Sona's Interview

I’m keeping my promise (late as it is) to post something. I’m sorry that it is extremely short. I was able to write only about three pages this week. Reason: Between last post and this one, I have been on the road for 30 hours. Nearly a full time job on the interstate. Five trips to Pocatello and back, two trips down to Trefoil Ranch and back (and those weekends were busy because I spent my time cooking), and driving around town to get to other places (like the bus stop and getting gas in my car). Add on top of that all the school work of mid terms, I’m glad I got three pages. So let’s begin the interview Sona has with Martin…

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Despite the two interviews for the day, Martin felt the day dragging. Perhaps it was because he was looking forward to the meeting that evening, or was it the dread of meeting with the Queen and Sona as they tried to discover clues he wasn’t willing to give? Whatever the case, the classes seemed to make the day seem longer than it should have.

He had purposefully scheduled his interview with Sona during Professor Collen’s class, grateful for the chance to get away. As he arrived to her office, the other man was already leaving.

“I still don’t understand,” he was saying as the pretty researcher stood in the doorway. “Why did you want to know if I felt the need to return to Aeterna?”

Martin froze. Why was she asking that question?

“The prince is connected to the land,” she explained. “He would have felt the need to come back, even if his powers were block.” The man scratched his head.

“Still seems strange to me.”

Sona shook her head. “Perhaps with more time you’ll learn.” She finally noticed him, her cheeks turning slightly pink. “Best go to class. I’ve still a lot of interviews to get through today.”

“Will we meet again?” the man asked hopefully.

“I know you’re married,” Sona pointed out, her tone colder than it should. “Bring her next time, won’t you?” The man sighed, but nodded. As he left, Martin finally approached.

“Married men now?” he asked, still a bit troubled by the conversation he had just overheard. “Maybe your family is right and you should have stayed home.”

Sona snorted. “Not likely. I know how to take care of myself.”

“True,” Martin agreed, smiling. “Like how you handled Var last night. I must thank you for that. It was nice to see him taken down.”

“I’m glad you liked it,” she said, smirking. “But now it’s your turn.”

Martin leapt back, holding his hands up. “I don’t think so! I’ve seen you use your knives. I’m not touching without permission!”

Sona laughed. “I meant the interview! Come in, we have a lot to talk about.”

Martin cringed when her back was to him. He didn’t like talking about his life at Loman. She knew that. But it was her job and she probably counted on him telling her out of duty. He wasn’t sure how much duty would make him tell.

It was no surprise to him to see his file already out and her thumbing through it as he closed the door. “Haven’t you memorized all our files yet?” he asked, taking a seat.

“No,” she said, setting the file down and sitting herself across the desk from him. “If I had, then I know I spend too much time in books and not enough with people.” She paused, looking at him in a particular way. Martin pretended to ignore it, though he felt his cheeks warming under her gaze.

“I suppose,” she said, “that you overheard the conversation just now.”

“Couldn’t be helped,” he said, sighing dramatically. “You were both talking in the hall.”

“Then I pose the same question to you,” she said, leaning forward so her folded arms rested on the desk. “Did you feel the need to return to Aeterna?”

Martin wanted to squirm under her searching gaze. He could remember clearly the pains of his life at Loman. The pain of hunger, beatings, freezing, burning up, fatigue, aches, bruises, betrayals; all memories he had tried to put behind him for the last nine years. But none of those pains could compare with that strange ache to go to Aeterna.

He had never mentioned the physical burn to go to Aeterna to anyone, not even Fred. It was only natural for an urchin to want to live off the streets; many dreamed of living in Aeterna where, as the tales told them, anyone with enough hard work could make something of themselves. But his ache had always seemed more intense than the others. There were days he could barely think straight, his thoughts clouded by the physical need to get to Aeterna. He hadn’t thought much on those feelings after he had finally reached the Aeternan shores because the moment he stepped on the dock at Evan’s Stand, the ache, the burning need, disappeared. The ache meant nothing much like the visions.

It was another clue everyone had missed.

“I can’t deny that I wanted to get to Aeterna,” he said slowly, trying to word it carefully so she wouldn’t know exactly how much he needed to return. “But so did every urchin who had heard of Aeterna.”

“From what I’ve read about Loman, I wouldn’t be surprised,” Sona remarked. Sighing, she leaned back in her chair, idly flipping through the papers in his file. “Yes, I have read accounts about urchins from Loman. It’s given me an idea of how harsh the homeless children’s lives are.” Martin said nothing, hoping she would leave the subject at that. Loman was a different life to him, one he refused to return to.

“Was it really that harsh?”

Her question was soft, almost as if she was terrified to ask him. He watched her carefully, noticing how she now squirmed under his gaze. She knew he didn’t like to talk about it, but there was something in the way she asked…She genuinely cares, he thought, a bit shocked. She wasn’t after troubled memories just to satisfy her curiosity after all. Despite himself, he found that he wanted to answer her.

“Probably,” he said, equally softly, finally lowering his eyes. He stared at his hands, clasping them together so his hands wouldn’t shake. “Perhaps it was worse. I don’t like talking about it.”

“I know,” Sona whispered. “I just…” She stopped and took a deep breath. “I just hope that someday, you’ll trust me enough to tell me.”

Martin refused to look up, uncertain what he would do if he did. In the nine years since coming to Aeterna, Sona had finally accomplished something that healers, seducers, orders, threats, and bribes could not do. He actually considered telling her.

No, he thought, shaking his head. Not now… I don’t know if I could be with her. I can’t burden her with…that. But telling himself that didn’t help his want to let her in.

“You don’t have to trust me now,” she said, her tone almost forced cheerfulness. “I didn’t expect to break your barriers in a single interview.”

She had no idea how close she came to breaking his barriers, something Martin needed to keep in mind. He didn’t know how many times she would come to those barriers without him letting them fall to her.

“You alright?” she asked when he didn’t respond. Her voice was full of the same concern she used to ask her last question.

Martin suddenly laughed. For some reason, her question struck him as funny.

“Not sure,” he answered truthfully, finally raising his head and looking her in the eye. She looked confused at him. “You’re bringing up terrible memories and… I don’t feel a horrible, twisting pit in my stomach. Not that I’m ready to talk yet, but it is a first.”

Sona smiled, an expression he was finding he liked more and more. “Then I have made progress.”
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Progress indeed. I had trouble with Martin in this section. He kept wanting to tell her everything and I had to tell him no. It’s not until much later in the plot that he reveals things… like in book three! Much, much, much too soon. Sigh. Sometimes, characters just don’t want to do as they’re told. Good night!