Shaking Things Up

Writers: Estelle
Date Posted: 10th March 2019
Series: The Great Bandit Trial

Characters: Tasni, Lirena
Description: Lirena hires a harper to defend her husband
Location: Emerald Falls Hold
Date: month 7, day 6 of Turn 9
Notes: Mentioned: Jayzine, Zandan, Corowal (not by name)

The faint traces of melodies became steadily clearer as Lirena
approached the Harper Hall. It was mid-afternoon, and classes were
clearly in full swing. A choir was rehearsing a piece she'd never heard
before, a complex intertwining of melodies which was abruptly cut off as
she approached the main door. From somewhere, she could hear a man's
voice, and though she couldn't make out what he was saying, it sounded
like a lecture.

Out of all the obstacles she'd known she would had to face at Emerald
Falls, the Harper Hall made Lirena the most nervous. She had always
looked forward to the arrival of a journeyman harper at the cot, there
to provide a few days of teaching and storytelling to the children and
news from the outside world to the adults. At that time, gossip about
scandals at the Hold had been comfortably distant, faint ripples
arriving at their door months after the event.

But those visiting harpers had usually been young men, with the energy
required to travel so far into the far-flung reaches of the hold. Lirena
didn't know much about the Hall, but she realised that it would be
different. There'd be Masters there, and specialists in all the branches
of the Craft. Harpers were practically a by-word for intelligence. She
couldn't help but feel out of place.

A door opened and two women emerged carrying pails of water and mops.
Relieved to see a sign that domestic chores went on even in this refined
environment, Lirena hurried towards them.

"Excuse me. I wonder if you could help me." She forced herself to sound
confident, as if she was a prosperous Holder's wife rather than a
disgraced herder's. "I need some advice about a legal matter. I was
hoping to speak to someone..."

"Oh, then you'll want the Archives," the older of the two women said.
"Do you have an appointment?"

Lirena shook her head. "I'm sorry. It was... Unexpected. And urgent."

"That's all right. There'll be someone on duty who can help you." She
handed her pail to her companion. "I'll show you."

Lirena followed her guide into the cool interior of the Hall, down a
long corridor and through a door into a spacious but dimly-lit room
where the air was filled with the faintly dusty scent of old paper and
hides. It was quiet, and the only person present was a fair-haired young
woman, sitting near the window to catch the breeze from an open window.
She had a large book open in front of her and a hide half-covered in
writing, but they'd caught her in a moment of daydream, looking out the
window towards the traders' road leading away from the Hold.

"Journeywoman?" The drudge's voice caused her to look up, and the
wistful look was gone in an instant, replaced by a bright, intelligent
gaze. "This lady was looking for some legal advice."

"Of course. I can help with that." She stood up and offered a hand to
the cotholder, who seemed slightly taken aback, but not offended by
seeing a woman with harper knots. "Journeywoman Tasni. I'm an archivist."

"Lirena. I'm a cotholder." She took the harper's hand. "It's about - a
family matter."

To her relief, the journeywoman picked up on her hesitancy at once. "Of
course, you'll want to speak in private. I'm on duty here at the moment,
so I have to stay in the archives, but we shouldn't be disturbed until
the apprentices come in for their afternoon class."

"Thank you." Lirena nodded to the drudge as she left and followed the
journeywoman over to her table. Her uncertainty about the girl's youth
and her unfamiliar accent was balanced by an instinctive liking for her.
She had the same natural air of competence that Lirena had noticed and
admired in the Headwoman.

"I'd offer you something to drink, but I'm afraid we're not allowed any
in the archives. We could go to the kitchens, though, if you're thirsty?"

"Oh, no, thank you. I had some water in the kitchens at the Hold." She
glanced at the book the harper was studying. It looked like a list of
hold accounts - rather dry reading, she would have thought.

Tasni caught her glance and smiled. "You can tell a lot about a hold
from what it buys and sells and uses up. I'm studying the history of
Emerald Falls, at the time of the plagues... So." She closed the book,
pushed it to one side and took out a fresh hide to make notes. "How can
I help?"

"It's my husband." Lirena sat down, folding her hands in her lap. "He's
been arrested by the Hold guard, and brought here to stand trial. I want
to find someone to represent him in the Lord's court."

"I see. Do you know what the charge is?"

Lirena was surprised and slightly reassured that the harper didn't seem
at all put off by what she'd heard. She supposed harpers, or at least
archivists, must hear about such cases all the time.

"I'm not sure exactly, but the guards caught some holdless folk near our
farm, and he was with them. They took some goods out of one of our old
barns which I didn't recognise."

Tasni managed to remain outwardly calm, but she felt a leap of
excitement at her luck in having been on duty when this woman arrived.
The news about the captured bandits had been all over the Hold, causing
much rejoicing, and had quickly reached the Harper Hall as well.

"The guards brought in some prisoners just a few days ago," she said.
"Could your husband have been one of them?"

"Yes. The captain was there," Lirena said, remembering. "He said that
Terren - my husband - had been aiding criminals."

"He'll probably be charged with aiding and abetting, then. It's a
serious charge, but not as bad as actual thievery. I can find out for
you." She made a note. "From what I've heard, the harper at the Hold was
called in to advise the accused. Your husband wouldn't be without
representation at the trial, according to the Charter."

"I know. But I also know he has the right to choose his own counsel."
The holder woman set her jaw. This was what she had come to the Hold
for, and she was determined to do it. "I don't want him being lumped
together with those holdless people, represented by some overworked
harper who's also arguing for half a dozen others with different
interests in the case. My family have been respectable holders for
generations. We have children still at home. A son who stands to inherit
the land. Whatever he's done, I'm here to do what I can to protect them."

Tasni met her gaze, considering the offer she was about to make. She had
come here to study and observe, and if she hadn't exactly been told to
keep a low profile, it had been an unspoken part of her instructions.
Standing up in front of the Lord Holder's court in what sounded like it
would be the biggest trial of the Turn was hardly inconspicuous. It
would almost certainly _not_ make her popular with the holders, whether
they approved of female harpers or not. And it wasn't as if she was
without other, important tasks to carry out while she was here.

But she looked into Lirena's eyes, and she knew that she wanted this
case. Who knew what would come of it? Sometimes you needed to shake
things up for answers to fall out.

"I understand," she said. "I could take the case, and represent your
husband, if that's what you want."

"Oh. I..." For all her liking for Tasni, Lirena hesitated.

"I'm young, but I have a lot of experience," Tasni said. It was partly
true - she had spent a good deal of time investigating criminal activity
in the North, although she'd never stood up on the side of the defence
before. "And I know your customs have changed only recently, to allow
for women to be harpers. But the judgement will be made by the Lord
Holder, and he supports that policy. I don't think he'll be biased
against me. But it's your decision. If you'd prefer another harper, we
can talk to the Master Archivist and he can help you find one."

Lirena wasn't sure if it was the thought of having to speak to a Master
that decided her, and later she wondered if perhaps she should have
done. But there was something convincing about the young journeywoman,
which was in itself a point in her favour.

"I'm most grateful. I can pay..."

"You can arrange all that with the Hall," Tasni said. While she was a
guest in this Hall, she knew she'd better do everything by the book.
"And you know, you can always change your mind. If you choose another
harper, I'll pass on everything I've learned to him and do my best to
assist."

"Thank you." Lirena let out a nervous breath, but she managed to smile.
She was no longer acting alone. Someone else was on her side, for Terren.

"No need to thank me. It's my job. My craft." The journeywoman leaned
forward and touched her arm lightly in reassurance. "We'll do everything
we can for him. Now, the apprentices will be here at any moment, so why
don't you start telling me everything you can remember about that night.
Then, if we're interrupted, we can go to the kitchens for a drink, and
then continue outside, perhaps."

"All right." She closed her eyes, thought back. "It had been an ordinary
day. I was woken by the canines barking. And Terren wasn't there..."

Last updated on the March 19th 2019

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