History

Latest revision as of 06:33, 1 October 2015

History

• Overview
• Early Life
• At Healer Hall
• Apprentice at Healer Hall
• Senior Apprentice
• Journeyman
• Weyrhealer
• Master

Overview

Madilla has come a long way from her roots; the life she has is a very different one from what she had anticipated, growing up in a tiny hold north of Peyton.

Her family were poor, with more children (between Madilla's siblings and her cousins) than could easily be supported by the land they held. They were a conservative bunch, poorly educated and with very definite views on How Things Should Be - and, especially, a woman's place in it all. Madilla was raised to anticipate being married by sixteen, a mother within a turn of that. Instead, a confluence of events resulted in her being sent to the Healer Hall as an Apprentice at age thirteen.

At fifteen, she was posted to High Reaches Weyr with her mentor, Journeyman Delifa, and there she remained - walking the tables to Senior Apprentice, and then to Journeyman at age nineteen. She had two children, both outside of traditional relationships, in the turns that followed. In Turn 30, she was promoted to Weyrhealer after Delifa's chronic illness sent her from the Weyr.

In Turn 36, Madilla was promoted to Master, a position she took quietly; the direct result of a decision she made in her position as Weyrhealer. Resigning as Weyrhealer, she instead took the lead in a new committee focused on Healer-Weyr relations.

Early Life

Madilla's family have held a small piece of land some distance north of Peyton for as many generations as anyone can remember. They cultivate a small collection of crops, raise a few animals, and look forward to occasional visits from circuit-riding Harpers, though more for news than education. Led by Madilla's uncle, Tredor, her father's eldest brother, the hold is not especially affluent, though they generally produce enough to feed themselves and provide their share of the tithe; it's enough.

Born after what should have been the end of the pass, Madilla's earliest turns were easier than those of her older sibings and cousins. She was her mother's third child, with four half-siblings from her father's previous marriage older than that; between all these siblings and her numerous cousins, there was always someone to play with, after they'd finished their extensive chores. Maddie, as she was most often called, was a relatively serious, thoughtful child, a girl who kept her head down and did what she was told - as was considered appropriate in a girl-child. She had no illusions that her life would hold anything but marriage and children, and was content with the idea: she played happy families with bundled rags, and cared for her younger cousins and siblings, dreaming of the day when she would have her own.

She was eight when the Comet Pass began. News took some time to reach them-- and when it did, it brought with it genuine panic. Their relatively comfortable Interval lives were thrown into disarray when a whole field was lost to burrow in early Turn 12. It was a lean turn; three of Madilla's older brothers left home to ease the burden on the family, hopefully to find better work at Peyton, or perhaps further afield.

In the end, however, it was neither thread nor poor crops that made for the biggest change in Madilla's life. She was eleven, already in many ways a miniature adult, when her cousin Jessil was badly gored by a rampaging bull. A runner was sent towards Peyton to find a healer, for Jessil was his father's heir, but that journey would take hours; until then, it was Madilla's aunt Essa, who had some little knowledge of herb-lore, who would have to keep Jessil alive - and Madilla was sent to assist her. When Journeyman Kandos arrived, it was far too late to save the patient, but not too late for Madilla's natural talent for healing to be recognised. Perhaps, Kandos ventured, they would consider sending her to the crafthall at Fort Hold when she was a little older.

It was an unthinkable thing, at first, this idea of sending a daughter out into the world when she ought to marry and have a family. Still, the experience encouraged Madilla to seek out her aunt's expertise; she learned what she could of herbs and remedies, and found she enjoyed it. It was Essa who first suggested that they not discount the Journeyman's suggestion - and, indeed, wouldn't her own son have been saved, perhaps, if they'd had a properly trained healer to tend to him? Madilla's parents were not opposed, but it took longer for Tredor, whose word was law, to come around. He'd intended to marry Madilla off to a nearby hold, and she certainly needed no fancy learning for that. But Essa was undeterred, and so too was Madilla's own mother: at thirteen, finally, she was sent out into the world, to the Healer Hall. In her place, her cousin Evaris would marry that local boy, and in time, Madilla would return home and look after her family. That was the plan.

At Healer Hall

Madilla arrived at the Healer Hall at the very beginning of Turn 16. It was... utterly overwhelming. Snow was new. The size of the place and number of people was new. The pace of everything was new. This idea of learning, in a classroom, in a structured fashion was new. Having women in charge was very definitely new. Indeed, it felt as though there was nothing familiar at all-- it felt like a horrible mistake, as though she was out of her depth and should not be here at all. Perhaps the worst of it was that the education that had been deemed sufficient for her, back home, was in no way appropriate for an Apprentice - she could barely read her classes, let alone write her reports. Were it not for Journeyman Kandos' recommendation, and the notice of a few of her teachers, she may well have been sent home. Instead, she was assigned to Harper Hall for additional classes. Grateful to have been given this opportunity, instead of being simply sent home, Madilla threw herself into her classes with more vigor than ever, determined to prove herself.

She was lucky, gifted with an excellent memory that helped her learn what she needed. Perhaps more important than that was her 'adoption' by her pharmacy teacher, Journeyman Delifa, who reached out to the shy, overwhelmed, lost young Apprentice, and gave her the support she needed. Essa's herbalism training stood her in good stead: this was one class she did not immediately struggle with.

She also made friends; indeed, she was generally well-liked by the other Apprentices, and found herself enjoying their company.

At the end of Turn 16, was delighted to be called to walk the tables to full Apprentice. Perhaps, deep down, she was less confident about Delifa's confidence that she would be a wonderful Pharmacist one day... but oh, it was wonderful to know that she'd made it past the first hurdle, and wonderful, too, to have someone like Delifa who really seemed to care about how she was doing.

Which is why it was gut-wrenching, six months later, to find out that Delifa was leaving her teaching post at the Hall to take a posting as Weyrhealer at High Reaches Weyr, where her family was from. Madilla knew it was a move that made the older healer happy, but the idea of losing that support hurt. And yet, it was not for that reason that she said yes when Delifa asked her to accompany her to the Weyr: she went because she'd been asked to, because it never for a second occurred to her that she had the option to say no.

Apprentice at High Reaches

High Reaches Weyr was terrifying, but also exhilarating. If the Hall had been eye-opening, the Weyr was ten times so-- and yet, no matter how intimidating and horrifying it seemed, sometimes, it did not take very long at all for it to begin to feel like home. It helped that she made friends: Leova, Oysric and Milani, especially, but also Delifa, who became more and more a mother figure to her. That became increasingly important, somehow. Leova took her for her first visit home in nearly two turns, and home... no longer felt so much like home. Did she even belong there, anymore? Could she?

Being posted was different, too. At the Hall, life had been focused on classes; at the Weyr, she spent far more time with actual patients, if often in an observatory capacity. It was increasingly clear, even to Madilla, that unless she could learn to stand on her own feet and gain confidence in her own abilities, she would never be the healer she wanted to be: pharmacy really would be the only option.

At the end of Turn 18, it was Delifa, with Madilla alongside her, who diagnosed Weyrwoman Satiet with a failing liver. The experience hit Madilla hard: the secrets, in part, but also the knowledge that this was a patient none of them could save. After Satiet died, in the fourth month of Turn 19, Delifa successfully petitioned the Hall to give Madilla her Senior Apprentice's knot: she'd earned it, she said.

Senior Apprentice

If nothing else, getting that Senior Apprentice's knot reminded Madilla that her Apprenticeship would not last forever-- and that, one day, she really would be able to have the husband and family (admittedly, it was the family she was interested in above the husband) she had always dreamed about. Babies filled her thoughts: she was desperate to be a mother. In part, this may have been fuelled by her increasing awareness that she would not be returning to her family home; more and more, she knew that her visits bothered her family, that she was now considered... tainted. It hurt. But High Reaches was home, now, and that helped.

It was some months after her promotion, when she was seventeen, that she met Whitchek, a good holder boy whose intentions towards her seemed ideal: marriage, children, family. Their (adorably chaste) courtship resulted in an understanding of marriage (or weyrmating, for by this time Whitchek was a Candidate) in the future, after she walked the tables; it was not an agreement that Delifa was especially comfortable with. Madilla felt none of the sparks she'd heard others talking about, with Whitchek, but he wanted what she wanted: it was enough. Even after his Impression to Zhikath, she was confident that her future was looking increasingly settled.

In Turn 20, Delifa, who had picked up a relationship with a childhood friend of hers, L'van, discovered she was pregnant. Already in her forties, it was not an easy pregnancy, and both she and her Apprentice struggled with it. Madilla was envious, and also frustrated with her envy. It was all made a hundred times worse when Tiriana broke the news: W'chek had been having a relationship with another of Madilla's friends, B'tal, for months. He was gay. And she was...

Hurt.

Worse, Delifa went in to premature labor, and gave birth to twins, only one of whom survived. The following turn, it was Milani's turn to be pregnant, and all the while, Madilla tried to remind herself that she, too, would get a chance one day. One day.

She spent the summer of Turn 21 participating in an advanced training course held at the Hall, one designed for Apprentices with 'potential', whatever that meant. It was an amazing summer, and at the end of it, she returned to the Weyr in time to deliver Milani's daughter. A month later, she was surprised to be presented with her Journeyman's knot, received a turn earlier than even her wildest dreams had anticipated.

She wrote home to tell her family about her knot, but she did not visit; she'd known since her last visit that she wasn't really welcome anymore, that they were too worried about the 'influence' she might have on her siblings and cousins, and now, their children, too. It was a turning point, and an ending.

Journeyman

Now finally a Journeyman, there was nothing to stand in Madilla's way as far as having children was concerned... nothing but Delifa, who had an inkling of what her fellow healer planned, and was not much pleased. Delifa had always known Madilla had a penchant for making friends she didn't necessarily approve of, but this was forever. She made Madilla promise to wait six months, at least, and Madilla, ever dutiful, promised.

In fact, Madilla did have plans: as soon as her six months were up, she was going to get someone to give her a baby. T'rev, then Fort's Weyrleader, and a good friend, actually offered, as did bluerider Z'yi but Madilla took matters in to her own hands, and asked W'chek. A plan was made.

Within the six months, however, that plan was also broken, when Madilla found out the startling fact that W'chek hit B'tal. One thing after another piled up, and in the end, she put those intentions on hold (much to Delifa's relief). No doubt the other Healer was less relieved when, some months later, Madilla accepted B'tal's offer to get her pregnant, instead. Their daughter, Lilabet, was born on the twelfth day of month three, Turn 23.

Having achieved her goals in life, as a Journeyman and now a mother, Madilla found herself largely content. Certainly, it bothered her that she didn't have her own mother for support as she adjusted to these new phases of her life, but she had so many others - and now, her daughter.

In Turn 25, she fell into a relationship with Varens, another Journeyman Healer. It was-- nice, a comfortable thing, something she enjoyed. They saw each other for the better part of a turn before he asked her to move back to the Hall with him, and get married. In the end, though she wanted that life, Madilla found herself unable to do it: she couldn't drag Lilabet away from her father, and her home, and Madilla herself found she did not want to leave.

A turn later, one of those reasons for staying became abruptly no more: B'tal died, suddenly and tragically, and Lilabet was left without a father. Briefly, Madilla considered creating a story to explain her daughter, a dead father, to give her the ability to visit home, but she couldn't do it: she couldn't lie, not even to give Lily a chance at more extended family.

It was later that turn that Madilla became pregnant for a second time, the result of a single night with Devaki. The exile's disappearance from the Weyr made it impossible for her to tell him; accusations of murder made her unwilling to tell anyone else. In the end, she named no one at all as her son's father, and become determined now to worry about anything but her children: they didn't need fathers. They had her.

Although Madilla had hoped to add a third child to her family, she put those dreams aside after Delifa was diagnosed with a terminal illness in Turn 29. As her mentor grew weaker, Madilla picked up more and more of her duties as Weyrhealer before finally taking over altogether in the third month of Turn 30, when Delifa was forced to retire south in order to preserve her health for as long as possible.

Weyrhealer

The transition from 'Journeyman' to 'Weyrhealer' was not an easy one, and made all the more complicated by the fragile state of High Reaches' politics since Iolene's murder. If Madilla was sure of one thing, however, it was that if Azaylia and Brieli could step up with so little experience, so could she. Nonetheless, being in a position of authority proved troubling, especially as matters got more and more complicated-- whose side was she on? How could she even know?

Worse still was attempting to navigate these waters without Delifa, who had been her mentor and friend for well over a decade.

The double flight resulted in a number of further complications. For one, Devaki returned to the Weyr, now married to the sister of Lord High Reaches Hold, and with recognised blood. For another, Madilla fell into a friendship-turned-relationship with H'kon, one of the brownriders at the center of the leadership mess, which rather muddied her feelings on the matter.

And then, in the middle of the third month of Turn 31, Delifa died.

After Brieli came out as Aishani at the post-hatching feast, Madilla came to the conclusion that she could not keep Dilan's paternity a secret forever - that it wasn't fair to Devaki, but more than that, that secrets could only hurt people. Her first attempt to let him know failed, when it turned out he was at High Reaches Hold, instead. Her second was successful, and less awful than anticipated, but left her as concerned as ever. Devaki's surprising confirmation as Lord Holder has only made that worse.

Early in the second month of Turn 32, word began to spread that Dilan was in fact Devaki's son.

In Turn 33, Madilla's old friend Leova turned things upside-down all over again when she asked Madilla to foster Raija, her... niece. Unwilling to abandon a child already abandoned by her parents, Madilla threw what had become quite a comfortable life with H'kon and her children into disarray by bringing Raija into their family, a decision that, despite a myriad of difficulties, has now simply become part of life.

In the first month of Turn 35, Lilabet departed for Harper Hall to begin her Apprenticeship, while Dilan moved to High Reaches Hold to spend a turn with his father. This has - unsurprisingly - had heavy implications on little Raija (abandoned, once more), but also on Madilla herself: her children are growing up, and, in Dilan's case, being exposed to a life she's not altogether comfortable with. It was during that turn that Madilla and H'kon moved into a weyr together; weyrmated, at last.

Master

Now in her mid-thirties, and a successful member of her craft, it was inevitable that the Hall would begin pushing for Madilla's promotion; as a Master, she could dedicate herself to the Hall's apprentices, a position she was clearly well suited for. But Madilla resisted; she didn't want to leave the Weyr, and she didn't want to give up the practical application of her craft. In Turn 36, the Hall sent Madilla on a temporary riding post throughout the High Reaches area; she saw it - rightly or wrongly - as a punishment for her refusal to accept the offered promotion. In her absence, she identified Journeyman Miska to fill her place as Weyrhealer.

When she returned, it was to tragedy and dismay: Teris' Iskiveth had gone between, and, because of her fellis habit, Miska had refused to let her suicide; it had taken nearly two weeks for someone to step in to help Teris die. A healer inquest followed, and at the end of it, Madilla's role in the incident saw her 'punished': a promotion to Master, and forced resignation from her position as Weyrhealer. Instead, she would head up a new committee on Healer-Weyr relations, designed to ensure this incident never repeated itself.