Firehead Pt 2

Writers: Jelena
Date Posted: 9th October 2014

Characters: Alrog, Fieayz, Alfginna
Description: Alrog and Fieayz meet their tragic end
Location: Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 9, day 20 of Turn 7
Notes: Part 2 of 2; and yes we wrote them out

The letters on the hide were blurring and twisting when he looked at them.
Alrog could only hope they made sense. But he _had to_ write this down, just
in case the worst happened. His head hurt, so bad he was sure his brains
would split. He felt like throwing up, but his stomach didn't even had bile
left to heave out. Fever ravaged his body. Lapis keep nudging his hand, with
worried croons, which didn't help writing. Firehead had been raging through the
hold for a sevenday now. Almost everyone has it. Some had died, some were already recovering.
Isolated by the snow, at least they didn't have to worry spreading the
epidemy outside Iron Lake.

# Should I and my wife both die, the holdership of Iron Lake will go to my
sister Rolfina and her husband Mi...# Alrog's vision was turning black.

Alfginna entered his brother's office without knocking. Now was not the time
for courtesy. "Alrog!", she called. She had news to him, good ones and bad ones.
Good ones was that Rolfina and her baby were over the worst and recoving.
Bad ones...their mother..., tears streaked her cheeks, . She was one of the
fortunate ones. Despite nursing the sick ones whole this time, she hadn't
got the disease. She could still have it though. She found her brother
slumped over the desk, unconsious. "Alrog!" she cried in alarm and hurried
to check him. His pulse was weak, thready and body hot with fever. "Oh, what
I'm going to do now? Fieayz?!" Where was her sister-in-law?

"Here," came a weak and tired sounding voice from a chair in a corner of the
office. A gold flit gave a feeble cheeping sound. "He's got this thing, I've
tried, but I don't know what to do any more. I don't think we have any more
medicine, and I'm so, so tired." Her skin was flushed, evidence of a
rapidly developing fever. "My head hurts and I just want to sleep, but I
can't, I thought I might get a candlemark's time here with Alrog." Tears
formed and began to fall. "What can we do?"

"You should be in bed, not up here," Alfginna said. She knelt next to
Fieayz and touched her skin.

"We could perhaps ask Weyr to air drop us supplies. That way they don't risk
contamination." Always shy to the point of being socially handicapped,
Alfginna now found herself making decisions and taking care of everything.

"Arva can take a note?" Fieayz roused herself slowly. "Alrog, he's got a
pen and ink."

"Will she obey me?" Alfginna asked nervously. "And you two should need to go
to bed," she fretted. How on Pern she was able to do that? She was slim
woman, more used to sewing needle than moving people around. Perhaps she
could find few men who were still up and able to carry Alrog and Fieayz.

"She will, won't you?" Fieay gave the flit a look. "You'll do it for me, and
for Alrog, right?"

"I hope she does," Alfginna muttered. She went over to the desk and quickly
penned a message. She signed as Alrog, feeling bit guilty about it. But who
would believe a woman's plea for help? Or so she thought. She rolled the
message and returned to Fieayz. "Good girl. Arva, here's the message," she
attached it to the firelizard's leg. "Can you take it to the Weyr, please?"

The flit gave a cheep, looking to her owner. "Yes, go on, the Weyr." Fieayz
tried to picture it in her head, watching as the flit winked out of view.

"I hope she succeeds. Now, let's get you to bed. Let me help you up,"
Alfginna said with determination.

"I can wait," protested Fieayz. "Help Alrog first, he's far sicker than me."

"He's also far heavier than you," Alfginna pointed out. She glanced at his
brother. It was probably too late for him anyway.

"I need to be with him, you must understand, I love him." Fieayz was losing
control, as she looked at Alrog properly, he didn't seem to be breathing
well and he'd said how bad he felt. "He's my other half."

"And you're his, up you go," Alfginna said and helped Fieayz up to her feet.
She was startled to find out she sounded just like her mother.

"You'll bring him to me?"

"Of course, even if I have to drag him myself," Alfginna promised, slowly
walking her towards their bed. It was slow and Fieayz leaned more and more
heavily against her.

The bed looked so, so comfortable, right now Fieayz just wanted to lie down
and sleep, like she'd never slept before. "Tell me if Arva comes back," she
managed, "Wake me, wake us up."

"Of course. Rest now, I'll bring you hot tea soon," Alfginna said gently and
stroked Fieayz's forehead.

She returned to the office to check her brother. Touch was all she needed.
Alrog was dead. Silent tears fell from her eyes.

Fieayz had laid herself out and closed her eyes. Sleep, a few candlemarks
would be all she'd need, then she could help nurse Alrog back to health. A
smile crossed her face as she drifted off, she was thinking of the children
they might have after this. She drifted deeper, slowly slipping away.

Last updated on the October 19th 2014

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Firehead Pt 2