In another part of the kingdom a woman gets up from a deep sleep. She moves to her writing table, sits down and using the sharp tip of the quill blade pokes her thumb. She then allows 5 drops of her blood to mix with the ink pad which she then grinds for some ink for the quill. Choosing a suitible square cut vellum she draws intricate circles and lines which magically disappear into the vellum. Next she carefully puts runes and letters all over which also disappear into the vellum. Putting aside that vellum she chooses a new vellum and writes a series of letters. When done the extra ink is washed away and the two parchments are rolled one over the other. She then moves to the door and opens it a few inches to hand out the parchment to an asleep page who takes the parchment and moves on his way. Thus done the woman returns to her bed unaware of what just happened.

For all this was done without both the woman, who is actually a priestess, and the page ever opening their eyes once.

The morning sun shining through his window woke Emmett from a deep and troubled sleep. His covers were a mess as it seem he tossed and turned alot.
This was not all that unusual, as dreams are often troubling for teens such as him.

As with every morning he examined himself for any new sighs of manhood. No hairs on his chest yet. Leg and arm hair still somewhat fine. examining himself in the water basin he saw no new whiskers on his face. Just the same 5 on his upper lip and were barely noticeable. Height... nope no change there either.

Emmett inspected his tunic and leggings from the day before. All at once he remembered that at one point they were a girdle and knee length girls underwear. Somewhat revolted by this, instead of doing his usual of wearing the same ones day after day for a week, he chose a cleaner set.

Doing his business into the fired clay chamberpot he then dressed and inspected his boots as he did every morning. The soles seemed ok no holes or wear marking a thin spot. Resoling his shoes was a chore he gladly avoided Sewing and needle stuff is for girls he thought. As he came out of his room he was assaulted with the fragrance of the mornings meal of eggs and toast that his mother had prepared for him. It seemed she had returned after he went to bed and judging by the jug of milk already milked the cow too.

Emmett wasn't sure what he would do today, but if he could he would probably slip away with his friends and maybe go hunting or fishing. Usually his mother and sister would have found him many a chore to do, however with them both working on his sisters dress to finish it for the fair he was happy to be able to slip away when he could.

He did however spy something, especially after yesterday, would rather avoid at all costs. It seemed his mother was getting ready to make more candles again. Normally he would enjoy watching his mother do this. Since he did not see any sign of the tallow molds however he was working quickly to remove himself from the room.

You see his mother was to make the special candles. These were done by inserting the wick wrapped in natures hair into the hot tallow pot. when pulled from the pot a full candle was removed in the perfect shape. Sometimes these candles were nothing more than the long lasting candles. Other times, as he experienced yesterday, they are magic candles which could transform someone as long as the candle burned. The pink/blue striped ones could transform a person from one sex to the other. Others could be brown candles that had an embossed creature on them turning the lighter into said creature.

The goddess hair was a hair that was found when you unwrapped the herb bundles you had made the day before. Where the hair actually came from is unknown. It was just there or not. Once his mother had found 20 hairs in a bundle that all became the long burning candles much to the family's delight. The family had traded them for many a new item for the family, Emmett got a new bowstring, Sally got some hair combs, his mother got some of the new metal pots from the smithy. His father traded often in his travels so many of the candles went with him. Emmett suspected that many of the cloths his mother and sister used for their dresses came from his fathers trading. He didn't understand why a woodsman such as his father would know anything about cloth but apparently did.

Emmett wanted to avoid the candles because of what they might represent. Standing in place as a girl for his sisters gown like a scarecrow was not his idea of fun. Which was why he was gonna try to sneak out of the house after his breakfast. Finishing his meal he got up from the common table, they only had one, and washed his plate and fork in the washbasin setting them to the sideboard to dry. He was about to go to his room when his mother called out to him.

"Emmett have you practiced your letters and numbers lately?"

"Uhmmm"

"I thought not. I made some ink this morning. You and your sister can spend the morning practicing your letters and numbers. I also want you each to read a passage from the book on the sideboard."

"But mother, what of my gown?"Sally whined.

"Mama Lars, John and I were gonna go maybe see the smith."

"ENOUGH! John is busy tending to his father and you Lord Lawrence is busy counting with his father today you know that. Sally I know dear but we will get it done. Now both of you scoot there is two feathers and some parchment. Remember to scrape the parchment gently to remove the old ink but not roughly so it tears."

"Yes Mama" they both replied.

While the two children worked on the letters and numbers together, helping the other out when they had trouble, their mother sat on her stool by the fireplace counting silently while she did each candle. When the time was up she would remove the finished candle from the hot pot of tallow. She made 8 candles. Three were long burning milky ones, 1 brown unicorn one, and 4 of the pink/blue candles. Thus done Diane thanked the goddess as she always did then sat the heated tallow to the side while she set a second clay pot with some of the beeswax leftovers from the lords manor that the young lord brought her on his many visits to play with her son.

Into this pot she mixed some crushed dried flower petals and when the wax became liquified she stirred the mixture then added some of the still warm tallow to the mix. Lastly she unstoppered the jar of flax oil that she was given last night for tending to Johns father. This was poured into the mix filling the pot with a sweet aroma smell. Diane set this pot aside to cool and later she would pour the lamp oil into the lamps the family used when together.

The candles now cool to the touch she carefully wrapped in oilcloth and placed them with the others she had made. These were kept in a drawer that would only open to either herself or her husband. Looking in the drawer she saw that there was quite a few of the pink/blue ones now. The brown ones were seemingly rare. She also had enough of the milky long burns that she could trade with either the smith or the shoemaker if she needed. She did wonder why the goddess wanted her to have so many of the special candles. While having one or two so that her son could assist her daughter with her dress was understandable. But what were these others ones for? The other ones were of a larger size as well, much too large for a child as small as her son. Mayhaps the Goddess has decided that Lady Emily Langly should reappear? It has been a good 12 years since her last visit.

Although she had fond memories of Lady Emily last visit, she was unsure if she really wanted her to visit for any length of time. Diane may not have finished her training to be a full priestess but she still honored the will of the goddess however much she did not agree with it. With a sigh to the surely interesting times ahead for her family she closed the drawer.