Family Mealtime

Writers: Emma, Kayte
Date Posted: 24th June 2008

Characters: Miranek, Helvalla
Description: The family gathers for dinner and talk about Helan's options.
Location: Emerald Falls Hold
Date: month 10, day 9 of Turn 4

Dinner was ready and Helvalla had everything set out on the table. Helan had helped her mother set the table for the family and was already seated in her spot waiting for the boys to join them.

"Miranek, boys. Dinner is ready and I know you're all hungry." Helvalla took her seat and smiled at her daughter. "Help yourself, dear." She poured her husband some wine, as well as some for herself.

The boys came scrambling down from the loft bedroom they shared. "I'm ready Ma," said Valnek.

"Thank you dear," said her husband as he took his seat. "It looks wonderful."

"Oh, I do try." Helvalla smiled at him brightly. "Would mind cutting the roast for me?" She asked, handing him the knife and serving fork.

"There's enough for everyone to eat as much as they like." The comment was directed towards Ranval and Valnek, who seemed to be going through a grow-spurt or something. The boys did nothing but eat and Helvalla found herself having a hard time keeping up with their insatiable appetites.

Miranek took the serving fork, and rose to his feet again, placing it in the roast, which appeared to be cooked just as he liked it. Slices gently fell onto the platter as he worked at it, before he said, "Who wants the first slice?"

Valnek hopped up in his chair with his plate reaching across the table towards his father. "Me, me!" He said excitedly. "Me first!"

Helvalla took the plate from the youngest and held it out for Miranek. She didn't trust Valnek not to spill the contents all over the table in his excitement for his meal. "Helan, hand me yours as well." She said, "You can serve tubers to your brothers."

He couldn't resist a smile at the eagerness of his youngest. "Don't forget you and Ranval will be washing up after this, Goldie will wait for his walk."

"How was your day, dear?" Helvalla asked Miranek. "I haven't had much of a chance to ask." Once Miranek had place the slices on the plates she passed them back to the children and began passing out slices of bread.

"Pretty quiet really. There are no babe's due for a few days, and most of the cases we have in the infirmary are on the mend. The Journeymen on duty can more than handle them."

"That's good to hear." Since everyone had their plates full, Helvalla took her first bite of dinner, her stomach reminding her she was quite hungry.
"It'll be wonderful having more babies in the Hold. I know I miss mine." She smiled at her children, winking an eye at them. "You three were so adorable."

"Were?" Helan asked, snorting lightly. "You can't hold it against us that we grew up, you know."

Helvalla nodded. "I know, dear heart. I know."

"And one day soon no doubt you'll be thinking of marriage and your own babies," Miranek teased his daughter, waiting to see what her reaction would be.

Helan rolled her eyes. "Slow down, father. There's still more I want to do before I do all that." She pushed her food around her plate. "Besides, it doesn't seem so wonderful when it's what I'm being pushed into. I'd rather have love." Being so young made the idea of love much more grand and wondrous to Helan and it was something she found herself often daydreaming about - much like other hold girls her age.

And he was relieved to hear that, she was way too young really for anything serious. "What would you like to do?" he asked, thinking she might give them a hint. "Be fostered back to the Healer hall maybe?"

"Maybe." Helan replied. "I guess I'm still not sure."

Helvalla nodded, understanding her daughter completely. "You have a bit of time, I believe." She looked at her husband and smiled. In some way, she was proud of her daughter for wanting more for herself and Helvalla adamantly believed Helan deserved it.

"Tell you what, you think about what you want over the next sevenday, then come back and talk to me and your mother about it, okay?"

"Okay, father." Helan replied, smiling. "What would you rather me do?" She asked. Helan would do anything to make sure her father was happy with her choices and especially if something would make him happy. Being so young, her parents were still everything to her.

"I just want you to be happy, and so does your mother."

Helan nodded and took a bite of her food. "Thank you." She replied once she had swallowed.

Last updated on the June 28th 2008

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Family Mealtime