Becky's Gift

Visiting Royalty

 We went to hear some music. Rilley and Os demonstrated piano at the festival, which was still going. By now, Rilley learned a simple part to play on the high end, while Os did most of it. They sounded fantastic! Both of 'em shared romantic looks, and all of us couples giggled.

All of us, Fa and Mea, Fae and Meae, and the Council, all sat around enjoying it.

Micansen got to his feet. "Lieges, we must discuss the treaty with Par Vu!"

Fa smiled at him. "Lesonarah went to Par Vu lastweek. His treaty is signed, my friend. Sit and enjoy this music."

"But, Lieges, the treaty with Elshar Mashai! Elshar Mashai Zheien Colony needs—"

His healer tried to get him to sit down. He wept. "Habis ha! No one will ever trade with me again!" He slapped a tear off his face and stared at the wetness, eyes black!

An Elshar trader in cobalt blue robes came running. "Micansen, dear friend, I will trade with you!"

"So will I!"

A crowd in cobalt blue—all master traders with white clothes under the robes—gathered to help him sit down.

"You will not chastise me?"

That first one hugged him. "Oh, don't worry about it! The Mashai all left when Oparnen tried to take us! We are all happy here, and when you feel like leading us, we—"

"What do you need? I'll do it now!"

"My friend, just sit here. I go to all of our people once a week and hear all their concerns. Tular had a dispute, and the trader simply gave his item back! Then that trader got his friend to offer more trade for it, then traded for it with that friend. We haven't had to call Terisch. All the traders are making trade, and we're all happy."

Micansen looked a bit confused.

His healer put a leaf in his hand. "Take this and be happy. Your people are all right."

"What is it?"

"You're shaking a bit, is all. If you don't want it, I'll take it back."

"Why am I shaking? I was strong!" He cried.

The healer put the leaf in his mouth and hummed. He gave a sigh and stopped shaking. "Oh, that's better."

The man sat by him and put an arm around him. He kept dark eyes and got the memory-sharing look with the healer.

That lady sat by him. "Mic—" She wiped tears off his face.

His healer nodded, a bit emphatically. She smiled. "I think it is time we ended our courtship. Don't you agree, Mic?"

He looked stricken! "I—I--"

She held up a necklace that sparkled. "May I wear my fermahie's necklace? Is tradition in our family to choose the one from a favored ancestor, for good fortune, in marriage!"

"But, if they take her out of stasis—"

"Pirad cannot help me. We did not have stasis, when we first came to Lidara." She sighed and got teary. "But, I have you. I brought my house from Lidara. Perhaps one of our bahies will live in it." She smiled.

Micansen waved up a very flowery document, recited a long love poem, and my sister and her husband played, "Someday My Prince Will Come".

The happy couple seemed to enjoy it, then put their namesigns on the document, then their handprints. Ella whispered that usually, Zheien use namesigns. An Elshar explained that when Elshar had Elders, they adopted some Zheien customs. Because a lot of Zheien married Elshars and vice versa, they formed Elshar Zheiea as a pact between Elshar and Zheien. Lidara was the first prov of old Elshar to adopt namesigns on their marriage records.