People became overwhelmed, she understood, and when they were overwhelmed they made decisions they might regret. What he said was right and Faith turned her gaze to Padraig. He was an anchor in this for her, his perspective clear. Yet, equally, she could not quite bring herself to think in any kind of logical manner. "They had longer to prepare than we had with Rose, Padraig." Come to that, she considered, they had longer with her as a baby than she and Padraig had with their daughter. Faith sighed and tried to make sense of what he said.
Yet, the image of the memory was clear to her. Of her mother handing her over, of the tears and how they stopped when she had been counting the money. Could it have been her father who had pressed for that? Faith did not know and she could not begin to think about it. Maybe they were so poor that the money was desperately needed, yet she did not think so. The woman in her memory, and the man, were dressed well enough, she said - not nobility, certainly, but not impoverished.
Faith frowned as she remembered more and more, making sense of the wave of memories which came in on her, one after another. "I wasn't born in Athart. I always assumed I was." Turning her gaze to him, Faith's confusion was all over her face, her body reflecting the tension she felt. "It was one of my owners, the four who trained me. He paid my mother, but then," her hand reached for his, careful of the changes in her nails from Vri's blessing. "But then, he took me to the docks, Padraig. I was on a boat for a long time." Her hand moved to her shoulder, where the oldest of her brands had been. "They didn't brand me till I got to Athart." Remembering that was not a memory she cherished, the brandings she had experienced as an adult were bad, the memory of one as a baby was quite something else.
"I think. No, I know. Padraig, I was born in Rynmere. I saw the flags and they were colours and drew my attention. I know those flags, now. I was in Andaris. It was the beginning of Saun, the very first trial. That's the day I was born." It was all making sense, and Faith sighed. She had never known her date of birth, let alone celebrated a birthday. Quickly running through every other first of Saun she had known, each one easily noted by the second sun, of course, she could work it out. "I'll be nineteen come Saun. I thought I was older."
He looked surprised when she asked about his name and Faith realised that she had made a mistake, cursing herself for her own impetuous nature. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't ask that." He recovered quickly, but she knew him better. His first reaction had been shock, and it wasn't a surprise, in truth. They'd talked about names before, after all. When she'd been accepted onto the Diploma and she'd said that her students would have nothing to call her. He hadn't offered it then, in fact he'd suggested that she chose her own name and that she made it official by going to a city employee. "We talked about this before, you were right then. I could choose a name if I want to. I don't." She'd lived with made-up names all her life, she wasn't going to add another to the list. Which, ironically, now she remembered exactly. "I never found out how to make it official. But it's fine." She was being reactionary and grabbing on to him in a way that wasn't fair, she knew.
"I wonder if I should write to the people I know in Rynmere and ask them about the name Nardovino? I mean, if I was born there, maybe they'll know someone?" He was right, she didn't and couldn't know the truth so it made sense to find out. "There are records, there, I know. What do you think?" Of course, the people in Rynmere she knew included Tristan. Lady Elyna would help her, she was sure, but then she hadn't replied to her letter. Maybe they'd moved. Aeon and Nir'wei were no longer there. Still, it was possibly the only way she'd find out, she reasoned.
Yet, the image of the memory was clear to her. Of her mother handing her over, of the tears and how they stopped when she had been counting the money. Could it have been her father who had pressed for that? Faith did not know and she could not begin to think about it. Maybe they were so poor that the money was desperately needed, yet she did not think so. The woman in her memory, and the man, were dressed well enough, she said - not nobility, certainly, but not impoverished.
Faith frowned as she remembered more and more, making sense of the wave of memories which came in on her, one after another. "I wasn't born in Athart. I always assumed I was." Turning her gaze to him, Faith's confusion was all over her face, her body reflecting the tension she felt. "It was one of my owners, the four who trained me. He paid my mother, but then," her hand reached for his, careful of the changes in her nails from Vri's blessing. "But then, he took me to the docks, Padraig. I was on a boat for a long time." Her hand moved to her shoulder, where the oldest of her brands had been. "They didn't brand me till I got to Athart." Remembering that was not a memory she cherished, the brandings she had experienced as an adult were bad, the memory of one as a baby was quite something else.
"I think. No, I know. Padraig, I was born in Rynmere. I saw the flags and they were colours and drew my attention. I know those flags, now. I was in Andaris. It was the beginning of Saun, the very first trial. That's the day I was born." It was all making sense, and Faith sighed. She had never known her date of birth, let alone celebrated a birthday. Quickly running through every other first of Saun she had known, each one easily noted by the second sun, of course, she could work it out. "I'll be nineteen come Saun. I thought I was older."
He looked surprised when she asked about his name and Faith realised that she had made a mistake, cursing herself for her own impetuous nature. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't ask that." He recovered quickly, but she knew him better. His first reaction had been shock, and it wasn't a surprise, in truth. They'd talked about names before, after all. When she'd been accepted onto the Diploma and she'd said that her students would have nothing to call her. He hadn't offered it then, in fact he'd suggested that she chose her own name and that she made it official by going to a city employee. "We talked about this before, you were right then. I could choose a name if I want to. I don't." She'd lived with made-up names all her life, she wasn't going to add another to the list. Which, ironically, now she remembered exactly. "I never found out how to make it official. But it's fine." She was being reactionary and grabbing on to him in a way that wasn't fair, she knew.
"I wonder if I should write to the people I know in Rynmere and ask them about the name Nardovino? I mean, if I was born there, maybe they'll know someone?" He was right, she didn't and couldn't know the truth so it made sense to find out. "There are records, there, I know. What do you think?" Of course, the people in Rynmere she knew included Tristan. Lady Elyna would help her, she was sure, but then she hadn't replied to her letter. Maybe they'd moved. Aeon and Nir'wei were no longer there. Still, it was possibly the only way she'd find out, she reasoned.
