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

Benjamin had been introduced to Agrimony before the dinner. They had taken to each other, but both being cautious had some reservations at first. Eventually, Agrimony had said to him, “I take it you are exploring the possibilities of me as a wife, as I am of you as a husband?”

He had replied, in no way taken aback by this forthright stance, “Indeed I am. I have had a lot of relationships that didn’t last. I put this down to immaturity on my part and that I always chose women with a similar immaturity. I am now looking for a long term relationship with I hope the possibility of a family. I adopted Ian, a fourteen year old young man, this forenoon. We are both working with Master woodworker Harmaish, Ian as an apprentice and I as a lærer.(1) Ian wants a mother as much as I want a wife.” He hesitated before adding, “I find you attractive, and if you are interested enough in me to marry me I shall do my best to make you happy.”

Agrimony had been impressed by Benjamin. He was a man by any measure that mattered to her, and he already had a family which maekt(2) her a little jealous. He had telt her he bethinkt(3) himself her attractive, in which she believed he was sincere. That he had had a lot of relationships meant, she reasoned, he could interest women. That those relationships had failt,(4) and he was prepared to accept at least partial responsibility for that, telt her of his honesty and integrity. He had telt her he was now seeking permanence, and he’d supported that by adopting Ian. All in all that maekt her believe this was a man worth having. “I should like to have children whilst I still can,” she said. “How do you feel become a father of babes?”

“Having a young family was not of major importance to me,” Benjamin replied. “But if that makes you happy it will make me happy too, and I should look forward to it.” They ate their dinner still exploring each other and danced till eleven. Agrimony was thinking of inviting Benjamin back to her chambers to spend the night with her when he said, “I must be going soon. I told Ian I should be back before midnight, and I don’t want to let him down on our first day as father and son.”

That decided Agrimony, “I was wondering whether to invite you back to my chambers for the night, but I appreciate your responsibility to Ian must come first. Is your bed big enough for both of us? And may I meet Ian? If you are interestet(5) enough in me I should like to meet my son as soon as possible.”

“Yes, and yes and I am more than interested enough,” Benjamin replied. “Let’s take a bottle of wine with us, and the three of us can celebrate.”

Agrimony kissed him and said, “I should like that please.”

29th of Towin Day 2

After eating dinner, during which she couldn’t see any men she fancied, Ella walked up the hall to see if there were any of interest there. After having had a good look at what men there were in her vicinity, and spotting several interesting looking candidates, Ella decided to have a drink before asking someone if they would dance with her. She had decided before the dance she was going to make a serious attempt to find a man, and never mind the conventions. She wasn’t sure they were the same here any way. However, she was going to flout the conventions she grew up with, and had decided a small brandy may be a good idea first. She had been discussing with a woman at the crowded counter what fruit juice or other mixer would go with the brandy, which she had been telt was very strong and maekt from apricots, when a tall graying man in his late thirties or early forties was knocked into her by a sudden movement of the crowd.

He apologised and said, “I am Kestrel, Mistress, and I apologise again. May I escort you to your table?”

“Please,” she replied, “I’m sitting over there, but I want some peach juice in my brandy first.”

After the woman had mixt(6) Ella’s drink and served Kestrel with a glass of Black Beauty, he taekt(7) Ella’s free arm in his, and they walked back to her table, which had several other persons sitting at it watching the dancing. There were a number of free chairs, and she asked him if he would like to join her.

“Please, Mistress…?”

“Ella,” she responded. “I am a herbal and have joined the herbal crafters here. And you?”

“I am a milch sheep herder with my kinsfolks’ flocks. Would you like to dance, Mistress Ella?”

“Yes please, but I’m not a good dancer, and you will have to shew me the steps.”

“It will be my pleasure,” he said.

Kestrel was an exceedingly good dancer, and he maekt little of her missteps saying, “The idea is to enjoy oneself and the company one is in, Ella, not to deride imperfection. Are you enjoying yourself? I am.” She was, and she said so. Kestrel was good company, she had enjoyed dancing with him, and he was a knowledgable man with good conversation who pointed out all sorts of things concerning the hall, and Castle in general, for her information and amusement. He was interested in her questions, and to one of them replied, “You know occasionally someone who doesn’t know what you take for grantet(8) asks questions that appear simple, but makes you really consider the matter, and realise you don’t know as much as you believt.(9) I’m not evading your question it’s just I realise I don’t know the answer.”

They danced together for nearly an hour, only sitting out one he said was only for the talented, dedicated and experienced dancer, “and they have to be young too,” he added. Watching the way the men were throwing the women, up in the air and catching them again, she had to agree sitting it out was a sensible decision. After that they resumed dancing and spake of first his craft and then of hers.

He was in charge of the flocks of sheep that were kept for milking, the milk mostly being maekt into cheese by other members of his clansfolk. He wasn’t a sheepherd(10) himself he telt her, but he had been as a younger man. Now he kept the breed records and directed the management of the milch flocks: the milking ewes and the breeding rams. He further explained the ram lambs and the billy goats, from the goatherds, that were not required for breeding were raised for meat by yet other members of the clan, who also kept sheep of a pure meat producing strain. The castrated rams and billies, now referred as wethers and bens respectively, were raised for eating far from the distraction of ewes and nannies as it maekt them easier to handle and they gained more weighth,(11) and gained it faster, that way.

She explained what she had done with plant material before coming to Castle and what she hoped to do and learn now she was here. She had spent nearly two hours in this interesting man’s company, and if he were available she wished to pursue the acquaintance. Eventually she asked, “Why are you here thiseve?”(12)

She had thought she was uest(13) to the ways of the Folk now, but she was still surprised when he said, “I’m seeking a wife. Swallow dien(14) birthing with our second child. I have a three year old daughter. My family have been telling me for over a year now I should remarry, but I was too hurt, and then there was the fevers last year and now….now I’m seeking a wife. Is there any chance I may have findt(15) one?”

He said the last with a humorous but earnest expression on his face. Ella was too proud and honest a woman to mislead any, least of all any who was prepared to be as straight forward as the Folk were.
“I was wondering how I could get to know you better,” she replied. Then feeling in view of Kestrel’s responses to her question she had been less than fair she added, “I came here looking for a man. I want a family. I hadn’t had much luck with men before I came to Castle, and my daughter died before she was a day old. So the answer to your question is possibly. But I should like to know you better before I commit myself.”

“That’s fair,” said Kestrel. “We could spend the rest of the eve here spaeking(16) and dancing if you like. We could meet nextday(17) again to continue our discussions, and you could meet Serenity. What would you like to do?”

“I get the impression there are other options you haven’t mentioned,” replied Ella, “what would you like to do?”

“Remember you askt,”(18) said Kestrel. “I should like you to spend the night with me, meet Serenity nextday forenoon at braekfast,(19) and tell her she has a mum. Then you can spend all your nights with me.”

Ella realised the Folk were the bluntest and most honest people she had ever met, and she wondered what she was afraid of. She wished a final few minutes to think things over, so she asked Kestrel if he would please bring her a glass of fruit juice to give her a few minutes to think it over. “Take as long as you like,” he said, “do you wish longer than that?”

“No, that will do thank you,” she replied. Whilst Kestrel went for her fruit juice, she reflected whilst she had been propositioned many times in her life she had never been propositioned as bluntly, nor had she ever been offered as much. She had come looking for a man, and it was a girlish folly to shy away when she had found what she was looking for. Kestrel came back with the juice, and he sat watching her sip it. It all came together at once in her head and she finished the fruit juice and said, “Is that offer of spending the night with you still going then?”

“Certainly.”

“What of braekfast and those other nights then?”

“The offer’s there.”

“I came looking for a man, and now I’ve found one it does seem a bit silly to leave without you.”

29th of Towin Day 2

Storm had left his glass as he had said he would, but Judith finished hers, saying, “Do you have any where we can go to finish this conversation in some privacy, Storm?”

“You’re really serious with this then, Judith?”

“Enough to discuss it in bed, and if we don’t think we’ll suit each other no harm done, and at least we’ll have enjoyed the eve, and we can both keep looking for someone else.”

“Fair enough,” said Storm. “I’ll enjoy the eve I can promise you. It’s been a while since I shaert(20) a bed with a woman. I’d like it to amount to more than that, but if that’s all it is I’ll live with it, Judith. You ready to go?”

“Yes,” said Judith. “As with you, Storm, it’s been a while since I shared a bed with a man, and I shall enjoy the eve too. I also would like it to amount to more than that, but if not I’ll live with it too. I’ll use the facility and be back in a minute.”

“I’ll meet you at the coats then.”

Judith was espied leaving with Storm, but not much more was known. Outside the hall, Storm telt her, “I’ve chambers in one of the seaward towers. We can walk the long way berount(21) without going outside which will take fiveteen(22) minutes, or go out into the caltth(23) crossing the courtyard. There’s still a bit of light and the courtyard lamps are lit so we shall be able to see, and we’ll be back in the warm in three. What do you wish to do?”

Judith elected to cross the courtyard saying with a laugh, “I’m assuming you have the intention of warming me up when we get to your place?”

“I’ve every intention of us both becoming somewhat heatet,”(24) he replied, with a grin she could just see in the lamplight. In a bit more than three minutes, they were at Storm’s chambers and taking their coats off. Storm with a question in his voice said, “Brandy, wine, leaf, spaech(25) in the living space first or straight to bed? Your choice, Judith, but if we’re drinking I’ll take leaf.”

Judith thought for a few seconds and replied, “Take me to bed, and let’s see how heated we can get, and that way at least we’ll have enjoyed each other with no second thoughts. Then we’ll talk, you happy with that, Storm?”

Storm nodded and held out a hand for her. She put her hand in his and followed him to the bedchamber. They became very heated and enjoyed the following three hours with, as Judith had said, no second thoughts.

“If you wish to continue, Judith, I’m agreeable, but I need to take my breath first. Leaf?”

“Yes please. You’re some lover you know that, Storm?”

“I do my best, but you do make it easy. When you’re both enjoying yourself, it’s easy to enjoy yourself if that makes any sense? I’ll go and make that leaf.” He put a robe on and left the bedchamber. Judith grabbed one of his robes from the back of the door, and after putting it on followed him out to the kitchen where Storm was busy making the leaf. “I’d have bringen(26) it to you,” he said.

“I know, Storm, but let’s have the leaf here. I think I may get distracted in bed.”

“Good idea. I know I should. Become distractet(27) I mean.” When the leaf was maekt, they taekt it into the living space and sat down next to each other on the settle. Their robes billowed open a bit as they sat down, and instinctively they idly but pleasurably fondled each other whilst drinking their leaf.

“I could get used to this,” said Judith, “but we really need to talk.”

“I know,” said Storm, “and I am sure I wish to, become uest to it I mean. What exactly did you have in mind spaeking of, our past or our future, or a bit of both?”

“A bit of both I think,” replied Judith. “I’ll start. I’m thirty-four, and I’ve had two poor long term relationships. I rid myself of both of them. One I found was sleeping with one of my so called friends, the other did less and less work as time went on, and I threw him out because he refused to put in any effort in our bed one night. I’ve never had any children. I’ve never thought of having any because where I lived was no place to rear them. Here is different. I can do the kind of work I enjoy, and I want a man and children. That’s me. What of you?”

“I am thirty-two. I marryt(28) Yellowhammer when I was sixteen and she was fourteen. I never lookt(29) at any other, we were happy for fiveteen years. I loes(30) her and our four children to the fevers. I suppose I was ready to look for a wife when you turnt(31) up. You must know enough of the Way by now, we have to carry on living. I wish a wife, and I wish children. The only issues for me right now are will you marry me? And will you give me children? If the answers to those questions is yes shall we go the Keep and start our family by adopting? I don’t have parents. We could start with an adoptet(32) family and both craft if we adoptet grandparents too. Do the whole thing according to the Castle Way. You don’t have to answer now, but that’s what’s in my head and I’ll leave it to you.”

Judith was silent for a minute or so and finally replied, “You’re some man, Storm, as well as some lover. I thought I’d put you on the spot, but you’re even blunter than I. Take me back to bed, and I’ll shew you my answers. For the record yes I want to marry you. I take it me having said that means we are now married?”

“Yes, because we’ve agreement,” said Storm.

“Good, if you’re up to it we can work on my first in a minute. I hadn’t considered the adoption of children and grandparents angle, but we’ll do that too, and let’s have a big family. But,” Judith said, standing and allowing the robe to fall to floor, “there’s one condition. You teach me how to dress stones.”

“Put like that,” said Storm, removing his robe too and picking her up to carry her back to bed, “how can I refuse?”

Storm picking her up and carrying her back to bed with no apparent effort did impress her because he was a slightly built man, and she was a big woman, and it maekt her feel more feminine than she had felt for a long time. He then demonstrated not only his strongth,(33) but his stamina too, and it was over truedawn(34) when they finally fell asleep in each other’s arms.

Word Usage Key

1 Lærer, adult apprentice, trainee.
2 Maekt, made.
3 Bethinkt, thought.
4 Failt, failed.
5 Interestet, interested.
6 Mixt, mixed.
7 Taekt, took.
8 Grantet, granted.
9 Believt, believed.
10 Sheepherd, shepherd.
11 Weighth, weight.
12 Thiseve, this evening.
13 Uest, used.
14 Dien, died.
15 Findt, found.
16 Spaeking, speaking.
17 Nextday, tomorrow.
18 Askt, asked.
19 Braekfast, breakfast.
20 Shaert, shared.
21 Berount, around.
22 Fiveteen, fifteen.
23 Caltth, coldness, cold.
24 Heated, heated.
25 Spaech, speech, talk.
26 Bringen, brought.
27 Distractet, distracted.
28 Marryt, married.
29 Lookt, looked.
30 Loes, lost.
31 Turnt, turned.
32 Adoptet, adopted.
33 Strongth, strength.
34 Truedawn, true dawn, as distinct from first light.