I Promise

Writers: Eimi, Dana
Date Posted: 1st June 2007

Characters: Larken, Ojisan
Description: Larken faces her angry husband with a guilty conscience
Location: Harper Hall
Date: month 3, day 19 of Turn 4
Notes: Follows "An Easy Lie"

Larken was sitting on the sofa with Pisky in her lap when Ojisan burst
into their weyr. Pisky yowled and launched himself from the warm cradle
of her thighs to dive beneath the table. He'd been in a right state all
afternoon due to the storm raging outside, and Larken's attempts to soothe
him hadn't quite worked. Freed from a lapful of feline, she quickly got
to her feet. "Ojisan! I'm--" Her next words were muffled against his
chest as he pulled her tightly against him.

"When we couldn't find you... Shards, Larken, I had never been so scared
in my life!" He kissed the top of her head, her temple, her forehead,
squeezing her tightly to him. "I was afraid you had..." He pulled away
and held her at arm's length. "You are really all right? You're not hurt
at all?"

She shook her head, long dark hair tumbling about her. Faranth, to have
caused him this much anxiety and worry...and fear... The guilt she felt
was painfully exquisite, making her breath catch unevenly in her throat.
"I'm so sorry, Ojisan. If I'd have known... If I... I would have told
someone. Anyone." Her hands gripped his arms, blue eyes imploring him.
"I'm so sorry..."

"Where were you?" he asked, the first hint of anger rising in his voice.
"I asked everyone. No one had seen you! How could you just disappear
like that?"

His tone made her heart hammer even faster. "I was helping and I got so
caught up in everything. And I know I should've told someone. I know.
And I'm sorry, Ojisan." She bowed her head, unable to take the look in
his eyes the expression on his face. It was a rare thing for him to speak
and look at her so, and it made a lump rise in the back of her throat.

"But _where_ were you?" Ojisan asked, shaking her slightly. Fear was
turning into anger and he was trying to hold on to his shredded emotions.
"I looked everywhere for you! No one had seen you for candlemarks!"

Tears filled her eyes. "I was helping a group of--of fostermothers with
the Weyrchildren. There were so many of them, and the women needed more
hands, and--" Her throat finally closed as her conscience tore into her
mercilessly, berating her shrilly for lying to him like this. Shoving
thoughts of M'tone away, she stared down at her bare feet, vision blurred,
fuzzy. Shards, she wanted to sink into the floor.

"Weyrchildren? We needed you _here_!" Her husband finally released her
turning away from her before he shook her again, or burst out crying.
Neither would be very productive at this point. Planting his fists on his
hips he shook his head, trying to let go of his anger and frustration, but
shards! Didn't she think ahead? "You could have at least told _someone_
where you were going."

"Haven't I said that?" Tears trailed down her cheeks as she crossed her
arms protectively over her chest. "What else do you want me to say? I
know I was wrong. I know!" And more than he would ever know...

He could feel the stinging in his own eyes as he kept his back to her.
His jaw tightened as the silence stretched. When he finally did speak,
his voice was strained with the emotions he was trying to keep hold of.
"When I finished with the apprentices I went looking for you. You weren't
here, so I started asking the other women. Most of them couldn't remember
seeing you, and the couple who did... They said it had been candlemarks...
That you had been there one moment and then the next were you just...
gone..." His voice broke on that one, empty word. She was just gone, and
that thought had filled him with terror.

Larken moved then, blindly reaching out to brush the tips of her shaking
fingers against his back.

He didn't turn around, but he understood the overture. "I just don't know
what I would have done, Larken. I really don't."

And it hit her then just how much he loved her. Truly loved her. Her
fingers tightened on his shirt, and she rested her pale cheek against his
shoulder, tears seeping into the soft material. Why hadn't she really
understood before now? Why had it taken so long? And Faranth...why
couldn't she love him the same way?

Ojisan could feel the tears wet against his skin, but he couldn't face
her. Instead he reached his hand back to find hers and pulled it around
him. How could he comfort her with tears running down his own face? How
could he be the strong one when he looked like an old, emotional fool.
Finally he whispered, "Don't ever disappear like that again."

"I promise, love" she whispered back, voice thick with emotion as her arm
tightened around him. "I promise."

Last updated on the June 29th 2007

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

I Promise