A Nice Old Lady

Writers: AmajoS, Emma
Date Posted: 25th July 2007

Characters: Rothen, Royah
Description: Rothen and his mother run into Royah during their walk.
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 5, day 6 of Turn 4

Rothen watched the comings and goings around him with a keen eye. He was off-duty at the moment, but it was habit that had developed over the turns he'd been working as a guard first at Topaz, then at Amethyst Cliff and now here, at Amber Hills. Everyone had somewhere to be, it seemed. He, himself didn't have any particular place to be at the moment though. Which was why he was escorting his mother on her daily walk.

The healers had stressed the importance of his mother engaging in low-impact, relaxed forms of exercise like walking. It helped bolster her energy without being a drain on her health. And long, lesiurly strolls outdoors when the weather permitted eased her mind as well.
Sometimes she had panic attacks if she stayed in her room for too long.

Their path was taking them towards one of the Lord Holder's sons, Royah. Rothen didn't know the man well as yet. He didn't know many people in Amber Hills who hadn't come from Amethyst very well yet. The older man had a preoccupied look on his face that caused Rothen to pause. Of course, once he'd paused his mother decided it would only be polite to greet the man, and of course, she was right.

"Good morning Holder Royah," Kyselen smiled in her slightly vacant way at the Lord Holder's son.

"Yes, good morning," Rothen added with a friendly smile of his own.

"Good morning," replied the Lord Holder's son returning the greeting more automatically than anything else.

"Such a serious look! Too serious for so lovely a day, Holder."
Kyselen chided, her voice strenthening in its teasing. The day was actually quite nice. Sunny, and much warmer than yesterday had been.
Rothen was glad as all the signs pointed toward there being rain the next day and Rothen doubted he'd be able to take his mother out at all. He grinned a bit, bemused at his mother's tone with the Lord Holder's son and hoped the other man didn't take it amiss.

Royah could see that she was an older lady, and as such should be allowed a little latitude, and given some respect. By the look of things, she had more than dome her duty to the hold, with a fine son helping her along like this.

The guard smiled appolgetically at Royah before speaking to his mother, "Come now mother, we don't want to bother the Holder." He tried to lead her off, but she resisted, planting her feet and refusing to be led away.

"Don't be silly, Rothen, we're not bothering the young man." Kyselen slapped her son lightly on the arm as she spoke in a no-nonsense tone that might've been amusing in other circumstances. The Lord Holder's son was much older than Rothen himself, after all.

"You aren't bothering me at all," confirmed Royah.

"See?" Kyselen smiled at her son with all the aspirity of one who's been proven right. "Don't mind him Holder, he just misses his sister is all. She should be along any day now though and that'll set him to rights," she added to Royah in a mock-whisper, not noticing Rothen's flinching or the resignation and pain warring in his eyes.

"I'm sure she will, as much as my younger sister tries to with me."

Rothen didn't bother trying to correct his mother. He didn't want to upset her or get into an argument with her about it again, especially in front of the Lord Holder's son. So, he plastered a pleasant, agreeable smile on his face and finally released a breath when his mother changed the subject on her own. He was so glad of it, he had a hard time minding that she was prying into the other man's affairs uninvited.

"They're very close those two, like peas in a pod," Kyselen added happily. "But enough about us, Holder, what's troubling you?"

"Nothing at all on a nice day like this," he said politely.

"As it should be! As it should be." The older woman nodded her approval, reaching out and patting Royah on the arm. Rothen shot the other man a look that was both amused and apologetic and tried again to steer his mother way. This time with more success.

"Come along mother, we've got to finish our walk if we want to be back for lunch." The look of surprise in her face indicated she'd completely forgotten their walk and the impending mid-day meal. With a final maternal pat on the Lord Holder's Son's arm, she allowed Rothen to lead her away.

She was a nice old lady, thought Royah. A little forgetful with time, but nice.

Rothen walked arm in arm with his mother, nodding attentively to her running dialogue on everything from the fineness of the day to the laziness of the children of the Hold. He loved his mother, truly, even if she did occasionally embarrass him a bit and if she unwittingly hurt him with her belief that his dead sister was alive and well. She didn't mean to and that's all that mattered.

Last updated on the July 29th 2007

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A Nice Old Lady