Beards are Symbolic

Writers: Heather
Date Posted: 7th September 2021
Series: The Hallmaster's Ladies

Characters: Thayde, H'riv
Description: H'riv visits Thayde for the first time in a month and learns some good news and some bad.
Location: Dolphin Hall
Date: month 9, day 21 of Turn 10
Notes: Mentioned: Enamra, Jalodwyn

Thayde

"Look what the wher's drug in." Thayde said with a laugh, his shirt plastered against his lean frame as he walked against the wind. It had been a pleasant surprise when an apprentice had come to his office to tell him that H'riv and his brown Uuketh were down on the beach.

The hallmaster drew up short when he reached his brother. H'riv's face was covered with an unkempt beard giving his normally gregarious face a harder edge.

"When did that happen?"

H'riv raised a quizzical eyebrow. "What?"

"The beard," Thayde said, gesturing towards his face.

"Oh, this," the brownrider reached up and ran a hand over the facial hair. "Yeah, it was time for a change."

Thayde studied his older brother. "I haven't heard from you in a month."

"Yeah, the last time I was here you were down in the dumps over Enamra going to the Weyr to be a Candidate." There was the hint of a twinkle in H'riv's eyes.

"Yes, well," Thayde said smugly, "she's back and… expecting."

H'riv's eyes widened. "A baby? That's great news." He clapped his younger brother on the back.

"Thanks," Thayde smiled. It felt good to tell someone about the baby. "She just got back a couple of days ago. I am sure she would love it if you stopped in."

"I don't know if I'd be good company." H'riv admitted, sitting down in the sand and tugging his boots off.

"Does this have something to do with that girl you took to meet mom and dad?" Thayde asked, dropping down into the sand and propping his elbows on his knees.

"Gyllie."

"That's right," Thayde snapped his fingers.

"Well… turns out she has a husband." H'riv said, rolling a grain of sand between his thumb and forefinger.

"Married? At the Weyr?"

"Crafters and lower caverns workers live there too, you know." H'riv replied.

"That's true but…. What were you doing sleeping around with a married woman?"

The brownrider cut his eyes sideways. "I didn't know she was married."

Thayde winced. "How did you find out?"

"Her husband walked in on us in their weyr."

"Did you have to fight your way out of it? Is your new beard secretly hiding a shattered jaw?" Thayde's mouth twitched with the effort of controlling his smile.

H'riv rolled his eyes and shoved his younger brother, sending Thayde sprawling sideways in the sand. "It's not funny."

Thayde dissolved into laughter. "Please tell me you see the irony? You ribbed me to no end about being an adulterer and now here you were, sleeping with a married woman." The dolphineer wiped tears of laughter from his cheeks.

"Well why do you think I came to you for advice? This is right up your alley."

"Ouch. I'm not even the one in trouble this time and yet somehow I'm the one getting burned." Thayde buried his toes into the sand. "So what happened when her husband walked in?"

"Well, he didn't punch me in the face, so that was a plus. I left and I've been studiously avoiding that area of the Weyr ever since."

"And Gyllie?"

"She tried to come and see me, the day after it happened…"

Thayde glanced sideways. "And?"

"And nothing. I got on Uuketh and left. She lied to me… for months. She never mentioned, didn't even hint, that she was married. I thought…" H'riv trailed off and then shook his head. "I thought I had finally had something… something like what you and Enamra have."

"Not to discourage you but… What Enamra and I have is pure luck. I certainly didn't have it planned out to marry someone less than half my age. Being honor bound to marry her after that misunderstanding is the best thing that could have happened to me." He liked to think that Enamra felt the same way.

"That's what I need, a bit of good luck."

Thayde had never seen H'riv so maudlin. The brownrider normally never had a down moment and his tendency to keep casual relationships had made it so that he rarely ever mourned the loss of one.

"You should see Jalodwyn while you are here. There was an… incident while she was doing a deep dive. Her air line was punctured and she got stuck. By the time we got her on deck she was blue. Taking in so much water left her lungs in poor shape. She's been convalescing in the infirmary."

H'riv whistled low. "That must have scared the sand out of you."

"Oh, it did. I know I have been angry with her and annoyed by the entire situation, but for her to be hurt, or worse, dead?" Thayde shook his head. There were too many good memories in his past of Jalodwyn for him to wish her ill.

"I'll go by and see her." H'riv said pushing to his feet and dusting the sand off.

Thayde rose. "Good luck with your Gyllie problem. I am certainly in no place to give advice… you've seen how things go for me…. But, maybe you should hear Gyllie's side of the story out? I wish I hadn't been so hard headed when Jalodwyn first told me she was pregnant. Things might be different now if I had just taken the time to listen."

H'riv put a hand on his younger brother's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "I'll think about it. Thanks for listening."

"Any time," Thayde promised.

Last updated on the October 1st 2021

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Beards are Symbolic