Day One
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Heather
Date Posted: 11th December 2020
Series: The Hallmaster's Ladies
Characters: Thayde
Description: Thayde tries to survive his first day without Enamra.
Location: Dolphin Hall
Date: month 8, day 17 of Turn 10
Notes: Mentioned: Enamra, Jalodwyn, Jalotha
**Day one,** Thayde thought as he marked his calendar. He'd seen Enamra off that morning and already the entire Hall felt empty for him. Even though it was usual for him not to see her much during the day as he worked, just the thought of knowing that she _wasn't_ at the Dolphin Hall felt lonely.
When she'd said she was ready to go to the Weyr and be a Candidate, he hadn't realized that she was going to leave the very next morning. What was the rush?
Despite their lovemaking and her assurances of love, a part of Thayde still felt as if she were running away from him, from Jalodwyn, from Jalotha. A mess that he had created. A problem that he couldn't solve or protect her from.
In short, her departure all centered around his inability to be a good husband.
**Maybe she will Impress a dragon, find her own independence and voice, and have a fulfilling life of her own design,** he thought. A part of him wanted that for her because he loved her and she deserved it. The other part of him, however, shriveled at the thought. If she did those things, Impressed a dragon, found her own life, where would that leave him?
If she Impressed she would have to live at the Weyr, permanently. His craft required him to be at the Dolphin Hall, he couldn't live at the Weyr. Unless he gave up dolphincrafting and re-crafted. He'd worked with the Healer Hall for seven Turns to partner dolphins with healers, so he knew much about basic healing already. He could just... start over and join the Healercraft instead.
**Start over... at nearly forty Turns of age.** A little hysterical laugh escaped him. Would he do it? He would have to - the alternative would be to live at the Dolphin Hall without Enamra.
Another option would be for him to remarry. His and Enamra's marriage would be null and void if she Impressed but... he shoved that thought away immediately. He would never remarry. If she Impressed he would either go and be with her, or he would live out his life as a bachelor at the Dolphin Hall.
Worse yet, he mused, what if she didn't Impress but decided that she liked living at the Weyr more than she liked living at the Hall? After all, the Weyr was much less judgmental about your family and background. No one would care that she was a former drudge, that she came from a poor, illiterate family. No one at the Weyr would know her husband had been unfaithful. No one would know there was an illegitimate child and a mistress in the picture.
"Hallmaster?" a knock came at his office door.
"Come in."
"Sir," a journeyman stuck his head in the door. "We need you down in the infirmary."
Thayde nodded, relieved to have something else to focus his attention on. "I'm coming."
The door shut behind the journeyman and Thayde changed out of his more formal shirt in favor of a work shirt that could get dirty if necessary.
Whatever happened now with Enamra was out of his hands. He could only hope that the marriage they had started would be strong enough to bring her home someday.
--
When he arrived home from work that evening, his quarters were dark and quiet. There was no meal on the table. There was no fire in the fireplace. There was no noise at all. Complete silence.
He'd lived alone for several Turns before marrying Enamra. **I should be able to do this,** he mused but it felt... different. As he flicked on the lights, his eyes traveled around the room. He could see her in every corner of their quarters. He could see the way she looked when she was standing by the stove, a hand on her hip, finishing dinner.
His eyes fell on their dining table where he'd made love to her before. In front of the fireplace the empty bathtub stood where he'd watched her bathe many an evening in front of the fire.
Thayde swallowed past a lump in his throat as he walked through the living area and pushed open the bedroom door. The scent of his wife flooded his senses, bringing with it the pang of loss. Her clothes and shoes were gone. She had left behind some of the things they thought too dressy for a Candidate.
Walking over to her wardrobe, Thayde fingered the fine silk of one of her dresses, remembering the way she had looked when she last wore it. His eyes then fell on their bed. There were several memories there.
Snatching his pillow from the bed, Thayde shut the door to the bedroom firmly and tossed the pillow on the couch. He toyed with the idea of sleeping in one of the single occupant rooms reserved for Journeymen and Masters. That would inevitably cause gossip, however, if the Hallmaster no longer slept in his family quarters, so he quickly abandoned the idea.
The couch would just have to do. As he sat down, he propped his feet up on the table in front of the couch and rested his head back against his pillow. He wondered what Enamra was doing at that moment...
Last updated on the January 13th 2021
[Prev: Missing You Already] Series: The Hallmaster's Ladies [Next: Brotherly Love]