Tea and Scheming

Writers: Estelle
Date Posted: 27th January 2020

Characters: Ashela
Description: Ashela puts a plan into action
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 1, day 5 of Turn 10
Notes: Mentioned: Teseada

Ashela

Ashela emerged from the dining hall into the bright morning of the
Weyrhold, taking a deep breath of the fresh air. Another promising day.
She'd just had breakfast with a rather nice bronzerider - a little young
to be a likely candidate for Weyrleader, but it made sense to keep the
others on their toes. Duties were likely to consume most of her day, but
she hoped to find a good slice of time in the afternoon to tend to
Aglayath and keep the gold looking her best.

She had a few errands to do before it was time for her meeting with
the Headwoman and the other goldriders, one of which was particularly
important; she was nearly out of the herbal tea that she, like many
female riders, took to prevent conception. The last thing she needed
right now was a pregnancy, as short-lived as it would undoubtedly be.
And with the way she'd been spending most of her evenings since arriving
at Barrier Lake...she smiled with lazy satisfaction. Better to be safe
than sorry.

She composed herself and assumed a more dignified expression before
entering the infirmary, even waiting politely while the healer
journeyman on duty spoke with a greenrider who'd been there before her.
Once the rider had departed, she approached and made her request with
enough modest charm to make the young man blush and hurry off to fetch
the herbs.

While she waited, she thought with distaste of pregnancy: the sickness,
the bloating belly, the waddling gait, the stories she'd heard of blood
and pain. Memories, long suppressed, of her mother, struggling through
the day's work, weary with carrying yet another child... And then, the
demands of the babe, the screaming and the dirt. Who would want that?
Sometimes she really could not understand her fellow women. Teseada, for
example. That girl had little enough to work with, why would she ruin
what figure she had by bearing children?

Then her eyes widened as a most ingenious scheme occurred to her.

True, it was perhaps too late to delay the gold flight itself, but even
the smallest advantage over her competition could make the difference...

"Journeyman?" she called, sweet-voiced, as the healer returned carrying
a jar of herbs in one hand and a little packet of wrapped cloth in the
other.

"Yes, my lady?"

"I just had a thought. I could pick up the herbs for Goldrider Teseada
as well, while I'm here. She's so busy, what with her duties and caring
for her darling son, and I know she's running low. I'll see her in a few
minutes for our meeting and I could give them to her then."

"Ah, well, we usually only give them to the patients in person." The
young man's blush deepened. "Or if you had a note from the goldrider,
authorising you to collect them. It's not that we don't trust you," he
went on hastily, seeing her frown, "but we need to make sure that anyone
taking medicine understands the dose..."

Ashela's silvery laugh filled the room. "Oh, Journeyman. Neither I nor
Lady Teseada are young maidens, new from the Hold! We both know how to
use these herbs." She watched as he stammered, mortified. "I only
thought it would be helpful, and save the goldrider's valuable time. But
of course, if it's the rule, then I'll tell her she has to come and
collect them herself."

"Well..." He hesitated, then set down the jar and began to scoop out a
second dose of herbs. "Just this once. But next time, you'd best bring a
note. My Master's very strict."

"I'll keep that in mind." A warm smile lit her face, drawing a helpless
sigh from the young man. "Thank you very much. You've been _so_ helpful."

Back in her weyr, she carefully tipped out a large share of the herbs
from Teseada's packet into her own - there was no sense in wasting them
- then took down a jar of regular tea from a shelf and topped it up,
carefully mixing the leaves so they could hardly be distinguished from
what was there before. There. It looked and smelled much the same, but
would be much less effective at preventing pregnancy.

It might not work, but if it did... Ashela couldn't suppress a giggle at
the thought of her rival rushing out of meetings to throw up or use the
necessary, of her body beginning to swell. Few bronzeriders would be
attracted to that.

Taking a last precaution, she left her weyr and found a drudge,
instructing her to carry out several tasks, one of which was to take the
herbs to Teseada's weyr with the compliments of the Infirmary. Best that
her name didn't come into this.

Then, she took a moment to brush her hair and check her appearance,
schooled her expression to one of perfect innocence, and headed off for
her first duties of the day.

Last updated on the February 1st 2020

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Tea and Scheming