Boring Bedrest

Writers: Chelle, Jelena
Date Posted: 21st December 2016

Characters: Felyna, Sarban
Description: Felyna has a request for Sarban.
Location: Emerald Falls Hold
Date: month 9, day 1 of Turn 8

Felyna

Felyna lay waiting in bed, almost literally twiddling her thumbs as
she waited for Xebex to return to her. It was hard on her, this strict
bed-rest policy the Healers had put her on. Of course she'd go along
with anything they told her would keep the baby safe, but she wasn't
used to being so isolated.

In her private quarters, all she heard about the goings-on of the
Hold was what she could extract from her visitors. And her visitors
usually weren't the ones to retain the most interesting bits of
information. The kitchen girls, the stable boys, they were the ones
that usually provided her with the crucial details (who had been seen
with whom or what a certain person had said to the other when they
thought no one had heard). That kind of gossip didn't come from
Corowal's children, or from the healers, or even from the high-born
ladies that visited with her from time to time.

So she needed another source of information. It had taken her a while
to come up with a suitable subject, but finally, Sarban came to mind.
She wasn't sure if he would be open to disclosing anything to her,
but she could try at least. After all, while it wasn't like she could
invite a stable-boy into her private quarters, her wanting to talk to
the Steward wasn't likely to cause any raised eyebrows. So she'd
sent him a note with Xebex, asking if he would like to visit her,
should time and duties allow.

Indeed, Sarban was one of the few men in the Hold that could be alone
with the Lady Holder for a length of time without suspicions being
raised-mainly because of his family connection more than his rank.
Besides, he himself was fond of Felyna and thought she was good for
Corowal despite their issues. Understanding her need for a break to
the monotony, he decided to show a bit of mercy and managed to knock
on her door a day after receiving her note. "Lady Felyna, may I
enter?"

"Yes, please!" Felyna called out, delighted to hear Sarban had
responded to her note. Now she just had to find a way to convince him
to come more often and bring her the information she so desired. She
straightened her sheets a little as she waited for him to come in,
making sure there was nothing to comment on her decency whatsoever.

Opening the door, he walked inside and shut it behind him. It was her
lady's maid's job to see to her needs as well as the kitchen drudges
to make sure she had her meals so Sarban was curious as to what she
wanted to see him for really. Early on, he had been one of her
supporters-preferring her over Erassa's illegitimate influence.
Still, Corowal refused to send the fostermother off so he'd learned to
stop being vocal about his opposition and provide quiet aid to the
Lady Holder herself as needed. "Are you feeling well?"

"Sarban, you came, I'm so glad you found the time!" Felyna was
obviously happy to see the steward and she motioned for him to take
one of the empty chairs beside her bed. "And I'm as well as can be
expected. Bored for one part, worried for the other, so it helps to
keep my mind occupied."

"I thought you had ladies in waiting to keep you busy playing card
games and reading and all that?" He didn't know too much about
women's activities but he thought that was part of their job
description. **They are supposed to wait on the Lady Holder,
right?** Settling into a comfortable chair that was vacant, Sarban
made sure it was far enough away from Felyna's bedside that no one
would get ideas if they came inside.

"I do," Felyna nodded seriously. "And they are lovely, really, but if
you are stuck between four walls with the same people for too long,
even the most entertaining of them can get boring. And they don't have
access to all the bits of news I'm used to acquiring."

One of his brows rose at that. Sarban was busy trying to keep
everything in the Hold from breaking all the time it seemed. He
wasn't a harper and certainly didn't bother with listening to chatter.
The news he was concerned about was usually to do with what might
break next. "Ah well and what bits are those?" **Might as well play
along and see what she's after anyway.**

"Well, I used to visit the stables quite often, check on the mares,
foals, and catch up with the stable boys. They have a good grasp on
who comes to and leaves the Hold at all times. I miss knowing who's
going out with who." A subtle hint of a young lady getting ready to
leave with a certain young man was usually enough to nip things in the
bud just in time.

"Well sorry to say but I don't keep track of any of that nor am I in
the stables very often. Aivorn is well equipped to handle that part
of the Hold. Most of my days are spent in my office, eating,
sleeping, or fishing when I can actually get away." Then again, he
was also having to do inspections half the time to make sure issues
were prevented.

Hmm. Well that was disappointing. "So you don't visit the stables for
status reports, or anything like that?" Felyna tried.

"No, generally the crafters send them to me. With all of the different
crafts we have contracted at this Hold, if they didn't, I'd never be
in my office for people to find me." For as many turns as she had
been around him, she ought to know by now, Sarban was not the most
social of individuals. And his one attempt to be had blown up in his
face with Lisadi.

He really wasn't going to give her anything to work with, was he?
She'd hoped he'd feel compelled to throw her a bone, all things
considered, and maybe offer to visit the stables for her every now
and then. She sighed and then let the thought fall away. There were
more important things to worry about. She'd figure out another
source of information. "Alright, Sarban, I'm sorry to have wasted
your time, then."

Sighing, he heard the disappointment in her tone. Despite himself, he
hated to provoke that reaction from her. After all, she was a sweet
female who didn't ask for much despite all the bad things that had
befallen her of late. "No...you haven't wasted my time, my Lady. Is
there nothing else I can do for you beyond news gathering?"

Felyna considered that for a moment. "If you could keep an eye on
Felcoron when you see him around, that would be great. He skipped
Harper classes the other day and I'd hate for that to turn into a
pattern."

Frowning, Sarban considered the young boy. "No that wouldn't be good
at all." He could certainly try to keep up with the boy. He was
coming of a certain turn when he could go either way, quite
impressionable. It was likely Erassa couldn't keep track of the boy
all the time. "Aye I'll try to have a sit with him. Is there anything
I can get you?"

"If you do, don't make it look like it's about the skipped classes,"
Felyna advised with a small smile. "I'm pretty sure his father will
speak with him about that as well and he might feel hounded and more
rebellious in result."

Making a mental note to stay out of Corowal's business on that score,
Sarban noted she hadn't answered his question. She was more concerned
over the boy. Truth be told, he was concerned about her what with her
lying in bed and the baby and all. He knew what had happened to
Corowal's first wife and the similarities were hard to ignore. He
wondered if his cousin had stopped to think about it. "Well I'll go on
and let you rest. Eat your lunch. You certainly need it."

"Thank you for your visit, Sarban," Felyna said with a smile. Even
though he hadn't gone along with her little plan, at least he had
taken the time to visit her and she was grateful for that. Any break
in the monotony of those four walls was welcome. "You have a nice
day."

Last updated on the January 31st 2017

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