You Shouldn't Be Here

Writers: Estelle, Miriah
Date Posted: 23rd February 2021

Characters: R'ayl, Enali
Description: Furayl sees a familiar face...
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 8, day 25 of Turn 10

Keeping a wary eye on the weyrfolk to avoid running into anyone, Furayl
made his way through the thinning crowd in the dining cavern with a tray
of plates and mugs for washing. He much preferred doing chores in the
laundry or filling glowbaskets. Out here he was fearful of encountering
the Weyrleader, or that dragonrider who'd ruined his father. Although he
knew there was no reason why either man should recognize or even notice
him, the mere thought made his heart skip a beat.

He felt a wash of relief as he made it to the doors of the kitchen and
stepped inside. It was still bustling and noisy, but felt safer, a haze
of cooking scents, clattering pans and friendly gossip. He looked around
for a space to put down his tray, since his arms were starting to
tremble a little with the weight. Then, suddenly, his eyes were drawn to
a face across the room. A face he knew.

Enali! For a moment, he felt only the sheer joy of seeing someone
familiar, from home, of not being alone and scared. Then, as he stood
still, staring at her, doubts crept in. Why was she here? Would she tell
his mother?

She didn't see him, not at first; she was far too busy carting a tray
towards the sink to be washed. It was only when she lifted an arm to
wipe sweat off of her brow that she looked up and spotted him. Her
eyes went wide in shock and a bit of dismay. What was Grevan's younger
brother doing here? Sweet Faranth, if he told anyone who she was,
everything, every plan she had made, could be utterly ruined!

She saw the confusion and the doubt in his face and glanced around,
then hurried over. "Here, I'll take those." She spoke aloud as she
took the trays, then murmured. "Shh. Wait outside for a moment, okay?"

"Okay." Relieved of the tray, Furayl retreated back to the dining hall.
Seeing that some of the other candidates had begun to wipe down the
cleared tables, he fetched a cloth, keeping his head down. By the time
she emerged he'd been cleaning the same table near the kitchen entrance
for several minutes, but luckily no one had noticed.

Enali didn't rush over to him, but forced herself to walk at a sedate
pace, as though nothing was troubling her. His very presence was
concerning. Why had his mother allowed him to come here? Was there a
reason he was here? Her eyes flicked to the knots on his shoulder and
then twitched. A Candidate? She felt a strong sense of betrayal that
she had to hide. How could he? After what had happened to Grevan!? She
swallowed the bitter bile and forced her lips upwards as she
approached the table. "It looks clean enough." She glanced around and
lowered her voice. "By the First Egg, Furayl, what are you doing
here?"

"I was Searched. Master Shuvan at the Weaver Hall said I should go."
Furayl hesitated, not knowing how much he should say. He thought that
his Master would want him to keep quiet about watching and learning and
the letters, but he'd also said he would have friends. Could Enali be
one of them? She'd been Grevan's friend, they were going to be married.
"How did you get here?"

Her eyes narrowed just a little. Shuvan? Master Shuvan? Then her eyes
widened just for a moment before she caught herself. "I came on a
tithe train. I had to come. After your brother..." Her face paled with
very real grief. "I had nowhere else to go. No one at the Hold would
even look at me, except for a few people that helped me." She let her
words trail off before she stared back at Furayl, then reached out to
pull him into the corridor. She couldn't say what she needed to in the
middle of the dining hall. The moment they were in a corner of the
corridor, she let him go. "Why didn't you refuse, Furayl? You could
have. You shouldn't be here."

"I know. I didn't want to. The green dragon and her rider were so kind,
but still I wouldn't have, if Master Shuvan hadn't told me I should."
Furayl glanced around, fearful of being overheard, and lowered his
voice. "He said I should watch, and learn. That I could be brave and
strong, like - like my brother." His eyes filled, suddenly, with tears.
It had been so long since he'd been with anyone who understood. "But I'm
not brave. I'm scared, all the time. I saw... I saw that bronzerider,
the one who..."

**Shuvan _is_ a part of it then!** Enali hid her surprise and looked
down at Furayl with a pinched, sad expression. "I miss him too. I
loved him very much and you're right. You can help. Just do whatever
Shuvan says, alright. I'm...I'm here too. To watch and such." And
more. "You can be brave. Just like him." She hurriedly wiped at her
eyes. "One day, he'll have justice, I promise." She inhaled. "But no
one can know that we knew him, okay? Or why we're here."

Enali's expression hardened at Furayl's next words. "I know. I've seen
him too." She resisted touching her belly. "Justice, Furayl. We'll
both have it. And so will your mother, okay? Just...trust me."

"All right." The young boy reached out and hugged her, overwhelmed by
the relief and comfort of knowing that there was someone else here who
had loved his brother. His voice was muffled as he pressed his face
against her. "Mama said there's no such thing as justice, that all we
can do is look after each other as best we can. But Master Shuvan said
maybe we could make a change, from the inside."

She returned the hug, her mind still working. "Your mama doesn't know
what we do, Furayl. And Master Shuvan is right. We _will_ make change,
I promise. But keep it to yourself. Do what he tells you to. And when
the time comes, you'll see how we can change everything." She looked
down at him. "I can't talk to you much, okay? Just in case." Her voice
dropped to a whisper. "But don't trust anyone here. Not anyone.
They'll try to turn you against your family. They'll pretend
everything is going to be wonderful and you'll have this new, perfect
life. Don't believe them."

A chill struck to the pit of the boy's stomach. The weyrfolk _had_ been
kind to him. They had told him he could be strong and given him good
things to eat, and said that he had a chance to Impress a dragon. Could
it all have been a lie? It was hard to believe, but Enali had almost
been part of his family. Surely he could trust her.

And if they could make a change, so everyone would understand that his
brother had been brave and good - he'd give anything for that.

"All right." He didn't want to let go, but he did, gathering his
courage. "I won't tell anyone. I promise."

She nodded. "Good. And tell Master Shuvan that you've met me and I've
understood, alright? He'll understand too." Enali stepped back and
quickly glanced around before she quickly ruffled Furayl's hair. "I'll
try to see you later this sevenday. Just keep quiet. And when it's
time, you'll know. I promise."

"All right." Furayl glanced back towards the dining hall. "I'd better
get back to chores." He gave her a shy smile. "Even if we can't talk
much, I'm glad you're here."

She couldn't say that she was glad he was there. She would have
preferred him to have been back at home. "Me too," she replied
quickly. "Now, shoo before we get noticed." She hurried away, slipping
back towards the kitchens.

Last updated on the February 24th 2021

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You Shouldn't Be Here