1321 - Warm Like Love
The winter passed on by without a hitch. Everyone on the Chapman farm shared the responsibilities of caring for the animals and keeping the home as clean as possible while staying cheery and warm by the roaring fires. There wasn't any presence of snow this year and so the children had to find their entertainment elsewhere.
It was still unnatural for Byrhtnoth to not have Linyeve be home to celebrate the holidays with the rest of her siblings but he was thankful to still be able to see her when her schedule freed up. She also had less to do on the Dodson farm but shared how she finally met August's remaining family, his sister Chrystal, and they seemed to get along well.
One late winter morning Byrhtnoth sat down to have the rest of the mint pie that he won at the winter festival last year. It was a minty green and it was honestly hard to tell if it was gone off but with one bite he understood it all. He recoiled in disgust and spat it back onto his plate before deciding to compost it on his farm. By the time he was finished with that he met Osuald and Lavina in the kitchen asking what had happened with the pie.
On the outskirts of the keep some villagers noticed a suspicious person creeping over towards the river in the direction of Lughaven. They were lowly peasants and didn't think the guardsmen would believe them if they reported the strange behaviour so one man walked on home while the other kept his distance yet followed his trail. He had a gut feeling that this person was yet to cause mischief.
After their porridge breakfast Byrhtnoth ushered everyone to fulfill their farm duties. Osuald went to feed the chickens and horses while Byrhtnoth cleaned the stable. Although Osuald had been a dear to clean after the horses he wasn't too careful with the pitchfork yet and some old dung had built up in the corners of the stable so his father did a deep clean once a month.
Lavina stayed true to her gender roles and made sure the beds were all clean and made and she was soon to learn how to wash the linens in the basin outside; Byrhtnoth just felt she deserved a year or two more without extra chores befalling her.
The children had walked on inside by this time and Byrhtnoth went to wash his hands from the dusty and smelly hay. Just as he rounded the corner to the door he spots the hooded stranger with their hand extended to the door's handle.
"HEY!" expelled Byrhtnoth, "STAY AWAY FROM MY HOME!"
The children inside understood their father's urgency in his voice and stayed inside, occasionally peering out of the window to see what was the issue. The thief was daring enough to attempt to rob the Chapmans but decided to double down on their actions as they lunged onto Byrhtnoth and a fight ensued.
The thief was shabby and clearly unprepared as they used their gloved fists to fight, no weapons to use at all. The peasant that had followed the hooded person all the way from the Praaven walls stood watch and cheered on Byrhtnoth, familiar with him through the Tovar markets. It was a somewhat tug of war as they scrapped on the dusty ground but Byrhtnoth won the battle as he bent the thief's arm back and heard a whimper of defeat.
He tried his best to pull their mask off but they were faster than they were strong and so they disappeared off towards the tree line near the bridge to Lughaven. The watching peasant applauded Byrhtnoth and explained he feared to intercept but offered any aid to him if he needed. Byrhtnoth felt he would have a bruise or two tomorrow but he was glad he left the fight unscathed. Osuald and Lavina ran out and hugged their father tightly and questioned what had happened.
"There are some very bad people out in the world," explained Byrhtnoth as he enveloped them into his arms. "Some fear to live a simple life and earn an honest coin and instead turn to harm others in order to make a profit. The Watcher would be looking down at them with a flaming eye, no good comes from hurting others."
"I'll grow up big and strong to help you if it happens again, father!" said Osuald with pride. Byrhtnoth smiled.
Spring made it's way into the year very smoothly and the work on the farm had begun once more. Byrhtnoth sowed the seeds solo this year but he let his kids watch on the sidelines and learn for the future. Osuald in particular began to ask many questions about everything under the sun and Byrhtnoth was more than happy to explain it all to his one and only son.
One of the biggest joys that Byrhtnoth experienced in life was taking a hot and relaxing bath after an arduous day on his farm. To wash all of the dirt away from his arms and under his fingernails left him fresh and feeling like a brand new man. The warmth of it all felt like an embrace sometimes and he spent a moment to imagine his late wife's loving touch. It had been four years since her passing and he felt like he missed her more and more with every day.
And once again, the nightmares came back. This time around Eddida had made an appearance. Her ghostly form carried the same dark red hue that Olyff did, perhaps it was his mind channelling a reminder that they both died during the famine only a month apart, but it creeped him out nonetheless. The one difference was that she was floating towards the farm during daytime. The sun rose high in his dream yet she was unbothered by it. Just as she reached the farmhouse door and it creaked open he awoke in a sweat once again.
That same night Byrhtnoth was cooking a carrot and onion soup in the cauldron over the kitchen fire. Osuald stood next to his father and continued to be a curious growing boy, asking things such as why food needed to be cooked to be eaten, and so on. Lavina went around the home and double checked if she did her chores for the day and once she was on her way back to the kitchen she stopped in the living area to gaze upon the tapestry near the fire.
She had seen it in the home ever since she was little but she never got to properly appreciate it. She gazed upon the intricate work done by a very skilled weaver hired by King Sidgurd many years ago and studied the faces of her family. She noticed that Osuald and herself were not in the picture and came to the conclusion that this work is from over ten years ago! She didn't recognise two of her siblings but saw the dark haired child that must be Linyeve on the right hand side.
And in the middle was her darling mother. Even in the creative piece she looked tired and worn, her father clasping at her mother's shoulder, holding her. She wondered what she was like, what she was thinking, how did she get to looking so tired... or was it just her perception of her making her look tired?
Her thoughts were stopped short as Byrhtnoth beckoned her to their dinner which was being served on the dining table. As she got her portion Osuald was already indulging in his first spoonful of the hot soup, flinching from the heat.
"Slow down boy," chuckled his father, "the soup won't go anywhere if you don't eat it, give it a moment." Osuald placed his wooden spoon down beside his bowl and gently blew on it, creating thick ripples along its surface.
Lavina copied her brother and waited for the dinner to cool and in the meantime decided to ask her father something. "Father, what was mother like?"
Taken aback by the sudden questioning he paused for a few seconds before answering, "She was a very loving and attentive woman, gone too soon from our family. What makes you ask, my love?"
"I was just looking at the big tapestry near the fire, where she is sitting at the table... who else is beside her?"
Byrhtnoth turned to his left and gazed at the piece through the shoddy window between the two rooms and coming up with his answer, "why that's Pipa, Eddida and Linyeve beside her, and I am standing behind her also." He looked at his children's faces and realised they were far too young to remember any of those names, apart from Linyeve's. "Pipa was our first child and Eddida was our fourth. They passed away during the famine, you both were far too young to remember them."
"Which child are we to you, father?" asked Osuald as he began to count with his fingers.
"You were my eighth," said Byrhtnoth as he placed a hand on Osuald's shoulder, "and you were my ninth, and my last." He reached towards Lavina's hand on the table and smiled, a twinge of mourning sorrow behind his eyes.
"Why does mother look so sad in that tapestry?" Lavina asked quietly. Byrhtnoth swallowed hard before answering.
"Is it really that noticeable?" Lavina nodded with a small frown, her father sighed. "We had lost two of your siblings just before that piece was made, your mother was a shell of herself for a year or so after that. She got better but..."
"What were their names? The ones who died," asked Osuald respectfully.
"Mabel and Eawulf," responded Byrhtnoth confidently. "Mabel was to weak to survive and Eawulf was born asleep... he never woke up after your mother gave birth to him." The room fell silent as they sat with the heavy information but Byrhtnoth knew he had to lighten the mood.
"But look at us now. Remembering our fallen relatives, keeping them in our memories and hearts, and let us speak of them fondly for years to come." His children smiled back if not a little confused by the concept of death and memories, they were both still so young. "Now dig in, the soup is getting cold."
Not a week after their reminiscing and adoration of the family tapestry they receive word from Frank, words delivered by a guardsman from the keep. When Byrhtnoth opened the door initially he feared the worst, it's not everyday that a soldier would come to your door delivering news about a friend, but he huffed a sigh of relief when it was just a delivery of a letter.
As Byrhtnoth doesn't have the ability to read the guard was kind enough to unfold the letter and read it to him. The letter went like,
"Dearest Byrhtnoth,
I hope you and your family are keeping well. I extend my apologies for my absence for the recent months but I have had some life changes happen. My father had finally trained me to become a fully fledged priest and while I waited for him to appoint me as the priest of Lughaven church I found my way to the Praaven walls. I found myself to be the private pastor for the royal family and during my sermons I grew close with Queen Dowager Mary Anne. To cut a long story short we have privately eloped with the grace of King Sidgurd and I proudly can say your granddaughter, Shavonne, will be growing safely behind the castle walls. Perhaps one day you can visit and I will tell you the story in greater depth. For the time being I share a gift with you, a new tapestry I commissioned for your family with my newfound wealth. May it always remind me and you of where we came from and the hardships we dealt with together. I hope to meet you again soon.
Kindest regards,
Father Frank."
Straight after reading the letter the soldier bent down to pick up and handed a package to Byrhtnoth. He reiterated that the gift was sent from Frank and Byrhtnoth sent his thanks back before the guardsman saluted and travelled back to the keep. Byrhtnoth walked back inside and unpackaged the paper parcel and found a small but sweet tapestry of his immediate family, including August with Linyeve. He decided to hang it in the kitchen as he would get to look at it every day and bring a smile to his face.
And soon enough came the summer months. The farm was rich with crops and when the sporadic rain graced Praaven the Chapmans had a moments rest from the farm's chores. Although the big harvest was due towards the end of autumn they had plenty of cabbage, carrots, onions and more to sell off and so they packed up and visited the annual Praaven keep market.
The town square was bustling and they were grateful to secure themselves a stall for their produce. They were even lucky enough to set up a small table for Lavina to sell her baked goods also and the day began. King Sidgurd made his rounds early on in the market and was delighted to see Osuald and Lavina growing up so well. He shared with Byrhtnoth that he had become a father to a beautiful baby girl just a year back and that the Queen was pregnant with his next child.
Just as the market was at its peak in busyness Byrhtnoth was trading with many men at his stall but Lavina's business was a little quiet. Osuald was helping his father package their goods so Lavina just stood around and looked at all of the faces passing her by. After a small group filtered through the crowd she noticed a familiar face, her sister Linyeve! She looked much the same but now donned a headcovering that was held by a copper circlet and matched the colour of her everyday gown.
She excused herself from her stall and squeezed through the bustling crowd, keeping her eye on Linyeve in case she disappeared. To her delight Linyeve stayed put as she was chatting with her beloved, August. He must have bought her some flowers from one of the stands as he pulled out a bouquet from behind his back and surprised Linyeve with them. She accepted the white flowers with a lilt in her voice and gave her husband a quick peck on the lips.
As soon as they pulled away Linyeve saw her little sister and exclaimed her name, bending down to give her a hug. Lavina threw her arms around Linyeve and squeezed her tight but felt like something was getting in the way. When they stood back up straight Lavina noticed that her sister had a bump on her belly. Her father had somewhat explained that women can get pregnant but she had to make sure,
"Are you going to have a baby, Linyeve?"
"Yes! Did you notice my baby bump?" she asked as she rubbed her belly.
"Will that mean I will have a baby cousin soon?" asked Lavina with a bright face.
"Indeed, it does. You're such a smart girl!" Linyeve ruffled her younger sister's hair before August asked her for a hug also. He asked if they had a stall nearby and wanted to go and say hello to her father. Linyeve wanted to join also but was stopped in her tracks by another question from Lavina,
"How did you get pregnant, Liny?"
Linyeve pursed her lips as she pondered what to say. Lavina was still very young and she felt that if she told her the fact of the matter she would traumatise the poor girl so she shrugged and said,
"The Watcher gave us a gift! They felt that my love with August was strong and... and it was time for us to have a baby. Yes, that's right!"
Lavina opened her mouth for another question but was quickly ushered by Linyeve to go visit their father's stall.
Byrhtnoth was delighted to see his daughter once again and gasped with glee when he saw her pregnant belly. He reached over the table and gave it a gentle rub, asking when she thought the baby would be born.
"From what I recall I should be giving birth sometime in January, so in the new year. I'm only a few months into this pregnancy and I can't wait for it to be over already!"
"From what I remember about your mother the last half of the pregnancy is the easiest, if you disregard the big belly and waddling!" joked Byrhtnoth. They spent another moment catching up before whispering something to Osuald and Lavina and they silently got to work.
Lavina then comes out from around the stall and hands Linyeve a large parcel to which the couple are delighted with. "This is just something to help you get by with. A bit of everything from the Chapman farm," explained Byrhtnoth.
"Including my cakes!" chimed in Lavina. Linyeve hugged her sister tightly and it was time to bid one another farewell.
Their stall was practically cleaned out and only a small burlap sack worth of produce was lugged on home. As the sun still seemed high in the sky when they made their way home Byrhtnoth suggested to Osuald if they wanted to fish at the nearest pond before dinner. Lavina excused herself from the activity and instead stayed home playing with the dollhouse.
The summer air kept the boys warm as they fished at the little pond that Byrhtnoth used to bring Linyeve to. He reminisced out loud about his fishing escapades here with his daughter to Osuald and he loved listening about it. They caught a few trouts and even some crayfish which was quite rare with their equipment!
Byrhtnoth packed their items away and turned to head back home, raving about what a delicious grilled crayfish stew he were to make once they were home. Little did they know there was a horse watching them from a short distance in the shrubbery and it only revealed itself once they left the vicinity. It was the unicorn, the very same one that Byrhtnoth and Linyeve came across many years back.
There was plenty of work to do on the fields this summer. As the sun blistered the plants below they needed to be watered thoroughly, getting the entire family involved in the process. Byrhtnoth handled the weeding and maintenance of the crops so once the watering was out of the way the children handled their other chores around the farm.
The horses were fed, the beds were made, the dishes were washed... what was next? Well, now that Osuald was almost ten years old, he was granted more independence to travel to ponds and markets around Praaven. Lavina was still too young to go on her own but Osuald accompanied her often, as long as she would sometimes accompany him to go fishing!
It became somewhat of a pleasant routine for the father and children, they would all be busy with their work during the day and then gather for dinner at night and share everything they had experienced that day. Byrhtnoth was delighted to hear how well Osuald was taking to fishing, feeling pride to be able to say 'like father like son' and awaited to see what he caught that day. He was also delighted to hear how often Lavina would come back with an empty basket after a day at the local markets, often wishing he could have passed on any recipes Pipa learned when she was her age.
And the quarterly deliveries to the castle were bountiful. Byrhtnoth loved to ride Gloria when he was in a pinch for time but when he travelled to the keep he would always saddle up his trusty steed Beauty. Her mane continued to grey the older she got but she still had a lot of fight in her left and neighed with excitement to casually trot across the lands.
As the season ended and the clouds returned to shield the sun in the sky the children had less stories to tell of their days out. Lavina mentioned how she started seeing more stray dogs running around the markets and how there was an unhoused man that looked at her funny sometimes but other than that she continued to sell her baked goods.
Osuald talked about how he met some kids at the Mahlsberg festival grounds and played a new game called hopscotch where they would draw some squares in the dirt and throw a pebble before hopping across to fetch it. He spoke fondly of seeing other citizens' farms look prosperous with apples and berries gracing their shrubbery. Other than that he fished when he could.
And Byrhtnoth continued to tend the farm and wash their laundry when it piled up. Though he had one charming piece of news when he went to deliver his autumn harvest to the keep: he met Linyeve on the way! She looked as if she was ready to pop yet she still had a few months left ahead of her.
He had a quick chat with her while he was on horseback and she mentioned she was abstaining from most grueling chores but tried to go for walks for some fresh air and exercise. Tovar was a pleasantly built up community so Byrhtnoth felt ample safety for her to walk the perimeter alone.
Once again the day came for their final harvest for the year. Byrhtnoth appreciated any help he could get from his children but pressured them to not overwork themselves. The pair helped their father out in the morning but once they finished the first quarter of the farm they moaned of their tired hands and their father shooed them away.
Osuald came up with a delightful activity he and his sister could partake in. Many of the townsfolk believed the heat would suddenly disperse and be followed by quick frost so to take advantage of their possible last warm day Osuald invited his sister to go swimming in the river by their home! She giggled at the thought and they set off, telling their father they were to go fishing.
The water was quite rapid and treacherous on their side of the river yet closer to Lughaven there was a portion of water that flowed calmly. They aimed to visit that side and so they crossed the bridge and trudged down the gentle hill to the riverbank.
It was funny for them to see their home across the way, the stable looking small yet the farmhouse giant. They stripped off their vests, shoes and any extra accessories until they were in their linen tunics and waded their feet in the tinglingly cold water. They splashed around a little, acclimating to the temperature, before Osuald took the plunge first.
Lavina quickly followed until the water reached her neck and she began to float with nothing beneath her. Osuald taught his sister how to swim better, coaching her to wave her arms in a brilliant motion, yet it didn't come as easy for Lavina as it did for her brother.
He began to pick at her in a brotherly way and when she had enough she splashed at him. He squealed with surprise and began to chase her through the water, splashing her with his arms and legs in various orders. It was an incredibly memorable time for the two of them and when their breath began to become labored they decided to swim back to shore.
They sat on the rocks as they noticed the sun getting closer to the horizon. They knew they had to dry off a bit before making their way home so Osuald came up with another game for them to play while they waited. He asked Lavina to find and pick up some flat rocks and hand them to him when she was done. He explained how their father taught him how to skip rocks sometimes but didn't do it often as it scared the fish.
This game Lavina was better at. They both took turns to see who's rock would skip the farthest and at one point Lavina did better than her brother. She only had five minutes of pride before he had outdone her in, once again, another physical activity. She sulked for a bit before being reminded that they had to go back home and so they threw one last stone and started picking up their clothes.
Lavina called her brother for a second and pushed all of her hurt behind her and hugged him tightly.
"Thank you Osuald for such a fun day," she said with honesty. Osuald was taken aback for a moment before giving in to the familial bond, responding,
"Anytime, sis. You're really good at stone skipping... for a girl!" Lavina pulled away and watched Osuald stick his tongue out at her before chasing him around the river bank and eventually getting dressed. They crossed over the bridge to get back home and they entered the house right on time.
As soon as they stepped foot into the farmhouse their father was just finishing making dinner, greeting them with a "what took you so long?" They made up a story that Lavina fell into the water and they had to wait for her to dry off before coming home and Byrhtnoth seemed happy with the excuse.
The evening devolved back into a long conversation about fishing but Lavina interrupted it to boast about her stone skipping skills that Osuald introduced to her.
The townsfolk predicted right, the lands devolved into frost much quicker than natural and they found themselves spending more time at home. Byrhtnoth thought of his daughter, Linyeve, fondly and prayed for her to The Watcher to have her experience a smooth and comforting pregnancy that will lead into a safe labor when the new year was to begin.
And as he prayed, for Linyeve, for Osuald, for Lavina, and for himself, he realised that his nightmares have ceased. Perhaps The Watcher did hear some of his pleas afterall.
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