She Ought To...

Writers: Eimi, Yvonne
Date Posted: 18th July 2007

Characters: Penryn, Thalia
Description: Penryn and Thalia have a chance to catch up, for better or for worse
Location: Garnet Valley Hold
Date: month 5, day 5 of Turn 4

Penryn rose and walked around the table to pull out a chair. "Good morning, Lady Thalia. Please, allow me."

"Thank you." Thalia hid a smile and a yawn as she sat in the proffered chair. Klah magically appeared at her elbow, brought by some attentive drudge, and she wrapped her hands around it gratefully. "You're up early. I haven't seen you at the breakfast table for a while." **Since you were married...**

He slipped back into his chair across from her. "Yes, well, I took Bryalen to a nurse. Ryalane needed to sleep in this morning." The roll basket was passed down the table and he held it for her while she made her selection. She was looking especially pretty this morning. Or maybe she was as pretty as ever, he just hadn't had as much chance to appreciate it lately. As is should be.

Thalia stifled another yawn as she placed her roll on her plate.
"Poor Ryalane. Children can be such a trial, sometimes. I am ever so glad that I had a wet nurse from the beginning."

It had seemed to Penryn had been taking advantage of wet nurses more and more of late, but he did not want to speak of that aloud. His family troubles were private matters, and he hated the idea of spreading rumors about Ryalane. It was not her fault. "Yes, but he is a joy. He's growing so big already."

"They do grow quickly." Thalia reached for a knife and butter.
"Aslian is so large, now... it suddenly seems that it won't be so long after all until he's able to assume Lord Holdership."

"Are you so anxious for the day to come?" he gently teased as his knife worked on the side of the butter brick facing him.

"Well, no. I have nothing against Ishek. But it will certainly take a weight off my shoulders when he is confirmed by the Conclave."
Apparently it was too early for Thalia to get a joke.

Penryn nodded, shrugging off the failure at the attempt to reclaim a little of the banter they once enjoyed. Things had just... changed. "Well, I don't think there is anything to worry about on that account. Your son is the rightful Heir and everyone knows that."

Thalia smiled a lot more confidently than she felt. "Yes. They do.
But if Ryalane's sleep is being interrupted by her son, isn't yours?"

The sudden question took him of guard. In actuality, it seemed Ryalane's sleep was anything but disturbed by her son. "Ah... Yes. Yes, I haven't been sleeping as well. Though, I also am not recovering from giving birth." He added in defense of his wife.

The Lady bit her tongue - what an odd reply to a perfectly straightforward question. Ryalane delivered her son weeks earlier, and unlike Penryn, wasn't working. **How curious...** "You have dark circles under your eyes. That's why I asked."

"I see." The last thing he wanted to talk about with Thalia was his wife. It would be far to easy to confide in her, to rely on her.
That could be a little dangerous considering the feelings he still had. "Are you saying dark circles do not become me, Lady?" he asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"If you are proposing a new fashion, Steward, then I shall refuse to endorse it!" Thalia said, using her best snotty Lady voice. "Yes, well, I seemed to have never had very good fashion sense." As Thalia's critique of his wardrobe had proven more than once, though he never minded. "I guess that's why I never became a tailor."

"Yes, and we're all rather grateful. You're much better at maths."

"Reluctantly, I'm afraid. I would much rather be out in the sun than behind a desk calculating figures. Besides," he smiled, remembering a time that seemed rather long ago, "a Lady once told me I aught to work on my tan more."

"She's a sensible sort, I'm sure." She hesitated, then ploughed on anyway. Penryn would refuse. "But if you decide to take her up on her advice, you're welcome to ride with me this afternoon."

An unconsciously pleased smile touched his lips. Faranth's name, but it sounded tempting. "I'm sorry, Lady Thalia. I truly wish I could ride with you, but I can't."

"Of course."

Her quick, courteous acceptance of his refusal made him feel like a heel. He knew she tended to hide her true feelings behind propriety.
"No, Thalia, I would love to, but I really _can't_. My knee, remember? I wouldn't be able to stay on a runner for more than a quartercandlemark, and that would make for a very short ride. I wish I could ride with you."

She flushed a little - of course she knew about his knee. Did he truly think that she was that insensitive? A short ride would have been lovely, or perhaps a ride by carriage... or something else, since her morning-adled brain couldn't come up with an alternate suggestion. "Of course. How thoughtless of me. I apologize."

"You are not thoughtless, Lady. I was honored by the suggestion." He mentally kicked himself for making her blush so. They had almost seemed comfortable with each other again for a moment there. And shards, he so wanted things to be like they once were. He missed the ease with which they once talked. He missed her, as much as he ought not to. But married or eligible, either way, she had always been off limits. Were things really so different now? Did things really have to change? That thought emboldened him. "Perhaps... perhaps a walk?
In your garden? I haven't visited there for quite some time and I would truly like to see how it has grown."

"You wouldn't recognize it," Thalia said, eagerly clinging to a change in topic... and perhaps a little thrilled that he'd accepted her proposal. She'd missed his company, and really, how could it be inappropriate to walk with a married man in her garden? "Everything is so green, and so many of the flowers are out. I even had a few already mature trees planted. I just hope that they last through the winter."

"We will do everything we can to make sure they will," Penryn reassured her. He couldn't help the slight thrill he felt at the idea of taking a walk arm in arm with her as they once had done so naturally. "Were you able to finish planting all the cuttings your mother sent?"

"Yes, but it's so late in the season..." she bit her lip and toyed with her roll. "I suppose if those don't survive, I can always have Mother send more."

Penryn nodded. "The key is in the water, a farmer once told me."

"Water, yes, and also when you plant." Thalia shrugged. Perhaps she didn't know much about running a Hold, or tithes, or accounting, but she did know about gardens. "They're fine this year, but I won't hold my breath for next year until I see them poke their little green heads out of the soil in the spring. And Eastern Point is much higher than Garnet Valley, and the soil is sandier there. We'll see what happens."

He missed helping her in her garden. "Perhaps when Bryalen is older I can lend you a hand, if you need it." For Ryalane's sake she ought to say no. For Kiomo's sake she ought to smile and say, 'thank you, but I already have more help than I know what to do with'. For her own sake she ought to avoid Penryn all together. Instead, Thalia smiled and said, "Thank you. That would be wonderful."

Last updated on the July 18th 2007

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

She Ought To...