Chapter Text
Herald Teren did not like the way Sensholding had responded. He’d looked into how Holderkin society worked just enough to understand naming. Sensholding. Talia was enrolled as Talia Sensdaughter. So Sen was her father’s name. Well, not much of a father. And Teren would know. He had children of his own about Talia’s age.
His heart began to ache. He was missing them, again. Their latest letters indicated that all was well, and he knew that he didn’t have to worry. After all, it was his family that was caring for them. That didn’t stop him from missing Cale and Anya, though. Not that he didn’t make it back for the most important things, and regularly send them letters, treats, or whatever else he thought appropriate.
And that thought made him even angrier at Sen.
Teren was supposed to take up teaching geography the next day. Instead, he went to his twin. “Keren?”
“What can I do for you?”
“I need you to take over my teaching stint on geography.”
“Has something come up?”
In response, Teren handed over the scrap of response that had been sent. “I refuse to show it to her. Not until I’ve made an attempt, at least, to knock some sense into that so-called father of hers.”
“Oh, the poor darling,” Keren said. She looked at Teren. “Are you sure meddling in this is the right thing to do? The Holderkin generally don’t like Heralds as it is.”
“There’s something else, too. I think there might be laws being broken. I noticed a scar on Talia’s hand. It didn’t look like something a child gets just playing. I think she was abused, and that’s why she’s so shy, and refusing to show any emotion.”
Damn. That was something Keren hadn’t considered. But then, she hadn’t really had time to get to know the girl, either, like Teren had. “Talk to Selenay. If she gives her blessing on the matter, I’ll take your classes.”
***
Selenay was just as concerned as Teren was, once Teren gave his reasons and what he’d noticed. She gave her blessing, and he rode out early the next morning, south towards Sensholding.
It was a pleasant journey on the way, he had to admit. The weather stayed fair, and it wasn’t hard to find a waystation to stay in, or an inn if he couldn’t. But then he entered Holderkin territory. Damn, but it was easy to tell he was in Holderkin territory. It was all the dirty looks he got from the men, the avoidance of the women, the mixture of curiosity and fear in the children. Was this really the environment that Talia had been raised in?
He got directions to Sensholding from a man who made some sort of warding sign after Teren left. Just what, exactly, did they think of Heralds, here? As some necessary evil?
:That’s probably close to the truth.:
:I honestly wouldn’t be surprised, Wythra. It’s hard to believe an environment like this produced such a sweet girl like Talia. How much do you want to bet that the oldest male out there in the fields is Sen?:
:I’d say it’s a good bet, Chosen.:
Teren rode over. The man had three boys working with him, all of them older than Talia. “Which of you is Sen?” he called.
The oldest stood and looked at Teren. “I am Sen, Herald. What is it, to you?”
Teren swung down from his Companion. “I’m here to speak to you about Talia.”
“Sensholding has no daughter Talia,” Sen said. “I made that clear.”
“Aye, we got the note. I didn’t show it to her, though. And I won’t show her any note until I’ve got one that won’t break her heart. I’m here to talk to you not just as one of Herald-Trainee Talia’s instructors, but as one father to another. And I’m not leaving until I’m satisfied, either, which will give me plenty of time to look around, see what other forms of physical and emotional abuse are being done to the children, especially the girls. Ought to give me plenty of insight on why Talia’s so reticent, and might just give me plenty to report to the queen on why her laws aren’t being followed.”
Sen’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean by that, Herald?”
“Oh, like the scar on Talia’s hand? Clearly not something a child gets from play, if Holderkin children even play.”
“Justus told me she did it to herself.”
“And which one is Justus?” Teren asked, eyeing the boys. “I just might like to ask him that myself. You see, we Heralds have something called Truth Spell, and it tells us whether or not a person is telling the truth.”
Sen called Justus over. “Go ahead. Tell the Herald like you told me how Talia put that poker to her own hand.”
“She…didn’t.” Justus was struggling to lie, but Teren had invoked second-stage Truth Spell thanks to his strong Mindspeech Gift, and he just couldn’t. “I did it.” Justus’s face contorted. “It doesn’t matter. She’s just a girl, and she’s gone, now. I hope she dies. Horribly. She was a demon child. Mother said so. If she were human, that burn never would have healed. Mother was an Elder’s daughter, and she knew the signs.”
Teren removed the spell. “I thought as much.”
“I don’t know what you did to me, Herald, to make me tell the truth, but I’m glad it’s out. Now Father knows I can protect the Hold from demons like Talia and like you.” Justus drew his sword and turned to Sen. “She killed Andrean. It was because of her that he died in the bandit raid. That’s why I tested her with the flames, and I knew, after that. And now I’ll kill this Herald to protect us, Father.”
"Halt!" Sen said, holding out an arm. "Killing a Herald will only bring more trouble down upon the Hold." He turned to Teren. “But Justus is right about one thing. The girl was nothing but trouble.”
“She said you trusted her to run messages,” Teren pointed out.
“You said you have children, Herald. What would you do if your daughter disobeyed your wishes for her future, blurted out that she wanted something else entirely, something forbidden, and then ran away to do it? Tell me, what is it that you expect of your children?”
“I expect them to follow basic boat safety rules when they’re out on the lake during the summer, and to not freeze during the winter. I expect them to become good swimmers, and to learn to read and write, and if they find that they just can’t stand the idea of fishing for the rest of their lives, to tell us so that they can be free to explore who they are and what they really want to do. I would never, however, expect my daughter to get married when she turns thirteen next year. She’s too young. And I won’t say I hate to tell you this, because I don’t, but you’re breaking the law of the land by forcing your children to marry before they’re ready. The law says sixteen at the earliest.”
“I suppose that next you’ll say we can’t have more than one wife?”
“No, that’s up to you. The marriages have to be consensual, but so long as all parties are at least sixteen and consenting, then you’re fine.”
“You talk about consent. What about the consent of the parent of a child trainee? I did not consent.”
“Be honest,” Teren said. “Would you rather see Talia die in agony, in extreme physical pain? Or would you rather see her ride off on her Companion to do what the Companion Chose her for? Because in this case, it’s to someday become the highest ranking Herald in the Circle, and if she hadn’t left with Rolan after he Chose her and bonded to her, dying in extreme pain and agony is exactly what would have happened to her. So I guess, either way, Sensholding would have no more daughter Talia, whether because she died or because you rejected her. Except you have the power to change that. You can write a new note, telling her that you’re proud of her, that she’s become more than you thought her capable of, and while the rules of your community require that she be shunned, you, as her father, still love her.”
“Why should I be proud of a mere girl child? She will never benefit the Hold. The only thanks I can give is that by being rid of her, I no longer have to provide her with a dowry. But she could have done that by going into the temple. Service to the goddess. That would have been something to take pride in. Making a match with someone with a larger Hold. That would have been something to take pride in, especially if he took her as his First Wife.”
“And what, exactly, is the role of a First Wife, as opposed to other wives?” Teren asked.
:Good idea, Chosen. Get him to explain his beliefs further. You might win this one, yet if you can find just the right spin.:
“My First Wife orders my other Wives around, and the servants. She gives assignments to the other Wives and chores to the littles, as well as caring for my widowed mother. She provided me with my First Son, Keltev, and her dowry added to my lands, and with Andrean, who is unfortunately gone now.”
“So if a Monarch were a Holder, and in truth, the Monarch is the Holder of all of Valdemar, then the Monarch’s Own Herald would be akin to a First Wife, able to give orders to all of the other Heralds. Would you say that you confide more in your First Wife than in your other Wives?”
“Yes,” Sen admitted. “It is so. After all, she must know what is going on throughout the Hold if she is to make wise decisions within the home, to know how much we can afford to pay servants, to know how much to put away each year, what to sell, and so on.”
“So then by extension of the metaphor I’m using, the Monarch’s Own Herald is still like a First Wife, in that the Monarch’s Own Herald is the closest confidant and advisor to the Monarch. You said that becoming First Wife would be something to be proud of, especially to a Holder with plenty of lands. Well, what if you had a daughter who attracted a Holder who was so wealthy, he declined the dowry, and in fact improved your financial standing approximately five years later, and made her his First Wife?”
Teren could see the thoughts turning over in Sen’s head. Sen wasn’t a stupid man, just a man used to a certain order of things because he didn’t know any better, because he had not been raised any better. He simply didn’t have the education to know that there could be a better option.
“But the Monarch is a woman. Talia cannot marry the Monarch,” Sen said at last.
“No,” Teren agreed. “But she will be around many young nobles, including some highborn Heralds, with very close connections to the crown by blood. And it is the Queen’s Own that Talia is being trained to be. She’s going to literally be the most powerful Herald in the kingdom and the queen’s closest confidant and advisor, and she’ll likely be in Whites in five years or so. That’s the average for training. And when she goes into Whites, you don’t have to pay taxes that year.”
“And yet, with all that, you request nothing from me?”
“Nothing but that you write something that won’t break her heart when she reads it,” Teren said. He was so confident that he had won Sen over that he reached into one of his saddle bags and drew out ink, quill, and parchment, and held them out to the Holder. “Well?”
Sen took them and sat on a nearby tree stump. He wrote in his untidy scrawl. He took out an old cloth and blotted away the excess ink, folded the letter, wrote Talia’s name on it, and handed it to Teren. “Give that to her, Herald. Sensholding is proud of daughter Talia.”
Teren smiled. “I’ll be happy to.”
***
Daughter,
I was angry. But then the Herald explained things. Now I understand, and I am proud. The Elders say you must be shunned. The rules of our community say you cannot come home. But Sensholding is proud of its daughter Talia. We would be proud to receive your letters. I have properly instructed the others what your new life means.
Your Honored Father
Talia burst into tears as she read the letter. Then she hugged Teren. “Thank you. I don’t know how you did it, but thank you.”