Lunamae

by April Sadowski

  I tentatively drew the utensil to my mouth and took a bite. Theron looked at me all the while, patiently waiting for a response. I wasn’t sure how to answer with all of the flavors in my mouth fighting for attention. They didn’t really compete with each other, but I would get hints of different spices, almost like I would if I were to drink a glass of wine.

  “It’s wonderful!” I said, still through a mouthful of food. Theron chuckled at me and smiled. I’m sure he could tell I was surprised. “I might have to keep you in here longer to teach me how you made that. We could experiment with other foods as well.”

  “Certainly, but I’d like to wait until the baby arrives. I want to keep you off your feet as much as possible,” Theron said as he began to put out the fire. I shrugged. “I know you don’t like to be confined, but it’s for your own good.”

  “We have another three months!” I whined.

  “Joyai can’t come soon enough for me,” Theron said, coming over to me for a quick snuggle. I breathed in his scent as he put his arms around me. It was a mixture of woodsmoke and sweat and I absolutely loved it.

  “Unless the babe comes earlier,” I said, turning to him with a sly smile. It was certainly possible as I was due, according to Theron, around the very beginning of Joyai. I could have the child in Julna.

  “I relent,” he said, letting me go and taking my plate from the table to place in the pile that required cleaning at the river. “Would you like to accompany me today? I have some deliveries to make at the apothecary shop. My new apprentice is learning well. A traditional apprenticeship is seven years and he’s getting the accelerated version. I’ve decided to let him carry on alone when you deliver and I’ll be available for emergencies.”

  I nearly jumped out of my seat. I had not been involved with the apothecary in years and I was eager to assist my husband with preparations for the village. “Do you even need to ask?”

  “I suppose not.” Theron chuckled and assisted me up as Eclipse came bolting in through the window.

  “Did you enjoy your morning hunt, little one?” I cooed to the cat as Theron scooped him up so I could give him a little pet. “You may follow us if you’d like.”

  I put on a few more layers of clothing which Theron recommended and brought down for me from above. It was Ebril, mildly warm, and I thought it silly. If I were to catch anything, Theron could just heal me. He wasn’t sure on how well he’d be able to heal the baby as he could not touch him or her directly.

  Theron offered me an arm as I left the house with him. We walked down the dirt road through the village to go to the apothecary shop. Even in the distance I could see shadows from within. The business had picked up once people knew who was running it. Some visitors didn’t believe it was one of the royal family members from Fanarion.

  Outside the little shop was a woman with full skirts and a stunning bodice. Brilliant golden hair caught the light from the morning and I caught myself as she turned around. When did Lunamae grow up? Was it all under my nose and I hadn’t realized it?

  “Muirenn!” she called out towards me. She hefted up her skirts and ran over, stopping mid-run, and probably realizing I might chastise her as I had done so often in the past. Also, it would have been mildly difficult to give me a proper hug.

  “Lunamae,” I answered with a hearty smile and slight head curtsy as I walked towards her, and my little Eclipse following behind ever so obediently. My heart began to race and I feared for the well-being of the babe as I thought of what I needed to say to her. “I need to speak with you.”

  “Here?” she wondered, spinning around to see if anyone was in a proximity close enough to hear.

  “Here is fine. You need to reduce your contact with Marcus,” I told her. It was hard for me to utter the words, but I did feel a bit of relief as they came out.

  “Why?” she asked with the all-familiar pout stretching across her face.

  “Because you are of the age to be married and Marcus is not a suitable courtier,” I responded, trying to sound as prim and proper as I could.

  “Yes he is. He’s the son of a Dominar. Dominar’s lead. It’s like he’s the son of a mini-chieftain,” Lunamae responded with arms firmly planted crossways under her chest.

  “Nevertheless, you should appear to have your options open for your mother,” I said, hoping she would soften up. I did make a valid point and she nodded, realizing the truth in it. “So come along if you’d like. Theron is making apothecarial deliveries and you are welcome to join.”

  “Thank you, I will!” She practically bobbed up and down in anticipation as we went through the town and I could barely restrain my own excitement. I was glad she was taking the news well and, as my imagination took hold, could only hope she wouldn’t react violently when I tell her what her mother had confided in me.

  Chapter 15

  The Engagement of Lunamae

  It was Joyai and a year had passed since Angharad told me about Lunamae’s wedding plans and my little bundle of joy had also arrived. We decided to name him Caden, as he was a fighter certainly. Towards the latter months of my pregnancy, he kicked more than he was still.

  I had to do what was nearly impossible and definitely uncomfortable by telling Lunamae she would be engaged to a Dominar’s son and she would not know how he was until they were wed. Lunamae tried to pry from me the details, but I had no details to tell her. Even the chief dame told me she did not know the name of the man her daughter would marry, intentionally.

  In Mae, she told the Dominar’s upon meeting, that whoever came up with the strongest reason for marriage would be the one whose son she would allow to marry. She did not want a name in the event Lunamae discovered it and then, as Angharad feared, complained. I recollected the events of Lunamae’s birthday as I cradled Caden and rocked him to sleep.

  It started mildly enough as we had prepared for the birthday and we did have the feast. The chief dame who had just come back from Kyrie on the eve of Lunamae’s birthday had been silent, although she eyed me for some time. I excused myself and Lunamae along with me, and headed out of the hall.

  “What is it?” Lunamae wondered. “Something important?”

  “You are to be wed to a Dominar’s son, by order of the chief dame,” I told her. The fear inside me was building as I looked at the scorn on her face.

  She softened momentarily. “Marcus?”

  “I don’t know the name. The chief dame doesn’t either. She is afraid you would complain if it were a man you were not attracted to. Their ages range from young to old. She did not want you making a scene,” I told her softly. “Do not make a scene.”

  “When will I know?” Lunamae demanded, her voice low enough to not be heard in the hall over the voices of the guests.

  “At the altar,” I told her. I could see tears welling up in her face and I so very much wanted to reach out to her and hold her as I had done when she was a child and did so much as scrape her knee, but my belly kept me restrained.

  “That’s barbaric!” Lunamae whined.

  “I’m here to tell you before your mother announces it. She wanted you to hear from me first. I don’t want you to go through what I did,” I told her, hoping her remembering my situation would bring some comfort. “I had no idea Theron was royalty until the marriage was announced over a feast. Can you imagine trying not to scream and cry simultaneously? You wouldn’t know how to react. I only barely had my wits about me.”

  “You are right,” Lunamae said as her head hung down in disappointment. “There, I hope, is the slim chance that Marcus is my betrothed.”

  “Don’t get your hopes up,” I warned. “You don’t want to bury yourself in further disappointment.”

  We then headed back into the feast hall, where Angharad took my nod to mean her daughter had been told and raised herself from her chair, garnering the attention of all in the room. She motioned for her daughter to stand, and Lunamae did so reluctantly. I noticed Angharad reach for her goblet and raise it with a smile, and t
hen began.

  “Today is a reason for celebration. Not only has my daughter reached her sixteenth year of life, but she will also be wed. In two years she will be wed to a Kyrian and we will be united with the clans of this land. Upon such a time, according with the treaty requirements as they are governed by the prophecy of the bard, I will hand off rule to Lunamae and her spouse. To the future, and to my Lunamae!” Angharad finished with a raise of her goblet, and she was joined by the rest of the audience who also raised to the toast. My goblet was filled with nothing more than melted cocoa mixed with fresh cow’s milk. Still, I followed suit with what I had.

  As Lunamae sat down, she turned to me with eyes wide and mouth aghast. “Did you hear what she said? I am to rule.”

  “I did hear, and I am just as amazed,” I admitted. The chief dame had not confided that information to me so it was as new for me as it was for Lunamae. I didn’t know how to comment further, but I was glad the hardest part was over. Now Lunamae knew and I could rest with ease and hope for a speedily delivery of my babe as my due date was fast approaching.

  As I handed off Caden to his cradle and snapped out of my little daydream, I was greeted by a knock on the door. I opened it and smiled at the sight of my aunt who smiled in return very warmly. I ushered her in and shut the door behind me and offered her a seat in our home.

  “Thank you,” Angharad said, although she declined my offer. “What I shall now ask of you is very quick and simple. I could have even sent a messenger, but I thought it would be best to ask you in person. Would you be open to assist in the planning and arranging of Lunamae’s wedding preparations?”

  “I would be honored,” I said with a smile and nod. I looked down at my sleeping son and no doubt Angharad saw this.

  “You needn’t worry. I have a house servant assigned to keep watch over Caden while you are doing your duties for Lunamae. I will give you some time to properly nurse and then the servant will take over. I do not want to intrude on your parenting, so you will have as much time as can be allotted to be with him and ensure he grows up as best he can. We need a most respectable offspring from the union of Frys and Fanarion,” Angharad rattled and then dismissed herself from my company. I was left to be in shock and awe and had to take a seat myself.

  I knew why the chief dame had asked me. It was more diplomatic than anything else. She didn’t have time to hand-letter invitations with all of the peace treaty details to work out. As I was a member of the family, as well as having connections with Theron’s, I would be easily able to include a company of people to invite from the far reaches of the known world of Orinda. In short, it would make the chief dame look very well.

  I thought about the whole house servant concept and realized the chief dame was not going to let my son enter into the Altram, at least not yet. He would need to be with me when we moved from the village into our own home in Midonia, but any Altram ceremony would have to wait until after the wedding. I did concede eventually to live in Midonia for a time in order to keep the peace. As I had given Queen Eirene plenty of reason to leave me alone—namely a grandson, and I assumed my stay would be more enjoyable than the last visit. Theron had written to his parents and explained the situation with the apothecary business and they agreed to stay his return until there was a new one in place.

  I thought about the house servant and wondered if they would also be able to wet nurse Caden. I wasn’t keen on being interrupted to return to feed him. It was only a year since he’d been born and I certainly wanted the best care for him. It wasn’t quite time to wean him and there was plenty to be done for such a wedding as I had to plan.

  Shrugging off my worries, I decided to use part of my journal to make notations on what I wanted for the wedding. I made a checklist of various items that needed to be included so I wouldn’t forget. I had almost run out of ink when there was a knock on the door.

  Putting the stylus and paper down, I pulled myself off of my chair and stood. I walked over to the door and grasped the handle, opening it up wide enough to see my brother smiling at me. His daughter Annadel was following behind, her big eyes glistening as she lifted a handful of flowers, hastily pulled out of someone’s garden by the looks of them.

  “I brought you a prezzie,” she said with an ear-to-ear grin. I couldn’t help but smile back. I gently took the flowers from her with a thankful nod. I pulled a string out from my needlework kit and tied them around the flower stems, then lifted them up to hang upside-down from one of the beams of the house.

  “You’ve been in the house for much too long,” Logan told me. “We can watch Caden for you. Go and get some fresh air. It’s stuffy in here anyway. You don’t get much of a cross-breeze with the position of your house.”

  “I wouldn’t even know where to go,” I told him, but the little voice in my head told me I knew exactly what I could do as it forced me to glance at my journal. I had plenty of planning to do and there were plenty of local vendors who would need time in advance to create the necessary decorations and materials for the wedding.

  “I know that look,” Logan said, calling me out on my little fib. I sighed and rolled my eyes which rested on my “prezzie”.

  “Okay, there is something I can do. Our aunt came in today to ask me if I would like to arrange Lunamae’s wedding. Although, I’m not sure it was exactly a request,” I chuckled at the thought. I bobbed my head in the direction of the bridge. “I can go scout some flowers—see what would work best. Oydyfr is when the wedding will be so I need to see what could be dried here. Perhaps Theron could make some suggestions of flora in Fanarion that we could have delivered so they would be fresh. Lunamae has such a fondness for blue, so I was thinking perhaps an assortment of blue flowers would put her more at ease given she will not be able to see the groom until she meets him at the altar.”

  “A bit barbaric if you ask me,” Logan said to me as he looked down at Annadel’s face. “I couldn’t imagine asking my daughter to do the same.”

  “She doesn’t want Lunamae complaining,” I stated. “Besides, it isn’t too terrible. It’s not like she’s going to have to go through what I did when I went to Fanarion.”

  I don’t recall ever actually telling my brother, and his eyebrows piqued with interest, but I waved my hand in dismissal. What happened was private and I certainly didn’t want the delicate ears of my niece to be hearing things which were much too advanced for her.

  “Well if you are going out that way, you should at least have an escort. Have one of the guards follow you out,” Logan told me and I rolled my eyes. “You’re important now.”

  “Not as important as Lunamae,” I retorted. Seeing the expression on Logan’s face made me soften. “I’ll gather my husband. I am sure he needs some stock. He’s lost some product in the process of teaching his apprentice.”

  “Good thinking. Take your time and come back when you’re done. I’ll have something stewing over the fire for you. Yes, I know … cooking with one arm isn’t exactly easy. I’ve had to learn how to do a lot with Annadel running around.” Logan smiled and waved me out the door, handing me a basket for collecting as I left.

  Swiftly joined with Theron who carried a pack, we walked out onto the dirt path leading across the Humble Bridge. He held my hand in his and gazed at me lovingly as our feet treaded softly forward. I melted in the contact and smiled at him as he kept my gaze.

  “Are you able to cross?” I asked him. I knew all I had to do was focus on Lunamae’s wedding and how beautiful it would be and I would have no issues crossing, but the way Theron was looking at me—well I knew exactly what was going on in his mind.

  “I’ll be fine.”

  I nodded to him after he answered and we both crossed, still hand-in-hand. When we were safely across, he drew out a piece of parchment and began to make visual annotations as he went down the line of the list written there. I tried to swipe a look at it, but he had already started to close it and put it in his shirt pocket for safekeeping.

  He led
me on as we continued into the fields. I noticed a few blue-budding flowers and skipped towards them. They were delphiniums and I knelt down to see how they would smell. It was ages since I’d been around flowers. When I was pregnant I made sure Theron had removed them all from my presence due to the smell—even the dried ones. They made me quite nauseous.

  “They’ll keep up to a year if you dry them,” Theron said to me. “I wouldn’t pick them as they can cause skin irritation. I mean, you shouldn’t pick them. I have gloves on me.”

  “Put only a few in there. I want to show Lunamae so I can get her approval first before sending someone out to collect more,” I told him. “Did you have something on your list you needed to collect as well?”

  “I have quite a few things on my list. It’s why I brought my pack with me. Don’t worry, most of them will be around the flowers so we don’t have to go on some grand adventure to procure them.” Theron chuckled and withdrew his pack. “Plenty of space in there.”

  I nodded as he put it back and continued onto the next patch of blue flowers I could spot. I stopped to look at them and wondered what they were. I did not recall the name of the plant, but I knew it was something Talfrin had taught me about when I was younger. There was a long stem with flowers alternating from large to small, going up the stem like an evergreen tree.

  “Monkshood. Excellent,” Theron said as he lowered himself to pick some with his gloves and place them in his pack. “They will stay flowering until at least mid-Sedfyr. If the weather is mild, you might be able to use them in an early Oydfyr wedding. I need them for making medicines.”

  “Perhaps I should have brought something to make a list with,” I said, feeling sorry that I didn’t have the best memory lately, and especially since I had Caden.

  “I’ll remember for you,” Theron said playfully as he stood up and we continued. He led me without touching as he still had his gloves on and didn’t want to get any of the residues on me. “I think scabiosas would look lovely, although they are not native to the area. They bloom through Nachfyr so they would be able to be harvested and delivered very fresh. I could see if we could get a shipment in from Lermeri. They wouldn’t have to travel as far as any of the other cities in Fanarion.”