by Andre Norton
Madame Zazar being my wife's foster mother she is also the famed Wysen-wyf of the Bog."
Hynnel inclined his head in respect. "Even in the faraway land of the Nordors, your fame has reached us. It is good to know that we have such a powerful ally as you. I take it you have visited us by magical means?"
"I needed to see what—and who—we were up against. And so, while Rohan here was unconscious at my hut after being burned, I took myself there. Your people are very brave."
"Thank you, Madame Zazar. We only did what we could, and were defeated at the end."
"Pushed back, maybe. But defeated? Never." Gaurin's voice was strong, but Ashen heard the words that were not spoken—defeated, not yet.
"There really is to be war, then," she said in a faint voice.
"Yes, my lady, I fear there will be," Hynnel said. "But how it will affect you and your charges—" He looked from her around the table quizzically, his gaze lingering on Rohan.
"My hurt is only a minor one and even now heals," he said. "Lady Anamara and I are to be married as soon as the priest from Rendelsham arrives. And this lady and this gentleman as well." He indicated Rannore and Lathrom.
Hynnel got to his feet and bowed to both couples. "Then congratulations are in order. I have come at a happy time, and a sad one as well. My greatest regret is that I will be tearing bridegrooms from their ladies' arms too quickly, but need waits not upon desire."
"The boons of your knowledge and skill are very welcome," Lathrom said.
"I will do what I can to advise you to the best of my ability." Then Hynnel seated himself again and picked up his spoon. "Once you are fully healed, are you prepared for a journey to the NordomLand, young Rohan? You will need special clothing, and your weapons must undergo some modification—"
"What sort of modification?" Rohan asked. He did not go armed inside the
Oakenkeep, of course, and so did not have his sword at his belt. Nevertheless his hand went to his side as if he missed its weight.
"Well, for one thing if you use your sword the hilt must be wrapped to keep it from freezing to your hand. Most of the time you will wear mittens, of course, and you can't fight with a sword that way. Instead, you'll be using a mace, or perhaps an axe. Sometimes a spear."
"I am passable with mace and spear. I have never mas- tered the axe," Rohan said, "though my grandfather's people favor that weapon above all."
"All the better for them, and it will be wise of you to practice. I have seen it cold enough that the metal of a sword blade will not hold an edge, for it is so brittle that it will snap. A mace is far superior. And your clothing—do you think you can march off with nothing but a light shirt under your mail, and a jupon and cloak over it? Oh, take your mail if you like, but be prepared for it to be as useless as your sword—all weight, and no protection when it shatters at a light blow. Leave your warhorse, if you have one, behind and let your lady worry and fret over him. There is no place for chargers in a land of deep snow.
If there are no sleds and trained dogs to pull them, you will walk. And how do you plan to keep your feet from freezing in thin boots? No, my young friend, there is a knack to surviving the bitter cold we will be facing and that is where my knowledge is even better than Gaurin's, for he has lived long in the south."
"We will learn well from you, sir," Lathrom said. He turned to Anamara. "Fear not," he told her. "I will look after young Rohan." He smiled at Rannore. "Which means that I will be much too busy to think of putting myself in any great danger."
The Young Dowager returned the smile, but her eyes were shadowed. "I fear there will be danger in every direction."
"And so there is, and will be, until the Great Foulness is vanquished. And the
Ice Dragons with their riders." Hynnel accepted another bowl of porridge. "I was hungry!"
Ashen pushed her bowl away. "And now I have no ap- petite," she said. "Please, let there be no more talk of war, or of weapons, or of preparations for war. At least not just now."
"Of course, my dear," Gaurin said. He kissed her fingers.
If she had not had to begin making new cold-weather garments for Rohan, Ashen would have been able to set aside the specter of war in all the preparations for
Anamara's and Rannore's weddings. Rohan's lack of clothing was easy to remedy; he was enough of a size with Gaurin to wear his garments. Anamara presented a much greater problem. She had only the lupperskin tunic and breeches she stood up in, and was so thin that both Rannore's and Ashen's dresses hung on her. Nor could she be expected to wear servants' garb. Therefore, some time had to be spared to put together a dress for her. Though Ashen had sent for the clothing she had prepared for the girl what seemed to be years ago, it might not have time enough to arrive before the wedding. She had thought to move Anamara to safety in Rydale. There dwelt her daughter and Gaurin's, young Hegrin.
Her heart cramped. Oh how she missed Hegrin! She wondered what the child was doing. Did she ever miss the young woman who chirped and whistled at her, instead of speaking? Was she studying her lessons? Was she happy? Did she miss her parents as well?
But she had little time to dwell on this loss. She had to be content with the reports the tutors sent back from time to time. Already a messenger was on the road toward the seacoast, away to the south and east, and he would bring back fresh reports as well as Anamara's clothing. And so, because it was unlikely to arrive in time, Ashen's thoughts came full circle as to how the girl could be decently clothed until she was wed.
The shoemaker had already come, and gone. Charged with the responsibility of seeing to it that everyone in the Oakenkeep was shod, men and horses alike, he made a fresh cast of everyone's feet and began making slippers for Ana-mara. He also began making boots for Rohan, in much consultation with Hynnel, who had notions contrary to what fashion dictated.
Wulvine skin was the choice both for the footwear, with the fur side in, and for the hoods of outer garments. Wulvine fur did not gather frost, even from a person's breath, and the people at the Oakenkeep had begun to seek out wulvines when they went out hunting, and to prize the pelts highly. Ashen had used one for lining the hood of her cloak. Also lined with a different fur, it fastened down the front, with slits through which she could put her hands, if need be.
The chore of actually constructing Rohan's warm outer garment—his a kind of tunic with a hood that could be tied close to his face—went to the armor-maker.
To Ashen it was given to make the many layers of undertunics, and Anamara insisted on taking over most of that chore. Though these layers made a man look nearly twice as bulky as he actually was, Gaurin assured her that they kept him safe from the elements. His own Nordorn garments had once been packed away in trunks with sprigs of rosemary in the folds, and he had not thought to need them in the milder climes of Rendel. Of late, however, he had unpacked and begun wearing them when he ventured out into the snowy grasp the unseasonable weather had on the land. Ashen could not get used to the sight of his lithe, athletic figure so muffled that he was nearly shapeless, but he fared well in the frigid outdoors.
Those who went with him copied this mode of dress as best they could, and
Lathrom declared it to be superior to a single heavy layer of wool, or even a fur-lined cloak. Ashen could not duplicate the delicate materials; they looked frail as silk or the reed-fluff she used to gather in the Bog but much more durable, and so she had to make do with the finest grade of wool, as whisper light as a lady's finest gown.
Every woman in the keep, even Zazar and Head Housekeeper Ayfare, was similarly occupied. Rannore and Anamara stitched steadily, both somewhat faster and more efficient than Ashen, who was constantly distracted by other matters. Rannore's maid, Dayna, and Nacynth, the maid newly assigned to Anamara, worked with them.
Gaurin could not be positive that other Nordors, refugees from the beleaguered lands, could convince their neighbors to borrow from many years' experience in how to survive and even thrive in extremely cold weather.
Gaurin were in their apartment, and she was putting the final stitching on another of the winter tunics before bedtime. She sucked one finger that she had pricked with a needle so badly it bled.
"No, but we can set the example for others to follow," he told her. He laid aside the hunting spears he was sharpening; it was upon his shoulders and
Hynnel's that the brunt of providing meat for the castle fell, for Rohan was still not fit. "And if your efforts keep one man on his feet when the fighting comes, it will be worth it."
"Yes, I suppose it will," she said. She drew the candle a little closer, and returned to her task.
The entire castle buzzed with activity. Even the occasional shaking as another fire-mountain erupted or coughed molten rock into the air went almost unnoticed.
The Dragons and their riders, Hynnel said, were speaking to the land. Even in the Bog, new fire-mountains appeared—enough that Zazar remarked that despite the danger the Bog-people must be warmed by them.
When at last the good priest, Esander, arrived at the Oak-enkeep, an astonishingly big part of the preparations had been accomplished. Both Anamara and Rannore had splendid new woolen gowns, Anamara's white trimmed in blue, the color of the House of Ash of which she was a distant member, and Rannore's of the Rowan color, deep gold trimmed in black as befitted her status as a widow.
The messenger from Rydale was due back at any time, and the piles of winter garments for the men of the Oakenkeep were stacked high in the sewing rooms and the solar, waiting to be packed into trunks and boxes. The chapel had been prepared for the wedding ceremonies, decorated as best as they could provide, given that no flowers bloomed in the snow. But the place had been made gay with ribbons and many candles. It would do.
Even Rohan had laid aside his sling, for he claimed that Granddam Zaz's ointments had cured his hurt all except for a little soreness.
Esander, somewhat to his dismay, had been given a room to himself despite his protestations that he was accustomed to sleeping in a dormitory, and bunking down in the soldiers' quarters would do nicely for him. Ashen let him have time to unpack the small bundle of belongings he had brought with him—a sharp contrast to the many trunks and boxes of goods the lowest noble could not seem to do without—and was waiting at the foot of the stairs when he came down for dinner. There was one good thing about having all these people living in the keep, she reflected as she waited; it was much warmer now with so many bodies inside it. The spare figure of the priest came into view from the shadows on the stairway.
"Greetings, Esander," Ashen said.
"And greetings in return, Lady," said Esander. "You look well."
"As well as might be, when I am consumed with worry. You have heard that there may be war."
"There will surely be war. There is talk of little else in the city."
"And here also. The men speak in low voices and think I do not know, but how can
I ignore the fact that all of the women have been kept busy night and day, preparing winter clothing for them to go and fight in?" Tears trembled on
Ashen's lashes, and impatiently she brushed them aside. "Perhaps it is not as bad as everyone supposes."
"Perhaps. Now, might I meet the happy couples before I say the words over them?"
"Of course. They will be with us at the supper table."
Even Esander could not repress a rising of his eyebrows when he learned that the
Dowager Rannore was one of the ladies he would be marrying the next day. "Do you then have the approval of Our Gracious Dowager Queen Ysa?" he inquired.
"It is not required, good Esander," Rannore replied. "I have the permission and blessing of King Peres, who wishes nothing for me but my heart's own desire. And
I have found it."
Ashen could not remember seeing her more happy as she exchanged glances with
Lathrom, their hands clasped.
Esander bowed. "Then I could wish for nothing better," he said.
Privately, Ashen thought that having the Dowager's permission might have been more prudent. She hoped she could stay out of any trouble between Rannore and
Ysa that was sure to arise from this union.
"And this young man and woman?" Esander continued.
"This is my foster son, Rohan, and his lady, Anamara, who is shortly to become as my daughter to me." To her surprise, Ashen discovered that the polite words she uttered were the truth. She had initially thought that acceptance would be the best she could muster where Anamara was concerned. However, in all the hard work in close company that she and Rannore and Anamara had engaged in, with the accompanying talk of women who were friends and women who were edging cautiously toward friendship, she had come to like the girl.
Gaurin moved to her side, in the loving support she had come to rely on from him. "Both couples are following where their hearts lead," he said. He put his arm around Ashen's waist. "Do for them what you did for us, and I assure you that nothing but good will come of it."
Esander bowed his head in acknowledgement. If he had any objections, he did not voice them.
The next morning, on a clear day when the sun sparkled on the snow and even gave off a frail warmth, King Hynnel, at Gaurin's request, knighted Lathrom. Gaurin would have done it himself, but he thought to do Lathrom as much honor as possible. Then the two couples were wed. There was much rejoicing in the
Oakenkeep, for the inhabitants had little enough diversion these days. Hynnel danced with both brides, as did Gaurin, and the feasting went on for a day and a night.
"Now I must go to Rendelsham," Gaurin told Ashen in the privacy of their apartment, "and Rohan must go with me. Also Hynnel and our new Sir Lathrom. We have tarried as long as I dare. There is much we must do there, and not the least of our tasks will be to confront the Dowager Ysa with this incident in the
Bog. Rohan knows this and Hynnel, who has his own errands, knows it as well. We cannot have a country divided because of the whims of one woman who fancies that she rules because she wears four mysterious Rings."
If Ashen had not realized long ago that he was correct, she might have protested. None of the men had made any pretense that they would not be going to the capital city as soon as they could. If it weren't an affront to his bravery and valor, she would have wept. Instead, she kept back her tears and merely nodded. "I am going with you," she said. "And Rannore and Anamara with us with their maids as well. I think Ayfare will be glad to have her duties lightened with only me to take care of, and Dayna and Nacynth both look forward to being in Rendelsham to see the great nobles in person. Zazar will return to the Bog."
Gaurin quirked one eyebrow, but if he was surprised, he did not show it. "It will make for slower going, with the women in the company."
"Don't blame that on us," she said. "You'll have dozens of carts just to carry your gear lumbering along in your wake. Put the other women with the carts and let them go at their own pace with a guard to look after them and I will keep up with you. Just you try to outride me."
He began to smile. "What a fierce woman I have married! In your careful planning, have you considered how the Oak-enkeep is to be defended in our absence?"
"I have. Nalren will be in charge of the residence, and Lathrom will leave a few men for the actual defense of the castle, if such is required. He can pick his own leader."
"Well, my dear. You seem to have it all worked out." Then he chuckled aloud.
"And you should know that your plans are very much like mine, if you had allowed me to voice them."
"Gaurin."
"Do you think that I could bear to leave you behind, when we have so little time left together? Of course I will have you with me in Rendelsham. But when I ride away, you must return here. Promise me."
Carefully, she avoided saying the words. "You will have to set a guard to prevent me from running after you."
He opened her jewel chest and picked up
an iridescent stone circlet. "Remember the bracelet that was my father's, an heirloom of my house. Remember also what I said to you the first time we met, and I recognized it for what it was even as I recognized you as the one woman whom I will love until I die and beyond. If ever you are in need of anything, put this on, think of me, and I will know, and whatever separates us, even if it is half the world or I face an entire army alone, I will overcome it to be at your side."
She took the bracelet and slipped it onto her arm. Now she allowed the tears to reach her eyelashes. "How I love you. Yes, until I die and beyond. You are more to me than anything or anyone else in this world, even our daughter. How can I bear being apart from you."
"Ashen."
They embraced, clinging to each other so tightly it seemed that both were trying not to let anything, any danger, any peril to them or to others, to come between them.
