I Didn't Know How To Say It Then

Writers: Eimi, Yvonne
Date Posted: 9th May 2006

Characters: Penryn, Thalia
Description: Penryn's done a little 'digging' to find something for Thalia
Location: Garnet Valley Hold
Date: month 11, day 13 of Turn 3

Penryn smiled down at the woman on his arm, rather proud of himself for finding what he thought was the perfect spot. "I actually did a little research, and when this Hold was first built, there once was a small garden right here for the Lady Holder."

"Really?" Thalia's eyes were wide as she looked around at the space before them. She'd passed the low, fallen wall more than once on errands and her occasional rambles on foot, but hadn't given it more than a cursory glance. Tucked in the lee of the Hold, it was angled so as to receive light throughout the day and now housed the overgrown remains of what looked like a raspberry patch. Neglected, and mostly unused except for a muddy path that ran through the wall to a dilapidated shed that probably held gardening tools, it was just as Penryn thought - perfect. "You researched this for me?"

"Well, I figured there had to be a garden at _some_ point, right?" the steward said with a rather pleased smile. "It wasn't so hard to find."

"Well, it was very clever of you. I hadn't even _thought_ of that."

Penryn grinned shyly as her compliments gave his ego a bit of a nudge. "Really, it was nothing, Lady Thalia."

"But it was!" The Lady stepped forward, picking up her skirts to keep the hems clear of mud and dead leaves as she tiptoed through the gate. "It's perfect - or it _will_ be."

"I think this wall has stood for hundreds of turns, and it looks solid enough to stand for a couple more with the right repairs and maintenance," he said pointing out a few spots that might need a bit of extra attention. "But I think I could build a wall that would blend into it nicely."

"That would be _marvelous_. A wall, covered in creepers perhaps..."
she trailed off, thinking, and picked her way around a pile of ovine dung that had obviously over wintered there. "How dry do you think it is here? I can't remember how high the snow was on this side of the Hold."

He shrugged before bending down to move a fallen branch out of their way. "Well, the location does offer it a bit of protection, but I must confess, I have always ignored this corner."

"I can tell."

"I had other things to attend to," he said a bit guiltily.

"I can see that, too." Thalia stopped to survey the weedy beds with her hands on her hips. Some things required a woman's touch, and gardening was obviously one of them. Men had no aesthetic sense.
"Still, I can't see why you would have thought of it. The last few months have certainly been... interesting enough to occupy your time."

He bent down to pick up a handful of soil. "Yes, well, I suppose I need something to get my mind off the last few months too."

She felt a little pang of loss as she watched him. Aslian would grow up without a father, and she'd not known Aswic well enough to remember him in stories. Aswic would always be a stranger to them both. "It hasn't been easy on anyone, has it."

"I suppose not," he said quietly, looking up at her as he let the handful of dirt slip through his fingers. The shadow in her eyes was painfully familiar. Penryn wished he knew a way to chase those shadow out of them, but the truth was he hadn't learned the secret himself.

Thalia bit her lip, suddenly shy. "I- I don't know if I'd still be here, if it wasn't for you. I don't think I've ever thanked you for that."

Her words caught him completely off guard. "Me, Lady Thalia?" Penryn was far too aware of all the ways he had failed her. He couldn't think of what he could have possibly done for her. "Yes, you!" She looked away and reached out to gently touch the thorns on a nearby branch. "No one else... no one wanted much to do with me. I know I'm not generally well thought of. And with Aswic gone..." She swallowed. "I was in a very... tenuous position."

He felt a sharp stab of guilt as he plucked a withered weed in his hands and rolled it over in his fingers. Standing, he looked up at her ashamedly. "Lady Thalia, I have a confession and an apology. I thought very little of you before the Lord Holder's death, and I think I treated you less courteously than you deserved. I quickly realized, though, that I was very wrong in my opinion of you."

"Perhaps not so much," she said softly. The thorn bit into her skin and Thalia hastily stepped back from it. "I don't believe you need my forgiveness, but if you wish it, I'll grant it anyway."

"Thank you," he said with a slight bow. Penryn suddenly felt very self-conscious. "Well," he said clearing his throat, looking at the weed in his hands rather than at the former Lady Holder. "The space is adequate then?"

"Perfectly."

Last updated on the May 9th 2006

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I Didn't Know How To Say It Then