The Letter
Mar. 3rd, 2019 11:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
feredarStory: The Letter
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Isshiri
Warnings: Character death (not Isshiri's), discussion of Kesshare's murderous tendencies
He must have started the letter a hundred times.
Dear Mother--no. Honored Mother,
This will come as a shock to you, no doubt, but I’ve gotten married.
No. No, that would never work. He had to ease into it better.
Honored mother,
I know I haven’t been home in longer than you like, and I do apologize for my absence, but I had a very good reason.
No, that would just make her resent Telri even more.
He tossed the letter aside. He’d figure it out later, somehow. He’d wait to tell her until he couldn’t hide it anymore.
When Telri became pregnant, he tried again.
Honored Mother,
Words cannot express how much I miss--
What the hell was he thinking, starting a letter this important with that much feeling?
I know I should have told you sooner, and I will accept whatever punishment you feel is appropriate--
No, starting with too much contrition was just as bad. He couldn’t afford to give away too much ground too soon.
He put the letter away again. He’d tell her when the baby came. It would be a fait accompli at that point, so maybe they would be safe.
Of course, when the baby came, he had other things to worry about, and completely forgot about telling his mother. It did hurt, somewhere deep inside him, more than he could say, that he couldn’t run to Nolani. More than anything, he wanted to see his sister, to introduce her to his wife, to introduce his daughter to her cousin. But he couldn’t exactly tell her before telling Mother, not without making things harder for everyone.
But his precious daughter distracted him from those worries, and Telri never brought it up, so he let it slip his mind. For now.
He almost wrote after Telri--when she died.
Honored Mother,
Please forgive me for my silence. I had my reasons, though I know they are no excuse. I have been married, and I am now widowed, and I have a small daughter. All of this was legal, if secret. I will bring Roneli to meet you as soon as you require, barring another unforeseen--
He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t reduce his marriage and his child to a few bald, coldly factual statements.
He burned the letter and held his child close, and prayed the words would come soon.
She found out another way, which made the letter he finally wrote actually easier.
Honored Mother,
I know you are angry. Your anger is more than justified. I will make no attempt to excuse my behavior. My marriage was legal, and I can find the priest who married us if you require further proof. My daughter is healthy, beautiful, and bright--and she is a lightning-mage. Therefore, I cannot bring her to meet you anytime soon, as she must stay in the North for training. But I will return to answer for my choices.
I remain your ever-respectful son,
Isshiri
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Isshiri
Warnings: Character death (not Isshiri's), discussion of Kesshare's murderous tendencies
He must have started the letter a hundred times.
Dear Mother--no. Honored Mother,
This will come as a shock to you, no doubt, but I’ve gotten married.
No. No, that would never work. He had to ease into it better.
Honored mother,
I know I haven’t been home in longer than you like, and I do apologize for my absence, but I had a very good reason.
No, that would just make her resent Telri even more.
He tossed the letter aside. He’d figure it out later, somehow. He’d wait to tell her until he couldn’t hide it anymore.
When Telri became pregnant, he tried again.
Honored Mother,
Words cannot express how much I miss--
What the hell was he thinking, starting a letter this important with that much feeling?
I know I should have told you sooner, and I will accept whatever punishment you feel is appropriate--
No, starting with too much contrition was just as bad. He couldn’t afford to give away too much ground too soon.
He put the letter away again. He’d tell her when the baby came. It would be a fait accompli at that point, so maybe they would be safe.
Of course, when the baby came, he had other things to worry about, and completely forgot about telling his mother. It did hurt, somewhere deep inside him, more than he could say, that he couldn’t run to Nolani. More than anything, he wanted to see his sister, to introduce her to his wife, to introduce his daughter to her cousin. But he couldn’t exactly tell her before telling Mother, not without making things harder for everyone.
But his precious daughter distracted him from those worries, and Telri never brought it up, so he let it slip his mind. For now.
He almost wrote after Telri--when she died.
Honored Mother,
Please forgive me for my silence. I had my reasons, though I know they are no excuse. I have been married, and I am now widowed, and I have a small daughter. All of this was legal, if secret. I will bring Roneli to meet you as soon as you require, barring another unforeseen--
He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t reduce his marriage and his child to a few bald, coldly factual statements.
He burned the letter and held his child close, and prayed the words would come soon.
She found out another way, which made the letter he finally wrote actually easier.
Honored Mother,
I know you are angry. Your anger is more than justified. I will make no attempt to excuse my behavior. My marriage was legal, and I can find the priest who married us if you require further proof. My daughter is healthy, beautiful, and bright--and she is a lightning-mage. Therefore, I cannot bring her to meet you anytime soon, as she must stay in the North for training. But I will return to answer for my choices.
I remain your ever-respectful son,
Isshiri