Friday, November 30, 2007

15

Mairyn looked over at Neemyn and his grandchildren and she gasped. Everyone near by looked at her and then look where she was looking. Neemyn, Kym and Kohl were eating with three pronged wooden knives and miniature wooden ladles. They were eating much more neatly with these items.

“What have you there, Neemyn?”

“These, Wulfgard, are utensils I saw on my travels to the orient. This here is called a fork and this is a spoon. We each have our own set.”

“I would like to have some of those.”

“I can show your wood carvers the patterns. They are actually quite easy to make.”

“Excellent.” Wulfgard did not take his eyes off of Neemyn for the rest of the meal. He shot questions at the old man about his travels and made plans with Neemyn to reproduce some of the wonders that Neemyn described to him. When supper was ended, Petre went off to check on the horses. Shepp came back on guard duty over Mairyn, which this evening he did not mind so much since he would be near his young and beautiful wife. Wulfgard and Neemyn went off to tour the halle and its grounds. Wulfhalle had many innovations that other halles did not have but Wulfgard wanted more. After their tour of the grounds, the two men went to Wulfgard’s rooms and closed the door to make various plans. Kym and Kohl found other children to play with as children will do. They had no problem fitting in.

Joscelin, with Shepp trailing behind, went with Mairyn to get her sewing basket. They went to the women’s fireplace where benches covered in thick cushions had been placed to make the best use of the fire light and its warmth. They placed Mairyn in the middle of their group and Joscelin introduced Mairyn to the other women. Besides Joscelin, there was Smyth’s wife, Sulfa who was in charge of the women who carded and spun the wool from the sheep and goats. Sulfa was round and happy with the pregnancy of her fourth child. She already had three boys and was hoping for a daughter. Next to her was her sister and Briin’s wife, Minta. Even though she and Briin had been married for six years, they had no children but Minta seemed happy just the same. Next to Minta was their youngest sister, Nanci, who was only fifteen ad unmarried but there was some good natured kidding of her that there might be a man who fancied her and who she might favor in return. Nanci’s friend, a girl her own age, but mousy and quiet, sat next to Nanci. Her name was Zina. She would not look at Mairyn. The women explained how shy Zina was hoping Mairyn would not take offense. To Mairyn’s right sat the only other unmarried woman, Tonjee. She was Mairyn’s age and quite as pretty, but dark where Mairyn was fair. She was Maison’s daughter and she was engaged to Jonithon. They would marry in the spring. Next to Tonjee was her mother and Maison’s wife, Leezel. Leezel helped Maison keep the halle in order and she was in charge of all of the women except for those who work for Cook in the kitchen. The evening was very pleasant. Mairyn spent most of her time listening to the other women and girls talk about their families or hints on stitching and sewing. They gossiped about people in town in an innocent sort of way. Mairyn discovered the names of more people while the women were talking. The women marveled at her sewing kit when she unrolled it. Leezel, the oldest woman there present said quietly that the sewing kit had once belonged to Wulfgard’s second wife, Marlyn. She would only tell them that Marlyn had been the love of Wulfgard’s life and he was heart broken when she went away. As Leezel was quite young at the time, she did not know all of the particulars of the situation. They all titched at the tragedy of the story. It seemed Mairyn knew more than any of the others about the long gone Marlyn from Wulfgard himself, but she did not say anything. She felt Wulfgard would not want her gossiping about them. When it was too dark to continue sewing and the fire was burning down with most of the women yawning, they packed up their baskets and headed off to their beds. Mairyn promised Joscelin that she would ask Wulfgard for an unmarried guard. Joscelin was happily surprised at Mairyn’s thoughtfulness. Everyone was surprised when quiet and shy Zina, asked if she could carry Mairyn’s basket for her. Mairyn handed Zina her basket and after saying heartfelt good nights with kisses and hugs all around, Mairyn went to her room followed by Shepp and Zina following at the end. Zina placed Mairyn’s sewing basket by her chest and then ran off before Mairyn could thank her. Roban was already in the room with the fire roaring and the bed turned down. Mairyn took off her dresses and laid them out on her chest. She put on her sleeping dress and climbed into bed. Roban put out the oil lamps and climbed into bed next to Mairyn. Mairyn gave a satisfied sigh, curled on her side and went to sleep.

The next morning, Roban hurried Mairyn out of bed. She washed and brushed her teeth quickly, dressed and went off to the toilet, to be back just in time for the morning meal. Because there would be a big feast later in the day, breakfast was simply bread with butter and cheese and steaming mugs of fennel tea flavored with honey. Mairyn had missed breakfast each morning in the halle. It was more hurried than the other meals, with some people grabbing their food and heading off to their jobs for the day. The day was sunny and bright so a table had been placed in the courtyard and Petre and Mairyn would begin their studies with Kym and Kohl out there. This did not make Mairyn and Petre happy as they pictured many moments of embarrassment brought on by their own ignorance.

Neemyn turned out to be an understanding and caring teacher. Kym and Kohl were very settled during their lessons. While Neemyn worked with Petre and Mairyn, his grandchildren already had lessons from previous sessions that they worked on quietly and independently. After questioning Petre extensively, he laughingly pronounced him passably bright and he might be able to do something with Petre. Petre knew many things about Wulfgard’s estate and the animals and other resources it contained. He had memorized the counts of each kind of animal, the kinds of produce grown on the grounds and other property and how many baskets of each were harvested. He knew how to use many different kinds of tools. He could make harnesses from leather and he had watched the rope makers make rope, the blacksmith make horseshoes, knives and swords and he had watched the stone masons and carpenters work. Mairyn was astounded by all of the things he knew. Then Neemyn turned to her.

“What do you know, Mairyn?” She just shook her head in answer.

“Come now, you must have occupied your time with something,” said Neemyn.

“I can scrub floors,” she said.

“Clean floors are good. What else?”

“I can empty piss pots.”

The children looked up from their work. They looked at Mairyn as did Petre and Neemyn. Mairyn felt miserable and stupid. She didn’t know anything. She could see they were trying hard not to laugh at her.

“Petre, you have known Mairyn for many years. Can she do anything besides scrubbing floors and tossing out pee?” Now they all did laugh and Mairyn joined them. Neemyn made her sound funny with out making fun of her. When they all calmed down, Neemyn asked Petre again if Mairyn knew anything.

“Mairyn is a very fine seamstress and she makes her own embroidery designs. No two are the same. You would have to go look at her sister, Lauryn’s clothes to see her work though until she finishes her cloak. All of her sewing in the past has been for other people. She knows all of the best places to find the sweetest berries and the fullest bushes. She knows all of the different mushrooms and which ones are poisonous and not fit to eat. She knows many kinds of herbs and where to find them. Madame Gertrude has sold her services to Flora and others because Mairyn is so good at finding these wild things. She has helped birth many lambs and has a special way with the sheep giving birth. Something about her voice when she talks to them calms them right down so they give birth more easily.”

“So, Mairyn, it seems that you might know a few things too. This is good. Perhaps you are not stupid either and I might be able to teach you a thing or two.”

“You know a great many things,” said Kym to Mairyn, “and you are so pretty.” Kym stroked Mairyn’s braid.

“That is very sweet and polite of you to say,” said Mairyn, “but you know it tis not true.”

“Yes, it is,” said Petre. “You are far prettier than Lauryn. Your smile and your kindness light up your face. And your body is more fit and lithe than hers from all of the work you do.”

“You look at my body?”

“I may have noticed it on occasion.”

“Neemyn, is it proper for a cousin to look at his cousin’s body?”

“In some countries, people only marry the cousins, to keep all of the family holdings within the family. In other places, it is strictly forbidden to marry even a very distant cousin. Which place would you prefer to know about?”

Before Mairyn could answer Neemyn’s question, a man was brought into the courtyard on a littler carried by two other men. Mairyn, Petre, Neemyn, Kym and Kohl ran over to the men. The man on the litter was Shepp. He was unconscious, with a gash on his forehead. It looked like a flap of skin had been torn down from the top of his head to his eye brows held in place with a strip of cloth torn from Llood’s tunic. Llood was at the head end of the litter and Franc was at the foot end. Llood was covered in scratches and dirt with several other rips in his clothing. Franc just looked winded and sweating from carrying the litter. Petre took the litter handles from Llood and asked him what had happened.

“We were on the search party for Gideon. We had gone up the mountain to the path that went up to the summer pastures on the short side where just people go to bring up extra supplies in the middle of the season,” said Llood.

“I know the place,” said Petre. “The path has the wall of the mountain on one side and a steep drop on the other.”

“We were just going around the bend where the path begins to smooth out and Shepp was in the lead. As he went around the corner, he was hit by a rock that was thrown from the path in front of us. The hit knocked him out and he fell down the cliff. He landed on an outcropping of rock just below us, thank the gods.” Llood cried as he told them what had happened. “While some of the men went to look for who threw the rock (it was Gideon as I’m sure you already guessed) Franc held on to me by my tunic as I climbed down to the rock outcrop that Shepp had landed on. Shepp was out cold even then. I had to shoulder him up so that Franc could pull him up. Then Franc pulled me up. Some of the other men came back. They had the litter from one of the sheep sheds with them. We loaded Shepp onto the litter and as we brought him down the men joined the other men in searching for Gideon. What is wrong with him, Petre?” Llood sniffed and coughed. “Gideon has known Shepp all his life. Shepp taught Gideon how to fish.”

“I don’t know,” said Petre. “Let’s just get him inside and begin the healing process.”

They placed the litter beside the fireplace. Petre and Franc added more wood to the fire.
“Mairyn, go find Joscelin. Keep her calm, but let her know Shepp is hurt, so it is not such a shock when she sees him. Bring other women with you if you need them for her.” Mairyn went off to do as Neemyn instructed.

“Kym and Kohl, go to Cook and tell her I want her to prepare many pots of boiling water. Kym, bring me a bowl of hot water with chamomile steeping in it and many clean cloths. Kohl, go to my cart and bring my special case.” The children ran off to perform their tasks.

“Someone should be sent for Flora,” said Neemyn. “It will take time for her to get here, but she is the best herbalist and healer for miles around.”

“Jonithon and Haas went as we brought Shepp down the mountain,” said Franc. “They will carry her on their backs if need be to get her here faster.”

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