He's Always Coming Home

Writers: Jane
Date Posted: 19th March 2007

Characters: Rahona
Description: Rahona tells her children that their father will be home the next day.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 3, day 5 of Turn 4

"Ssshhh ..."

The two squabbling children fell silent and watched their mother as she rubbed her forehead. They didn't believe, but were used to that special herald of announcements.

Rahona sighed. And frowned. Then sighed some more and slowly opened her eyes. "I think ... if I'm getting the message right ... that your father is coming home soon."

Eight turn old Nalin rolled his eyes. "He's always coming home sometime, Rahona. And since he's been away for four months already he's _bound_ to be nearly here."

Rahona smiled. Originally she had worried that the children would be anxious about a father who appeared unexpectedly and then disappeared for long periods of time but she and Lineal must have done something right since both children had no doubt that their father was always coming back to them. In many ways they were more certain than she was when occasionally she worried about her sea-going weyrmate. She was familiar with dragons and dragonriding and understood the risks of that life, but seacrafting! In the middle of the night when she was missing Lineal everything about seacrafting sounded dangerous to her.

Lihona nudged her brother. "She'll tell us _when_ if you stop interrupting."

Her daughter's comment reminded Rahona to get back into her role. "Let me see if I can guess when he'll arrive," she said, shutting her eyes and rubbing her forehead. "I see a storm building and your father racing along ahead of it."

"Let me try," Nalin said bouncing on the armchair. He shut his eyes and rubbed his forehead like his mother was. "Tomorrow. He's going to be here tomorrow!" One eye opened, peering at his mother. "Am I right?"

"Let me check." She shut her eyes briefly. "Yes you are!" she exclaimed. "Clever boy."

"He knew because he could read the note," Lihona said, ruining her brother's triumph with delight. "I'll be able to guess too, when I can read."

Rahona supposed now that they knew about the notes they were probably past the whole charade of 'guessing'. She would miss it – perhaps more than they would. Her two babies were growing up.

This time when their father came down the gangway he would notice the difference. It had been a longer than usual run along the coast, taking him further than his coastal trader usually went. She knew that for Lineal that was a wonderful adventure, something not to be missed, but it had kept him away from his children while both had been busy shooting up. Nalin especially was looking more and more like Lineal, his face losing some of its childish roundness to reveal the same sharply defined cheekbones that were such a notable feature of his father's looks.

Not content with betraying her brother's secret Lihona voiced another thought. "If he's coming home tomorrow then hadn't we better tidy up?"

Rahona laughed and got to her feet. It was a dig at her brother, because Lihona's half of the room they shared was ridiculously neat for a six Turn old. Clearly it was something that came naturally to her (and to her father), but Nalin would spend most of the evening struggling to make the shambles he liked to live in look presentable.

"That's true," she said, rubbing Nalin's short brown hair as she passed.
"And after we've done that we can go to the dining cavern and see if there's any supper for a couple of hard-working children."

The pair of them disappeared into their room and Rahona went into hers and looked around, shaking her head at the clutter that had built up over the last four months.

There was no doubt that Nalin took after her.

Last updated on the March 22nd 2007

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He's Always Coming Home