Proposal of Convenience... or is it?

Writers: Estelle, Miriah
Date Posted: 14th October 2020
Series: The Assassin's Husband

Characters: Lusilk, Lorican, Silgan
Description: Lorican makes a proposal to Lusilk
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 5, day 28 of Turn 10
Notes: Mentioned: Urlene, Bryvin, Varlin, Dunrik, Jayzine

Lusilk

Silgan buried his feet in the sand of the small lake alcove,
delighting in flipping his toes through the coarse grains. Lusilk
settled on the blanket, sitting carefully to favor her still healing
ribs. Honestly, she had been feeling much better since she'd left the
infirmary, but things had felt almost too comfortable and quiet. She'd
not been able to do training, either for herself or Lorican, and being
forced to wait and heal had never been her strong suit.

It had been a difficult few sevendays and she'd found herself
sometimes weeping at night, muffling her tears in her pillow to hide
the noise, only to wake up to puffy eyes, if she'd been able to sleep
at all. Her nights without sleep had helped her in her planning, but
it didn't help her peace of mind, nor her worries about how quickly
she would have to act. But today, getting out and simply relaxing,
was actually pleasurable. It wasn't something she allowed herself to
do often.

She looked over at Lorican, who had also taken advantage of the rest
day to join her. "You're quiet."

"Hmm? Oh. Sorry. Just thinking." He turned from where he'd been looking
out over the lake, the breeze from across the water ruffling his hair.
Since he'd come to the Weyrhold, there'd not been much time for him to
rest, either, with the sheer quantity of work for the smiths and
Lusilk's training filling his spare hours.

He nodded at Silgan. "It's good to see him playing and enjoying himself.
After - what happened." Watching, he couldn't help thinking of his own
son, far away at Dolphin Cove. Now that the immediate danger had passed,
he felt the loss of every precious day with Urlene and their child, but
he knew he couldn't risk letting anyone find out how much he cared for them.

She nodded. Silgan, despite his young age, was a strong child, but had
never before been exposed to the violence that was inherent in her
background. More than once, she found him in her bed after bad dreams;
the thought of what he dreamed pained her. Her lips thinned slightly
and spoke softly so her son wouldn't hear her. "I have to make sure he
never goes through that again. I have to keep him safe. Rorrigraf won't
ever stop. "

"No." Lorican had been thinking about that, too. From what he'd heard
while he'd been playing dead, the Lord Holder had offered a substantial
sum for Silgan, and for his mother's death. There would always be men
desperate enough to try to claim it, and they didn't know who else knew
they were at the Weyrhold. The only option seemed to be to flee and
start a new life elsewhere.

But then, while they sat together at dinner, or out here by the lake,
like an ordinary family, he'd begun to wonder if there was another way.

"I said that I'd help you," he said, keeping his voice low as well. "I
haven't forgotten that."

She looked at him and blinked slowly. What could he do? He wasn't
skilled enough yet and she couldn't take the time or the energy to
continue training him. And had he forgotten his own troubles? Surely
not. She momentarily debated telling him that she knew the identity of
the person who sought him but immediately opted not to do so. The man
would probably try to do something stupidly honorable, like
confronting the Holder himself. No, she'd promised him that she'd take
care of the matter and she would. She looked away, watching Silgan. "I
know you did. But you have your own life to live, Lorican. You have
goals for yourself. I won't ask you to do more than you already have."
Lusilk pushed her hair from her face, wishing momentarily that she'd
tied it back like she normally did.

Perhaps it was those words that made his decision. She'd done so much
for him, saved his life, taught him how to fight back and stayed at the
Weyrhold to help him when she could have run. What had he given her,
except some marks and a promise to take Silgan to safety that he'd not
fulfilled?

Lorican looked out, past where the little boy was playing, over the
peaceful waters of the lake, imagining the vast distance that lay
between him and Dolphin Cove Weyr, Urlene and his son. Then he took a
deep breath, turned to her and reached out to take her hand in his.

"There is something I could do." He knew, whatever else he did, he
couldn't have any regrets. Looking into her dark eyes, remembering those
few moments when she'd seemed softer, more vulnerable, he had a deep
sense of the rightness of what he was about to do.

"We could get married. Wait - hear me out," he went on quickly, before
she could reply. "If we were married, you and Silgan would have the
protection of my Craft. No matter how powerful Lord Rorrigraf is, he
can't afford to offend the Smiths. A boycott could ruin his Hold. And if
I can use these next few months to work, really work at getting my
promotion to Master...even if something happened to me, you could seek
help from the Smith Hall. You could be safe, both of you. No more
running." He hesitated, trying to read her expression. "You don't have
to answer now. But will you think about it?"

Lusilk's eyes widened and her mouth parted slightly in surprise; of all
the things he could have ever suggested, marriage was not something
she'd ever imagined he would put forward. He was insane... but it also
made a twisted kind of sense, now that she thought of it. It did provide
some protection, especially for Silgan. She wasn't, however, as
idealistic as Lorican. Rorrigraf was a wily old man and she had no
doubt that he'd find a way around the issue if pressed.

She left her hand in his and thought quickly about the plan she'd
developed. How would it affect what she'd already started to put into
place? What about the woman at the Weyr? She looked to Silgan and sucked
in her cheeks, biting down lightly on the inside of them. Silgan adored
Lorican and if anything happened to her and Bryvin couldn't act for any reason, Lorican
would raise him to be a good man with a potential craft. He'd never
have to worry about going hungry or living as she had. She exhaled
slowly. Silgan was her priority and the woman of the Weyr wasn't her
problem.

She made a few quick mental adjustments and turned back to Lorican,
meeting his gaze. Her own was steady as she squeezed the hand that still
held hers. "Yes. I accept your offer."

A sudden smile lit his face. "Oh. Thank you!" The sense of relief and
lightness, at having done something good and right, was mingled with a
sharp twist of pain when he remembered the picture of Urlene, still
hidden in his room, but he refused to let it show. She must have
forgotten him by now, or so he hoped, for the sake of her happiness and
peace. And Lusilk deserved a man who thought only of her.

He shook his head, letting out his breath in a laugh. "I must say, I
never would have thought, when we first met, that we'd end up here. I
can hardly believe it."

She finally gave a soft chuckle. "No. I couldn't say I pictured it
either, all things considered. " No, if she'd succeeded, Varlin would
still be alive and she'd be somewhere else. So would Silgan. Perhaps
she could have convinced Varlin to finally retire with her... But that
was a series of thoughts she couldn't afford to envisage. The entirety
of their current state was on her shoulders, and none of it was
Lorican's. Despite her thoughts and deep regrets, she forced herself
to keep a smile on her face.

She returned her focus to Lorican. "Can it be done soon? Just in case.
Nothing elaborate. Perhaps just Dunrik and Jayzine as witnesses with a
Harper. The entire Weyrhold already assumes we're together." She studied
his face, then her smile flashed a little wider and a little more
wicked. "Pity you didn't take me up on my offer before, Lorican. Then it
would really only be a formality."

Lorican felt the heat rise to his face. "Yes, I suppose it would." He
couldn't help thinking back to that night, how he'd lain awake and
restless, thinking of her, the way her hair had tumbled around her bare
shoulders, the soft touch of her lips on his. Of what it would be like,
if he rose in the dark and went to her room.

"I'll speak to Master Dunrik this evening. I think he'll be pleased." He
hesitated. "I hope you know that I - I would never ask you to - to do
anything you didn't wish to, in return for my protection. It's freely
given, with all my heart." Looking up, he met her gaze, wishing he could
speak of this as easily as the weyrfolk, rather than stumbling over his
awkward tongue, and tentatively raised a hand to brush back a few
strands of her dark hair. "I care about you. Very much."

Lusilk's wicked little smile faltered and her face grew serious as she
held his hand against her cheek. She spoke softly. "And I will never
ask you to claim feelings that aren't your own. You don't have do and
I don't expect it. I would rather you didn't." Then the crooked little
smile returned to ease whatever sting her words may have caused. "But
rest assured, Lorican, I plan on fully bedding you until you beg me to
stop." With that, she leaned forward and placed a full kiss on his
mouth, not only to shut up any response, but also because she simply
wanted to.

Surprise didn't stop Lorican from responding ardently to her kiss, his
arm sliding down to slip around her waist, careful of her newly healed
injuries, and draw her closer to him. He felt his heart racing at her
words, her lithe, strong body pressed against his. That irresistible
smile...

When for a moment their lips parted to draw breath, he started to say
something, and then became aware that they weren't alone. Lorican turned
his head and saw Silgan, and then blushed the deepest red he'd done
since he'd met them both. "Oh. Oh, Faranth's egg..." Still, he didn't
pull away from her.

Silgan giggled silently, watching the pair of them with interested
eyes. He stuck his finger in his mouth, and looked at one, then the
other. He'd never seen his mother in that position before, but it
didn't upset him. He liked Lorican. Skipping over, he sat down near
them and peered at one, then the other, tilting his head.

Lusilk smirked at the blush and then looked down at Silgan. "Mama and
Lorican are getting married."

Silgan couldn't stop himself. He squealed and lunged at Lorican,
hugging him tightly around the neck. There was a soft whisper in his
ear, only for Lorican. "Can I call you Da now?"

Despite his embarrassment, Lorican smiled in genuine delight and relief
that the little boy was happy about the match. "Of course you can. I'd
be honored if you would." He glanced at Lusilk, as if seeking her
approval. "We'll be a family, the three of us, and all take care of each
other. Though perhaps your Mama more so than us," he added.

Lusilk arched a brow. She hadn't heard Silgan's question, but whatever
he'd asked, apparently it was alright with Lorican. His next words
made her realize the nature of the question, however and part of her
heart seized. Neither of them knew what she was planning, but she
could only hope what Lorican promised would take place, if only for
Silgan's sake. She offered a smile, still half against the smith and
leaned carefully to kiss Silgan's cheek. "Yes. Of course."

She let herself remain in the circle of both of their embraces for a
few moments longer before the feelings of awkwardness with the sudden
intimacy of the situation overwhelmed her and she pulled away.
Sexuality was one matter, but intimate, emotional close contact quite
another. "I'll go inform
Jayzine, if you want to go to Dunrik. We need a date, Lorican."

"All right. We should do it soon, like you said." He looked at her over
Silgan's head, both of them knowing that only once they'd made their
vows before witnesses would her son be under the protection of the
Smithcraft. "I'll speak to the harpers, see when they can do it." Still
feeling a little dazed by the turn of events, he began to gather up the
remains of their picnic. "I suppose we'd better be getting back. It'll
be dark before long." He couldn't help feeling a touch of regret. It had
been a lovely day, calm and peaceful, and he'd not had many days like
that since he'd come to the Weyrhold.

She nodded and then slowly rose, taking Silgan's hand. "I'll go speak
to Jayzine right now. I'll see you tonight." She paused and then
flashed a quick, knowing smile. "And I'll even be respectful and agree
to wait until after our vows. Sensibilities and all that. It'll give
you something to think about. Quicker it's done...." She allowed her
voice to trail off, winked, blew him a kiss, and then sauntered off,
putting a purposeful sway into her hips.

---

Last updated on the November 11th 2020

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Proposal of Convenience... or is it?