This Isn't Happening...

Writers: Eimi, Emma
Date Posted: 20th November 2008

Characters: Teseada, D'nev, J'nev
Description: Teseada learned a little something she never knew...
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 12, day 5 of Turn 4

Teseada

"Well Done!"

Teseada turned to find her father stood behind her, arms open for a hug.

"You both did so well," D'nev told his daughter. "I'm proud of you. And
I hope those new Weyrlings do you both proud as well."

"Thanks Da," Came the slightly muffled reply from inside the hug. "I, I
just never thought I'd see a day like this."

"Well you have. Shoglenth and I knew it would happen for you."

There, that was the easy bit, thought the bluerider. The harder bit was
yet to come, and it would have to now. Why did it all have to happen
today of all days.

"Dad!" a voice called excited from behind them. "Dad, did you see me?
Did you watch?"

It must be for someone else, thought Teseada. There were plenty of the
new weyrlings seeking out their families with similar words. But still,
she owed the weyrling a word or two of congratulation, and stepped back
from
D'nev. "Well done Weyrling," she said formally as she studied him. "I'm
sure your father will be very proud of you and your dragon."

Teseada had obviously assumed that the boy was looking for someone
behind her. But D'nev knew, and wondered what to say next. It had been
one thing for Jianev to make his way here, and another for Shoglenth to
decide he could possibly be a candidate, but now, now he was going to
have to
explain things.

"I did," he settled for saying, "I saw you out there."

"Dad, you have to meet him. He's so perfect! His name is Ankioth," the
boy beamed at D'nev with a smile that mirrored the older man's.

"Dad?" repeated Teseada, confusion evident in her voice and posture.

That same confusion was in her father, and the boy's father too. How on
Pern was he going to explain this to Teseada. He'd hoped that the boy
wouldn't impress this time, that he could persuaded him to go home, to
give himself time to talk to Teseada and then bring the boy back for the
next
hatching, but Ankioth had clearly had some other ideas.

"Teseada," he began. "This isn't what I hoped for, how I hoped you'd
find out. But Jianev here, he's also my son." Brief and to the point,
there was no way to coat this pill with any sort of sweetener, and it
was no
doubt very bitter.

"No," she said. "This can't be happening," she looked up to her father's
face, trying to see in his eyes if it was the truth.

And all she could see explained it that way, the boy's vague
familiarity, his mannerisms as she'd seen them in the short time. "No,
you are not my brother."

"You're what?" the boy asked, his face one of uncomprehention. He
looked between his father and the woman he could clearly recognize as
the goldrider from whose Clutch he had just Impressed. "Dad? Am I
missing something?"

"Son," he said. "I'm glad you've impressed, truly I am. But now, now you
have to meet your sister. I know this is hard for both of you. But you
needed to know."

The boy's jaw dropped slightly as he turned to look at the goldrider.
His eyes narrowed as he scanned her face. There was something...
familiar there. Why would his father lie to him? But why didn't he
tell him before? "Was it a Flight?"

"Da, Tell him he's mistaken," pleaded Teseada. "Tell him about Ma, your
wife before Shoglenth found you. Prove to him he's made a mistake,
please."

"I can't," her father said. "Teseada, it's true. Jianev _is_ your
brother. I'm his father."

"Wait a moment, wait," the new weyrling interjected, waving his hands.
"Dad was married to _my_ mother before he Impressed Shoglenth."

"You're wrong Weyrling," Teseada corrected. "Wrong and mistaken, you
should remember that. My mother was married to my father for several
turns before I was born and he impressed."

He turned to his father, a hint of desperation in his voice. "Tell her
Dad. Tell her about Ma." He turned back to the goldrider. "My father
_was_ married to my mother. They moved to the Weyr because he was
assigned here and after he Impressed their marriage was dissolved. They
decided they didn't want to raise their children in the Weyr so they
moved her out to Muddy River Hold and that's where my sisters and I were
born. Tell her Dad."

"No," Teseada's voice was cold, and she kept it low. A scene was not
needed here at a hatching feast.

"Love," D'nev reached out for his daughter's arm, only to see her pull
back. "He is my son."

"I don't believe you, either of you," his daughter said. "This isn't
happening, not now, not today. I'm going to leave, I've got to got out
of here."

"Teseada!" called her father as the goldrider turned on her heels and
stalked off.

"I don't believe you," she called back. "I'm going to excuse myself, and
when I come back, the two of you will be out of my sight."

The boy shook his head, noting that she was _nothing_ like any of his
sisters. And yet, his father said she was one... Why in Faranths name
wouldn't he have said something earlier? In all those long talks they
had, they could talk about anything. They had almost seemed like best
friends as much as father and son. There was nothing they couldn't say
to each other, he had thought. And yet it seems that even as he barred
his soul out to his father, a secret had been kept from him. His mind
held firmly to the belief that she was wrong. She had to be, because
his father would never lie to him. D'nev wouldn't lie to him, his
sisters, the entire Hold that had been their home since before he was
born. His father was the very best of men, and would just never do
that. Never. There wasn't a fireball's chance /between/ that he had
been deceived by the man he had admired and respected most in the world.
And yet he just had to hear his father say it.

"Tell me everything." It wasn't a request. It was a demand. He wanted
his father to prove that the faith he had put in him over the turns was
still not broken, that this was just a misunderstanding. The boy needed
that because his family was his whole world, and this was a secret that
could potentially tear it apart if they had been wrong about him...

"I will, but later." D'nev was distracted by the sight of Teseada making
her way out of the party. No doubt she'd be heading for the nearest
necessary, and probably to cry her heart out, before facing the throngs
again. "Son, I'm sorry it happened this way."

The boy stepped into his line of sight, pulling his attention back to
him. He didn't want to hear apologies. It shouldn't have happened in
the first place! "Tell me _now_."

"Later," said his father with more conviction in his voice. "You'll have
to go back to the barracks soon, and this could take all night. As soon
as possible, I will come and speak to you. I'm sure the Weyrlingmaster
will allow me to visit."

His son's jaw tightened as he looked his father square in the eye. Was
that really all the answer he was to expect? The man he had trusted to
be honest with him above all others not only seemed to have been living
a second life he knew nothing about, but now when he was confronted with
the lies he had told, either to him or to his newly discovered sister,
he refused to explain himself? How could he do that, to _him_ of all
people? Where was the man of honor Jianev had idolized all his life?
His perfect image of his father was shattering right before him, and the
boy didn't know what to do, but he knew he couldn't stand the sight of
him a moment longer.

The weyrling turned and shouldered his way through the crowd, putting as
much distance as he could between himself and the man he thought he
knew, and now understood he had never really known at all. But where
was he to go? The faces and the stone walls were strange to him. He
knew few of the people but none well. He had no friends, he didn't know
anywhere he could go, he didn't know where his bed was anymore, he
didn't even know his own _name_! All he had was a small bronze
dragonette still peacefully dozing on a stone couch, and so Jianev -
_J'nev_ - made his way there to sit, to stew, and to wait.

Last updated on the November 23rd 2008

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