the Leathermines

Back to the last chapter.

 

There were many days when she really regretted having been thrust into the leadership role of the household.  This was one of those.

The proceedings were being held in the tent in the garden to keep it as sequestered as possible.  The equipment that the protectors used to work out and practice with was either set to the side or put into one of the smaller tents along the far edge.  Three chairs were set on a piece of old, heavy canvas close to the middle of the floor.  Several teams of protectors were stationed at the way back into the keep and the tent walkway to make sure that things were kept private.  At least while the tribunal was being held.

She hadn’t even heard the word tribunal until the day before.  Trial was what it was, a lapse of judgement was what it was about and she was one of three who were about to decide the fate of the man standing before them.

Laun wanted to stand to say her piece, but her back still was sore from the cart ride several days before.  She sat forward in her chair and looked at the man.

“Kell.  I am...disappointed in your actions.  You have not denied what was found and yet you do not claim responsibility, either.  What appalls me the most is that you thought you had to.”  Laun could not look at him any longer.  She sniffled a little and felt the tear trying to come out of the corner of her eye.

Dreng did stand.  He stood and looked stern.  He placed one hand on his chest and one hand on his belt where his sword should have been.  “When the hoard of food was found, and you were immediately connected with it, I was suspicious.  Perhaps you were being the goat loose for the slaughter.  But, as we have talked with people today, we found that you are not the person you have pretended to be.  This was stealing.  There is no way around that.  At a time of war, in the dead of winter, you stole for your own selfish needs, disregarding what you were doing to the rest of the household.”  Dreng nodded to himself and sat.

Edgar leaned to Laun next to him and said, “I just wanted to hit him over the head...”  Laun hid her smile behind her hand and watched Edgar stand.

He cleared his throat and the voice he used was low but clear to the small group assembled.  “I watched you as you grew from a boy into the man, the protector, you have become.  There was nothing in your upbringing here, and nothing I taught you, that our Lord Vami taught you, that should have shown you that this was even slightly a good idea.  We talked.  And there has been a decision made.”

Edgar turned to Laun and then sat down.  Laun pulled herself up off the chair and stood, one hand on her hip and one hand under her belly.  “For having been found hoarding food and other resources, you Kell, son of Charlie of the house of Smith-on-Adir, have been stripped of any rank you have attained in the household.  You forfeit the right to lead a protector team or lead training.  You will wear a bell on your ankle for the next month and if it is found you do not have it, you will be then stripped physically and not allowed to wear anything but the bell for another month.  Also, until you have shown that you are trustworthy again, none of the women in the household will approach you.”

Kell had been stoic, hardly showing that any of this meant anything to him.  Until the last part.  His eyes went big.  Punishment was punishment, but being shunned by the women of the household...

“Learn well.  You are only one in the household.  Learn your place in the household and how one can make the difference.  In a month, your actions will be reviewed.  If you have learned, you may be released from your punishment.”  Laun had worry on her face.  “If you have not, then you will endure your punishment for another month.  And if that month does not convince you and help you change, yet another month.”  She put her hands out to him, palm up.  “It is up to you.”

Kell was not sure what to say or do.  He stepped forward and hesitantly put his hands in Launs’.  “My Lady, I hope that I can learn in the next month enough to raise your opinion of me.  Thank you for your kindness in this matter.”  He looked like he wanted to say something else, but stopped.

Laun nodded to him.  “Go with these protectors and you will be fitted with your bell.  The women already know of their role in your punishment.”  She saw a slight wince and grimaced herself.  Her hands dropped and he turned to follow the team behind him.

Laun sat back down in the chair on the canvas in the middle of the large tent.  It had taken most of the day to talk to people, to deliberate and come up with the punishment.  She was hungry, more than hungry, hurt from her knees to her nipples and really wanted to just go and take a nap.  At least her body had decided that the hourly walk to the privy was no longer needed.

She had a man’s hand on either shoulder.  Her Grandfather leaned in and said, “You did well, Sweeting.  It is not easy to punish one of your own.”

Edgar started to rub a little with his hand, finding a sore spot on her shoulder and gently working on it.  “Love, I am surprised we have not found more like this.  Then again, this is a very open household now and most of the squabbles I have seen in the past have been overlooked.  There really cannot be anger over things if everyone knows, right?”

Laun smiled and nodded, leaning into the pressure on her shoulder.  “It just hit me that he had worked himself up in the protectors since we came back and I know you were considering making him a squad leader soon.  Someone with the talents he has and he showed that he had avarice behind his drive.”  She shook her head slightly.

Dreng sat back and looked around the tent.  “This thing has been very useful over the winter.  In some ways, I will be sad to see it go.  I know Orgia wants to have the garden back, soon.”

Laun nodded.  “I hope she can recover some of the boots that have been sucked into the potato mound.”  They all turned and laughed as warning flags had been placed around the innocent looking area.  But they all knew that the potato mound had sucked in protectors up to their knees, making many loose their boots for the winter.  And usually just one of the pair.  Laun could make out the ridge made by the side of an upturned sole near the middle and was glad she was not one who would have to dig in the dirt to try to recover them.

“Well, I am very hungry and very tired.  I know we have some time before evening meal, but I am going to go raid the kitchens and see what Orgia has available.”  Both men brightened at the idea and stood, hand out to help her up.  Laun wrapped her shawl around her and was flanked by the two men as they made their way back out of the tent and through the workspaces of the keep.

Orgia had a small platter waiting for them and had it set on one of the tables in the Great Hall near the kitchens.  There was extra milk for Laun who stuck her tongue out at it but poured herself some anyway.  There were a few pieces of bread and some fresh butter and a ceramic pot with the last of the strawberry jam from the summer before.

Laun looked into the bottom of the jam pot and shook her head.  “No.  I will not eat this if someone else will go hungry.”

Dreng furrowed his eyebrows together.  “You have not been eating enough.  Remember that if you don’t eat, he doesn’t eat.”  He used his royal stare at her belly to make the point.

Edgar didn’t let her make up her mind and took the jam from her, scooping out some with the bone spoon onto the cut bread in front of her.  “He’s right.  Eat.”

Laun had a flash of something go through her and she did not stop herself before she blurted out, “You just love the baby.  You don’t care I’m getting fat.”  Laun looked horrified at herself.

Dreng shook his head.  “I hope you don’t get as bad as Colleen was with the mood swings.”  He put his hand under Laun’s chin.  “You are beautiful.  We do love the baby, Sweeting.  We love you, too.”

Edgar put his arm around Laun who was trying to apologize for her outburst.  “It’s all right, My Love.  No harm done.  Let’s just eat something and try to get you a little more energy.”

Laun nodded into his shoulder.  “Why do you put up with me?”

Dreng had a wide grin as he said, “If you are anything like your Grandmother, you will be throwing things at our heads within a month on a regular basis.”

Laun smiled.  “I do now, but I keep missing.”

There was laughter and Edgar lifted the bread to Laun’s lips.  “Eat.”

She did feel better after she ate.  Some of her pains went down and the sleepiness that had been gnawing at her during the tribunal was now making it difficult to keep her eyes open, even with the loud people around her in the Great Hall.  She leaned into Edgar next to her, meaning to close her eyes for just a second.  Just enough to get the energy to walk up to the tower room.

Edgar was talking to someone across the table and his voice came through his chest, rumbling and comforting to Laun.  She felt his arm around her, a kiss on her forehead.  She knew that he asked her something, but she could not actually hear what he said.  She just nodded her head, wiggling more into his embrace.

She felt her self being moved, many pairs of arms lifting her from the bench.  She smelt a sheep hide under her, feeling the long wool against her cheek.  A heavy cloak was placed over her and she fell into a deep sleep while the Great Hall was loud and boisterous around her.

She did not remember what she had been dreaming about when she came back up from her nap.  Food had been served to the household for evening meal and the meat porridge and new greens were being eaten between and around songs called out by the feasters.  Laun listened, not opening her eyes more than a crack to see what was being served.  It did not matter that they were scraping out the last of the larder.  The household was still in good spirits and was treating the simple meal as a celebration.  It was not always like that, but more often than not, people ate their fill of what the kitchen staff had been able to pull together for the mass of people and started to entertain each other with stories and song.

It was good to hear.  Laun felt that the Spring was going to leave them open and vulnerable.  With the messenger having been there and gone, there was little to hide the fact that Falmir knew they were there, and were not under his thumb.  The morale was going to have to stay high while there was a push to make the land safe, and start the planting.

There was a light touch on her forehead.  A stray lock of hair was being pushed out of the way.  Laun couldn’t help but smile.

A low voice was over her ear and said, “I knew you had to be awake.”

Laun looked up and was looking into Fount’s eyes.  She saw happiness in his face, a relaxed smile on his lips.  He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.

“How long was I out?”

Fount shrugged and sat up and against the stone wall.  “I know for at least two hours.  That is when I came in from scouting the outer fields.”

Laun started to push herself up off the sheepskin and Fount’s hand was there to support her.  She scooted closer to him and put the cape around both of them.  Her head was on his shoulder and they held hands under the cape.  They shared some mint tea and listened to the songs being sung.  A few people noticed that Laun was awake and brought over a bowl of the meat porridge.  Until Laun was nibbling on it, she had not realized that she was as hungry as she was.  She went through three bowls before she stopped herself, and the next person to bring her food.

She suddenly had energy.  She had slept, she had fed and now, for some reason, she felt like she could walk to the trading post and back.  The level of energy was such that Fount felt her vibrating next to her as she tapped her feet.

“Looks like you want to dance.”

Laun rubbed her forehead along his jaw and then looked up to him.  “I always want to dance.  Right now, I feel I could dance.”

Fount had a bit of a smirk as he said, “You could.  The musicians are already playing.”

Laun took a moment and said, “I don’t think so.  A bloated cow wobbling around the room is not entertaining.  I do think, however, that Orgia probably needs help in the kitchen.”

Laun got up onto her knees and leaned into Fount.  She started to kiss him lightly, but his mouth parted and it turned into a deeper, rounder kiss.  It took a while for Laun to be able to pull back, but when she did, she was out of breath.

“It must have been a very good day for you, my Love.  I haven’t felt that from you for a while.”  Laun saw the twinkle in his eye.  “Someday, I will need you to use more words.  I want to know what you do.”

Fount flushed slightly, but nodded.  He helped her up, standing and embracing her for a moment before she went through one of the kitchen doors.

Orgia turned around to see Laun a few steps away, waiting.  “Is there something wrong?”

“Yes!”  Laun tried to be serious as she stepped closer to the older woman and said, “You haven’t put me to work, yet!”

Laun stripped down from the light colored tunic and skirt she had been wearing and put on an apron over the only piece of clothing she had left on, her halter.  Laun was scraping and cleaning pots and pans and dishes for close to an hour.  The kitchen staff had a bit of a chuckle when a wardsman came in carrying some of the wooden trenchers and almost dropped them when he saw a naked butt in front of the wash basins.  Laun paid it very little mind and just directed him to the end where the dirties were being placed.

Laun was wet and covered in greasy slop when she finally was convinced to stop.  She had finished the dishes by herself, and had started to scrub down the wash basins, the tables, the walls...  Just about anything that did not move fast enough.

Orgia took the mapple out of one hand and the rag out of her other and said, “Lady, I think it may be time for a bath.”

Laun looked at the apron and shrugged at the stains she saw, but then she felt the drip off her shoulder of something she could not identify.  She nodded and said, “Please.  It will be refreshing.”

Onto Chapter 6, where there is quite a turn of events.