Navigating a New Norm

Writers: Aaron, Heather
Date Posted: 22nd April 2024

Characters: Corofel, Reven
Description: Reven and Corofel meet at Emerald Falls and discuss their new roles as Acting Lord and Warder.
Location: Emerald Falls Hold
Date: month 10, day 13 of Turn 11
Notes: Mentioned: Arippa

Corofel

Reven

Arippa and Pippa were settled in their temporary quarters and Reven
was taking the time to re-familiarize himself with the layout of
Emerald Falls. Much was as he remembered. It was in this very place
that he and Arippa had met and danced for the first time. Reven
remembered the former lady, Felyna, who had helped broker the marriage
between himself and Arippa. He was indebted to her.

~~Big space. Fly. Fly. Fly. Zoom. Zoom. Zoom!~~ Keeper careened
through the large vaulted foyer of Emerald Falls.

**Let's not crash in to anyone, please. They might not be used to a
firelizard buzzing around.**

~~Happy. Happy. Happy!~~

Reven shook his head, but left the bronze flit to his flying as he
walked to Lord Corowal's office. He knocked on the door before
entering.

The young man who stood in the room bore enough resemblance to Corowal
that Reven had no doubt he was looking at the new Acting Lord Holder.

"Lord Corofel? Reven from Green Valley," he said, extending his gloved
hand which hid the missing finger.

"Thanks for coming, Reven." Corofel approached and shook Reven's hand
firmly. It was a relief just to see him, but to shake his hand made it
all seem more real. He was going to make it through this. More
importantly, the Hold was going to make it through this.

"Of course. Before we get into all of that," he gestured towards the
piles of hides that littered Corowal's desk, "why don't we sit and
discuss how this 'provisional warder' and 'acting Lord Holder' is
going to work?"

"Right. Of course. I... I hope you won't hear this the wrong way. I
asked for help, after all. But I didn't ask you here to take over for
me. I want to be involved. I want to learn how to do this. I want my
people to trust me and to be able to depend on me," said Corofel. He
sighed and looked down. He sounded like such a child.

"Father may come back tomorrow. Or he may never come back." He
swallowed a lump in his throat. "So I need to be able to do this. I
trust Lord Zathris like a second father, and he chose you. So I'll
trust you, too. You must have come here with your own ideas about how
this is going to work, so... let's hear it. What do you mean to do as
my provisional Warder?"

"I also want to be clear," Reven said, "that I didn't ask to come
here. I was politely volun-told by the Holders' Conclave. But since I
am here, we're going to have to work as a team. You have the Blood to
be Lord Holder, but I have the experience and know-how. Now, you've
worked with Lord Zathris so you're prepared for many parts of being a
Lord Holder. A true Warder has complete control over all decisions
until the heir is old enough to take over. A provisional Warder has
control to make decisions but for a limited time. I don't plan on
doing that, taking control, necessarily. I'll give you advice, I'll be
your sounding board, I'll help you interview to fill staff positions,
but you'll make the final decisions on everything. If I feel like
you're going to make some colossal error in decision-making, I'll step
in, but otherwise, think of me like an advisor."

"I didn't mean to try to pick a fight with you," said Corofel. He must
have sounded more angry than he meant to. It was hard not to let his
emotions seep into what he was saying, even if the feelings were
mostly unrelated. "I'm grateful to you, and I will be doing the best I
can to respect your time. To be ready for you to get to go home as
soon as possible. Filling the staff positions is probably the first
big step toward that."

"Lord Zathris has also given me... er, given us access to his guard
captain, Karhal. He's here to make sure our guard is up to the task of
making sure no one else disappears. I understand this is going to
require a very delicate conversation with my guards. I don't need them
resenting me for bringing in some foreign captain to breathe down
their necks and tell them what to do. But I do need to know that I can
trust them, and I don't know any of them like I know Karhal. Because I
haven't lived here since I was a child.

"And that's something else I'll need your help with. My people still
know me as that child. But they need to be able to see me as a man who
they can trust to lead them as much as I need to be that man."

Reven smiled a little and shook his head. "I didn't think you were
trying to pick a fight. I just wanted to be clear about the boundaries
I'm setting for myself. It's easy for me to try to do everything
myself because I'm used to it. You hold me accountable, and I'll do
the same for you. Now, as far as your people seeing you as a man, that
takes time I'm afraid. I was the last person on Pern the people of
Green Valley thought would be their Holder. My cousin, Namrien, was
the actual heir, but then he died unexpectedly. I was living in Red
Rush, having left Green Valley to foster there, and then after my
fostership ended, I stayed in Red Rush. So everyone knew when I
returned to Green Valley it was only because the position of Holder
had been offered to me. Try living with that. People remember you as a
child _and_ they have a grudge against you because you'd rather have
lived somewhere else."

"So. There's no magic answer," Corofel sighed. It was not a
competition... At least he knew that Reven had a very similar
experience. At least in his own case, he had been coming home already
before anyone knew his father would vanish.

"Of course, it wouldn't be that easy. My plan for now, apart from
getting these positions permanently filled, is just to make time to
talk to everyone. It will take some time, obviously, but... I want
them to feel like I'm here for them. For whatever that's worth."

"I think one of the things you can do is be very visible. Take all
your meals in the Dining Hall. Visit the crafters' quarters and see
what projects they're working on. The more people see you, the
better," Reven suggested. "And, once Karhal is satisfied that security
is tight, I think you should consider hosting a ball, or dance, or
something fun here at Emerald Falls. People tend to like a holder that
keeps them fed and provides them with entertainment."

"Something much easier managed with a proper full-time support staff
who wants the job. I'm very grateful for those who are filling in now,
but that's just itâ€" they're filling in. They would rather get back to
their usual jobs as soon as possible, and I don't blame them," said
Corofel.

"Are your quarters comfortable enough as they are? Is your family
getting settled in?"

"My ladies are well. This is very much a vacation for them. It's
Pippa's first time at Emerald Falls." Reven already had plans to show
her the waterfalls.

Keeper appeared above Reven's head, whistling and chittering excitedly
as he began swooping down the room. Reven whistled sharply and the
bronze firelizard took a step nose dive before pulling up with a
sudden unfurling of his wings, to land neatly on the Green Valley
Holder's shoulder.

"Keeper this is Lord Corofel. I'd like for you to be on your best
behavior, please. No ear kisses." Keeper's head twisted this way and
that as he watched his person speak to him.

"Well, hello, handsome." Corofel smiled as he greeted the firelizard.
He looked like a charming sort, and well trained, too.

The bronze, picking up on his big friend's insistence on well
behavior, demurely hopped over to Corofel's knee, settling his wings
along his back, and extending his head, the size of small fist,
towards Corofel for pets.

Reven couldn't keep the fond smile from his lips. Although he had
acquired Keeper to use as a working animal, the little bugger had
wormed his way into the holder's heart over the last four turns.

"Aww, what a sweet boy." Corofel beamed and obliged with scratchies.
He hoped firelizards liked them the same way Tonuth did. "It's very
nice you meet you, Keeper."

"Well, milord, shall we take a walk around the Hold and start making
notes on things to be done?" Reven asked.

Corofel could think of a number of things he would much rather do. But he had responsibilities now.

"There's no time like the present."

Last updated on the April 26th 2024

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Navigating a New Norm