Chapter 25: "And how long is all of that likely to take?"
My declaration seemed to bounce off the walls in the sudden silence. Evan shot me a worried frown. "What are you doing?" he muttered at me sideways.
"What I have to," I shot back in a whisper. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing ... I think. Please, just play along."
He frowned at me and I knew he was very much not comfortable with going along with something without knowing all the details.
"How is it that you were unaware of our customs moments ago but now invoke them as is accepted historically?"Elentia asked.
"I came across some old records about The Mentaris," I explained, embellishing the truth into a convincing story as I went. "This is my first child and I haven't had the benefit of relatives or friends with children to help teach me what I need to know before the baby comes. The records weren't very detailed though and I wasn't sure this was the right place until you began talking about your customs. Only then did I realise. I'm sorry it took me so long to recall the proper words so that I could get them right."
Honora nodded, already convinced. Elentia hesitated, her eyes on my face as she assessed me carefully. I really was interested in what they could tell me about parenting and specifically childbirth, historically anyway, so it wasn't difficult to be convincing in my manner. My eyes begged her to accept me at face value and honour my request.
"You have done well to recall the words as they should be spoken," Elentia finally relented, offering me a stiff kind of smile, her usual kind I suspected.
"Minor Mentari are assigned to all new mothers as is the new custom," Honora shared. "No one has needed to seek the blessing of The Mentaris for centuries. It's very exciting," she smiled again.
"There is much we need to do to prepare you to be received by the Mentaris," Elentia added.
"What exactly is this Mentaris?" Evan queried.
"It's not a what but a who," I told him. "The Mentaris, from what I understood from my readings, is the head of the Mentari, a group of specially trained people, women mostly, who teach a new parent what they need to know to be the best parent they can be. They offer support as well and usually they're there at the birth of the child too."
"Your team mate is correct Major. We are willing to waive that part of the custom," Elentia offered before I needed to ask. "It is important for a child to be born in the place it will know as home, in the presence of all those who will have some hand in its upbringing. This cannot be done if Sabina stays here."
"Thank you," I said gratefully.
"Okay, so what now?" Evan asked. "Is Sabina free to leave now?"
"Ah, not exactly," I admitted with a grimace, knowing he was probably going to get angry with me when I revealed the full extent of what I'd agreed to by invoking the Mentaris blessing. "Once I've been presented to The Mentaris I'll have to stay here and receive her daily guidance. It will be up to her to decide when I've learned what I need to know. Only then will the blessing be complete, allowing me to return home."
"I see," Evan's eyes narrowed and felt a lot like they were boring into my brain, probably trying to find the loose screw that had led to me getting myself into the current mess. "And how long is all of that likely to take?" His voice had an edge that made me wince.
"The usual duration of the blessing, when it was done regularly, was one cycle of the moon," Honora offered, her expression wistful in a way that suggested so much time with The Mentaris was a unique and priceless gift.
"A month?!" Evan glared at me. "You've just signed on for a month's stay here, without even thinking about running it past Colonel Sheppard first?!"
"Don't be angry with me," I pleaded. "I want to do this – John will understand - he knows how important this is," my eyes begged him not to blow my cover, not to reveal that our coming there and me requesting the blessing was an accident, rather than a planned event I'd sought out for the right reasons and with the right motivations.
Evan pursed his lips and I could see him take a deep, steadying breath that he let out again slowly. With a sigh he nodded. "I suppose you want me to be the one to break it to the Colonel that you've been successful in finding this Mentaris?" he questioned.
"I can do it, if you can go back and open up the communication channels," I replied. I wanted to explain it all to John myself and if the rest of the team could go back in the Jumper, dial Atlantis and then radio in, it would allow me to use my own radio from the village. "Communication with my partner isn't prohibited during the blessing, is it?"
"Of course not," Honora exclaimed. "The Mentaris will set you trials of understanding, some of which will require you to discuss concepts and come to agreement with the baby's father before progressing. If your partner cannot join you here he will receive an official pass, once it is judged that his reason for not attending to you is just. Since you have already informed us that he is a leader of your people, this will be a formality. Another means of communication will be necessary, and acceptable, although it will still be essential for him to coexist beside you for the last week of the blessing to enable The Mentaris to release you both from your pledge."
"He's going to love that," Evan muttered darkly.
"With enough notice I'm sure he'll be able to make arrangements," I promised confidently, even though I wasn't sure it was possible.
"Very well," Elentia nodded. "Since the meal is concluded, Major, please feel free to make contact with your home and make the necessary arrangements for Sabina's stay here."
"Thank you," Evan nodded. "Is it prohibited for someone else to remain here with Sabina while she undergoes this instruction?"
"Of course not," Honora smiled. "We want Sabina to feel as welcome and comfortable here as possible. If the father of her child cannot stay with her, perhaps her chosen Secondary will be available?"
"Secondary?" I asked curiously. It wasn't a term that had come up when I'd been researching Mentaria.
"Yes, a person chosen by the parents to stand in should misfortune befall them," Honora explained.
"Oh," I nodded. "We call them godparents."
"And have you chosen godparents for your child?"
"Not yet," I admitted. "It's not usually something we do until after the baby is born. We've talked about it though – when I speak to John we can decide then."
"That would be advisable," Elentia insisted. "The instruction The Mentaris will give you will include many discussions on the importance of the many in the rearing of a child. The many represents family and friends, those in positions of respect and importance amongst your people, and peers, other children of a similar age who will form strong bonds with your child."
"I'll discuss it with my husband," I promised.
"Then that is how we will proceed," Elentia declared. "Major Lorne and the rest of your team will return to arrange communications. From this will decisions be made regarding a suitable Secondary to accompany you for the duration of the blessing."
"Sounds like a plan," I quipped.
"A plan I'm happy to go along with, with one alteration," Evan said intently. "Lieutenant's Brown and Parker will return to set up a channel for us to communicate. I'll remain here with Sabina until that happens."
Elentia regarded Evan for a moment, rightly judged him unmovable, and then nodded. "This is acceptable."
"Is there somewhere Sabina and I can wait," Evan didn't add 'somewhere private' but the words were obviously included just the same.
"Sabina will be assigned a room in the Mentari Hall during her stay. The Hall is attached to the residence of The Mentaris," Honora revealed. "It has a greeting room where you may abide until your team returns. I will show you there now."
"Thank you," Evan replied.
We all exited the dining room together, the Elders aside from Elentia and Honora returning to their chairs in the centre of the larger meeting room, presumably to begin another session of consultation. Elentia and Honora led us out of the building, Evan pausing a moment to give Alex and Colin their orders.
"Head back to the jumper," he murmured just out of ear shot from our hosts. "Dial in and establish a connection. Radio us as soon as you've made contact."
"Should we fill Colonel Sheppard in on what's happened?" Alex asked.
"No, just tell him that Sabina and I are waiting to speak with him."
"Understood," Alex offered me a reassuring smile before motioning for Colin to follow him back the way we'd come.
Honora and Elentia led Evan and I further up the street we'd entered the village from.
After passing a few cottages the street became more of a trail, with no sign of residences on either side. We passed through more trees that formed a small, mini forest within the village walls, before entering another clearing. There was a large structure located there, with a smaller separate building attached.
"This is Mentari Hall," Honora announced. "The residence beside it belongs to each elected Mentaris."
She led us inside. There was a long hallway leading from the front door, with doors down both sides leading to other rooms. At the end of the hall was a staircase, presumably leading to the second floor with more rooms.
"How many people live here?" I asked as Elentia opened the first door and motioned us inside.
"The Mentari are integral to life in the village," Honora explained. "There are more than one hundred Minor Mentari in service at this time, but around half of them reside with the family they serve during pregnancy and for several moons thereafter. I believe currently there are around thirty Mentari living within the Hall. The Mentaris also has a staff of twenty senior Mentari who reside here and provide advice and council on family matters to any who seek it."
That was a lot of people, depending on the size of the village itself. I was thinking that maybe one in ten families would have need of a Mentari at any given time, so with one hundred of them the village probably numbered maybe as many as twenty thousand, taking into account that the population would have a mix of ages and stages of family life. That was larger than most of the places we'd come into contact with in the Pegasus galaxy. How had they maintained their way of life without Wraith destruction? It was something I knew John would want me to find out more about.
Elentia showed us into the front room – a pleasant lounge with chairs and a couple of small tables. The walls were stone like the rest of the structure but there were lights attached at regular intervals, very similar to those mounted on the walls of Atlantis. The same kind of wall decoration was in place too – those abstract constructions of metal and stone that didn't really look like anything in particular. There were a few landscapes too that I knew Evan wouldn't be able to resist examining once the current situation had been resolved to his satisfaction. The front windows were wide and let in enough light to warm the space.
"This is nice," I murmured, standing just inside the doorway with Evan beside me.
"Thank you," Honora smiled. "Is this acceptable while you wait for word from your home?"
"It's perfect."
"Then we will leave you for now. Please, come and seek us out back at the meeting hall when you are ready."
Evan nodded, waiting only until they'd closed the door behind them before rounding on me. "Are you seriously planning on staying here for the next month?" he demanded, folding his arms over his chest.
"I don't think I have a choice," I admitted ruefully. "It's not what I had planned when I said I wanted to learn more about how they managed pregnancy and childbirth – I guess I know why this place was famous for that kind of thing now," I joked lamely.
"Don't try to humour your way out of this," Evan dismissed. "You know Colonel Sheppard is going to be majorly pissed off when he finds out."
"Probably, but I think he'd be worse if I let them impose that seal thing on me and we found out that I wouldn't be able to leave the village with our baby," I pointed out grimly. "I didn't have a lot of time to improvise Evan – all I could remember from what I'd read was about people travelling here to seek guidance."
"And you're intent on living up to this?" Evan queried.
"Again, do I have a choice?" I shot back. "This isn't some little village we can easily overpower; even if that was the kind of thing we went about doing, which it's not. They have an Elder responsible for security and defence Evan. I think they'll take protecting their village and the people just as seriously as they take rearing their children. They must have something serious otherwise why haven't the Wraith culled them down to size?"
"Probably," Evan agreed.
"It's a month," I said quietly, "and maybe I'll even learn what I came here seeking. This could be worth the time investment." I hesitated. "I don't know why, but I feel safe here. Don't you?"
"Not enough to trust your welfare to these people blindly," Evan replied. With a sigh he unfolded his arms, glancing around the room. "You might as well sit down," he said. "It'll take Alex and Colin a while to get to the jumper. You can use the time to plan out how you're going to explain this to Colonel Sheppard." He smirked slightly then and I knew that things would be okay between us. He wasn't happy but he understood why I'd acted swiftly, without consulting him first.
"Only if you sit down too," I told him.
He chose a seat opposite the window, presumably so that he could keep watch on both the door and the windows as the only points of entry. I sat in the seat beside his, settling in with a sigh.
"This really wasn't what I was expecting when I asked to come here," I reiterated.
"You do have a knack for getting yourself into a unique kind of trouble," Evan agreed. "You might as well relax … close your eyes if you want to. I'll wake you up when the guys make contact."
"Okay, thanks."