Last Resorts [Vasheera]

[Zen]

The week before the Lord Holder Voting
12th Month, Turn 2761

Lessons with the younger children of the weyrhold were always the favorite part of Vasheera’s day. Her little sister Liyami was part of the class now and it was a joy to be able to teach her along with the others. Of the harpers at Mavros, Master Clintock had told her she was perhaps the most impressive when it came to teaching the youngest of their students, those just beginning. Her charges were quite young indeed, her sister had only 4 turns to her name but the children she taught were generally between five and eight. She was proud to say that Liyami seemed rather advanced for her age and thus she had felt comfortable with her joining the class a bit early.

Haliya had taken to helping her with the children since her sister had joined the class and she appreciated the woman’s company and assistance both. The younger children didn’t get the luxury of practicing their writing properly and even the sand tables were reserved for older classes, so they had to make do with any container they could find filled with sand for them to practice their letters and the younger children were often more interested in playing in the sand than practicing. But she could often entice them to focus with the promise of a song if they managed to practice their letters for short periods of time without distraction.

She was in the middle of one such reward, the Duty Song, her fingers easily compelling the melody from her gitar for her to sing along with when out of the corner of her eye she caught movement at the door to her classroom. Her stomach clenched uneasily at the sight of her father, but she did not falter in her song, and thought it somewhat ironic that he would appear just then.

“Oh, Lord of the Hold, you must keep your charge sure behind metal doors, with your people secure. See well to the herdbeast, keep cellars well stored, lest Fall leave you hungry and Holdless and scored,” she watched him as she sang and his gaze narrowed at her, likely annoyed that she was continuing to sing when he clearly wanted to speak with her, but she had promised her children a song and she was going to finish it, “Oh, we must give honor to those dragons heed, in thought and in favor, in word and in deed, for our world will be lost or our world will be saved from those dangers that are by the dragons braved.”

Some of the children had sung along to various parts, or hummed along, and when she finished she set her gitar aside, “Alright, little ones. You were all so very wonderful today I believe we shall end our lesson here.” Normally she liked to talk about the songs she sang, the teaching ballads, to get them thinking about the meaning behind the words rather than simply enjoying the song mindlessly, but it wouldn’t do to keep her father waiting any longer.

Several of the children let out excited woops at that and scrambled to their feet to hurry out back to their families, or the creche for most of the weyrborn children. Haliya had been enjoying her song and hadn’t noticed her husband’s arrival until she had dismissed the class, casting a questioning look between them. Vasheera moved to the woman that had been the only mother she’d ever really known, “Will you see the younger ones get back to their families alright?”

The older woman nodded, ”Of course. I’ll clean up as well.”

With a nod of her own in gratitude, she gave a few of the children hugs when they ran up to her and threw their arms around her in farewell before they left before making her way to her father’s side.

“Walk with me,” Vashemin’s tone made it clear it wasn’t a request.

She sighed lightly as she followed at his side and slightly behind him, waving to a few more of her children as they bolted past, “You’ve been growing more and more on edge, father… you ought to make your peace with it already. The people of Mavros want a proper Lord.”

“And why in the shells can that not be me!?” he hissed at her, careful with his volume. There were plenty of answers she could give to that question but none he would like, and he didn’t give her much chance to answer anyway as he grabbed her arm and tugged her into an empty room that was often used for classes, closing the door behind him, “Is Clintock going to let you help oversee the election this turn?”

Her sigh held deep exasperation. He asked her that every turn, but this time there was a hint of desperation in the question, “You know he won’t and you know very well why, father.” Her gaze narrowed at him, “It would call the integrity of the results immediately into question, particularly if you won. Do you really want everyone questioning your legitimacy?”

He snorted, derisive, “I hardly think the people of Mavros would think you, the sweet harper that teaches their youngest their letters and teaching songs, capable of doing anything so underhanded as tampering with election results.” He reached up to grab her chin in his hand, “Which makes you quite a decent option to do just that.”

She tugged from his grip, disgusted at the idea, “You need to let it go, father. As I said, Master Clintock will never allow it. And… and I wouldn’t do it anyway.”

His grip on her arm tightened and she winced, “You will do as you’re told, girl. Besides… you wouldn’t want to ruin Haliya’s happiness, would you?”

Her eyes widened at the threat, “Father… I… I can’t-”

“You’re a smart girl, I’m sure you can figure out a way,” his voice was low and dangerous.

He hadn’t acted like this in such a long time… she had never really believed his act, but as the election drew closer it had become more and more clear to her just how fake the last several turns had been. But for Haliya they had been happy and her father had yet to show his wife any hint of the truth, or if he had she didn’t want to see it. Even though it might have been a lie, her family had been happy for turns and just as she had thought, this election was about to change everything, to snatch their happiness away. It was quite clear her father was about to lose his seat as Holder Elect and he had become far too accustomed to it. If he lost his seat of power he would become dissatisfied again, he would fall back into bad habits, and from his threat it seemed he would do it on purpose just to punish her, knowing she could have tried to do something to prevent it but she just stood back and let it happen anyway. He was making it her fault again, only this time she wasn’t the one getting hurt.

Sweet Haliya, the woman that had adopted her wholeheartedly and loved her as her own, deserved so much better. Little Liyami had never known anything but a good and loving father and she was unsure just how much her brothers might remember of before they came to Mavros. Halimin might not remember much at all, though it was likely Vahalish might. It was her hope that those memories, if they existed for her brothers, were nothing more than bad dreams easily forgotten in their happiness at Mavros. But she certainly remembered. During the day Haliya had done her best to hide her unhappiness, but at night she and Vahalish would lie awake listening to her cry when their father didn’t come home again, out with some other woman, or getting them deeper into debt with his gambling, or both.

“Father please... why… why can’t you just go back to trading? What is so bad about that? Haliya is a good woman… she deserves-”

“Haliya is a gullible little fool,” Vashemin growled, “But better her than me.” Vasheera wasn’t entirely sure what he meant by that, but she felt the anger coursing through her as he spoke of her so callously, “If you care so much about what she deserves, you will find a way, Vasheera. Do you understand me?”

You don’t deserve it! she wanted to scream at him, but bit it back, knowing just what that would earn her. She closed her eyes tightly as a tremble of suppressed rage passed through her and tears of frustration pricked her eyes. But in the end there was only one thing she could say, choking it out as the words left a horrible taste on her tongue, “... Yes, father.”

He released her then and she opened her eyes to glare at him. He reached up and she flinched away, but he only patted her cheek, “Good girl. I knew I could count on you, Vasheera.” With that he left her there.

She felt so helpless… what could she even do? She might be able to convince Master Clintock to let her help in overseeing the election but the thought of lying to him, using him like that, left her feeling sick. She leaned back against the door until it closed again and slid down to the floor to hug her knees to her chest as hot, angry tears slid down her cheeks. She was so sick of being used. It had been a while since her father had asked her to do something less than moral and it had been nice while it lasted. She had started feeling like a normal person, leaving the shame of a deceitful past behind, but that complacency only made it all the more difficult for her now, when he was asking her to do something that made everything else she’d ever done seem like child’s play. If she was so smart then surely she could think of a way around this?

The tears kept coming because she couldn’t… there was no way out without sacrificing her family’s happiness. As long as he lived, her father could keep using them against her to ensure her obedience, with the threat that he would continue to behave so long as she did. This was why he had let her study under Master Clintock, wasn’t it? To gain the man’s trust for this very purpose, to help keep him in power if his position was ever threatened. The entire time she had just been playing into her father’s hands and she hadn’t even known. She should have suspected earlier, with all the times he had asked if she would be helping the harpers oversee the election. He’d never pressed before because it had never been so apparent he was going to lose. And that was just one more problem to solve. Even if she could tamper and ensure her father’s victory, how could she make it believable? He had given her a near impossible task. She had so little time to figure out a proper plan. She didn’t have any more precious time to waste on tears and so she wiped them away, forcing herself back to her feet. She needed a plan and she needed it now. One way or another, she would save her family’s happiness.