1311 - Frosty Festivities
With roaring hearths keeping the citizens of Praaven warm everyone watched the snow pile on and on outside their windows. Every single day throughout January soft snowflakes fluttered through the frosty air and settled on the dormant ground and the Chapmans watched in awe.
For Linyeve and Eddida this was their first real winter that they got to witness and remember for the rest of their lives. The temperatures did fluctuate during this time, with the snow sometimes turning to sleet for a few days before promptly freezing over and being covered by a fresh blanket once again. Regardless, it was bitter cold!
Although the small family tried to keep warm and healthy indoors during the first month of the year they knew they had to begin to take action outside their home once they saw that the snow intended to stay during February. Their food supply was running dry and there were other matters to tend to that couldn't be neglected any further.
Beauty continued to be a gentle steed and aided in Pipa's journey recovering from her trauma. She still had her heart skip a beat when she was on horseback and Beauty moved unexpectedly but Pipa guaranteed their horse the much needed exercise through these winter months. As soon as she felt the freeze catch up to her fingertips she brought Beauty back to the stable and went to thaw out near the fire at home.
And with the aforementioned short food supply Byrhtnoth had to step up and find a fishing spot that would bring them a hearty dinner. When Pipa wasn't conquering her fears with Beauty he would ride his steed to various places he would expect the waters to not be fully frozen over and one week, when the snow would still fall but the temperatures were higher, he found a lively pond.
With a few successful meals secured Linyeve was the first to pipe up and begin to beg to be taken on a fishing trip. Eddida, although in love with painting, was growing tired of doing only that for the last month and so she asked if she could join in. The three of them gathered some supplies, dressed for the weather in their fur boots and tunics, and travelled on to the bountiful pond.
Linyeve got straight to fishing alongside her father and Eddida watched them in action; this was the first time she had accompanied either of them to a fishing trip. She walked along the pond's perimeter too and watched various freshwater fish darting underneath her through the half melted ice.
When the young girls began to complain of their hands beginning to sting from the cold after an hour or so Byrhtnoth fashioned up a small campfire away from the pond. They warmed themselves up and heated some leftover preserved fish over the flames for their lunch. As snowflakes began to appear from the thin air above them an idea crept into Byrhtnoth's mind.
He began to pack some snow from the ground into rectangular shapes and taught his girls to do the same and soon enough they were in the process of making an igloo!
Of course the word igloo was foreign for them so they decided to call it a 'snow dome' and were surprised with how warm it was inside of it. Before packing up to head on home Byrhtnoth let his girls stay inside their snow dome and play while he attempted to angle a few more fish for the next few days.
Just as Linyeve crawled out from their snow dome she saw a few wild horses approach the pond they were visiting. It had been a while since she, or her father, had seen the unicorn and it wasn't the magical beast standing before them once again. A gorgeously blue-grey horse trotted on closer to the family and neighed with delight. They were all surprised with how friendly it was and Linyeve got to pet it before it galloped on off into the sunset.
During their adventures Olyff and Pipa continued to be vigilant housewives, feeding the farm animals and keeping the farmhouse clean. Pipa was slowly stepping in to the cooking role the older she got and that night she boiled together a thick and warm fish stew over their kitchen fireplace.
Over dinner the youngest two shared their excitement over their snow dome with their mother and oldest sister and also harped on about the beautiful horse they had seen.
"It doesn't happen to have a sharp horn on its forehead this time, does it?" egged on Olyff to a disapproving Linyeve.
"No, this one is a horse not a unicorn," she answered with emphasis and a frown.
"It was so very friendly!" added Eddida with a smile, "it had never seen us before but came to sniff Liny's hand like they were best friends!"
"It was quite a sight to see," commented Byrhtnoth with astonishment. Olyff looked at everyone as she pondered.
"We'll see if you get to see this horse again... don't you think it would benefit to have a second horse on our farm, my dear?"
"If it's as friendly as it seems then surely it would be a great benefit," agreed her husband. "You girls will only be getting older and more eager to learn to ride horseback so we'd need more means of transport!"
The youngest girls cheered and Pipa looked at them with a worried smile. She still had a long way to go with trusting these big creatures that they were all excited about but then she thought, why should I worry? If anything Beauty will be my preferred horse and this second one could stay someone else's responsibility.
CW: mourning, graveyard.
With her continuous lessons on horse riding and handling, and the excitement of possibly bringing another horse onto the farm, Pipa felt the weight of grief press down on her heart once again. She excused herself one frosty morning, using the explanation of fetching a pail water for the home, to go and visit Teffan's grave.
As soon as she saw the inscribed headstone she felt a wave of tears come up to the surface. She still blamed herself for this death but those thoughts weren't as strong as they once were. There were few wildflowers to place on her grave this time of the year but to her surprise some lovely snowdrops poked through the snow beside the commemorative stone and put a smile on Pipa's tear streaked face.
CW over.
Just as she calmed herself she heard some snow crunching behind her and looked back to meet the gaze of Frank. He was beginning to get a little taller but there was still a significant height difference between the two!
He explained how he was helping his father in the church that morning and noticed her through the windows and had to say hello. The pair shared some small talk among various other topics and both found themselves to be excited for warmer weather so they could meet at the market again.
By March the snow had almost fully melted but the weather was still colder than it had been last year. Byrhtnoth, Linyeve, and occasionally Eddida, had met the grey horse many more times at the pond and other wooded lands on their travels. One time they had been travelling with Beauty and the two horses shared an exchange. They seemed to hit it off well, as well as horses do, and this solidified to the family that bringing this new horse into their stable would be a brilliant change to their farm!
They domesticated this wild horse and called him Greyson, an homage to his grey hair on his body. Beauty happily shared a stable with their new addition and they became great friends and endless entertainment for each other, often being let out around their farm to gallop and release their energy when the family was too busy with other chores.
The spring and summer months came and went in a flash. The year had given them whiplash from the long warm months they had in 1310 to the freezing ones they had this year and so their crop growing had to be sped up and planned accordingly. Realistically only the Chapman's root vegetables and apples ripened fast enough before the frost crept in again far too early in the autumn months.
But in the last month of their mildly warm summer a wildfire had swept through the Lughaven village. There was no sure cause for it, whether it was started by man or nature, but it was devastating nonetheless. The Chapman farmstead is far enough away from the village so they were left unharmed but many others suffered great losses. Byrhtnoth's parents' home was lightly grazed by the fires but they remained alive.
Father Bruceus faced his home being burnt to the ground with only embers and a few smoky beams left to rebuild from. Half of the church had been swallowed by the flames also and the bell tower had to be rebuilt. A few weeks after the fire Pipa decided to visit Father Bruceus and his family to see how they were getting on.
Once she arrived she witnessed the disaster first hand. Their beds and walls had turned black and crumbled from weakness. She gazed up to the church near their home and saw the collapsed tower, only a few jagged boards sticking up into the dark grey sky. She let herself in through their singed gate and noticed that they had built a makeshift shack next to their burnt down home. She knocked on the door and was greeted by Frank's father and the priest of the Lughaven church.
"Ah, Watcher be with you, Pipa," he greeted her.
"And also with you," she responded politely.
"Please, come in away from the cold, my dear. Thank you for your visit." An instant scent of fresh oak wood filled the air inside, it was clear that this shack had been erected only recently. She sat down on a stool near the fireplace and smiled at Father Bruceus who also took a seat near her.
"Frank is out on errands," he explained, "I'm letting you know before you ask."
"I was planning to," chuckled Pipa. "But how are you faring? I'm so very sorry for your loss. From my short walk through the village it almost seems like your home suffered the worst damage from the fire."
"It may seem so but at least we have some funds from the church to help us somewhat rebuild our home... others in the village either perished in the flames or have been subjected to serfdom, begging the King to aid them in some land and a place to stay in the quickly approaching winter." He shook his head with pity and sighed deeply.
"But enough about tragedy, I hope you and your parents have been safe and prosperous."
"As best as we can be, with this colder than ever year," Pipa responded honestly before placing down a small basket of carrots, garlic and fresh fish on the table near the fire.
"Please accept this small gift from us. I know it isn't much but we just wanted to support you in these trying times, and especially as a thank you for everything that you have done for our family." Father Bruceus placed a hand on his chest with adoration and smiled at his guest before gratefully accepting the basket. They continued having a conversation for a short while and he commented on how quickly Pipa was growing, adding that he would be honoured for Frank to have her as his wife.
This thought hadn't crossed Pipa's mind in the slightest, it had been the first time someone directly spoke about such a possibility to her. She had only ever seen him as a childhood friend but they had been growing closer to marrying age and he really has been the best future bachelor out of everyone that lived close by... could this really happen?
Before she took her leave Father Bruceus showed Pipa what was left of the home and she childishly offered to build a sculpture out of snow. He didn't object as he was happy to have something take his mind off of the singed structure that used to be his home. They rolled balls of white fluffy snow together and piled them on top of another, adorning the structure with sticks, pebbles and a scrappy scarf. Father Bruceus took one of the carrots she had brought and stuck it in the snow sculpture's face to mimic a nose and the pair laughed.
"I promise to feed this carrot to Frank once he arrives home!" he jested. She bid him farewell, wished the best for him and his family and skipped on home, relaying all of the information she took in to her parents.
And once more the snowfall began. Overall the Chapman's harvest had been the smallest they had ever experienced but they had just enough to last them the winter and to deliver a small portion to the King's and Queen's keep in Praaven. Byrhtnoth had been riding Greyson more often to get him used to the saddle but he noticed that Beauty was rejecting any vigorous activities... and that her belly was hanging lower to the ground. Could she be pregnant?
As they would be stuck indoors longer than they ever had been, and the funds allowed it, they decided that in a month's time they would host their first ever gift giving party in the name of The Watcher! They planned to exchange gifts of any kind and size to each other to show how grateful they were towards one another and to also thank The Watcher for all of the plentiful and bountiful moments they have had together so far.
So everyone got to work! Eddida knew she wanted to gift some paintings to her loved ones while Byrhtnoth tried his hand at carpentry once again. Linyeve went out when the weather wasn't too treacherous and found some pretty collectibles and Pipa used her cooking skills to bake some of her family's most favourite treats! Olyff spent the longest hidden away fashioning up some lovely dresses and winter clothes for everyone in the home.
The family sought out to find at least one gift to hand to each other when the day arrived and the morning of they wrapped them up in various parchments and cloths and piled them together in the living area. Byrhtnoth added a few extra logs into the fire as the evening was to be long and cheerful and the celebrations began!
The head of the house gathered the family and made a short speech,
"Thank you, one and all, for gathering around our fire today," he began eloquently, getting a smile and a chuckle from his family. "We have been truly blessed this winter to not only get a heap of snow outside our front door but to also have the means to indulge in some gift giving. I know everyone has been hard at work at making and finding things we will all enjoy so... let's begin!"
He rose from his seat and walked to the gift pile. Many gifts could fit in the palm of your hands but there was one that stood closer to the stone wall and was draped by a blanket, producing an unnatural shape. Byrhtnoth grabbed one end of the blanket and called over his two youngest daughters to help reveal it.
"I have been working long and hard on this for you two. I hope you gain great enjoyment from it." He counted them down from three and they pulled it off together to reveal a handmade doll house. Linyeve and Eddida gasped in awe and looked at each other before jumping up and down with glee and hugging their father.
The wooden dollhouse was fashioned in the style of a wealthier tudor house that you would see inside the Praaven keep walls. The roof was made of woven straw and some of the walls had been painted and polished in various woody shades. The back of the doll house was missing a wall so the children could play some make believe.
"But I notice there aren't any dolls in the home, no?" chimed in Pipa and her two younger sisters looked inside the dollhouse to confirm. She rose to fetch a small linen wrapped present and handed it to Linyeve. She unraveled it to be a pair of colourful dolls made from straw, wood and cloth and the pair excitedly ran to the dollhouse to position their little people into a tudor lifestyle.
While the youngest were occupied the parents exchanged their gifts. Byrhtnoth made his wife a hand carved wooden spoon with her initials on it. Although the Chapmans lacked the ability to read and write they understood how their names would look on paper and so the spoon read 'O.C.' Olyff knitted a scarf and hat for her soulmate to keep him safe and warm on his long fishing trips, sharing a kiss as a thank you to one another.
Pipa began to hand out small wrapped baskets with various sweet goodies, ranging from honey rolls to berry glazed biscuits. She remembered every family member's favourite treat and got big hugs as praise.
Olyff crafted a warm article of clothing for each member of her family, a fur tunic for Eddida, a knitted bandana for Linyeve and a cozy shawl for her eldest daughter Pipa.
Linyeve gifted her sisters and parents unique shells and stones she has found out and about, some shining so beautifully that Olyff sat down to figure out ways to turn them into jewellery, threading twine through these precious findings and tying them around their necks.
And Eddida revealed to each one of her loved ones a portrait of what reminded her of each one of them. She painted a bundle of vegetables for her mother, a radiant fish for her father, a shining pond for Linyeve (with a secret unicorn hiding behind some reeds) and a portrait of Pipa beside the fire baking as she bakes best.
They all shared a hearty meat stew together, a delicacy for the Chapman home. Byrhtnoth was no hunter so he had made a journey to the local butcher for a hunk of wild boar meat for the occasion and Olyff made sure to make it most flavourful, using handfuls of dried herbs to spice it up. Shortly after their dinner they all got busy enjoying their respective gifts.
As Olyff cleared the table Linyeve and Eddida were deep into their play date at their doll house. Their mother overheard their childish fantasy scenarios and it gave her a laugh which she kept to herself, Eddida although more quiet and calm compared to explosive Linyeve imagined up some pretty insane situations that they played out through their dolls!
As the fires died down in the living area everyone went off to bed and it was just the parents who remained awake. Before getting dressed into their sleeping gowns Byrhtnoth pulled his wife into a tight embrace on their bed and they shared their thoughts on their first gift giving as a family.
"It was everything I had hoped for and more," smiled Olyff. "Everyone was so thoughtful and creative with their gifts... thank you, my dear."
"And thank you too," responded her husband with a kiss, "this also wouldn't be possible without your help and effort." They lay in bed and shared a deep moment of intimacy before retiring for the night.
All throughout this year Olyff still had no signs of pregnancy. She was beginning to give up on the thought of having another child and changing her mindset to just being thankful for bearing so many children in her lifetime, even if half of them failed to survive. She begun truly putting her full effort into raising them as healthy as she could and carrying on with three daughters.
Halfway through December the snow still kept on piling on throughout the land. When the sun shone bright enough to keep them warm among the freezing air and icy snow Olyff let her children play outdoors, keeping a close eye on them. Pipa showed Eddida and Linyeve how to make fun circular sculptures from snow and they decorated them accordingly. They also engaged in making some snow angels as they fell back onto the fluffy, white blanket beneath them and swung their limbs across the ground.
On one of these December evenings Pipa accompanied her father to the Praaven keep to deliver their quarterly batch of fish and vegetables. While her father tended to matters with the King's assistants she had a short wander through the nearby streets and met Frank along the way. He had finally reached a similar height to Pipa and they could see eye to eye. He joined her in her walk and they got chatting. A few minutes go by and Frank was the first to initiate the somewhat awkward topic,
"So, my father had mentioned how we could possibly be a good match when we're older. Y'know... as husband and wife." Pipa's cheeks felt flushed and she hoped Frank would think they were like that from the cold and nothing else. He continued,
"You have been my friend for so many years, and we are still so young, I have never considered you that way..." His voice drifted off and they both stopped walking, halting their stroll away from the keep's eyes. "Could this really be something we could do? Get married, I mean."
Pipa didn't know how to answer this initially, she was glad that Frank didn't meet her gaze because then she would truly be frozen from not only the weather but fear and confusion. She had always found Frank cute and handsome, and now that he was going through the same changes as her he was starting to really appear more attractive to her. This pairing had been approved by Father Bruceus, and she felt like her mother wouldn't be too against it herself... but Pipa had stood there far too long in thought without saying anything and so she finally said,
"We could try?" A hint of question trailed at the end of her response and Frank finally met her gaze. They stood and looked at one another, each heart racing from the prospect of romance, and Frank decided to take Pipa's hands in his. She looked down, her small fingers wrapped in his.
"Your hands are very small," said Frank with hesitation, Pipa looked at him with a surprised glance. "Is this okay to do?"
"Y-yes," answered Pipa, attempting to swallow her nervousness. "I actually quite like it." She swung his hands in hers from side to side and he smiled.
"My heart is racing Pipa," he suddenly admitted, "I really didn't think I would feel this way about you."
"Mine is too... I've heard people say that this could be a sign of love."
What Pipa did next surprised her and Frank equally, she naturally leaned in for a kiss! She continued holding onto Frank's hands and shuffled her feet closer to him in the snow until their faces were merely centimetres away and then their lips met. They held this kiss for a few seconds before pulling away and then Pipa could see that Frank's cheeks were more flushed than hers.
He separated his hands from hers and wiped his mouth, trying to hide his blushing. "I-I'll see you next time Pipa," the words stumbling out of his mouth.
"Oh, okay Frank." He starts backing up a little and preparing to leave but Pipa has one last question before he runs off,
"What will I say to my parents?"
He looks around in thought before answering, "I'm not sure yet... let's keep this a secret for now, okay?" Pipa nodded and off he went, running back home. She was stunned with what had just transpired and looked up to see that the sky began to let loose some snowflakes once again. She rushed back to the castle keep to meet with her father and make her way back home.
And so the year ended with joy this time. Pipa's thoughts began to swirl with her potential courting with Frank, Eddida and Linyeve relished in their childish activities and their parents continued to express love inside their home. Beauty still refused to be ridden and her belly was only growing bigger so Byrhtnoth kept a close eye on her as he felt like she was definitely pregnant from their new steed Greyson. The snow sprinkled down and Praaven stayed as a white wonderland until the next year.
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