the Leathermines

Back to Chapter 41.

It had been several days of Laun recovering before Kell decided she could try to walk on her own.  The healer did not know that Laun had been doing her morning routine while the soldiers had been sent off to the kitchen for first meal.  She also did not know that the sleeping elixirs that had been in the milk were starting to not work.

Laun had a cane in hand as she walked to the receiving hall of the manor.  She was happy and was surrounded by many of the troupe.  They said they had an entertainment they wanted to show her and Laun was happy to be out of the rooms.

A small tightrope had been set up.  It was about head high off the ground strung between two sturdy looking poles.  A sitting place had been created by the troupe for Laun by putting hay bales together and draping cloth they had borrowed from the laundry over it.  Laun sat and found that it was more comfortable than it had looked to begin with.

Adelmar did a few tricks, including pulling several bunches of flowers from various places and handing them to Laun.  His last trick involved flower petals that were pulled from his hat and scattered into the air to float down around Laun.

Laun applauded as the troupe around her jeered and whistled at him.  Several of the acrobats started to tumble and twist and contort while the tin whistles played happy tunes.  One of the acrobats climbed one of the guide ropes to the tight rope.  He stood on the top of the pole for a moment, making it look like he was going to fall off. »Read More

Back to Chapter 38, for those who are of a weak stomach.

“Well, that is a way to get you some bedrest, Lady.”

Laun’s foot was up on the table, bloody cloths scattered about as Kell looked at the wound.  The robe was draped over Laun, not actually around her as the healer checked to make sure the foot was ready to be sewn up.

Gem held one of Launs hands, Hazalam the other.  Laun closed her eyes and started to breathe deeply.  She knew what getting stitches was like, but on her foot was different.  She thought of the cold morning after getting out of the warm bed.  She had still been fuzzy in the head, but she could not go back to sleep.  She had looked around the rooms and found that there really wasn’t a good place to do her morning routine.  The bathing room was a little slick on it’s tile.  The bedroom still had a sleeping soldier in the bed.  The sitting room was full of furniture.

Laun had stepped outside the sitting room onto the walkway.  The early morning was beautiful in the walkway.  There was a strip of green outside of the arched glass and the morning smelled sweet through the broken window.  Laun started to stretch and limber up when she felt something on the bottom of her foot. »Read More

back to Chapter 37

There was moonlight coming in through the tall windows.  It was reflected and blocked a little by the walkway outside the room, but there was enough light that only a few candles were lit as Gem finished up braiding Laun’s hair.

Water had been heating while the evening meal had been held.  Laun was happy and relaxed and felt clean as she sat on one of the couches in the sitting room.  Her hair had not been tended to in several days and it took time for Gem to be able to work the brush and comb through before she could go from root to tip without a snag.  The thong that had held the hair up and back was used again to wind around and tie up the end of the braid.

Her man was sitting on the floor, working on Laun’s feet and legs.  She had on the robe from the Palace, one of the things that had really fit while she was there.  It was almost not big enough around and he was staring at the shadow he knew held her womanhood.  Laun enjoyed knowing that he was so focused on her.  She also knew that his jealousy was going to become a problem.

“Gem, do you know where my little bell is?”  She nodded and went to get it.  “Tie it on the end of the braid, please.” »Read More

Back to Chapter 36

It had already been a long day.  Some intrigue, some sex, some good things, some bad things.  But it was almost time for evening meal and Laun could not back out of it.

A servant had scratched on the door and had come in when Laun called, “Enter.”

He was not surprised that Laun was in bed, but he was taken aback when there was someone in the bed with her.  He delivered the message that evening meal would be in the Great Hall in about an hour.  He left, closing the door quietly.

Laun found the privy again after some searching for the hidden door.  She would need more supplies soon in there and she found where the moisture had come from.  She looked up and saw that there was a small water stain on the ceiling of the small room right above where the paper had been.  That was something to be dealt with, later.

Laun tried to brush her hair out with the small brush and comb that was on the vanity in the bedroom.  It was not the set from Ithian, which she both liked and didn’t like.  It did not want to go through her hair and her arms were getting tired trying to make it work.  She untied the thong from around her wrist and wrapped it around her hair, making a low tail that at least kept it out of her face. »Read More

Back to Chapter 35

Music now was echoing through the halls.  Laughter and joy bounced around in voice and in bodies as the troupe ran and tumbled and sang in the long halls of the manor.

Laun had asked Del if there was some sort of a great hall or feast hall somewhere in the maze of the Hawkwell manor.  He nodded and, with the medic and healer and their people trailing behind discussing Laun’s pigheadedness, Dell escorted Laun and her people into a place close to the middle of the manor.

It was a space that was almost as big as the Great Hall back in Salam-Dir.  It had not been opened for over a year and the dust and cobwebs showed quite well in the afternoon light streaming through the high windows.  There were tables stacked on one side of the room, benches and a few chairs on the other.  The Midlands and Hawkwell banners hung at either end of the room above small fireplaces that had been large at one time.  There were remnants of fire-logs in the ash, evidence that the flue had not been pulled closed on one of the chimneys with the dried arc of ash and char on the polished stone floor, bird tracks in trails pointing towards the fireplace.

A bench was brought over for Laun and she sat, happy to be off her feet.  She sneezed, putting the too long sleeve over her nose and mouth.

“This is good.  I know I keep asking for more from you, but I am tired of not having a central place to meet people.” »Read More

Back to Chapter 34

The courtyard was barely more than grey with the morning light when Laun was up and doing her morning exercises.  She had left the other two sleeping on the bed and had put more covers over them.  She had suddenly awoken and could not get back to sleep.  There was nothing wrong, with the room or herself, she just was awake.

Laun’s lower back was feeling twitchy.  She had not been doing her morning routines as religiously and her body was telling her about it.  She stretched, using the wall of the courtyard to prop her self up with.  Her legs were stretched and she tried to gently twist to see if it was her spine that needed to be realigned.  Nothing popped, so she went back to stretching and moving to relax things.

She tried to do one of the open hand katas, flowing as much as she could, but again, her back was threatening to go out and she found she was not doing things the way she really needed to be doing them.  She switched to another form and could tell within a few steps that it was not coming out right.

She just let her arms swing as she stood there in the courtyard, her eyes closed as she felt and listened to her body.  She started to move slow and found a few movements that did not seem to trigger her back.  She built on those, feeling the dirt under her feet as she turned, the dry air on her skin as her arms went through motions similar to pulling a bow.

It was not a true form, but she felt her heart beat raise and her breathing deepen.  She needed to keep some of her morning form, even if it was just to focus her mind. »Read More

Back to Chapter 32

Days had gone by.  Laun now knew the way to the main kitchen without escort.  She also could get to the Library and the front receiving entrance without too many lost turns.  She was trying to build on that, opening doors that would open, looking through windows to know what it was positioned by in the estate.

Laun had switched to wearing mainly just her halter and a loose tunic as she wandered the manor.  She didn’t even bother with slippers, though that could have been dreadful when she came across a broken window in one of the outside enclosed walkways.  It went on her list of things that needed to be fixed, later.

She had started to do just stretches in the dusty courtyard in the mornings.  She did not feel like her body would stand up to full forms and be able to continue to reorganize and clean the manor.  The dust was thick, except for in the area right outside her door.  Laun used the area only for her morning exercise.  She needed green and growing and living things around her. »Read More

Back to Chapter 31

“I want it unlocked.”

Laun was not raising her voice.  She was not being threatening.  She was being firm in her request.

The servant was several steps away from Laun and had his eyes on the ground.  “Lady, I have my orders-”

“And you are going to make a pregnant woman sit on her ass with nothing to do day in and day out?”

He opened his mouth and closed it again.  He nodded and had the keyring under his tabard.  He unlocked the door to the courtyard and opened the door.  It took a little effort as it had not been opened for a while.  A wave of outside heat came in and Laun could smell the dust from the courtyard.

Laun smiled.  “Thank you.”

He bowed slightly, looking nervous.  “My duty, Lady.” »Read More