1325 - Two Losses, One Gain.
The distant sun made the fallen snow sparkle like the midnight stars along the ground yet the bitter cold had no plan on leaving the land. The Chapmans were used to the winter frost but a gut feeling in Byrhtnoth made him think that this year was to be colder than ever before. It wasn't too unusual for the climate to shift year to year, as long as it didn't leave them as hungry as it did exactly ten years ago...
Lavina, although only ten and a half years old at the moment, was fitting right into her womanly duties around the home. She became the primary cook and began to create flavourful stews and soups more than she did bake. Along with her interest waning she also understood that with her developing body some evil men could take advantage of her if she were to travel alone, and so she didn't. Her father took pride in her housework regardless and made sure that he would escort his young daughter if she needed some place to be.
Osuald had a streak of sleeping in late this winter as most nights he would find it troublesome to sleep. His mind still swirled bittersweet thoughts of Marissa and felt a deep frustration from the fact that she was unattainable, or so she thought. He spent his nights tossing and turning in bed and trying to conjure up a million ideas of how to rescue her from her predicament but ultimately... began losing hope. He ended up often having breakfast alone once his father and sister were deep in their own chores until Byrhtnoth couldn't take it anymore.
He shook his son awake at eight in the morning one cold late-January morning and told him to get ready to go fishing. Osuald half sat up in his bed and rubbed his eyes,
"Ugh, father... we're snowed in. How could we go fishing in this weather?"
"By travelling to the sea side, of course," adamantly said Byrhtnoth. "Come on, rise up, have some breakfast and wrap up extra warm. You and I need a boy's day out." He left his son to thaw out from his deep slumber and prepared the horses for their journey.
It was once he was outside that he spotted a soldier approaching his home on horse back and announcing his presence. He stayed saddled but handed Byrhtnoth a small parchment with very little text on it. Byrhtnoth excused himself as he was illiterate so the solider was short with the news:
"Lady Marissa is to marry Arron McCombs. They have extended an invitation for you and your son, Osuald, to attend their marriage ceremony in the city."
Byrhtnoth choked out a thank you to the messenger and watched him trot off towards Lughaven. He felt his heart sink, not out of his own feelings but the feelings of his son. He knew Osuald was going to be gutted when he finds out but slipped the parchment into a pocket for now and prepared the horses for their fishing journey as promised.
Osuald emerged with extra layers of fur and tunics as he was instructed and he presented himself with a tired look, an exhaustion that was both mental and physical. Byrhtnoth planned to tell his son about the news that was delivered once they were at their destination and so they were off!
Beauty was a trooper and trotted through the cold snow even at her ripe old age while Gloria was eager to gallop faster than her mother.
Osuald and his father didn't exchange many words on their journey and they saw very few people on the roads, mostly travelling merchants and other folk who were moving on business. Thankfully the water on the sea shore wasn't frozen over and the snow was lightly melted by the lapping water by their feet. They cast their fishing lines and waited for a nibble.
They engaged in small talk and every word felt pointless to Osuald. He felt like he had nothing to say so why say anything at all? Eventually Byrhtnoth realised he wouldn't get a peep out of his son and delivered the sad news.
"A messenger came around to the farm while you were getting ready for the journey here," started Byrhtnoth. Osuald grunted in response before his father continued,
"He delivered some news about Marissa and... I'm not sure you'll be happy to hear it." Osuald's head whipped over to look at Byrhtnoth as soon as he heard him utter his love's name. His heart quickened and his mind went blank, every word he wanted to say got stuck in his throat before Byrhtnoth finally turned to meet his son's gaze.
"She's set to marry Arron McCombs." There, the matter of the fact is out in the open.
"Arron... the Arron that escorted her to Lavina's birthday celebration?" asked Osuald as he put the pieces together in his mind.
"I assume so, I don't know of any other Arron," responded Byrhtnoth. Osuald scoffed,
"Out of all the people Marissa's mother could choose she went with him." He grit his teeth with annoyance and looked out to the water, his eyebrows furrowing with every second that passed.
Byrhtnoth stood and looked at his son with pity, he knew that he was hopeful until the last moment that things wouldn't end the way they did. "What about him makes you think that?" he pried.
"He seemed... arrogant and, at times, rude when he spoke. And Lavina told me that he seemed to be angrily talking about her to Marissa when we ate the cake; I didn't hear what he was saying but I saw him pointing at her with a scornful look."
The two lads both looked down in sadness briefly. Perhaps Marissa's mother was making a grave mistake marrying her daughter off to Arron or perhaps there was so much that we didn't know about him. Regardless, the date was set only a few days from that day and they both knew they couldn't do much about it. As the sky began to fade to a dark grey they decided to pack their belongings, a small catch that day but it was worth it to step out of the home.
They began to gallop further away from the snowy city walls and past the scattered farm houses that didn't seem to belong to any village nearby, somewhat like their own farmhouse. In the corner of his eye Osuald suddenly saw a vision that stood out amongst the snow, even in the ever growing darkness: brilliantly orange hair bouncing towards a lonely home.
"Is that-" began to ask Byrhtnoth, slowing Beauty's speed down, before being interrupted by Osuald,
"I think it is." The men looked at one another and agreed on a plan: Byrhtnoth was to ride ahead and give Osuald and Marissa some distance while he approaches her. The father knew his son was a calm and respectful boy, he wouldn't need to intervene on their conversation, but just in case he would keep a distant eye out on them.
Osuald galloped up to the farm house and yelled out "Marissa!" just as she was entering inside the wooden abode. She turned to see him skid to a halt on his horse and they stood frozen, not from the weather surrounding them but by the sheer surprise and shock of the situation. As Osuald dismounted from his horse Marissa gulped back her fears and crossed her arms around her belly.
"Osuald," breathed out Marissa finally, "how did you find me here?" The boy stood before her, slightly out of breath but busy with tying up his horse to the nearest wooden post.
"By sheer chance," admitted Osuald. "My father and I were fishing by the sea and we would usually go straight ahead at the crossroad... until I saw your beautiful hair in the distance..."
Marissa smiled at Osuald like she did at the tavern just a few months back, a smile filled with so much honest joy yet the glimmer in her eyes showed a hint of sadness to her expression. She continued to keep her arms crossed, her grip tightening with each sentence,
"You shouldn't be here..."
"Is Arron inside?" Osuald bluntly asked. His face dropped now, it was time to talk facts and he didn't much feel gentle about the subject.
"N-no, but he'll be back home soon," responded Marissa as she glanced around, dropping her guard on her arm positioning. Although her winter dress was thick and puffy it wasn't good at hiding a certain fact.
"Are... are you pregnant?" Osuald's words felt like they quietly echoed across the snowed in fields that surrounded the pair and Marissa's eyes widened. She dropped her arms to her sides in defeat and answered,
"Yes. Yes, I am." There was no pride behind her answer, she spoke quite solemnly actually. "Nobody must know, Osuald, especially not the church." Osuald sneered in her direction,
"As you're set to marry, isn't that right? Why did your parents choose to ship you off to him? He's horrible."
"He's not horrible! He's a strong and self assured man and that is exactly what my mother was looking for for me." Marissa defended herself with a voice that grew louder and louder, her cheeks getting red too.
"Well then how is it that you are set to have a child out of wedlock? Was this your mother's choice also?" Osuald leaned in towards Marissa's face as he argued with her and was met with a slap. His head snapped to the side from the impact and the contact was met with such emotion that it left a sting.
He looked back at the girl he once crushed on, still so beautiful yet filled with anger, and suddenly she looked less attractive in his eyes. Perhaps it was because she was now someone he couldn't possibly have for himself or perhaps it was because she began to show her true nature through this act of violence. He may have taken his words too far for Marissa to handle but he stood by what he said and stomped his foot down.
"You will never see me again," he said in monotone. "Forget you ever knew me." He untied Gloria from the post and quickly swung his slender legs over the saddle. Marissa had no more words for the boy she knew for a short year, she just stood and tried her best not to shiver from the frosty air and the ice cold words that were just uttered to her, clasping a hand on her small pregnant belly. Osuald flicked the reins of his horse and looked back at the young girl one last time and galloped back to meet his father.
By the time he caught up with his father he didn't realise how much that interaction hurt him until he looked at Byrhtnoth through blurred vision. He blinked the tears away and rubbed his eyes with a dry sleeve as his father spoke,
"I assume things didn't go well between you two."
"No," croaked Osuald, "I don't ever want to think about her again."
In the months that followed the snow didn't seem to want to melt back into the rivers and ponds. Byrhtnoth reminisced that on occasion the winter would be a longer one and remained hopeful that there would still be a short period to farm and keep his family fed. The waters across Praaven at least weren't freezing over anymore so he hoped that the winter was to come to an end before they knew it.
Although Lavina has previously stated to her family that she didn't want to learn how to ride a horse she went back on her statement as she was finding it cumbersome to trudge through the freezing snow. And the more she spoke to her brother, who was a true equestrian, she grew more convinced on the reliability and convenience of travelling on horseback.
She studied the rhythms and handlings of their horses slower than her brother but she was soon confident enough to handle a gentle trot. Greyson was her chosen steed and with his age he was incredibly patient and gentle with Lavina, to which she treated him to carrots and apples after each lesson.
One evening, after a long enough day of the men fishing and the young lady cleaning, Byrhtnoth entertained the idea of bringing both of his children to Praaven castle to deliver his quarterly package of produce to the royal family. He especially convinced Lavina to come as she would get to meet with Shavonne again, who she was developing a stronger bond with as they both grew older.
The horse ride was longer than it would usually be as not only was Lavina an unexperienced rider but Greyson was also the oldest horse they owned and refused to get anywhere close to a gallop. They arrived to the castle at dusk and knew due to the time of day they wouldn't stay that long in the keep.
They were greeted by Queen Magda as she extended her apologies for the absence of King Sigurd, "He has been away on a diplomatic visit to France and we have received a pigeon telling us he may be away longer than we had previously thought."
The tension between England and France was known by everyone across the land, and even rumours of an incoming war were constantly on the lips of every citizen, but Byrhtnoth was proud of King Sidgurd to finally sail across the English Channel and settle an agreement of peace with the French royals. He wished them luck and prosperity and promised to pray to The Watcher for the King's safe return.
Frank was met with Shad in his arms as they were led further into the castle. He extended a welcome and invited them for dinner to which Byrhtnoth had learned by now that a 'no' was more rude to say than 'yes' to this invitation. As the adults had their chats Shad was left lonely and Osuald decided to play with him.
Osuald still spent days sulking about his last encounter with Marissa but, unlike how he was throughout the beginning of this year, he was ready to move on. He continued to distract himself with chores and the like and getting silly with his distant relative was the best distraction he could find at that moment. He would take Shad and chat with him before tickling and swinging him around, filling the halls with youthful giggles.
Lavina was led into the dining hall by Shavonne and met the little cat that lived with the royals. He was splayed out on one of the tables and purred gently as he slept, doing a big stretch before curling back into a ball as he greet his guest. While they waited for their meal Lavina was offered some mulled wine to warm herself up with and she delightfully accepted the offer.
Their dinner was nice and simple and the Chapmans excused themselves for not being able to stay for a full course dinner, instead opting for a generous salad: beyond flavourful, as always. Lavina humoured herself with petting the feline that refused to leave the table as she crunched the sauteed vegetables in her mouth until finally a servant shooed the kitty away.
The evening was finished off with a friendly embrace from each member of the royal family and off they went to saddle up their horses. They had a pleasant ride home as the snow began to turn to sleet under the horse's hooves and felt the spring air return to the lands.
Frost still remained deep in the soil of their farm and so they had to wait a full month longer than usual before they could sow their first seeds. It was no bother to Byrhtnoth as he and Osuald could spend more time fishing and horse riding along the Praaven hills before committing to the dirty farmwork.
Yet on one such day when the lads were off on a fishing trip Lavina busied herself with a variety of chores. As it was spring, spring cleaning was on the list! She washed the dishes and scrubbed the table with a coarse brush, she deep cleaned all of their linens and even tailored some that fashioned holes, and most importantly she made sure that their stables were spick and span before the muddy seasons came around once again.
It was only Greyson that was in the stable as her father and brother took the other two horses to travel with, so she led him out of the shelter and let him roam freely along their farm land and the hills beyond. Their horses were well behaved and knew all too well that they were well cared for, never daring to run away and become wild again.
Once Lavina was done clearing out the dirty hay from the enclosure she stepped outside to take a breather. As she wiped her brow with the only clean part of her hand Greyson came over and nosed her gently. She turned to look at his grey, old eyes and rubbed his nose as she spoke playful yet loving words to her steed. She noticed that his legs were a little shaky but thought he was just an old horse and there was nothing to worry about.
CW: Horse death, mourning.
She decided to give Greyson a nice brushing as she couldn't remember the last time she did so. She had him stand out in the open as she took the brush and glided it through his hair. He snorted and neighed a little but sounded weak and with one fell swoop of the brush Greyson collapsed before her very eyes.
He made no scream, no snort, no noise as his knees buckled and he folded over himself and Lavina jumped back out of fright. The brush jumped out of her hand and she stood over this scene and she felt her throat close up, the all familiar feeling of tears building up inside of her. She dropped to her knees and shook his large body to wake him but there was no response from him. Lavina knew he was an old horse but she never thought that she would witness his death while home alone.
She stood back up once she understood the life had left Greyson's body and she clasped her hands together and covered her face. What was she to do?! Everyone was gone out of the home... what was she going to tell her father? She couldn't hold it in anymore and burst into tears, sobbing into her dirty hands and asking why The Watcher would do this to her.
Eventually she found a tarp in their storage to cover up the body, out of sight from any hawks and buzzards that would inevitably use his body as an easy meal, and she went to continue her crying inside. She had only started to learn how to ride a horse and Greyson was her chosen steed, their bond was fresh and new but the grief felt like it would last an eternity.
Byrhtnoth was the first to arrive home. He had parted ways with Osuald as his son was to sell any excess fish they had caught and Byrhtnoth wanted to get started on salting the fish before the sun set. As he arrived on horseback he noticed the stable empty and mighty clean. He didn't see Greyson or Lavina at first and wondered if she had decided to go riding with him.
It was only after he unsaddled Beauty that he noticed the large tarp covering a giant lump on the ground a few metres behind the farmhouse. He stood and examined the scene and with a breeze of wind lifting a corner of the covering understood what had happened. Beauty was curious too and neighed out a painful cry when she sniffed out what had happened. She began to kick out of frustration and Byrhtnoth attempted to calm her but she galloped away over the hills, unable to stop her on time.
He went inside and found Lavina sitting at the dinner table, her face in her hands and facing away from the front door. He put his hand on her shoulder and she turned further away from him.
"Honey," he began with a quiet and gentle tone, "I saw what had happened outside." Lavina winced quietly as she tried to stop herself from choking out a sob. Byrhtnoth lifted Lavina up to stand and she continued to try hide her face.
"Don't think for even a second that it's your fault, my love. Death can happen at the most sudden of times, and it seems this was one of them." He rubbed her arms in an attempt to comfort her and this was enough to send her tears streaming down her face.
Lavina fell into her father's arms and sobbed. She cried harder than she had ever before and couldn't help but feel an immense guilt for what had happened, even if she was repeatedly told by her father that she had nothing to fear. They stood like that for a while, until Lavina felt like most of her tears were out in the open, before Byrhtnoth offered to go sit in the living room to talk.
About an hour or so later Osuald had arrived home. He also was confused why the stable was empty but he hadn't noticed the tarp covering Greyson's body when he was unsaddling Gloria. He entered the home and found his father and sister speaking in hushed tones and once he walked into the other room he found them together.
Lavina turned around to see Osuald walk in and sniffled while she twisted a handkerchief in her dainty hands. Byrhtnoth had his arm on the back of the bench they sat on and was leaning into Lavina, looking like he had been speaking closely to her before Osuald arrived. They were now both looking at him and he asked,
"What's happening here? Is everything alright?"
Lavina's bottom lip began to tremble again and she looked down at her hands before wiping a sudden tear away. Byrhtnoth stood up and wanted to speak first but Osuald had his eyes focused on his sister. Lavina followed suit and bit her lip before announcing,
"Greyson has died. He- he died right in front of me!" She began to loudly sob once again and Osuald's eyes widened at the news.
He rushed over to his grieving sister and held her, pity in his eyes. He rubbed her back as she coughed out sobs into his shoulder and soon he felt his eyes well up with tears also. He met eyes with his father and saw him approach his children, enveloping them all into a familial hug.
Byrhtnoth spent the night being the father figure and comforting parent his children needed. He reassured them about how it was Greyson's time to leave this world and how The Watcher had blessed Greyson for living a comfortable life in their company. He made them dinner and fed them between the many tears they all shed and took a moment to pray to The Watcher for Greyson's soul to find peace in the afterlife.
Once Osuald and Lavina were in bed he just had one more thing to do before he could also retreat to his room: figure out what to do with Greyson's body. He was a mighty stallion and he could never move his body on his own, and he would never ask his son to help during his grieving, and so he examined the situation and made sure to call over a knacker in the morning, preferably before his children awoke.
CW: over.
Beauty was still missing by the time Byrhtnoth lay down to rest in bed and he prayed for her speedy return. Far in the Praaven flat lands she galloped around and ran out all of her grief and frustrations. She would return back to the stable in the morning but tonight she wanted only to run and feel free.
Summer came and summer went, crops grew and were ready to harvest, it all passed without a hitch. Lavina still grieved on occasion but her pain eased with every week that passed. The lads of the house also struggled with their feelings but not as badly as poor young Lavina.
The only interesting event that happened over summer was that August had celebrated his thirtieth birthday. The Chapmans were invited to the Dodson home and they spent a few hours enjoying the cake and catching up with their relatives on August's nameday. Byrhtnoth was honoured to see that his granddaughter, February, was now two years old and learning to walk and talk with ease. It warmed his heart to see Linyeve be the caring mother that she deserves to be.
Talks of Marissa's wedding could be heard when you visited Praaven's city and Osuald tried his best to not listen to what people had to say. All he confirmed to himself was that she was fully settled in with Arron and had given birth to their first child. It was over for Osuald, she would never be his girl and he had accepted that, but he still bore some resentment towards her and hoped he would never have to come in contact with her again.
And with that the winter returned. Well, the snow did at least, falling along the ground earlier than usual for the first time in decades. The farming concluded and even the Chapman's fishing escapades had to be cut short soon enough.
But with the ever expanding family they thought it would be wonderful to organise a gift giving party this holiday season once more. In the early days of December, before the snow packed onto the ground in thick layers, they would invite many of their family and friends to share the joy of gift giving and give praise to The Watcher for another year that has passed.
The usual suspects were there, Linyeve and August Dodson, Frank and Shavonne Bruceus, even Catherine Bruceus still made an appearance. August informed Byrhtnoth that he extended his invitation to his niece and her family as August was one of the only remaining blood relatives to his niece.
It was these extended relatives that arrived last to the party consisting of Lana Bacon, August's niece and her grandmother, Jolene Bacon. Lana was the daughter of August's sister, Constance, who had died during the famine when Lana was a very small baby, and so she grew up with her father, and eventually step-mother, not far from the Praaven city walls.
Lana was only six months younger than Osuald and when he laid eyes on her she was like a breath of fresh air. She was slender and her skin tan and supple, complimented by her long and flowing ebony locks that neatly sat on her shoulder. The dress that fitted her body was of comforting pastel colours, probably just the dye being washed out from the fabric, and it complimented her well. She even decorated her waist with a handknitted shawl that loosely wrapped around her and carried a weight with every spin and turn she made.
She was friendly if not a little shy but waved a greeting to everyone as soon as she stepped foot into the living area where the rest of the guests had started to create a small pile of gifts. Osuald wanted to take the first step and introduce himself to this pretty girl but his father clapped his hands and got everyone's attention,
"Alright! Looks like everyone has finally arrived, let's get to the gift giving! I'll begin..." His voice boomed across the stone walls and he walked over to the center of the room, bending down to find a box with his name on it. He may have been illiterate but he has taught himself and his children how to recognise their own name in script and so he fished a present out labeled "Byrnoth"... they misspelled his name.
Despite this he found some wooly mittens in a brilliant green hue and as he looked around to see who gifted him this he saw Linyeve attempting to stifle a smile. He walked up to her and thanked her with a kiss on the cheek and proceeded to sit down on a stool next to her. He struck up a conversation as Frank was the next man to fish out a present for himself.
"Do you like them, father?" asked Linyeve with a mischievous grin.
"I do, my love. Great craftsmanship," he smiled back. "But... Byrnoth?" He chuckled as he mispronounced his name and his daughter playfully rolled her eyes at him.
"Your name is the most difficult to write out of everyone in our family!" she defended. "Why are there so many letters for such a short name?"
"Hey! My parents named me that!" They shared a laugh together and both exhaled at the same time, averting their eyes back to see that Frank received a fresh cloak sewn by his mother. It was evident that Frank and Catherine's relationship had strengthened since the last time Byrhtnoth both saw them and he felt a warmth in his heart as he watched the mother and son share a meaningful embrace.
August approached next and found his gift from his loving wife Linyeve which was another pair of mittens, orange in colour. August raised them high in the air and shared a moment with Byrhtnoth yelling out "mitten brothers!" and it got the rest of the partygoers laughing. Shavonne was eager to get a gift next and ran over to the pile.
"Goodness, I miss being home sometimes," started Linyeve as she watched Shavonne hunch over the presents on the floor.
"Isn't August's house your home?" asked her father, worried she wasn't happy with her living circumstances.
"No, no, it's not like that!" explained Linyeve. "I'm delighted to be his wife and mother to his children, and to live in Tovar village is very comfortable... there's just something about your childhood home that you can't recreate in your spouse's house." Byrhtnoth nodded in agreement and he was honoured to have made an impact on his daughter's life through providing a warm and loving home during her formative years.
Shavonne opened a large round parcel and found several items inside, some wood carved dolls made by Byrhtnoth, some metal hair pins purchased by Osuald and made by a local blacksmith, and a darling yellow-orange cloak handsewn by Lavina. This large gift was a gift-bonanza from the Chapmans and she ran over to hug each one of them thank you.
Soon enough the pile grew smaller and smaller until all of the gifts had been opened. Osuald also received a heavy cloak from his sister, prompting to ask her when she had the time to make so many of them. Lavina admitted that she had visited Catherine a few times before the party so she could teach her how to sew and especially how to make these cloaks. The craftsmanship was gentle and steady and each person that received one thanked her generously.
Lavina was gifted a music box from Frank and Shavonne and it was quite a wealthy gift. She needed assistance from her friend to fully understand what they had given her but as Shavonne brushed her fingers along the boxes frame, opening it with a click, and explaining how the mechanisms of winding the box go Lavina was taken aback. The jingle that played was an old Praaven folk song and with each twinkle and dance of the little figurine in the box she was thankful for their love.
Straight after the gifting concluded Byrhtnoth asked if people were hungry and ushered Lavina to give their guests a serving of salted fish and carrot stew for anyone looking for a hot meal. Many people followed her into the kitchen but Lana stayed put and Osuald found this to be the perfect time to introduce himself. He steadied his breath and tried his best to appear more confident and literate unlike the last time he spoke to a girl his age for the first time.
He approached Lana who stood near the fireplace, the flame's glow accentuating her gorgeously smooth skin, and extended a hand to shake,
"Hello, I believe we haven't met before. My name is Osuald Chapman, son of Byrhtnoth." He was chuffed that he didn't stutter or make a fool of himself this time around and was thankfully met with a handshake back.
"It's a pleasure, Osuald. I'm Lana Bacon, daughter of Grady, but as you can tell he isn't here with me tonight." Her fingers felt fragile in his rugged hands and he could tell she doesn't work the fields like he does.
"That's not a worry. Thank you for coming to celebrate with us today. Father told me that you're the niece of August, is that right?"
"Yes, his sister was my mother, may Watcher rest her soul." She spoke with a soft expression, it was clear that she wasn't hurt by this loss anymore.
"I'm sorry to hear about your loss. I lost my mother when I was very young, during the famine."
"I did too, although I don't remember anything about it, I had only been a few months old when she was taken into the Watcher's embrace." With the way she spoke Osuald grew to believe her family was more religious than he was. The Chapmans wouldn't attend a mass every Sunday but for any major religious celebrations they would pay their respects to The Watcher. This made him wonder if he should perhaps try harder to appease The Watcher and perhaps Lana would be his saving grace.
The young pair got straight into learning more about one another, how many siblings they have, when their birthdays are, how they have been brought up by their parents. Lana shared that her surname comes from a long line of men working as butchers, pigs to be specific, and Bacon was the name that stuck. Due to the multiple generations of butchering the Bacons were lucky to find themselves living inside the Praaven walls, even if their home was literally attached to one of the thick city walls. She only has one sibling, a half-brother who they call Bimble and who is several years younger than her. She doesn't participate in the slaughtering of their pigs as that is purely a man's job but she has fed the animals on occasion. She mostly is taught to do the usual womanly duties of cooking, cleaning and clothes making, to which she enjoys doing.
Osuald quickly grew enamoured by her beaming smile as she spoke about everything she was passionate about and even noticed him bridging the gap of air in between them. He had never felt such a gravitational pull towards someone before and any thoughts or memories of Marissa felt like they were a million miles away.
As they spoke by the fire in the other room Byrhtnoth was having a conversation with August and Linyeve about Lana. He asked his son-in-law the details of how the young girl was related to him and he was honest about every fact.
CW: mentions of famine, death, mourning.
"It was incredibly tough and depressing when I heard that Constance died during the famine," he spoke with a pout. "She had already been married to Grady Bacon for a few years but even they couldn't save their pigs from the hunger and soon they grew hungry too. From what I remember Constance had been very ill soon after the birth of Lana but the hunger only sped up her demise." Linyeve extended her arm to stroke her husband's hand in comfort and he smiled back gently at her.
"Grady is a good, Watcher-fearing man though, and I'm glad to see today that he did a wonderful job raising my niece. Her step-mother, Alanna, is such a nurturing lady also and I'm glad she took in Lana as her own."
CW over.
"Lana and... Alanna?" interrupted Byrhtnoth, noticing the extreme similarities. August let out a chuckle as he answered,
"Yes, Lana and Alanna. Hey, you don't choose the name of the people you fall in love with, right?" The group shared a laugh and Lavina was prompt at collecting everyone's empty bowls as soon as they finished eating. Byrhtnoth thanked her for her attentiveness and glanced outside. The sky was growing dark and although there were pleasant conversations going around the table he knew it was time to conclude their party.
Everyone packed away their gifts and prepared on their journey home, everyone venturing a different direction from one another. Hands were shaken, hugs were exchanged and thank yous were in order and the crowd dwindled one by one. Lavina was cleaning up the remaining dirty bowls and cups before bed and Byrhtnoth spoke with his son about the party.
"Goodness, it was amazing to see everyone together like this again, wasn't it?"
"Most definitely, father," agreed Osuald with a smile. "You did a fantastic job organising this affair. I'm sure The Watcher is looking down at you with gratefulness."
"And what did you think of August's niece, Lana?" As Byrhtnoth asked Osuald glanced away and blushed a little before answering,
"She's a very interesting girl, very down to earth and-"
"Pretty?" teased Byrhtnoth. Osuald couldn't lie, he could feel it in his cheeks and so he nodded. Byrhtnoth pat his son on the back,
"Don't worry, this isn't the last time you'll see her beauty."
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