Wedding Aftermath Pt 1

Writers: Miriah, Yvonne
Date Posted: 11th August 2014

Characters: Taril, Humari
Description: Taril and Humari face their wedding night.
Location: Sunstone Seahold
Date: month 8, day 2 of Turn 7
Notes: Pt 1 of 4; Mentioned: Yriadha, Yarmel

Humari

"Here we are." Taril fumbled a little with the keys to his apartment, a
combination of drink and nerves making him clumsy. For all that it had
dragged, his wedding had gone by increasingly quickly. And now he was alone
with Humari. A stranger in his home, for all they were wed. The key slid
smoothly in the lock and the lock clicked open. He pushed the door open,
revealing a shadowed room beyond.

Humari carefully stepped in, her face drawn and pale. Her hands twitched as
she looked around, but wasn't able to see much in the dim shadows. What she
could see revealed a room of obvious wealth, far more than what she was
accustomed. "Where are the lights?"

"Here." Taril brushed past her, confident in the dark. There was a table by
the door with a banked glow, which he uncovered to reveal an opulent,
uncluttered living room dominated by a large leather couch. A pair of
matched chairs upholstered in a dark fabric sat at either end, and the floor
was covered by a smooth carpet. Tapestries showing seascapes hung on two
walls while the third was dominated by a large stone fireplace that glowed
with a banked fire. "Welcome. I suppose I ought to give you the tour."

Humari looked around at the room with wide eyes. She was to live here?
"It's...it's beautiful, Taril." More than she had expected. She'd known he
had wealth, but to see it displayed was something else. Her attention was
brought back to him and she nodded slowly. More movement that would have to
be tolerated. "Yes, please."

"Well." He forced a smile and hoped it didn't look to grim. "This is the
living room. When I entertain, it's usually in here." Although he rarely
entertained. There were few people he found entertaining enough to bother
with. "I do want to show you this, though..." He limped over to the
fireplace and gestured to a basket by the fire. "Open it."

She looked at him and then down at the basket. Unthinking, she bent, gasped
in pain and immediately stopped. Exhaling, she righted herself, then slowly
and very carefully knelt, keeping her back straight. "What is it?" She
opened the basket's lid and went still, eyes widening. "Eggs...firelizard
eggs." She looked up as quickly as she could to meet his eyes. "Three? For
me?"

"Just one." Taril smiled. "The other two are for Bryvin, to celebrate
his Lordship. But I thought you might like the first pick."

Completely stunned by the generosity, Humari stared at him. Her lip
trembled for a moment, and she hurriedly wiped her eyes. "Thank you,
Taril. It's...it's wonderful. Thank you very much. I've always wanted
a firelizard." The watery eyes were full of surprised happiness as she
turned back to the eggs and reached out a hand, but stopped as if
afraid to touch them. "I can pick any of them?" She bit her lip, then
flashed him a smile that lit her eyes before she studied the eggs.
"Uhm..." She nibbled her thumb and then slowly pointed to the central
egg. "Can I have that one?"

"Of course. Like I said, any one you choose. And you'll have to touch them--
you'll need to move your egg from the basket so I can have the rest
delivered to Bryvin." She had looked lke she was going to cry. Taril hadn't
liked the feeling it gave him: something between panic, amusement, and
protectiveness. He tapped the basket gently with the end of his crutch. "I'm
glad that you approve. I'd like for-- this, to start well."

Very carefully, she picked up her chosen egg, cupping it her hands. Finding
another basket near by, she scooped some sand from one to the other,
settling the little egg in carefully. She patted it, her fingers lingering
and then looked up at Taril. She rose carefully to her feet. "I love it."
She shifted on her feet and then carefully moved to brush her lips over his
cheek. "Thank you...Taril." She stepped just as quickly back and swallowed,
but the blush remained on her face. She hoped that she hadn't overstepped
herself but that was the proper reaction, wasn't it? "I...I'd like that
too."

He'd stiffened when she touched him, but relaxed a bit when she stepped
back. Her lips had felt like a moth's wings. The light from the glow
illuminated a slightly bitter smile. "I also don't want to start with lies.
I don't expect you to pretend to feel any sort of affection for me, and it
would be an exhausting act to have to keep up. For both of us."

Her eyes lowered. "I was thanking you. I thought that's what a wife would
do." She rubbed her arms. No lies. That would be difficult; there had
already been so many, if only by omission. But not her own, not completely.
There were just things she couldn't tell him. She was already keeping up an
act and had been for sevendays. She couldn't just stop now. A flash of guilt
flickered across her face. "I understand."

Shit. She looked offended. Taril had grown up with loud women who spoke
their mind and fought alongside their men, which left him entirely out of
his depth with her meekness. Not knowing what else to do, he caught her hand
in his and was glad when she didn't recoil. "I want a real wife, not what
you think a wife should be. And-- and you're welcome. For the firelizard. I
suspected that you might want one, when we met on the bluff. I'm glad I was
right."

She looked down at her hand in his and slowly curled her fingers around his
hand. How could she continue to lie to him? He'd been so kind and so
thoughtful when he'd not needed to be. He even took up for her in front of
her mother and Yarmel. He deserved more than what she offered. He may have
been scarred, but he wasn't disgusting; she was. She looked at the flit egg
from beneath her lashes and then back to their joined hands. "I want to be
the wife you want." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "But, my
mother...she's horribly misled you, sir."

Taril stilled. His suspicions were true then... the quick wedding was
because she was pregnant with another man's child. Well, so be it. He could
accept another man's get as his own. But he needed to hear her say it. "In
what way?"

She kept her eyes closed. "I...I am no fit wife, sir." She removed her hand
from his and wrapped her arms around herself tightly. "I didn't want you to
know because you've been so kind, despite everything my mother has said. I
don't want you to look at me like she does. Like I'm disgusting." She
swallowed hard. "She just had to get rid of me." She took another deep
breath. "And I'm sorry that she used you to do it." Her hands shook against
herself. "I cared for someone very much and...I did things I ought not to
have. Disgusting things. We kissed and...touched. And my brother found us.
They sent her away and I paid the price." She suddenly lifted her eyes to
him, her gaze suddenly frantic. "Please, sir, don't cast me aside. I'll be a
good wife, I swear it!" She fell to her knees with a soft grunt at his foot.
"I'll care for your house and give you children, as many as you like! If you
send me back, my mother will cast me out, she's sworn it. I'll do what you
want me to." She stared up at him, eyes begging. "I swear."

Last updated on the August 26th 2014

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Wedding Aftermath Pt 1