What's Left Unsaid

Writers: AL, Heather
Date Posted: 14th October 2024
Series: The Unwanted Sister

Characters: Reven, Coran, Relea
Description: Coran and Reven talk about what’s been left unsaid - Relea.
Location: Green Valley Hold
Date: month 10, day 15 of Turn 11

Reven

Relea

Once dinner was had and their parents had quit fussing over Coran’s
return, Reven took his younger brother out for a walk around the guard
perimeter of the main building. Each man held a pipe in his hand,
letting the circles of smoke spiral around them as they stopped to
take in the sunset.

“I noticed you avoided Mother’s questions about where Relea and Corlea
are,” Reven said, breaking the silence.

Coran put his pipe back in his mouth and inhaled deeply, more to give
him time to think of his response than any need for the herbal pipe.

“I knew you’d asked,” he finally said.

Reven leaned on one elbow to look at Coran. “I know you, little
brother. You don’t travel without your wife and daughter. That’s the
whole reason you moved them to Jade Harbor with you while you worked
on your Mastery.”

He almost couldn’t bear the way Reven was looking at him.

“What happened?” Reven asked, as if ascertaining some answers from
Coran’s silence.

Coran leaned his head back and exhaled a perfect smoke ring before
launching into his story…

~*~Flashback~*~

The normal events of the morning flowed around Coran. There was Relea,
bringing breakfast to the table, and there was Corlea, animatedly
using her utensils as drumsticks. From the outside, they looked like a
nice little family beginning their day together.

But inside Coran, his guts churned as he thought about what he had
done and what he needed to do. The thought of living with his secret
never really crossed his mind. There was no way he could live with
such a thing. No way he could look at Relea each day knowing what he’d
done.

“Daddy, eat!” Corlea commanded with a swish of her spoon as food
appeared on the table.

“Yes, eat,” Coran said, forcing a smile and helping his daughter scoop
up some of her oatmeal.

Smiling at the sight of her daughter and husband, Relea set down a
plate of sausage upon the table, taking a particularly small portion
and cutting it into bite sized pieces before slipping some onto the
small plate that housed the child’s bowl. She made no sound of her
own, for her voice was harsh to the ears of those who were not used to
her, and her hands spoke far more eloquently than anything she could
try to say with her lips. Silently, those hands rose to form words in
a language that few knew, but both of those present were fully versed
in.

[[You should eat something, Coran.]] Her eyes saw more than just the
tranquil scene of a father assisting his child. Something was off,
and Relea didn’t know what it was. Coming to Jade Harbour had been a
difficult decision, but one she supported as her husband’s ambition
was a laudable one. However, the long days and even nights meant a
lot of time apart, and she relished the moments like that one where
they could sit and be together, even if only for a little while.

[[I’m not very hungry,]] Coran signed back with a weak smile. It was
true. The thought of trying to choke down a piece of food made him
nauseous. He wondered if Relea’s shrewd eyes could detect his
transgression written on his face. He felt like it was visible for all
the world to see.

Corlea, now that her parents weren’t looking at her, had turned some
of her oatmeal out onto the table and was using her fingers like
paintbrushes to smear it around.

[[Are you getting sick?]] Relea signed the questions before picking
up a cloth. Stepping over to her daughter, she carefully wiped the
sticky fingers and plucked the spoon to scoop some oatmeal and offer
it to the child. Automatically, Corlea opened her mouth to accept it.

[[No. Let’s talk about it after Corlea’s finished with breakfast.]]
Coran stood up from his chair and went over to begin scrubbing on the
dishes that had been used to make the meal. Anything to occupy his
hands.

For a moment, Relea stared at her husband’s back. Over the last few
days, his attitude had increasingly become distant, reminiscent of how
he had been after the death of their first baby. What had happened to
put him in that sort of mood? Although she had lost more since
Corlea’s birth, the last one had been over a turn prior. It was never
easy, but they had gotten more cautious because of it. No, there was
something else bothering him, but what, he would not say. Rather than
nag her husband, she turned to sweep up the second blob of oatmeal
Corlea had dumped on the table and set about making sure more of the
food got inside the child rather than on her.

Promptly at the eighth candlemark, Sisily stopped by to pick up her
charge. Although Relea was fully capable of taking care of their
child, she went to the creche for a couple of hours a day to help her
socialise and talk with others verbally. Once she was gone, she
turned back to her husband who had yet to leave, unusual for him.

[[What’s wrong?]] She inquired once the crecheworker had left. [[Did
something happen?]] Had he gotten in a disagreement with another
Healer? Had something happened in the infirmary?

Coran knew there was no gentle way to say what needed to be said. He
looked into Relea’s eyes. Eyes that he loved very much. Eyes that he
was sure would look quite differently at him in a moment.

[[Something happened,]] he signed. How could he explain his actions to
her when he couldn’t rationalize them to himself? [[You know I’ve been
working a lot of hours in the infirmary.]] The entire reason they’d
moved to Jade Harbor was so he could work towards becoming a Master
Healer.

[[I’d been working a lot with Emera and…]] His fingers trembled as he
hesitated to sign the next bit. [[Things went too far between us one
night.]] He ducked his head a little, unable to meet Relea’s eyes.
Instead, he stared at her hands.

For a second, Relea didn’t respond. Her brow furrowed, not quite
understanding what he meant. Perhaps trying to deny that she
understood perfectly well. Those hands went still, her body stiffened
and she stared at the man who couldn’t meet her gaze. Slowly, her
hands lifted to sign a question, hoping that she had merely
misunderstood. [[What do you mean?]]

[[I slept with her,]] he signed, and then his hands fell lifeless by his sides.

Silence had always existed, a natural consequence of the condition
that had plagued Relea since her childhood, but now, it weighed
heavily between them, a smothering, painful silence. For a long time,
she simply stared at him, wondering if, perhaps, she had somehow
mistaken what he said, hoping that perhaps he had signed the incorrect
words to her and meant something completely different. That was
preposterous, though. Coran was fully fluent in how to speak to her,
and there was no mistaking what he said. Eventually, her hands
fluttered up and she managed to carve out another word, even as a
tightness began to squeeze her chest. [[You slept wit her? Why? Why
did you sleep with her?]] Already her breath quickened as she
desperately sought to stay in control.

[[There is no good reason why. We got close after working together so
much. She was just… _there_.]] It sounded stupid, weak, and pathetic,
even to Coran. [[I am so sorry.]] The words weren’t strong enough to
convey the depths of his regret.

Emera was just there. That was the reason for his infidelity, and it
was one that only made the tightness in her chest squeeze harder.
What about herself? Hadn’t she been _there_? Was she not enough for
him? Or was she too broken? Tears stung, pooling together and
darkening the blue eyes. One escaped and ran down her cheek. [[I was
here.]] She signed, her hands shaking and forming the words in jerky
motions. [[I’ve always been here.]]

[[I know. I don’t have any excuses, Relea. I don’t even have a good
reason why. ]] He finally glanced up at his wife’s face. The hurt in
her eyes and the tears on her face were like stabs in his chest.

She started to sign again, but stumbled over what in world she could
say. Those hands fell into her lap, tears stinging her eyes, and
Relea’ turned away from him, unable to bear even looking at her
husband. How could he do this? How could he allow such a thing to
happen? Even worse…how could he choose someone other than her.

She was broken. She had always known she was, and that he had
settled. Even so, the idea that he had found pleasure in someone
else’s arms stung, and the tears that pooled in her eyes began to pour
from them, creating rivulets down her face.

~*~ End Flashback ~*~

Reven’s stunned silence cut like a knife, but Coran knew that it was a
slice most deserved. He deserved all of the punishment he could
receive for what he’d done to his wife.

“Well… feck, Coran. I didn’t expect all of that when I asked you. I
thought you were going to say she was pregnant and couldn’t travel but
you two were waiting to surprise the family with the news.”

Coran turned his pipe over, dumping out the dregs of lavender.

“Is it… Is it over between you two?” Reven asked.

The healer shook his head. “I can’t talk anymore about it tonight,
Reven. Just… go off to Emerald Falls and be a Warder, or whatever it
is you’re doing. Travel safe. Have a good time with Arippa and Pippa.
I’ll take care of things here until you get back, I promise.”

Reven clapped his hand on Coran’s shoulder and squeezed lightly. There
really wasn’t anything else to say, was there?

Last updated on the October 17th 2024

[Prev: The Prodigal Son] Series: The Unwanted Sister [Next: Back at the Beginning]

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

What's Left Unsaid