June 16, 2015

In Which Alya Does the Most She Can Do

June 24, 1192

"Shahira?" Alya knocked on her sister's bedroom door. She'd spent the past week at Roddie's, and hadn't expected to return to a concerned chambermaid rushing to greet her, claiming that Shahira had locked herself in her room with nothing but the sounds of muffled sobs. Her mother had gone to call on Aunt Raia and her father was off with the reeve investigating a robbery. Alina and the boys would of course be no help.

"Go away!"

Alya bit her lip. Shahira was a private person, but she was not hostile. A simple 'I need some space' was more her style. "Shahira, what's wrong?"

"I said go away!"

"Don't think I won't pick the lock." Their grandmother had taught them both, if Shahira remembered. "This isn't like you."

"You don't know the first thing about me!"

Alya sighed. She hadn't any pins in her own hair, but the maid had had the sense to swipe one from Alina. Alya would return it after it served its purpose. "Shahira, I'm coming in. I promise I'm here to help."

She opened the door to find her sister sprung from the bed, halfway across the room, perhaps in a rush to hold the door shut. Shahira didn't manage to look her in the eye before her face was in her hands.

"Please talk to me." Alya looped her arm around her sister's shoulders, brushing Shahira's long locks back with her other hand. "I can't help if I don't know what's wrong."

Shahira choked. A number of tears leaked through her fingers. "I... I'm late. Really late..."

"Your courses?"

She nodded.

"Oh, honey, it's normal to be late sometimes. I don't think there's any point worrying too much. I mean, you haven't--"

Shahira's eyes peaked up from above her fingertips--wide, bloodshot, guilty.

"Oh."

That... that made a considerable difference. It was the last thing Alya would have expected of wary, studious Shahira. Alina, perhaps, when she was older--Alina, flirty and fun-loving. But Shahira? Did she even have a sweetheart? "Who...?"

"Aldhein Tumekrin." Huh. Aldhein had always had a rather obvious crush on Shahira. But Alya hadn't any idea that Shahira might have reciprocated. "I went to campus for his birthday, and... well, I haven't had a course since."

"His birthday?" If Alya remembered the timing of that party, then that had been nearly two months. Late indeed. She just hoped... "He didn't force you, did he?"

Shahira shook her head. "I was... curious, I guess.

"What am I going to do, Alya?"

Alya wiped a tear from her sister's cheek. She couldn't answer that. The most she could do was try to be supportive. "Well... we could go to Aerina for a pouch, if you want." Though, if Shahira had wanted that, surely she would have gone already.

To confirm, Shahira stiffened. "I thought about that, but... you have to be so careful with those, and you know how I tend to gag..."

"That's true." Alya kissed her sister's brow. If only Shahira was a year older and at the university! Female students had access to herbs if they wanted them. Hell, Alya would have shared her own if she'd known that Shahira and Aldhein were an item. "Well... you're not going to like this, but I think we'll have to tell Mother and Father. They shouldn't be too angry; Mother was younger than you and showing when they got married."

"I know, but..." Shahira sniffed. At least the tears had subsided. The melancholy had not. "But... what about the university? I can't keep a baby in the dormitory."

"We'll figure it out. Mother and Father and Aunt Raia won't make you miss out on anything if you don't want to." At least, she thought they wouldn't.

She hoped they wouldn't.

NEXT CHAPTER:

7 comments:

Van said...

It's probably been a few years since we've seen Riona and Izzy. :S

Ren said...

Oh noes! Poor girl. Thankfully her parents strike me as extremely understanding so I'm sure a solution can be found that'll allow her to continue on to university as she wants to.

We haven't seen very much of Aldhein but I went back to read his lone appearance and I feel safe saying he'll do whatever the heck Shahira wants because he's a nice puppy boy. Plus there's no way Thetis didn't drum it in to all of her sons to be respectful and decent or she'd sic Florian's imagination on them. Something tells me Florian is very good at creative punishments.

Terrible as I am my first thought was: YES. GOOD. PASS ON YOUR PRETTINESS YOUNG LADY. 'You know you're a simmer when...'

Van said...

Shahira's parents are some of the better ones a twelfth-century sixteen-year-old could have in this situation, I'd imagine. Neither of them are prone to going overboard with discipline, and int this particular case, they've been there themselves, so it would be hypocritical of them to be too hard on her. She is due a few months before she's supposed to start university, so it shouldn't be impossible to come up with an arrangement.

Aldhein is quite the smitten kitten when it comes to Shahira. He may not be quite ready for the marriage and kids thing, but he's his mother's son and Thetis raised her kids to take responsibility for their actions. He'll go along with whatever Shahira decides, lest he wants to face the wrath of Florian.

(Florian, transparent closet social climber that he is, will be thrilled with this. He's going to have a grandchild that is not only the grandchild of a high-ranking knight, but the great-grandchild of a lord! And the great-great-grandchild of a duke!)

XD She is a very pretty Sim! I'm pretty optimistic about the kid's looks.

Ann said...

Ack, poor girl! That's not a pleasat situation to be in, especially when you're so young and uncertain of everything.

But I don't think it's quite the disaster she envisions, her parents being who they are... I don't doubt they'll support her. And Aldhein doesn't seem like the kind of guy to leave her hanging either, even if he thought of her as nothing more than a friend, which obviously isn't the case.
Sure, they are both young, but it's not like they're alone. Their families will be there for them.

And I agree with Ren. Simmers can be horrible.... XD

Van said...

Not pleasant and all. Definitely not for a teenager. :S

Her parents will be surprised, but I'm sure they'll do their best to find a way that works for everyone. And Aldhein, like most Tumekrins, does have a personal code of honor that he makes a point to stick to--and standing by Shahira would be well within that code.

XD MUST SPREAD ALL OF THE GENES!

S.B. said...

Wow, poor kid. It can be scary enough even now depending on where you are and what it will cost you, and I don't mean money. Finding a way to protect her without landing on her with both feet...if anybody's parents would do it, surely Shahira's will. I presume she has no choice now about marrying Aldheim, although that doesn't seem like an awful fate at all.

Van said...

Very true. A tough situation no matter what the time period--expenses, health, judgments, potentially shattered relationships. But as far as parents go, she does have pretty good ones who realize that things happen.

There are plenty of worse guys one could marry than Aldhein. In a time and place when a lot of her peers will be marrying for things other than love, he's not a bad way to go.