Difference between revisions of "Logs:The Weyrwoman's Letter"

The keening woke Milani very early in the morning. Dawn was only a rumor in the sky above the Bowl and the headwoman jumped out of bed, heart hammering as the sound rippled through the entire Weyr, every throat (but one) taking up the cry. The hairs stood up on the back of her neck and she yanked off her nightgown, tossed on the first clothes that came to hand: a practical blouse and trousers. Her feet found her shoes quickly and she ran out into the hallway to find a few palefaced, sleepy looking residents clustered there. "Who is it? Do you know? What happened?" Milani shook her head and pushed onward. "I'll find out," she said firmly. "It will be posted," she reassured.

The headwoman strode rapidly through the corridors and into the living cavern. There were bound to be some riders up already getting ready to go out on sweeps or others coming in off watch. She wasn't wrong. Brownrider Y'vel was sitting at a table, eyes wide with shock, the mug of klah he'd been drinking held in one slack hand, slowly spilling out onto the floor. Milani went over immediately, tilted the mug upward and guided the older rider's hand back to the table. "Y'vel ..." she said gently, "Y'vel," his name again and he blinked, focused on her slowly, tears leaking from his eyes. She waited him out until he drew a long shuddering breath and gasped out: "The Weyrwoman. Ristaranth says Teonath is gone."

Shock froze Milani in place, eyes wide on Y'vel's weather-seamed face. "No ..." she breathed out down low and looked around wildly. One of the cooks was weeping with her head in her apron, two other riders were looking grim-faced, but resigned and trying to get another to sit down. She gripped Y'vel's arm for a moment, then nodded. "Sit down, Y'vel, drink your klah if you can, hang in there."

Then she went into action, turning on her heel to go roust Giorda out of bed and have her get the other assistants up. Next a stop in the kitchens to order up hot, stiff drinks to have at the ready.

Finally, chin held high, back straight, Milani started to walk across the Bowl towards the Weyrleaders' Complex to see what it held in store for them all today.

• * *

It wasn't until much later that she came back to her office and found the letter on her desk.

Milani,

You're not allowed to quit. Please. You're a jewel amongst women and have filled Hayda's shoes quite capably. You will be the lower caverns administrator Tiriana can only hope to grow into and she'll need you more than you'll ever need her.

Ignore her blustering. You, who are so talented with people, should be able to figure out a way to look past such obvious defense mechanisms to the scared, insecure, and low in self-confidence girl that your new Weyrwoman is. She talks a lot, but means very little of what she says. She enjoys being petted and having ideas seem like her own, when they're really yours. I have hopes she will grow into her role.

My weyr is clean of my personal effects, though non-personal furniture and records have been left intact. Everything else, I have taken to my family, so they might dispose of it as they will, or pass it on to my children when they've grown.

Give my regards to your mother.

Satiet

-- Satiet, High Reaches Weyrwoman --

She sat there with the paper in her hands for quite some time after she'd finished, staring off into space. The compliments would likely seem touching later. Right now, she was battling very real fear as it curled in her gut. She understood what Satiet was asking of her, understood what she had to do. It seemed an insurmountable task and Millie's breath came short as she tried to take it all in.

Ultimately, her brain just ... stopped and she put the letter down, folded neatly away into a drawer to re-read later and went off in search of a bottle of something stiff to drink and the companionship she knew she was going to need to survive this.