First meeting, secrets revealed…
The women were deep in conversation with Sarita when Marta saw Megal and Serept at the door. She located Sarita in the group. “Sarita, please join me in my office.” Sarita handed her spindle and supplies to Bella and crossed the stone pavement to join the older woman.
“I don’t know if you want to change your clothing or anything else,” Marta said, “but Megal has asked to meet with you. Ser Francos has no objections. And actually, neither do I, but you must have a duenna.” She turned to lead the way into her office.
“Sera Marta, unless the breeze out there has loosened my hair, I don’t think I need to change. This meeting is not customary, is it?”
“No, not among the Council Houses, but many of the couples on the haciendas know each other before they marry.”
Megal knocked on the door and Marta invited him into the small office. Sarita rose to meet him. He stopped and offered a shy smile. “Ser Antonio said we were close to the same height, and I see he was correct. Welcome to Refugio, Sera Sarita.”
“My mother told me that women of Refugio and especially Pesch are taller than most, but the women I have met so far do not seem that out of the ordinary.”
“Will the two of you sit down, please?” Marta was amused by the comments but could sense the tension between the couple. Megal asked Sarita about her trip from Port and then explained he had a letter from a man in Port about her.
Sarita waited and when he did not say anything else, snapped at him. “I know Spacer wrote to you about what happened. What else do you want to know?”
“It is not what happened to you that I need to understand, but I need to tell you what happened to me.” Megal began to twist his hands together.
“Megal, center.” Marta was worried. It had taken months of work to bring the boy back to a stable state after his manifestation. She hoped this would not plunge him back into the grief he suffered ten years ago.
“It is difficult even now to speak of it, but I must, Sera Sarita. You must understand why I defied my father to seek a wife from your family.” Megal sat back in the chair, closed his eyes, and calmed himself.
He quietly began by telling her about his older brothers, Marta’s sons. How they had bullied him because he was not like their father, a heavy-set man who loved hunting and physical activities. He slowly told her of how during a visit to the family hacienda, they pointed out the girl working alone in a flooded field, her skirts pulled up to keep them out of the mud. She was just beginning to show breast and they speculated about whether one of them should mount her. Megal was frightened for her, but when he defended her, they urged him to do the mounting. He tried to argue with them, but they were a bit drunk and laughed at him. They said he was old enough to manifest his power, hinting they didn’t think he would have any. They captured the girl and carried her into a nearby shed. No one was close by, so her cries were not heard.
Megal’s eyes filled with tears at this part of his story. Haltingly, he described how they stripped the clothing off the girl, then off of him, and assaulted him to raise his erection. They held the girl in place and forced him to mount the girl. When the manifestation occurred, it was powerful for both, and the girl screamed and died. Megal covered his face and sobbed softly.
Marta quickly moved to comfort him. “Megal believes that a woman of Pesch would be powerful enough to survive an encounter with him, now that he has manifested. That is why Francos reached out to your biological father. None of the family here have any daughters of the correct age.”.
Sarita was shocked “Sera Marta, was nothing done about this? What a horrible thing to do. I have been raped and know the shame and disgust it causes.” She could sense that Megal was working to calm himself.
“Sarita, there was punishment for both my sons. They were adults and should have known how wrong what they did was. We have little control over our sons once they begin school. They go to a boarding school and are not allowed back into the harem. There was a scandal especially when Fran removed them from their offices in the administration.”
“My father punished both my brothers severely,” Megal explained. “He paid an indemnity to the girl’s parents, which is very unusual. I wanted to die but was kept alive. In Refugio, when you have manifested, you must leave the gymnasium. So, I went to my mother’s family to help me heal and learn to control my powers. My grandfather is an empath and has some healing talents, so that helped.”
Reading her expression, he went on. “The letter from the man in Port explained that you were drugged but still manifested. It will be easier to bond with me if you are still willing. I am willing to cancel the contract if that is your wish. But I wanted you to know why I sought a daughter of Pesch. The rape was against your will, but it was still rape,”
Sarita felt her anger rising. “I cannot give you an answer yet. I have too much to consider.”
***
Sarita walked out of the small office and down the hall to the official section of the Residence. Her presence in the hall startled the security guards so much they did not know how to react. Women did not leave the family area unaccompanied.
It was easy to find the Overlord’s office. Remembering her manners, she knocked on the partially open door. “Ser Morales, it is important that I speak with you.”
Serept opened the door. “Sera, you come at a good time. We are just finished with morning reports and Ser Morales is free.” Sarita did not think this unusual, but the security guards in the hallway lost all semblance of decorum and stared. Serept closed the door after glaring at them.
Francos worked to calm himself when he saw her. Tony had assured him that it would get easier to deal with having women confront him. But right now, it made him angry, unreasonably angry. “Please, come have a seat. I understand you met with my son today.”
“I did. I also understand you have been told of my rape at the hands of an official of Port.” She stood by the offered chair. Papa Kearney had taught her that standing when your argument partner was sitting gives you leverage. She wanted all the advantage she could get.
“Yes, your uncle was honest with us. You have manifested your powers and are no longer a virgin. My son seems to think that will make joining easier. From a political position, I must keep the information private, but I have no objections to marriage if you are still willing.
Why the woman kept standing he could not understand but it made her very intimidating. “Please, sit down.”
“Megal told me of the events of his own manifestation. Having suffered a rape, I was shocked. Sera Marta assured me that his brothers were punished, but their punishment seemed light considering what they forced him to do. Is this kind of behavior condoned in Refugio?”
“By the Three, woman, of course not! My older sons were made to work as field hands for several months and stripped of all responsibilities for a time. Because of my son’s guilt, I nearly lost Megal to self-destruction. I do not know what you have been told, but both Benitos and Marianel deeply regretted what they had done.” He took a deep breath. Would he ever get accustomed to this, women challenging men? “I have long wanted to stop the custom of men allowing their manifestation to injure or even kill a hired woman, but I have had little support. Megal is First Successor because his brother, Marianel went to his marriage bed and caused his own death, and the death of his bride. If we can spread this new information about the trance state, we may be able to stop it completely.”
Sarita slowly took a seat in the chair across from the Overload. “I hope what Sera Marta and the other women are discussing will work. I believe my mother and I can be of help with that change. My second question is this: how stable is Megal? Marta said he was very ill and when he explained why he sought a wife from my family, he broke down. If he is to be your successor, is he well enough to lead this society? Or do I face a life with an unstable individual?”
Francos slammed his hand on the desk and yelled at Sarita. “My son is not mentally unbalanced.” He leaned back in his chair and calmed himself. The young woman had a right to ask that question, yes, she had every right. “He had a serous trauma and has overcome it. Sera Rita is a healer. Let her examine him.”
“I was going to suggest that, because my mother has been working with women who have been raped by some of the Port pirates. She may be able to help him deal with his trauma.” Sarita rose and bowed to Francos. “Thank you for this information. I am not ready to agree to this joining, but what you have said has helped.”
***
Sarita explained to Rita what had happened to Megal and how he had broken down when relating his story to her. “Mama, can you please examine Megal? I am worried about him.” Rita agreed and found Megal still in Marta’s office where his stepmother had calmed him. He was embarrassed and apologized to Rita, asking her to convey his apologies to Sarita.
“If you will allow me, Ser Megal, I am a healer and have worked with many women of Utopia who have been through something similar. Will you allow me to examine you?”
“Sera Rita, I have worked with several healers. Most of the time I am able to control my emotions. This time it was too much. What is expected of me is a heavy burden. Perhaps you can provide me with some different ways to deal with this.”
Rita placed her hands on Megal’s head and probed. She saw the same damage that she had found in the women in Utopia. This was a surprise, but she knew exactly what would help and began gently urging his brain to move the memories to the background, so they would be less available. It had worked with the young women. It should work again. Megal was soothed by her gentle touch and relaxed.
She gently released her touch. “There is nothing I can do to remove the expectations your father and the family put on you. I believe my daughter does not really understand what will be asked of you, but you both are young. Change is not easy for us who have lived a certain way, believing it that way to be best. It is easier for the young. You need to sleep and allow the intervention to stabilize.” Megal thanked Rita and his stepmother for their help and left, agreeing that a long nap was in order.
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