FIC FOR ZORPY.
Mat stared at the front door of his house. Apprehensively. He could hear his mother rattling around inside, his sisters bickering over something or other. He winced, and resisted looking back over his shoulder.
“Toy? What are you waiting for?” He turned around. Her head was a fuzz of tightly curled black hair as she watched him with those large brown eyes, like an owl.
“Nothing. And please, don’t call me that when my family’s in the room, all right?”
She just smiled her little secret smile and he sighed, lifted a hand, and knocked. Because with Tuon, there was really nothing else one could do.
His mother opened the door. She looked just as he remembered her - hair braided back, harried, tired, but eyes alight with a smile. “Yes, how may I…” She trailed off.
“Natti? Who’s at the door?”
His father’s voice. Mat shifted, cleared his throat. “Hullo, Ma.”
“Mat?”
And then he was promptly smothered in a hug that felt like it would break his ribs. And another one. And another. And then a punch, which he dodged easily. “Nice to see you too, Bode,” he said dryly, and she scowled.
“You had us worried sick.”
“Well-“
He looked back. Tuon was hanging back, looking almost - that was an unfamiliar expression. Confused? Tuon? Tuon was never confused. He cleared his throat again, awkwardly, and took a couple steps back. His mother seemed to notice Tuon for the first time. His father had been watching her all along, with his tiger-eyes very like Mat’s.
“Mattie? Who’s the fine lady?”
A pause. “Ma, Pa, this is…Tuon.”
His ma, to his embarrassment, curtsied clumsily. Tuon, to his astonishment, curtsied back. He’d never seen her do that to anyone. “Welcome to our home, Tuon.”
“Our Mattie’s looking fine himself,” His pa noted in that dry voice of his. “But where’re your matters, Natti? Why don’t you invite our prodigal son in - and the lady, of course.”
Bodewhin was watching Tuon with evident curiosity. “We’re just about to have dinner if you’d like some,” she offered shyly.
Tuon looked over at Mat. He blinked, then nodded. “That sounds great.”
They all started through the door, Tuon captured by Bodewhin, who proceeded to chattering. Mat winced, just a bit.
“Mat?” He looked over and saw his father leaning against the side of the wall. “Come here for a minute. Walk with me.”
Mat obeyed as the door shut, walking over to his father.
“She’s your wife, isn’t she?”
Mat felt his ears turn red.
“Why didn’t you tell your mother?”
“How did you know?” Mat hedged.
“Certain look to a man when he’s about a woman he’s just married.” Mat kicked his feet a little. “Don’t do that, Mattie, you’ll get dust in the air.”
Mat stopped before he was aware that he’d done so. And then frowned, a little.
“Where’s she from?”
“Not around here.”
Abell Cauthon just trained his eyes on his only son and stared at him. Mat felt his ears turning red again. Then he answered his own question.
“She’s Seanchan, isn’t she?”
Mat winced, just a bit, even though there was nothing ugly in his father’s voice. “Does-“
“Your ma and sisters aren’t going to hear any of this. How’d my little Mattie wind up married to a Seanchan - and one of their nobles, if I’m not mistaken?”
“It’s a story.”
“You can tell it later.” Mat was grateful for a moment, before Abell added, a slightly wicked glint coming into his eyes, “She’s a catch for sure, though.”
Mat scowled and heard himself say, “She’s better than me at some games.”
Abell laughed. “I bet she is. She has the look of a clever woman. We’d better get back inside before they really get started talking about us.”
“I don’t think Tuon’s-“ He stopped, turning around, listening.
“-remember when he was little more than knee high and stole a jug of-“
“Blood and bloody ashes!” Mat swore. For once, Abell just laughed.
“Womenfolk. Give them five minutes and they’ll be telling gossip like old friends…”
Mat heard Tuon laugh, richly and his heart jolted sideways, just a little. “Yes, if you’d only seen his expression when he-“ Mat jammed his hat on his head and strode over to the door, jerked it open. Four heads turned his way, looking at him innocently.
Oh Light.
“Yes, Matrim?” That was Tuon.
Bodewhin and Eldrin snickered.
His mother busied herself with shelling some peas.
Mat rubbed his head. “Blood and bloody ashes.” And was whacked smartly on the back of the head.
“Mattie, watch your language in front of the ladies.”
He slouched over to a chair and sat down, pulling his hat down over his eyes, but watching Tuon. She turned back to Bodewhin, listening, seemingly avidly, to one of those stories that’d more than likely never happened, a smile at the corner of her lips, stunningly out of place with her dark skin and refined air, straight-backed, her hair still shorter than the width of his thumb, but…
His father came strolling over and gave him a smile. “She’ll do fine.” In a low voice. None of the women looked up.
Mat half smiled. “Was never worried about it.”
Abell Cauthon laughed quietly, and clapped him on the shoulder. “Of course not, Mattie-boy. Of course not.”
Natti stood up, clapped her hands. “Mattie! Hat off for dinner, please!”
Mat stood and obediently took it off. Some things, he supposed, never changed. He suspected he would always be Mattie in this house.
“Toy? What are you waiting for?” He turned around. Her head was a fuzz of tightly curled black hair as she watched him with those large brown eyes, like an owl.
“Nothing. And please, don’t call me that when my family’s in the room, all right?”
She just smiled her little secret smile and he sighed, lifted a hand, and knocked. Because with Tuon, there was really nothing else one could do.
His mother opened the door. She looked just as he remembered her - hair braided back, harried, tired, but eyes alight with a smile. “Yes, how may I…” She trailed off.
“Natti? Who’s at the door?”
His father’s voice. Mat shifted, cleared his throat. “Hullo, Ma.”
“Mat?”
And then he was promptly smothered in a hug that felt like it would break his ribs. And another one. And another. And then a punch, which he dodged easily. “Nice to see you too, Bode,” he said dryly, and she scowled.
“You had us worried sick.”
“Well-“
He looked back. Tuon was hanging back, looking almost - that was an unfamiliar expression. Confused? Tuon? Tuon was never confused. He cleared his throat again, awkwardly, and took a couple steps back. His mother seemed to notice Tuon for the first time. His father had been watching her all along, with his tiger-eyes very like Mat’s.
“Mattie? Who’s the fine lady?”
A pause. “Ma, Pa, this is…Tuon.”
His ma, to his embarrassment, curtsied clumsily. Tuon, to his astonishment, curtsied back. He’d never seen her do that to anyone. “Welcome to our home, Tuon.”
“Our Mattie’s looking fine himself,” His pa noted in that dry voice of his. “But where’re your matters, Natti? Why don’t you invite our prodigal son in - and the lady, of course.”
Bodewhin was watching Tuon with evident curiosity. “We’re just about to have dinner if you’d like some,” she offered shyly.
Tuon looked over at Mat. He blinked, then nodded. “That sounds great.”
They all started through the door, Tuon captured by Bodewhin, who proceeded to chattering. Mat winced, just a bit.
“Mat?” He looked over and saw his father leaning against the side of the wall. “Come here for a minute. Walk with me.”
Mat obeyed as the door shut, walking over to his father.
“She’s your wife, isn’t she?”
Mat felt his ears turn red.
“Why didn’t you tell your mother?”
“How did you know?” Mat hedged.
“Certain look to a man when he’s about a woman he’s just married.” Mat kicked his feet a little. “Don’t do that, Mattie, you’ll get dust in the air.”
Mat stopped before he was aware that he’d done so. And then frowned, a little.
“Where’s she from?”
“Not around here.”
Abell Cauthon just trained his eyes on his only son and stared at him. Mat felt his ears turning red again. Then he answered his own question.
“She’s Seanchan, isn’t she?”
Mat winced, just a bit, even though there was nothing ugly in his father’s voice. “Does-“
“Your ma and sisters aren’t going to hear any of this. How’d my little Mattie wind up married to a Seanchan - and one of their nobles, if I’m not mistaken?”
“It’s a story.”
“You can tell it later.” Mat was grateful for a moment, before Abell added, a slightly wicked glint coming into his eyes, “She’s a catch for sure, though.”
Mat scowled and heard himself say, “She’s better than me at some games.”
Abell laughed. “I bet she is. She has the look of a clever woman. We’d better get back inside before they really get started talking about us.”
“I don’t think Tuon’s-“ He stopped, turning around, listening.
“-remember when he was little more than knee high and stole a jug of-“
“Blood and bloody ashes!” Mat swore. For once, Abell just laughed.
“Womenfolk. Give them five minutes and they’ll be telling gossip like old friends…”
Mat heard Tuon laugh, richly and his heart jolted sideways, just a little. “Yes, if you’d only seen his expression when he-“ Mat jammed his hat on his head and strode over to the door, jerked it open. Four heads turned his way, looking at him innocently.
Oh Light.
“Yes, Matrim?” That was Tuon.
Bodewhin and Eldrin snickered.
His mother busied herself with shelling some peas.
Mat rubbed his head. “Blood and bloody ashes.” And was whacked smartly on the back of the head.
“Mattie, watch your language in front of the ladies.”
He slouched over to a chair and sat down, pulling his hat down over his eyes, but watching Tuon. She turned back to Bodewhin, listening, seemingly avidly, to one of those stories that’d more than likely never happened, a smile at the corner of her lips, stunningly out of place with her dark skin and refined air, straight-backed, her hair still shorter than the width of his thumb, but…
His father came strolling over and gave him a smile. “She’ll do fine.” In a low voice. None of the women looked up.
Mat half smiled. “Was never worried about it.”
Abell Cauthon laughed quietly, and clapped him on the shoulder. “Of course not, Mattie-boy. Of course not.”
Natti stood up, clapped her hands. “Mattie! Hat off for dinner, please!”
Mat stood and obediently took it off. Some things, he supposed, never changed. He suspected he would always be Mattie in this house.