Mother's Intuition

Writers: Heather
Date Posted: 9th December 2020
Series: This is How a Heart Breaks

Characters: Gyllie, H'riv, Aydrisia, Thavior
Description: H'riv takes Gyllie to meet his parents - things do not go as planned.
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr, Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 7, day 28 of Turn 10
Notes: Mentioned: Thayde, Enamra

"Why won't you tell me where we are going?" Gyllie asked as she pulled on the riding coat that H'riv offered to her.

"Because it's a surprise," the brownrider said, his face giving away nothing as he leaped onto Uuketh's neckridge and then reached down to help the redhead up.

"So mysterious today," she said with a chuckle as she settled in front of him, wiggling warmly against his back as he strapped her in and then put his arms around her waist.

"I know how much you love a good mystery." H'riv said, after all, she had left enough of the little harper mystery tales in his weyr over the past few sevendays.

Gyllie just smiled as the brown leaped from his ledge and caught an upward current. It wasn't her first time riding a dragon, she had found out early on in her stay at the Weyr that men loved to take women for a ride on their dragons.

"Going /between/" he murmured in her ear just a moment before Uuketh pulled them into the cold void.

Her hands tightened on H'riv's arms at the eerie, empty feeling, but before she had a moment to really panic, they were suddenly in blinding sunlight over the ocean. The smell of salt air assaulted her senses and down below she could hear bells and other telltale sounds that belonged to a docking area.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"The North," he answered in her ear.

"But why?"

"I want you to meet some people today."

Gyllie's heart plummeted. He had brought her to meet his family.

H'riv could feel her stiffen in his arms, although he wasn't exactly sure why and became distracted as Uuketh landed. He slid off Uuketh's neckridge and reached up to help Gyllie down but she didn't move.

"You promised, H'riv."

The brownrider's brow furrowed. "Promised what?"

"That you wouldn't fall in love with me."

H'riv gave her a look. "Really?

Gyllie's eyes remained serious.

"I'm not taking you to meet my family like some holder welp proposing courtship. I'm just trying to take you out for a fun day. I promise." H'riv offered his hand to her again. "Trust me?"

Slowly her hand reached down and took his, making H'riv smile as he swept her off Uuketh's neckridge and deposited her safely to the ground.

--

"Mom, this is Gyllie, Gyllie this is my mother Aydrisia. And Gyllie, this is my dad, Thavior." H'riv said as he made the introductions.

"It's my pleasure to meet you," Gyllie said demurely in a reserved tone that he had never heard her use before. Where was the fiery feline that graced his bed most evenings?

Aydrisia's lips quirked upwards. "The pleasure is ours, Gyllie. H'riv doesn't bring people home often."

H'riv's eyes grew huge over Gyllie's head as he looked at his mother, silently saying, 'MOM?!'

"Will this be your first time out on a boat?" Thavior asked, saving the moment on behalf of his son.

"Yes, I'm afraid so." Gyllie replied, although H'riv could see that her shoulders were set in a straight line.

Had it been a mistake to bring her here? She was just always so fun loving and up for anything that H'riv had thought she would love this.

"You'll be fine," Thavior assured her as they stepped onto the small watercraft which was manned by a single sail and rudder. As a seacrafter, Thavior could sail with his eyes closed, and having a wife who was a Master Dolphineer didn't hurt matters either.

After they had taken their seats in the boat, Thavior worked them out into open waters where the breeze carried them along swiftly down the coastline.

Gyllie had to admit to herself that it was beautiful. She studied H'riv's mother, Aydrisia, whose sharp hazel eyes seemed to see right through her. The woman was intimidating, the sort that Gyllie had always avoided when she'd lived in the Amber Hills area. She gave Gyllie the eerie feeling that she knew exactly what sort of woman she was....

"Here we go," Aydrisia said to them over the sound of the wind snapping in the sail. The Master Dolphineer put two fingers to her mouth and let out a shrill whistle that was piercing, and then she put a hand in the water beside of the boat.

Gyllie studied the water, wondering what was supposed to be happening. In a matter of minutes a grey melon head popped out of the water, startling Gyllie, who squealed and leaped back against H'riv. A dolphin!

Thavior lowered the main sail and dropped an anchor, leaving the boat still and calm upon the water.

"Meeka, say hello to Gyllie." Aydrisia prompted her dolphin partner.

"Heeyyyyy Gyllllllliieeeeee." Meeka trilled as she used her powerfully muscled body to lift herself more out of the water to inspect the new comer.

"She's looking for a treat," Aydrisia explained, pressing a small fish into Gyllie's hand.

"Oh," Gyllie looked down at the salted fish in her palm and then tentatively held it out over the side of the boat toward the dolphin.

Meeka snatched the treat out of Gyllie's fingers with nimble skill.

Gyllie laughed, amazed that the animal hadn't even grazed her fingers. "That's amazing."

"That's nothing. Watch this." Aydrisia gave Meeka a set of hand signals.

The dolphin sank back into the water and then set about putting on an acrobatic show which consisted of some flips and jumps out of the water.

Gyllie clapped in appreciation laughing in amazement at the agility of the dolphin. She had read about dolphins before, but living in a landlocked area, she had never seen them in person. "She's amazing."

Aydrisia gave Gyllie an appraising look. "She is, thank you."

--

They had lunch out on the boat, and Gyllie was more than thankful when they were on dry ground once more, since the pitching motion of the boat had not agreed with her stomach once she ate.

"Thanks Dad, for taking us out." H'riv said to his father as the foursome walked toward Uuketh.

"Anytime, son," Thavior said, putting a hand on the brownrider's shoulder. "It was good to have you out today. Both of you."

"Thank you. It was a pleasure to meet you both," Gyllie felt obligated to say.

"H'riv, can I see you for a moment?" Aydrisia requested, keeping back a few paces.

H'riv left Gyllie, walking with his father, to fall into step with his mother. "What's on your mind, mom?" he asked, hooking an arm around her shoulders.

"What do you know about this woman, H'riv?"

"Mom," he groaned.

"I mean it. There's something not right, H'riv."

"How do you know?"

"Call it mother's intuition. I know, son. You're going to get hurt." Aydrisia said firmly.

H'riv sighed and gave her a squeeze. "I won't, Mom. It's just casual. I thought she would like to go out on a boat, and Dad's a seacrafter, that's all."

Aydrisia shook her head, but kept her lips pursed together. Sometimes children had to learn the hard way, she thought.

"Well, thank you again, both of you," Gyllie said as they all stood by Uuketh's side. "And a belated congratulations on the granddaughter."

Thavior and Aydrisia both looked up. "Granddaughter?"

Gyllie's eyes grew large. "Oh, was I not supposed to say anything?" She looked up at H'riv, but inwardly she felt smug at the look of shock on Aydrisia's face. **That'll show her to judge me.**

H'riv winced, remembering that he had told Gyllie about Thayde's illegitimate daughter, but he hadn't warned her that none of the rest of his family knew about it.

"H'riv?" Aydrisia demanded.

**Shaffit.** He raked his fingers through his hair, knowing there was no hiding it now.

"You know of course about Thayde and Jalodwyn..." The infidelity was family knowledge. "She had a daughter."

"It's Thayde's." Thavior said.

"Yes."

Aydrisia's mouth fell open. "We have a granddaughter and he didn't tell us?"

H'riv held up his hands, automatically trying to diffuse the situation because he knew if he didn't Thayde and Enamra would have a visitor that evening.

"Mom, he really couldn't. At first he didn't know if the baby was his but... Well, he believes Jalodwyn now, that the baby is his."

Aydrisia crossed her arms over her chest. "What's my granddaughter's name?"

"Jalotha." H'riv said. "Look mom, you can't go marching down there. Imagine how hard this is on Enamra, already. The last thing she needs is for you to go down there pushing about the matter. Just wait and when they're ready to tell you, they will."

She didn't like that at all, she wanted answers, but the look in H'riv's eyes, and the thought of causing her sweet daughter-in-law distress, made her nod. "Fine, I won't say anything."

H'riv put a hand to the small of Gyllie's back. "We have to be getting back to Barrier Lake." He pressed a kiss to his mother's cheek, although she was still standing stiffly, clearly unhappy.

Gyllie gave Aydrisia a parting smirk over H'riv's shoulder as he lifted her to Uuketh's neckridge. Aydrisia's eyes blazed.

"Alright, let's get back." H'riv said as he strapped Gyllie into place and then directed Uuketh back to Barrier Lake.

Last updated on the December 14th 2020

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Mother's Intuition