over her dead body would that happen. If he was meant to apprentice,
it would be here and not at risk elsewhere. But it was turns in the
future and something she could plan for. But hearing her own worries
thrust into her teeth was something that felt like feeling her own
flesh ripped out of her.

She grew angry and fire snapped in her gaze. "You know nothing,
Riadem. I forbid you to speak of this again nor will I tolerate any
further disrespect from you."

"Then perhaps you should behave respectably." The rejoinder was
snapped back just as furiously. His head snapped to the side as a
flat-handed blow struck him in the cheek. He held his hand to his
cheek, slowly turning to back to her. She'd never struck him before.
He knew she had done so to his sisters, but never to him. "Don't do
that again. I'm not a child nor will I be treated like one."

"Then perhaps you should not behave as one." She struck out again,
slapping the other side of his cheek just as hard. "Do not dare to
think you are old enough to dictate what my behavior should be,
especially since you are unwed yourself and still sewing your own
grain without the benefit of marriage. Yes, I know about some of the
drudges. At least you choose the pretty ones." She watched his face
as he worked his jaw from side to side. "And one is carrying your
bastard at this very moment." When he stiffened but didn't look
surprised, she arched a brow. "As I thought. You have no right to
judge me, Riadem. And do not bring me any more of your marriage
prospects, else you'll find yourself married to the girl."

He straightened. "I was planning on wedding her anyway. I take
responsibility for my actions."

She scoffed lightly. "She's a stupid child and I wish you well of her.
I was going to send her home to her father." She waved a hand. "No
matter. I will _not_ marry a man of your choosing. I will not marry. I
have my independence and I will keep it."

Riadem gathered his jacket, scowling at his mother. "You're not
independent, mother. You're under his thumb and you just can't see
it." He strode to the door, opened it and slammed it behind him.

The slam woke Yavin who startled awake with a cry. "Teetee!" She
sighed, rubbing the palm of her hand to still the tingles in it. She
did see it, she knew it. Riadem couldn't have guessed that it was
where she had chosen to be, nor why. "It's alright, Yavin." She
crossed to the small bed and sat beside the child, stroking her hand
over his dark hair.

He rubbed his eyes and sat up before crawling up into her lap. "What
went bang?"

She wrapped her arms around him, pressing her lips against the side of
his head."Just the door. Teetee closed it too hard. I didn't mean to
wake you."

Her son yawned again. "I go play now?"

She patted his back. "Of course." She set him down and watched as he
wandered to his toy box, pulling out his favorite stuffy and little
wooden horse. **My son, one day, you'll call me mother, not Teetee.
One day. One day I'll tell you of your father. When you're old
enough.**

Last updated on the October 26th 2019

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Behaving Respectably