Too clever to chop vegetables

Writers: Bree, Emma
Date Posted: 12th September 2005

Characters: Miranek, Helvalla
Description: Miranek and Helvalla discuss sending their daughter to study at the Harper Hall
Location: Emerald Falls Hold
Date: month 7, day 5 of Turn 3
Notes: Takes place before the fire.
The Harper Hall accepts female students, and teaches them a limited
syllabus. Female apprentices are not accepted at this point in the timeline.

At last the children were in bed for the night. The boys hadn't wanted to go to bed, only giving in when both of them started yawning. Helan had gone to bed early, since finishing Harper Classes, she had been bored, wanting to do things, but fretting over the way she was expected to just learn to cook and clean.

"Do you still think it's a good idea to send Helan to study with the Harpers?" he asked his wife.

Helvalla nodded, glancing up from the shirt she was mending. "I do, Miranek.
More every day."

"If nothing else it will give her something to do," he said. "I can't openly say that I disagree with Lord Enrizial's thoughts on girls apprenticing, you know that. But had we stayed at Jade Harbour, she'd at least have been allowed the opportunity at the Technician Hall, if she'd wanted to. This seems to be the next best thing."

"Have you seen how sad she looks?" Helvalla paused to rethread her needle before taking up the shirt again. "She's intellgent, Miranek. Too intelligent to spend her life having babies or chopping vegetables."

He had noticed the look in his daughter's eyes, and it wasn't something he liked seeing. "If that was truly the life she wanted, I'd be more than happy to help her with it, but..." He paused. "I've seen her drawings, and they deserve to be shown to others. The Harper Hall could help her with that."

"I know. I want her to go there... I want her to be what she can."

"We can afford it," the marks they recieved as part of the contract he'd signed with Lord Enrizial would more than cover the cost of her fees. "I'd at least like to talk to her about it, to make sure that she wants to go as well. She'd have to board there most of the time, we'd perhap only see her on restdays."

"But it's not that far!" Helvalla protested. "There's no reason I couldn't go visit her..."

"It's just a short walk away, visiting her would be easy, and you know I'd accompany you, or Ranval would."

"Then there's no reason she can't do it," Helvalla said firmly. "I can see her whenever I want, and she'll be happy."

"And that is what I want most for her. I want her to feel useful, and to use her talents." He smiled, "She showed me a sketch she drew of the cot the other day. It really is so good."

"She showed it to me as well." Helvalla smiled at her husband. "I'm not surprised that she's talented, however."

"With a mother like you, how could she fail to be?" he teased, smiling at his wife.

Helvalla's smile turned warmer. "If you keep saying such nice things, husband, I'll never finish mending your son's shirt."

"How do you know that isn't what I have in mind?" he teased.

"And is it?"

The healer rose to his feet, crossing the few steps to his wife. "Why don't you leave that, and we have an early night of our own?" he suggested, holding out a hand to her.

Helvalla took his hand and rose to her feet, leaving the mending in her chair. "I think I'd like that."

"Good."

Last updated on the September 13th 2005

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Too clever to chop vegetables