the Leathermines

Back to Chapter 43

 

It was a different morning for Laun.  The sounds around her were different.  The smells were different.  The bedding was different.

The arm was the same.

Laun listened to the snores around her.  Almost all were very loud and very masculine.  Though there were times that the dancers could get very loud while sleeping.  She smiled and she found someone’s finger was gently tracing her lips.

She did not open her eyes.  She let the finger trace her lips, go up the ridge and bump on her nose and smooth her eyebrows.  The finger went down her nose again and she pursed her lips, the finger stopping to get kissed before it started to trace down and around her chin.

The eyes she woke to were more familiar to her than her own.  Fount was looking at her from under a veil of his own hair, but the grey eyes were unmistakeable.  She moved her hips slightly and the reflexive hold on her from Edgar pulled her closer to him.  Laun smiled again and worked her hand out from under the blanket to touch Fount’s face.

He took her hand and put it on his cheek, his hand over hers.  His eyes did not leave hers until he turned his head and kissed her palm.  She refocused slightly and saw the edge of a mat between them.  She looked up past Fount’s face and saw the stacked beds of the wards’ room.

She moved her head so she could look around a little more.  The bunk above gave them only about a head of clearance.  Fount was not under a bunk, having dragged a mat into the space between the beds to be next to Laun.

“Good morning, love.”  Fount kissed her fingers.

“Good morning.  Thank you for bringing me to bed.”

“Couldn’t let you fall over in front of the fire.  This was closest.”

“Different.”  Laun wrinkled her nose.  “Smells like...  Men.”

There was a mumble behind her from Edgar of, “You smell like woman.  Who hasn’t bathed in a week.”

Fount glanced over Laun’s shoulder.  “I wasn’t going to mention anything.”  A mumbled apology came through Laun’s hair from the man behind her.

“Wait...  is that sunlight?”  Laun saw beams of light cutting through the thick air in the wardsman’s room, catching things floating in the air and making men on the other side of the room grumble before pulling their blankets up.

It had been raining for close to a week.  The mud was impossible to avoid, though there had been time to put some walking stones in the path area from outside the gates to the main entrance into the Great Hall before it just was too hard to move stones at all.  That helped to cut some of the mud being tracked in.  The mud still covered most of the people who had to go outside for their household jobs.

Laun thought of the last year.  When the sun had come after the last big set of storms, it had turned cold.  Freezing cold.  Impossible to do certain things, like put up tents or dig out the last of the root vegetables.  She started thinking of the things that had been put off because of the rain and what needed to be done.

Fount’s face lost some of it’s sleepy happiness.  “I just lost you to the household, didn’t I?”

Laun looked back into Fount’s eyes.  “I am sorry.  Once my head starts thinking of things, I can’t seem to stop.”  She slipped her hand down to his lips.  “What am I thinking of now?”

He smiled, but said in a serious tone, “Don’t start that here.”

Edgar moved so he could be heard clearly as he talked past Laun’s ear, “There are too many men in here who have had wanted you to make it safe.”

Laun felt the shivers, even from his serious tone.  She nodded and said, “I have found that perhaps my... tastes... should not be as public as they have been.”

Fount raised up on his elbow.  Laun’s hand fell to the mat and felt the warm place he had left.  “You are you.  There are things that have changed, but...”  He leaned over and kissed her before continuing with, “Your tastes are not one you should let others dictate.”

“And, love, who said not to start anything?”  She could feel the chortle in Edgars chest behind her.

Laun tried to sit up, Edgar protesting slightly by holding firmly to her through the blanket.  She reached in back of her and found his cheek and ear and stubble of hair.  She stroked across his skin a few times and then grabbed the ear.  There was a surprised sound and he let her go.

She sat up, almost hitting her head on the bunk above, and looked around.  Most of the people in the room were completely asleep.  There were a few who looked like they were trying to ignore the morning and then a few were quietly talking to each other between bunks.  Laun estimated that a good third of the household was in the room right then, guests included.

“It is early enough, I might be able to clean myself before the rush happens.”  Fount helped Laun up to her feet but stayed on the mat.  “Think I’ll be safe by myself?”

“It usually is not you I am worried about...”  Fount’s quip was light hearted, but Laun saw the look in his eye that made what he said a lie.  She put her hand on his head and stroked his hair for a moment.

Edgar carefully raised up onto his elbows and then rolled off the mat the other direction.  He stretched and said in a low tone, “I am not following you, I just need to hit the privy.”  He motioned for Laun to go in front of him as they left the room.

Laun also had to empty portions of herself and led the way.  It was still early and most of the people they saw were bundled up asleep in odd corners of the keep.  The plan to move into her Lady’s room in the tower had to happen, and soon.  She was still thinking of that as she made her way to the laundry, stripping the well worn robe and tunic off and having a cold cloth bath before grabbing a tunic and breeches from the clean stacks.

There was also the practice tent issue.  Bringing the protector’s practice to within the walls for the cold season was practical, but the place to put it was not the best.  Many things had to move around, both physically and mentally, before it would work.  And Laun had an idea how to make Orgia much more willing to do it.

Laun went through the kitchen, stoking a few fires under water pots as she went.  She stepped outside into the gardens and was glad she had been cautious.  The rain had made it very slippery with mud and a slight slick growth that seemed to happen each fall.  The path was very muddy, even with the light gravel she knew was spread on it at the beginning of the week.  She saw how far the carpenters had been able to get on the walkway along the wall.  It still had some work to go, but at least the trees were cut back so that there weren’t any overhangs to let easy access.

From her vantage point, Laun saw where she wanted the training tents to go.  There was one cherry tree that would be under the canvass, but it was old enough that the inevitable use as a pell should not hurt it too much.  The last of the root vegetables would need to be pulled from that plot, but after that, if a mixture of sawdust and gravel were to be put down, it would harden into a good floor in the winter.  The rosemary and thyme along the back would be tricky, but since they usually had winter coverings keeping the snow off, perhaps a raised bench could be put over them to keep them safe.  

And then the heat.  They would need heat.  Where she wanted to place the tent was backed up to the wall with the laundry fire, the pots constantly being heated for boiling water, and this week the linens and clothing of the sick people.  In the winter, that wall never had snow near it.  It would cover several of the windows into the laundry and back kitchens, but that was a compromise.  Several raised braziers could be put around the tent to keep it above freezing, and with the workouts, most people would have little trouble keeping warm.

Laun smiled to herself.  The way to get Orgia into letting the tent go up had nothing to do with the martial activities planned for it.  It had to do with the marital plans.  Dreng had asked and Bett had answered.  They wanted to get married in a formal ceremony before the snows fell.  The Great Hall was large enough to hold the ceremony, but now with the amount of people, having an extra place to have the bridal dinner for the bride and groom and the private guests would be needed.  Hence the tent.

Laun went back through the kitchens, seeing one person come in and start on the morning prep.  She raised her hand, they nodded and they passed each other to their respective duties.

The Great Hall was certainly not as cleared and clean as it had been before.  There were tankards and trenchers and platters still on the tables, the ones that were upright.  People bundled up in capes and blankets, mostly alone but some with others, were randomly scattered about.  One of the fires was being cleaned and rebuilt by someone who had mud almost to their knees.  Laun made a special effort to make sure he knew how much she appreciated him going out and getting the firewood for that morning.  He had been one who had been in her bed before, so along with the touch on the shoulder, there was a kiss on the lips.  They both had smiles as she went to look out into the courtyard.

She could hardly see the flagstones that had been placed.  Some edges showed where the stones had sunk on one end into the mud and the other side was pressed up.  It was a good idea, it just needed a better, and less slippery, base.  Laun really never went out of the keep before she was Lady and it struck her perhaps why.

Lady Hellon never really did like to be outside when the weather was bad, waiting for perfect days for her hill.  The Dance Master also had a strong aversion to anything that would make himself or his charges dirty, other than the pure sweat he demanded from them every day.  Sweat that they earned.  Laun flexed her legs and found a bit of stiffness, but they gave her little pain as she moved.  The strength she had been able to build back up before she was bedridden was almost gone.

She really wanted to get her strength back.  She had walked from one side of the keep to the other several times a day when it was raining, hanging on someone’s arm because of her sickness.  Once it dried out, she would like to go out and see what the land was like, perhaps take Grace to see what they had done to create a trading post and Inn.

But not right then.

Laun turned back and made her way through the devastation that was the Great Hall and to the chamber that had been taken over by the people struck down by the sickness.  There were several protectors leaning against the wall next to the door, one seemed to be surprised when their Lady walked up to them.

“How was the night?”  Laun stood at the door and waited for an answer.  The men shrugged.  She went in and dipped her hands in the wintergreen alcohol, the tingle of little cuts on her hands making themselves known.  She rubbed her hands together and then on her face and neck.

Disa was sitting in the chair, Lucaris sleeping sitting next to her on the floor.  The other two were still in bed, though one was sitting up currently sipping on something from a mug.

Laun went to Disa, her hand on the maid’s arm.  “You are looking better.”

Disa carefully nodded.  “I thought I was ready to get out of bed by myself last night.  Pillar convinced me otherwise when I found that I was on the floor and could not move by myself.”  Disa cleared her throat.  “I am better, but not leaving this room anytime soon.”

“Can I get you anything?  Tea?  Blanket?”

A look went across the maid’s face that Laun interpreted as nausea.  “Not at the moment.  Even the thought of food makes me unhappy.”

Laun put her hand gently on Disa’s cheek and then turned to the one awake in the bedding.  “Do you need anything?”  He carefully shook his head and continued to sip from his mug.

Laun grabbed some of the papers she had been working on the night before from the table and let herself out, dipping the fingers she had touched Disa with into the wintergreen.  The protectors outside seemed a little more attentive as Laun stood to the side of the door, trying to think of what to do next.

“May we be of assistance, Lady?”

Laun looked at the man, one of the ones who had come in with Dougal.  “If you were a pair of boots, where would you be?”

He looked bewildered for a moment and then shrugged.  The other protector smiled and motioned for her to follow.  He waited for her to come alongside and offered an arm.  She gladly took it and they walked back towards the wardsman’s bunk room.  He guided her into a large alcove that seemed to have lots of pairs of boots.  She remembered, as he was pulling out a stool for her to sit on, that it was there.

She recognized boots that she had seen made by a cobbler that had summered with them several years before.  They were all sturdy and he had made multiples of every size.  The dancers still had stacks of sandals from that summer.  There were some sizes that had one or two pair along the shelves, some close to ten, some had none.  Some had never been worn, some looked like they were close to popping seams, but still had some wear in them.  Laun noted to herself that she needed to keep an eye out for the cobbler, if he was still alive.

There were also woolen and linen socks draped over dowels or stuffed into some of the boots.  The protector found Laun both socks that fit and boots that fit within a few minutes of pulling various items.  He knelt and helped Laun put the boots on.

“I had the dubious honor of cleaning these things every day for a month last year.”  He placed the boot on his thigh and guided Laun’s foot into it.  They pulled and shoved a little and the boot was on.  The other boot went on with a little more effort, but fit and was comfortable.

As Laun made some tentative strides up and down the corridor, the smile she had on was huge.  “I think this is the first pair of boots I have had on that doesn’t seem to rub!”  She held her hand out to him and he went to kiss it.  “Oh, no you don’t.  Get up here!”  Laun pulled at the man’s hand and he stood.

“Lady?”  He seemed confused.

Laun picked up one of the booted feet and pointed at it.  “You saw the scars.  I have not had luck with footwear.  I have avoided going outside when it is wet because Orgia and Disa both told you guys I am not to go out in the mud without boots.”

He looked to the side.  “Well, it was mentioned in briefing...”

Laun took ahold of the man’s face and kissed him.  “You have just put these boots on me.  They are perfect!  They don’t hurt and I don’t think I will get blisters from them.  You found the pair that, well, has made me happy.”  Laun walked a little more and came back to slightly embarrassed man.  “It has been months of random boots before this and now, I am going to claim these as my own.”

He bowed his head.  “Everything in the household...”

Laun stopped and crossed her arms on her chest.  “Why yes.  I keep being told that.  But this is the pair that is just mine.”  She kissed him on the cheek and started back down the hall.  “Now to do some real damage!”

She was able to walk through the courtyard without the fear of something that was hiding below the mud spearing her.  The light of the sun was showing the splashes from the ground up the walls of the courtyard, the places people and horses had tried to walk uneven.  She made it to the stables for the first time in close to a week.  She was happy and as she passed by to see Grace, she took ahold of Ali and gave her a deep kiss, leaving the stablehand breathless and leaning against a post.

Grace was on the ground of the stables, her legs up under her as she slept.  Laun went down on her knees and placed a hand on Grace’s head.  She jerked awake and her head went towards Laun.  There was a spit second where Laun thought that Grace was about to bite her, but the horse just mouthed her arm, just a bare amount of the huge teeth scraping through to her skin under the tunic.  The palfrey rolled and got her legs under her, standing in just a few swift movements.

Laun reached up and Grace bowed her head, the halter helping to provide some stability as Laun stood.  She grabbed a curry brush from an apron hanging over the stall wall and ran the brush down Grace’s red hide.  The horse started to move sideways into Laun and Laun had to push at the horse, saying, “Not now.  I want to ride, but not right now.”  Grace stopped moving towards her, and started to lean into the brushing.

Laun knew she did not do a good job, but she felt as if she had to connect with the horse somehow.  She had not been able to ride since first her woman’s monthlies and then the sickness.  It calmed her as much as it calmed the horse.

Laun was feeling pulled in too many directions.  So much to do, to think about, to decide.  Her feelings were not as clear on people and things as they had been in the past.  And with the addition of more people while she was sick, she felt she needed to catch up some how.  With the people, with the information they brought.

Focusing on just the brush held to her hand by a leather strap, the strokes down the twitching skin of the horse let Laun place the now in perspective.  Having to use just the right amount of pressure or else it was too light and didn’t get anything off the hair or too hard and Grace let Laun know with a flip of her mane or just stepping away.

The now.  It was about to turn cold, some of the roads fairly treacherous for those traveling.  They had not heard of Falmir’s people coming closer than Helmic’s lands, not even going past to the remnants of the Uetoi lands.  There had been refugees going past most days, even in the rain.  The now was a problem with not knowing who is coming next, who they were, or could be.  The larder was full and could feed the people in the keep and castle for several months if they had to.  But, if there were more people coming...

Laun let Grace eat some oats from her hand before leaving the stable.  Ali was mucking out one of the stalls and Laun stopped, waiting for Ali to look up.  She did and leaned on the rake.

“Thank you for taking care of the horses, not just Grace, but all of them.  You are doing such a wonderful job.”  Laun looked at her boots for a moment.  “I hope you didn’t mind me kissing you...”

Ali dropped the rake and stepped towards Laun.  A flash of fear went through her, but then as Ali’s arms went around her and they were pressed together, it all flowed into passion.  Ali’s hand went into Laun’s hair, pulling her head back as they kissed.  Laun’s legs went weak and was happy that she had such a strong person to support her.

They parted and Ali went to step back, her eyes went to the hair still loosely gripped in her hand.  She pulled a thong from her belt and tied Laun’s hair back.

“Thank you.”  Laun’s hand went to Ali’s cheek before she turned and left.

The sun was higher and there was a chilly wind licking at her over the wall.  She went from stone to stone until she was able to get back inside.  She scraped some of the mud off with a stick that was tied to the frame of the door, she knew that she was still going to track some mud in, but she was glad someone had thought of the stick on a string.

Most of the people in the Great Hall were awake.  Including the protector who had helped her with her boots.  He stood from the table he was at and she saw that he was holding the papers she had taken from the sleeping chamber.

“Where did I leave that?”  Laun went to him and took the papers from him.

“With the boots.  I didn’t see them until you were gone.”  He bowed his head and went to step back.

Laun stepped forward and put her hand on his arm.  “What did you think?”

He blinked.  “Of what, Lady?”

She held up the papers.  “These.  I was assuming you read them.”

He looked at the papers and nodded.  “Well...”  He motioned to the table and the bench beside him.

They sat and went over the plans for the tent.  He liked the ideas and pointed out a few things that would happen in the middle of the winter.  The last few years, there had been snowfalls that made it difficult to walk through.  That amount of snow on the canvass would be very heavy and destroy it if not taken care of.  That was the most important of the details and a few others chimed in with their own opinions.

Food was passed, Laun had a tankard of hot tea in hand and was truly enjoying the back and forth she was having with the protectors around her.  She felt legs behind her and she leaned back, expecting it to be Edgar, as that was how he usually let her know it was him.  She looked up and saw the leathers before the wearer.

A wave of dread went through her.  The blood drained from her and she felt faint.  “Is he...dead?”

Pillar shook his head.  Laun fell forward and held her head over the papers she had been discussing.  She had a hand on her shoulder and she grasped it without looking to see who’s it was.  Pillars voice came to her, saying, “He is better, but there are still concerns.”

“Are there-is there anything that can be done?”  Laun looked through her fingers at the table, afraid to look up.

“Time and a few medicines.  I will need to travel and see if I can find someone who has what he needs.”

Laun turned.  “If you must.  Take the fastest horse we have.  Just come back.”  Laun got up and was not sure what to do.  Pillar again gathered her in and held her.

He talked into the top of her head, “It is less than a day there and back if I travel fast.  With the Winds at my back, I will make it back before dawn.”

Laun nodded into his chest.  “Go.  Ride swiftly.  Find what you need for him.”

Pillar gave one last tightening to his embrace and let her go.  He was not the ghost he could pretend to be, but he did go through the people gathered without making a noticeable path.

Laun looked around.  Many faces were turned to her.  It was morning meal and she was finally there to hear and be heard.  It was time.

She looked at everyone there.  Or at least tried.  Even standing in the middle of the room, people were so crowded in that it was impossible to see everyone.  One hundred and...thirty five?  Laun couldn’t remember right then.  There were over one hundred people in the Great Hall, sitting and standing and perching.  Quiet went over the room, the last people talking being some of the last people who had come to the household.

Laun used the back of one of the wards as a stable point as she turned again while speaking.  “It isn’t raining!”  A small cheer went up.  Laun raised her hand and continued with, “But we still have the mud.”  A hiss and then a few laughs went through the gathered people.

Laun nodded.  “While I was outside, I felt the start of a very cold wind trying to come in.  We have very little time to get anything in or out of the ground before the first freeze sets in.”  Laun saw several groups look at each other.  “Orgia will want help getting the last of the root vegetables out of the garden today.  There is also the trapline on the South verge that could be affected by the cold.”

She saw more nods.  “Back to the garden.  Now that the rain has stopped, the raised walk in the garden needs to be finished.  I am asking that it be a priority.  It is one of our main weak spots and we need to protect it.”  Laun saw more nods as she turned.

“There...”  Her throat threatened to close and she took a sip of tea.  “Pardon me.”  She took a large breath and started over with, “We were lucky to catch the sickness before it spread to more people.  Please, if you are feeling unwell, do not hold it in, tell our healers or chatelaine.  With this many people, we are too close together not to pass diseases.  And, unless you know you had too much of Orgias’ Ale the night before-” 

There was a roar of laughter that some of the people around her held their heads to block out.  “Yes!  This one starts with a headache, so know your bodies.  There is one sad thing to mention.  Deis is very sick and has not pulled out of it, yet.”  A quiet went over the room again.  “What prayers you have are welcome.”  She saw several people go to kiss their fingertips and forcefully said, “We shall not mourn until there is death!  Yes!  He is sick.  But he is not gone.  Remember how he has lived, how he is one of the household.  We have not dug his grave, do not put him into it.”

Laun saw the solemn looks and slight embarrassment of some who had started to kiss their fingertips.  “I wish to ask if anyone has any questions or concerns for the household this beautiful, sunny morning?”

Several people held up fists and Laun picked the closest one.  “Lady, how are we going to deal with the privy?”

“What?”

Several people started to talk at once.  The original person started again with, “They need to be mucked out worse than in the spring.”

“-And you are the one who does it, right?”  A chortle went through the place.  Laun could hear grumbles about it being not important business under the laughter.

He nodded.  “It normally just, well, flows into the North compost pit, but there are so many people in the keep that it has not had a chance to, well, do it’s thing.”

Laun looked around.  “It sounds laughable, but where will we go in the middle of the winter if that is not available?”  The giggles and rumblings stopped.  She turned and looked, eyes meeting eyes around the room.  “Along with the other jobs I have mentioned, this is now a priority.  Co-ordinate with the people in the stables and find out which field is being used right now.  And!  Anyone who helps to muck out either the privy or the stables in the next two days gets time in the tubs!”  There was a small cheer.

Laun held up a hand and there was quiet again.  “Thank you all for being here.  Not just in the Great hall, but in the household.  We all have our jobs, we all have our duties.  If you do not know what those are, I will be happy to assign you something.”  There was laughter.  She smiled and saw many smiles back.  “Be well today.  And!”  Laun looked about with a twinkle in her eye.  “Please stop calling me Lady!”  

The expected callback came from several people of, “Yes, Lady!”  That was a good laugh and the gathering started to move and change, people leaving and finishing their food and coming forward to talk with their Lady.

Laun had several people come forward with a plan to use some of the stuff to come out of the privy in some of the ditches and pitfalls spread through the woods.  She liked the idea and she smiled as she put them in charge of following through with that idea.  They bowed and left, not really saying anything, but a few had smirks pointed at the one who obviously had the idea.

The rowdiness that had started the night before was still in the air, though quite a bit more subdued.  Laun saw that people were quick to punch their companions in the arm or teasing comments came to her over the general noise in the room.  It was good, though Laun wanted to make sure that the energy went to the household work or training.  Before she could approach a group that seemed a little louder than the others, Orgia came from the kitchens.

Laun felt like she wanted to hide with the look that was directed towards her.  “What do you mean, I need help in the gardens today?”

“Put the ladle down and we can talk.”  Laun put her hands up against the threat the ladle Orgia was holding presented.  Orgia lowered it some.  “The winds are getting cold and with the ground being muddy, we have little time to gather.  Am I wrong?”

Orgia’s face screwed up slightly and her eyes narrowed.  “No.  I’m just used to being the one directing the gardens.”

Laun nodded.  “Which reminds me-”  Laun pulled the chatelaine to the table that still had the papers on it and started going through plans, including the plans for the bridal feast Laun wanted to have for Dreng and Bett.  Orgia was resistant, but when she heard of other uses the tent would have, and the ideas Laun had for protecting the permanent crops, she was more willing to listen.

“...if you can co-ordinate with the carpenters who are out in the garden anyway...”

Orgia put her hand over Laun’s on the table.  “You are a crafty one.  I’ll go see who is out there and get this going.”  She stood from the table.

Laun looked over and several of the men who were still being loud seemed to have nothing better to do.  She motioned to Orgia and went over to the men.  She leaned on the shoulder of one of the wardsmen and waited.  They were discussing the last hunts each of them had been on, some having been on the fowl hunt at the household, some at other hunts before they arrived.

The wardsman she was leaning on was the first to realize that they were about to be put to work.  He looked up with a slightly pained expression at his Lady.  She ran her fingers through his hair and smiled.  “Yes?  What may I do for you today... Laun?”

Laun glanced around the group, catching most of the eyes.  “It is not what you can do for me, exactly.  Remember how I mentioned that Orgia needed help in the gardens today?  Well, since you men seem to have nothing else to do...”

The members of the household stood and went to the chatelaine without any prompting.  The men who were left at the table were slightly confused.  One turned to the man next to him and said, “What just happened?”

Laun was standing with one knee on the bench, one foot on the floor.  “Dear guests, please, I wish for you to earn your trenchers while you are here.  If you would follow our chatelaine and do her bidding, I would be grateful.”  Laun could see one of the wards motioning to them to follow out of the corner of her eye.  “Thank you.”

Laun turned and smiled at the wards that were next to Orgia.  She put a hand on the chatelaine’s arm and said, “Don’t be too gentle with them.”

Laun went through the Great Hall, greeting and talking with people for quite some time.  She had not been able to do it for too long.  She had the opportunity to be introduced to several of the new people, one of them thanking her for the hospitality and trying to press a coin into her palm.  Without looking at it, she ran her fingers over it and said, “Good sir, thank you for your offering.  Silver is good in the world but your knowledge, your hands are what is the currency in here.”  Laun saw the flicker across his eye and hoped she interpreted it well.  “Your bearing is of a noble rank, even under the rags you wear.  Do not be ashamed of it, but be aware that it means little in this household.  I even put the King to work here.”

Dreng was one group over discussing some of the fortifications along one of the side roads he wanted to do.  He turned and said, “Is my name taken in vain?”

Laun held her hand out to Dreng and he took it, coming over to her and putting his arm around her.  “Grandfather, I had just been introduced to this noble, Kirk from the East, and was telling him of some of the quirks we have around here.”

Dreng had a slightly horrified look on his face as he said to the noble, “Never mention something that needs to be done!  She will put you to work!”

Kirk held his hands out and protested with, “I never really was allowed to do anything on the mains.  I don’t know what I can do!”

As he gestured with his hands she saw the line of thongs hanging from his belt that she had started to associate with those who were good with horses.  “Perhaps you would be kind enough to lend a hand in the stables?  We need to get the horses and mules out to pasture while there is good weather.”

He bowed slightly and said, “As you wish, Lady.”

“Oh, and be very careful around my palfrey.  She is temperamental.  Ali or Fount should be there right now.”  The noble took the hint as a command and bowed to her before he left.

“Careful.  You are starting to sound like a noble yourself,” Dreng whispered into her ear.

“Someone has to take the reins to keep these sluggards working.  Speaking of which-”  Laun turned and started to raise her finger.

Dreng stepped away and said, “I believe, I have a ditch to dig or something.”  He made a hurried exit, motioning to the others he had been talking with to follow him.  They nodded to her as they went past, most of them with smiles on their faces.

There were only a few groups of people left in the Great Hall at that point. Kitchen staff were clearing off tables of tankards and such, the sideboard being left up with some of the bread trenchers from the night before and a pot of tea to dip from.  Some people were bundling up to get some rest along the walls.  And one of the tables was still overturned.

Laun went over and looked.  She vaguely remembered a sound when she was convincing herself that she was still awake.  It had been a splintering sound.  She now knew what it had come from.

The table was on it’s side because one of the legs had broken.  She was slightly perturbed that someone would break a table and not do anything about it.  Then she looked at the break.  The wood looked like it had been chewed on right above where the wood had splintered.  Laun looked at the table and it was one of the ones that had been fixed after being brought back from Lady Hellon’s Hill.  She looked around and everyone in the room was either doing something productive or asleep.

With the partial leg in hand, Laun went to the woodshop.  She almost felt like running since her energy seemed to be up, but she did not want to push it, even with the well fitting boots.

She presented the leg to the lead carpenter.  He took it and said, “What is this from?”

“A table in the Great Hall.  It looks to me as though we have had rodents.  And this is one of the tables that was recently fixed, too.”

He nodded, more to himself than to her.  “I thought I saw droppings in the shop.  They go after the newer, sweeter wood.  I’ll see if I can get the table back in here and get it fixed.”  He nodded to Laun and looked at the tiny tooth scrapes near the splintered wood, a concerned look on his face.

“Is there anything we can do to discourage them?  Traps or something?”

Frar was still concentrating on the splintered leg, but said, “We have some stuff.  If we had some cats around here, that would help.  Or small dogs.”  He looked up.  “You know that Lady Hellon was afraid of smaller animals, right?”

Laun shook her head no.  “I hope that we can deal with the rodents before winter sets in.”

He nodded and smiled.  “Thank you, Laun.”  He went back to the carving he was doing on something and Laun scuffed her way back through the aromatic sawdust.

Always details to be looked after.  She wanted to find someone to go and collect as much of the sawdust as possible for after Orgia had harvested the stuff from the mud in the garden.  Gravel from the small quarry would be useful, too, and some of the bales of hay from one of the harvest houses could go into the tent.  The tent had just been repaired, which was helpful, but Laun remembered something about the poles needing work or replacement.  With everything else the carpenters and their assistants were doing, they did not really have time to do one more thing.

The carpenters deserved some sort of award.  Almost everyone did.  But she had nothing to really give from her hand to show her appreciation.  She could not sew well, so a favor as was on Sanreas’ belt from his mother would not work.  She could not cook, and no one could match Orgia’s talent in that realm.  She could not write, let alone illuminate as she had seen Geralk do on a moment’s notice.  She barely knew how to do anything but dance, and that was out of the question until she was back up to some sort of normal.

As Laun was walking, she did not know that her emotions were showing clearly on her face.  She would see people and smile at them, perhaps touch their shoulder as she went past, but then her face would fall again, the self doubt washing over her.  She reached the sleeping chamber and went inside, hoping to see Disa in the chair.

Disa was asleep in the bed again, but the other man was now sitting in the chair being checked over by Lucaris.

“How are things in here?”  Laun rubbed her hands together, the wintergreen scent heavy in the room and on her skin.

“This one insists that he needs to get to training today.”

Laun looked at the man, pale, his face skinnier than she remembered.  “Greig, how long have you been in bed?”

He tried to concentrate and came up with, “Two days?”

“Try five.  Until you are better, let the healers do their jobs.  Understand?”

He nodded and let his head fall back against the tapestried wall.  Lucaris measured out a dose of something and put it into the hot water in the mug on the table.  She swirled it around and then handed it to Greig, encouraging him to drink it.  She motioned to Laun and they went outside.

Lucaris had a tear on her cheek when Laun turned to the healer.  Laun’s hand went to the wet cheek and then her arm around the shaman’s shoulders.  She knew that she was no substitute for Pillars way of gathering her in, folding himself around and embracing all of who was in his arms.  Laun tried to comfort.

The one protector that was at the door turned slightly away to give the sense of privacy that a scene like that may need.  Laun smiled at him over Lucaris’ head and he nodded once before focusing on something down the hall.

It took a moment before Lucaris relaxed, never sobbing, not crying outwardly.  Her head went to Laun’s shoulder and she sighed.  Laun could almost feel a grounding of sadness through her, Laun’s own along with Lucaris’.  It was not replaced with happiness, but it was better.

Lucaris stepped away.  “Thank you.”  And she went back into the sleeping chamber.

The protector turned back and said in low tones, “I hope he makes it back, too.”  Laun put her hand on his shoulder, he put his on hers.  They paused before Laun went up the corridor towards the tower.

Laun knew she had avoided looking at or discussing Deis.  She still had flashes of bodies sometimes when she went around a corner in the keep and the lighting was just so.  There was enough to darken her already.  She wanted to delay thinking of another body before it’s time.

There was a need mentally itching at Laun.  The self-doubt was part of it, but not the actual underlaying need she had.  All the little things that caught her were delaying her, distracting her.  As she went up the tower stairs to the top, it was not a tiredness in her legs that slowed her down.  It was the thought that she was not right for the household.  That her skills were not enough, that nothing she did was going to keep Falmir and his men from wiping them out.

She was at the top landing, steps away from the door that led to the protected walkway at the top of the keep.  She could see the sky through the glass windows on either side of the door out, the brightness so very bright after days of dark and rain.  The repaired roof was above her, the solid blackness above her comforting in it’s own way.  The pigeons that they kept were up there and she could hear them cooing.

Laun went to the door and carefully opened it.  The last time she was up there, it was still raining and the door had been dragged out of her hand with a gust of wind.  There was a breeze, but it was not as strong.  She walked out into the sun and was dazzled by it.

“Lady?”  The protector team out on the walkway turned and went to her.

“Needed some air but didn’t want to deal with the mud.”  She looked around and saw the changing treetops and fields and a glint of water from one of the streams.

Laun recognized the two when the light was not as bright for her.  Jake and Nan were up there, their weapons in a small pile in the middle of the walkway.  She was walking well on her own and it looked like Laun had interrupted possible non-duty activities.

“So, Jake.”  He had a flash on his face of fear before he composed himself and nodded to her.  “Will you be staying with us during the cold months?”

Nan smiled as he said, “If you would allow me to be in your household, Lady.”

Laun went to them and held out her hands.  “I am not sure I would be able to pry you out, now.”  The two of them grasped Laun’s hands and then Nan embraced Laun.

“Well,” Laun said as she was released from Nan’s hold, “I will let you two get back to duty.”  She took one last look around at the reddening trees and started for the door.  She could not resist one last quip over her shoulder.  “You may want to put a bell or something at the top of the stairs to let you know when someone who might object to other activities is there.”

Laun did not see the bright red Jake turned, but she did hear the laugh carried off in the wind from Nan.

The bird coop at the top of the tower was something that Laun never really paid attention to.  She carefully opened the door and there was a flapping of wings.  A wire mesh was between her and the pigeons and their little boxy nests.  They had been fed that day and oats that had been growing mealworms was still scattered along the feeding trough.  Most of the birds had a grey plumage, sometimes with a green or blue tip or neck.  One bird was almost all black with a bright green neck.  It was different in plumage, and it looked like it had come in through the wall hole the birds used to get out and into their nest area.

The black bird was being given room by the other birds and it would fluff it’s feathers if one of the grey birds came too close.  It’s wings would go up slightly and it’s head down to threaten the others.  Laun watched for a few minutes, interested in the display until she saw that there was a piece of metal on one of it’s legs.

Laun had to get the bird.  The metal thing and the bird it’s self was different enough that she needed to get it.  She looked at the way the cage was built into the tower.  There was a door with multiple latches on one side.  There was a space inside the cage large enough for a person to stand with the levels of nests and perches around them.  She opened the mesh door and went inside.

The black bird had been keeping an eye on her and backed away when Laun reached for it.  Other birds started to flap about, making Laun protect her face with her arms until they calmed down again.  Laun had a need to get the bird and the metal thing.  She pulled the tunic off and threw it over the black bird, catching it and several of the other grey birds, too.  They flapped about a bit but then calmed down.

Laun reached under the fabric and found a soft, warm bird.  She carefully handled it and pulled it out.  It was one of the grays, it’s blue eye blinking and the head tilting as it sat in her hand.  She set it on one of the perches and reached back in.

After several birds, she knew the black bird was in her hand by the metal that scratched her hand and the roughness of the feathers.  She felt the pinch of it’s beak and tried not to jerk her hand back.  She had ahold of it, her hand over it’s wings.  She pulled the tunic back to let the last of the grays out and left the tunic over the black.

It took a little maneuvering, but she was able to get the bird, wrapped in the tunic, out of the cage without letting any of the other birds out into the tower.  She went down the stairs and scratched at the door of the library, hoping Geralk would be there.  No one answered.

Dressed in breeches and boots, Laun tried to walk calmly through the keep trying to keep the tunic wrapped around the pigeon and her hand.  She grimaced at least once as she felt a warm, wet something slide down her wrist.  Another thing she did not want to think about.

No one had seen Geralk by the time she reached the Great Hall.  She saw some of the looks, mostly at the wiggling tunic as she went by.  She knew the amusement factor she presented.  She still wanted to find the person she thought would know what she had.

Laun had made it all the way past both courtyards and almost to Lady Hellon’s Hill before she spotted Geralk.  He was flanked by Gismar and Sanreas and led several people carrying sacks of something.

“Laun?”  Gismar was the one to see her first.  He was not sure if he should offer her his tunic or take the thing she was holding.

Laun nodded at Gismar and talked directly to Geralk.  “I have something I think you know about.  I cannot show you out here.”

Geralk made a sweeping bow and said, “We were going into the kitchens with this load.  I would be happy to escort you back inside.”  He shifted his writing board to his other arm and offered a hand.

Laun considered, but said, “Thank you, but I think the bird would get away if I didn’t have both hands on it.”

“Bird?”  Laun nodded at Sanreas.  “Like a chicken?”

Laun started walking and led the group as she said, “No.  I found a...different type of pigeon in with ours in the tower coop.  It...has a metal thing on it’s leg.”

Geralk pointed to the people behind him.  “Get that into the kitchens and go back for another load if Orgia says she needs it.  Lady, we should get you inside so we can see what you have.”  He put his hand on her bare back and tried to hurry them along.

They found a small room and closed the door.  The four of them surrounded Laun’s package and Geralk pulled the fabric back to reveal the bird.

Geralk made an exclamation and swore slightly.  Sanreas became quiet and put his hand on his chin.  Gismar looked slightly confused.

Geralk helped Laun to hold the pigeon down and flip it over to show the metal thing Laun had seen.  It tried to flap it’s wings and was able to nip more at Laun, drawing blood.  Sanreas’ hand went in and unclipped the band on it’s leg and cleaned it on the leg of his breeches.

The tunic went back over the bird and it settled down again.  The metal thing was shown to Laun and Geralk.  Gismar was trying to take the pigeon away from Laun.  Laun held the bird to her stomach and he stopped.

“It is a messenger bird.”  The little canister was opened and two pieces of paper fell out.

One Gismar picked up, the other Geralk did.  They concentrated on what they had, Geralk starting to read out loud first.

“This is dated yesterday.  To King Falmir.  From the cob at Helmics.  Asking for more servants to help with the keep.”  He looked at the other side.  “That is it.  Is there something more on the other one?”

Gismar nodded.  “It looks like a small accounting on one side and then ‘Salam-Dir Ripe’ on the other.”

Geralk looked at the list and looked up with an anger Laun was glad was not aimed at her.  “We have a spy.  This is the total harvest count for the last month.” 

Onto Chapter 45