the Leathermines

Back to Chapter 29

Interested in a palate-cleanser?  There is always something different in Grade-B .

Laun saw the banner as soon as she stepped into the Great Hall.  And she noticed the addition.

It was the symbol that had been on documents and chests and the official livery for the Salam-Dir household around her since she was born.  And now it was more.  Each layer meant something, but the blood meant more to her.  Laun’s hand went to the scar on her chest and she rubbed on it, remembering the bronze chest-piece that had made it back from the festival.  She would have to have that displayed somewhere, too.

Laun went and talked to Orgia, first thanking her for putting up the banner.  She thanked the chatelaine for the thoughtfulness of the red on the green.  Orgia curtsied.  Laun then asked if Geralk had talked to her that afternoon.

Orgia squinted her eyes and shook her head.  Laun put a finger under her bottom lip indicating a secret and said, “The three of us need to talk about some supplies he will need for trade.”

Orgia did not let the panic she felt show.  “Very good, Lady.”

“Before dinner, if possible.”  Orgia nodded and Laun excused herself.

Laun was finding that running the household was very time consuming with the little details she had to remember, the conversations she had to have, no matter what it was about or to, and the social faux-pas she kept making.  

And she now had to fend off a few of the men in the household.  She was not sure why they had decided that they could fondle her when they wanted.  She had even had to pull one man to the side as he had started it in public, at breakfast.  And a few people had become hard to find or talk to.

She knew it was because of her wish to take lovers.  To be deflowered seemed to be such a minor thing to her, but everyone else seemed to make it into something that changed everything about her.  Well, it had changed one thing...  Laun had a hot flash go through her as she remembered the early morning hours and the impatience Fount had when he woke.

The sleeping chamber now was more than that.  And Edgar had started posting a guard at night, more to warn people that there may be things other than sleeping going on.  But that had meant that not as many bodies were in the pile, and Laun had started to miss them.  She had slept poorly on the last night as the room felt empty with just four of them in the room.

As Laun went to find Geralk again, she thought of Disa and how she had been with Laun for so much in such a short amount of time, and now she was there for almost all of the sex.  She had not really participated since the first night.  She did hold Laun while Edgar or Fount was on top of her, and her kissing was getting really, really good.  Laun was not worried, she was not trying to pressure Disa, just wondered why.  Another conversation that may or may not be good.

Geralk was with his mule.  They had not spent much time together since coming to the Salam-Dir household.  It was good to spend time with her to keep her docile, at least that is what Geralk said.  Laun took the opportunity to put a hand on his arm and ask, quite seriously, “Is that what men want?”

Geralk was not keeping anything back when he laughed.  When he finally came up for air, he gasped out, “Laun, I never know what you are going to come up with next.”  He put down the curry combs and turned Laun towards him by the shoulders.  “Mules are docile.  Sheep are docile.  Women are...women!”

Laun still had some of her artlessness about her as she said, “I think I am becoming docile, and there are men here-”

He cut her off with a finger on her lips.  “Dearest, there are some idiot men who believe that a woman who is not married is fair game in the sexual hunt.  There are some who actually think the other way around, but that is another idiocy.  I do not know how you will handle this, but I know you will.”  He held his arms out and they briefly embraced.

Laun’s mental cascade of lists came forward in her brain, and as they pulled back she asked, “Who do you think will be a good candidate to take over the list master position you slid into?”

It took a moment for the merchant to switch gears, but said, “I have talked with that young man you shamed into swearing to you, um...”

“Gismar?”

He nodded.  “He came from a merchant household and knows his letters and numbers very well.”

Laun nodded.  “It’s settled.  He doesn’t know it yet.”

Under the pretext of a meeting about some of the supplies, there were six people gathered in one of the storerooms before the nightly meal.  Geralk had chosen Kelli and Ben to accompany him as they were the youngest of the teams that were sleeping together.  Geralk and Orgia stood next to each other, hands entwined in the most public affection Laun had seen yet.  Laun had gone and found Gismar herself and had dragged him away from his afternoon game of Sticks to join the meeting.  There had been a few knowing looks, but after Geralk and Orgia’s names were mentioned along with a supply that needed to be counted, they stopped.

“I am not even telling Edgar about this until you three are gone.  We need you to just go, and I am sure that his Majesty would want to do some sort of accolade for your bravery or something...”  Laun shrugged.  “You may want to go to him right before you leave and ask him for verbal messages if you find certain people loyal to the bright green.”

The merchant nodded and turned to his replacement.  “We have talked about things over the last weeks, and I am certain that your upbringing will keep you in good stead with the household accounts.  The lists are growing as the harvest continues.  In fact, I will try to bring back some paper and parchment.”

Gismar looked like he had something to say, but stopped.  Ben definitely had something to say.  “Lady, do you really think we are ready?”

Laun put hands on both the protector’s shoulders.  “You are much more ready than I was when the first attack came to our keep.  Protect Geralk.  Bring back information, and oil, if you can...”  Laun caught smiles from both of them.  She held out her arms and they both embraced her.  It took a moment, but it felt like they all sighed right before pulling back.

Orgia took the two young protectors by the shoulders and said, “Now to make sure you are outfitted properly.”   She dragged them to a corner of the storeroom and started going through chests.

Laun, Gismar and Geralk nodded to each other, fingers under lips and left the room.  It was up to Geralk when they would leave.  He knew one of the ways around the main road, so there may not even be protectors on guard to know that they had left.

Laun was sad.  She knew that there was a high chance that none of them may come back.  They were now one hundred and three.

Onto Chapter 31 There is a sleepless night that leads to a small heartache for Laun.