Word Usage Key is at the end. The brackets after a character eg CLAIRE (4nc) indicates Claire is a character who is 4 years old. nc indicates new character not encountered before.
29th of Towin Day 2
Will had five minutes to wait with Gareth and Willow before their next meeting because their last had taken so little time. As an active man who spent most of his life outside Will was always ready for a rest, in his craft you taekt(1) a rest when possible not by a routine, and as he poured a mug of leaf he offered leaf berount,(2) but Gareth and Willow shook their heads. Halfway through his mug a tall, elegant looking man of thirty or so with a neatly trimmed black beard with no trace of gray came in. “Goodday, Will, Gareth, and Willow, isn’t it?”
“Goodday, Fleet,” they all said. Willow had been surprised to be recognised by Fleet, a Master lacer and a member of the seamstresses’ craft. He was one of the large number of male members of the loosely affiliated crafts that constituted the seamstresses. Not all lacers were men, nor were all knitters women, and the feminine name of the craft was a historical reminder of a long gone past. There were no sexual discriminations on Castle. There had been a few Master midwifes(3) for centuries, and there had also been Mistresses fishermen and ship Mistresses for as long. All of the crafts were the same, though some were predominantly one sex or the other, but the only issue for the Folk was the quality of the work. Fleet was a superb lacer, and much of his lace was regarded as potential heirlooms. They all turned as they heard a tapping at the door way.
A small, slight, white haired woman who looked over eighty rather than over seventy, certainly old enough to have been with the elders, came in depending on her stick for support and said, in a voice quavering with age which naytheless had a firmth(4) to it, “My name is Pearl, and I crochet.” Fleet, who hadn’t sat down yet, pulled a chair out for her to sit to the table. She said, “Thank you, but will you please put it over there,” indicating a space in the middle of the chamber, a place where she could be seen by all. When she sat down in the chair they noticed she had a fabric work bag of the type oft uest(5) by the various crafts in the seamstresses. Without saying any more, she withdrew a ball of fine, natural coloured, woollen yarn and a hook from the bag. She started to crochet, and the three men and Willow watched mesmerised as right in front of their eyes they saw a garment for a newbirtht(6) materialise. In a matter of fifteen minutes at most, Pearl’s featly flickering fingers, moving far too quickly for their eyes to follow, had finished it to her satisfaction, and she offered it for their inspection. Fleet, as the seamstress craft member, stood, taekt the garment off her and walked over to the casement where the light was best. He examined the garment closely, scrutinising it carefully in the light.
He handed it back to Pearl saying, “Mercy, Mistress crocheter Pearl, it is exquisite. It was a privilege to watch it being maekt.”(7)
Thus did Pearl acquire her craft placement. Pearl then startled them further by taking the initiative, “You are Will, the Master huntsman are you not?” she said looking at Will.
“I am indeed,” he said, wondering what this remarkable old woman was going to do or say next. He had expected to be bored at this meeting, but now he doubted that.
“I had Lord Yew, yourself and Thomas Master at arms pointed out to me,” she said, “because I thought I may need access to someone important. You are important in the Government of Castle are you not?” she asked.
A little doubt had crept into her voice at the end because Will hadn’t reacted at all thus far, not least because he had no idea what the word government meant. Gareth knew Will hadn’t reacted because not only had he not understood Pearl, but he was also slightly embarrassed by the way she had stressed the word important. Will didn’t think of it that way. He had a craft, and he did it, that was his way of seeing it. Gareth answered her, “Yes, he is, Pearl, but it embarrasses him to consider it thus. Why is it important?”
“I have a confession to make, and I think a petition to plead.”
“Tell me of them. If I can help I shall,” said Will.
She nodded and began, “The confession first. That first night when the children and the elderly were taken to the Keep, I should have gone with them. A healer told me she would take me. I’m seventy-eight you see, but the poor dear next to me was so cold I changed places with her. She’s a little confused I think. When I was asked again it was still dark, and I said I was fifty-eight. There were only a limited number of healers, and they were so busy I was overlooked and left to stay. I was near the fire, so I was only cold for a little while. I didn’t really mean to deceive any one.”
Will thought of Pearl giving her chance to be warm to that other old woman, who was probably fifteen years younger than she, the one who’d had the stroke he realised. He said to her, “That was kind of you. I’m glad you telt us, but only so the healers have a better idea of what happent.(8) It wasn’t a deception as we understand it here.” He smiled at her and saw her visible relief. Will then asked her, “What of the petition?”
Pearl flusht(9) a little, but she squared up to him and replied, “I’ve done my best to understand as much of your customs as I could in such a short time. I know you would rather we paired up with Castle Folk, but I have come to an understanding with Merlin. He’s also an incomer, and he was taken to the Keep the first night because he’s seventy-four. We’ve both been on our own for many years and should like to share what time we have left.” All four of the Folk were impressed by this interesting and redoubtable old woman. “We know we can’t live alone here because we’re too old and don’t have enough strength left to do everything that needs to be done, but would you help us to find somewhere we can be together and be useful. We should both like it if there were children. Please, Will, if it’s not too much trouble?” She stared at Will, her eyes pleading for understanding, then at each of the others in turn and then back to Will again. The three men had no idea what to say or do. Most of the Folk had large families. It was necessary. They knew Pearl was the answer to a busy Castle couple’s dream. They just didn’t know how to tell this valiant, proud, old woman without damaging her pride, which none of them were willing to do.
Willow was a woman, so she saw it differently, “Pearl, I bethink me not you appreciate your and your Merlin’s value here. We spaek,(10) oft joke, of the Elder craft. Though we consider the oldest member of the Folk alive to be the craft Mistress, it is has never been listet(11) as an official craft, but may hap it should be. Every member of the Folk knows it exists and is grateful for it, for our elders provide the necessary continuity that enables our society to function. They can be relyt(12) on to look after children and babes when parents have to craft, or if without warning they have to help to counter misfortune somewhere. They provide much of the means for teaching the young our culture, traditions and the Way, which we and they in their turn need in order to survive.
“I am older than most to remain unmarryt(13) because I willen(14) to gain the experience I needet(15) for my placement as a personal assistant to the Master a arms. I am planning to marry Wildfowler, my intendet,(16) in a few Quarterdays. We both will a family, a large one, but I am unwilling to give up this position which I workt(17) so hard for. We know we shall need the support of the elders in Wildfowler’s family and of those in my family too.” She looked Pearl in the eyes and held her gaze. “Will huntsman is one of my mother’s brothers. When he retires he will provide support for me, my syskonen(18) and my cousines(19) and cousins(20) both near(21) and far(22). He will do this gladly, and we shall be grateful. In our turn we shall gladly assist him in his age in what ever way he needs. This is how it is here. It is written in the Castle Way. Is that not so, Uncle Will?”
“Indeed it is,” said Will, looking out of the casement.
“So, Pearl, if you and your Merlin wish to do this you are not asking for favours. You are acting in accord with the Way and joining the most honourable and valuet(23) craft we have. We need to have you and Merlin here nextday(24) to look at our records with some of our staff, so you can decide where you will to go without being maekt uncomfortable by Folk tracking you. I suggest till then you remain silent as to your intentions, because here you are a highly valuet resource.”
Pearl was weeping quietly now, and through her tears said, “I’ve been a useless old woman for so long now, considered only fit to make baby clothes which nobody ever used because they would rather use ones they had paid for, that what you say comes as a shock, but I remember that was how it was when I was a girl when all women and girls too knew that the newborn were clothed with love not money. It would have been considered a deliberate insult to give a new mother a bought garment for her baby. Only garments hand made with love were acceptable. Would you accept this as a token of my gratitude?” She hesitantly offered the garment she had maekt as a major part of her attempt to be considered of worth to the young woman who had proven to her the attempt was needless because here she was of worth.
Willow accepted the tiny garment, handling it as though it were a treasure, which to her it was, and said, “You have my heart feelt(25) gratitude. This shall be for my firstbirtht,(26) and how I came by it shall be written in the records of my clansfolk and in my own book for the education of my daughters. Let’s now have you taken back to your Merlin. You will have much to discuss. I shall arrange for staff to be ready with the appropriate records for you and Merlin to look at nextday. Shall we say at ten in the forenoon?” She started to guide the old woman out who had recovered her stick and her workbag with its contents. The three men all bad her farewell, and she expressed gratitude to them all in turn.
“I shall be seeing you many times again, Mistress crocheter, and I look forward to it,” Fleet telt her.
“It has been an honour to have met you, Mistress Pearl,” Will said, adding, “I shall see you at the dance thiseve.”(27)
“Well come to Folk, Mistress Pearl,” Gareth said, “and I look forward to meeting with your man, Merlin.”
Willow escorted Pearl to the main affairs chamber and said to one of the runners, “Please escort Mistress Pearl to wherever she wishes to go, and don’t leave her till she’s back in the warm again, please.”
“Till nextday,” was said, and they parted.
Meanwhile, Fleet had left the interview chamber, and Gareth said to Will, “I knoewn(28) she was good. I didn’t know she was that good.”
Will had recovered himself by now, but he was still suffering from a large amount of pride in his young kinswoman, and said, “If she’s planning on having that many children I’d better restock some of those nearby fish ponds,” and left for his next observation.
29th of Towin day2
Gosellyn had particularly wished to listen to Fern chairing with Sorley the meeting of Ella the newfolk herbal and Bracken Mistress herbal. The conversation between the two herbals was in full flow when she arrived and Bracken was saying, “What you call foxglove is what we call heartsease.”
“I’m going to have to be exceedingly careful because heartsease to me is a different plant with much lower efficacy, and also, as is usual, much less danger.” The two women were in full accord, and Ella continued, “Yes, I should love to join your craft. There are many things of great interest for me to learn.”
“It will be a two way process, my dear, but I too relish the idea,” Bracken telt her.
Ella, a plain woman of thirty who only became marginally attractive when she smiled, turned to Fern and Sorley and said somewhat grimly, “When I was first interviewed it was explained to me about family and adoption. I had a man years ago, and when I became pregnant he disappeared. I lost my daughter when she was less than a day old. Ridiculously, as I now appreciate, at the time I blamed myself for both losses, and it took me a long time to recover. Despite my subsequent realisation my self-blame and guilt was silly I’ve never tried to find a man since. I always thought I wasn’t pretty enough to keep one. Values are different here it seems. I’ll be blunt. I want a man and I want to have children. I should like to adopt too. You I know make much of what you call placement. I had a poor life before through no fault of my own. I want to make up for lost time and to be settled as soon as I can. I’m not young and don’t demand love, but I want a man I can respect, who will care for me and mine, and whom I can care for. I believe this is in accord with your customs. How do I go about it?”
As a consequence of Ella’s plain spaeking,(29) Fern was equally plain in her explanations of Ella’s invitation to the Greathall and also why she had been invited, “There will be a lot of widowers there seeking a wife and a mother for their children. You were telt of the fevers we suffert(30) a year over. I’m sure you’ll be able to find someone, but I shouldn’t rule out the possibility of love, Ella. We live in a harsh environment, and we lose folk all too oft. We grief(31) yes, but we have to be able to love again, or the grief would overwhelm us. We’ll see you at the Greathall. Go to the seamstresses and find something pretty to wear.”
Gosellyn noticed there was moisture in the corners of Ella’s eyes. She wasn’t as hard as she was trying to be. Ella left, and Bracken remarked, “An asset in every way, a good woman. She’s Folk already, belike(32) she always was.”
“Her ability as a herbal?” asked Gosellyn.
“It’s different, but at least the equal of mine,” Bracken insisted, “you hearet(33) me say it. We’ve a lot to learn from each other, a craft treasure.”
29th of Towin Day 2
Gosellyn’s second observation was the meeting of the newfolk midwife Suki with Margæt Mistress midwife. Fern was chairing, assisted by Sorley. The craft placement formalities were just that, formalities. Fern started to go through the explanation concerning the dance in the Greathall. Suki interrupted her and informed her she was walking out with Tull, a huntsman guardian. Correctly interpreting this to be a phrase indicating a prelude to marriage, Gosellyn congratulated her to be telt they were going to seal it on Quarterday before the Folk. It was clear Suki couldn’t wait to leave, so they let her go. They doubted they would see her at the dinner dance later.
The four of them, happy some of the newfolk were settling in so quickly, were taken aback when the second newfolk midwife was escorted in. Irena had a hunched back, walked badly and her face had the drawn and agèd look of someone who had lived with pain for a long time. She looked fifty, though the preliminary interview records said she was thirty-one. She was a cheerful and intelligent woman, and again the craft formalities were just that, formalities. Fern, as with Suki, started to go through the explanation concerning the dance in the Greathall when Irena, as Suki had done, interrupted her. “Don’t worry about it, Dear. I’ll go the dance and regard it as a welcome to Castle event. I long ago resigned myself to a life of virginity. I haven’t even been able to give it away, strange for a midwife really.” She spake without a trace of bitterth,(34) with humour even, and continued, “I used to live in the hospital, infirmary I mean, on permanent night duty. It was my home.” She sighed and said, “Now I’ll have to go through all the troubles and upset again, unless I could do that here?”
“Of course, if you wish,” replied Gosellyn, “but I bethink me you will find our society a lot less cruel than whence you have come, and things may change for the better. However, I shall authorise your chamber and craft arrangements.” Seeing Irena didn’t understand why she, not Margæt, was saying this, Gosellyn added, “Though a healer, not a midwife, I am the Mistress healer.”
Irena, correctly interpreting Gosellyn’s words to mean she was the most senior healer, nodded and asked, “How soon can this be done because my back hurts from time to time. I need somewhere to lie down and would appreciate the privacy.”
Gosellyn reached for paper and a stylus.(35) She wrote a brief note and asked Sorley if he would give it to a runner to take to the senior healer on duty at the infirmary. He left with the note and Gosellyn telt Irena the matter would be organised before she was back there. Sorley came back in a minute and said it was done. Irena expressed gratitude to them and hobbled out. Leaving enough time so as not to be overheard, Fern said, “The courage that must take.”
“What, the meeting?” asked Sorley.
“No, living.” Fern replied.
“Margæt,” said Gosellyn, “without making it obvious, I don’t wish Irena to be allowt(36) to just craft and hide in her chamber. I will her to craft on a normal midwife’s rota, not just at night. She shall attend infirmary meetings and gatherings as part of her duties. This is now to be an order applicable to the entire infirmary staff, so Irena will be trett(37) the same as every one else. It won’t make any difference to any other because they’ll all go any hap, but it will to her. Be discreet, but make sure all our senior crafters appreciate the situation.”
“Of course. Shall I have her on duty thiseve? I’d like to craft with her and Suki to find what we can learn from each other, and may hap a duty will help Irena by giving her some what familiar to be thinking on.”
“A good idea. I’ll leave the matter with you. Make sure both Irena and Suki regularly craft with all folkbirtht(38) midwifes so all share knowledge. Start with yourself to evaluate their skill, and Otter too. I suggest Otter because whilst they are still coming to terms with much that is different here they will accept a male midwife more easily as just one more difference. Apprentice Luval will help that too. The records tell that whence they come it is only sincely(39) that men have been allowt(40) to be midwifes and they are very rare, even more so than here, so I doubt either has craftet(41) with a man before. Ask Otter to have Luval craft with them without his presence. Instructing a male apprentice will help them become uest to their new situation.”
Gosellyn decided she would have spaech(42) with Falcon, a very experienced and talented herbal, concerning herbs to ease Irena’s pain, and also with Dudaim Mistress shoe and boot maker, for Irena’s footwear had looked uncomfortable and Dudaim was whom the healers dealt with for herbal footwear.(43)
Word Usage Key
1 Taekt, took.
2 Berount, around.
3 Midwifes, midwives.
4 Firmth, firmness.
5 Uest, used.
6 Newbirtht, newborn.
7 Maekt, made.
8 Happent, happened.
9 Flusht, flushed.
10 Spaek, speak.
11 Listet, listed.
12 Relyt, relied.
13 Unmarryt, unmarried.
14 Willen, wished, willed or wanted.
15 Needet, needed.
16 Intended, fiancé or fiancée, the one one has intentions to marry.
17 Workt, worked.
18 Syskonen, siblings. Plural is formed from singular syskon as in children from child.
19 Cousine, female cousin.
20 Cousins. If referring to mixed sex cousins the male form of the word is the default. Likewise when referring to an unborn cousin. Generally the female form of a word is the default in Folk, cousin is a rare exception.
21 Near cousins, children of those oneʼs parents consider to be their siblings.
22 Far cousins, folk of oneʼs own generation in an extended family other than near cousins. The Folk rarely make a distinction between near and far cousins any more than they do between blood and adopted kin. Likewise those of one’s parents generation would be referred to as aunties and uncles and of one’s grandparents’ generation as Granny or Granddad, though there are terms specifically indicating maternal and paternal grandparents. These terms are also uest as terms of respect and oft applied to those of no relationship. The custom works downwards too to younger persons who may be referred to as daughter, son, niece, nephew, granddaughter or grandson. The latter are widely uest as terms of affection for younger persons.
23 Valuet, valued.
24 Nextday, tomorrow.
25 Feelt, felt.
26 Firstbirtht, firstborn.
27 Thiseve, this evening.
28 Knoewn, knew.
29 Spaeking, speaking.
30 Suffert, suffered.
31 Grief, grieve. The word is also a noun.
32 Belike, likely.
33 Hearet, heard.
34 Bitterth, bitterness.
35 Stylus, an instrument for writing with.
36 Allowt, allowed.
37 Trett, treated.
38 Folkbirtht, folkborn.
39 Sincely, recently.
40 Allowt, allowed.
41 Craftet, crafted.
42 Spaech, speech.
43 Herbal footwear, orthopaedic footwear. This sense of the word herbal can be taken to mean medical.
