“In the name of the Creator we give thanks for this child. We pray your protection upon the child and the family who will now care for her. Give them strength, hope, and patience.” The friar turned to my father and questioned, “Do you accept responsibility for Lunamae? Do you and your family promise to teach her in the studies of nature, reading, writing, and the good habits of women? Do you promise to protect her from all evils? Do you promise to teach her in the law of the Creator and help her understand the Text of Illumination?”
My father answered quite confidently, “We do.” Now I know the friar was asking the whole family and my father answered for us all, but in that moment I realized I would have to be more than just a foster-sister. I would have to be a teacher too. Logan didn’t have the sense to teach this babe. My mother would be too busy attending Angharad, and my father had his farrier business. At least I had a few more years before much instruction would be needed. The only thing Lunamae needed right now was care and love.
The chief dame lifted Lunamae up out of the crib and handed her to my mother, and the babe reached for the golden strands of Angharad’s locks.
“No my child,” Angharad said lovingly, taking the hand of Lunamae and gently removing it from her hair. “It is a new step in your life. You must go with them. You will still see me often and know I am still your mother.” The babe looked at her and an expression which could only be described as puzzlement crossed her face and she started uttering gibberish. My mother took Lunamae in her arms and smiled widely at her, the little one returning the gaze with a pout.
“It’ll be all right, tiny one,” I said, placing a hand over her head which was starting to be densely covered with delicate threads of gold as well, like her mother. The softness of the hair startled me and I quickly moved my hand away.
“Come now, Muirenn,” my mother offered. “Your father and I need to finish our preparations in the house. When she is bigger she can share the loft with you but for right now she must sleep and play in the main living area where it is safer.” Lunamae waved her little hand at Angharad as we left, my father trailing us (he had the gifts from the friars in his hands).
We walked out of the ceremony room and headed out of the keep. My mother passed Lunamae to me as she tried to help my father with carrying items. If she was any larger, I might have had trouble, but I had helped my father start chopping and stacking firewood behind our house so my arms had gotten stronger. Lunamae toyed with my scarf and brown hair and make nonsensical noises as I walked ahead of the rest of the family.
The house had smoke coming from the fireplace chimney as we approached so Logan must have been awake and tending it. The smell of woodsmoke from outside a building was what I loved. It wasn’t as dense as the keep. I shifted Lunamae on my hip and my mother got in front of me to open the door. Logan had a poker in his hand and was stoking the fire.
“Thought it’d take longer,” he mumbled. He put the poker down and sat nearby.
“It was quicker than most typical ceremonies. It is rather cold out and I’m sure the chief dame wanted Lunamae in a nice warm house as soon as possible,” my mother replied. She motioned for the babe and I set Lunamae down. She hobbled over to Logan and hugged his leg. He only sat there.
“What am I supposed to do?” he wondered. He looked a bit disgusted at the friendliness of this little girl and the forwardness of her affection.
“Just watch her while I make her something to eat. She is passed weaning and I can give her solid foods now. There is a bit of mashed pumpkin bits I used for a pie and some carrots I can soften up for her,” Mother said curtly. My father went into his room and shut the door.
“I can take her if you don’t want her,” I offered Logan, whose face softened slightly. He waved me off with his good arm and answered,
“No. It’s all right. She acts as though I’m normal. I like that.” I looked into Logan’s face and saw a glimmer of happiness I hadn’t seen in years. He had nut-brown hair like I did and dark brown eyes but the battle changed him somehow and those eyes always seemed different. I noticed his face was getting a little prickly. He was due for a shave. Father always helped him with that since he wasn’t quite so adept with his left. He had been working on it and every day he practiced using it. He tried to do it secretly. I always seemed to catch a peek through the floorboards in the loft when my parents went to bed.
A few minutes later my mother came back with mashed up foods and a small wooden spoon. I vaguely remembered that spoon from my time as a toddler. She ushered Lunamae to her and proceeded to let her try to feed herself. She did amazingly well, but she should at such an age anyway.
“It looks like she hasn’t eaten in a while,” I noticed. My mother brushed me off.
“She’s fine. I am glad she can eat properly. It will make our lives easier in the next few months.” My mother pulled out a chair from the table and sat down. “Muirenn, you will be required to teach her the necessary skills you have learned such as needleworking when the time is right. I know you are concerned with herbs and such and you can teach her some of those, but don’t go too far and make sure you watch what you say. Some medicinal herbs are well known in this area. Some are not. I would hate for people to confuse you and think you are more than just an interested girl getting prepared for being a wife someday. I wish I could help teach her but I haven’t the time. Angharad says she requires me as she trusts me more than some of the other women. She still has problems dealing with Chieftain Leofric’s death. It weighs heavy on her.”
“I understand Mother,” I said confidently. I had already come to the realization earlier in the day that I would have to help out with the training some. “Will you take Lunamae with you to the keep sometimes, so her mother can see her?”
“Of course, Muirenn. Her mother has so much to do that she will not be able to allocate much time to the rearing of a child—much less than in an ordinary altram.” My mother looked at me with her caring gaze. “I see where this is going. I will still make time for you. Your father will make time as well.”
“Or you could grow up. When I was your age I was already an apprentice,” Logan fired at me. I winced from his stinging words. He grabbed the poker again for the fire and laid it nearby as he took a nearby log and placed it atop the others while a few sparks whizzed out.
“You could still be one if you wanted,” I said quietly, watching him work the fire. He scowled at me. I tried to hold back tears. I had wanted him to get on with his life so bad after Wortha Hill.
“Who would want an old, one-armed apprentice? I can’t tool metal with one arm,” he retorted, recalling his previous work before he was called to serve in battle. My mother gave him a wary glance but didn’t interject. Instead she got up and went into the room she shared with my father and closed the door. I could hear them talking.
“Yes, but there are other jobs you’d only need one to do and because of the battle many of the shopkeepers are in need,” I said.
“Like what jobs?” he demanded. Ah! I had gained his interest. I didn’t think he ever thought of doing anything other than being an ironsmith. It complimented our father’s trade as my father made the tools and the shoes themselves for the horses at the ironsmith’s shop in addition to nailing them on and trimming and balancing the horse’s hoof.
“You could be a candlemaker. You don’t need two hands to dip the wick in the wax. Or you could be an apothecary. Talfrin always is in need of help there since he’s getting quite old in his years.” Talfrin was also very nice. I wouldn’t have minded being his apprentice, if I was male anyway. I was trying to think of other occupations but Logan silenced my mind.
“Apothecary? Candlemaker? Those are not honorable jobs,” Logan stated. “I want something worthy of my status—and most definitely not a cotter.” Even though he would fit the description of a cotter—someone old or impaired—he didn’t want to do menial tasks no one else wanted to do. It was demeaning.
“You could be a cordwainer. I thin
k you could easily do it. I’ve seen you practice with your left hand and you are getting better. It would be easier to make new shoes than repair old ones being a cobbler. They make good money and everyone needs shoes. You could make more expensive ones for the maidens of the keep. Who knows, you might even start to fancy one. A maiden, I mean … not the shoe.” Logan cocked his head to one side and pondered the idea for a minute or two. All the while we hadn’t even noticed Lunamae who had decided to take an after-meal nap in front of the fire.
“That isn’t a bad idea, little sister.” The current cordwainer was Myrvin and he lost his apprentice in the battle. Myrvin was too old to fight so he stayed in the village. His shop wasn’t too far away from our house either, so Myrvin didn’t have much walking to do (his legs worked fine). “Maybe I should pay him a visit and ask if he is looking to replace Cedric.” He glanced at me and took note of my watering eyes. “I’m sorry for snapping at you. I should have held my tongue.”
“Girls my age are getting betrothed. You were right to call me out,” I said in submission. “I’m going to have a child to care for. It’s all going to be quite different now.”
“We are still going to be around. Remember it always,” Logan said. I nodded and my mother returned from her room with a crudely made crib. Father had made it for us and now it was to be used for the new child. I think he was storing it in the stables. I don’t know how he would have fit it in our house. As I looked at the crib, it was obvious carpentry was not his forte. Mother lifted the sleeping Lunamae and put her in the crib, making sure there were adequate amounts of comforting below her, and then wrapped her up tightly so she wouldn’t get cold in the night if the fire burned out. I went up to my loft and flopped down on my pallet, wondering what was in store for me over the course of Lunamae’s fostering.
Chapter 3
Educating the Dalta
I sat the Lunamae precariously on my lap at the table as we went over letters again. As a four-year old, she had plenty of energy—too much at times for my liking—and I found she would calm down if I got her situated where she couldn’t easily run off. Nevertheless, I was determined to make sure she kept learning as much as I could teach her, no matter the energy level.
I had a few sticks laid out on the table as well as some objects. I held an apple in my hand and asked her what it was.
“Appew,” she said confidently. While she didn’t pronounce it perfectly, I didn’t expect her to at her age.
“What does the word ‘apple’ start with Lunamae?” I asked her. The child looked into my eyes. She shared the same blue color as her mother and they sparkled. She looked down and grabbed three sticks. She formed the letter “a” and looked back at me.
“Good girl, Luna,” I said. “How about this one?” I held up one of Logan’s leather belts. Logan had gone into apprenticeship with the cordwainer and he liked experimenting with the leather so much he decided to attempt to make some belts as well (with the help of my father attaching the metal parts).
“Bell—” Lunamae paused and pursed her lips together. “Belt!” She grabbed some more twigs and changed the letter than was on the table into a “b”. I looked at her proudly.
“Mewen,” Lunamae said, calling me by name in her childish speech.
“What is it?” I asked her.
“When is my mommy coming to see me again?” I looked somberly at her. It had been more than a few weeks since Angharad had the time to see her daughter. She was in negotiations with some clans and then delivering gifts to others when weddings took place. My own mother had been gone most days as well, keeping Angharad company and attending to her needs. At least Lunamae was aware of Angharad being her mother and not I. Throughout the years I had cared for her as my mother had warned me. It wasn’t so bad. Lunamae for the most part was well behaved (although she did enjoy darting from the house and having me chase after her). This made looking after her a bit easier since any trouble caused by her would be my family’s responsibility.
“Soon, Lunamae,” I told her. “It’s almost your birthday and you’ll be five. Do you know how much five is?” Lunamae held up her left hand, fingers sprawled.
“I miss mommy,” she said, putting her hands down violently on the table, a few twigs fell off as she did so. I combed my fingers through her hair which was getting quite long. She calmed down.
“I know. I miss them both too,” I said, referencing my aunt and my own mother. “She loves you. That is why you are here with family. We love you too.” Lunamae shifted anxiously in my lap and I knew the time for learning letters was past. I knew something which would make Lunamae happy. “Would you like to go out and learn about herbs?” The little girl nodded wildly and she jumped off my lap. After putting on an apron and a couple supplies for the apron pockets, I took her by the hand and let her out of the house, making sure to blow out any lit candles and adjusting the fire.
The apothecary had been more than happy to aid in both our learning, but there was only so much we could learn within the boundaries of the moat. I was finally to the point where venturing past the Humble Bridge also crossed my mind, but I was terrified still of bringing a four-year old across who had been longing for her mother. We walked toward the apothecary shop and since it didn’t have a door (as we were all family, if someone stole it would be very easy to find the culprit), we just walked in. Talfrin was there to greet us. He was sorting bottles and measuring herbs to add to empty ones.
“Good day to you Muirenn,” he said jovially. He looked down at the angel-faced Lunamae and asked how she was doing on this day. The child beamed.
“It’s gonna be my berfday and I get to see mommy!” Lunamae exclaimed. Being the daughter of the clan leader, she was looked on with sympathy most of the time. The others in the village understood she didn’t have as much time with her birth mother as the rest of the youngsters.
“We’ll be there to celebrate it,” Talfrin said. He and his wife Nia, may she rest with the Creator in peace forever, were also a part of our clan. I think I remember Father saying he was a third uncle to me. He was probably nearing his fiftieth season with us as his grays and wrinkles were showing and his hair was balding, but the lines on his face were of happiness and joy rather than sorrow and pain. The apothecary excused himself to wash up. He came back a few minutes later with a couple of baskets and handed one to Lunamae. She took it proudly. “Are you both ready to learn about plants and their properties?”
“Yes Mistah Tawfurn,” Lunamae said shyly, her arms behind her back. I nodded.
“I think you are both able to cross the bridge today,” he said. “There are only so many plants available in the keep’s garden, and most of those are only used for cooking. We will have to venture out a little farther today.”
“Are you sure she’ll be fine?” I asked.
“She’ll be fine if she recited something. Has she learned anything new?” the herbalist asked me. I thought for a moment and realized we could go over the alphabet. I nodded and Talfrin urged us forward. The apothecary shop was at the north end of the village and our house was on the southern end, closer to the Humble Bridge. As we ventured closer, we passed by the stables and my father waved us along. We also passed by the cordwainer’s shop. My brother was outside and knew we had frequent trips to Talfrin’s shop. He came to greet us with a gift in store for the apothecary.
“I thought this might be helpful to you for customers.” Logan handed Talfrin a few leather pouches that looked very well made. I assumed he made them since they had a small “L” notched in the side to designate him as the creator, much like branding a cow. “They are only prototypes. I didn’t know if you’d like them or not so I only made a few. You can have these at no cost. If you want more let me know and I’ll work out a good deal with you.”
“Thank you, Logan,” Talfrin said with authentic appreciation. “This would be a less expensive route than the glass bottles I had been using. I never thought to use leather even though it’s more widely available.�
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The merchants from Fanarion always had something unique, things we had never seen before when they came on their yearly visit. Glass was one of the first new things introduced. They were able to make it with the vast amounts of sand they had on their beaches since they were on the coast of the Sea of Ayreni. Sometimes they’d bring up interesting foods and drinks. I wasn’t particularly fond of their coffee, but some of the other women in the village were (and especially Chief Dame Angharad). The women of Chalos, who visited even less, gave us chocolate which I loved even more. I found if I wanted to ease the bitterness of coffee, I could add a bit of chocolate which was sweeter. The Chalosians made their chocolate from a cocoa plant and then added cane sugar. Their villages were surrounded by dense and humid forests filled with a multitude of interesting plants. I am told those are called “jungles”. The word makes me laugh as do some of the names of the villages. Veekah sounds more like Lunamae mispronouncing something rather than a place where people would live.
Logan waved us on and we continued towards the bridge. We passed our house and a few more before we were between the keep and the bridge.
“Are you ready?” Talfrin asked. I was as ready as I’d ever be.
“Lunamae, do you want to recite the alphabet with me as we skip over the bridge?” I asked. The girl puffed up her lips and cheeks in protest but saw the shocked look on my face and then nodded sweetly. “I’m ready.”
Distracting Lunamae with recitation wasn’t hard at all and I quickly realized the bridge was not as intimidating as it had been when I was younger. We were able to quickly cross over with no problems, and the bridge didn’t disappear when we were over it.
Lunamae Page 2
