A Path to Freedom

Writers: Estelle
Date Posted: 29th January 2020

Characters: Tarani, Cadric
Description: Tarani shares her plans with a friend
Location: Sunstone Seahold
Date: month 8, day 4 of Turn 10
Notes: Mentioned: Brina, Humari, Asaile

As the sky began to darken outside the windows of the ladies' sitting
room, Lady Brina dismissed them to go and prepare for dinner in the
hall. Tarani had already got her leave to dine with Humari and her
husband, but she had her preparations to make, too.

She slipped away from the other young women and hurried down a back
staircase, passing a maid with an armful of laundry and a couple of
younger boys, one bearing a large bag of glows on his shoulder while the
other refilled the wall baskets. In contrast to the soporific peace of
the ladies' sitting room, this part of the Hold was busy and purposeful.
As she reached the lower levels, the scents of roasting meat, of
sizzling and baking and sweet berries told her that she was near the
kitchens.

Instead of following her nose, Tarani stepped into a side passageway
that led to some of the Hold's storerooms. Not being on the way to
anywhere, it was less well used at this time of day. With a quick glance
over her shoulder, she opened a door and slipped inside - and was
immediately drawn into the embrace of strong arms. She pushed the door
closed behind her and lifted up her face, wrapping her arms around his
neck to draw him into a deep, passionate kiss.

"I missed you today," she murmured when at last they drew breath enough
to speak.

"I thought about you all the time when I was on duty." The young man was
perhaps seventeen, not long out of his training as one of the Hold's
guards. He had the kind of square-jawed, dreamy-eyed, fair face with a
hint of boyish roundness still in his cheeks, that made him look as
though he'd stepped out of a harper ballad, or one of the illustrated
tales some of the young ladies shared between them. Drudges and maids
giggled over him and so did the ladies, but Tarani was the only one
who'd dared to go up to him while she'd been walking in the Hold's
grounds and find out his name was Cadric.

"I thought about you when I was sewing." She stood up on tiptoe to kiss
him again. "When Lady Brina was lecturing us about the proper way to use
a fish knife. When they were all talking about whether Lady Asaile's
baby will be a boy or a girl for the five thousandth time..." She pulled
a face. "It was so-ooo boring. But then I thought about the time when we
walked by your practice drill and Lady Limma was so modest she wouldn't
even _look_ and tried to hurry me past..."

"I have to make myself stop thinking about you on the practice ground.
Best way to get yourself hit in the face with a staff." The young man
rubbed his nose ruefully. "But it doesn't have to be for much longer -
does it?" His voice was suddenly eager. "Now your parents can't stop us
getting married. Not any more. I don't see why we have to wait."

Tarani looked up at him, and there was just the faintest hint of
exasperation in her gaze. "We've talked about this, Cadri. My parents
can't _stop_ me marrying who I want, but they can cut me off without a
mark. And you're just a junior, you live in the barracks. You don't even
have your own cot. Where would we live?"

"There's my parents..."

"And what would I do? I know how to manage a score of drudges but I
don't know how to wash clothes or scrub floors. I can plan a menu for a
grand dinner, or pour tea for a visiting Lord but I can't bake bread or
peel vegetables."

"It's not so hard. You could learn. My ma would help you. And we'd have
each other."

"No, you don't understand." How could she explain? She couldn't do
drudge work, not in this Hold, with all her former companions watching
in horrified fascination. It was unimaginable. "I can ride, and dance,
and sing passably and sew terribly. No-one's going to pay me to do any
of that." She shook her head. "We have to have marks. And..." Her eyes
brightened suddenly, wickedly. "I know how to get them."

"How?" A faint line creased Cadric's brow. He'd been around the older
guards enough to be suspicious of schemes to get rich. "Tarani, we can't
do anything that's not right or proper."

"There's nothing wrong with it. I'm simply going to sell something
that's mine." She grinned. "Lord Rorigraff's jewellery."

"His what?"

"Actually, _my_ jewellery, that he gave me. He sent three pieces. Two
necklaces with earrings, one with beryls and diamonds and one with
sapphires, and a bracelet. I don't want the horrid things. It makes my
skin crawl, even to think of wearing them." Tarani shuddered, imagining
that ghastly old man fastening one of them around her neck with gnarled,
bony fingers. "But they're worth a lot, I'm sure. I'm going to see a
merchant tonight, and find out what I can get for them."

He looked doubtful. "I'm not sure. The man's hardly been dead a month.
It's not very respectful."

"Lord Rorrigraf never did a single thing to earn my respect," Tarani
said tartly. "But I do see what it looks like, which is why no-one's
going to find out about it. The person I've asked to look at them is
very discreet. And the best part is, no-one will expect me to wear them.
It wouldn't be...right, or proper."

The young guard turned the scheme over in his mind, like a man worrying
a loose tooth. There was nothing illegal about what she was doing, but
somehow it bothered him. "All right, but what about this discreet
merchant? There's some shady people down near the docks, Tarani. You
don't want to get mixed up with them."

"Completely respectable. His wife is one of Lady Asaile's attendants.
I'm going to dinner with them tonight." She reached up and ran her
fingers through his hair. "Don't worry. I'll handle it all. I've watched
my uncle deal with the traders and merchants who come to our Hold. I
know what to say and who to trust. Then we can pay our own way...and we
can be together." She kissed him again, and this time it was long,
lingering. He was so sweet - and handsome, and strong, and _young_.

And good. Sometimes a little too good.

She'd think about that later, though. "I've got to go. I need to change
for dinner." One last kiss, lightly, on his cheek. "I'll tell you
everything that happened tomorrow. Same time, same place?"

"After dinner. I've got watch duty." Cadric's hand lingered on hers. "Be
careful, Tarani. It's the rich, respectable ones you've got to worry
about. One of the old sergeants told me, they're the ones who were too
slippery for us to catch."

Tarani giggled. "I hope he's right. It'll be no fun if it's too easy."
Then her hand slipped through his, and she was gone, hurrying back
through the plain, stone-flagged corridors and up the stairs until, out
of breath, she arrived back at her chamber to be scolded by her maid for
leaving her to be dressed with only minutes to spare.

Once she had the marks, she'd have freedom. To choose to marry Cadric.
Or someone else. Or not to wed at all, and be courted by all the Hold.
Her life, which had once seemed a narrow passage leading down to
marriage to the highest bidder, had opened out like a dragon's wings,
and soon it would be time to fly.

Last updated on the January 14th 2021

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A Path to Freedom