1312 - Secret Secrets Are No Fun
Praaven had still been plunged into a deep winter when the year had begun. Icicles formed on the edges of the roof of the Chapman stead and Olyff continuously reminded her daughters to be careful when stepping outside. The indoor winter activities were growing old pretty quickly but they all stayed patient as ever.
Byrhtnoth noticed that his horse's ever growing belly had finally reached its limit as Beauty began to nest in her stable and soon enough she had gone into labor! He had never assisted a horse in birth but he did what he could and hoped that Beauty would instinctively know what to do with herself.
After an entire day of rigorous labor Beauty gave birth to a baby mare just as the sun began to set in the sky. The family gathered at the stables to take a look at the new baby of the family and began to debate on what they should call her. They all settled on the name Gloria and the new addition looked like a wonderful mix between her two parents with a brown undercoat like her mother but with grey spots like her father.
The mother and baby horse managed well through the end of the frost that happened this winter and Pipa began to become friends with Greyson, even if she wasn't willing to get close to a strange horse at first. She would often take the responsibility of brushing and feeding their steeds and was becoming used to the role of a horse handler. Perhaps this is something she could have a strong interest in when she's older?
Alas, all was too peaceful on the Chapman farm and one early morning, when a blizzard raged through Praaven, a thief prowled onto their residence. Luckily they got caught by Byrhtnoth and they delved into a physical altercation as he defended his property.
The fight ended in a draw as both members grew tired in their fight and the thief retreated. The family had all gathered outside by this time and all wished they would have gotten a better look at this intruder if they had not been wearing a concealment that hid their identity. Byrhtnoth had a few sleepless nights a week or two after this incident as he prayed this wouldn't occur again.
In the last few days of the snowfall there had been a winter festival that was held at the Tovar festival grounds. A few local families gathered and sat by the fire, sharing some hot mead to all who visited, and the children engaged in snowball fights. Linyeve, inspired by their intruder situation, came up with a game called 'Guards and Thieves' which entailed many rounds of chasing after one another.
It was at this market, while Father Bruceus and Pipa's parents were distracted by a deep conversation, that Frank and Pipa found time to meet again and sneak off behind the festival ground walls. They were still too naive and young to engage in anything too physical but a few kisses and feelings were exchanged between them, helping each other figure out if what they had was real love.
Byrhtnoth and Olyff watched their children play with glee along the crunchy snow and basked in the pride they felt for each child. They were about to survive another winter and they were both aware that it was soon to be Linyeve's tenth birthday!
Olyff had decided to bake a cake for Linyeve's milestone the morning of her birthday so while she baked Eddida distracted her sister with some imaginary games of Kings and Queens in their tudor style dollhouse they received last year. Once Olyff called them into the kitchen, along with the rest of the family, everyone began to congratulate Linyeve.
They gathered around her and cheered as she blew out the candles on her honey cake and celebrated her ten years of life. She was Olyff's second girl to live to ten years old and although Linyeve could share a wardrobe with Pipa she felt it right to gift her a new dress. She had dyed it a deep, olive green by boiling it with a bundle of ivy leaves and it looked stunning on Linyeve.
She had also swapped out her old headband for the new knitted bandana that her mother made for her. Olyff tried her best to keep her tears hidden from her daughters but she couldn't help but feel thankful for seeing a second child live past her youthful years.
They all shared some cake together and reminisced on all of Linyeve's greatest and funniest moments and her celebration came to an end when Byrhtnoth revealed that he had a gift for her. He brought her a new fishing rod that was adult sized as she had outgrown her current one. She thanked him and continued to express her admiration and interest in fishing, commenting that she would be happy to pass the smaller rod on to her younger sister if she so wished.
On the first day when the snow had melted to sleet Pipa was asked to fetch some water from the Lughaven well. Just as she crossed the bridge she met Frank's mother who was also on her way to finish some errands. She had traded a few greetings with her before but she had never stopped for a chat with her.
"Good morning, Pipa," she greeted with a smile, "you're looking lovely today."
"A good morning it is, Catherine," said Pipa as she gently bowed with respect. "Thank you for your compliment. You're looking well also." They exchanged any news they had between them, letting each other know that everyone in their respective families were doing alright.
"I missed you at the winter festival just a few weeks ago," reminisced Pipa.
"Oh yes, I had been run down with a fever that day," explained Catherine with a light frown. "Thank The Watcher it had only been the common cold, but Frank told me you sent your best wishes to me, thank you, dear." Any discussion of Frank had her cheeks flush just a little, Pipa had been really developing feelings for him the more they kept this a secret.
"Well, now send my best wishes back to him! I hope to meet you and Father Bruceus again soon."
"Yes, let's find time to meet family to family." They both said their farewells and hurried off on their own chores. Pipa felt very good about their exchange and wondered when would be the right time to try and reveal to her parents of her and Frank's situation.
By now spring had sprung around the time it usually did and the Chapmans got back to work on their usual chores. Olyff spent some time teaching Linyeve some new skills, such as cooking and washing the laundry. She picked it up with ease but couldn't help but complain the entire way, often moaning about how she just wanted to go fish with her father.
And speaking of her father it was time for him to reach his thirtieth year and what's a milestone without a celebration? He was to return from a lengthy fishing trip so Olyff and her daughters all contributed to making him a cake. They added some wild strawberries into the batter this time around and it produced an interesting pink hue to the cake. At this moment Eddida began to see an appeal for baking and listened closely at the directions Olyff and Pipa gave her.
When Byrhtnoth stepped through the front door he was presented with their freshly baked cake and a loud "surprise!" and surprised he was indeed! Before agreeing to blow out any candles he revealed that he met the King's hand near the Praaven keep walls and was gifted a banner requested by the King himself.
The large banner was hand woven to feature him and his family seated at a table and although it already had a few tears and ripped seams he was enamoured by the craftsmanship; he had never received a gift so splendid in his life! They all hung it immediately on an empty space on the wall near their living room fireplace and all admired the image.
Soon after it was time to blow the candles out. He made his wish, puffed out some air and was met with smoky candles. Now that he was thirty his hair had gotten a little lighter and he decided to start growing out his moustache and beard a little longer, especially with the suddenly colder weather they had all experienced in the last year or so.
It was funny for Linyeve to realise that her father was triple the age that she was and she couldn't help but question how it felt to be thirty,
"Not too much different to when I was twenty," joked Byrhtnoth, "but you'll just have to live to twenty to see what that feels like." Linyeve rolled her eyes but remained amused, she just wished her father was more straight forward with some answers he gave her.
As the months became warmer summer was in full swing through Praaven. Linyeve and Byrhtnoth accompanied each other on fishing escapades, Pipa and Olyff cultivated a number of crops on their farm land, Eddida continued to paint but learned to bake and Beauty nursed her little foal Gloria into a healthy individual. Things seemed to be going swimmingly for the Chapmans once more.
One late summer day Eddida asked Pipa if she could accompany her to the Praaven keep market to help her sell some baked goods. She did just that and even participated in the baking before they set off to travel to the city walls. They set up their small stall amongst the other various delicacy stalls and not too far from the armor merchants.
To Pipa's surprise Frank had been visiting the market with his father in search of some new books and other goods to purchase. Father Bruceus made sure to buy a few goodies from the Chapman sisters before engaging in some small talk and he mentioned how they have almost fully rebuilt their home after last year's wildfires, inviting Pipa and her parents to come visit sometime soon.
Father Bruceus left the young ones to have a chat and Pipa asked Eddida if she could take a walk along the market with Frank, leaving her alone for just fifteen minutes or so. She gave her permission and the love birds found themselves at an unpopulated public gardens just a five minute walk away from the market they met at.
Frank started their meeting with a tight hug telling her how much he's missed her, "It feels like it's been years since we last saw each other Pipa."
"It has been a while," agreed Pipa, "but not as far as saying it was years!" She giggled and Frank looked at her lovingly. They had a quick catch up on any events that transpired since their last meet before Frank began to share his worries,
"I'm starting to tire of keeping our feelings a secret from our parents," he said with a serious face. "I feel that if we tell our parents how we really feel towards each other we would be able to see each other more often."
"But we're still so young," she responded with hesitation, "I feel like they won't take us seriously..."
"You will never know unless you try... my father has said that to me before."
"He's a wise man..." her voice trailed off as she simmered on what he had just said before speaking up again. "How do you feel about me, Frank?" This question caught him a little off guard and he cleared his throat as he collected his feelings,
"Well... each day we meet and share these moments the more I feel I care about you. The longer we spend without each other the more I long for you and... I'm starting to really think I love you." His cheeks had started to get a twinge of pink in them as he looked away, embarrassed from how vulnerable he just made himself appear, but every word touched Pipa on a deep level and she poured her heart out back to him,
"Oh Frank, if your words are true then how can I not feel the same for you? I so wish to experience your care and love more than we do now and I can't help but think about you every day of my life... I love you too." He looked back at her and smiled, she smiled back. They naturally leaned in for a kiss, sharing nothing more than a peck, before pulling away and making a promise.
"Once I feel it right I will tell my parents of my feelings for you," planned Pipa.
"I will do the same," agreed Frank, "But I fear that you will take longer to pluck the courage to tell yours than I will, so I shall stay patient."
"Thank you," she responded. They shared one last kiss and hug before putting on the guise of friendship and walking back to the Praaven market.
It is around this time that Linyeve was on a fishing trip to Praaven's largest lake, situated atop the nearest mountain. On their journey there they climbed so high that they could see their home and farm as if it were made by ants and joked about the appearance of it being so small.
As they waited for the fish to bite Linyeve breached the topic of marriage with her father and he explained how it would be most likely that he and her mother would be the one to choose who her future partner would be, as long as it was approved by the King also. She found it unfair and tried to fight back with autonomy, urging her father to let her pick and choose as she pleases.
"Arranged marriages aren't all that bad," Byrhtnoth tried to reason with his daughter. "Your parents don't just choose a stranger for you, they choose a partner who would benefit your wellbeing as a whole. Your mother and I were arranged and we could have had no love at all but we were lucky to find a common ground."
Linyeve felt frustrated at this response, all she wanted was full freedom to do as she pleased, and this paired with her mother's constant reminders and push to do unnecessary chores (at least unnecessary in her eyes) she felt herself pushed to her limit.
"Well, if it's so important for you to choose a partner for us then why haven't you caught on that Frank has began courting Pipa?"
Linyeve had noticed several signs and overheard gossip from others and Pipa herself and just put two and two together, or more Pipa and Frank together. She stared off into the lake with anger but Byrhtnoth turned his head in surprise, staring long and hard at his daughter to see if she was bluffing.
"What pushed you to make this claim?" he questioned.
"Haven't you spotted her finding some alone time with her childhood friend? They've fallen head over heels for one another." She rolled her eyes as she said it and her father turned his head away just as she finished. He didn't really know what to make of this, Pipa is still only twelve years old. Yes, there may be royals that are married off at this age but it's rare, and even more rare for peasants to engage in this behaviour.
This was finally brought to the table over dinner. Olyff and Eddida had eaten early and Olyff was helping her daughter to bathe in the next room over. Byrhtnoth presented a little cold towards Pipa, hoping that she would be making the first move to reveal this information, but she caught on and pried,
"Is everything alright, father? You've been awful quiet tonight." He stayed silent but responded with a shake of the head.
"He's just stressed over a topic that we discussed on our fishing trip today," teased Linyeve, "something to do with marriage and... secret relationships."
"What are you implying?" attacked back Pipa, staring daggers at her sister. Byrhtnoth still had his head hanging down, picking at his stew.
"I'm implying that you're hiding something significant from all of us." Linyeve sneered, relishing in this justice that was about to be served.
"I'd love to hear what you think I have hidden from you," barked back Pipa.
"You've been courting Frank behind our back." There, the cat's out of the bag. Pipa dropped her spoon into her half empty stew and her father finally looked up at her. Her expression says it all, she had been caught in the act. The act of lying. He sighed and collected everyone's bowls and Pipa was ready to storm off but Linyeve didn't allow her to,
"Your cowardly escape gives us the perfect answer, you lied behind our backs!" she followed her across the kitchen.
"This was not your information to tell," defended Pipa as she stood face to face with her sister. "I was waiting for the right time!"
"Yeah? I guess it never came then, did it?"
"Of course, because you had to go blabbing about something that doesn't concern you!" Linyeve felt stabbed by that last comment, of course her sister courting a stranger is very much a concern to her. Regardless, she felt like she wasn't being heard properly and so she ran off outside, after her father. Pipa felt tears welling up in her eyes and she ran to her bed to hide under the covers, running past the oblivious Olyff and Eddida in the bathtub not far from their argument.
Linyeve met her father outside as he finished washing the dishes in the outdoor basin. "What did I tell you, father? My suspicions were right." She crossed her arms with pleasure before being interrupted by Byrhtnoth,
"Yet you were wrong," he snapped as he dried his hands, "This was not your information to tell."
Linyeve's face twisted into disappointment, "What?! I was only doing what's best for the family!"
"But Pipa could have done that herself when she was ready, you have made this situation far more complex than what it could have been."
"But father?!" He shushed her, putting his hand in front of her face.
"If she is truly in love it would make sense why she did such a foolish thing; love often makes you commit foolish acts. You better hope she accepts your apology when you are ready to give one to her." He looks at his daughter with a scowl, he is extremely disappointed in her behaviour. He is disappointed that Pipa hadn't told him about her and Frank but at that moment the feelings he had for Linyeve outweighed the ones he had for his eldest.
That night the house felt tense as some family members went to bed without any resolutions. Linyeve attempted to start some conversations with Pipa over breakfast a few times but she would just ignore her and hurry with finishing her food. It felt like Pipa had built a reinforced wall around her and Linyeve had no ability to breach it.
Winter was rolling in and Eddida's birthday was around the corner. Olyff had spoken of celebrating her tenth birthday like they have celebrated everyone else's and so Linyeve wanted to go into that celebration with no arguments ahead of them... if only Pipa would agree to talk to her.
She tried to find someone that understood where she was coming from but everyone in the Chapman family was on Pipa's side. She ended up getting a talking to from her mother that pushed her to finally communicate with Pipa,
"It's undeniable that what you did was wrong, outing your sister on a private matter that was not yours to reveal," began Olyff, "but you are still her sister and family has to stick together. It would hurt my soul to see you never speak again."
"But she avoids just the sight of me, how can I ever find a space to talk to her?" pleaded Linyeve.
"Well... corner her, find her where she can't escape and confront her. I think she has gone to wash the laundry outside right now."
Linyeve left her breakfast behind her and changed into her everyday clothes. It had started raining and the temperatures were dropping but she had to find Pipa, who was at the wash basins downhill from their home. She approached her and for the first time in weeks Pipa met her gaze.
"We need to talk, seriously," stated Linyeve. Pipa stood up from her activity and decided to listen to her.
"I'm sorry," she began before clasping her hands together and pleading. "I'm so eternally sorry for what I have done. I have been told time and time again your romance was not something I should have gossiped about and I realise it now. Your cold shoulder pains me and... I miss my big sister." Pipa could have sworn she saw a tear form in the pit of Linyeve's eye, or maybe it was the rain, but she stood and weighed the genuineness of her words under the pouring rain.
"Please forgive me, Pipa!" Linyeve shook her clasped hands, fingers going white from how hard she was pleading. "I was so very foolish for sticking my nose where it didn't belong. Let me help you get the approval from our parents, let me help you however I can!"
"Okay," finally responded Pipa. Linyeve's eyes grew wide, shocked that she would say that. "I forgive you." A soft smile crept onto Pipa's face and Linyeve pulled her in for a hug.
"Thank you, sis. I promise I won't ever do it again." They stood in this embrace under the rain until they both laughed at how wet their hair had become and ran back inside to dry off.
Their parents still hadn't had their serious talk with Pipa about her hidden courtship as they were trying to find the right time to approach the conversation. They wondered if they should go to Frank's parents first, or perhaps invite them over, before talking with Pipa but Linyeve came in to the rescue. She tried to convince her father on multiple occasions that what they had was innocent and that Pipa's intention was never to keep a secret.
But the year was ending and it was Eddida's birthday and so they would host one more celebration before the year was over. Another cake, another wish, another candle and Eddida was showered with praises and gifts. She had received a navy blue and grey tunic that would adapt to her ever growing body.
Pipa gifted her a bundle of new natural paints, some of which were hard to obtain but she shared she made a fair trade at the Praaven market they both visited. She was delighted and shared that she will be using these paints as soon as they had a slice of cake.
The year ended with a short snow fall but it had mostly been raining. Last year's uncommon frost was nowhere to be seen this year but it felt like it had started raining more than ever in the last few months. Regardless, the Chapmans were all alive and well and a serious conversation was set to be had in the beginning of 1313...
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