Mean Words

Writers: Eimi, Paula
Date Posted: 9th April 2009

Characters: Erassa, Corowal
Description: Erassa has some explaining to do ...
Location: Emerald Falls Hold
Date: month 2, day 3 of Turn 5

"Erassa?" Corolia asked, twirling her spoon in the porrige plate. "What's whore?"

The fostermother froze, tea kettle poised over her cup. A single drop fell from the spout and hit the ceramic glaze with a soft splash. "'Whore' is a very mean word, Corolia," she finally replied softly, setting the kettle back down before she dropped it. Erassa had always known somewhere in the back of her head that one day the question would come up. Why then did it seem to shake her so?

"Why woud Taffie's mom call you a weyrwhore with a bastat son?" the utterly confused little girl asked.

**Because she's a bitter old bitch in a loveless marriage...** Erassa thought, though she bit her tongue, literally, to keep from saying so out loud. "Because she doesn't know me, love. If you don't take the time to know someone, then it's easy to think and say bad things about them. But good people don't do that, do they, Corolia?"

"No, they don't. Is Taffies mom a bad person then?" Corolia asked.

Well, she was caught there. "I... don't know Taffie's mother, so I can't really say. But I know it was not nice of her to call me mean names." It wasn't even her that she was angry about. She could care less what the woman had said about her, but where did she get off telling the children that her son was a bastard!

"I don't get it. I like Taffie," Corolia murmured with wrinkles on her forehead.

Erassa certainly didn't want to cost the girl a good friend. "Well, did Taffie call me a 'whore'?"

"No, she didn't. She just repeated what she overheard from her mom. She didn't know what it meant either. I would never call her mother anything but Taffie's mom," Corolia sounded bit smug at that.

"That's good." She certainly would be sad if the young girl was growing into a mean gossip. "Well, if Taffie ever tells you her mother called me a mean name, just simply tell her that her mother is mistaken. I am not a whore, and next time I would be more than happy to explain it to her mother personally."

"Okay," The girl said and started eating her breakfast.

Corowal chuckled. Unnoticed, he had watched the scene from the door.

Erassa's head snapped towards the sound of his laughter, her eyes cold and angry. How dare he laugh at this?! "I see nothing funny about this situation."

"I just liked the way you handled that one," Corowal said.

"I shouldn't _have_ to handle it," she murmured, pushing her chair back and grabbing her dishes, trying not let her actions show her anger and upset the young girl.

"Trust me, I've tried to explain away few slips of my tongue too. The children have a knack of getting you squeezed between the rock and the hard place." He kept his voice low, to dimish the change of Corolia overhearing.

"I mean that I shouldn't have to explain to a child why I am not a whore," she replied softly as she carefully set the dishes in the sink before she slammed them into a thousand pieces. How dare that woman tell her child that her son was a bastard!

"People are malicious," Corowal said and put his hand against her shoulder in comforting gesture. "She is jealous. Being fostermother to Lord Holder's children is quite a honour and position many women would covet."

She hated the part of her that felt grateful for the gentle gesture, even though she knew there was no real feeling behind it - just a desire to bed her like all his other women. But sometimes she felt so alone, standing up for herself, and more importantly her son, in front of a Hold who wanted nothing more than a scandelous story to tell. "I just wish they would leave Beleran alone. He's just a child," she whispered, tears coming to her eyes despite her best attempts to suppress them.

"Aww," Corowal said and pulled her into an embrace. "One day they will, when get something new to gossip about," he assured her.

Erassa didn't mean to relax into his arms, or lean her forehead against his strong shoulder, or curl her fingers into his tunic. It just seemed to happen. Damn him for playing on her loneliness, and damn her too for being so sharding weak. **I am a whore...** Taking a deep breath she forced herself to pull back. "I have to get the boys ready for harper classes."

"Of course," Corowal said and released her. Somewhat surprised, he realized that he wanted to be one she leaned on when she had hardships. His feelings for her run deeper than he had believed. She was more than just a conquest.

Last updated on the April 27th 2009

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Mean Words