You Have No Idea
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Estelle, Miriah
Date Posted: 5th November 2024
Characters: Jorghan, Lusilk
Description: Jorghan offers Lusilk a chance to confess
Location: Sunstone Seahold
Date: month 12, day 8 of Turn 10
Notes: Backdated due to LOA
Jorghan stayed away from the Hold since his failed attempt to arrest the woman, keeping to the taverns and lodging cots around the docks, listening and asking the odd discreet question. He had his work to do for Lady Tarani - he needed some way to earn marks, to pay for his food and board - and he kept his ears open for any word of the smith or his wife. He did hear that the man had become a father and was taking a few days off from the forge. There wasn't any word about the woman, but he thought he'd have heard if she hadn't survived the birth.
After a few days had gone by, he risked passing by the smithy. There was no sign of Master Lorican, and it looked as though a journeyman was in charge. Jorghan considered whether he should confront them both at once in their quarters. Usually he'd have balked at approaching a woman without her husband present, and a new mother too, but she was no ordinary woman. He needed all the advantages he could get. Best to catch her alone. So he waited until the master smith was seen returning to his work, and then walked up to the main Hold.
When he found himself outside her door he forced himself to suppress the cold rage, as best he could. He'd had time to think about their last meeting and what had gone wrong. He needed to try something different this time.
"You're making yourself very comfortable around the Hold." The clear, brisk words held a cutting edge as Lusilk stepped into the light of the glows, cradling a small child in her arms. "Asking questions may not be as smart as you might think it is."
Jorghan drew in a sharp breath. He should have expected that she'd have the child with her. He'd forgotten how small a newborn was, how fragile. "I'll take that under advisement." Carefully, he held out his hands, empty of weapons. "I'm here to talk. No threats."
"I'll take that under advisement." She echoed him and one brow coolly raised. "Lift your sleeves and trouser pants." She knew full well what could be hidden and where. She had her own hidden weapons; it was a long-held habit.
His jaw tightened, but he said nothing, turning up one sleeve, then the other, never taking his eyes off her. Before crouching to turn up his trouser legs, he backed off a pace, out of reach of a lunge even though she was holding the baby. He didn't put anything past her.
"Like I said. I'm just here to talk." He straightened. "You killed the Lord Holder of Beryl Peak, and Lisna, a fosterling at that Hold. You can't expect me to let that go, but perhaps I could ask that you be shown mercy." The words tasted bitter in his mouth. "For the sake of your children."
"Did I?" Lusilk pursed her lips. "I heard that woman was caught and she died in a fire. I believe even the Conclave accepted that." She tilted her head to the side as she lightly patted the baby in her arms. "The matter is settled. Besides, I was here, with my husband. You've no proof to your claims." She spoke matter-of-factly. "If you did, you'd have gone immediately to Lord Bryvin or Beryl Peaks Warden."
"I have your picture," Jorghan said, with a certainty he didn't quite feel. "It's a remarkable likeness. Your husband's a good artist. If I showed it to the guards at Beryl Peak, I wonder if they'd recognize you. I hear you had a history there, even before you murdered the Lord Holder in his bed."
"My...picture..." She stared at him and purposefully blinked slowly. "That's your evidence?" At the mention of her history at Beryl Peak, her eyes went flat, but her lips lifted slightly. "I actually do. But not the one you assume. As was said, the Lord Holders agree that the murderer of that Lord Holder is dead."
"Lord Holders can change their minds, if the evidence is good enough. I don't imagine any of them want to see the woman who murdered one of their own at liberty." He met her gaze with a stony stare of his own. "I'm here to offer you a deal. Confess your crime, either to Lord Bryvin or the Warder of Beryl Peak, and the matter can be dealt with quietly, with the least distress for your family. I'd even be willing to ask for leniency," he added, that last through gritted teeth. "And if your husband cuts ties with you, as well he might, I would personally make sure your children were taken care of."
At first Lusilk just stared at Jorghan visibly biting the inside of her cheek as she considered his words. Slowly her lips quivered and she began to laugh. It was not a full belly laugh that had no restraint, but instead was heavily laced with the mockery she fully felt. It startled the child in her arms and still laughing she moved to gently pat the baby's back as she shook her head in mirth. "You are funny." She wiped at one of her eyes, then inhaling, dropped the smile. "Get away from my door, Guard. My daughter requires my care. You've only a drawing and rumors, nothing more. Take your grief for that girl and consider yourself lucky that you're being allowed to leave here untouched. Approach me or mine again at your own peril."
"Very well. I gave you a chance." Jorghan looked on her with no more pity than he might have shown a poisonous tunnelsnake. "If you think this is over, look at that child in your arms. Ask yourself what you would do if someone took her life, for no more reason than that she was in their way. For _marks_," he spat.
Her expression never faltered, if anything her eyes became even colder. "You have no idea what you speak of, Guard. Why don't you ask men who knew Rorigraff. Ask about who and what he was. Now _move_."
"Oh, I'll be asking questions. About who he was, and how he died. You haven't heard the last of this." He tried to match her cold stare, but felt the fury he'd fought down threatening to slip his control. Remembering the child she held, he turned on his heel and strode away before he could do anything he'd regret.
Last updated on the November 23rd 2024