The Importance of Connections

Writers: Anaria, JR
Date Posted: 2nd August 2011

Characters: Namiren, Namiria
Description: Namiren has lunch with his mother
Location: Garnet Valley Hold
Date: month 3, day 1 of Turn 6

Namiren didn't like having lunch with his mother. It wasn't that he
didn't love her - in fact he cared for her more than many cared for
their parents. But with each passing turn, she got a bit more pushy.
It started out when he was 20, and she politely mentioned that he
should marry the woman that he'd been courting. But as the turns
passed, she'd grown more and more insistent that a marriage was
necessary. She was to the point where she was trying to arrange it
behind his back now, and that was quite irksome to the young Holder.

Rapping on his mother's door, he entered. "Mother?" He said, finding
that she wasn't in the main area of her set of rooms.

"Just a minute, Namiren, dear." Namiria glanced into the mirror she'd
paid a small fortune for, checking that her hair was arranged
properly. At 59, she was a handsome woman with strong features. Her
blonde hair was going gray, but the two colors blended attractively.
She tucked a stray bit into the up-do she'd fashioned, smoothed down
her dress, and straightened into proper posture. Namiria's family
hadn't been very well off, but she'd been fostered out and raised to
value manners and propriety. Her son's lack of a wife was chafing at
those sensibilities, hence today's meeting. With any luck, she'd get
him to see the error of his ways.

Sweeping out into the main room, she beamed at her son. He was her
only child and since her husband's death, her only real family.
"Darling, you look tired," Namiria said, concerned. "Is everything
alright?"

"Everything's alright, just getting prepared for my visit to Emerald
Falls. You know, making sure the Steward has everything he needs to
prepare for the harvest and all that. Just long nights hunched over
hidework for the most part. How've you been mother?" He asked, kissing
her softly on the cheek.

"Just fine, of course," Namiria caught his hands and studied him
closely. "Your father left me well looked after. Past time that you
did the same for some lovely young thing. What about that heiress from
Sapphire Meadows with the connections to the Bakercraft Hall? She'd be
a good match for you." The girl was the only daughter of a very
prosperous minor Holder, with a sizable dowry.

"Have you seen her? She has a face like a runner," Namiren said,
shuddering. "Don't you want your grandbabies to be cute? I mean, she
has a nice body, she's very graceful, but beyond that all she has to
offer is marks and connections. And honestly, I could get better from
a Lord's daughter. If I'm going to settle in one regard, I'd like
there to be some good in other regards." If he wasn't going to have an
attractive wife, he at least wanted a well connected one.

"She wasn't that bad looking," Namiria protested. "And you don't want
a Lord's daughter. The likelihood that she'll be happy at a smaller
Holding are slim, and then you'll have a snarky, snappy wife on your
hands. Or worse, a miserable, silent one."

"Fine, not a Lord's Daughter then, but a lesser relation. A niece or
something. A younger girl who doesn't have ideas in her head yet about
what she wants to do or be, someone who's connections will help our
Hold thrive," Namiren suggested.

Namiria stepped back and studied her son. "And do you have someone in
mind who fits that description?"

"Well.... no...." Namiren said. "Lord Corowal doesn't have any
daughters old enough for marrying, and I can't say that I can think of
too many Lords that do have daughters of the appropriate age. Or even
who will be of the proper age within the next few turns. And I don't
keep track of the lesser relations as well as I should be."

"Well, that's quite alright, because I do," Namiria stepped forward
again to reach up and pat her son's cheek. "Don't you worry, Namiren,
darling, I have a couple young women in mind who fit very well with
that description. I'll have to send letters to their mothers this
sevenday and see what arrangements might be made."

Namiren sighed. He didn't want to get married, but he knew that if he
wanted to guarantee the long term success of his Hold that he would
have to. "Try to at least find one that's attractive, and if she's not
socially competent she should at least be able to keep her mouth shut
at public events," Namiren said finally.

"I will not saddle you with a wife who will consistently embarrass
you," the older woman said firmly. "Please, trust my judgment. Have I
steered you wrongly in the past?"

"No," Namiren said reluctantly. He was twenty-nine turns old, and yet
still, his mother had the knack of making him feel like an errant ten
turn old. "So other than worrying over my lovelife, what have you been
up to?" He asked, trying to change the subject.

She fluttered a hand dismissively, "The same as I always do, making
sure that Green Valley is a proper home for you and that everyone in
the house is doing their jobs to keep it that way."

"And what of yourself?" Namiren asked. Despite his love for his
father, he hoped that someday his mother would find someone else to
keep her happy. "I know how much you miss Da, you must be terribly
lonely. Perhaps some of the time you spend finding a match for me
should be spent on yourself?"

"Nonsense, dear, I'm perfectly fine," Namiria denied. "Maybe after
you're settled I'll try finding someone for me, but until then, you
are my first priority." Maybe that would give her son incentive to
marry sooner than later.

Namiren sighed, suspecting that his mother was just trying to guilt
him into making a marriage. "Fair enough mother. I will do my best to
find a suitable wife soon. Perhaps the Gather at Emerald Falls will be
fortuitous."

"I hope so, Namiren. I would like to have grandbabies before I am too
old to enjoy them," the woman said with the hint of a smile.

Last updated on the September 2nd 2011

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The Importance of Connections