Key to the secrets (part 2/2)

Writers: AL, Paula, Suzee
Date Posted: 3rd October 2011

Characters: Zelanka, Zathris, Benani
Description: Zelanka finds a long lost key that belonged to Benaroy and takes it to Zathris and Benani.
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 4, day 3 of Turn 6

Zathris

Benani

Benani smiled. "Me too." When they got to their rooms she went
straight to the desk but she knew the drawers in the front were
already open. She ran her fingers along the ornately carved edge of
the desk but didn't see or feel another keyhole. Then a faint memory
tried to surface and she walked across the room to look at the desk.
"I don't quite remember, I was playing in here one day while my father
was working..." She shook her head and closed her eyes. **Daddy's
private place** she said to herself "Yes!" she said triumphantly.
Leaning down at the side she pressed the spot she remembered and a
small keyhole was revealed.

The little key fit it perfectly and once it turned a drawer slid open.
She pulled out some papers and put them up on the desk and there in
the bottom of the drawer was her mother's amber necklace that she
lifted into the light with a sigh. "Oh I remember this." There was
more but she was completely distracted by the necklace.

"It's lovely," Zelanka said, barely glancing the jewelry. Her attention
was in all of those papers. Some of them had curled and turned yellow by
age.

"Then by rights, you or one of your sisters should have it." Zathris
would have suggested only his wife, but to be fair, she was not the
eldest. He reached out for the parchments and gingerly lifted them. "I
wonder what these are."

Zelanka pulled out few of them and leafed thru them. "These looks like
personal records, marriage contracts, letters, birth certificates,"
she said.

Benani smiled at Zathris and put the necklace down on the desk. "Hmm,"
she said. "Why would he want to hide something like that?" Picking up
one of the papers from the drawer she opened it with a smile, but as
she read the contents the smile slowly faded and she sat heavily on
the chair. Her mouth worked soundlessly and she stared at Zelanka. Her
head started shaking in denial, she held out the paper to Zathris.

Zelanka noticed her facial expression. "What is it?" she asked, with
sinking premonition that she might know what it was.

Zathris eyes his wife, an eyebrow arching up when he noticed her
expression. He took a step closer, "What is it Benani?"

"It's," she stopped for a moment and stared at her hands as her
fingers twisted together. "It is a statement in my father's hand." She
took a deep breath and avoided looking directly at Zelanka. "It says
that he recognizes Lantriv as his son." Her voice trailed off.

Zelanka just moaned and covered her face with her hands.

Benani was simply frozen by the revelation. There was no doubt in her
mind the document was in her father's hand and he'd signed and sealed
it. Lantriv was her half brother. She brought his face up in her mind
and yes, she could see it. There was so much in him that looked like
Benaroy.

She finally looked at Zelanka and back at her husband. "I... I don't
know what to say."

Zathris just raised an eyebrow. To be honest, he wasn't all that
shocked. While the Lord might have done his best to hide his romantic
feelings for the Headwoman, Zathris had managed to see there was more
to their relationship than business, and to find out that it had been
going on for a long time didn't surprise him either.

Benani did her best to remain calm as much as she wanted to shout
_no_. "Does Lantriv know?" She turned toward Zelanka who seemed to be
suffering as much as she, if not more.

Zelanka moved her hands away from her face to meet her eyes. She wrapped
them around her midriff. "Yes, he knows. I had to tell him, when he was
fifteen. He was developing a crush on Anzha," her voice was surprisingly
calm, only trembling a little.

"So he knows already?" That did surprise Zathris - a lot of young men
might have made mention of such a fact.

"Yes, and he likes to keep it out of public knowledge. He doesn't want
anybody to know," Zelanka replied.

"Really?" Another surprise. Even those born outside of wedlock
usually didn't mind claiming to be a part of the Blood. Zathris
glanced down at the paper, then over at Zelanka. "Why is that?"

"You have to ask _that_ from himself," Zelanka replied.

Benani thought for a moment. As hard as it was to think of her father
with the headwoman in that way at the moment, she tried to see it
from other angles. "Did you love him Zelanka?" she asked then realized
how much of an intrusion that question was. "I'm sorry, please don't
answer if you don't want to. It's really none of my business."

Zelanka faced her with resolute face. "Yes, I loved him, more than
anybody else and longer than he ever knew."

Benani's hands moved slowly on her swollen abdomen as she met
Zelanka's eyes. How many times had she seen the headwoman attending to
her father's needs and never known what lay between them. Her gaze
traveled to Zathris. What would she have done if her children were not
blessed by her marriage to their father.

But **no** kept running through her mind. **No,** Lantriv was older
than she was. Exactly the same age as.... Nimroy! **No,** He'd been
married to her mother! **No,** echoed again in her mind and echoed and
echoed. "Excuse me..." she rose abruptly to her feet. "I'm..." she
didn't have a clue how to say anything in that moment and was ashamed
that she failed miserably. She threw a desperate look at her husband.
"I'm sorry, I need..." She didn't know what she needed except to be
somewhere else before she said something irretrievable.

Benani fled the room.

"Benani..." But she was already gone and Zathris sighed, then shook
his head. "I'm sorry Zelanka. This...seems to have come as a
complete surprise to her." Which he found odd. Usually it was the
women who picked up on things like this. "Just give her some time."

She sighed sadly. "Aye, I was afraid this would happen," she said with
sad voice, staring the door that been closed after the Lady Holder.

"I'll talk to her." Zathris managed a wan smile for the Headwoman. He
expected things would be quite awkward for some time.

Last updated on the October 27th 2011

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Key to the secrets (part 2/2)