New Friends

Writers: Avery, Mirren
Date Posted: 9th December 2015

Characters: Torianna, Zelah
Description: Xeladrie and Torianna meet.
Location: Sunstone Seahold
Date: month 3, day 3 of Turn 8
Notes: Mentioned: Runnfreya, Bryvin

Zelah

Xeladrie didn't have a proper office, but she sometimes wanted to have
official-ish conversations. Like this one. So she used one of the
little reading rooms as an unofficial one. It had a few comfortable
chairs, two small tables, and a nice enough wall hanging. She'd asked
that Torianna be sent up when she arrived.

The drudge came in with juice and snacks. "She'll be up in a moment,
my lady," she said with a curtsey.

Torianna arrived shortly afterward, her cheeks pink. She'd hurried all
the way here because, well, when a Lord or Lady Holder wanted to see
you, you went.

"Lady Xeladrie." She curtsied, hoping not to fall forward onto her face.

"Torianna, please take a seat. There's drinks if you'd like them. I'm
thirsty all the time," Xeladrie confessed.

"Thank you Lady Xeladrie." Torianna sat, torn between putting her
hands in her lap as her milk mother would have instructed, or relax,
as her foster mother would have. She chose the former, her body stiff.

Xeladrie studied the girl, before realizing they weren't that far
apart in age. Torianna was small, like herself. Her hair was a very
different shade. She felt a hope that maybe they could find
similarities and get along. After all, she got along with Runnfreya,
who was older.

"I appreciate you stopping in. I've really looked forward to hearing
you - I've heard nice things about you from lady Runnfreya."

Torianna had the same realisation - the Lady Holder was only a few
turns older. Would she look so big if she was pregnant too? She
swallowed, hardly daring to imagine it.

"Thank you. Lady Runnfreya is very generous, especially where family
is concerned, even though I'm just a fosterling."

"You've been with them a long time, haven't you?"

"Since I was a few days old, yes Lady," Torianna replied.

"Sounds like they're family in all ways that count. And please, call
me Xeladrie. Lady makes me feel like...well, an old auntie." She
giggled.

"You're definitely not old," Torianna replied. "Yes, they are family,
but sometimes… I don't know who my blood family are. My mother died
having me. No one seems to know who my father is."

Sometimes Xeladrie wished she didn't know her father, but she wasn't
sure that would help. "That must be very confusing."

"I don't want to seem ungrateful for everything my foster family has
done for me, but I do wonder about him. Did he even know I existed?
Did he care? Maybe he just didn't have the time." That fit with the
scenario in which he was a busy Weyrleader.

Torianna grimaced. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be talking about myself so much."

"It's fine, actually," Xeladrie assured her. "I don't know if she
mentioned it to you, but Runnfreya was hoping I could help you find a
match. Knowing a bit more about you ought to help."

"That's very nice of you." Torianna flushed. "Especially when you are
already so busy." And about to get more so.

"I hadn't considered that it would be a duty that could fall on my
plate until now. But now that I know, I'd love to do it. I have very
strong opinions on marriage, you see, and I want to make sure you're
not sent off unwilling or unhappy. It's happened to too many women
here already."

"I know Da and Ma want me to be happy too, but…" The younger woman
didn't want to appear ungrateful. "Sometimes people choose and they're
not happy and sometimes others choose for them and they are."

"That's true. Love matches have gone sour." And her arranged match
hadn't stolen her heart with affection. But maybe others were more
lucky. Humari seemed to love Taril.

"If you're amenable to my assistance, my goal is simply to help you
sort through prospects. To say, "That man is nice, but can't offer me
security", or "This man's birth is more humble, but he's a hard worker
who would cherish you". There might be dozens of offers, some more
appealing than others."

Torianna wondered about the poor men who didn't have security to
offer. What woman would marry them?

"Thank you La- Xaladrie, I'd appreciate it." But what she'd really
like was to meet a man who would make her heart melt.

"I was wanting a reason for the minor holds to send representatives
here to get to know them. It would get you a sense of people roughly
of your station - that is, fosterlings at comparative holds - and it
would give me a chance to learn this territory's people. Were you
taught anything about event hosting?" Xeladrie asked.

"Of course, I was taught everything I might need - well almost
everything." Torianna blushed. "Some things I'll have to figure out.
Are there many around my age, do you know?" She didn't want to be
stuck with an old man if she could help it.

"I'm not as informed as I should be on the minor holds," Xeladrie
said, deciding on honesty. "Having an event would help me learn who
the heirs are and what they're like. Hopefully young and handsome."

That earned her a smile. "Do you ever -" Torianna swallowed. "-invite
dragonriders to such events here?"

"We've had some of the ranking ones visit before. If we held a large
Gather, I'm sure my lord husband would have it open to riders. I
imagine it would depend on what we were hosting."

Torianna nodded. "It's been a while since I've been to a big gather."
She looked wistful. "Even a small one sounds like fun. We'd need
invitations, lots of food and drinks." A new dress, maybe shoes…

"Same here. I think it would be fun. Though I insist on it being at
least month 4 - I want to be able to enjoy it." Xeladrie smiled, glad
that the other girl liked the idea.

"Why… oh, of course." Torianna had been so lost in ideas that she'd
forgotten the Lady Holder was pregnant. "Have you got much longer?"
She looked ready to pop like a soap bubble.

"Supposedly any time in the next two sevendays. It can't be soon
enough. I want Bryvin to have his son...then we can have a
celebration, and then that would be a good reasoning to invite the
minor heirs over. And maybe even the ranking Weyrfolk."

The younger woman knew there was no guarantee that it'd be a boy, but
holds needed an heir. If Bryvin only fathered girls then it'd get
messy. She was glad that she wasn't the daughter of a Lord Holder; at
least as far as she knew.

"Babies are always worth celebrating," she said carefully.

"If I put it to my lord that way, I hope he'll be more likely to
approve it. And then we can have fun arranging it."

"Do you think he will?" Torianna asked. She was about ready to jump
out of her skin with youthful enthusiasm.

"If I sell it to him correctly, he should. Saying I want to have a
gather for my own fun, he might say no. Tell him it's a chance to
assess fealty of the minor holds..." She trailed off, considering. "If
he does, you'll get the invitations."

Torianna nodded. "I'll be happy to help. Maybe I could come back and
stay a little longer. It's so different here."

"As long as you've got permission, you're welcome to. I'd rather like
more company," Xeladrie said.

"Really? I thought you'd have lots of people around…" Torianna wasn't sure if she was putting her foot in her mouth right now.

"I'm working on making friends, but I only moved here a little more than half a Turn ago when I got married," Xeladrie said. "It was hard leaving my family and friends behind."

"Oh. You must have had a lot of changes in a short time." As would Torianna. Hopefully she wouldn't have to go too far from home. Sunstone was at least in visiting distance.

"It's one of those side effects of marrying far away. But I'm enjoying getting to meet the new people here. Having ladies like yourself visit while looking for husbands means I've got a broader friend pool."

Torianna smiled. "I hope we can be friends," she said tentatively. "It's nice to have someone to talk to."

"I think so too. So thanks for stopping in to see me," Xeladrie said.

"You're welcome Lady." Torianna was back to being formal. Potential friend or not, she was still Lady Holder.

The baby kicked and Xeladrie winced. "I think I'm going to have to depart and find the nearest necessary. Feel free to explore the Hold, settle into your quarters. I'll see you at dinner?" she asked hopefully.

"Of course. Do you need help up?" Torianna rose and offered her arm.

"If you don't mind," Xeladrie said, gratefully accepting the assistance. "Thank you again."

Last updated on the December 27th 2015

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