Idol Week 9: The Trolley Problem
Truvio sat at his desk writing out a list of pros and cons. He always did this whenever he had a particularly knotty problem to unravel. It helped him collect and sort through his thoughts, put them down in one place so he could properly analyze the situation. Perhaps he should have done this months ago when he first recognized the seriousness of this problem, but he had hoped (foolishly) that he could avoid it. Now he knew he couldn't. Hence the list.
He wouldn't be sitting up late writing the list if his older sister, Lessandra, hadn't just told him a few hours ago that she was going to divorce her wife, Renata. They hadn't been getting along for quite a while now, and Lessandra had finally admitted that their problems were irreconcilable. She was going to speak to their father the next morning and set the process in motion. Truvio had been expecting that. He had noticed the tension in his sister's marriage for several years now. He had hoped that when Renata had a child that it would bring them back together, but it only increased the strain until the relationship had, unsurprisingly, broken. What did surprise him was how he felt when Lessandra told him that Renata was going to get full custody of her daughter, Elana. He felt like he had just been punched in the gut.
How can she take my daughter away from me?
Stupid question; he knew Renata was capable of anything. This was the same fae* who drugged his tea and then violated him repeatedly for three months after he refused her advances. He had never been interested in sex and she had forced it upon him. He had never wanted a child of his own and now he had one. And now that he was in danger of losing his daughter, he discovered that he desperately wanted to keep her.
But in order to to that he would have to prove he was Elana's father, and to do that he would have to admit what Renata did to him. In court. In front of the Gods and everyone. He wasn't sure if he could do it. It would bring scandal upon the family and shame upon him. No, that was stupid. Renata's actions reflected back upon herself. He was the victim. And he wanted revenge.
But in order to get that revenge he would have to recount those horrible nights when he thought he was dreaming while Renata...he shook his head, unwilling to remember the details of those “nightmares.” Gods, if he couldn't even think of that when he was alone, how would he be able to do it for a judge? Besides, how could he prove that Renata had drugged him? The adulterated tea was long gone, thrown into the compost over a year ago. Without that he had nothing to back up his accusations.
Unless the servants were willing to testify. Servants saw everything that went on in the house. They would have noticed his strange exhaustion last year, the aftereffects from the drug that he was unconsciously ingesting. The laundry staff would have noticed strange stains on his sheets and towels from Renata's...visits. He stopped writing and stared at the list. He didn't like the idea that other people knew about his...why did he keep thinking the word “shame”? It wasn't shame. Shame implied that this situation was all about him and it wasn't. It was about Renata and her insistence on having a “real” Tuvendi child.
It was about Elana.
Truvio straightened in his chair. Of course. That was it. This was about Elana. She was just a toddler. She had no say in her future. That was up to her mother and father. And in order for him to have a say, he would have to prove paternity. It shouldn't be too difficult to do so. Elana was already showing signs of being a real Tuvendi. She always wanted to be outside in the garden, and if there was a plant anywhere near her she would rather play with it than with her toys. And she never tore leaves or stems off as other children would. Elana would babble to the plants in baby talk as she patted their leaves or batted gently at the flowers. Not to mention, her eyes were already turning purple. Only Tuvendis in the Jarl's immediate family had purple eyes—a relic of the ancestor who had first joined his magic to the soil and created the Earth Magic that set the Tuvendis apart from other Elves. The elf that Renata claimed was Elana's father was one of Truvio's second cousins with green eyes and only a trace of the Earth magic. Not enough to turn Elana's eyes purple.
But even if it were easy for him to prove he was her father, was it the best decision? He knew how possessive Renata was. She barely let Lessandra see Elana, which was one reason for the divorce. If he let Renata take Elana without a fight, then the divorce case would be simple and straightforward. The marriage would be dissolved and that would be that. But if he decided to stand up and claim paternity, the divorce would turn into a custody battle that would inevitably become unpleasant, to put it mildly. Not to mention that the news sheets would have a field day with all the salacious details.
If he faced the humiliation, he would have a chance at taking away the one thing Renata wanted most in the world: her daughter. If he got custody of Elana, he would have his revenge on her mother.
But if Truvio acted on his desire for revenge, would that make him any better than Renata?
This is about Elana, he reminded himself. What's best for her?
*Vocabulary note: fae is a female Elf.
He wouldn't be sitting up late writing the list if his older sister, Lessandra, hadn't just told him a few hours ago that she was going to divorce her wife, Renata. They hadn't been getting along for quite a while now, and Lessandra had finally admitted that their problems were irreconcilable. She was going to speak to their father the next morning and set the process in motion. Truvio had been expecting that. He had noticed the tension in his sister's marriage for several years now. He had hoped that when Renata had a child that it would bring them back together, but it only increased the strain until the relationship had, unsurprisingly, broken. What did surprise him was how he felt when Lessandra told him that Renata was going to get full custody of her daughter, Elana. He felt like he had just been punched in the gut.
How can she take my daughter away from me?
Stupid question; he knew Renata was capable of anything. This was the same fae* who drugged his tea and then violated him repeatedly for three months after he refused her advances. He had never been interested in sex and she had forced it upon him. He had never wanted a child of his own and now he had one. And now that he was in danger of losing his daughter, he discovered that he desperately wanted to keep her.
But in order to to that he would have to prove he was Elana's father, and to do that he would have to admit what Renata did to him. In court. In front of the Gods and everyone. He wasn't sure if he could do it. It would bring scandal upon the family and shame upon him. No, that was stupid. Renata's actions reflected back upon herself. He was the victim. And he wanted revenge.
But in order to get that revenge he would have to recount those horrible nights when he thought he was dreaming while Renata...he shook his head, unwilling to remember the details of those “nightmares.” Gods, if he couldn't even think of that when he was alone, how would he be able to do it for a judge? Besides, how could he prove that Renata had drugged him? The adulterated tea was long gone, thrown into the compost over a year ago. Without that he had nothing to back up his accusations.
Unless the servants were willing to testify. Servants saw everything that went on in the house. They would have noticed his strange exhaustion last year, the aftereffects from the drug that he was unconsciously ingesting. The laundry staff would have noticed strange stains on his sheets and towels from Renata's...visits. He stopped writing and stared at the list. He didn't like the idea that other people knew about his...why did he keep thinking the word “shame”? It wasn't shame. Shame implied that this situation was all about him and it wasn't. It was about Renata and her insistence on having a “real” Tuvendi child.
It was about Elana.
Truvio straightened in his chair. Of course. That was it. This was about Elana. She was just a toddler. She had no say in her future. That was up to her mother and father. And in order for him to have a say, he would have to prove paternity. It shouldn't be too difficult to do so. Elana was already showing signs of being a real Tuvendi. She always wanted to be outside in the garden, and if there was a plant anywhere near her she would rather play with it than with her toys. And she never tore leaves or stems off as other children would. Elana would babble to the plants in baby talk as she patted their leaves or batted gently at the flowers. Not to mention, her eyes were already turning purple. Only Tuvendis in the Jarl's immediate family had purple eyes—a relic of the ancestor who had first joined his magic to the soil and created the Earth Magic that set the Tuvendis apart from other Elves. The elf that Renata claimed was Elana's father was one of Truvio's second cousins with green eyes and only a trace of the Earth magic. Not enough to turn Elana's eyes purple.
But even if it were easy for him to prove he was her father, was it the best decision? He knew how possessive Renata was. She barely let Lessandra see Elana, which was one reason for the divorce. If he let Renata take Elana without a fight, then the divorce case would be simple and straightforward. The marriage would be dissolved and that would be that. But if he decided to stand up and claim paternity, the divorce would turn into a custody battle that would inevitably become unpleasant, to put it mildly. Not to mention that the news sheets would have a field day with all the salacious details.
If he faced the humiliation, he would have a chance at taking away the one thing Renata wanted most in the world: her daughter. If he got custody of Elana, he would have his revenge on her mother.
But if Truvio acted on his desire for revenge, would that make him any better than Renata?
This is about Elana, he reminded himself. What's best for her?
*Vocabulary note: fae is a female Elf.