March 31, 2013

“That will be enough from you.” Geoff slammed his hand down on the top of the desk, and Anaya jumped, she thought the desk jumped too. “Half kin is still kin, and you will speak politely to Anaya, and of her. I'll have no cries of 'bastard' from you, and no cries of thief either. Now empty your coin pouch.” He pointed in front of him.

Harn looked to Tracen for support, but she folded her arms. “I'll not have a liar for a son. You spoke in the heat of the moment, that can be apologized for and forgiven.” She nodded and walked behind the desk to stand beside Geoff.

Pouting, Harn took his pouch from his belt and emptied it on the desk. A couple of coins fell out, and a ball that looked to be painted an improbable color of red. Geoff picked up the ball. “These again?”

“It was only a quarter-denir.” Harn looked stubborn. “And she's just some brat from the wildness.”

“She is clan and kin, and if you cannot treat her as sister, you can treat her as that.” Tracen put her hand on Geoff's shoulder. “And I don't approve of your buying those either. Now you've tasks that are waiting on your work.”

Harn slammed the door when he left. Anaya stood. “I'll go back to the sewing.”

“No, no.” Geoff shook his head. “Not tonight. Tracen, can you take her to the Housemistress, get her suitable tasks and schedule?”

“Certainly.” She escorted Anaya from the office, letting go a deep sigh as she shut the door, gently behind them. “Come along. The Housemistress has offices along here.”

Anaya followed, trying to form the words and turning them over in her head until she got them polite enough to share. “Harn doesn't like me.”

Tracen sighed, stopped and looked up and down the length of the hall. “No. He doesn't.”

“Would it be correct for me to ask why?” Anaya wondered why Tracen seemed uneasy to discuss this, then remembered, Geoff didn't want it known that he was her father, that was why the lie about her father being Lesor, his brother.

“No.” Tracen laughed uneasily. “But you'll ask anyway.” She made a steeple of her forefingers, rested her mouth on them. “Geoff and I never loved one another, you know that, he loved your mother and I – someone else.”

“His brother Harn.”

Tracen winced slightly, “Yes, but he died. But Harn, Harn has grown up knowing all his life that he is Geoff's eldest and heir. Now you arrived, and there have been clans with women heads, and you are older than him.”

“Be the Merefftor?” Anaya made a face. “Why'd he think I want that?”

“Because he does.” Tracen said softly, “Because he was born and bred to want it, and he can't imagine anyone else not wanting it.”

“That's stupid.”

“Maybe so.” Tracen put a hand on Anaya's arm. “But it's what he believes, he can be as stubborn as his father.”

Now it was Anaya's turn to sigh.