The Cost of Ships in Tillek [Nalyra]

[Zen]

Immediately before Careful What You Wish For
Nalyra: 16

Her mother had appeared on the Storm’s Eye where she was dicing with some of the crew, interrupting her midmorning game. She glanced over the men briefly, “Do excuse me, I need to borrow my daughter.” Her mother’s gaze settled on her expectantly and Nalyra blew out a breath and stood to follow her. Jenara waited until they had descended to the docks before she spoke, casting a disapproving look at her daughter, “Is that a regular occurrence?”

Nalyra made a sound in the back of her throat, “What? It’s just a game.”

“Your father would hardly find it to be an appropriate way for you to be spending your time,” Jenara replied softly, but firmly.

“Between with what father thinks,” Nalyra muttered under her breath, looking back toward the Storm’s Eye.

“Nalyra,” her mother snapped, then sighed, “Do you know how difficult it was for me to convince your father to let you sail with Treyjen? This is exactly why he was against it. He’s a bad influence on you. I can only imagine he encourages this disrespect-”

“He is NOT a bad influence!” Nalyra hissed, instantly defensive of her brother, and her amber gaze narrowed at her mother, “Don’t worry. I’ll be a good little girl for daddy. It’s what Treyjen would tell me to do.” Her brother was ever insistent about her being obedient to their father, never giving him any reason to separate them, never giving him any reason to hurt her. Even Treyjen had changed, become more… behaved with their father, ever since the man had agreed to let Nalyra sail with him. It had come as some shock to them both, but Nalyra could see it for what it was: manipulation, to keep them both in their place. One wrong step from either and he would tear them apart, force her to move back to the Lokarra where she’d be under his thumb again.

That it had possibly been her mother’s suggestion that the two of them could be used against each other was a new revelation. How else would Jenara have been able to convince Treylok to do anything he would have otherwise been staunchly against? It was a double edged sword, her mother’s assistance. She had to play both sides, trying to keep her children and her husband happy when they wanted such different things. Nalyra had a certain amount of respect for her mother’s ability to manipulate her father while still appearing as the submissive, obedient wife. Treylok had so little respect for women that he didn’t suspect a thing. He would never believe a woman capable of manipulating him.

“What do you want, anyway? Where are we going?” Nalyra asked suddenly, realizing they were nearing the Lokarra.

“Your father asked me to fetch you,” Jenara said simply, looking ahead now, her face carefully neutral.

Nalyra didn’t like it one bit. She stopped walking, forcing her mother to turn and look at her, “Why? What does he want with me?”

Jenara met her gaze for a long, quiet moment, “That is for him to say. He’ll not be pleased if we keep him waiting.”

A sick sort of feeling blossomed in her stomach as she began to follow her mother again. She wasn’t going to like this, whatever it was. She couldn’t help but look back toward the Storm’s Eye, toward the freedom it granted her, toward the protection Treyjen offered her. Drawing in a deep breath, she swallowed the fear rising in her and followed her mother up onto the deck of the Lokarra, that sick feeling growing in her belly with each step she took toward her father’s quarters.

“Took you long enough,” Treylok growled as Jenara closed the door behind them.

Nalyra wasn’t sure whether it was aimed at her or her mother, but she clasped her hands before her to keep from clenching them into fists at her sides, playing the obedient daughter Treyjen would want her to be right now, “Sorry, father.”

The man wasted no time on pleasantries, getting straight to business, “I’ve found quite an advantageous match for you. Greston has recently gained a third ship in his trading fleet and his eldest son, Gresarrion, has the honor of captaining the new vessel. He’s not so much older than you are, and Greston has agreed to join his fleet with ours with your marriage.”

Her father was looking at her expectantly but Nalyra simply wasn’t processing what he had told her. A match? New ships… marriage? Her marriage? “I… I don’t understand,” the words left her mouth in something half a gasp as she tried to wrap her mind around just what her father was saying. She was sixteen, she had heard of girls getting married at such an age but it seemed a rare thing. She had never imagined being married this early in her life. To be honest she had never really imagined being married at all. Witnessing her mother in marriage made it entirely unappealing to her.

Treylok made a displeased sort of grunt, “What about this confuses you, girl? Gresarrion wishes to meet you first, of course, to see if he finds you to his liking, but when he does, you shall be wed to him before turn’s end.”

“No!” the protest was out of her mouth before she could stop it, but the look on her father’s face upon hearing it had her taking a half step back in reflex. She had seen that face before, it was how he had always looked at Treyjen before he’d dragged him away to beat him. “I… what if I don’t like him?” she blurted, trying to think of something to say that might assuage her father’s flash of temper for the moment.

To her surprise, Treylok laughed, harsh and cold, “You’re not required to like him. You’ll do your duty, as Jeylokar did, and marry him as planned.”

Meeting her father’s eyes, seeing how little he cared, made her suddenly bolder. It was no secret that her father had little love for her. He had always made it rather clear that he would have preferred another son to her. She lifted her chin slightly, swallowed what remained of her fear, “And what if I don’t?”

His face shifted again and it took everything in her not to step back, not to flinch away as he stepped closer to her, “If your brother has truly corrupted you then it seems I must cut my losses. I have no use for disobedient children.” He reached up and she tensed, bracing herself, but he only grabbed her chin in his hand, “You will obey me in this, girl. If you do not, you and your brother can find your own way in this world, for it will not be on any of my ships.”

It took another moment for his meaning to sink in and she couldn’t help but protest, “The Storm’s Eye is Treyjen’s! You can’t-” The slap that followed had her stumbling back in surprise. It hadn’t been a terribly strong slap, more shocking than painful, but she still rubbed lightly at the stinging in her cheek as she stared up at her father with wide eyes.

“The Storm’s Eye is mine, as are you, and I am free to do as I please with both. I will not have you telling me what I can and cannot do, girl. Obey me, or give me the last reason I need to finally be rid of that worthless Threadspawn you call a brother!”

Nalyra’s breath hitched as she fought back tears. She would not cry in front of this man. She would never show such weakness before him. But he had trapped her, and he knew it. He knew how much she loved Treyjen. He knew she could never be the reason he lost his ship. How could she ever forgive herself? Treyjen had protected her for so long… it seemed it was time to return the favor. It took everything she had to keep her tears at bay as she spoke halting, choked words that left a bitter taste on her tongue, “I… I’ll obey… father.”

“Good girl,” he murmured, then waved his hand at her, dismissive, “Now go. I have business to attend to.”

She didn’t need to be told twice, turning and rushing past her mother and out the door, running across the deck and down to the docks before the first sob broke through her defenses. She couldn’t be the reason Treyjen lost the Storm’s Eye. She had to obey. What other option was there? She fled back toward the Storm’s Eye, toward her freedom that was slipping away, toward Treyjen and safety, toward home.