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A knock at their door just after dinner jolted Menolly out of her crafting. It was a new song, one she and Sebell hoped would lift spirits at this point in the Pass. "Come in!" she called, as Sebell was busy playing on the floor with little Robse.
The door opened to reveal apprentice Coolley, currently on rota in the drumheights. Menolly had taught him last turn when she had the beginner composing class - which, frankly, Domick was more than happy to turn over to her. "There's a Master here to see you about sending an apprentice," he said politely.
Sebell sighed and picked up Robse to hand him over to Menolly. "I'll see him in my office, Coolley."
"Oh, no, MasterHarper, sir," the lad quickly said. "He's here to see Master Menolly."
She exchanged glances with Sebell, but he was just as shocked as her. He covered quickly with good humor. "Well, if I'm not needed, I'll stay here. You go take care of the Hall," he chuckled.
Menolly rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smile. "I'll see them in- no, we've that shipment from Southern, you can't swing a drumstick in there - who is it, Coolley?" Her office had temporarily been commandeered for storage, as every other room in the Hall was full to bursting with either supplies or cots in preparation for the Turnover celebrations next week. She was hoping to debut her new tune then, if only she could iron out the melody of the chorus!
"Master Elgion."
"Oh that's alright then, just show him up here," Menolly decided. She was familiar enough with Elgion to know that he wouldn't object to meeting her in a less formal setting. Otherwise she'd have needed to borrow Sebell's office. "And pop into the kitchens on your way down and ask for some refreshments, please. It'll be late night, for him."
"Yes'm," Coolley agreed before ducking back out the door.
"Very late, Benden time," Sebell agreed once the door was closed. "This must be a matter of some urgency."
Menolly glanced at the chart on the wall. "Thread's not due there today or tomorrow, so it can't be that," she noted.
"Coolley said something about an apprentice," Sebell pointed out.
Quickly reviewing the memory, Menolly nodded. "He did, didn't he. I can't understand why that would be urgent, unless… no, we've no apprentices from Half-Circle. If he was coming to tell them of a family matter. Perhaps a cover story?"
Sebell hummed in agreement. Menolly gently slid a glass across her work on the sand table and then shifted her papers and gitar a bit to make room for the serving tray.
Before they could speculate further, there was another knock on the door. "He must've run the whole way," Sebell murmured, even as Menolly called for them to enter.
"Master Elgion," Coolley announced, opening the door. He did look slightly puffed, Menolly noticed. And Elgion looked worried.
She rose to greet him, "Master Elgion, well met!" she said, holding out her hand. "I hope you'll forgive the unusual meeting space, but with Turnover coming…"
"Oh yes, I well remember that time of year," he agreed easily. "No apologies needed."
Coolley had the door half closed when he opened it again, revealing a drudge with a tray of klah and sweetrolls. Menolly placed it in the space she had cleared as Elgion took the seat she indicated.
Once the others had gone, Menolly nodded at her husband. "Do you want Sebell to go, Elgion? It's no trouble if you do."
"I have to put Robse down soon anyway," Sebell agreed.
Elgion shook his head, still looking apprehensive. "No, no, I assume he knows- well, as your- that is…"
"I'm sure it will be fine, then," Menolly said, quickly pouring him a cup of klah and handing it over. "Now, what brings you here so late - for you?"
"Oh, we had the evening entertainment," Elgion explained, absently sipping the klah. I had considered coming to you earlier, but wasn't sure. Tonight cinched it. I intended to come tomorrow, but I couldn't sleep with it weighing on me. D'jall's a good lad - he was still awake - said it was no bother to bring me at this time."
"Well that explains the timing," Menolly agreed. "What was the problem; you mentioned a new apprentice?"
Elgion suddenly looked guilty. He glanced at Sebell, then at Robse, then back at Menolly. "I owe you an apology, Master Menolly," he finally said.
"Whatever for?" Menolly had met him a handful of times, and he had done nothing to offend her. If anything, she felt quite sorry for him, stuck at her home hold!
"I knew, from my own experiences, how hidebound Yanus was; what a traditionalist he was. Master Robinton warned me before I went there, and Alemi shared his own point of view on everything."
Menolly spared a brief thought that Alemi might be in trouble, but she had heard from him recently. And he was in no way an apprentice!
"Then, when the truth came out about you, about you being Petiron's apprentice, I thought I understood it all," Elgion continued. "I thought I understood why you left, but still, part of me wondered if perhaps you weren't… exaggerating a bit. Or, perhaps, being a little dramatic? I owe you an apology for those thoughts."
"Oh," Menolly was a bit taken aback. She was well aware that there were people who believed such things about her - those who had never met her parents, who had been supported by their own, and had no idea what kind of things she had gone through. People had certainly thought worse of her than that, in fact, and even said it to her face.
"There's no need to apologize for that," she said, putting a comforting hand on his arm. "I'm well aware that someone coming from the Hall, already a Master, and a male, would have a completely different experience of Yanus. It is hard to understand without having seen it first hand, and with his greatest embarrassment gone, his attitude was surely different."
"I thought, after you became a Masterharper, but still," Elgion murmured, and Menolly found herself unsurprised that her success had not changed her parents' minds one jot.
"About this apprentice?" Sebell suggested gently.
"Oh, uh," Elgion shook himself. "One of the girls has taken to music like a natural. She picked up her teaching ballads faster than any of her peers, and she's a fair hand with the drum already. I had thought to start her on the gitar soon…"
"You thought that, as you were guiding her, she would be protected from their displeasure," Menolly guessed. She had only been allowed to learn her instruments when Petrion insisted his joints were too sore to continue. That this happened long before his joints were actually unusable was carefully hidden from Yanus and Mavi.
Elgion nodded miserably. "I told her to ask her mother about staying after lessons for an hour each day; she'd need to be excused from whatever she normally did at that time. That was three days ago, and I guess she got up her courage, because yesterday Yanus came into my class as soon as it was over."
Taking a fortifying sip of his klah, Elgion continued. "He informed me that if she had time to learn extra instruments, then she must be done with her teachings and didn't need to keep coming to class. He said he needed her doing important things, not fingerings. She didn't come to class today, and her siblings refused to say anything about her. When I saw her at meals, she was subdued, forlorn. Then, tonight, I saw her mother grab her arm during the singing. She whispered something to her, and the girl sat there silently for the rest of the night; she wouldn't even raise her head."
Menolly sighed. She had once entertained a faint hope that, with a resident Harper, her parents' attitude towards musically-inclined youngsters would be less antagonistic, but that clearly wasn't the case. She knew well what kind of threat the girl had been given during the evening entertainment. "Well of course we'll take her here in the Hall," Menolly said. "Even if she doesn't make it as an apprentice she'll have more options than in Half-Circle."
"Is there a chance that her parents might be reasoned with, if we bypass Holder Yanus?" Sebell asked.
Elgion blushed faintly. "Her mother is Sella," he admitted.
"Oh!" was all Menolly could say, as her gaze was drawn towards her young son, happily playing with blocks at Sebell's feet. She knew that her sister Sella had been married, and intellectually it was reasonable to think that her sisters all had children by now, but she had never actually thought about it in practice. Sella had a daughter - Menolly had a niece who might make a good Harper!
"I see the music runs in the blood, no matter how much Yanus would like to deny it," Sebell said sardonically.
"Elgion, you must bring her here," Menolly decided suddenly; they had to rescue her niece before another knife slipped. "If it would endanger your placement at Half-Circle, we'll find a different way. Maybe she can "run away" and your watchrider - D'jall, you said? - could bring her. Or if you'd like a different posting, Sebell could find someone else, anyone would agree you've lasted there longer than most would have. We'll think of something, but we can't leave her there."
Thankfully, Elgion looked relieved at her vehemence. Sebell came over and placed his hands on her shoulders, squeezing comfortingly. "We'll hold those options in reserve," he assured her. "I think it is time I followed in the steps of our Weyrs and went on Search."
Menolly and Elgion both perked up at this idea. "You'd come to the Hold and request her?" the latter asked.
"I'm sure I could prevail on one of our friends," Sebell explained, "T'gellen, perhaps. He's dealt with Yanus before, I know. We can say it is in preparation for Turnover, with new apprentices starting with the new year. I'll check all of the Holds in that area, while I'm at it. Have them trot out all the children to perform a ballad and a drum piece. Then if her parents or Yanus refuse me we'll look for alternatives."
"That's a brilliant idea, Sebell," Menolly said eagerly. "If you arrive at the end of the meal, the children will all be in one place, and you'll be able to spot her. They'll have a time trying to get her out of the room, instead of them refusing to send for her or pretending she doesn't exist." Elgion nodded quickly, clearly understanding her reasoning.
"That's settled then," Sebell said. "Elgion, you should head back before they realize you've gone. I'll see you at breakfast, if I can wrangle it, and at lunch if I can't."
"Breakfast would be better," Menolly murmured, even as Elgion rose and shook their hands in relief.
"I'll escort Elgion out and see if I can drum up T'gellan-" Sebell glanced at Kimi, draped one one of the many ledges around their apartment for just such a purpose, and dead asleep. "Actually, I'll see if D'jall's dragon can reach Monarth," he decided. "If not, I'll drum him up, or get one of the other bronzeriders we know."
Menolly let his words reassure her, and she smiled hopefully as the two men left. Once the door was closed behind them, Menolly glanced at her work on the sandtable and then over at Robse. She'd use her nervous energy tomorrow to finish the score, she decided. Right now, she needed a different kind of distraction.
Rising from her table, Menolly scooped up Robse and held him close. Tomorrow, if all went well, Menolly would meet her niece! And if it didn't go well, well Menolly could call her own favors. She'd like to see Yanus stand up to herself and Mirim, let alone their fire-lizards and Path! Either way, come Fall, fog, or fire, Menolly would have a new apprentice tomorrow.