to run our house to get
changed. I followed her yelling,
“Running is not ladylike!”
We got dressed in our riding gear. We both
were wearing trousers, blouses, and riding hats. With the length of
our hair it would be too long to wear down so we pulled it up into
our hats. It also helped keep down matted or tangled hair. We went
to the stables. My father wasn’t there but I noticed him across
from us in the ironsmith’s shop making a few new tools.
“What are you two up to?” he shouted from the
forge. We walked over to where he was and watched as he worked the
billows and took some metal out of the forge with tongs and then
slammed it on the anvil and started tooling. It made more sense to
walk over than to shout back.
“We are going out for a ride,” I stated. I
looked down at myself. “Can’t you tell?”
“Be safe,” he said, worry was evident in his
voice. “How far do you plan on going?”
“Not far,” I said. “I think it would be a
good idea to collect some herbs. We will stay close to the King’s
Pass where it is safer.”
My father nodded, hammering on a piece of
metal. “That would be a sound idea. How long are you going to be
out?”
“We want to be back for the midday meal.
Lunamae is just getting restless being cooped up in the keep
working on that tapestry for Angharad,” I said. We waved goodbye
and went back to the stables. I picked a solid brown mare called
Leedaheden and Lunamae chose a gentle pony they called Schoeveo who
had a beautiful white and brown coat. I had ridden Leedaheden
before and she always took my lead well. We urged the horses out of
the village grounds and over the Humble Bridge. We made sure the
horses were equipped with packs for us to store the herbs before we
left. With all our years of learning herb lore from Talfrin we were
quite adept at recognizing beneficial plants and so in no time at
all we had collected an ample amount of herbs.
I decided to put some eventually in my herb
chest in the house and I thought it would be a good idea for
Lunamae to add to hers as well. We had given her the chest last
year for a Winter Feast gift.
We headed off for the midday meal and then
after that we decided to get the herbs prepared for proper drying.
We had our evening meal and went to bed. I wondered how many more
days would be like this. How long could my aunt keep those Kyrians
imprisoned?
Chapter 5
A Visit to Fanarion
In the autumn of Lunamae’s thirteenth year,
388 in the New Orindan Calendar, her mother decided that we should
all journey to the southern region of Fanarion into the capital
city of Midonia and meet the king and queen there before Lunamae
was given to another family for raising. I would miss her but that
didn’t mean I wouldn’t see her anymore. My aunt was scheming.
Lunamae was getting older and was a prime age for engagement. We
had always been in good trade relations but nothing solidified an
alliance like a marriage. Because of the issue with the Wuriven,
Angharad did not want to have her daughter marry a neighboring clan
unless she absolutely had to.
My father and mother helped with the
preparations. Logan had taken over the duties of the cordwainer as
Myrvin had some arthritic issues that couldn’t be eased by
Talfrin’s many poultices. It made me proud to see Logan making his
way in society. His work was revered and many traders coming into
the village bought his work over other clans. It seemed like all
the shoes I had seen lately had his seal.
Another bit of good news was that Logan and
the maiden Brynna were courting. She didn’t seem to mind him having
one arm and he didn’t seem to mind her having a little extra
weight. He would say it was all the more to love. Personally I
thought everyone in the village could use a little insulation for
the winter coming up. Since our summer was so mild I was worried
that we would have a terribly cold one.
I knew Lunamae was both excited and sad. She
had grown quite fond of Marcus who was
changed. I followed her yelling,
“Running is not ladylike!”
We got dressed in our riding gear. We both
were wearing trousers, blouses, and riding hats. With the length of
our hair it would be too long to wear down so we pulled it up into
our hats. It also helped keep down matted or tangled hair. We went
to the stables. My father wasn’t there but I noticed him across
from us in the ironsmith’s shop making a few new tools.
“What are you two up to?” he shouted from the
forge. We walked over to where he was and watched as he worked the
billows and took some metal out of the forge with tongs and then
slammed it on the anvil and started tooling. It made more sense to
walk over than to shout back.
“We are going out for a ride,” I stated. I
looked down at myself. “Can’t you tell?”
“Be safe,” he said, worry was evident in his
voice. “How far do you plan on going?”
“Not far,” I said. “I think it would be a
good idea to collect some herbs. We will stay close to the King’s
Pass where it is safer.”
My father nodded, hammering on a piece of
metal. “That would be a sound idea. How long are you going to be
out?”
“We want to be back for the midday meal.
Lunamae is just getting restless being cooped up in the keep
working on that tapestry for Angharad,” I said. We waved goodbye
and went back to the stables. I picked a solid brown mare called
Leedaheden and Lunamae chose a gentle pony they called Schoeveo who
had a beautiful white and brown coat. I had ridden Leedaheden
before and she always took my lead well. We urged the horses out of
the village grounds and over the Humble Bridge. We made sure the
horses were equipped with packs for us to store the herbs before we
left. With all our years of learning herb lore from Talfrin we were
quite adept at recognizing beneficial plants and so in no time at
all we had collected an ample amount of herbs.
I decided to put some eventually in my herb
chest in the house and I thought it would be a good idea for
Lunamae to add to hers as well. We had given her the chest last
year for a Winter Feast gift.
We headed off for the midday meal and then
after that we decided to get the herbs prepared for proper drying.
We had our evening meal and went to bed. I wondered how many more
days would be like this. How long could my aunt keep those Kyrians
imprisoned?
Chapter 5
A Visit to Fanarion
In the autumn of Lunamae’s thirteenth year,
388 in the New Orindan Calendar, her mother decided that we should
all journey to the southern region of Fanarion into the capital
city of Midonia and meet the king and queen there before Lunamae
was given to another family for raising. I would miss her but that
didn’t mean I wouldn’t see her anymore. My aunt was scheming.
Lunamae was getting older and was a prime age for engagement. We
had always been in good trade relations but nothing solidified an
alliance like a marriage. Because of the issue with the Wuriven,
Angharad did not want to have her daughter marry a neighboring clan
unless she absolutely had to.
My father and mother helped with the
preparations. Logan had taken over the duties of the cordwainer as
Myrvin had some arthritic issues that couldn’t be eased by
Talfrin’s many poultices. It made me proud to see Logan making his
way in society. His work was revered and many traders coming into
the village bought his work over other clans. It seemed like all
the shoes I had seen lately had his seal.
Another bit of good news was that Logan and
the maiden Brynna were courting. She didn’t seem to mind him having
one arm and he didn’t seem to mind her having a little extra
weight. He would say it was all the more to love. Personally I
thought everyone in the village could use a little insulation for
the winter coming up. Since our summer was so mild I was worried
that we would have a terribly cold one.
I knew Lunamae was both excited and sad. She
had grown quite fond of Marcus who was
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