Word from the south [Tags Ari!]

The evening was rainy, and wind blew out of the mountains, off the Northern Ridge, bringing a deeper chill with it. Autumn leaves were turning their glorious shades of colour, though few had yet faded into the rusted, dry foliage that would soon litter the ground all around them. The way that the wind was blowing tonight however, made it seem as though those bright Fall colours may not be able to cling onto their branches for much longer. The wind was strong. 

The only reason Rihan was out in it, was because he had a promise to keep. The Heir Apparent had promised the Captain of Telgar's First Squad Division that he would meet with his fiance, letting her know his condition. The time since their last meeting, Toshiro and Ariadne, had not been terribly long, but long enough to make loving hearts ache all the more greatly for one another. Not to mention, Toshiro's reasons for leaving his fiance behind in Telgar River Hold was due to the Chorong Rebels, so Ariadne had known it was likely he'd run into danger. She would certainly be worried for him. It must only add to her stress to have a baby on the way, and have no promise that Toshiro would return. Not just stress... perhaps even a deep sense of insecurity. 

Since Rihan had had the opportunity to meet with Toshiro a few couple of days prior, he had promised the Captain of the Guard that upon his return to their home of Southern Telgar Hold, that he would pay the man's fiance a visit in order to pass along a few words. Unfortunately, he wasn't sure if Ariadne would consider them any sort of consolation or not. And considering what he might add to those few words that Toshiro had to relay, Rihan wasn't really certain what to say. He felt like there may be nothing he could say or do that would help her situation, being separated from Toshiro like this, and nothing he could tell her at present would really help her feel better about Toshiro's situation at Southern Telgar either, seeing as that the Captain was being framed for murder.

There was simply no pleasing news that he could bring to her; at a time when she probably needed it most. That irked Rihan. But it was something that couldn't be helped for the time being.



Rihan had left the warmth of the Hold proper late in the evening, at a candlemark when most taverns would be ready to close their doors for the night, and many homes had already snuffed out their lights. But the young Holder didn't want to have a fuss made about him visiting Ariadne's home. He didn't want eyes and ears on him. He'd wanted to come alone because he didn't need others knowing the details of their visit just yet. 

Dressed in his normal day-clothes, a long woolen coat and a well-worn cloak over it - his identity should have been well-enough concealed beneath its deep hood. Approaching Ariadne's door, Rihan tapped the toe of his boots at the doorstep, trying to be courteous in removing as much mud from his feet as possible before he knocked and went in.  Well, hopefully the woman was home. He would rather be able to get this over with. He still had to finish hunting down the communication channels he and Toshiro would be using in the near future, to keep in contact with one another. There were only two days left before Toshiro would walk free from the prison cell he now remained trapped within. There was much to do between now and that time.


Knuckles rapping lightly on Ari's door, Rihan waited for her to come and greet him. She would likely not be suspecting his visit, and certainly not at this late hour.

Late in the evening, normal people like Ariadne were abed. While it might take her some time to fall asleep, she did need it and would eventually drift off. She was sound asleep when there was a rapping on the door. So much so that it took her a solid minute to realize there was noise in her home and not in her dream. Torso shooting up in bed as she slowly came to know the sound was someone knocking on her door. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she stood up in her long nightgown and slipped her feet into her slippers. Her lavender wool shawl was sitting next to the bed on an old chest so she quickly wrapped it around her shoulders.

Ariadne lit the glow in her bedroom and walked toward the door, setting it on the small table nearby, she cracked the door open just enough to see who it was, perfectly ready to slam the door on someone's face if it wasn't someone she knew and maybe even then. Waking her up at this candlemark when she had a child who was going to be up before dawn.

Immediately she wiped the irritated, you woke me from an awesome night's sleep look off of her face as she came to the conclusion that Lord Rihan was standing on her doorstep. Once the momentary shock wore off, she realized what he must be here about and she felt herself grow numb and concerned at the same time. Beckoning to come inside she said, "Come in out of the rain, my Lord." She paused, attempting to avoid seeming rude, "Please make yourself comfortable..." She said, shifting her shaw a little for warmth.

"Has something happened to Toshiro?" She asked suddenly, her blue eyes filled with the worry in her heart. What could be wrong? Clearly something was or the Lord Holder of Telgar river Hold would not be in her house, the one she shared with Toshiro. He had promised to tell her if he heard from him. Maybe that was all this was...

Of course, Ariadne had spoken all the right words, asked the right question, and it had indeed been why Rihan had come to pay her a visit, but that did not make the task easier for him.

While stepping through the door so that she could close it quickly behind him, keeping the cold on the night's air out, Rihan thanked her. He loosened his cloak about his shoulders a bit, seeing as he needn't shield himself from the rain any longer.

"I'm sorry to come unannounced, and at such a late candlemark; I wouldn't if it wasn't necessary." Meeting Ariadne's eyes, Rihan made sure that the door was secured behind him, before moving any further into Ari & Shiro's home. He had removed the cloak from his head, taking a handkerchief from his pocket so that he could blot his face dry.

Moving to sit down at the table with her, Rihan figured he'd just start at the beginning -the beginng of about two days prior. "I did get the chance to meet with him. Word hasn't traveled here yet, but I feel I should be the first to inform you that Toshiro was arrested for my brother's murder." Of course news spread quickly about Ermon's death, that was natural, but the Guard local to Southern Telgar Hold had yet to release many other details surrounding his death, so it was not known publicly the identity of who they thought responsible.

Those words being said though, perhaps the following was impossible, but he had to try to calm the immediate reaction she was likely to have to such news, "Try not to worry though; I have faith in him. I interrogated him myself, and trust that he was not the one responsible. I just... did not want for you to hear it from someone else, instead." Rihan didn't really think that she needed to know all the details though, that it was going to be quite difficult to pull together evidence to clear his name officially -but somehow, they would manage. If it came down to it however, Rihan didn't think that he would keep the details from her.

Wanting to take a moment to gauge her reaction, Rihan did not give more than a breath's time though, before going on. Simply because he needed for her to know that he would not leave Toshiro alone, where he was at. "I'm asking you not to worry, because Lord Matoi and I are personally overseeing the investigations ongoing; and Ariadne, I am going to make sure that he is freed." With that, the heir apparent had set his palm upon the table firmly between them, giving some signal of his steadfast determination to do so. Again though, he would leave it up to her to ask further questions. He didn't need to reveal things on his own. But if she wanted to know, he wasn't sure he had a right to keep details from her right now. He -Telgar- owed she and Toshiro that much, for all that they were going through right now. Rihan felt as though it were at least partially his fault.

She took a seat at the table with Lord Rihan. Normally she would offer him a drink but she was to concerned about what he might have to say to her that he needed to come and talk to her in private. Luckily there wasn't anyone awake to cause wagging tongues to go crazy. Half asleep, it took her a moment for his words to sink in. Arrested? For murdering the Lord Holder's son? He would never do that!

"How can they even think he would do such a thing?" Toshiro was so loyal to Rihan, there was no way in all of Pern he would have harmed his brother. How he got caught up in the wrong place at the wrong time made her think someone may have framed him or maybe he had been following Ermon and simply ended up in a situation?

She sighed, she knew how prejudice was. He had killed people before and that reputation was of no help to him now. However, he would not have killed anyone in Rihan's family. It seemed at the very least Rihan believed that. But she knew how strong prejudice could be. Having Holdless for parents had not been easy. People seemed to have an easier time assuming someone was vile than presuming they might actually be just as innocent and good as someone without a reputation.

Ari did her best not to cry though she was visibly upset. They wouldn't allow him to be put to death. There was no way. Lord Rihan would find the real murderer and then Toshiro would be freed. Nodding, "I am sorry for your loss my Lord. I hope that the investigation is quick for both our sakes."

Absentmindedly, her hand came to rest on her protruding belly. "No one knows if Ermon was meeting someone or if he had plans with a particular person? Did Toshiro see who might have done it?" She wondered out loud. Maybe he did, maybe he knew but they just needed to find evidence? She hoped that was the case.

Rihan had already expressed that he knew Toshiro was not responsible, so he let her take that as some form of consolation. There was little more he could give her, for now.

When Ari expressed her own condolences for Rihan's recent loss, knowing he and Eolyn had also lost a child, he let his eyes fall to where his hand rested idly upon the table, taking attention away from where her own hand went to rest on her belly. He thought that if he could do anything for his friend in a time like this, it would also be to protect this woman and their child. If he could not have an offspring in this season, then let that of Toshiro and Ariadne be born healthy. They were more deserving than he.

So that he didn't dwell on recent deaths, he spoke in answer to her wondering out loud. "No one's quite sure yet, of his reasons for being in that part of Southern Telgar. He'd simply been with our Uncle, training under the Steward at his Hold." He supposed that with all of the excitement there at Southern Telgar, it would be easy to become distracted by unimportant things... and get himself into a situation like he did. Rihan knew his brother well enough to know that whatever his purposes though, it was not in getting himself into any real trouble. Likely he'd just run upon the wrong person at the wrong time.

"Toshiro said that Ermon was murdered in front of him -by a woman who seemed to know my brother. But thus far, none of the women known to have ever been in his company seem to have been with him on that night. It's just..." A moment's pause and Rihan was continuing; obviously it was difficult for Rihan to accept things as they stood now, "whoever murdered him took off. She was cloaked, so he was unable to see what she looked like. Having been alerted to some commotion, the Guard arrived just as the woman ran from the room. Apparently all the Guard saw was him making his escape -but it seems as though, in truth, Toshiro was trying to pursue the murderer with the Guard in tow; I guess assuming that they'd catch on to what was going on when they caught up to her. He probably didn't anticipate that they immediately suspected him. But.. he didn't have his uniform on, nor any other identifying accouterments.

"The guards caught up to Toshiro first, though. In their eyes, they have clear evidence that Toshiro murdered Ermon. And while they're at it, they've stacked all kinds of other charges against him." Telgar's heir was shaking his head then, frustrated with the whole case. There was more he could say, but he thought that sharing any more of his own thoughts this time around would only serve to make Ariadne more nervous.

"I can't promise you when he'll be able to come home, but I promise you that he will be free, soon." Rihan just didn't know how long the Guard would continue suspecting him, unable to find the real killer. He didn't elaborate to Ariadne that until that time, Toshiro would be in hiding, hoping that the Guard didn't catch up to him again. She was probably considering that Rihan would find the information and then with innocence proven, be able to free her fiance. But things weren't going to quite work in that order this time around.


Rihan still deliberated whether or not he should say more on that matter of Toshiro's freedom, but he continued being too undecided to say anything else.

She wanted Toshiro's name cleared as much as Rihan did. Her eyebrow quirked. A woman? Strange. Not that she didn't believe women could kill but they seemed less likely to commit violent crimes. Maybe due to the fact they did not get the training to use weapons as men did in most cases. "A woman versus your brother?" She said in a kind of confusion. How could a woman kill his brother, wasn't his brother trained to use weapons? It seemed so odd.

"Its going to be difficult to convince anyone there that a woman was capable." She sighed, realizing now just how bleak the situation was. The more she thought about it the more it just made her angry. Somehow she didn't think the Guard had been looking for a woman right away, they assumed he was the culprit because of his abilities and the fact that he was a man.

She wanted him to be free sooner than later. Even if Rihan was doing everything he could to be sure that Toshiro got out of this, she didn't want his child growing up without him. Ariadne put her mind to the task of thinking about what Rihan had said. The thing that stuck out to her was it was a woman and a woman that no one had seen Ermon with, or at least no one was claiming to be that woman.

Now, what sort of woman would no one in his social circle know but he might know well. She bit her lip, it was wrong to assume such things just because Ermon had been wealthy. It was worth a shot to ask though, "Have you thought maybe it was, a, " She paused trying not to sound too crude, "Pillowcrafter. Ermon was young and he was wealthy. It would be perfectly normal for him to indulge in something of that nature. No one else would know about the woman then and she would be considered lesser to anyone who had taken the time to notice and would likely not have been remembered."

Ari wasn't sure how helpful that was really. Truth be told it could be anyone but she had lived a far different life than a Lord Holder would and knew that there were certain kinds of people that were not spoken of in polite society. High class pillowcrafters were actually hard to identify, they looked like ladies or wealthy holders, merchants or even very wealthy traders. They were good at fitting in with their surroundings.

"I'm not sure how much help that will be." Ariadne said with a long inward breath. "Although since your brother was staying with your uncle maybe one of the drudges was more aware of his habits?" Since it seemed the uncle didn't know much of anything and drudges often had to be aware of their employer's routines in order to better serve them.

Rihan had a good amount of knowledge when it came to even the shadier side of life in the North, but Jungi had long been one of his own personal sources for that information, and Jungi was not always conveniently at hand -nor was Jungi a trader of the South. Thus, the man's information had little to do with what went on there, so it would be hard to rely on him to get information about Ermon's private affairs. 

There had to be other ways, though. Rihan thought he should ask his father. Certainly Matoi had his own much broader network of sources. In fact, he was sure of it. And surely Ariadne was right, that the drudges might have something more to add to the general knowledge of Ermon's habits. 


Though he said no more on the matter of Ermon, Rihan withdrew his hand from the table in order to bring it to his lap, where both palms then rested upon his thighs. Expressing his deepest regrets, if not just for her own sake, and that of she and the Captain's baby, Rihan addressed her own condition, "I am deeply sorry to have to deliver this kind of news to you -especially at a time like this," indicating her pregnancy. "Please tell me if there is something that I can do for you. It is only fair considering that my father and I are the ones who put you and Toshiro in this situation. We were the ones who asked him to fulfill his duty to the Hold by pursuing the Chorong once more." 

Rihan didn't want it to be taken as his way of justification, but.. it was a reason, no less. "Toshiro has more first-hand experience than anyone else I know of, when it comes to the rebels. I consider him my greatest asset in this battle. But now, I cannot foresee what might happen. All I know is I would have him freed whether I am able to clear his name of criminal charges or not -which is why I came to you in secrecy." Thus, Rihan wasn't sure how long Toshiro might be in hiding or how well he may be able to manage hunting down Chorong without freedom of movement. He didn't divulge that yet to Ari however; only hinted at the fact that he would get Toshiro out, even if he had to do so by irreputable means.