Truce

Writers: AL, Ames
Date Posted: 14th April 2011

Characters: Wirnan, Kaya
Description: Wirnan has a little chat with Kaya and they make a tenuous truce.
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 1, day 1 of Turn 6

Wirnan

He'd just left Zathris's office and now he had a goal in mind. Walking
quickly he shoved open the door to his...no, their quarters.

"Kaya?" He called out. He needed to settle some things. How many times had
he tried these past few days only to find his attempts backfiring. But today
he vowed he would not lose his temper, no matter what happened.

To say Kaya was wary would be an understatement. She straightened from
where she had been polishing the small table that sat in front of the couch.
Her hair had been pulled back and braided with five or six plaits, that
braid falling over her shoulder and swinging with her movements. "Yes."
She responded, caution reflected in her voice as well as her expression.

"Sit down...please," he said as he approached her. He needed to talk to her,
get some things out, and see if she would open up to him at all. Even if she
didn't, it didn't matter. He would let her know that he understood.

Please? Did Wirnan just say _please_? That was a shock, enough of one that
Kaya complied and her expression loosened, into curiosity if not all out
openness. She watched him, eyes marking his every move. "W...what is it?"

He moved to take a chair across from her. "I'm sorry for what your father
did to you, Kaya. I _need_ you to know that. While I don't agree with how
you went about getting away from him, I..." he paused, looking at her for a
moment and then away. "I can understand why you did want to get away from
him."

More surprise. Kaya stared at Wirnan. Then she looked away. He didn't
understand, not really. She hadn't been trying to get away from her father,
but away from what her father wanted to do. Well, yes, away from her
father, but more away from the man he wanted her to marry. From the life he
was trying to force her into. To a man who would break her as much as her
father had broken her mother. There was more to it than that, more involved
than just her father. Her jaw tightened, but she didn't speak, instead
electing to merely nod.

He looked closely at her and then added when she didn't speak. "It's
alright. You don't have to say anything more about it. What's done is done
and you no longer have to worry about him, and I won't ask you again about
why. I can't promise you how things will go between us." He paused and shook
his head. "I definitely hadn't expected to find myself in this situation at
the moment, but perhaps we can agree to some sort of business arrangement,
cause we're stuck with each other." He didn't need to tell her he'd already
spoken to Zathris about divorce.

He wasn't making any sense. Not to Kaya. Surely he had something in mind,
so why didn't he just come out and say it. Well, at least he was willing to
discuss an arrangement of some sort. But what sort? She turned her gaze
back to him a litlte, a sidelong look that held a bit more suspicion in it.
"What...do you mean?"

"Neither one of us entered this....union exactly willingly, but we must put
on a good face for those around us or else we face even worse ridicule or
for me, loss of respect. I need you to _appear_ to be my wife in public.
Smile, treat me..." he paused, "like a wife would in public. Just friendly
sort." He felt like he was rambling. "I would expect you to help here,
around our quarters, like cleaning and those sorts of duties, but," he
swallowed "I won't ask you to partake in the other duties between a man and
a wife, unless..." he had to clear his throat, "you decide you want to. It
will be like a business arrangement. Do you agree?" He was downright
uncomfortable and wanted to stick a finger in his collar as he suddenly felt
like he was sweating uncontrollably.

"I've _been_ helping." Kaya pointed out, motioning to the room which she
had kept quite clean. She let her hand drop as he broached the other
subject and nodded. As long as he didn't expect that of her. She couldn't.
She just couldn't. She liked Wirnan, even though she got mad at him
but...but she didn't love him. And she would be leaving in a few months.
"I agree." She couldn't exactly hide her relief.

"Fine, then, It's agreed. For all intents and purposes we will appear as man
and wife to the others, but when it's just the two of us, we can stick the
arrangement." He wished he didn't have to be this way, but he couldn't
stomach the thought of constantly being on edge with her. "I'll continue to
sleep out here. Perhaps I'll see if I can be discreet and get some small cot
brought in. In the meantime the bedroom is yours."

"I can sleep on the couch." Kaya didn't mind that. She knew it wasn't
comfortable and she'd have an easier time sleeping on it than he would. "I
don't mind. Truly." And it was a concession of sort, a way to add
something of her own to their truce.

"No, the bedroom is yours. I'll get a cot as soon as I feel I can do so
without arising suspicion. Until then, I'll just turn this into my temporary
bed chambers. It will be fine. Trust me I've slept in far worse conditions."
He didn't tell her that those were never very _nice_ conditions, but giving
her the room was his gift to her. "Consider the bedchamber my wedding
present to you."

Kaya's cheeks turned pink and she looked down and nodded. "All right." It
was half whispered, just barely audible. She cleared her throat. "I
should...get back to...polishing the table."

"Aye, and I well, I shall get back to what I was doing before." He really
didn't have all that much to do at the moment, at least not until he
returned to his duties full time. But he would _find_ something to do so
they wouldn't have to maintain a conversation between them the whole of the
day.

Last updated on the April 27th 2011

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Truce