A Castrovel Adventure: Part 6, Chapter 6

13. Vinelae, 24,548 - Son   Today, two whits. First this morntide, I stood to Master-Captain’s staff, since erstwhilely I had so watched. Captain Dosuaesh warmly greeted me, and I clove his wandbearers reading wordwrits, and whereon they doted Aeosel. We also overtalked news from Qabarat and the Yaro’s other cities, and I got to tell of Captain Ashi's friendship and Mahyat's ill will.   All seemed well until we came back from noonmeal when anon Master-Captain bade me to his stallroom. There he thanked my faithful watchtide but also bade that, until Lady-Captain bequeath a doleful fetchbid, I must stand down. Rather bothersomely, I asked what I should undertake. Captain Dosuaesh answered I should forelook rede if tonight I come to Lady-Captain's household - which welcome-bid he boded on her behalf - and take duskmeal. I readily yaysaid. Meetly Master-Captain bade good leave, which bestowed the tide to write this log, though it has not answered the riddle why I am forsaken.   For the other whit and whatever worth, luckily I now could bewrite what Krastaes yesterday told of news here in Son, the main deed whereof happened three years ago. Elderwife Ianare of Noruma, who has borne hefty stalworth since that freehold now owns trade through the Stormshields, led a new trucebode from the Highlands. She also came with three other wordworthy folk. Lady Damyane, the newly risen Sholasa Clanwife and Kazos’s daughter, came in share with Tolamad of the Imlarim Elves. Yet more shockingly, Kazos himself came as his daughter’s hostward. The old outlaw wrought great shamelessness as not only the Sholasa’s former clanhead and a man but as the Korasha who had dared to fight me. Since Krastaes had been our lone flagmate staying, the Matronhood called him to meet the outlanders, and wherein he shrove sore mistrial not to beat Kazos our former foe until wineberry mush. Yet before Kazos’s daughter and Tolamad under guesthood, he manfully withheld.   Yet the shock ended not there. Lady Damyane bore a babe maybe two years old, whom she boldly named Sonnoshas! At that word, we all headed to Oshis and cursed him as ~A kissas haenihemantas!~ - you wanton blossom-sot - since he had swived Damyane while our farfetch in the Stormshields. Indeed, as proof of our curse’s rightness, Krastaes further told that, when Damyane stood as the Matronhood's guest, she had outspoken her son as quickened by a Sonnas father. When the matrons asked, she forsoothly named Oshis. Then Lady-Mother (and for this deed I must afford her worth, since the shame must have swallowed mudlike) becraved kinship with Damyane, saying: ~Yeio uthe-vemei eistiasra emolyelis,~ - “Since you share a fathermate with my daughter.” Then in Oshis’s stead and our flag’s (since then we wandered the Retaea with Vosaeth), she had sworn fatherdearth.   Unlike Lady Damyane, however, Kazos got no such fair welcome, since no matron wished a Korasha with such evil nameworth as a wife-darer and maiden-reaver. Indeed, he shrewdly withheld the city’s intread until his daughter assured his safeward. Damyane becraved the Matronhood could not rightly strip a guest clanwife of her wardhost and child’s grandfather. Thus my lady-mother deemed: ~Uthe eashoni inyaea-shyelde. O’nae-dei hienyaea-shyalf,~ - “My daughter has already beaten him. We need not beat him again.” Even so, Krastaes told Kazos had forborn many subtle slights from the cityfolk, and unfew bold, which must have irked that proud man. Yet for his daughter’s sake, and to his lief, he withstayed wrath.   This whole truce had grown canny under Tolamad’s goodwill, whom the Matronhood welcomed as their darling. No yearlog shows any Elf from the Stormshields had ever fared to Son (and few ever from Qabarat). An alliance’s forethought had already enthrilled after our farfetch, and rightly from not only pearls and other seagems trading over the Stormshields, but also from the elder nameworth Elves carry. Krastaes told the matrons had made every beck they could to worship elfright, as if something out of yoretale.   Yet the mingled Highland-Elven trucebode came under a doleful goal to betroth Son’s goodwill: the Imlarim and Highland Clans had found an elder delveshaft running under the Stormshield’s heights. Although long infallen, they would behold it open to foster trade from the mountains’ eastern side to the west, and which would run through Sholasa land to the Dale of Amaea. As gift to besway yaysaith, they had brought something the matrons could not unheed: Taiase’s crown, an ell’s worth of begemmed feathers wrought in gold. So Son trothed a workhost to Amaea, which even now works to open the delveshaft. Also now Taiase’s crown stands in the Matrons’ Hall as the city’s heirloom, which we have seen, as our bequeathed queendom’s token. I wonder what Taiase may think if she knew her crown again belongs to Son.   Krastaes last added that, at Damyane’s beseech, he had led them northward to Hivaea, where she had met Oloe Oshis’s mother and so showed her grandson ere they headed back to the Highlands. To that thought, we have overtalked when we shall also go. Ere we may, Tae and I owe a duty: we must show our sons at Treesong and behold them acknowledged to the city’s Overmind. Then we will own the freedom to seek doom where we may.     14. Vinelae, 24,548 - Son   I write of yestereve’s duskmeal. Remaue, Kaure, and I (and under doleful behest to bring the children) came to Lady-Captain’s household in the Nes’s shadow. There she warmly hugged us - without any high stiffness - and even knelt awkwardly low enough to kiss Kaure’s belly, cheering her wifehood. With her waited both Captain Dosuaesh and Lady-Mistress Iasaul, who, odd for our city’s outrider-headmistress, seemingly wished nothing else than to play with the children in grandmotherly wise.   After teatide, Lady-Captain coaxed Kaure by holding hands, and asked whether she had deemed well undermeeting her with me those many years ago. Shyly Kaure thanked her and looked lovingly at us. Then over mushroom-stuffed dumplings simmered in treebutter (one of my most beloved dishes), Lady Iasaul asked of Kaure’s bridetide and her lucky First Man. When our wifemate flustered answer, I inbroke that his name is Hauronil, but that here he had erewardlly been kenned by another name. Then I asked whether they reminded a Damayas named Dirol, who now dwells in Qabarat as a Damaya-Elf and has even become othermate with two true Elves, whom also we had gotten to ken while our stay. When Lady Iasaul naughtily asked Kaure how well she had come to ken the Elves, Remaue added: ~Yue namara havara,~ - “She likes them tall,” which earned Kaure’s shameful slap and a hasty wrestle-match that we laughingly broke for couthness’s sake.   Lady-Captain had gotten word of Qabarat’s Damaya-Elves, at which we stilled. ~Stya nirya-shyaldis?~ I warily asked: “What have you heard?” She answered Lady Sheneal’s wordwrit had told that Qabarat had dealt with these folk in coldhearted wise (odd, since Lady Sheneal had bestowed little help to Thwartkind while our stay). Yet now she would learn our truth. So we told of the Motorae Eve crowdstrife we had witnessed and undergone, of the Difithalma - Rightkind - ruthless Korasha men under haughty Damaya wives - who had sakelessly stricken a peaceful showmarch, and how Qabarat’s Matronhood had tried to sweep the whole awkwardness off the deck, and even had wrongly bewrayed the misdeed as the Damaya-Elves’ guilt. I added Her Highness Lady Sheneal had tried to quell our word against that unfairness. I spoke that Qabarat’s Rahyathalma - both Damaya-Elves and Korasha Hoodwearers - have found their throats and learned strength. More strife will hold Qabarat until they grow fair peace.   Lady-Captain bowed thoughtfully. Then she outspoke there is a loretide in our tale. She shrove reminding Hauronil whom she had known as Dirol, and that Son had lost a worthy man, though she blessed his nowward happiness. Then she headed to Kaure: ~O’nelomi sere zimere yaztalam,~ - “And we almost lost you too,” which made our wifemate blush while Remaue and I hugged her.   Then Lady-Captain touched Captain Dosuaesh’s shoulder. ~A sa-diol: dei nelomi-zimi yaztalam?~ - “And you, old man: did we almost lose you too?” Wryly he answered a matron in Valmayana had made an earnest sake to shift his faith and even tried to bind him to stay, which got Remaue's ask: ~Dei ea evimalara lina-stama ovoassa Valmayana?~ - “Are there any little master-captains running about Valmayana?”   While Captain Dosuaesh helped Lady-Captain bring the brothdish (spicy snakeflesh and simmered snails with young canegrass shoots, oilberries, and plumworts!), Lady Iasaul laid hand on Kaure’s knee and said she had heard my wifemate had shamed Qabarat’s whole outriderhood. So we told of the weapondare wherein she and Oshis had held the Gameyard against all comers, and I proudly told our wifemate’s doughtiness. In share, this beneeded us to tell the whole Motorae gametrial and how I had planned to dare the Korasha foot-trial winner. When we told how the gathered outriderhood headmistresses had behaved, Lady Iasaul misnamed Lady-Mistress Kael as ~O’zoe-shaevi hei trei-anyeli,~ - “Haughty in throat but weak in heart,” - and outquoth she would have gleefully witnessed her shame. Then she blessed Lady-Captain Veiemi for upholding our flag and forespoke to bode a wordwrit worshiping her honor. She laughingly ended: ~Shae nilode-ari o’me mine zheieve!~ - “There are too many queens among outriders!”   Whence he sat beside Lady-Captain, Captain Dosuaesh blessed Iasaul’s word. With a wry, foreknowing look to us three, he said that happily Son owns no such misforedeemship forbidding Damaya and Korasha to fight together in the Games’ foot-trials. Yet he wondered whether such freedom may outreach the spear-trial, which wontsomely lets only outriders. Here both Lady-Captain and Lady Iasaul stilled. Then Lady-Captain set arm on his shoulder and her brow on his and asked: ~Dei o’hafi ruzhya haes?~ - “Are you trying to make bother?” Captain Dosuaesh answered the ask was fair, since, to bewrite his word, ~Dei meavam bishara reasyara Qabaratyara li domara?~ - “Do we own half of Qabarat’s wrong or none?” Lady-Mistress Iasaul then said that, if I outspeak my champions' sake before Son’s outriderhood to let them cleave the spear-trial (nodding to Kaure), she will uphold. I thanked her boon and, though Kaure quailed, swore to reckon.   Lady-Captain stayed leaning upon Dosuaesh, by which ease I deemed they had so done many times, and atrusted a whispertale I had elderly heard that they are lovers. (Remaue wickedly outthought I was jealous, which I stoutly naysaid). Our high headreeve chuckled while her shieldbearer outbrought the sweetdish as a Retaea grassberry cake with goldsap chunks and honey drizzled. We happily ate, though it made us maudlin for the northern moors. When Lady Iasaul thewed bubblemead, the Retaea-wise cake got us three wifemates talking of Retaea brandymilk, whose lack Kaure mourned. Captain Dosuaesh said they had both meadbrandy and treemilk but merely knew not the spices. Straightway Kaure and Remaue rose with him to teach the spice-spell, whereat Lady Iasaul laughingly followed to watch whatever strife the mead-besotten cooks could work in the kitchen.   Lady-Captain bade she and I should stay and watch the children. I listened, since this seemed forewillful, while she sat with Aeosel on her lap and I took Lanaryel on mine. She cheered my son as fair and strong, worthy of both me and his father. Then she hailed my deeds: I had earned Son honor, and she gladdened at my homecome. I bewared an afterword forthcoming, however, which proved true when Lady-Captain added she had heard of the earlier awkwardness in Master-Captain’s stallroom.    ~O’roe-shyae, meavis shime-zhoere,~ she warned: “You should know you have two foes.” I sighed I had hoped to forsake such hallcraft in Qabarat. She laughed that such hallcraft never dims. Then she told my lady-sisters have strongly underspoken I am a willfully lawless betrayer, against me getting any reeveship or stalldom. Lady-Captain warned their sway is mighty enough that even she cannot unheed, nor Captain Dosuaesh.   I asked what would need to break their sway. She answered only Lady-Mother can. Yet she withholds, eyesomely under stubbornness that misgives me ever leaving again, and thus will not bethink anything that may lead me away. I answered I could not misstand as a bidless reeve or a doomless thrall. She beread me forbear. With time, she foretold a path will show.   A last thing she said ere Master-Captain and my wifemates came back seemingly having drunken more brandymilk than they brought: Master-Captain, who had ever behooved of my mother’s goodwill, had so loudly beseeched my sake that he forethreatened loss. She bade me behave heedfully and forgo setting him in plightier stead. For both his friendship and hers, I so swore.