Varna Ch. 06

Father made us wait for an answer.

- "Who?" he said, finally.

Aludar took a deep breath.

- "Bathene Esin."

Merik's mouth fell open. Even Nathal appeared to be stunned. I heard my sister whistle softly. Bathene was the daughter of Tir Esin, one of the most powerful Tirs in Varna. He and his family dominated our port town, Whydah, and its environs. Tir Esin was also our uncle - our mother's brother. Bathene was our first cousin.

She had red hair, green eyes, and a mischievous sense of humour. She was a lovely girl, from an eminent, wealthy and powerful family. But I was still shocked that my brother had been considering re-marrying. He hadn't given a hint of it.

Father didn't look surprised at all. Through all of this, his expression hadn't changed one iota. He might have blinked once.

- "Very well." he said. "A baker's dozen, then. I will add her to the list."

- "Thank you, father."

- "You are dismissed." said the Grand Duke.

But one of his children wasn't ready to be dismissed.

- "What about me?" asked Sanatha.

My father didn't flinch. He didn't even look her way.

- "Not yet." he growled. He wasn't going to have this discussion with Sanatha - not here, and not now. She understood that. But father must have been slightly flustered, because he repeated himself. "Dismissed."

***

I told Glasha everything.

- "All of you?"

- "Except Sanatha."

- "Strange... why now, I wonder?"

I told her about Aludar's choice, our cousin Bathene, and how Father had allowed her to be added to his 'list'.

- "I could do the same." I said. "I could ask him to include you."

Glasha smiled at me, and gently shook her head. "You know he'd never do that. It's far more likely that he'd send me away." She'd always done her best to avoid antagonizing my father. With only a few exceptions, she'd managed to do so, for the most part.

She reached up, to softly touch my cheek.

- "No need for regrets, Tauma. We've always known that this was a possibility."

- "An inevitability, you mean."

- "Exactly. So... we'll just have to find the best possible wife for you."

***

Aludar dismissed his mistress, Lavara. It was a wise move on his part, since he was promised to our cousin Bathene. But then we learned that Lavara had been caught with Merik - in a hallway. I felt for my eldest brother.

I'd always believed that I would marry for love. Well, I suppose I'd always imagined that I could marry Glasha. Father didn't need me to sire heirs, and I thought that the political advantages from marrying a fourth son would be negligible.

Apparently, negligible was not quite the same as non-existent. My father was determined to wring every possible benefit out of my existence.

I wouldn't be marrying for love - or for lust, either. It would be a marriage of convenience, a political alliance for my father's gain.

- "You're thinking of this all wrong." said Glasha.

- "I have no choice in the matter!"

- "You do, Tauma. Accept what you cannot change, and make the best of it. We have twelve girls to choose from - let's turn this situation to our advantage and find you someone that you can live with."

- "You mean someone that I can tolerate?"

- "And who can tolerate you in return. Relationships work both ways."

- "I don't want a relationship at all! I mean... except with you."

Glasha was exceedingly patient with me. "You don't have to keep trying to prove that you love me. I know you do. - just as I love you. But you have to marry. So let's find you the best wife we can."

- "Well, there's nothing we can do about that until the harvest festival."

Glasha just shook her head, with an amused expression on her face.

"You already know?" I exclaimed. "You were time-walking again? When?"

- "There was no need for that." she said. "Your father said that he'd already made the invitations - remember? I simply had Seyamka ask the clerks who the letters were addressed to. They all have crushes on her; they would tell her anything."

- "You're so much cleverer than I am."

- "Sometimes. In this case, yes." she said. "Would you like to know who your father invited?"

She showed me the list.

The first five names on the list were the daughters, nieces, or sisters of Tirs. There were nine Tirs in Varna; five of them had eligible females in their households.

At the top of the list was Talanassa Albo. Her father was the man who'd tried to cross the Tanarive creek. After our confrontation there, I strongly doubted that he would want me for a son-in-law. Yet Talanassa was half-elven - it was another strange reminder of the question that had plagued me: why would Tir Albo marry an elf (or half-elf), have a daughter with her, and then attack their kin and try to steal their land?

Bathene Esin, my red-headed cousin, was next. I liked her well enough, but she was obviously promised to Aludar. I had to wonder where my mother fit into all of this: she was about to become the aunt of her eldest son.

Arez Beksha. Ouch - there was a thorny problem. The Bekshas were a powerful and influential family, who claimed descent from the last Kings of Varna. That descent, however, was through an illegitimate son. My father had placated the Bekshas by making their Tir Commander in the East. The relationship, though, was tenuous at best.

Adjan Moksha - another problematic situation. Merik had seduced and impregnated her cousin, embarrassing the whole family. I'd met Tir Moksha, on my travels; I wasn't at all sure why he would bring his daughter to this cattle market. The odds were fair, if he wanted to come away with a son of the Duke - but it was most unlikely to be Merik.

I wasn't surprised by the next name on the list. Shurkka Storum. She was the youngest sister of Tir Storum, the Commander of the Duke's Guard. I'd met her as a child, and didn't like her at all. But my father probably sought to tie Tir Storum to him even more closely, by a marriage alliance.

The next five names on the list were from Gerdar families. There were 13 Gerdars in Varna; I suspected that more than five could have supplied eligible females. Perhaps they didn't like the odds, with five girls from Tir families in the running.

Meghra Aspar was the daughter of a friend of Nathal's.

Benaz Corig came from the northwest. Her father was a powerful friend of the Esins.

Leili Kilfa's family lived close to Elmina. Her uncle was connected to Tir Storum.

Kamisa Ostro was from the west. I knew little about her family.

Saska Tanle. There was a name I knew.

- "Oh?" said Glasha. "Your eyebrows went up, there."

- "I first met your father at Gerdar Tanle's house." I said. Tanle was an impressive woman, who had succeeded her father because he had no sons. One of her cousins had tried to kill her, taking a chunk of her left cheek as well as the eye above it. She'd won the power struggle against her male relatives. She'd borne a half-elven child. I'd liked Gerdar Tanle, even though I knew nothing of her daughter.

There were three more women on the list, all from prominent (wealthy) families in Portoa. It reminded me of Aludar's wife, and his poor motherless daughter. I also had vivid memories of the soirees and levees in Portoa. Given the choice, I would prefer not to marry one of those debutantes.

- "Well," said Glasha, "at least we know what we're up against."

I had to smile. "I like that you say 'we'."

Glasha came closer, and enfolded me in her arms. She leaned her head against my chest. "There will never be anyone else for me." she said. "Only you."

***

In one sense, it was a good thing that I knew the identities of the young women before they arrived. On the other hand, having that information so early meant that they were in my thoughts weeks before the festival.

- "Worst case scenario: I select a girl that I care nothing for, and then studiously ignore her. She'll lead a fairly meaningless life. Therefore, I have to avoid the proud, strong-willed ones. We don't want someone that will resent you and hate me for the rest of our lives."

- "What are you talking about?" asked Glasha. "Worst case scenario?"

- "I don't want to end up married to someone like my mother." I said. "I would defy my father before I agreed to something like that."

- "You will not marry someone like that. The worst case scenario, for me, would be that you marry a lovely, pleasant girl that you will eventually come to love."

- "That's not going to happen."

- "Tauma... it's also the best case scenario."

- "What?"

I was sitting on the edge of our bed. Glasha was standing. But now she knelt before me, and put her hands on my knees, so that our faces were only inches apart.

- "My worst fear is that you'll find someone you love more than me." she said, softly.

- "That's not -" I began, but Glasha stilled me by placing her finger against my lips.

- "My next-worst fear is that you choose someone that you don't care about, and that you end up unhappy because of her. It would also hurt me if you ignored the poor girl, and condemned her to a loveless life. That would be cruel."

She was so heartbreakingly lovely, at that moment. Glasha saw the look of love in my eyes, and she smiled at me.

"Let's begin by finding the one you like best. If we're lucky, I'll like her too - and she may even like me... wouldn't that be ideal?"

I wasn't so optimistic, but Glasha wore me down, and finally forced me to agree to at least try.

"Twelve different women." she reminded me. "They can't all be what you fear most. Let's find the one who suits us best."

***

There are really two harvest festivals in Elmina. It's much the same all over Varna. Who knows? It might be true of all of Leinyere, too.

When the people have gathered the harvest, and it looks sufficient to see them through the winter, the sense of relief is palpable. They will celebrate their good fortune, first by thanking the Gods and Goddesses, and then by holding large communal feasts and parties.

These are nothing like the slightly mad, quite licentious celebrations of the spring. For one thing, there is still much to be done after the harvest. The threshing, and then the milling of grain still take considerable labour. It's also considered unlucky to over-indulge in spirits or in pleasures of the flesh - especially with a long, uncertain winter ahead. It would be awful to lose a family member to starvation or illness, just before the springtime, all because you ate too much at the harvest festival.

The nobles, though, have less critical work to do. If the harvest is sufficient, they know that rents and taxes will be paid. They can afford to relax, and enjoy themselves. Their parties are more extravagant, much more wasteful... and more licentious.

Father struck a more restrained note. He had his audience chamber decorated, then filled with trestle tables laden with food and drink which would go largely untouched, because he insisted that my brothers and I had to have clear heads as we chose our brides. I suspected that the young women would not be eating heartily either, or drinking much at all.

This was not so much a harvest festival as it was an auction of livestock. Five young bulls, or stallions, and thirteen brood-mares.

As instructed, we entered the room, and then formed a line, with the eldest on the left, and the youngest on the right. Aludar was 30 years old, and Merik 26. Nathal was 24. I was 21, and Toran only 17.

I saw three small groups of well dressed young women. Some were attractive. Some were truly eye-catching. Of course Father had put the Tirs' young ladies in the centre, the Gerdars' daughters on one side, and the Portoan girls on the other.

It was quite the spectacle.

My father did not make a speech - for which we were all grateful. But he had enlisted my brother Nathal's pet poet, Gedere, to formally introduce us. We were expected to step forward, when our names were called, like prize hogs.

Aludar carried it off with some dignity; but then, he had nothing at stake here. Merik grinned, and strode forward, planting his feet wide apart. So subtle; he might just as well have grabbed his crotch and leered at the girls.

Nathal smiled ingratiatingly, and bowed to the ladies. I was too embarrassed to do more than step forward, and nod, before retreating to my place. Poor Toran was mortified; he blushed all over. With his freckles and pale complexion, he ended up looking like a half-ripe strawberry.

I recognized a few of the young ladies. It was difficult, though, to determine who was who, other than my cousin Bathene, or Tir Storum's sister, Shurkka. There were a few who stood out, for their beauty, or for other physical characteristics, but I didn't want to stare at this point.

Gedere then called the names of the women. They'd obviously been told to do just as we had: step forward, bow (or curtsey), and then return to your place.

Some were proud, some a little stiff, and some plainly embarrassed.

It was worse on our side, because my oafish brother Merik insisted on saying something under his breath as each young lady stepped forward. As I should have expected, his comments were crude, and insulting.

- "I'd do her." he said, in a near-whisper. "Ooh, yeah. I'd do her twice." That was what he said when Bathene Esin was presented - the lady who was promised to his brother, Aludar. After what had happened with Aludar's mistress, Lavara, it was the height of poor taste and execrable manners on Merik's part. I was tempted to go over and kick him in the balls again.

My first fleeting impressions were... useless. First impressions often are. I saw hair, and lovely faces, fashionable gowns... and little more. I certainly didn't learn anything of value about the girls. One of the Portoans was truly lovely - that was about all I could glean from this hurried presentation.

When the last of the thirteen had been introduced, Gedere invited us to come together - to meet. Aludar knew precisely where he was going. Merik and Nathal advanced with confidence.

- "Follow me." I said, to my brother Toran. I went straight across the audience chamber, to our cousin Bathene Esin.

- "Congratulations, cousin." I said. "I've already told Aludar how fortunate he is. I hope that you'll be very happy together."

Bathene grinned. "Thank you, cousin. I have fond memories of our last meetings, in Whydah. I hope that we can be good friends. And I am delighted to meet you, Toran." She reached out and took my youngest brother by the hands.

Aludar was delighted, Toran was welcomed, and I'd done my duty. Now it was time to meet the other ladies - or, at least, to get a closer look at them.

We were in the centre of the group, among the daughters or sisters of the Tirs. It would have been rude to walk away, so I said hello to the nearest young woman, and introduced my brother Toran (who seemed have become bereft of speech). Of course she already knew exactly who he was, but what else was I to say?

She was quite lovely, with red hair, dark brown eyes, and the pointed ears of a half-elf. She also seemed very nice, with a genuine smile. Unfortunately, she was Talanassa Albo.

- "I don't believe that your father would approve of me." I said.

- "He bears you no ill will, Lord. In fact, my father has told me that he was in the wrong, when you first met." she said. Talanassa knew, then, about Tanarive, and was clever enough to let me know it while simultaneously offering an indirect apology.

- "That's very generous of him." I said. It was too bad; I quite liked her, at first sight. But she was Tir Albo's daughter. Peace offering or not, I couldn't imagine him for a father-in-law. I was not so generous.

Standing nearby was the plainest of the Tir girls, Arez Beksha. Our exchange of pleasantries was very awkward, because it was completely one-sided. I asked questions - admittedly, they weren't spectacular questions - How was your journey? First time in Elmina? That's a very nice dress... her responses were not only brief, but also perfectly chosen to cut off the possibility of further conversation on that subject. Fine, Yes, Thank you.

Toran was no help. The Beksha girl was making absolutely no effort. She didn't seem to be looking over my shoulder at Merik or Nathal, either. Did she not want to be here at all?

- "Well," I said, "I hope we'll have a chance to talk again."

I would have preferred to ignore the next nearest girl. She had long, silky white-blonde hair which had been brushed until it positively shone. Her enormous blue eyes were so bright that they were almost luminous. She had a tiny, perfect nose, and a beautiful mouth.

Shurkka Storum, youngest sister of Tir Storum, was just a little older than Toran. We knew her, for she was often about the Palace. She was mean-spirited and casually cruel whenever she could get away with it, which meant that she smiled sweetly at my father, and then bullied the servants. She'd reduced poor Seyamka to tears more than once.

- "Hello, Shurkka." I said. That was enough for me. Now I could assure my father, if he asked, that I had spoken to her. I wouldn't have married Shurkka Storum if hers was the only name on the list, and my life depended on it.

Unfortunately, Toran chose that moment to lose his shyness, probably because he knew her. I abandoned him there, and moved over to the last of the Tir women. This had the potential to be difficult, too, so it was best to get it over with quickly.

Adjan Moksha was tall and fine-featured, with auburn hair and green eyes. Her lips were tightly compressed, though, as she glared at my brother Merik, who was talking to one of the daughters of the Gerdars.

Her father was the most powerful Tir in the east, but Merik had still escaped punishment for impregnating his niece and ruining her marriage prospects.

- "I'm sorry." I said.

Adjan started; she'd been so focused on Merik that she hadn't seen me approach her.

- "You're..."

- "For what my brother did."

For just a brief moment, the facade cracked; I thought that she was about to answer me honestly. But she recovered her self-control, and her face resumed its customary proud, haughty look.

- "That's in the past, Lord." she said. "The matter is closed."

Toran caught up to us, so I introduced him and then stepped back.

Merik and Nathal were on the same side of the room. I looked the other way, where the three young women from Portoa were standing by themselves. Well, I'd survived a dozen levees in Portoa - surely I could endure one more. I walked over to them.

These three were too young to have been trotted out for inspection when I was in Portoa, but I knew their type.

Larka was the prettiest - she was easily the most attractive woman in the audience chamber (and I include Shurkka Storum, if you didn't know who and what she was). I'd met Larka's older sister at one of the levees in Portoa. I'd also met her older brother, who was a complete ass.

Larka was beautiful, and seemed quite sweet. Unfortunately, she had a tendency to gush, in breathless rushes. She was trying just a little bit too hard.

The second girl was Anava. Her father must have bestowed a sizeable dowry on her; she was rather plain to look at, and her conversation didn't sparkle, either. She tended to repeat what Larka said, using slightly different words. Who knows - she might have been very nice, but I wasn't going to find that out within the first few moments of meeting her.

The third young lady was Seirye. She was completely different from the other two, and for that matter, from any girl I'd met in Portoa. The first thing I noticed was that she didn't have a permanent smile fixed on her face. She also didn't lean forward, looking for the first opportunity to get a word in.