A Castrovel Adventure: Part 6, Chapter 2

16. Afaelae, 24,548 - Hanazhyana, 10th Day Northbound on Father Yaro   We have thankfully reached Hanazhyana after two days’ hard pole-till against the flood, which has swelled oddly strong ere Floodtide, and dolefully since it has little rained. The crew talk a storm might have blown over the Stormshields at Father Yaro’s headwaters, as happens more often in Stormtide. Yet recklessly, we have chosen to stay here some days under weariness, even with our flag’s help to shove the flatbark upstream. If luck, quoth the skipper, the flood will ebb and let us make better furtherness ere true Floodtide starts.   Thus we are again come to this city whose history so bothersomely twines with Son’s. Rather wryly, I remind under younger years I had withheld sleeping within the city, since the elder feud between Hanazhyana and Son begrudged their foremothers had burnt our city, chopped down our soultree, and offdriven our folk. Yet that was forsoothly twenty thousand years ago, and the Hanata had likewise suffered when the Yaro’s other cities had uprisen against their empire and burned Old Hanat, whose crumbled spires still rise from the waters. Also, I still owe a thankful dearth when, after we fled the awful fight with the Darkfloor’s banethings over twelve years ago, a Hanata scoutfare led by Lady-Captain Ashi had found and bestowed us haven.   To this thought, after we moored and walked the Shota, I donned bodyshroud over dish-halter, and Remaue and Kaure likewise arailed fairest. With Remaue leading Lanaryel and Aeosel on Kaure’s stout shoulder, we headed to the city’s highfarthing. Since Hanazhyana stands upon an island barely higher than the river and neighboring swamps, it has no high ofu, as have Son, Mahyat, and even Qabarat. Instead, its highfarthing has been filled and upbuilt over yearthousands, wherefor they have even hauled stone as a set of rising stepyards.   So we came to stood in the Matrons’ Hall, told names and city, and asked for Lady-Captain Ashi, whomwith twelve ago, after a rough first meeting (namely why a Sonna wartroop was wandering through Hanazhyana’s landhold), we had shared knowledge about the Darkfloor’s banethings, and whereof I had laterward heard word she had wielded good behoof. The watch-matron bade us seek the lady-captain at the citadel, which stands at the island’s northern end. When we headed forth, however, there stood Captain Ashi in the streetyard. A breathtide we stared. Then she laughed, and I touched breast.   I told I had ere once come seeking her. She answered it had been seven years ago and that, after a whole twelvesome, we should share much. I answered she might worthily find us at the harbor’s wayhall. She forespoke to send a wordbode for duskmeal. Then with couth nods and gladder smiles, we shed ways. So now we await the lady-captain’s word.     17. Afaelae, 24,548 - 2nd Day in Hanazhyana   For yestereve’s duskmeal, Captain Ashi sent more than a wordbode, but an outrider. Thus we met Lady Leauri, a starkly pretty, two-hued maiden gold and green with purple-golden hair, and Rinare her shieldbearer moss-green with amethyst hair. They are both maidens, reckoning their years and breasthalters, and so young that Leauri must have been upraised to outriderhood within the last year (Are they 41 years? 42?). They hailed with shy mirth, and then led us - me, Kaure, Remaue, and our children - to the lady-captain’s household nigh the citadel.   Over the years, I had learned about Captain Ashi, as she had likely also done about me. I knew she is about fifteen years older than I, but also the youngest outrider to become a captain in five hundred years. Like me, she is a matron’s daughter, which had doubtlessly helped her rise. Yet I guessed, unlike me, she owned an ease with hallcraft and had proven shrewder, insofar as not feuding with her mother or betraying her sisters.   Rightly, when we reached the household’ gateway, we found inside a neat, sheer elfyard under a young milktree hanging with glowroses. The lady-captain knelt over a tea hearth, boldly clothed in a mere milky skirt bright against her dark copper skin and unbraided bronze locks. Almost soon as we sat the pillows, she raised the steaming cup, into which her shieldbearer Kiss, a strongly buxom green wife with blue hair (a shade lighter than Remaue's) poured fresh treemilk.   Lady Ashi bore it before me. She knelt flawlessly, the cup nestled within her bosom. Then she reached it forth and bowed nape. ~O’samae hulya-shyae,~ - “Drink in liss,” she welcomed. Matching her fulsome shape, I took the cup, raised it over my bowed head, and then sipped. Worshipfully I yielded it back, whereafter she matched my sip. Our host then gave it to Lady Leauri, who repeated the rite with Kaure, and who then gave it to Kiss who repeated with Remaue. Then under high couthness, we sat, brows low, and athanked guesthood.   The still breathtide let hap to reckon our hosts. Though Lady Ashi had welcomed me foremost, they behaved my wifemates as almost even, and had acknowledged Kaure as Korasha ere Remaue. Also, they had acknowledged Kaure’s wifehood, though under her heavy green-freckled bosom she ever wears a maidenhalter, whereas Remaue and I wore bare nipplecaps. These hints beread they knew much of our deeds in Qabarat, ingathering our friendship with ~Rahyathalma~ - Thwartkind - like Kaure. They also afforded her stallworth, which meant they wanted goodwill.   Rinare stood to fetch the foredish, by which beck talk began. Along with our children, Kiss Ashi’s shieldbearer watched her two boys, the youngest whomof was near years with Lanaryel. The two played marmlestones, which Aeosel eagerly wished to cleave. While Kaure misdrew him from swatting the floating gambits (which let her hide shyness), the older boy strove to behave grown and take share in our talk. Lady Ashi giftfully let him sit beside and lean upon her thigh while she ruffled his blue hair. If one truth I have learned, maidens - and dolefully evermaidens - love children hopelessly, and at this first sight I bewared she deemed these boys as her own. I took hap to ask his years and understand he already learned reading-spells.   At our speech’s lull, I bent speech to the lady-captain: ~Dei o’beali ezimya vellaea-voada?~ - “Has there lately befallen much hunting?” At my unstraight ask, Lady Ashi smiled. She answered her warriors had slain a score of the swarthy banethings in the last five years, enough that none dared nigh the city. I asked whether salt had helped, and her grin brightened. All their scoutfares now carry saltwater in bladders that, when cast and splashed, burns the banethings, who even fear it. I told Qabarat’s word that the banethings have gathered nigh Lost Hoshiasa, which she yaysaid and beckoned a witchward against plight.   Rinare brought forth a tasty foredish of snails and gladebulbs simmered in treebutter and sprinkled with hotcorn. When she asked whether we would like queenstongue sprinkled, Kaure, all shyness forgotten, almost leapt upon the mealboard. I chided her to behave ladylike, but then hovered one aloft and popped it into her mouth, whereat she yielded the broadest smile and waved me a kiss. Then we shared the tastybits with the children. Ashi matched my deed and hovered a snail over the boy’s head, into Leauri’s mouth, which betrusted my inkling that the two are maidenloves.   After they shared a dear look, the lady-captain looked low to me. ~O’niri realishya usaiandis,~ - “So I heard you have gathered nicknames,” she idly said. When I cocked brow, she acknowledging our flagname, then also ~A Shaverazere- Halaeaze,~ - Thiefqueen-Slayer, which I falteringly atook. She waved to my scar, saying I had not borne it twelve years ago. Yet then she named another: ~A Ruzhyahaze,~ - Worry-maker - and bemarked it seldom when Qabarat’s High Matron bestows such a nickname.   ~A Shamore~ - “Warrior-Queen,” inbroke Remaue, which earned my slap at her free teat. Yet it also broke the tightness these nicknmames had grown when Lady Ashi merrily outspoke she had erenever heard this name. My heavenly wifemate gleefully answered Son’s whole gameyard had shouted it when I won my first gametrial. Then she spoke it had been my most hateful nickname while schooltide, and that I still hated it. Yet this made Lanaryel shout it, matching her mother’s wickedness, which then Aeosel must repeat, until soon all four children were yelling ~A Shamore!~   Kaure and Kiss goodwillfully hushed the children while Lady Ashi, antennae till wriggling while she chuckled bowed sorrow. I bemarked the lady-captain seemed wonderfully inread of Qabarat’s news. She answered such knowledge is needful, since Hanazhyana stands the nearest city to Qabarat, and forwhy: ~Nama honeremnanta,~ - “They are a meddlesome folk.” I answered that, if I had meddled enough in Qabarat, mayhap I had misdrawn their mind from the north.   Remaue and Kaure yielded to help the other shieldbearers bring the next dish. Yet Kiss and Rinare proudly naysaid, answering my wifemates were guests. While Ashi and I still outfelt each others’ minds, I next asked whether she had ever gone to Hoshiasa. She yaysaid many times. So I asked what dole she had shared with Qabarat’s seechfares. ~O’ruzhi~ - “Bothersomely,” she answered. Then she touched my hand, where, though my skin is lighter, my skinstripes nearly matched her copperiness. ~Ulinara o’eshi-yei olara meavya,~ - “They behave as if they own the stead,” she shrove, whereby she dared frankness.   I bit my lip and shared we had undergone some Qabarati haughtiness while we stayed, since we had been misnamed ~mauhaue~ - upper-strath heathens. Yet we also benamed some friends there. I insought whether she had met any Qabarata gatewardens from those scoutfares. She nodded and even spoke Master Aeos’s name while Kiss brought a roast wild swiftreaver stuffed with spiced sweetsquash and nettlecheese. We watched while the elder blue-tressed shieldbearer doughtily sliced the roast onto dishes, which amethyst Rinare outshared.   While we hovered the soft flesh to our mouths, Lady Ashi also spoke Semuane’s name as another met on their scoutfares. She understood I had wooed that lady-outrider after our weapondare. I answered I owed her dearest worth, and that we had even dwelt the last two years at her kindred’s household. The lady-captain nodded. ~Huari shami o sezhoe nilonye yi yuaze,~ - “Whispers tell you two are more than idle lovers.”   More softly than my feudsome mood, I becraved what she meant. Ashi begged sorrow, and then shared she understood the hardship of loving someone from another city, and that she had almost forsaken Hanazhyana while her Valmayana warfare, under a soulseer’s love. I got her mood’s hint that their love had ended sorrily. Yet matched with Ashi’s livelihood in Hanazhyana, she spoke ours must be manifold, with not only a maidenlove left in Qabarat, but another as a wild Retae reaverwife (which meant she kenned Vosaeth).   She outreached my face’s scar and said I had dearly earned worship and two queens' goodwill (Taiase and Marauqereth?). To top all else, I had also born a son. ~Dei o’hafi haes lomara?~ she smartly asked: “Are you trying to have it all?”   ~Di vearave evime,~ - I answered with a straight mouth: “I am not yet a captain.” Lady Ashi stared, and then loosened wild laughter, which spread to Kiss while Leauri and Rinare looked bewildered. Yet Remaue sat awry and bemarked this word foreboded good thought for plans when we come home to Son. Wryly shameful, I naysaid, telling one must own the Matronhood’s goodwill to become a captain, which I surely did not.   Ashi asked why I so thought and what I had lately heard of Son. I answerd unmuch. So she told Son now owns the northern strath’s whole wealth: pearls from the Stormshield Shore, tea, grasscorn, and spices from Lea and the Retaea. Furthermore, all the cities have behooved from Son underbringing Elahat, since trade tolls had lessened. She understood it as happening from our hand, though my answering scowl shook her. Yet I choked back wrath and asked: ~Dei evanis reoryao zheieftalaf Elahatra?~ - “Do you know why we raided Elahat?” Then I told I had so done to free my fathermate from thralldom, and nowhy else.   Ashi overthought my news and outspoke this bestowed a marksome twist, while Kiss and Rinare brought the brothdish, for which we taught the children they must handle the spoons instead of hovering them. Leauri and the shieldbearers made it a game, and Ashi and I shared war tales, poking each other's fingers to mark words. We spoke of Valmayana and its bloodyheartedness, though whereas I deemed Zonyu as a lucky loss, Ashi had won her battle. She showed reckful of Retaea moor-warfare, whose fierceness she had heard. I told that, in the lone battle we had undergone, I had been over a year bechild, Remaue had borne Lanaryel on her foresaddle, and all our flag’s children and Vosaeth’s had also followed. At this word, both Remaue and Kaure maudlinly stilled. ~Rea doma hisha yi dolanantona.~ I beread: “There is no battle more hopeless,” nor whose wrath so strongly beswayed to break war-law.   The children cheered the sweetdish: nutcakes topped with figs, which we bade them hover instead of heathenly eating by hand. While the shieldbearers doled bubblemead, I learned of Ashi’s scoutfares into the eastern swamp. There also lurk mobats and ape clans, although those had shifted northward against the banethings’ heft. I had heard heathen Lashunta almost so wild dwell among the swamps, which she yaysaid, although they wander further northward along the great marsh dykeway. Then Kiss outspoke her children’s bedtide, under great wail! She foreyielded to let us bed our children as well. With a few sobs we hauled them to a near bower, where we kissed them Father Night’s blessing. Then we drew the flynet ere we withdrew back to the elfyard. Kiss and Rinare stayed with the children, leaving us three with Ashi and Leauri. I reckoned this whit as Kaure and Remaue being not only guests but also my wifemates.   Ashi asked whether we had ever played ~tiquneva~ - bee-sting. We naysayingly asked the game. In answer, the two ladies set a wide pan over the tea hearth, which they filled with mingled nuts, honeydrops, and smoked wineberries. They bade us set our pillows aring. Leauri poured a whole flask of strong rosebrandy onto the pan. While we waited reckfully, Lady Ashi lit a waxblaze from a lantern, whose wick she laid upon the pan’s rim. At the blaze’s touch, the whole pan burst afire. We flinched, though after a breathtide it settled to a blue glow with odd orange tongues while the nuts, drops and berries simmered within.   Ashi outlaid that bee-sting’s goal was to witness who could draw the most bits from the brandyfire with fingers burnless, and hovering forbidden. We each got a dish to set our prizes, and after a few trials, learned that a swift reach could draw a nut, but also that the wineberries, since they insoaked the brandy, burned hotter while the honeydrops melted, to our fingers’ ill. Ashi and Leaudri scored more by shunning the drops and berries.   Against the game’s winfulness, we saw fitter to play idly. Both Remaue and Kaure leaned against my shoulders and even shared scores by setting them in our lovers’ mouths. Leauri curled under Ashi’s arm, almost childlike, and laid head on the captain’s bosom, letting their antennae twine. Whimsily and against the bylaws, I uphovered a wineberry from the pan, still burning purple, and floated it to Ashi’s mouth. She opened, took the berry, and quickly shut to snuff it. Then she grinned, and I grinned back, wondering whether her mouth burned.   With a well-drilled hand, Ashi unhooked Leauri’s halterdish, freed the young outrider’s teat, and stroked it. The younger outrider shut her eyes and nestled tighter on the lady-captain’s bosom. This happened while Ashi watched me. I bewared she set me a trial, and wondered choice between Remaue and Kaure. Still watching Ashi, I hover-drew the pin from Remaue’s bodyshroud. My deed won my wifemate’s gasp when her cloth fell. Then I thought-bade Kaure to ring Remaue’s other side. I popped Remaue’s nipplecap.   Our heavenly wifemate sighed, though I felt her wicked eyes seek prey. She settled on the meekest maiden in the room, who sat across with Lady Ashi’s hand upon her teat. Remaue rose and led Kaure to the far side, a gleeful hunger wafting from antennae. She knelt on the seatpillow beside Leauri, twined antennae, and doffed the halterdish’s other half. As the two clove mindshare, I felt the young outrider’s thrill.   Ashi shifted to yield Kaure room on Leauri’s other side and stroked our Korasha wifemate’s back. I took hap to stand and overcome and knelt on the lady-captain far side. Already in saiahi with Remaue, Kaure, and Leauri, I felt the captain’s first heart-hint, linked through Leauri. I outreached antennae and strengthened the bond. Then I flicked off my own nipplecap, offshrugged my bodyshroud from the other shoulder. I laid lips upon her cheek and mouth in an elfkiss long and slow. Then I slid down her belly until her skirt’s knot, and untied it.   Today I woke late, alone, sore, and shortly heard Forenoon ring. Still unsteady, I came back to the elfyard, where I found Remaue sitting under the eaves. She swiftly hugged me, kissed my belly, and sought my welfare. Then she told the others had deemed fit to let me sleep. She also said that, while Lady Ashi and Leari had left for watch, our flagmates had come, and Meiss seeking the drillyard. Kaure had taken the children to watch the warriors. Remaue had stayed to heed and fed me riceberry milkbroth with sliced fingerberries.   While we ate, Lady Ashi came. She found me sitting, wrapped in a mere skirt, and feeling rather hollow. Like Remaue, she kissed my belly, nowise I gainsaid, and outspoke she gladly beheld me hale. Wryly I asked why they had doubted. I deemed we must henceforth shun laughter, which misluckily made us giggle and hurt my sore belly. We then took lissome leave and went to seek the wharf.   Along with Captain Ashi’s nighttide, we have gotten welcome from Hanazhyana’s Matronhood and Her Highness High Matron Ialarae. They have bidden us to tonight’s mirthtide, though I will do little.