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 and a character not encountered before. Ages of incomers are in Earth years at this point and of Folk in Castle years. (4 Folk yrs ≈ 5 Earth yrs. l is lunes, t is tenners.)

30th of Towin Day 3

After lunch Rachael went back to her chamber, and she decided to have a bath and a rest before going to the Master at arms meeting. As she bathed she thought of her conversation with Hedger who she was beginning to consider was an interesting man. As she was drying herself with the large and soft bath towel she was thinking of fishing with Hedger, and the stroking motions of the towel entwined in her mind with those of Hedger’s hand on hers at braekfast.(1) She was surprised at her intense and sensual thoughts and deliberately suppressed them. Feeling hot after her bath, she opened the casement and looked out over the more than one hundred stride drop to the surging ocean below. She was fascinated by the waves as they raced in swiftly to beguile the passive granite and eagerly reached high up the cliff, to reluctantly fall back into the ocean that had so encouraged them, only to repeat the pattern, each time reaching slightly higher than before, before culminating with their last attempt, a final indiscreet surge and unhappy retreat. Then they started the whole cycle all over again beginning with a small wave that barely lapped the cliff at all.

As she lifted her breasts in turn, so as to dry neath(2) them properly, she became acutely aware of her pregnancy and the feelings it gave her which focussed her thoughts inwards for a while. When dry, she discarded the towel and was regretting the lack of talc on Castle when it occurred to her that she didn’t know that for certain. She would make enquiries. The gentle sea breeze from the open casement felt as though it were thousands of caressing kisses on her naektth,(3) and as she allowed herself to enjoy it, aware of the effects of its coolth(4) on her nipples, she couldn’t eliminate images of Hedger from her mind. That she was having what one of her foster mothers would have described as mucky thoughts concerning Hedger surprised her greatly. After all she was a head and a half taller than he, and he was no Prince Charming.

She touched her mouth with her finger-tips in surprise at the realisation, and without thinking ran her hands slowly downwards over her breasts. Her feelings intensified as she reached her enlarged, sensitive, and now breeze cooled nipples. She slowly stroked them, her fingers synchronising with the ever so slowly repeating pattern of the waves, and then still in time with the waves her fingers began moving in circles berount(5) them, recalling for her the sensations and emotions of breast feeding which she was looking forward to experiencing again. She felt her daughter moving and her feelings intensified yet more, including thoughts of wonder and love. Her hands moved down and ran over her pregnancy enabling her to feel her daughter’s movements with her finger tips without as well as directly within.

She continued to stroke her stomach following her daughter’s movements. Without realising it, one of her hands continued downwards. Full of love she was also revelling in the femininity, sensitivity and secrecy of her sex. Distracted by her daughter’s movements, the sensuous fluttering of her fingers and the breeze playing with her, Hedger was no longer stroking her hand and she was no longer touching herself. His hands had replaced hers and his breath replaced the breeze, which far from cooling her, now maekt(6) her feel she was becoming hotter and hotter. She was having difficulty breathing and was now only aware of Hedger’s intimate touches and his warm breath. No longer quite sure what was real, and feeling light headed, she stepped forward to hold the casement sill to prevent herself from falling.

Moving her feet had enabled Hedger to become even more intimate, and she clung tightly with both hands to the sill as she trembled and gasped for breath, whilst his warm breath gently blew kisses over her sensitised and now exposed sex. Each kiss was taking her ever closer to the cliff till with one last lingering kiss the breeze caressed her over the edge to embrace the cooling spray as it too surged to its peak and then drained down with the wave to rejoin the ocean so far below as spent it receded from the cliff.

Shocked and feeling as drained as the wave, it taekt(7) her some time to recover from her unexpected, powerful, orgasmic daydream, which had left her with erotic feelings she couldn’t describe even to herself. Benumbed she dresst(8) slowly and clumsily. She’d had to sit down to put her knickers on, but she had given up on fastening the hooks and eyes of her brassière behind her back, and for the first time since the age of fourteen she’d had to fasten it at her front and rotate it before slipping her arms through the shoulder straps. It had been easier at fourteen because she hadn’t had the problems of pregnancy then. Now she only had the space between her now laden breasts and her bump in which to manipulate the trapped brassière. Crying with frustration, she’d wished to give up, but she needed the support, and eventually to her relief she managed. Finally after fumbling with the buttons of her frock she pulled on her socks. She struggled to put them on properly with the heels where her heels were and grateful her shoes were of a slip on style, she returned to her chamber.

She lay down to rest and with closed eyes she tried to be objective concerning her feelings for Hedger, whom on first sight she had considered to be an ugly little man. The only conclusion she managed to reach was she was incapable of being objective with regard to him, not least because she was still having mucky thoughts of him. He was hurt by his losses, yet was kind, gentle, and able to be compassionate regarding hers. He cared for his daughter and his brother’s children and wished a wife for himself, and a mother for Groundsel. He was not only a good man he was a caring man too. He wished to help her find a craft placement, and was interested in her. He must be she reasoned to ask her to the dance. Finally she asked herself, Yes, I do like fish, but do I like the idea of fly fishing or the idea of fly fishing with him? As she slid into sleep Rachael came to the conclusion she had without realising it fallen for Hedger whom she perceived to be kind, generous and exciting. She admitted to herself she was looking forward to the dance and was thinking of ways to encourage him. She wished to experience the afternoon’s events again, but with the casement closed this time.

An hour later Rachael awoke, put her shoes on and went to the Master at arms meeting where she met Rowan with Fern and Sorley. There was none there from the kine crafters, but after a few minutes discussion she was asked if they should send for someone. She replied, “No, it is not necessary. I am going to the dance thiseve(9) with Hedger who has agreed to introduce me to milch and dairy crafters of his clan nextday.”(10) The conversation turned to personal placements, and she was asked what she had in mind if aught, and she replied with a shy, but somewhat secretive expression on her face, “I told you. I am going to the dance with Hedger thiseve.”

As Rachael stood to leave Fern smiled, and said, “We wish you success and joy too, Rachael.”

She left and Rowan said to Fern “That one needs little help from us.”

30th of Towin day3

Eve had recently turned fourteen and was a slender pretty young woman with dark hair down to her shoulders. She had left behind her parents, two younger sisters and a younger brother and was distressed at her arrival on Castle when she realised she was on her own. There were a close and loving family, and she wasn’t coping with her loss. Eve had gone to the Master at arms meeting, and when she had telt them she had planned on becoming a nurse a healer had been asked to join them. Gilla had arrived, and after a few minutes discussion Gilla had offered her a place as an apprentice healer. The conversation had moved on to consideration of a personal placement at which Eve had braeken(11) down into floods of tears and sobbing all the while, she telt them of her mum and dad and her sisters and brother. Gilla holding her hand, and stroking her hair telt her, “You need a family. My man Mallard and I have grown up children, but we should be happy to have you. My syskonen(12) and Mallard’s have children of near your age. I know we can’t replace your family, but you have to have a new family.”

Eve sniffing now rather than sobbing allowed Gilla to put her arms berount her. After a few minutes she looked up with a bleak smile, and said, “Yes, I know I can’t go back, and I know I have to have a family. Thank you. Is Mallard a healer too?”

Gilla said gently, but firmly, “The word is dad, and no your dad is a seamstress trim maker.”

“Sorry, Mum.” Eve said the last unnaturally as if trying the word out.

Gilla telt her, “It will become easier with time, and using the words mum and dad will help you adjust to your changt(13) circumstances. I suggest I find some other from the healers to take over here for the interviews, and we go to find your dad, and tell him he has a new daughter. We can celebrate thiseve.”

After Gilla and Eve left to find Mallard at the seamstresses, Eve asked her, “How can a man be a seamstress? And what exactly does a trim maker make?”

Gilla replied, “I’ll let your father explain.”

30th of Towin (BJS) Day 3

During the late afternoon meeting at the Master at arms office Fiona had said she wasn’t particularly clever and liekt(14) the idea of becoming a spinster. A member of the spinners and weavers had been sent for, and Uäste,15 a Mistress spinster, had spaken(16) with her and eventually offered her an apprenticeship. When the discussion changed to personal placement Fiona had explained her previous situation and said, “I have no real idea of how to do it but I should like to be in a family where at least I didn’t constantly get called names because of my size. I have met Fergal here, and he, another incomer, is my intendet.(17) We should like to start a family and marry as soon as it becomes possible for us to do so, but we know we need Folk families too.”

Uäste had smiled with delight and said, “My brother Tinder and his wife Nightingale have no children and would be glad to adopt you I know, and that you have an intendet will please them both. Nightingale will be thrillt(18) by the idea of grandchildren.” She chuckled and continued, “Nightingale is of average highth(19) for a woman, but my brother is of similar build to me. I’m sure the idea of a daughter at least a foot taller than he will fill him with delight.” The last caused Fiona some worry, but Uäste seeing that said, “Truly, he will love it, he’s not intelligent, but is a very kind man with a good sense of humour, and if you accept them you will have a good father as well as a loving mum. Why don’t we find them, and I’ll introduce you.”

Fiona and Uäste left to find Tinder and Nightingale. They found Tinder in his furrier’s workshop at the seamstresses, and Uäste explained why they were there. Tinder was similar to his sister, small, rotund and less than five feet tall. Beaming a huge smile he laught and said, “You’ll have to bend down so I can kiss you, Daughter. I can just manage your mother, but you are too much for me altogether.” Seeing the expression on Fiona’s face he said more seriously with a worried look on his face, “We’ve longt(20) for children for a long time. I truly do hope you are not going to turn me down as a father because I’m too small.”

Fiona couldn’t help but like this small and bubbly man who was every bit as happy to make fun of his own lack of highth as her excess of it, and who was obviously worried she would reject him. She said, “No. I want a family.”

She bent down, and kissed Tinder. He kissed her cheek saying, “See I telt you we’d manage. Now let’s go, and find your mum. She crafts as a sawyer with the woodworkers. I’m not big enough for a job like that.” Laughing at his own joke he kissed his sister, and said, “Gratitude, Uäste. I’ll tell Nightingale to have spaech(21) with you betimes, but so much daughter in one go, and a son betimes too is a priceless gift.”

Fiona was by now happy to see the funny side of Tinder’s remarks and laugh because, as she had realised, there was no malice in them, but there was a lot of care, and to her surprise she hoped there would soon be love too. Uäste left them to go back to the Master at arms. Linking arms with her father, Fiona and he went to find her mother. By the time they reached the sawyers’ pits at Outgangside, Fiona had realised she and Tinder were of a similar intelligence and shared a similar sense of the ridiculous, both enjoying word play and puns. He was a man whose company she enjoyed. Tinder shouted excitedly to a medium highth, fair haired woman who was top-sawyering atop a massively constructt(22) frame twelve feet in the air with a huge two handed saw which was three-quarters of the way longways through a log that must have been at least ten feet in diameter and thirty-odd long, “Nightingale, look what I’ve findt.(23) I wisht(24) for two daughters, and that’s what I findt, look! And Fiona has an intendet too!”

Nightingale spake to her partner in the pit, climbed down the ladder and came over to them. Shaking the sawdust off herself she said to Fiona, “We were ready for a mug of leaf. I take it that terrible man of mine is making fun of your size, and I have a daughter?”

Fiona who couldn’t help but laugh at Tinder’s remarks said, “Yes. I’m Fiona, and I’m already used to it, but I can’t understand how so small a dad can contain so many jokes.”

Tinder thought that hugely amusing, but Nightingale groaned and said, “Oh no! Two them, what have I done to deserve this?” She hugged and kissed Fiona, and said, “I have to craft for another hour here. We wish to finish cutting the stick before finishing for the day. You two can have your head till I arrive home, but you’ll have to rein yourselfs(25) in after that. I’ll be back home in time aplenty for the eve meal.” Turning to Tinder, she said, “I’ll bring something special to eat and something to drink.” She turned back to Fiona and asked, “Bethink(26) you your intendet would be able to dine with us too? I’d love to meet him, who is he?”

Fiona replied, “Fergal’s newfolk too. He’s just started with the huntsmen. I don’t know what he is doing this eve, but I shall find him and ask, I know he would like to if he could.”

“Do you like red wine, Dear?”

Fiona looked long and thoughtfully at Nightingale before replying, “As to the wine, not for me, thank you. I may be pregnant, and if not I wish to be.”

Nightingale smiled, kissed her again and her face conveying her delight, said, “That’s wonderful, let’s all hope you are, and if not, you are betimes. Would you prefer a girl or a boy, Fiona?”

“I don’t think I mind as long as I have a healthy baby.”

“I’ll hope for a girl then since I should like a granddaughter first. Do you mind?”

“No. Not at all. Perhaps it’s best I want a baby, I do like red wine, but a glass only. Despite my size, I don’t seem to have the capacity to be able to hold it, so maybe I’m better not bothering at all.”

Nightingale groaned, and Tinder said, “We’d better go now. Your mum can take only take so much at one time.”

Fiona kissed Nightingale, and said, “I’ll be good. I promise.”

As they left Nightingale telt her husband, “Go to the woodworkers’ stores and find a double bed for Fiona and Fergal, and make sure it’s big enough for her. Ask them to take away the single in her chamber when they bring hers. I’ll deal with bedding on my way home. And while you’re near there you can collect something for Fiona to drink from the Refectory.”

Tinder nodded in acknowledgement and as he turned away, very quietly said in the tones of a long suffering husband, “Yes, Dear.”

“I hearet(27) that, Tinder.”

Tinder turned back to face his wife, blew her a kiss and said, “But you love me any hap, don’t you?” As Fiona linked arms with her dad and they turned away they could hear Nightingale laughing. They strolled away to acquire her a bed still laughing at each other’s remarks, discussing possible names for his first grandchild, and he asking her of Fergal, who he telt her would be well come to stop the night with her when ever he could, which she understood was why Nightingale had specified a double bed for them rather than her. That puzzled her till Tinder explained regards Folk customs and intended couples being trett(28) the same as agreäns.(29)

That eve meal Fergal ate with Fiona and her parents who maekt him well come. Nightingale telt him, “You are well come to spend the night here with Fiona, Fergal, when ever you will and can, and as the intendet of my daughter and more excitingly from my point of view, the father of my grandchildren, I feel entitelt(30) to call you Son. It would make us both happy if you callt(31) us Mum and Dad.”

Fergal taekt a little while to be able to respond but said, “That would make me happy too, Mum.”
He was puzzled that he was expected by Fiona’s parents to spend the night in Fiona’s bed. Fiona explained what her dad had telt her, “We are an intended couple which by the customs of the Folk,” she smiled, “now our Folk, means we are regarded as married. I don’t know why yet, but many of the Folk do not formally marry till they have started their family.” Before they slept they spent a lot of time spaeking(32) of their new lifes,(33) and though they were very loving they did not make love. They fell asleep holding hands and both dreaming of their future.

30th of Towin Day 3

Fran was still trying to understand what had happened. She understood at an intellectual level, but it was the sort of thing she only thought happened in fiction or even fantasy. She was twenty-two and nearly seven lunes pregnant. She had been an office worker, and she hadn’t particularly liked her work. She hadn’t been close to any of her family, except her grandmother who had left her what little she had when she died which had driven a wedge between her and the rest of her family. Her relationship with Rob her husband had been falling apart for a long time due to his inability to control his drinking, and because she thought he was going to start hitting her she had been preparing to leave him. Then she had arrived on Castle.

She had accepted a craft placement as a lærer(34) weaver lastday.(35) Later at the dinner dance she had met and reached agreement with Dyker, a twenty-two year old huntsman guardian. Aside from the sheer unreality of it all, there was a bizarre kind of logic to the way things had happened, and she thought, despite the step back in time she felt she had taken, her new life was going to be much better than her old one. Weaving was definitely better than filing papers none was ever going to read, and Dyker was already a much better husband and future father than Rob could ever have been. She felt safer, more secure and more valued than she had ever done. All in all she preferred Castle, even if it would be a while before she could totally accept it as real. Dyker hadn’t been interested in making an appearance for himself, but he’d accepted she needed something to make it official, and he had agreed nextday they would make an appearance to announce their agreement.

Word Usage Key

1 Braekfast, breakfast.
2 Neath, beneath.
3 Naektth, nakedness.
4 Coolth, coolness.
5 Berount, around.
6 Maekt, made.
7 Taekt, took.
8 Dresst, dressed.
9 Thiseve, this evening.
10 Nextday, tomorrow.
11 Braeken, broken
12 Syskonen, siblings. Singular is syskon.
13 Changt, changed.
14 Liekt,liked.
15 Uäste, pronounced oo + est (as in test), (u:ɛst).
16 Spaken, spoken
17 Intendet, fiancé.
18 Thrillt, thrilled.
19 Highth, height.
20 Longt, longed
21 Spaech, speech.
22 Constructt, constructed.
23 Findt, found.
24 Wisht, wished or wanted.
25 Yourselfs, yourselves.
26 Bethink, think.
27 Hearet, heard.
28 Trett, treated.
29 Agreän(s), spouse(s) the person(s) one has marital agreement with.
30 Entitelt, entitled.
31 Callt, called.
32 Spaeking, speaking.
33 Lifes, lives.
34 Lærer, adult apprentice, trainee.
35 Lastday, yesterday.