A Castrovel Adventure: Part 6, Chapter 11

6. Zielae, 25,548 - Son   After a thrifty market and good drilltide, the high tide became our flag’s gatherhood, incleaving Erymi and Oshis who had come from Hivaea, and Draue who stayed in the city. Krastaes incame for the daytide, and bearing another barrowload of wine, whereafter we yielded mirthful thanks. We sparred at the drillyard, and then after bath withdrew to athank Krastaes’s brewing skill. He left homeward, though he outtolled our oath that tomorrow we shall cleave his wifemate’s farmhold. Draue, Sievae, and Meiss will also come. Tae and Less will head to his kindred’s household for a few days, with will that we shall all gather at Krastaes’s for Firdmoot, where we may show the firdlings true warriorhood.   Our only flagmates outstaying are Nae and Hanos, whomof I asked news. Draue had heard Hanos’s father is ill, and wherefor likely they stay. Hopefully they may cleave Firdmoot if things fall well. Thus seven days hence will mark our flag’s first time since homecome.     7. Zielae, 25,548 - Eral Farmhold   This morn we packed - me, Remaue, Kaure with our children, Draue and her two boys, Sievae, Meiss, and Lenis - and fared the half-day southward along Aelau’s eastern shore. Then we cut in landward after Ta-Eizohu’s southern flank and skirted the Dirol Wood. The treepath led to a neat and kith farmhold a rough sem from the rainwood, and which we reminded, since we had ere come here when I had healed from the komori. There waited Krastaes under high antennae and gleeful grin.   Theore his wifemate wept greeting us. She took Aeosel and hugged him. After a touch upon my face’s scar, she knelt, kissed my belly, and sang Greenmother’s blessing in right treesinger-wise. Then she brewed tea while bidding Krastaes set meal for the children. ~A Diol~ - Grandfather - she merrily named him, even as he named ~A Mazhe~ - Grandmother, which eyesomly are their pet names.   While we shared tea upon the hometree’s main deck, I asked whether their grandchildren tallied more than their son Raeas’s child in far Noruma. She smilingly answered Raeas’s son Zhell is a forsooth darling. Then she added their eldest daughter Kimye is almost a year bechild, whom laterward we happily met and yielded blessing. If she becomes anything like her father and mother, who, along with her and Raeas, own three more children still dwelling here while their next daughter Hozante now serves firdhood, they will soon stumble off the deck over so many grandchildren!   After tea, Theore grandmotherly taught our children treesongs while Krastaes cooked sweetcakes. Yet right erenow while I was writing this log upon the main deck, Krastaes yielded wine and sat beside. I set pen, topped my inkwell, and sat back while we traded the cup and listened to wind in the upper boughs, a near squox chattering naughtily (his younger children feed them, against farmers’ wontful hatred), and birdsong. A while we stayed in idle mindfulness, begladdening friendship.   ~Stya zhiathadam?~ asked my First Axe: “What have we learned?”   I chuckled while I thought answer, which shifted my mood wry. I told his winebrewing skill has rightly grown. Furthermore, I have learned motherhood shifts one’s whole worldsight, but with little wisdom and much worry, and much love unspeakable. I added ladyhood craves to love enlightenship and giftfulness, but more truly wishes to ward wealth and foremostness, and that I hate hallcraft even moreso now than when I had left Son. Lastly, I told sheerness-rite can never cleanse enough wifeslaughter’s bloodfilth, as I learned from slaying Byreath. As I shrove, bitterness doubtlessly showed in my antennae’s downward curl.   Krastaes nodded, whence I got an understanding wit. He blessed my thanks of the wine and handed back the cup. Then he told he had again learned the bliss of a child’s love when he had gone up to Noruma in the highlands and had first looked into his grandson’s eyes. Then he asked what I had felt when first Aeosel my son and I beheld each other.   I looked down to the treeyard where our children played and dawdled from chores. ~Vaea rualf,~ I whispered: “I would yield life.”   Krastaes reached my hand. ~Mei koe,~ he softly growled: “This is the sooth.” Then he added true warriorhood lies in that deed’s readiness. ~Zhaoathya-eshodi, o’ollae-shili qeia uthaea iqovya-rualm,~ - “Until then, we may well witness our children’s laughter.”   Then he said: ~Yazavas~ - “I miss it.” When I asked what, he answered warriorhood, and that, even so much as he had begladdened the last six years here with his wifemate, he rankled. He beseeched that, if our flag gets fetchbid from Lady-Captain, I should call him. I so swore, whereat we hugged and drank the last wine.     8. Zielae, 24,548 - 2nd Day at Eral Farmhold   At today’s slumbertide we got a welcome shock. While dawdling after noonmeal, our Shotalashu growled threat of another coming. Then we watched a Damaya rider near, with a child sitting upon the foresaddle (which riding-wise we remind well from our time on the Retaea), and hosted by a Korasha bearing another child on his stout shoulders. When they reached the roost, we also witted the wife was swollenly bechild with a third. We furthermore knew them: Nivae who had ridden under Erymi and Oshis while my first reeveship, and Nellos who had run under Tae and Less, and who now dwell together under matehood.   Under greetsong, we kissed Nivae’s belly and tallied all the new children since firdhood. Along with their near farmhold, we also learned Nellos underthews Krastaes as elderbow for the upcoming firdmoot, which business thus led them here. Theore bywardly led us to the main deck, where we shared tea. Kaure, under a bold mood, told the Retaea instead share brandymilk, which swiftly drew Krastaes’s eagerness, along with Hanos, Meiss, and Nellos. So soon the firdmoot’s talk moreso became a brewers’ fellowship as Krastaes asked his wifemate how much treemilk could easily be gathered, and how much brandy - of any kind - could be afforded.   Meanwhile, I asked Nivaue how motherhood fared, who eyesomely lived strong and ripe! She smiled while nestling her youngest abreast and laid hand on her thick belly. ~O'moarama-bei yazave,~ - “I miss warriorhood,” she shrove, but loves more motherhood and deems a farmwife’s livelihood well, and dolefully since it may bear more children. Her word goaded Remaue’s naughty ask whether Nivae holds other manloves enthralled back at their farmhold while she lets Nellos play firdwarrior. Nivae laughingly naysaid, bragging all her children are Nellos’s, and happily lets him cleave the fird as stalwart service. Yet in this else wise she forelooks to follow Theore’s example and own but one man. This word mildly forecaught, since back under my first reeveship, I fairly reminded whispertale of Nivae sleeping with the Aslanta, and at our farewell mirthide she had yielded a lusty kiss.   While we talked, I also witted a soothing mood wafting near Nivae and bewared her birthmight. Rightly an old tide had gone since last our flag owned a bechildsome mother, and all our ereward mightiness had faded. Against better thought, I beheld myself grovelingly trying to draw her mind, how I could win her goodwill. Whereas erstwhilely I had learned to withstand motherly beswayness, now I befell blithe. Even Remaue witted, in which proof she pinched my teat. I slapped her hand, whereat she grabbed my nape and swore wrackness later tonight. In the end, I own a good loretide how wives bend men to our will.   Ere they left, Nellos worshipfully forethanked our gatherhood at firdmoot. ~O’dami-shyeli hishimorya-rualvas,~ - “I will gladly stand with you again,” he said.     10. Zielae, 24,545 - 4th Day at Eral Farmhold   Quick word: we have spent two days hunting the Dirol Rainwood, such as it is, since the best game we may find is a lucky fade-deer or treetoads. Elsewhile I have spent overreading my old daylogs. Yet Kaure and Krastaes have in friendship undertaken an unlike fetch: they have gone forth among the neighbor farmholds and traded for all the brandy we can afford. Their Retaea brandymilk craft has become earnest.     11. Zielae, 24,545 - Firdmoot Eve   For the first time since homecome, our flag has wholly gathered: Erymi, Oshis, Tae, Less, Nae, and Hanos, and all children, whom Theore and Krastaes welcomely greeted. Remaue swiftly enthralled Less’s help to ready tastydishes fitting the thursetoad roast she had started at morntide, while we settled so many folk as we could in the hometree’s bowers, and then upset tents in the yard. Then with Krastaes’ outstanding wine we withdrew to the main deck, where laughter and kisses warmed our hearts.   When I handed Oshis our son, Theore in bullysome fun becraved whether he is father to the little outlaw who has been ransacking her farmhold these many days. When he outspoke wardingly of our son’s sake, she answered she had heard Oshis’s wicked nameworth (beshrivedly, we had slipped whisper of Marauqereth’s thing) and had also witnessed Lady Damyane’s boy among the Sholasa as proof. Under false sternness she bade him leave all the farmhold’s wives, and dolefully Kimye her daughter.   At her unfair doom, Oshis asked back of Kimye: ~Loe-stei tiveari o’aeashoni uthante eayele?~ - “What worth lies in offstaying when she is already bechild?” His smart answer drew Theore’s shameless howl, whereafter she warned she shall ever set an eye and both antennae over him. Then she goodwillfully let the thing fall. I kissed his brow: ~A Dias yaztiss,~ - “You have been missed, Father.”   Also came Raeas Theore’s and Krastaes’s son, who had fared with us to the Highlands. We happily greeted him and asked how he beheld fatherhood under a Noruma mother, whereof we reminded the feud he had made between Lady Karami and Kintele her daughter when he had loved them both. ~Ollae-usi,~ - “Well enough,” he answered, and told he has taken work as a tradefare warden heading through the Stormshields. Since all trade fares through Noruma, he easily thews fatherhood to Kintele and their son, and under the trade earns silver. He forelooks to go back after Firdmoot, and then come home to stay Heaventide.   I also sought Nae, whomof I know she and Hanos have undergone hard homecome: she miscarrying while aboat, and his father’s latter death. I took her hands, kissed her, and found mindshare. She hugged me tight. ~O’romi limya-ruelme Kimorama-zei,~ - “Let us talk after Firdmoot,” she whispered, and I yaysaid.   Now we wait to meet the fird tomorrow. A busy week forelooks.