Another Option

Writers: AL, Kaysea
Date Posted: 26th June 2008

Characters: Eliste, Nico
Description: Nico visits Eliste who tells him she'll be leaving, and he gives her another option.
Location: Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 10, day 10 of Turn 4

"Hello? Anybody here?" Nico knocked loudly on the door to Eliste's room with his free hand, but there was no answer. The door opened slowly, Eliste mustn't have closed it properly when she left, he surmised. He took a step inside, just to check she wasn't asleep - though his knock should have woken her.

A piece of parchment fluttered off the table and down to the ground in front of him. It looked like a partly finished letter. He bent and picked up the parchment, trying to not read what was written, but his name at the top of the missive caught his eye. "She had written to him? His face creased in puzzlement, before his eyes followed the words across the page.

Eliste was not too far behind Nico. She had taken a short walk, then decided to go lie down. Having been confined to the bed during most of her pregnancy, she supposed she just wasn't used to getting up and walking around, especially now that the baby was larger. When she returned, she was surprised to find her door ajar. She hesitated a moment. Was there a drudge picking up laundry, or perhaps cleaning? She pushed open the door and froze when she saw who was there, her back turned to her. "Oh, hello Nico."

"Oh!" he turned, a guilty look on his face as he fingered the parchment in his hand. "Eliste." he could feel moisture in his eyes at the words he had read, but now, guilt filled him - it had become obvious she hadn't meant for him to see them.

Eliste's gaze turned to the parchment that he held. She was about to ask if he had a note for her, when she recognised the script. Her mouth closed and her gaze moved back to his eyes, hovering for a moment before lowering. She tried to think of something to say, but couldn't. What could she say? She hadn't finished the story, but it wasn't hard to figure out what had happened afterwards.

"Eliste..." he stepped forward, his hands out placatingly. "I'm sorry..." he shook his head, "I..I didn't mean to - it slipped from your desk." What could he say - or do to show her how sorry he was?

"It's all right." She managed a smile, however slight though she did not, could not look at him. If she did, she might not be able to keep herself together. "How are you?" It was an obvious change of subject.
She didn't want to discuss what he had read. She didn't know if she could.

He took a gulp of air, partly to give them both time to recover from the situation and partly because he had been holding his breath waiting for her to either break down in tears or begin telling him she never wanted to see him again - either would have torn him in two.
She had asked him a question, but he hadn't heard her properly, "Pardon?" he still had a hold of the letter, turning he folded it tightly and placed it back where it had originally been. "Sorry - I ...I didn't hear what you said." he continued, his face flushing lightly with colour.

"How are you?" Eliste repeated softly, still not looking at him. She moved into the room, motioned for him to sit in the chair and took a seat upon the bed, her eyes continuing to avoid looking at his.

"I'm... fine." he answered slowly. "I... I brought you a present." he said, reaching inside his tunic, and pulling out a small wrapped parcel. "It's something small, I saw it and thought of you." He passed her the parcel, his hand trembling slightly as he did so.

Eliste's eyes moved to the parcel and she took it slowly. "You didn't have to. I never expected anything back." She stared at it for a moment before she slowly began to open it.

"When you see it, you'll know why." he smiled softly. She hadn't been far from his thoughts the whole trip - but the necklace had brought her face to his mind immediately he had seen it. The weight of her quilt, each night, filled his dreams with her; despite what he had told Lineal.

"Oh." Eliste breathed the word when she opened the package and gingerly fingered the necklace. It was lovely, shining silver with a pendant in the shape of a thimble. Yes, she understood why he had gotten it for her. "Oh, Nico...it's lovely. But you shouldn't have." She stared at it, clutched it, then finally looked at him. "I...Fog told me. I'm sorry Nico. I'm sorry I can't give you what you want."

"What I want" his forehead wrinkled, "I'm not sure I follow..." he tried to act as if he didn't know what she meant, whilst inside he slowly began to fume at her words. When had Fog told her? More importantly, _what_ had he told her?

"I can't offer more than friendship. Not to you, not to Fog, not to Jardon. Not anyone." Eliste dropped her gaze. Why had she brought up the other two? This conversation didn't involve them, so why had they come to mind?

"Fog? Jardon? They... they've spoken to you?" he couldn't hide his surprise, Fog had been silent on the matter of Eliste - at least to him. He chose to ignore her statement about their friendship.

"No...they...they haven't." Eliste's cheeks grew pink and she reached up to rub her eyes. "I just...I'm just saying that...I'm not expressing myself very well." This was getting more and more awkward by the moment. "I can't hope for something I know I can't have." She said finally, though she wasn't sure if that explained anything at all.

"Something you can't have?" he considered her words for a moment. "You know Eliste, it doesn't always have to be the way it was with... Helvar." He hoped he wasn't overstepping with the mention of her husband. "Some people have very happy and loving relationships."

She knew that. Eliste wasn't oblivious to that, but it was obvious that Nico didn't understand. "I'm leaving Nico." She didn't want to, but she had to. "After the baby is born, as soon as the baby is able to travel, I will be leaving."

"Leaving? Where will you go?" he felt the tremor rock his body, he was losing her, and didn't know what to do to stop her. "Sorry, I shouldn't pry..." he shook his head, "Look, I'm sorry Eliste, I didn't mean to come on so hard to begin with, but... I'll accept your friendship and ask nothing more of you - unless you change your mind."

The smile that Eliste offered Nico held no joy in it. "I have to leave because I'm too close." She explained softly, slowly. "The longer I stay, the more likely he will find me. I can't let him find me, Nico. I can't." She took a deep breath, let it out, then offered another smile, this one more genuine. "Your friendship means a lot to me."

"He wouldn't dare do anything to you now." his voice hardened in dislike.
He didn't know the man, but it didn't matter, any man who made a woman feel the way Eliste felt deserved nothing more than to have the tar beaten from him; he knew both Fog and he felt the same way on this, and if either came in contact with him, the temptation would be great.

"You don't know him." Her voice trembled at the very thought of what Helvar might do if he found her. "You don't know him." Eliste repeated, shaking her head. "He'll find me. He'll find us." She crossed her arms protectively over her stomach, over the life that thrived within. "I never meant to stay. I was going to the seaport...I was going to get as far away as I possibly could."

"Eliste, please - calm down." Nico stood and walked across to her and knelt down in front of her. "The locals here have been warned to be on the lookout for him, and Jardon is aware as well. When Fog and I are here, no one will touch you. You can be sure of that. And apart from the Sungazer there is only one other paddleboat servicing the river, so unless he can row for days or pay his way by runnerback, there's not much chance he could make his way here without detection. "Of course... there is another option."

"Another...option?" Eliste looked down into Nico's eyes. She couldn't help but be doubtful. Helvar was not a nice man, and she had a feeling he would not be easily dissuaded, not even if Fog and Nico confronted him together. Even so, she would never want her friends to put themselves into that sort of situation. But another option? Eliste honestly couldn't think of any other way.

"You could have the Harper declare your separation, and handfast with me?"
he said quietly, not wishing to alarm her. "You'd then have my protection as well as everyone onboard the Sungazer. We look after our own." he affirmed.

Eliste's eyes widened just as a reddened her cheeks. After a moment, she lowered her gaze. Her mind whirled. The marriage could be annulled, she could be free of Helvar. She would be handfasted to a man who loved her, to a man whom she knew would care for her baby as if the babe was his own.
But would she really be free? Eliste knew Helvar wouldn't care if there was a declaration of separation, he would still come after her. Helvar's anger would be great and she was afraid what he would do to anyone who tried to deny him what he wanted. She would be in danger, and she would put others in danger, others whom she had come to care for immensely. She couldn't do that. She wouldn't do that. After a few moments, Eliste swallowed and said softly, "I can't Nico." She could feel the burning of tears behind her eyes.

He moved towards her amd knelt down in front of her, taking her hands in his own. "You can, Eliste. I wouldn't ask anything of you, I swear. Purely for your protection, you'd be safe with me, with _us_."

"But you wouldn't be safe with me." Eliste lifted her gaze and for just a moment met his before lowering it again. "I can't. I just can't."

"What do you mean, I wouldn't be safe?" Nico smiled, his hand reached up and tilted her face back up, "Look at me Eliste, please?" he asked quietly.

Eliste lifted her gaze, crystal eyes staring into his. "I can't let him find me. He'll try to hurt you, or Fog, or anyone else who tries to help me. I know he will." She pulled back from his touch, shaking her head.
"I couldn't bear that."

"We can protect ourselves." Nico answered, squeezing her hands, "We're not helpless, and there are laws he has to live by - that we all have to live by."

While Eliste knew that Nico's words ran true, even so she was scared.
Very scared. Helvar frightened her at the best of times. He knew there was a face he wore to the rest of Pern, but she had seen his true face and it terrified her. How could she communicate this to Nico though? He didn't understand. The best she could do was state softly, "I'll think about it."

"I mean it, Eliste. I won't press you for anything, you'll have our protection though, more than you have now." He promised her, giving her hands a small squeeze again, **And maybe one day you'll come to love me."
he thought to himself.

"I'm tired." Eliste's face tightened as if her head hurt and she seemed almost afraid to meet his eyes. "I'll sleep on it."

"Okay, I'll leave you to rest." He stood, releasing her hands as he did so. "I'll come back tomorrow, for just a little while. I don't want to tire you out."

Eliste nodded slowly and graced Nico with a tiny smile. "Tomorrow then."

Last updated on the June 28th 2008

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Another Option