The Water's Sweet, But Blood Is Thicker [Treyjen]

[Zen]

18 Turns Before The Start Of The Pass
Treyjen: 8

Standing at his mother's side, Treyjen watched the Lokarra sailing out to sea. Without them. His father had gone, and his two big brothers, but here they were, stuck on land, being left behind. The boy looked up at his mother indignantly, “Why d'we gotta stay here, momma?”

Jenara looked down at him, “I told you, Treyjen, I'm going to have a baby. I can't work on the ship, it might hurt the baby before it's born.”

Treyjen shook his head, not entirely understanding, “Yeah, but why do I gotta stay? I'm not having a baby.”

Jenara laughed and took her youngest son's hand, leading him away from the harbor with a gentle tug, “No, but I will need your help. Your grandmother used to stay with me, but she is gone. Your aunts and uncles will be about to help as well, if I need them, but they have their own work to do as well. It's easier to have you with me for simple things. You're old enough to help me around the house.”

Treyjen's lower lip jutted out in a pout, “Jeylokar's the oldest, why doesn't he have t'stay n'help?”

“Treyjen,” her voice took on a sharp note of scolding, “I don't want to hear you complaining anymore. I'm your mother, you should be more than willing to stay here and help me. You'll be much more helpful to me than you would be on the ship right now, you're too young for most of that work. Your brothers are not.”

“But-”

“Not another word of complaint, I mean it,” she cast a look down at him and he huffed angrily.

It wasn't fair at all. Just because he was the youngest he had to get stuck on land with his mother when he should be sailing with his father and brothers. “When's the dumb baby gonna get here?”

“Treyjen,” that warning note had not subsided, but then she drew in a deep breath for patience and her tone gentled, “Not for several months.”

“Months! That's forever,” the boy grumped, “Why's it gotta take so long? Where's it coming from?” He tried to remember the farthest place from Tillek he could think of from his rudimentary geography lessons and his travels thus far in life, “Cove Hold?”

Jenara outright laughed, though Treyjen hardly understood why. He hadn't said anything at all meant to be amusing. She stroked one hand through his dark hair affectionately, “No, love. The baby is growing in my belly.” And she touched her lower stomach lightly.

Treyjen eyed his mother suspiciously, “That doesn't make any sense.” Surely she was teasing him.

She laughed again, “You'll see soon enough, when my belly starts to grow.”

He still didn't believe her. As if to catch her in the lie, he asked her more about it, “Well how'd it get in there?”

Jenara hmm'd thoughtfully. He was still a bit young for that talk. “I will tell you when you're a bit older. You needn't concern yourself over it now.”

Now he was convinced she was lying. She didn't even have a good answer for his question! Moodily, he followed along as she led them to the little home their family kept in Tillek. It wasn't much, but they were rarely there so it was all they really needed. The ship was far more home to Treyjen than this place. At least his aunts came by to keep the place clean for when they did return, so layers of dust didn't greet them whenever they returned for a few weeks. His mother released his hand as they finally arrived and both headed inside.

“I think it will be good for you be home for a while. You'll get to know your cousins properly,” Jenara went on, glad the boy wasn't pressing the matter, “You and Ravilar were practically best friends as babes, you know.” The eldest of Jenara's brothers had seen his first child and son brought into the world only a few short months before Treyjen's own birth.

Treyjen blew raspberries at that, “Ravilar's boring. All he ever talks about is dumb fish.”

Jenara made a displeased noise, “I grow weary of this negativity, young man. Perhaps a nap would set you in a better mood.”

“Bein' on the Lokarra would set me'n a better mood,” he muttered, to which his mother swatted his backside and sent him skirting away.

“To bed with you then. I don't want to hear another word out of you if it's only going to be sass and complaints,” she stared after him sternly and, muttering under his breath, he decided sleeping away his time stuck in Tillek would be as good a plan as any and crawled obediently into his bed. It took him a while to fall asleep, as it always did at 'home', without the constant, reassuring rocking of the ship beneath him. The stillness was unsettling, but at least he could still hear the distant waves.

~~~

His mother's belly did get bigger, as she'd said it would. Treyjen had asked her how the baby was supposed to get out, but she'd told him that was for when he was older too. He was getting about sick of that answer.

They'd already been ashore for three whole months, and his mother told him the baby wouldn't arrive for another three more. The Lokarra would not return for two. He'd had little recourse but to pass the time playing with his cousins, though his mother needed him for simple tasks around the house more often now that her belly had grown and was beginning to make things difficult for her. His aunts would bring fishing nets for mending and the three women would sit around musing over the new babies - as his aunt Lakirine was also pregnant, though her belly wasn't big yet - while they worked and their children played. Treyjen wasn't sure which he found less amusing.

Ravilar always wanted to play at fishing, when he wasn't begging their mothers to let him take Treyjen and go fishing for real. For his part, Treyjen had no interest in the task, but it did get him away from all the rest of his cousins and all the stupid baby talk. So he went with and tossed rocks into the water, which got Ravilar cross with him for scaring away the fish, but his mother wouldn't let him go alone, so he continued to drag Treyjen along anyway.

“'Ey Rav, d'you know how a baby gets out'v a mother's belly?” Treyjen asked one day as he was searching for a suitable stone to make a satisfying enough splash.

Ravilar eyed him disdainfully, for he had, as usual, been having little luck catching anything for his cousin's antics, “I dunno. When Vinard was born there was a lotta yellin', but I wasn't allowed to see. Guess it must hurt a lot.” He gave a slight shudder, “It was kinda scary... for Kavini anyhow. She cried.” He wasn't about to admit to how frightened it had made him to hear his mother crying out like that, but it was perfectly acceptable for a little girl to cry over it.

Treyjen frowned at that. It hurt? This new bit of information unsettled him, and when the two boys returned home later in the day, he waited until everyone else had gone to ask his mother about it. “Momma... Rav said having a baby hurts a lot,” he glanced at the woman as she considered him.

She seemed surprised he'd been talking to his cousin about it, but Kavili did have a new baby so it made some sense. She gave him a reassuring smile, “It does, love, but it is well worth it.”

That didn't make any sense to him. And it incited some protective instinct in him to think about it. Raising his chin, he declared, “If the baby hurts you, I'm gonna hurt it back!”

Jenara was both amused and touched, but she shook her head, “No, Treyjen, it's all right. It isn't the baby's fault.” Everything about this baby business didn't make any sort of sense to Treyjen. If it wasn't the baby's fault, then whose was it? His mother drew him close, stroking his hair, and leaned in to plant a kiss on his forehead, to which he made a face. She laughed, “You're going to be a big brother, love. You should want to protect this baby just as much as you want to protect me. It will be far more helpless than I am.”

He knew that. He knew what babies were like once they weren't in a mother's belly anymore, he just didn't know how they got out, or in to begin with. It was strange and confusing and no one would give him any good answers about it.

“I think you'll make a good big brother. You'll help me, won't you? To keep this baby safe?” she took one of his hands, looking into his sea blue eyes.

After a moment of thinking about it, he nodded. He really hadn't thought much about it until now, that he was going to be a big brother. He'd always been the youngest. His aunts had asked him if he was excited to be a big brother, but he'd only shrugged. He hadn't really thought about it. He considered his own older brothers. Jeylokar was always a pain, telling them both what to do all the time, acting more like he was their father than their brother. But Reyloran wasn't so bad. He even helped him with learning his knots. Jeylokar had tried, on a couple occasions, but the older boy got too frustrated when Treyjen made mistakes. Reyloran seemed to have endless amounts of patience. He knew well what sort of older brother he preferred to be. “I'll help, momma. I'll be a good big brother. Not like Jeylokar.”

Jenara hid a laugh, “What's wrong with Jeylokar?”

Treyjen made an annoyed sound, “He's bossy and mean. He always tries t'do stuff for me 'cause he says I'm not doin' it right, but he never tries t'show me how t'do it right. I never get t'do anything at all when he's around. He acts like I'm stupid.”

Jenara patted his hand, “He means well. He just needs to learn a bit of patience.”

Treyjen huffed at that, and did not at all agree that his eldest brother ever meant well. He just liked lording it over the two younger boys that he was older and therefore in charge. Reyloran never seemed to mind Jeylokar's attitude, but Treyjen couldn't stand it. He'd started plenty of fights with his eldest brother over his choice of words, even if Jeylokar was twice his age and twice his size. He never won, of course, but it felt good to get a few punches in at least. One day he'd win, when he got bigger and Jeylokar didn't have such an advantage. He'd punch him right in his smug face.

“Oh,” with Treyjen's hand still in her own, she pressed it to her belly, which surprised the boy, “Do you feel that? The baby's kicking.”

Treyjen stared with wide eyes as he felt the movement, “It... it's kicking you? Does it hurt?”

She smiled, “No. It feels strange, but it doesn't hurt.” She released his hand and he took it back hesitantly. She rubbed one hand over her belly with a sigh, “Waiting to meet a new baby is hard, isn't it?”

He nodded absentmindedly, still staring at his mother's stomach. There really was something in there. How weird. He was sure glad he wasn't a girl. With everything he knew about having babies so far, he never, ever wanted to have one.

[Zen]

After that, he didn't mind helping his mother as much. She'd been right. He wasn't much use on a ship yet, but at home with her - and even better, away from Jeylokar – he was helpful, useful, and no one made him feel like he was stupid or in the way. The more his mother relied on him, as her belly continued to get bigger and it became harder for her to do things for herself, the more he started to like having this time with her, away from the rest of the family. Even when he was forced to deal with his gaggle of boring cousins.

His mother's gentle singing drew him to her as he woke from a nap, and he sat beside her where she rested with her hands protectively cradling her now very large stomach. “Can the baby hear you?” he asked curiously, eyeing her belly.

Jenara smiled softly, “I don't know, but I sang to all of you before you were born. I like to think it can hear me.”

“D'you think it could hear me too?” he asked suddenly.

“Sure, why not?” she encouraged him with another smile.

Placing a hand carefully on his mother's stomach, he leaned forward, “Uhm. Hi baby! We been waiting an awful long time for you, y'know. So you should come out already.”

Jenara laughed and stroked his hair with one hand, the other still resting against her belly, “I'm glad you're so eager to meet them.”

It occurred to him then, “What's the baby's name, momma?”

She shook her head, “I don't know yet. We have to wait to see if it will be a boy or a girl first.” Personally, she was hoping for a girl. She had three sons already, a girl would be nice. Though she knew her husband was hoping for another son. She glanced toward the door as it opened, and Treylok made his way over to them as if her very thoughts had summoned him home, Jeylokar and Reyloran behind him. Treyjen stood from his spot to help his mother stand and she embraced her husband, “Welcome home.”

Treylok gave a soft grunt at that, for he felt more at home aboard his ship, “I was worried we would miss it.”

Jenara smiled as she released him and ushered her two other boys close to hug them as well, which they both grudgingly accepted, at an age where hugs from their mother were not entirely desired, “No, not yet. Treyjen has been quite the help.”

Treylok looked down at his youngest son, “Good lad.” He ruffled the boy's hair in a rare show of affection and gestured for Jenara to sit once more, ordering his sons out, “You three go let your aunts know we've arrived home.”

Treyjen hesitated, but after a look from his father followed his brothers outside. He caught up to Reyloran's side, “Anything fun happen? Were there any storms? Did you sell a lot?”

Jeylokar cast a disgusted look back, “Reyloran cost us plenty of marks with his lackluster bartering.”

“Shut up, Jeylokar, I wasn't even talking to you!” Treyjen shot back, seeing how Reyloran wilted under the criticism.

“Don't tell me to shut up,” Jeylokar glared at his youngest brother indignantly.

“I'll tell you whatever I like. No one gives a shard what you say anyhow!” And with that he ran ahead before Jeylokar could retaliate. He had spent so long away from him, he had almost forgotten how much he hated his eldest brother. Almost.

~~~

The baby came only a couple sevendays after the rest of the family had returned, and Ravilar was right, there sure was an awful lot of yelling involved. Reyloran ended up looking after him at one of their uncles' homes, along with all their cousins, while Jeylokar remained with their father and uncles, passing around a fine bottle of wine while they awaited the new arrival. Jeylokar was old enough that their father let him drink some as well. Treyjen was just glad Jeylokar hadn't been sent off with the rest of them and wasn't there to boss them around. And he was more than a little indignant at being shut out from the process. He'd been helping his mother all these months and he didn't even get to be there when the baby was born. “It's not fair,” he complained to Reyloran.

Reyloran shrugged, “The birthing room's no place for men, Treyjen, and definitely not for kids.”

“That's stupid,” he protested moodily, watching Kavini trying to get the 4 turn old Jedrin to play some game with her when all Jedrin wanted to do was play with his toy boat.

“That's just how it is,” Reyloran responded simply.

He made a noise in the back of his throat, “Well how long is it gonna take?”

Reyloran shrugged again, “Dunno. Some births are fast and others take hours and hours.”

“Hours!?” Treyjen groaned and slumped in his seat, slipping slowly to the floor where he laid sprawled out and groaned again.

Reyloran laughed at his antics, “Don't be so dramatic.”

He lay there for a long moment, then turned his head to look up at where his brother sat, “Will momma be all right? She didn't sound all right....”

Reyloran seemed briefly surprised by the question, then waved his hand, “She's already done it three times. I'm sure she'll be fine.”

A few hours later, Jeylokar was there to collect both of them and bring them home. Treyjen ran as fast as he could the entire way, partly to get away from Jeylokar, but mostly because he wanted to make sure his mother was all right, and of course finally meet the baby he'd been waiting so long for. He arrived before his brothers and pushed inside, but something about the atmosphere slowed him down once he'd arrived. His mother was in bed with a bundle in her arms, his father at her side, and Treyjen edged slowly closer until he heard her laugh lightly, “Come on, love. Come meet your sister.”

Her voice was quiet, and it compelled quiet from him as well as he came to stand beside the bed and leaned in to see the new baby. His sister. “She's so little...,” he murmured, wide blue eyes taking in the tiny bundle in his mother's arms. He'd seen babies before of course, but never a newborn. His gaze flicked very quickly to his mother's face, and then back to his sister, “What's her name?”

“Nalyra.”

Jeylokar and Reyloran both didn't seem half as interested in their new sibling, congratulating their mother on the successful birth, learning their sister's name, and leaving her to rest. Treyjen lingered longer, until Treylok sent him to bed, for the boy's own sake as well as Jenara's. He would have protested, but it was easy to see just how tired his mother was, so he obeyed for her.

The baby's crying in the middle of the night woke him with a start. Reyloran muttered at him to go back to sleep, pulling a pillow over his head, even as he jumped out of bed and half stumbled, half ran to see what had happened. His mother was taking the girl into her arms to feed her, settling herself into a chair when Treyjen stumbled up, rubbing at his eyes, “What's wrong?”

Jenara was surprised to see him, “Nothing, love. Go back to sleep.”

He shuffled closer, “But she was crying....” He realized she wasn't now.

“She was just hungry,” Jenara explained softly, “She'll be crying like that a lot, it's the only way she can tell me she needs something.”

“Oh...,” still not entirely awake, Treyjen rubbed at his eyes some more, “So she's okay?”

“She's fine. Go back to sleep,” she urged the boy and began to hum softly as he turned and stumbled back to bed.

[Zen]

The next morning brought chores with his brothers, as much as Treyjen wanted to stay with his mother and sister.

“Too bad it was a girl,” Jeylokar said offhand to Reyloran, who shrugged in response.

Treyjen stopped what he was doing to stare at his eldest brother, “What's that got t'do with anything?”

“Father wanted another son,” Jeylokar replied flatly.

“What's wrong with a girl?” Treyjen demanded, incensed by the insinuation that their sister wasn't wanted.

Jeylokar rolled his eyes and sneered, “Surely even you know the difference between a girl and a boy, Treyjen.”

He knew girls had babies. He was aware that while his uncles went out fishing, his aunts remained at home with their children. He was vaguely aware of the different expectations between the sexes. But he didn't know why it mattered. He didn't know why Jeylokar was talking about Nalyra like she was something worthless.

“Boys are just more help on a ship, Treyjen,” Reyloran explained, eyeing both his brothers cautiously, quite aware of the rising tensions.

“Says who?” he rounded on Reyloran, casting an accusing gaze at him now for taking Jeylokar's side on the matter.

Jeylokar gestured broadly in answer, “How many women work on the Lokarra?”

He realized that only their mother ever sailed with them. The entire rest of the crew were all men. He'd never thought about it before, never wondered why. But their mother was helpful. She made meals for everyone, which was no small task, and she could mend a sail. She helped their father take stock of inventory and she knew her knots just as much as anybody else on the crew. Treyjen had also noticed how well she read the winds, even if no one else had. His mother often made offhand comments to him about shifts in the wind, which he invariably asked more about, and he'd been learning a great deal from her. She might not do most of the jobs the rest of the crew did, but she was just as helpful as anyone else. “Momma does,” he insisted.

Jeylokar rolled his eyes, “Please, Treyjen, she's along for the ride more than anything. She's far more trader than sailor.” Jenara was born into a fishing family so she knew her way around a ship, but her natural skill as a trader was where her real worth came in. Her uncle was a trader, and it was he who spotted the girl's talent for the profession. The man had only sons, doted on his niece, and agreed to partner with Treylok when the two were wed. “Besides, that's only when she's not with child or caring for a babe. Men never have to take such long leaves.” The smile that played over his eldest brother's lips then was anything but friendly, “And how have you been enjoying your long stay ashore with the other women and children in the family?”

Treyjen seethed, “It was great 'til YOU got here.”

Jeylokar smirked, “Well, don't worry. We'll be leaving soon.”

Momentarily forgetting he was in the middle of a fight with his brother, Treyjen brightened at that, “What? When?” Jeylokar didn't reply right away, though his smirk turned into a smug grin, and Reyloran sighed as he watched the look on Treyjen's face fall as he realized why Jeylokar was so smug about the news. He wasn't going with.

“Well, you've been such a great help to mother, it seemed a good idea for you stay behind and help her with Nalyra. It's good we've finally found a use for you, Faranth knows you only get in the way at sea,” Jeylokar sneered.

Treyjen lunged for him then, but Reyloran caught him first, “Treyjen-”

“Lemme go!”

“Yeah, let him go, Rey. It's not like he can hurt me,” Jeylokar taunted.

“WANNA BET!” he struggled further against Reyloran's hold, “LEMME GO'R I'LL PUNCH YOU TOO!”

Perhaps the one thing Reyloran had on both his brothers was bulk. Built more like his heavier set fisher uncles than their leaner father, despite being 3 turns younger than Jeylokar, he was just as strong, and still growing. So he dragged Treyjen away with an exasperated look at their eldest brother as Treyjen fought frustrated tears at being too small to fight back properly. It was like he was only proving Jeylokar's point.

“Fighting shouldn't be your answer to everything Jeylokar says, Treyjen,” Reyloran told his little brother when they were away, even as he was still fighting futilely to escape his grasp.

“If he doesn't wanna fight he shouldn't open his stupid mouth!” Treyjen yelled back, finally subsiding and angrily rubbing at his eyes before any tears could fall. Reyloran let him go then. Treyjen eyed him mutinously, “Traitor.”

Reyloran sighed, “Just because I don't wanna watch my brothers pummeling each other doesn't mean I'm a traitor. You know you'd lose.”

Treyjen sniffed, raising his chin defiantly, “I don't care. Long's I gotta hit'im a few times.”

Reyloran shook his head, “You shouldn't fight to begin with, but you definitely shouldn't fight battles you can't win. That is stupid, Treyjen.”

“You're stupid,” he grumbled, though he didn't really mean it. He shook his head, “Anyway, he deserves t'get hit. Why's he always so mean, Rey?”

Reyloran shrugged, “He's not usually that bad....”

Treyjen glared at him in disbelief, “Yeah he is. Always. He's a big dumb mean ugly wher.”

Quite aware of how his brothers were, especially around each other, and that nothing was likely to get done if they remained together, Reyloran sighed once more, “Why don't you go see if mother has anything for you to help her with. I'll finish up here with Jeylokar.”

Treyjen didn't need to be told twice, eager to see how Nalyra was doing, and headed inside. Jenara frowned at him as he approached, rocking Nalyra in her arms and making soothing noises at the babe. “You're lucky your father is out at the ship and didn't hear that mess. You woke Nalyra with your yelling, you know,” she scolded, “Did you get into another fight with Jeylokar? You're not hurt are you?”

Unconcerned about himself, he raised up on his toes, trying to peer at his sister in his mother's arms, “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. Is she okay?” Small fussy noises could be heard from the bundle, but she wasn't crying.

“She's perfectly all right, I've settled her,” Jenara assured him, “Now what were you two fighting about?”

“Jeylokar said father wanted another son and Reyloran said boys are more help on a ship and they made it sound like Nalyra wasn't worth anything and Jeylokar said I was useless and they'll be leaving soon and we're staying here again,” it all came out in a frustrated rush as he followed his mother back to where she laid Nalyra back down to sleep.

“And did you hit your brother?” Jenara eyed him with a frown.

Treyjen looked away angrily, “No. Rey stopped me.”

She sighed, “Well, that was very good of him.”

“Nuh-uh! Jeylokar deserves to be hit!” he insisted, though he knew his mother would hardly approve of the sentiment, “Nalyra's not worthless.”

“Of course not,” she replied in a quiet, placating voice as she sat beside Nalyra's crib, “I'm sure he didn't mean it like that. Men and women have very different roles, love, that's all he meant.” Treyjen shook his head in vigorous disagreement. He was quite confident that wasn't what his brother had meant at all. He really didn't understand why everyone was always defending him and the stupid things he said. “Well,” Jenara went on, “Have you finished with your part of the chores your father set to the three of you?”

A bit sheepish at the reminder, he looked away again, “No.... Rey told me to come see if you had anything for me to do and he'd finish....” And then he remembered and looked back at her, “Momma, why aren't we going with when they leave? I thought we were only staying here 'til the baby came.”

Jenara sighed lightly, “I did give that impression, I'm sorry, Treyjen. But a ship is no place for a new babe, surely you understand that? And I could really use your help while I'm caring for Nalyra.”

Torn between wanting to return to the sea and wanting to help his mother with his little sister, Treyjen considered the idea, “How long do we gotta stay? When can Nalyra sail with us?”

Jenara clasped her hands in her lap, very aware that her youngest son was not going to like the answer to that question, “Not until she's several turns old, love.” Jeylokar had gotten a late start compared to his brothers, living landlocked until he was five turns. Though Jenara had been more than a little hesitant to take the two turn old Reyloran sailing all over Pern, Treylok had been impatient to introduce his sons to life at sea. Not to mention caring for two small children aboard a ship was not the easiest task. But the result was that her boys were all more at home at sea than on land, which seemed to be what her husband wanted.

It had certainly made it harder for her when Treyjen was born, however. Jeylokar had been a terrible handful while he was stuck ashore, still not quite old enough to be without her on the Lokarra, and with a clear desire to remain with his father on the ship. Reyloran had cried at first, but he had always been an easygoing child and had acclimated far better to a couple landlocked turns. Jeylokar had taken to tormenting Treyjen every chance he got, blaming his new brother for being stuck ashore. She had to wonder if that initial resentment was what fueled Jeylokar's antagonistic behavior toward him even now. Jenara could only hope that Treyjen would not turn against his new sister for the same reason.

Treyjen's eyes narrowed. Turns? Several turns? He didn't know exactly what she meant by several, but he certainly knew it meant more than one. They hadn't even been stuck here an entire turn yet, though it was close on half, and he'd barely been able to stomach that long. Now his mother was telling him they were staying for even longer? He flopped into the seat beside her, petulant, “It's not fair!”

“Your brothers had to stay with me when you were born as well. You've all had to endure it alongside me at some point now,” Jenara pointed out, hoping that at least knowing Jeylokar had once suffered the same fate would help to mollify him. And it did, though he still wasn't very happy about it, making a displeased noise. She leaned over, wrapping an arm around him and pulling him close, voice lowering as if to impart a secret, “You know, Jeylokar didn't even step foot on a ship until his fifth turn.”

That was new information. “Really?” He looked up at his mother, grinning.

Jenara nodded sagely, “Mm. He was just about old enough, but then Reyloran came along, so we had to stay longer.” Treyjen laughed, clearly pleased with the knowledge, and she ruffled his dark hair affectionately and pushed to her feet, “Well, come on. We'll have to find you something else to do, since you didn't finish with your chores with your brothers, or your father will be very displeased. Fighting with your brother is hardly a good reason to get you out of doing your work, though I certainly understand why Reyloran didn't want to deal with the two of you together any longer.”

Treyjen made a face at that, but his mother didn't see it, as he followed after her. Being ashore wouldn't be half so bad after Jeylokar was gone out to sea again. If he was lucky, maybe his brother would get lost overboard and never come back.

[Zen]

It was only a few days later when Treylok was preparing to leave again. Treyjen sat with his mother and Nalyra with all sorts of mixed feelings, and he jumped when his father barked out his brother’s name suddenly.

“Reyloran!”

Coming from the room the brothers all shared, Rey hurried to their father’s side, “Sorry, I was just-”

“You’re not coming,” Treylok told him, and Treyjen’s eyes widened as he watched his brother’s face.

“I… but… why…? I-I’ll do better-”

“You’re useless as a trader. I’ll not have you losing me anymore marks. I’ve already spoken to your uncles. You’ll be apprenticing with them as a fisher starting tomorrow.”

Treyjen flinched at the cold, harsh way his father spoke to Rey, an anger bubbling up inside him over it. He pushed to his feet in defense of his brother, “But Rey’s great at sailing! He helped me learn all my knots!”

His father threw a look his way that made him take a step back toward his mother, “Yes and that’s why he’s getting the chance to apprentice as a fisher, since he’s at least not completely useless as a ship hand. Now stay out of this, boy.” He turned back to Rey then, “Your uncle Ranard will be by to collect you later. It’ll be easier if you just stay with them from now on, so make sure you’ve gathered anything you want to take with before he gets here.”

“But I-” Reyloran cut himself off at the look on his father’s face, looking down at his feet, “Y-yes, father….”

Jeylokar came from their room then, carrying his bag, looking far too pleased with himself. Treyjen felt a strong urge to throw himself at his eldest brother that he only managed to resist because their father was right there. “I’m ready when you are, father.”

Treylok grunted a sort of agreement and turned to leave, Jeylokar on his heels, tossing a sneer back at Treyjen that had him on his feet again with barely contained rage. He couldn’t wait until Jeylokar was gone and hoped he would never come back either. As the door closed behind them he turned to Rey instead, moving closer to his brother and reaching for his hand in something of a comforting gesture, “Rey-”

Reyloran pulled his hand away, his voice taut with emotion, “I… I need to go pack some things….” He turned away quickly and Treyjen couldn’t be sure, but he thought his brother was crying. He tried to follow him but his mother called him softly and shook her head.

Treyjen wasn’t feeling so complacent, however, “Why can’t he go? He can still help on the ship, father even said so. He doesn’t hafta be a trader, right? He can just be a sailor!”

Jenara’s voice was soft as she looked down at Nalyra in her arms, “It’s what your father wants….”

“Well it’s not fair!” Treyjen insisted, and Nalyra fussed at his raised tone.

Jenara shushed the babe and sighed, “Something you’ll learn, love… not everything in life is fair.”

~~~

Rey had been in their room for some time and it seemed a long enough time to Treyjen to leave him alone, so he went to check on his brother. He was sitting on his bed, staring down at the bag of his things at his feet, and didn’t notice Treyjen’s arrival in the doorway. He hesitated a moment, but finally spoke, “Rey…?” The older boy jumped and looked up at him. His eyes looked kinda red and it had his anger rising again, “You shoulda told him you can still sail. That you can just help on the ship. You’re a good sailor, Rey.”

Reyloran looked down at his hands, his voice soft, “... But I’m a useless trader.”

“So what? D'you gotta be good at everything?” Treyjen moved into the room and plopped onto the bed beside his brother.

Rey drew in a deep breath, “Jeylokar is….”

Treyjen went rigid, “No he’s NOT! He’s a terrible brother! Not like you. So what if he can get more marks outta customers than you. You’re… you’re nice. And he’s a stupid, mean wherface!”

Rey sighed, “Well… that doesn’t matter t’father.”

“It matters t’me,” Treyjen replied petulantly, “You’re way better than Jeylokar.”

“Well I’m too stupid to father,” he spat back with more emotion than Treyjen had really ever seen in him. He wiped at his eyes quickly and looked away from his younger brother, “Go away, Treyjen….”

“But you’re not-”

“Just leave me alone!”

Reyloran had never shouted at him before. Treyjen simply stared at him a moment before he stood up from the bed, glaring, “Maybe you are stupid if you’re gonna yell at someone that’s just trying t’make you feel better!” A look of hurt flitted across Rey’s face and Treyjen regretted saying it when he saw, but he was too stubborn and hurt himself from being yelled at for no reason to apologize, so he turned and marched out, leaving his brother alone like he wanted.

He headed outside, wandering around and kicking at rocks to vent some of his anger, but the less angry he felt, the worse he felt about what he’d said. He’d never really fought with Rey before. Sometimes he got angry at him briefly, for keeping him from pummeling Jeylokar like he deserved, but Rey had never been angry with him, and he’d never said something mean like that to his favored brother. He still didn’t understand why their father wouldn’t let him sail with them anymore, and thinking about it, trying to figure it out, only served to make him angry again. It wasn’t like he’d never noticed his father had a habit of being rather mean to Rey, but he didn’t deserve to be treated like that. He didn’t deserve to be left behind. He wiped at his eyes where angry tears were forming, because there wasn’t anything he could do about it. When he finally headed back, he planned to swallow his pride and apologize, because Rey had already been treated badly enough today, but his brother had already gone.

[Zen]

Nalyra had reached her first nameday and Treyjen was growing rather impatient with the fact that she couldn’t even walk on her own yet. The sooner his sister was able to do things on her own, the sooner they could go back out to sea. A turn and a half ashore was already too much, especially with Jeylokar’s constant taunting about it whenever his father’s ship returned to Tillek. Fortunately they’d left nearly a month ago and so Treyjen could hope they’d be gone for another one or two. In the meantime, he was desperately trying to get Nalyra to start walking.

“C’mon, Nalyra… it’s not that hard,” he told his sister as he sat a few feet away from where she was clinging to a chair to keep her balance while she stood. He reached out his hands for her, “Walk. You can do it.”

“Day!” she exclaimed, and Treyjen grinned at her name for him. She didn’t say that many words yet, but he’d learned that one was for him. His mother explained that it was probably too hard for her to say Treyjen just yet, that ‘day’ was as close as she could get. She’d say ‘ma’ too for their mother, and ‘bo’ when she wanted Treyjen to get his toy boats out to play with her. She didn’t have any words for their father, or Jeylokar, because they were never around. He felt a sort of smug satisfaction in that. But she didn’t have any words for Rey either because he didn’t live with them and was so busy learning how to be a fisher… and he didn’t feel quite as good about that.

“Aye, c’mere already,” he wiggled his fingers, hoping it might entice her to take a step or two toward him. She stepped away from the chair, but kept one hand on it and made a sort of nervous, displeased noise as she looked between him and the chair uncertainly, “C’mon Nalyra, just a couple steps. You’ll be okay.” She let go, took a step, and promptly dropped to her knees and crawled over to him, laughing gleefully as he groaned. This had been going on for at least half an hour. “Nalyra, y'gotta at least try.” He heard his mother’s laugh as well and tossed her a dirty look, “Don’t laugh, she’ll just think she should keep doing it!”

“She’s not ready, love,” Jenara told him, amused, “Though I appreciate your effort.”

Nalyra was sitting in front of him, looking up at him with those pretty amber eyes of hers, and Treyjen leaned forward to bop his nose lightly against hers, which made her giggle madly before reaching up to try to grab at his nose. He took her hand in his instead and pushed to his feet, pulling her up with him, “Fine, if you’re not ready t'do it by yourself, we’ll just do it together. It’s easy, see?” He took steps backward, both her little hands in his as he led her around the house with her halting, stumbling steps.

Jenara watched them both fondly, “You know Rey used to do that with you when you were learning to walk.” Treyjen glanced over at her, not terribly surprised by the revelation, and looked back down at Nalyra, feeling a bit of pride about it. He had said he would be a good big brother like Rey, and here he was, doing what Rey did. He would bet anything that Jeylokar had never done this, but he wasn’t going to say so because his mother wouldn’t want to hear it. “I’m surprised… Rey has always been patient, but you, shipfish… that has not entirely been your strong suit.”

Treyjen made a face at her teasing, “I can be patient… I just don’t like to.”

She laughed, “Well it’s good to know you’re capable of it. Perhaps you’ll practice it a bit more in the future.”

He made another face, “I already hafta wait for forever t'sail again. I got plenty a'patience.”

Jenara shook her head, “Waiting and waiting patiently are two very different things, love.” Before he could open his mouth to argue, Nalyra spoke for him, babbling nonsense up at him. His mother chuckled, “See, she agrees.”

Treyjen shook his head, “Nuh uh, she’s arguing.”

“Oh she’s the one arguing?”

“Yup. She likes t'argue,” he informed his mother matter-of-factly, “Right, Nalyra?” She giggled and babbled more nonsense, bouncing in place, so he stopped walking so he didn’t tip her over.

Jenara laughed again, “Faranth forbid. Don’t teach her your bad habits.”

“I don’t like t'argue,” he insisted.

She raised a brow at him, “You’re doing it right now.”

“No I’m-” he cut himself off as he realized she was, in fact, correct. She laughed and he couldn’t help but grin. He didn’t think he’d ever heard his mother laugh so much before they came back to Tillek and Nalyra was born. As much as he wanted to get back to sailing… it really wasn’t so bad here.