Ultimate Decades Challenge - 1309

1309 - Shall we try again?

The dreary winter months dragged on as the Chapmans waited for spring to start again. Due to the warmer summer they were met with thick fog sitting across the land and little frost along the waters but it was still much too cold to try and venture outside.

The leftover cake from Eddida's fifth birthday at the end of 1308 served as a delicious treat for the family to share as they tried to entertain themselves by the fire; singing songs, telling folktales and letting the children get creative with some interesting games to pass the time.

Speaking of creative, Eddida was loving her easel she received as a birthday gift. Not many folk of the same class as them had a contraption like an easel to paint with but not many families also had the skills to create natural paints, so the Chapmans were unique as always.

She took time painting big yellow flowers on grey skies, excited to get out of the farmhouse again in a few months. She also tried to paint their farm from memory as her parents didn't let her go outside for even a second, always reminded that she could catch a deathly cold and be the next to perish.

Although the reserves were dwindling over the winter Pipa wanted to please her siblings and parents and made small batches of stone baked cookies and oat cakes every few weeks. Linyeve had no interest in learning to bake so it was Eddida who helped out when she didn't have a brush in hand.

And Byrhtnoth and Olyff... well, they found creative ways to stay nice and warm this winter! The pair both agreed that they were moving past their grieving period and they would be interested in welcoming a new member to the family. Olyff felt out of sorts with almost all of her daughters growing past the age of five, missing their messy, dependent years, and Byrhtnoth felt pressured to raise a son as the years went on.

With these busy activities came the rainy spring months. The warm streak in the weather continued on and some days the rain was soothing on their skin as it showered across the green fields. Pipa was cheeky enough to risk a play in the deep puddles near the river just a few metres away from their home once she finished her chores, even if it got a mild scolding from her strict mother.

It was interesting for her and her parents to see how tall she was getting, she was the eldest daughter afterall. She was double Teffan's height around this time and she kind of loved looming over her youngest sister, often chasing her around the home pretending to be a big bad wolf that will get her!

Even if Teffan was the smallest out of all of her siblings she was still beginning to outgrow her cot and so the parents had a bit of remodeling to do in the home. They moved the cribs out into a shed down the hill from their home and Byrhtnoth fashioned up a few simple beds big enough for his children to grow into. There were two placed where Pipa and Linyeve slept upstairs and two downstairs for Eddida and Teffan.

The chores were never-ending across the farm and only doubled as the weather improved. Chickens and cows had to be fed, stables and dishes cleaned, crops to be weeded and watered, everyone did their part. 

But in between all of that the Chapmans still found time to engage in their monetary activities such as fishing and bartering at the market. Pipa got right back into her baking business with Olyff accompanying her as much as she could, yet she felt confident enough that Pipa could support herself fully now that she was 8 years old. She was a little taller than most children too so strangers would think she was older, which was a benefit.

Byrhtnoth started his fishing expeditions once more, with shorter trips accompanied by Linyeve in the first half of the year. Whether it was the warm weather or pure luck there were far more sightings of wild horses at their fishing spots than ever before. Most horses were skittish and fled as soon as the father-daughter duo established themselves on the water banks but some stayed and curiously watched the humans at play.

It was on one of these rainy fishing trips that Linyeve tugged at her father's sleeve suddenly and pointed across the pond... the unicorn returned. 

"I told you I wasn't lying," spoke Linyeve in a hushed tone, "I thought I would never see him again."

Byrhtnoth stood frozen in disbelief. It sure had a sparkling horn protruding from its skull but... perhaps it was some sort of illusion or deformity? He had travelled across Praaven, and even into foreign lands, but he had never seen such a stallion before him. He set the rod down and quietly approached it.

The unicorn huffed at him and nodded towards Linyeve. She took the lead and walked to it quicker than her father, the horse accepting her presence. She gently rubbed its nose and it tickled her palm in greeting, she giggled.

"It's friendly dad," she beckoned to her father, "come and stroke it."

He was hesitant but something allured him to walk to the magical creature. It nudged its head into Byrhnoth's hand and he felt its silky soft mane. He exhaled with ease and they both shared this moment with the fantastical creature. A moment of skepticism crept into his mind again and he stared at its horn but he didn't have much time to glare as the unicorn backed away slightly and shook its head.

The bright rainbow that Linyeve saw before conjured out of the horse's horn but this time as brilliant rays. They zoomed over to Byrhnoth and he felt them warm him from the inside out as they pierced through him. He felt calm and at ease, smiling at the unicorn.

"Did you just bless me?" he questioned. The unicorn gave him a nod.

"By the Watcher... we have been blessed on this fine day!" As he exclaimed the unicorn neighed and rode off into the darkening horizon and the remaining two stood in astonishment.

"What did it do to you, dad?" asked Linyeve as she inspected her father closely.

"I'm not exactly sure," said Byrhtnoth truthfully, "but I feel like I have never been happier."

They felt like this was an appropriate time to finish their fishing session and they trudged on home rambling the whole journey back about what they had just experienced. Byrhtnoth couldn't help but feel as if it was some divine sign from the Watcher and tried to convince his wife the same.

She was expectedly skeptical and felt like the two were pulling her leg with this story again. There was still no proof for her to believe so, even if her husband had the proof of 'feeling good'. She did however accept this 'feeling good' tale in the bedroom that night and felt like her husband hadn't been this gleeful in several years.

Summer rolled in and July was almost fully rain free. The shrubs lining the paths were in full bloom and the farm had the most amount of work to be done in a very long time. It was in these busy moments that Byrhtnoth shared with their children that their mother was soon to be thirty years old!

"She has taught you to bake the honey cake she has made for everyone's birthday all these years," he explained, "can you girls try to make one while she's out in the field?"

They all jumped with excitement and agreed to surprise their mother. Pipa took the lead as she had the most experience with baking over a roaring fire and her sisters helped with the ingredients, stirring and decorating. Once the sky began to turn an orange colour they knew their mother would go for a quick bath to wash off the dirt from the farm and then get ready to make dinner.

Byrhtnoth watched for his wife to be doing her usual routine and in the end joined his daughters to surprise Olyff in the kitchen. She walked in to her family shouting "happy thirtieth birthday!" and she startled from their celebrations before laughing with joy at the display.

"We wanted to make you a cake for your big birthday just like how you did it with us!" explained Pipa with the biggest grin on her face. Olyff tried to hide her happy, prideful tears and instead pulled all of her daughters in for a tight hug. Byrhtnoth took the time to light the candles on the cake in the meantime and once Olyff was upright he joked,

"We don't have the coin to get you thirty whole candles so I hope three will suffice."

She gave him a loud kiss on his bearded cheek as a thank you before Linyeve shouted, "make a wish!"

Olyff hovered over the cake and settled on the best wish she could think of: to have a healthy family. She took a big deep breath and exhaled with all her might as her family cheered on the side and celebrated her life. 

Everybody received a slice of the cake and munched on it around the dinner table. "You know, I think you baked this cake better than I could ever have," complimented Olyff and all her girls smiled with fulfillment, they loved being praised by their mother and they loved to see her happy.

In the same week Olyff accompanied Pipa to the Tovar market at the village festival grounds. It was at a cross roads that they crossed paths with Frank and his priest father, Father Bruceus. They exchanged their greetings and stopped to chat for a moment.

Pipa boasted that it was her mother's birthday just a few days ago and the father congratulated her commenting that she looked very young and well for her age. They both shared that they were making their way to the market and walked together, Olyff being satisfied that they have a chaperone this time around.

Frank was a very active child and invited Pipa to play chase as they made their way down to Tovar. She really enjoyed spending time with him and talking about their various interests. One thing that excited Pipa about Frank was that he knew how to read, in both English and Latin! 

"My father often makes me read the bible which is entirely in Latin," he explained, "but he says I am far too young to read 'gorey' stories about knights at war."

He leaned into Pipa's ear before saying his next statement, "I know he has a book about knights that I try to sneak and read sometimes!" He continued whispering about the gruesome details that this Latin book portrayed and Pipa had to stop him at some point as she felt sick to her stomach a little. The two giggled before launching straight back into a game of chase all the way to the festival grounds.

As Eddida was one of the only sisters that showed continuous interest in Pipa's baking she decided to join her and her father in the annual Praaven keep market at the end of summer. The two girls set up a small table right beside their father's and tended their baked goods together, trying to use their infantile charm on all the traders and nobles that graced the main market square.

Pipa had to teach Eddida how to politely and properly greet the King and Queen who spent only ten whole minutes checking on their kingdom's produce this year. Byrhtnoth glanced at his daughters to see if they were doing everything right and saw he had nothing to worry about. He was thankful he still had an honourable connection with the royal family and they continued to follow their agreement of quarterly produce deliveries to the castle keep.

Now that the crops were all harvested and winter was creeping up fast there was one last event to happen at the Tovar festival grounds: the harvest market! There the Chapmans sold a portion of their yield, their catch and Pipa's baked goods along with taking time to participate in some festive activities such as apple bobbing. The day had been warm and was truly the last day of the year that the sun shone this bright before it was swallowed by grey clouds.

The entire family joined the occasion and Byrhtnoth used their family horse as a pack mule that day, slinging sacks and parcels full of their wares onto Beauty's back. They all travelled home once the festivities were over and because the rain started to flood over the grounds.

Once home Olyff packed all of their left over harvest back into the reserves in the kitchen and outdoor shed. The children were still playful and asked Byrhtnoth if they could take a ride on Beauty. He let them know that they were all still too small and the rain was only getting heavier but Pipa insisted,

"Only for a few seconds, pleaaaase?"

He couldn't resist his daughter's pleas and he lifted Pipa onto Beauty's back. The horse stayed calm and occasionally looked back to see who sat on her next. Byrhtnoth let his children all have a turn, going from eldest to youngest, and Olyff could hear their delighted giggles from across the farm.

CW: horse accident, child death, grieving.

But the rain continued to pour down with all its might and in rolled the storm clouds. As soon as Teffan was placed on the horse's back by her father a roll of thunder and a bright lightning strike spiked onto the mountain that overlooked the Chapman farm. Teffan's giggles were suddenly drowned out by Beauty's startled screams.

She began to move and kick in fear and Byrhtnoth didn't have enough time to swipe his daughter from the horse's back before tragedy struck. The other girls took several steps back as they watched a gruesome scene open up before their very eyes. Beauty rose onto its hind legs and gave a loud neigh, toppling Teffan straight off its back. She tumbled as she cried in horror before falling to the ground below her with a snap, falling unfortunately on her neck.

Her twisted body lay on the wet mud and the Chapman farm stood in horrific silence. The rain pitter pattered along the cold ground and they all stared at their fallen family member. Pipa was the first to scream as she couldn't look away and this scream started Byrhtnoth back into protection, crouching down in front of his children and shielding them from the scene.

"Go inside, QUICK!" he demanded, and Linyeve pulled her sisters back home, Pipa not turning her gaze away from Teffan for a second. 

Olyff had come running to the scene now, investigating the noise, and she stood at a distance before it finally set in that a tragedy had happened once again. She broke into a full sprint and kneeled in the soaking mud right next to her youngest daughter. She was afraid to touch her, Teffan's neck at a wicked angle, but one thing for sure was that she was not breathing and she was no longer alive.

Byrhtnoth crouched beside her and tried to reason with his wife,

"It was so sudden, love. I put all of our girls onto Beauty's back for a few seconds, I could have never predicted that there would be thunder that would spook her so. Oh goodness me, oh no, no no... how could The Watcher allow this?!" He raised his head to the sky and his tears blended with the rain that fell on his face. He felt in his heart as if he had just killed his daughter himself, guilt, shame and regret washing over his body.

Beauty stood nearby and huffed from stress, pacing left and right in discomfort. Olyff felt like she had to be the stronger one this time around and she ran to the stable to not only open the door for the horse but to also get a burlap cloth for Teffan. She rushed back and lay it down on top of her daughter and commanded to her husband,

"Bring her to the shed, we need to get her out of this frightful rain." Her husband looked at her with horror yet understanding before wrapping his youngest in the burlap. With every lifted weight he heard more cracking come from the small body in his arms and he recoiled with shame for every sound he heard.

Olyff ushered Beauty back into her stable and locked her door, keeping her in from any other thundering noises from the storm. She quickly met her husband in the shed and helped him find a place where they could rest her, wiping her down from the moisture outside. They lay her in an empty crate filled with dry straw and held one another as they let reality set in. 

They had to return home as they heard the desperate, grieving cries coming from their remaining children inside. The parents found them huddled near the fire in the living area as they all cried. Pipa was the most distraught, her face red with grief and nose snottier than they had ever seen. Eddida cried too but with confusion and response to Pipa's grief. Linyeve's chin trembled but she continued to rub Pipa's back in an attempt to calm her down. The parents sat down on the floor beside their children, soaking the dusty ground beneath them as the wetness from the rain dripped from their hair and clothes.

"I'm sorry you had to witness that," began Olyff, looking at each child as she said that. "Nobody should watch someone die like that."

"So she's really dead?" asked Eddida in a small trembling voice, Olyff nodded. Byrhtnoth put a hand on his face as he tried to compose himself, he could not traumatise his children further with his sobs, taking deep breaths to stay calm.

"In this life accidents happen," continued Olyff with a heavy tone, "and nobody is immune to these accidents." 

Her voice began to tremble, "we have lost yet another little girl... it seems The Watcher had other plans for her..." her voice trailed off as she watched her remaining daughters hang on her every word.

"I'm so sorry," she sobbed as she pulled them all in for a hug. They sat huddled together by the fire, all contributing to their anguished cries. Tears dripped from their faces and onto their rain soaked clothes but nobody could care for the little things right now, they were launched back into grieving.

Once everyone felt that their eyes were dry of tears Olyff took initiative to warm some water for everyone to bathe their sorrows away, and the mud that splattered on them during Teffan's fall. Olyff helped Pipa clean up first before bathing Linyeve and Eddida in one go. Byrhtnoth tucked the children to bed while Olyff was the last to clean herself and it was bedtime for everyone.

It was difficult to sleep that night with how heavy sorrow weighed in everyone's chest. Eddida looked over to the empty bed that sat near hers and she couldn't look at it if she had to sleep, turning towards the wall and pretending that what happened tonight was just a dream. 

As soon as the house was silent with dreams Pipa's morbid curiosity got to the better of her. She peered outside and noticed that the rain had mostly stopped and she decided to check in on Teffan. She felt wrong to have just left her little body in a cold shed but she wasn't going to touch her, she just needed one last glance of visual proof that she was really gone.

She sneaked past her sleeping sisters and past the creaky front door and wandered to the shed behind their home. The air was still and she got a shiver as soon as she stepped inside. She saw Teffan's dark hair peering out of a crate and she slowly walked over to see her lifeless body. 

Pipa held her breath just as Teffan did hers, not a single sign of life presented in her youngest sister's face. Pipa kneeled over the body and prayed for a moment, prayed that whatever The Watcher had done she hoped they were ashamed and appalled, that she wanted no more of these tragedies to brush her family, for them to celebrate life and not mourn another death.

CW over.

The Chapmans

1308 - Recap

Ultimate Decades Challenge - 1308

1308 - Flowers in Bloom

The new year started off nice and peacefully as the Chapmans took shelter from the cold frost outside. Like many previous years they spent more time together as a family, playing games with the little ones and warming up with some stew by the fire, hiding away in their large stone farmhouse. There were many moments when the children would get bored with the same routine but they took some time to look out the boarded windows and get excited when spring would come again.

In their waiting they celebrated Linyeve's fifth birthday! Before the winter began in 1307 Byrhtnoth took some of the money he saved up from his successful day at the annual Praaven keep market and spent it on some flour, honey and nuts for any future birthdays that would come around. And so with these materials Olyff conjured up another delicious honey cake as it really felt like a major milestone for her children to get one step closer to independence.

The family gathered around to watch Linyeve blow out her candles on her birthday cake, playing with some noise makers that Olyff and Pipa made from straw, leaves and snail shells. Olyff held her daughter up to the honey cake they placed on the table and helped her blow out the thin candles, urging her to make a wish! Linyeve closed her eyes, scrunched up her nose and tried her best to wish for her to go fishing with her father.

Every time Byrhtnoth would come home from a fishing trip, no matter how long or short his departure, Linyeve was the most enthusiastic out of her siblings to ask how many fish he caught. Her father recognised her enthusiasm and once everyone gave Linyeve a hug he crouched down to her with one hand behind his back.

"I've got a very special present for your fifth birthday," he smiled. Linyeve's face beamed with excitement and she erupted into cheers and laughter once he revealed that he had a small fishing rod that he made by hand hiding behind his back. Although traditionally he would be teaching his son to fish alongside him The Watcher had only given him daughters but this wasn't going to stop him from passing on the skill to one of his offspring.

Linyeve boasted about how she was going to reel in the biggest and most prettiest fish in all of Praaven while waving her child-size rod above her head before being told to place it down and enjoy some cake that her mother made. Olyff served a slice to each member of the family and they all sat together munching away at their portions.

"When will we go fishing?" muffled Linyeve with her mouth full, getting a disapproving glance from her mother.

"When it finally gets warmer outside," answered Byrhtnoth. "Hopefully in a month or so, but it really depends on the weather."

Linyeve groaned with impatience and said in a high pitched voice, "but I want to go now! Why did you give me the fishing rod then?"

"It's your birthday. Birthday presents are given to people on their birthdays... not when the weather gets better!" 

Linyeve crossed her arms and looked down at the table with disgust. She felt like everything her father said was against her in particular, like he was punishing her for being eager to use her present at a moment's notice.

"I'm sorry, my love," reasoned her father. "I can't control the weather but let us pray to The Watcher that spring comes early this year." Olyff smiled at his comment but Linyeve rolled her eyes.

"I've actually got one more present for you," spoke up Pipa as she finished her honey cake slice. She stood up and ran to her room to retrieve it and did the same as her father once she returned, hiding the present behind her back. Linyeve stood up, a few inches shorter than Pipa, and waited for the reveal.

Pipa presented a knitted headband to her younger sister and said, "I made this myself for you to wear." Linyeve took the headband from her sister and tried it on. A perfect fit, and it kept her dark straight hair out of her face. Even though she wasn't excited about this gift as much as she was about the fishing rod she was still very thankful and gave Pipa a hug.

"Thank you, sister. I love it," she said softly. Pipa embraced her tightly and commented once she pulled away,

"It really suits you!"

The frost took a little longer to melt away this year but it didn't stop Olyff from teaching Linyeve the chores she would begin doing now that she was old enough. Pipa joined in on the teaching and got Linyeve up to speed quicker than expected. The two of them would group up in the mornings and feed the farm animals, collect the eggs and wash the dishes after breakfast, quickly making these chores their morning routine.

The last few weeks before spring finally settled into the land Byrhtnoth spent lots of time with his two youngest daughters. Eddida was still small but her fifth birthday was ready to be celebrated at the end of the year, while Teffan still had over a year to go before she was five years old. The both of them were very chatty and enjoyed playing with their father while their two older sisters learned the ways of farm life.

As the last of the ice melted away from the grassy hills of Praaven everyone had a lot of work to do across the farm. Olyff got straight into working on their crops, sowing new ones and maintaining any dormant ones in their field across the road. The parents agreed that more work would be accomplished if Pipa and Linyeve handled separate chores and so Linyeve had to learn how to clean the stables, which she complained about and attempted to avoid every time.

Byrhtnoth had not yet begun his fishing travels as the spring time was still young and instead helped out with some outstanding house work that needed to be done. He watched over his two eldest daughters completing their house work and scrubbed any dirty laundry and when he had some free time he minded his youngest.

After a dreary and rainy week the sun shined bright in the cloudless sky and Byrhtnoth decided that it was the perfect time to take Linyeve on her first fishing experience! He approached her after breakfast one day, once their chores were out of the way, and delivered his plan to her to which she responded,

"Yes! Yes, finally! Thank The Watcher, I've been waiting for this day to come!" She jumped up and down with excitement, her white linen dress bouncing with her and her father laughed with joy.

He prepared a pack with bait, some food and their two fishing rods and swung it onto his shoulders. He extended a hand out to his daughter and said,

"Come now, we will travel to a small, calm pond not far from home for your first fishing day."

Linyeve grabbed her father's hand with enthusiasm and they left home, walking approximately an hour before they reached a wild pond. There were reeds and bushes surrounding the pond's perimeter and thick trees granted some shade from the bright sun above. And so began Linyeve's first lesson in catching her first fish.

After many long hours of learning to hook on some bait, throw the line into the waters and reel in the fishing line Linyeve finally felt a bite on her rod. She began pulling it in with fervent strength and grabbed the fish once it was out of the water. She looked down at it and her face melted into disappointment... the fish was as small as her hand! 

She stared at it and heard her father stifle his laughter beside her. He tried not to make eye contact with her as he could feel her annoyed glare burn through him. 

"Throw it in the bucket and try again," he encouraged her, chuckling only through his first few words.

Once the both of them got into the groove they caught enough to make a dinner out of the fish to feed the entire family. The sun started to touch the horizon and they decided it was time to pack away their belongings. Byrhtnoth asked what Linyeve thought of the day and she responded,

"I can't wait to do this again, dad." Her smile was soft and genuine but she was clearly tired so Byrhtnoth took her hand in his once more and off they went trudging on home.

They were happy to see that Olyff had not started to cook dinner yet, even though the sun had fully set once they stepped inside the home. Olyff complimented their catch and Linyeve was delighted to be the one boasting about the fishing instead of her father. Olyff fueled her daughter's passion by helping her use her fish to cook a family meal: stew a la Chapman! 

Linyeve absorbed every compliment and praise she got around the table and dreamt only about fish that night. She was a little disappointed that she couldn't go fishing every day with her father but their little local fishing trips became a monthly occurrence after that day.

Now that both Eddida and Teffan were old enough to walk with confidence Olyff was happy to accompany Pipa to the local market and support her with selling various baked goods that she learned to make in the last few years. One day Pipa met a local boy that was only half a year younger than her by the name of Frank. Olyff watched over her market table while she socialised and played with Frank and she grew excited to see him almost every time she sold her baked goods.

Olyff especially approved this friendship as the boy's father was the pastor from the Lughaven church, Father Bruceus. When she first met him at the market she greeted him and thanked him once again for his service at the funeral last year, adding that she never knew he had a son a similar age to Pipa. They had pleasant conversations while their children grew closer to each other and Olyff couldn't help but wonder if Frank would be a future suitor for her eldest daughter.

It was also funny to know that this year was the first time that the Chapman farm was vacant. Linyeve would often accompany her father on local fishing trips while Olyff carried her youngest daughters to the market to help Pipa and her marketing. With this arose the worry of their home not having a lock on their front door and so Byrhtnoth installed one with haste.

This year hosted a brilliantly warm summer, the warmest summer that had graced Praaven in some time. The Chapmans spent as much time under the sun as they could, warming their hardworking bones with the sun's blistering rays. The farm was coming along nicely and Olyff had a lot of work cut out for her this year and in those moments she was glad she wasn't expecting a child; she was as energetic as she ever had been.

It was under this bright sunlight that Byrhtnoth noticed his wife's hair feature a few grey streaks here and there. When he pointed it out to her she was surprised but wasn't too concerned,

"It has been a stressful time what with the losses we faced. At least I'm still youthful in face!" she joked and her husband agreed, giving her a little peck on her soft cheek.

With this summer heat came a few tall tales that the parents had to endure from their eldest daughters. Linyeve was becoming very well versed in fishing and she got permission to go fishing at the local pond only a thirty minute walk from their home.

One day she stayed out longer than she had expected and the summer sun began to set. As she packed her equipment a wild horse approaches the pond and bows its head for a drink of water. Linyeve noticed the steed and gasped, grabbing the horses attention as it looked in her direction. She was dumbfounded to see that the dark horse had a long protruding horn sticking out of its forehead! She didn't know what to do so she grabbed everything she could and scurried on home.

Before she could explain herself her mother gave her a right scolding for staying out so late, "You could have been kidnapped or worse, young lady!" Olyff shouted, her voice reverberating across the kitchen.

"I saw a unicorn mother!" pleaded Linyeve, hoping she would believe her. Olyff blinked a few times before placing her palm on her daughters forehead.

"You're burning up. I hope you didn't get a heatstroke from all the time you spent outside today."

"But mother, I'm telling you the truth!" whined Linyeve, motioning with her arms.

"Sit down for dinner and head straight to bed," commanded Olyff before getting busy with some chores before retreating to her own bed.

Linyeve successfully convinced her mother to let her visit the pond again after a week of pleading, this time obtaining a carrot to possibly feed this magical unicorn. She didn't meet the horse right as she reached her destination but in the middle of the day, as her rod was tightly gripped in her hands, the fantastical horse approached again. She gazed at it with bewilderment, it looked so different to her family horse at home... and this horn that it had was just like it was described in the fairytales her mother told her as she grew up.

She gently set the fishing rod down and took small steps towards the unicorn and it met her eyes once again. The way it looked at her was with pure intelligence like any other and even when it shook it's head there were sparkles that rained from its mane. Linyeve got close enough to be able to reach into a pocket and fish out her stolen carrot, offering it up to the horse's mouth.

It accepted it with pleasure and nibbled it, tickling Linyeve's hand. As fantastical as it was it was extremely gentle with her and she didn't know how she would be able to prove this sighting to her mother. The unicorn stayed with her that day and watched her fish and before she packed to head home the unicorn raised its head and horn and conjured a fabulous rainbow that hung over the pond.

No matter how much Linyeve tried to explain this story not one person in the Chapman family believed her. She thought that maybe little Teffan would believe but she decided to copy her mother's reaction and shook her head. Linyeve was frustrated with how she wasn't being listened to and began to act out more often because of it.

But this wasn't all for Olyff as one evening when Pipa returned from the market one weekend she told her a story about how she met the king. Olyff was unable to accompany her on a trip to the market one week and now her eldest daughter is telling fibs too?

Pipa described how the King and Queen of Praaven perused the Tovar village market and that the pair bought some of her homemade biscuits as she jumped for joy. She even described how the King remembered her from the town market last year and asked her to send his regards to her father. Olyff remained skeptical, even with the last comment that Pipa made, and she wanted to believe what her daughters were saying but she felt in her heart that this was just a phase of make-believe for the two of them.

Once the harvest season arrived Byrhtnoth spent a little more time at home and helped his wife with any remaining chores she couldn't finish up. She spent this season growing their crops to perfection and collecting their bountiful yield in increments. With this brilliant harvest her husband made sure to ride into Praaven keep and deliver their finest vegetables to the King as promised.

It was at this visit that the King asked Byrhtnoth, "Did your daughter pass on my regards to you?" to which he positively responded with a stutter. Perhaps one of the stories that their daughters told was true... or were both of them the honest truth?

As the weather slowly grew colder Linyeve was helping out more on the farm and at home rather than fishing like she did during summer. She still tried her very best to convince everyone that she had seen a unicorn and constantly harped on about it to her father. He listened gently and with care but never denied her story, even if deep down he was just as skeptical of it as Olyff was.

And once again the farm went dormant and the windows of the bungalow were boarded up once more. But it wasn't all gloomy and boring inside the Chapman home as Eddida was just about to turn five years old! It felt like they had just celebrated a massive milestone but it's because Linyeve and Eddida were born in the same year.

Linyeve contributed to the cake making process along with Pipa and even Teffan, helping with licking the wooden spoon! The cake was baked and aptly decorated and the family gathered with lovely Eddida to have her blow out her birthday candles.

Olyff held her up to reach the cake on the counter and everyone cheered as the candle flames turned to smoke. Everyone gave her a big hug and congratulated her on turning five years old and Olyff shared a slice of honey cake with everyone. All of their children were old enough to comfortably sit at the table now and the parents felt comforted by the scene, even if they lost some children over the years.

As their tradition went, Olyff gifted her daughter a new dress which looked quite similar to the one she wore herself. She made sure that the corset she wore was made from wolfskin as it was bitter cold out and she wanted her to stay extra warm. She tried it on and it was a perfect fit!

Byrhtnoth opened up about sneaking off to his parent's bungalow in the last few months to collaborate with his father in building an easel for Eddida as he noticed how much she liked to draw in the dirt and dust in the farm. Olyff piped in and explained how she would help her make paint with berries and flowers and that she could paint to her hearts content.

They set up the easel in the shared living space near the fireplace and let Eddida have a go at painting on a thin sheet of scrap wood. She took her brush and the small selection of paint her parents had mixed up and let her imagination run wild on the canvas.

Her parents stood behind her and watched with interest and pride. Byrhtnoth took his wife's hand and gave it a kiss and she smiled back at him warmly before she put her head on his shoulder. And as this moment was experienced the first snow of the winter began to fall outside their window.

The Chapmans

1307 - 1309