A Word Usage Key is at the end. Some commonly used words are there whether used in this chapter or not. Replace th on end of words with ness and t with d or ed and most of the rest are obvious if sounded out aloud. Some words with n or en on the end can be easily understood of the n is replaced by a d or ed. Only difficult words and words that do not exist in English are now referred to specifically with a footnote number. If you have suggestions I would be pleased to consider implementing them.
The brackets after a character e.g. CLAIRE (4 nc) 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.) There is a list of chapters and their significant characters at the bottom too. There are now appendices on Folk terminology and one on places food, animals plants and minerals to be found on Castle too. They can be found after the last story chapter.
3rd of Darrow Day 35
Beth had met Greensward at one of the informal dances. He’d clearly been smitten with her and by the end of the dance she knew he’d be asking her to be his heartfriend within a few days at most. Greensward was a quietly mature fifteen year old apprentice provisioner who set Beth’s pulses racing. He was tall, dark, decidedly good looking with, she considered, even more decidedly kissable lips, and she knew he’d turned down any number of girls without explanations by not engaging in the heartfriending ritual.(1) “You’ve got the hots for him, Girl,” she’d telt herself. “And you’ve got to tell him, before either of you do aught of it.” It was a scary thought, but she decided, “The worst he can do is blow you out, and if he’s of that mindset you’d not be interested any way. It’s unlikely he’ll hit you, but you may be adviest to tell him where there are folk berount, or may hap not, for if there’re none there to protect you you’ll know for sure how he feels whether he hits you or no.” Beth felt happy regards that, for she would know, and it had always been uncertainty concerning the reactions of others to her that had caused her worst insecurities rather than the prospect of physical pain.
Greensward had asked, “Will you to walk with me on the dock tower on your next day off, Beth? For if you will I shall take the day too.”
Other than when a ship was unloading or loading, there were usually few on the dock tower other than young couples and Beth had wondered if it were sensible to agree, but she’d agreed to meet him out side the refectory at two nextdaynigh.
Greensward had been on time and as they’d walked the Keep walkways to the tower he’d said, “I’m taken with you, Beth. I would fain(2) have us be heartfrienden. But other than agreeing to walk with me you have not sayt aught to let me believe you are doing aught other than exploring possibilities, but bethink you it likely you would agree?”
“Please say no more, for there are things you have to know, Greensward, before you say aught else. I am a girl unlike most others. I have the body of a boy and am taking feminising herbs. I wish to say no more till you have considert your way berount that, for I wish you to say naught that would place you under obligation without having given the matter sufficient thinking, for I shall never be able to give you children of my body.”
Greensward didn’t hesitate, but immediately said, “I have hearet of girls like you. I bethink me you are the only one I know, but what of it? You are pretty, and much desiert, but others are too aflait(3) of your brothers and your father to approach you. I will you no disrespect, so see no reason to be aflait of your brothers or your father. You sayt you are a girl unlike others, but in saying that you doet say you are a girl. I have never been attracted to any other like I am to you. I ask again, is it a possibility you would at some time in the future give yourself to me in return for myself?”
Beth was surprised by Greensward’s acceptance and there were tears in her eyes when she said, “Yes. It’s possible.” They climbed the stairs to the top of the dock tower and Greensward held his hand out to help Beth up the last step which was twice the highth of the others due to the one below it being missing whilst awaiting replacement by the ingeniators.(4) “You don’t have to let go of my hand if you will not, Greensward,” Beth telt him.
“If I don’t have to I shan’t, Beth. Are you certain that is what you will?”
“I’m certain.”
They were on their own on the tower and spent over an hour holding hands watching events unfold below and several small inshore boats putting in at Abel’s boatshed on the Little Arder bank. Greensward put his arm berount Beth and pulled her towards him. “You still sure, Beth?”
As Beth smiled up at him she replied, “Why? Are you worryt your kissing isn’t good enough for me? If so there’s only one way for you to improve isn’t there?” Five minutes later, it had seemed much longer to Beth, she said, “I’m sure. Are you?”
Greensward kissed her again, before saying, “I may not be any good at kissing, but I’m enjoying the practice. Again?”
“Definitely.”
When they next surfaced they noticed there were two other couples kissing on the dock tower too, it was a popular place to go for kissing couples, but they decided to leave and spent the rest of the afternoon walking the Keep allure(5) holding hands. They agreed to meet for lunch nextday and after lunch walk between the curtain walls berount the Keep which was nigh to nine thousand strides and normally took between two and three hours depending on how quickly one walked. It was a happy Beth who telt her mum of events through her tears.
“I’m happy for you, Beth Love. He’s a decent, likeable young man with good prospects. Bluesher thinks well of him and I’m sure Gibb does too.”
4th of Darrow Day 36
Beth and Greensward had spent all afternoon on their walk, but holding hands and kissing did impede their progress which explained why it took five and a half hours and it was nearly time for the eve meal when Greensward escorted Beth home. They’d been interested in the activities of the growers and the composters, though they’d hurried to leave the noisome sections where the lavatory effluent discharged on to the spent straw, thatch and other slow to compost materials like worn out fabrics and clothes.
It was whilst they were looking at the cockerels, drakes and ganders that Odo had delightedly explained, for few other than growers listened to the composters, and fewer still had any interest in their craft, “The sand that gets liftet by stormy seas over the parapet onto the allure we use, along with all the other materials, to build up the soil between the walls, but we dump it here with the crusht shells and fire ashes from the kitchens to absorb the poultry dung first. The stones that the storms throw up, some of which can be a foot or more across we take to Outgangside, along with the ashes and clinkers from the seaburn fires in the Keep, to maintain the road. The waggoners take all surplus to maintain their trails with.”
Beth had been delighted when she saw Odo putting down trays of milk and watched small prickle covered creatures, followed by even smaller ones, come out of hiding from all directions for the obviously familiar largess. “The hedgehogs have babies! Why do you give them milk, Odo? I always meant to ask.”
“You and your brothers keep the vermin down, the ducks eat the slugs, the throstles control the snails, but the grovvens keep the bugs down. They like milk. We want them to be happy, breed and eat all the bugs. They are a great help to the growers by keeping the pests down. They can go where they will between the walls, and sometimes I have to move some to where the bugs are getting too numerous. I give them a bit of left over meat from the Refectory too from time to time. They sleep in the winter so we give them boxes containing leafs and straw to sleep in. The grovvens wake in late spring in time for the arrival of the bugs. They usually hunt at night but the milk brings them out in daylight. These have been breeding between the walls for centuries. Essentially the Keep grovvens are a self containt, isolaett population because they can’t leave, and, other than the few some of the waggoners bring in for us from outside from time to time to prevent inbreeding, none can enter. None knows how long they’ve been here, but we know they were here before the Fell Year. Our grovvens are a little bigger than the ones outside. We assume it’s because they have no predators here and are fed when food is scarce, but none truly knows why.”
They carried on with their walk, but now thinking of the grovvens they saw them every where, even in the pens of the flocks of laying poultry which were on the opposite side of the courtyard to the male poultry being raised for meat. As they were leaving, Beth’s brothers were arriving with the small dogs and ferrets, and they didn’t seem happy to see Beth holding hands with Greensward.
“What was that for, Beth?”
“The boys are protective of their sisters. It’s all right. I’ll have a word with Bittern, and they’ll accept you. They just worry we’ll be taken advantage of. So now they can’t see you you can.”
“I can what?”
“Take advantage of me, or am I going to have to kiss you first?”
6th of Darrow Day 38
Morgelle had been out fishing, crabbing and lifting lobster creels with Bistort as a member of a crew of eight a few times. She had once been down to the Claws, the twin south-west curving rows of islets that had once been part of Samar Isle where lobster and crab abounded and scallops were to be found in sufficient quantity to fish for them with a net. Her life saver she realised was the same as the ones they all wore, and though she had never had to test its qualities she had expressed gratitude to Bistort again for it. He said,“Don’t be flaught. I can’t afford to lose daughters.” He had kissed her forehead as he said it and smiled.
Morgelle had also been out at the lowest tides for razor-shells, and in two hours had managed to collect six which was half what Tuyere had managed, but more than some of her relatives had found. They concluded it was a very poor harvest compared with the year before. Tuyere said most of them had managed to find sixty or so a tide last year, and since fiveteen of them had only managed eighty-two mongst them they decided it was not worth trying again this set of low tides. They’d decided to collect seagreen(6) nextday in stead.
The day of the flat fish harvest, Morgelle went with Tuyere and twelve others, with light handcarts with wide wheels, southwards along the coast. The previous tide had been high and there were nelt,(7) redspot,(8) and lunge(9) in a number of the pools and even a flat shark(10) in one of the larger ponds. Tuyere said, “You rarely find flat sharks in the pools. I’ve only seen one before. Grandfa says they live in deeper water.” The fish were every bit as big as Tuyere had said, and by the time they had reached Eel Point they had harvested three quarters of a thousand weights [1500 pounds] even though they had returned all the fish less than a foot and a half across back to the sea to grow as well as four that were more than three feet across to breed. Not all wished to return the large fish, but Tuyere, insistent it was what Bistort would do, exerted his authority and had his way. The fish were carried in the net which was lowered into the sea to allow them to swim away.
Bistort, proud of Tuyere for his intelligent and perceptive behaviour, praised the entire group at the eve meal for having such regard for the weäl(11) of the clan. He was emphatic, “As long as we look after the weäl of Castle, She will look after ours.” That eve thirty-odd clan members processed the fish, which were to be breeze-dried and lightly smoked under the watchful eye of Ælfgyfu, one of Bistort’s cousins, who managed the smoke house. Morgelle was telt after the fillets and frames were separated both were hung to dry in the wall-less out-buildings for a tenner or so.
The buildings had nets where walls would normally have been and the gulls always maekt determined assaults on the nets to start with. The children would keep the gulls off for a day or two by throwing and slinging stones at them, which usually produced a few dozen birds for the table. The deadths didn’t deter the gulls, but as the fish dried and the smell faded they lost interest. The partially dried fillets were then transferred to the smoke house, and the frames were left to fully dry before being crated and left in a building on the jetty for a ship to collect. After composting, the growers uest the frames mixt with the bulk seaweeds for fertiliser. Filleting was hard work, but all had fun because of the shared effort and the gossip. Morgelle was familiar with the work, and she was complimented on her ability with a filleting knife. She went to bed tired but happy. Her life was improving, and she could now think of Caoilté with regret, rather than the crushing unhappith of before.
6th of Darrow Day 38
Turner and Otday left the Keep at first light carrying amongst other things a load of stones that the ingeniators and the composters had loaded. Turner had deliberately left at first light so as to discomfort Otday, for other than when camped on the trail she rarely arose before eight. Her first words were not encouraging. “Normally an apprentice would have loadet the waggon, but to ensure you stayt alive I payt the ingeniators and the composters to do it. You’re already in my debt by a dozen hours.” Storms lifted many hundreds of thousands of weights of sand and stones a year from the ocean and deposited them on the Keep seawall allure. The composters used most of the sand in their soil production for the growers to use between the Keep walls, though some sand and all the stones smaller than two widths across were uest by the ingeniators in hardset(12) of various kinds. The bigger stones were used by the waggoners to maintain their trails and the ship crafters uest the largest as ballast.
As the team slowly pulled the waggon over the poorer parts of the trail Turner and Otday rolled the stones over the rear of the waggon dropping the stones, some of which were heavier than a big man, into the potholes and ruts to repair the damage the trail had suffered due to the recent rain. Otday was amazed that Turner could command the team verbally, causing them to stop, slow, walk on or speed up with a word. What he was unaware of was she did not control the team, she controlled her offside leader, and the rest of the team did what Throstle did. By convention in most teams the team leader pulled in the offside leader’s position, but there were team leaders in all positions. Horses intelligent enough to be team leaders were rare and once trained expensive, and if one were heavy enough to pull as a wheeler and preferred to pull in the nearside position waggoners accepted the situation and were grateful they had managed to acquire such a horse. Driving a team without a leader required more concentration and was much harder work for team and waggoner alike.
A tenner later after calling at over a dozen holdings and other enterprises they approached Abyss View, the Long Valley foresters’ first cabin, where they delivered letters and packages as well as various tools and food stuffs most of which they had collected en route. They did a little trading and collected more letters, many of which would arrive at their final destination after having been through the hands of half a dozen waggoners and almost as many holdings awaiting a waggon going in the appropriate direction. Turner had changed the team’s tack arrangements before their descent. Otday had not understood why, and she’d offered no explanation as to why her centres and leaders were now behind the waggon because he hadn’t asked.
Otday wet himself on the precipitous descent into the Long Valley, though Turner was unaffected by the precarious track and the void on their right in which occasionally the clouds cleared enough to see the ground more than a thousand strides below. After wetting himself, Turner had telt him to either strip from the waist down or walk. Too aflait to risk letting her see the stitches he’d walked behind the steady paced waggon gradually falling farther and farther behind. When he realised Turner would just leave him for Castle he moved faster in an attempt to catch up. His scrotum hurt, but it was bearable, just. However he was in poor physical condition and carried a lot of surplus weighth. He’d always assumed going uphill would be more demanding than going downhill and hadn’t realised going downhill would be so painful. He didn’t know which was worse the burning ache in his legs or the fear Turner would leave him to die from deepcaltth. He was traumatised to discover that running was a far worse agony to his lungs, belly and legs than it was to his scrotum, but his flait(13) drove him to run, his distress notwithstanding.
At the bottom of the descent he saw the waggon pulled up at yet another fire blackend ring of waggoners’ stones and Turner was washing clothes in a small pool. “Strip, bathe and wash your clothes. Put clean on, yours are in the woven box at the rear, and drape your washt ones to dry over the waggon side rails. I’ve threwn a pail of water over your side of the bench. Hurry or your meal will be calt. We leave within the hour.” Otday never considered that she had stopped so he could catch up, for that was not in keeping with the character he had built up of her. Turner washed her underwear at any and every opportunity, and he’d assumed that was why she’d stopped. It wasn’t pleasant thinking that having clean socks was of greater import to her than his life, but it was long since his life had been pleasant. They left within the hour and Otday noticed the horses were tacked up as normal, but he didn’t remark on it. At Sky View and then Level View, the foresters’ camps at opposite ends of the valley floor, they off loaded more tools, did a little trading and delivered and collected letters, but they only stopped long enough to drink a mug of leaf.
After the moderate climb off the valley floor they arrived at Gentle View, the last of the four Long Valley foresters’ camps where they delivered mail and the sharpened and set cross-cut saws from the Keep, collected more letters, cross-cut saws for sharpening and setting back at the Keep and a dozen huge debarked logs with tart(14) ends, eight spans long and six in diameter, which Otday thought must have weighen over a hundred weights [200 pounds] each. They looked like firewood to him, but there were over a hundred of them all carefully stickered(15) under cover and they were loaded by a hoist in a canvas sling they couldn’t fall out of. He knew they must be valuable for Turner treated them carefully and they were tied down tightly. As usual he didn’t ask of them and Turner offered no explanations, though he’d overheard Gace say, “A goodly amount of the water’s out of them, but you’ve still close to fiveteen hundred weights there, Turner.” They ate the eve meal at Gentle View and were offered beds for the night, but Turner chose to carry on for a further three hours before making camp.
Otday’s physical condition gradually improven, for he lost fat and gained muscle and was continuing to do so. He had also learnt some skills, slowly at first but more quickly with the passage of time. Turner was, Otday discovered, taciturn and, when she did spaek, surly. She did not engage in conversation she just issued orders which he rapidly learnt to obey immediately, for if he didn’t she hit him, and it hurt. He couldn’t understand how so small a woman could not only knock him off his feet so quickly he couldn’t see her blow coming, but do it so hard he found himself wheezing to draw air into his tortured, winded lungs. He’d be bruised and hurting and oft three or four strides from where he’d been when she hit him. At night, no matter whether they were camped or at a holding, she was always aware of exactly where he was, and she didn’t seem to sleep being fully awake when ever he looked. Most holdings could only offer one chamber, but without saying aught of it they always placed a chair in it for Turner to sleep in. Initially she’d tell Otday, “Use the bed. I’ll use the chair.” After a few stops she’d stopped telling him.
Those holdings that could only offer a barn or stable to sleep in still provided a chair, again saying naught of it, and Otday uest his bedroll on a pile of straw. At his slightest movement Turner always turned to look at him, and unnervingly he’d never seen her close her eyes. She was he concluded a very dangerous person who could not be surprised. As far as he was aware she carried naught in the way of a knife, all such were on the waggon, and she had no need of one for personal defence. She treated him as an item of the load, and he became uest to it. As long as he carried out her orders immediately his life was pain free. The swelling of his scrotum had gone and the pain went with it. As far as he could tell his testicles were as before. The thread of the stitches was an irritation but there was naught he could do regards it, for he couldn’t even see them properly. The wound at his throat had healed to leave a small scar. The cord cuts on his throat, wrists and ankles were finally closing but every knock or touch delayed their healing, but his major hurt was, as before, as a result of his father’s thrashing.
Eventually he came to realise that what he’d considered to be the pointless, petty tasks Turner ordered him to do were tasks that had to be done for their comfort and weäl. If he were doing something else Turner did them without comment, but they were done. As his appreciation of what was necessary grew he thought Turner was being less demanding. What was really happening was he was doing more without having to be ordered to do it. Their relationship taekt an abrupt change after they’d been hunting. He was still not good with the bow Turner had given him along with the order that he flighted twenty practice arrows every day, but he had provided the odd coney with it and was still improving albeit slowly due to the inferior quality of the arrows he maekt. Every time he lost or braekt one he had to make a replacement and unlike the quality of his marksmanship the average quality of his arrows was still going down. Birds and gliders in trees were the most abundant food source, but there was a price to be paid. When he missed his prey, oft the arrow lodged in the tree and he had to climb to recover it which was infuriating when he’d not only missed but then found the arrow to be braeken. After watching him struggle climbing yet an other tree for yet an other braeken arrow, Turner said tersely, “Don’t put points on arrows for aught in trees. If you miss they won’t lodge in the tree, they’ll fall to the ground. Small prey will be stunt by a blunt arrow and fall for you to collect.”
It was so obvious, but then reflected Otday a lot of Turner’s lessons were, and he should have thought of it for himself. They’d been returning to the waggon and had four coneys, Turner had killt three of them, when, drawn to the smell of blood, a huge feline, easily the size of one of the wheelers, had warned Otday of its presence with a snarl, but Turner had already turned to face it, and, as it charged to spring, Otday had stepped in front of Turner with the intention of using his bow. Turner had moved too fast for him to see and angrily hit him out of her way, and, when his tortured lungs, ribs and vision had stopped hurting and started functioning, she had railed at his flaughtth and complete witlessth for at least three minutes. Behind her the huge predator lay lifeless, and, apart from being out of breath as a result of her tirade, she was the same as usual, irascible. Eventually she calmed a bit and demanded, “What were you thinking of? That be a chlochan. They take giant elk and aurochs. It would have inhaelt you.”
“I had the bow. I was trying to protect you.”
“Your arrows would not have hurt it, but merely have enragt it, and I need no protection as you can see.”
“How doet you know it was there? How doet you kill it? What with?”
“I hearet and smelt it and I killt it with a blow to it’s heart with my hand. Now do you understand? Never do that again.”
He didn’t understand, but Turner would be unlikely to provide further explanation. She was angry with him, so angry she wasn’t trusting herself to give him orders, and she did all the tasks including the cooking herself. Two hours later she brought him his plate of coney stew and said, “That was courageous but flaught. I was angry because I was concernt for your safety which I had contractet your parents I would ward. I was birtht different from others, my senses are more acute, I’m stronger, faster and my blood runs hotter. However, though I am driven to constantly maintain my muscle tone, I can exercise my muscles without seeming to move. I learnt young where and how to hit to kill, maim, or inflict pain, and over the years have perfectet that ability. I sleep with my eyes open though it is not sleep as you understand it.
“That was one reason why I became a waggoner, for life with other folk becomes tediously full of even more tedious explanations, and I can’t be bothert. I’m not the only one thus. There are more than fifteen hundred of us though most spaek of it not. It’s an effect Castle has on some when enwombt. It’s been known for centuries though it seems to have become more common with the passing of time. Forget it, and only ever spaek of it to me, but do not cause me problems like that again. You cost me time in which the chlochan came nearer. She may have a mate. I’ll watch for it.” They ate in silence, and afterwards he held his hand out for her plate to wash with his. During the night he heard Turner prowling berount the waggon, and the thought maekt him feel safe but worthless. After all it was characteristic of Turner to protect her property.
They skinned the chlochan. Turner finished it, skinning the skull, tail and the legs right down to the paws just leaving the span and a half long claws with the skin. Her skill surprised Otday, and he was surprised even more to be telt its pelt was worth two to three years of a skillt crafter’s remuneration. He was astonished when Turner telt him no more warmly than she had ever said anything, “Your instrument of apprenticeship states two shares to each Mistress or Master and one to each apprentice. A third of the tokens are yours.”
“What of the meat, Turner?”
Turner coldly remarked, “Mind back to your childhood learning songs. The meat is jadda,(16) and particularly foul jadda at that.”
After that he thought he noticed a slight thaw in Turner’s attitude to him, but it certainly couldn’t be callt warmth. Turner maekt a frame of springy yew boughs to stretch the chlochan pelt on, and every eve for a goodly while they stopt early so as to be able to work on the chlochan pelt. For the first time ever Turner praised Otday, “You are treating the pelt much better than I. I can’t see what you are doing different from what I am, but I can feel the difference. If you go over the entire pelt and finish it it will be worth a lot more, so you finish it and I shall do all other tasks whilst you are busy.”
7th of Darrow day 39
Rachael had had no trouble with the births of her first two children, and she’d telt Hedger she did not expect the process to distress Groundsel. She knew Groundsel, like all girl children of the Folk, wished to watch a birth. Groundsel, who at six was a couple of years younger than most girls when they watched a birth for the first time, was overjoyed when asked if she would like to watch her sister’s birth. Rachael was birthing for six hours and Hedger was overwhelmed when he saw his daughter, whom they had agreed to name Anemone.
Groundsel hadn’t been distressed by the process, but she’d been worried for her mum whom she loved, and as Rachael was nursing Anemone she asked, “It lookt as if it hurt a lot, Mum, but you don’t seem to be hurting now. Is it always that way?”
Rachael looked at Irena who had birtht Anemone. Irena replied for her. “It seems as if it is, but any woman will tell you babes are worth it, and much more. Look at your mum’s face when she nurses Anemone. There is the answer to your question.”
9th of Darrow Day 41
Warbler had met and maekt friends with several newfolk girls and boys in the Greathall when she had gone with Jed for dancing practice. Nectar was a boyish twelve year old who Warbler had especially liekt, and she had asked Jed, “Would you mind if I ask Nectar if she would like to come fishing with us, Jed?”
“If you like. If a few of us went we could take food and enjoy a day out which would help Grangon and his office. I’d like to try for trout in the Little Arder if you don’t mind. Tell you what, I’ll ask Beth and my brothers if any of them wish to come too. I know Beth will and Alwydd will if Spearmint comes too. What do you think? Do you know any one else who’d wish to go?”
“That sounds enjoyable. I’ll ask Spearmint and some other girls too. Would you mind if Stonecrop came too, Jed?”
“No. It’s a good idea, only how do you think your mum will feel regards it?”
“She’ll probably be glad to have a bit of time with Dad on their own, it’ll probably be their last chance before returning to the grazing grounds. Mum will probably insist you and I look after him the whole time and none of the others. Will you mind?”
Jed liekt Warbler’s little brother and always spent a bit of time with him when he was at Warbler’s Auntie Betony’s. He’d never admitted it, but he could see a younger version of himself in four year old Stonecrop and wasn’t happy with the idea of Stonecrop being lonely in the way he had been. “No, I won’t mind. Even if your mum doesn’t say so I suggest we keep him with us any way.” Jed didn’t wish to explain his real reasons for saying that, so said, “That way I can make sure he learns to do everything properly.”
Warbler understood Jed much better than he realised, and though rendered a little emotional by his care to her brother she wasn’t prepared to embarrass him by telling him so, and she merely nodded and asked, “When bethink you we could do it?”
“My next day off is in three days, then seven after that and then five after that. A tenner and a half gives us enough time to organise it, and it gives Gage time to organise the work rota once he knows who wishes to go fishing.”
Warbler nodded and said, “Yes. That sounds good,” before changing the topic of conversation to ask, “Jed, doet you have aught to do with Otday apprenticing to Turner? For to start with he doetn’t wish to leave the Keep and then suddenly he couldn’t leave fast enough, and you doet say if he doetn’t will to go he’d have to be maekt to will to.”
Jed looked Warbler in the eyes and said, “I won’t lie to you, Warbler, but I’m not sure you would wish to hear all of the truth. If you ask it of me I’ll tell you, but it is not a pleasant tale, and I’ll be unhappy if you thinkt the worse of me for doing what I considert needful and the Way gave me the right to do.”
“It’s givn not gave, and you bethinkt yourself not you thinkt, but tell me of it. Of all of it. You had your dagger to his throat doetn’t you? I’m sure that’s how he had that cut on his throat, and so bethink I(17) are Dad and Uncle Eorl. They’re not saying aught, but I’m sure they know. I don’t understand how he had that cut across his neck, but I am sure you know.”
“Yes my dagger givn him the cut on his throat, and I can’t say I’m bothert who knows, but if you will to hear it all I’ll need to start at the beginning for you to understand.”
“I wish to know it all, Jed, for whatever your actions I know you had the right and you will have doen what you considert to be best. I know you love me and have a wonderful care to me. You have my care to you regardless of what you have doen, for I do love you.”
Jed kissed her gently and said, “I know.” Then he telt her of Otday’s threats that he’d so unwisely spaeken of publicly and of Otday following him after the dance.”
“He threatt he was going to hit me? And telt persons of it?” Jed could see the implications dawning on Warbler’s face before she said, “Surely not even Otday could be so witless as to give you and your close kin the attestet right to kill him, so as to protect me?”
“It was his statet belief that you only became my heartfriend to provoke him into doing some thing regards it for he sayt he knew you willen to become his heartfriend. He telt all he could make listen he was going to beat me senseless and slap you for teasing him to make him jealous till you accepted him as your heartfriend. It was a statement of intent not a threat. It was some of the girls, including Cousine Smile, who telt me what he’d sayt. She was mortifyt to be his sister and clearly knoewn he’d given me the right to kill him, but she tearfully explaint to me she was not willing to be in any part responsible for you being hurt by her keeping silent and she willen you protectet. She sayt she’d prefer that I killt him before he hit you rather than her dad put him out for Castle to reclaim after he’d hit you. She’ll tell you of it if you ask, but better to leave her alone and ask Beth, for Beth was angert by it, not embarrasst and hurt, and she’d heard it all from scores of girls.”
“I knoewn he was not over bright, but that level of arrogance defies belief. What bepuzzles me is how long Otday bethinkt him I would have allowt him to live after he had doen that, for cousin or no I would have killt him with my sling from a safe distance at the first opportunity as soon as I were firm enough to so do. You are good, Jed, for you could have killt him and yet you chose not to. How doet you come to have your dagger to his throat?” Jed telt her of the rest, all of the rest, including his brothers subsequent intimidations of Otday.
Warbler was nowhere near as shocked as he’d thought she would be. When she telt him of her promise to Otday to cut his throat in his sleep if he ever interfered with her life or threatt any of her friends again be they girl or boy, Jed was amazed and proud of her. “He threatt Firefox when you were eight just for having spaech with you! How old were Firefox and Otday then?”
“Firefox was six and Otday would have been ten, but he was big even then, and Firefox has always been small.”
“You telt me Firefox is plumb, but for certain Otday isn’t. However, it’s a riandet(18) now he’s gone.”
“I seeën(19) Dad examining the hinges of his bedchamber, so he and Uncle Eorl probably know it all now, except may hap of you cutting and stitching him. I’d be surpriest if Mum hadn’t been telt he’d sayt he was going to hit me, for most of the girls would have telt their mums who’d have telt her, and she’d have telt Dad and Uncle, but not me. The really amusing thing is it’s not me, you, Dad or Uncle that Otday would have been in most danger from had he trett(20) me thusly, it’s Granny.”
“What Granny Åse‽ She’s tiny!”
“In times of hardship, there has been the odd member of the Folk who will not live by the Way. They are sayt to revert. I’m not sure what to, but such persons thief for more than their share. Usually when catcht, and eventually they always are which has always maekt me wonder why they do it, such are given to Castle to reclaim, but years over when Granny was a girl, not even my age when it all started, there was a series of hard years and rationing of food was necessary. On the return from the grazing grounds the flock was under continual attack by wolfs and other predators. She maekt a name for herself by choosing to craft overnight every night saying she welcomed the attacks for it was meat we had not had to raise and though spitt wolf may not be the tastiest of meat she’d rather eat that than her own front paws.
“One year the clan had not managt to bring the flock back to the Keep, yet were not a long way from the Keep and awaiting a break in the weather to complete the journey to bring some much needed meat to the Folk. Our clan leaders have charge of food distribution under such circumstances. She catcht some put out from the Keep thiefing sheep when she was watching the flock overnight. She killt such five times out of hand with sling, knife and bow to protect those she has a care to. Dad sayt she was the youngest clan senior ever and it was her instant willingth and ability to kill for our kinsfolk’s weäl that maekt her clan chief rather than many much her elder. All happent long before I was birtht, but all know the tales and she’s just as clever with a sling, knife and bow now as she was as a girl. She taught Spearmint and me to use all three. Lobelia tells the tales best. I’ll ask her to tell some at the camp one eve when there’s little to do. You’re right, it’s not a pleasant tale, but I’m glad you telt me, and you have my gratitude for caring to me so tightly.”
“Explain tightly to me again.”
Warbler took his hand and put it into her blouse, “Now you are caressing my breast tightly. The word means many things, but mostly properly or well, though I uest it to mean appropriately or mayhap even enjoyably.” Jed was blushing, but that faded as Warbler’s nipple firmed in his palm and she kissed him tightly.
10th of Darrow Day 42
Mayblossom had finally considered she had done all the necessary preparation to make Mazun ready for agreement, and they were holding hands walking berount the outer edges of Outgangside looking at the wild flowers and the bees, butterflies and other insects. Mazun was distracted looking at a magnificent and huge dragonfly, a shimmering iridescent-blue-green, hovering double cross, a foot long and even more across, when she said to him, “If we don’t reach agreement betimes, Mazun, our mums are going to be seriously unhappy. Your mum has been dropping hints to me that indicate she considers it’s my fault, and I believe my mum believes it must be your fault.”
None of this was true, but Mayblossom was using what ever came to hand in order put Mazun where she wished him, which was permanently in her bed, rather than just enjoying the usually rushed and infrequent attentions that were all they had managed so far. Those attentions had become less satisfying recently and left her feeling frustrated both sexually and emotionally. She wished to make love with Mazun with a view to becoming pregnant, and she wished to be able to do so when ever they felt that way. It was time to reach agreement with chambers of their own, for Mazun was too inhibited to spend the night with her in either of their parent’s chambers. She knew Mazun wished to make love too, so she had no feelings of guilt regards her manipulation of the truth, and in any case she knew she could always claim she had believed it to be the case. Mazun who loved his mum looked stricken, and she continued matter-of-factly, “We both know we are going to reach agreement don’t we?”
“Yes, I just hadn’t thinkt of when. Bethink you our mums are really upset?”
“I bethink me they believe we are being over cautious, and they wish us to start our family, so they have our children to enjoy. You know how your mum is, and mine is just the same, despite Joan’s two. If aught Joan’s two have maekt her worse. If we tell them we’ve agreement they will be delightet, when we tell them I’m pregnant they’ll be too busy making babe clothes to care and with the birth of our first babe they won’t even remember they were bothert.”
“You know I love you, I’ve telt you…, oft,” Mazun said. “If you are agreeable I am, and we’ve agreement.”
Mayblossom rewarded him for capitulating so easily with a kiss that taekt his breath away, and putting his hand to her bosom said, “I have been envious of my sister, not nastily, but she has Bræth and the children, and I know she’s trying for another. Now I have you, and we can try for our first. Will you let Dad sort out chambers and things? He’d like to do that for us.”
Mazun, who was caressing her breast, thinking of trying for their first and enjoying the thought, replied, “That would be good of him. I know he doet that for Joan and Bræth, and Bræth telt me it maekt life much easier for them. Yes, I should be grateful.”
Mayblossom who finally had life going the way she wished said, “In that case we’d better tell our mums and Joan. We’ll call in at Dad’s workshop on the way, and let him know, so he has as much time as possible to arrange chambers because I should like an early night.” Now she knew she would finally be able to make love later and she would be pregnant soon Mayblossom was feeling much more patient with her life and Mazun than she had felt for a long time. Mazun on the other hand, though a shy and usually patient man, now making love was soon to be realised, had to control himself because his desires had taken his mind over and he was impatient. Mayblossom could see how he felt and was glad it was so because what her love’s hand was doing to her breast and the effect it was having on her was now beginning to try her patience too. Still, not long now.
10th of Darrow Day 42
After lunch the squad and Warbler met with Will in one of the huntsmen’s workshops. Will had had delivered a huge bundle of the stems of a variety of tough, flexible, wild grass callt tallgrass(21) which were cultivated for their edible shoots and useful culms, as the stems were callt. The hollow culms were more than three strides long, two to three wiedths across at the base, one to one and a half wiedths at the top and very light. “Chose one that is straight, reasonably smooth and symmetrical from top to bottom,” he telt them. “Then using one of the files and then the pieces of abrasive stone,” he pointed to a rack of tools and some shelfs, “smooth down any imperfections so as to be able to handle it along its entire longth comfortably. Be careful to file off all roughth, for the spelks(22) can be so small as to be almost invisible and that makes removing them difficult and painful. Then finally use the sandcloth to achieve a glass finish. I shall make one at the same time to demonstrate and explain aught necessary as we proceed.”
Half an hour later all had a smooth and comfortable rod. “Now we need to cut both ends square, file the inside smooth and then whittle and file down a piece of hard wood, from the basket there, to fit inside the base and file it to a comfortable fit in the hand, glue it into the base of the rod and then make a similar piece for the tip and glue that in to prevent water ingress which would rot the rod. By the time we need it the glue will have meltet, but you need to use it quickly as it sets quickly.” This taekt them somewhat longer and Bittern and Liam had problems filing the hard wood spigots to fit, but they were helped by Warbler, Gage, Chris and Sharky. By the time they had all managed to produce a rod comfortable to handle and sealed at both ends with the heated pine resin they were all happy to finish and Will, impressed by their determination and the way they helped each other, suggested they meet there nextday after the eve meal.
Gage thought Will’s fishing tackle teaching was consolidating their brotherhood that Wayland had insisted existed since their arrival, and his opinion of Wayland as their ethical and behavioural mentor went even higher than it had been before. He couldn’t express it but he knew, though it was his leadership of the squad that brought them all respect, it was the effect Wayland’s guidance had on their behaviour that was giving them respectability. Both equally necessary, he knew, for status. He was also aware of and grateful for the calming influence of the girls when some of the less dexterous boys became irate due to their frustrations.
Over the next lune and a half they met nearly every other day, and Will shewed them how to cut and finish the line guides from rings of the culms with a lug on either side of the rings and then how to lash the lugs onto their rods with flax thread so the thread knots were pulled inside the lashings. They sealed the lashings with a varnish maekt from a resin collected by bees(23) dissolved in a spirit(24) distilled by Joseph’s crafters and varnished their entire rods with the same with a little pine resin dissolved in it too. They learnt how to make a rod grip using the cork obtained from a kind of oak tree(25) that grew far to the south of the Keep. Most complex of all they learnt how to make a reel so they could have two hundred strides of heavy line with which to play a large fish. They fitt their reels to their rods with metal rings so as to be removable, so they could dry the line. Will shewed them how to make a variety of floats and lures, and then how to tie flies of various descriptions using hooks they maekt from wire produced by the smiths gripped in what he called a jam vice. Sharky examined Will’s device, and said “I can make a much better one than that, simpler too, one each for all of us in a day or two, if someone will do my work in the kennels whilst I make them?”
Liam telt him, “You make the stuff, Sharky, I’ll do your work.”
Gage contradicted him to say, “No, Liam. We’ll share Sharky’s work mongst us. It’s only fair as he’s making one for us all.”
Sharky did what he had said he would, and Will examining one of the new vices telt him, “Very clever, Sharky. I bethink me you need to consider making such things as a craft, for you could be successful at it, but first I wish you to make one for me. If you do decide to either so craft or even cross craft doing such you are well come to do so as a member of the huntsmen.”
Bittern had difficulty with intricate tasks, and he found tying flies difficult, but Warbler and Beth both helped him. Beth was an expert at fishing for salmon, and wished to extend that to trout and then other fish, which though she’d had some experience of she knew she needed a lot more time on the water to achieve expert status. She had been happy to learn how to make her own rods with her brothers and help Bittern with the fiddly bits, and she enjoyed Warbler’s company tying flies, they were both good at it. That Beth was so girly seemed at odds with her passion for fishing and hunting, and Warbler was amazed by the apparent contradiction, but it brought them closer as sisters. They chatted of fishing as they worked, and they were looking forward to the proposed trout fishing expedition, especially since they’d heard large numbers of trout had returned to the lower reaches of the Little Arder. They also discussed make up, clothes, shoes, hair, nails, scent and boys, especially boys.
Warbler had telt Beth of her emotions the first time Jed had kisst her, and Beth, who had recently become heartfrienden with Greensward had telt Warbler of his surprise at her brothers’ initial over protective antagonism to him when they heard he’d been seen kissing her on the dock tower. “I know what you mean, Beth, for till he left with Turner none of our brothers were happy if Cousin Otday even had spaech with me, and they all maekt it clear to him that he’d better respect that I’m Jed’s heartfriend. Jed telt me all of that he doet and I know you know of it. He sayt the boys were just being deliberately intimidating to terrify Otday into wishing to leave on a waggon, but I wasn’t convincet at the time. I was astonisht when I hearet that Gage was particularly threatening, for he’s usually so calm and calculating. He telt Otday that if he decidet to fight him he’d use his fists, but Otday needet to be watchful of Jed, for he would probably use an axe. Bittern and Guy had to hold Gage back to prevent him going any further. Liam telt me afterwards it was doen just to aflaiten(26) Otday and they’d practiest it in the kennels taking it in turns to see who was most convincing. They all considert it a huge joke.
“Otday was terrifyt of all of you but especially of Jed and Alwydd. Spearmint must have telt Alwydd something of Otday, for she really doesn’t like him because Stonecrop is aflait of him. Stonecrop telt me he was glad when Otday left with Turner. Turner telt Mum and Dad at most she’ll only be at the Keep for a day in every lune and a half or so and Otday won’t be back till they return for the winter which will mean no awkward meetings for me till then. Dad telt me we shall take our own chambers this winter and not stay with family. He sayt it was Mum’s idea, partly to keep Otday away from Jed, but mostly because she willen chambers of our own any hap because she is hoping by then she will be pregnant. I hope so too. She wishes a boy for Stonecrop to play with. Another brother will be nice, but whilst times it’s nice being sister to all your brothers, and, despite his darkth, I do love Jed, but what doet you say to the boys to make them accept your relationship with Greensward, Beth? Because it’s no problem now is it?”
“Mum crafts with Greensward and likes him, and Dad telt him any heartfriend who maekt his daughter happy is one he is proud to call son. The boys agreen with Dad and Mum telt them to leave him alone for I was his now. It’s fine now and they all get on with him. But after the boys initial reaction, I telt Bittern Greensward knoewn all concerning me and still willen to be my heartfriend and I was grateful for that because for a long time I thou…bethinkt me that I would never find a boy who would accept me. I also telt him Greensward trett me with respect and I liekt kissing him and being kisst by him. I askt Bittern to tell the others that I’d be grateful if they were happy for me concerning Greensward and I was truly happy being his heartfriend. I’m may hap a bit closer to Bittern than to the others, for he was unkind to me early on and my forgivth meant a lot to him, which was why I telt him not Wayland.
“I suspect he telt Wayland what I’d sayt forthwith and once the boys knoewn it was a matter of my choice they weren’t bothert any more. They weren’t being aggressive, just protective, and like you sayt it’s nice having a lot of protective brothers. Now the boys are happy for me that I have a heartfriend and they all like Greensward. I have never understandt boys, but it is a great comfort knowing they will protect the girls they love and have a care to, and I opine we need to be grateful and make sure they know that we love them for it. The boys are all looking for heartfriends now and consider my opinions and advice in the matter to be more valuable than Wayland’s which I find surprising, but it’s nice. They’ll probably ask you and Spearmint for advice too from time to time because they have spaech with Fiona concerning girls. Fiona and I are trying to make our brothers’ lifes better, and having a special girl in their lifes and being special to her will do that.
“Your help would be appreciatet by both of us. Jed is far happier and less isolaett now he has you, and Alwydd has grown up considerably, much to his benefit, as a result of Spearmint’s influence. Bling is clearly interestet in Bittern, but I’m sure neither he nor any of the boys are aware of it yet. Bittern is fascinatet and intimidated by her at the same time, so he’ll not approach Bling first. However, Bling’s very clever, so I suspect needs help from none, but because I believe being heartfrienden with Bling will make Bittern happier than he has ever been I telt Fiona lastday of it in order to help me bring it to happen, for Fiona is friends with her. Fiona agreen that Bling and Bittern were suitet, and sayt if they’re not heartfrienden within a lune she’ll have spaech with Bling of the matter.” As a result of that conversation, Warbler, like the boys and Fiona, completely accepted Beth as a girl because her behaviour and entire psyche were incompatible with those of a boy and Warbler opined easily understood by any girl.
Chris was already an expert fly tyer(27) having spent a lot of time with Sid, his father’s water bailiff, doing just that, and he was happy to help Liam who had struggled at first, but who eventually mastered the skill. They all maekt a rod and enough tackle for them to be able to fish without having to borrow much, if aught, and the next time they met Will had brought a huge book with hand drawn and water coloured pictures of several thousand different flies, floats and lures, all named. The details of their construction were with them too. There was a section for bits of fishing paraphernalia, including all the details of what they had been making, and the last entry was a detailed set of annotated drawings shewing the construction of Sharky’s new vice. The last quarter of the book was blank, and Will explained as folk created new flies, floats, lures and equipment they were entered into the book, usually by Næna in the Master at arms office. When Alwydd telt him of his granddad’s method of fishing for pike Will telt him to tell Næna of it and to have her draw and annotate the equipment in the book, including details of the priests.
12th of Darrow Day 44
Thisday was the day, all other things being equal, on which Beatrix would have started her lunetime. She knew from how well she was feeling that it wasn’t likely to happen any day soon and suspected at least not for probably the best part of another year. Other than feeling a little queasy half a dozen times she’d not suffered from forsickth and Beth had had no covering up for her to do. They’d knitted, Beth had learnt to crochet and was moderately speedy at both now. They both preferred sewing and had started to produce quite a number of garments, which the boys had accepted were for when Fiona birtht her first. After dinner thateve Beatrix said, “Boys, I pretty sure I’m as near as I can work out a month and a half pregnant. I’ll tell you what I told your dad. If you start to treat me like I’m ill or fragile I’ll hit you. Till I say different, it’s life as usual. Ok?”
The boys muttered agreement, but it was clear they considered it to be good news. Wayland was the one who put their thoughts into words. “You thought you couldn’t have children, Mum. That was why you adopted us. How does this change things?”
“For someone who’s supposed to be so bloody clever, Wayland, you can be awful thick some times.” Beatrix thought a moment and continued, “I’m sorry, Love. I get it now. You were just asking what the others wouldn’t for their benefit. Doesn’t change anything does it. Right now I’ve got ten maybe thirteen kids and that’ll be fourteen soon. It’s not a problem to me and your dad, and I suspect nor you lot. Right?”
Again there were sounds of agreement, but Wayland looked at Beth and asked, “How long have you known, Sis?”
“A tenner or so. Dad wanted mum to tell me, so I could cover for her in the forenoons if she suffert from forsickth which many women do early in pregnancy. That’s being sick first thing, Chris. It can last for the first three lunes. Mum didn’t want to tell you in case she wasn’t pregnant. It’s thanks to Dad you’re being telt now.” Seeing the look on Sharky’s face Beth added gently, “Mum’s going to have a baby, Sharky. You’ll have a baby sister, or a baby brother, ok?”
“Thanks, Bethsis. I wondered what you were going on about. I’d like a baby sister, but a brother would be ok.”
“Why didn’t you want to tell us, Mum,” asked Guy.
“Two reasons, Love. I didn’t want to disappoint you if it didn’t happen, but mostly because you’re not girls. Beth may not be able to get pregnant, but she is a girl, and women need to talk about being pregnant with other females. I’m no different regards that, but Beth was the only one I wished to talk about it with because I’ve never related well with other women. I’m not as bad as I used to be, but I started with Beth. It’s not a secret and I intend to tell the women at work. You can talk about it with whomever you want. Ok? Now Beth and I need to wash up, so I suggest you do whatever it was you had planned for this evening. When am I next going to see Fiona, Warbler and Spearmint boys? You can tell them, but I’d like to have a word with them myself.”
Fergal, Jed and Alwydd had no idea, but all said they’d tell them, and that Mum wished a word with them.
“That went better than I thought it would, Love,” Beatrix said to Beth as she handed her a plate to dry. “I thought the boys would want me to start doing nothing as of right now.”
“Too scared of you, Mum.”
“You reckon, seriously?”
“Not exactly scared, but they love you, and take what you say seriously, and really don’t wish to upset you. If you say life as usual, that’s what they’ll do.”
“Hmph, and what about you?”
“Surely I don’t need to explain that you’re pregnant and not ill to you do I, Mum?”
“I’ll give you that one, Girl.”
Index of significant characters so far listed by Chapter
1 Introduction
2 Jacques de Saint d’Espéranche
3 The Folk and the Keep
4 Hwijje, Travisher, Will
5 Yew, Allan, Rowan,Siskin, Will, Thomas, Merle, Molly, Aaron, Gareth, Oak, Abigail, Milligan, Basil, Vinnek, Iris, Margæt, Gilla, Alsike, Alfalfa, Gibb, Happith, Kroïn, Mako, Pilot, Briar, Gosellyn, Gren, Hazel
6 Chaunter, Waxwing, Flame, João, Clansaver, Irune, Ceël, Barroo, Campion, Limpet, Vlæna, Xera, Rook, Falcon, Cwm, Sanderling, Aldeia, Catarina, Coast, Elixabete
7 Mercedes, Spoonbill
8 Lyllabette, Yoomarrianna
9 Helen, Duncan, Gosellyn, Eudes, Abigail
10 George/Gage, Iris, Waverley, Belinda
11 Marc/Marcy, Pol
12 George/Gage, Marcy, Freddy/Bittern, Weyland, Iris, Bling
13 Thomas, Will, Mercedes, Llyllabette, Yoomarrianna
14 Kyle, Thomas, Will, Angélique
15 Mercedes, Morgelle, Gorse, Thrift, George/Gage, Chris, Iris, Thrift, Campion
16 Bling
17 Waverley, Mr. E
18 George/Gage, Larch, Mari, Ford, Gorse, Morgelle, Luke, Erin
19 Will, Pilot, Yew, Geoge/Gage, Mari, Ford, Gosellyn, Cwm, Cerise, Filbert, Gareth, Duncan, Helen, Thomas, Iris, Plume, Campion, Pim, Rook, Falcon, João, Hare
20 Yew, Rowan, Will, Thomas, Siskin, Weir, Grayling, Willow
21 Brook, Harrier, Cherry, Abby, Selena, Borage, Sætwæn, Fiona, Fergal
22 Yew, Thomas, Hazel, Rowan, Gosellyn, Siskin, Will, Lianna, Duncan
23 Tench, Knawel, Claire, Oliver, Loosestrife, Bramling, George, Lyre, Janice, Kæn, Joan, Eric
24 Luke, Sanderling, Ursula, Gervaise, Mike, Spruce, Moss
25 Janet, Vincent, Douglas, Alec, Alice
26 Pearl, Merlin, Willow, Ella, Suki, Tull, Irena
27 Gina, Hardy, Lilac, Jessica, Teal, Anna
28 Bryony, Judith, Bronwen, Farsight
29 Muriel, Raquel, Grace
30 Catherine, Crane, Snipe, Winifred, Dominique, Ferdinand
31 Alma, Allan, Morris, Miranda
32 Dabchick, Nigel
33 Raquel, Thistle, Agrimony, Benjamin, Ian, Phœbe
34 Eleanor, Woad, Catherine, Crane
35 Muriel, Hail, Joan, Breve, Eric, Nell, Mayblossom, Judith, Storm
36 Selena,Sætwæn, Borage, Grace, Gatekeeper, Raquel, Thistle
37 Siân, Mackerel, Winifred, Obsidian
38 Carla, Petrel, Alkanet, Ferdinand
39 Dominique, Oxlip, Alma, Allan, Tress, Bryony
40 Agrimony, Benjamin, Ian, Ella, Kestrel, Judith, Storm
41 Ella, Kestrel, Tress, Bryony, Tunn, Whin, Plane
42 Weights & Measures and Sunrise & Sunset Times included in Ch 41
43 Ella, Kestrel, Serenity, Smile, Gwendoline, Rook, Tress, Bryony, Tunn, Whin, Plane, Sapphire, Mere
44 Pearl, Merlin, Rainbow, Perch, Joan, Breve, truth, Rachael, Hedger, Ruby, Deepwater
45 Janet, Blackdyke, Janice, Kæn, Ursula, Oyster
46 Janet, Gina, Alastaire, Joan, Breve, Truth, Bræth, Mayblossom, Judith, Storm
47 The Squad, Mercedes, Fen, Judith, Storm, Iola, Alwydd, Heidi, Rock, Stephanie, Matthew
48 Bronwen, Forest, Opal, Spice, Vincent, Kathleen, Niall, Bluebell, Sophie
49 Janice, Kæn, Ursula, Oyster, Imogen, Wryneck, Phœbe, Knapps
50 Erin, Nightjar, Eleanor, Woad
51 Gina, Jonas, Janet, Gerald, Patrick, Tansy, Craig, Barret, Ryan
52 Constance, Rye, Bling, Bullace, Berry, Jimmy, Leveret, Rory, Shelagh, Silas
53 Rachael, Hedger, Eve, Gilla, Mallard, Fiona, Fergal, Tinder, Nightingale, Fran, Dyker
54 Pamela, Mullein, Patricia, Chestnut, Lavinia, Ophæn, Catherine, Crane
55 Susan, Kingfisher, Janet, Gina, Jonas, Ruth, Kilroy, Judith, Storm, Iola, Alwydd, Heidi, Rock, Stephanie, Matthew
56 Gina, Jonas, Patricia, Chestnut, The Squad, Hazel, Janet, Blackdyke, Swift, Clover, Vetch, Mangel, Clary, Brendan
57 Erin, Nightjar, Xera, Josephine, Wels, Michelle, Musk, Swansdown, Tenor
58 Timothy, Axel, Nectar, Waverley,Yvette, Whitebear, Firefly, Farsight, Janet, Blackdyke, Swift, Clover, Vetch
59 Lilac, Firefly, Farsight, Lucinda, Gimlet, Leech, Janet, Blackdyke
60 Douglas, Lunelight, Yvette, Whitebear, Thrift, Haw, Harebell, Goosander, Judith, Storm, Iola, Alwydd, Heidi, Rock, Stephanie, Matthew, Matilda, Evan, Heron
61 Brendan, Clary, Chloë, Apricot, Llyllabette, Yoomarrianna, Otis, Harry, Gimlet, Leech, Jodie
62 Gimlet, Leech, Lark, Seth, Charles, Bruana, Noah, Kirsty, Shirley, Mint, Kevin, Faith, Oak, Lilly, Jason, Gem, Ellen
63 Honesty, Peter, Bella, Abel, Kell, Deal, Siobhan, Scout, Jodie
64 Heather, Jon, Anise, Holly, Gift, Dirk, Lilac, Jasmine, Ash, Beech, Ivy, David
65 Sérent, Dace, Opal, Spice, Vincent, Clarissa, Gorse, Eagle, Frond, Diana, Gander, Gyre, Tania, Alice, Alec
66 Suki, Tull, Buzzard, Mint, Kevin, Harmony, Fran, Dyker, Joining the Clans, Pamela, Mullein, Mist, Francis, Kristiana, Cliff, Patricia, Chestnut, Timothy, Axel, Nectar, Waverly, Tarragon, Edrydd, Louise, Turnstone, Jane, Mase, Cynthia, Merle, Warbler, Spearmint, Stonecrop
67 Warbler, Jed, Fiona, Fergal, Marcy, Wayland, Otday, Xoë, Luval, Spearmint, Stonecrop, Merle, Cynthia, Eorle, Betony, Smile
68 Pansy, Pim,Phlox, Stuart, Marilyn, Goth, Lunelight, Douglas, Crystal, Godwit, Estelle, Slimlyspoon, Lyre, George, Damson, Lilac
69 Honesty, Peter, Abel, Bella, Judith, storm, Matilda, Evean, Iola, Heron, Mint, Kevin, Lilac, Happith, Gloria, Peregrine
70 Lillian, Tussock, Modesty, Thyme, Vivienne, Minyet, Ivy, David, Jasmine, Lilac, Ash, Beech
71 Quartet & Rebecca, Gimlet & Leech, The Squad, Lyre & George, Deadth, Gift
72 Gareth, Willow, Ivy, David, Kæna,Chive, Hyssop, Birch, Lucinda, Camomile, Meredith, Cormorant, Whisker, Florence, Murre, Iola, Milligan, Yarrow, Flagstaff, Swansdown, Tenor, Morgan, Yinjærik, Silvia, Harmaish, Billie, Jo, Stacey, Juniper
73 The Growers, The Reluctants, Miriam, Roger, Lauren, Dermot, Lindsay, Scott, Will, Chris, Plume, Stacey, Juniper
74 Warbler, Jed, Veronica, Campion, Mast, Lucinda, Cormorant, Camomile, Yellowstone
75 Katheen, Raymnd, Niall, Bluebe, Sophie, Hazel, Ivy, Shadow, Allison, Amber, Judith, Storm Alwydd, Matthew, Beatrix, Jackdaw, The Squad, Elders, Jennt, Bronze, Maeve, Wain, Monique, Piddock, Melissa, Roebuck, Aaron, Carley Jade, Zoë, Vikki, Bekka, Mint, Torrent
76 Gimlet, Leech,Gwendoline, Georgina, Quail. Birchbark, Hemlock, Peter, Honesty, Bella, Hannah, Aaron, Torrent, Zoë, Bekka, Vikki, Jade, Carley, Chough, Anvil, Clematis, Stonechat, Peace, Xanders, Gosellyn, Yew, Thomas, Campion, Will, Iris, Gareth
77 Zoë, Torrent, Chough, Stonechat, Veronica, Mast, Sledge, Cloudberry, Aconite, Cygnet, Smokt
78 Jed, Warbler, Luval, Glaze, Seriousth, Blackdyke, Happith, Camilla
79 Torrent, Zoë, Stonechat, Clematis, Aaron, Maeve, Gina, Bracken, Gosellyn, Paene, Veronica, Mast, Fracha, Squid, Silverherb
80 George/Gage, Niall, Alwydd, Marcy/Beth, Freddy/Bittern, Wayland, Chris, Manic/Glen, Guy, Liam, Jed, Fergal, Sharky
81 The Squad, Manic/Glen, Jackdaw, Beatrix, Freddy/Bittern, Fiona, Fergal, Wayland, Jade, Stonechat, Beauty, Mast, Veronica, Raven, Tyelt, Fid
82 Gimlet, Leech, Scentleaf, Ramson, Grouse, Aspen, Stonechat, Bekka, Carley, Vikki, Morgelle, Bistort, Fritillary, Jed, Warbler, Spearmint, Alwydd, Billie, Diver, Seal, Whitethorn
83 Alastair, Carrom, Céline, Quickthorn, Corral, Morgelle, Fritillary, Bistort, Walnut, Tarragon, Edrydd, Octopus, Sweetbean, Shrike, Zoë, Torrent, Aaron, Vinnek, Zephyr, Eleanor, Woad, George/Gage, The Squad, Ingot, Yellowstone, Phthalen, Will
84 Morgelle, Bistort, Fritillary, Alsike, Campion, Siskin, Gosellyn, Yew, Rowan, Thomas, Will, Aaron, Dabchick, Nigel, Tuyere
85 Jo, Knott, Sallow, Margæt, Irena, Tabby, Jade, Phthalen, Yumalle, Stonechat, Spearmint, Alwydd, Seriousth, Warbler, Jed, Brett, Russel, Barleycorn, Crossbill, Lizo, Hendrix, Monkshood, Eyrie, Whelk, Gove, Gilla, Faarl, Eyebright, Alma, axx, Allan, daisy, Suki, Tull
86 Cherville, Nightshade, Rowan, Milligan, Wayland, Beth, Liam, Chris, Gage
87 Reedmace, Ganger, Jodie, Blade, Frœp, Mica, Eddique, Njacek, Whiteout, Sandpiper, Serin, Cherville, Nightshade, peregrine, Eleanor, Woad, Buzzard, Silas, Oak, Wolf, Kathleen, Reef, Raymond, Sophie, Niall, Bluebell
88 Cloud, Sven, Claudia, Stoat, Thomas, Aaron, Nigel, Yew, Milligan, Gareth, Campion, Will, Basil, Gosellyn, Vinnek, Plume
89 Llyllabette, Yoomarrianna, Silverherb, Cloudberry, Smokt, Skylark, Beatrix, Beth, Amethyst, Mint, Wayland, Bittern, Fiona, Fergal, Joan, Bræth, Nell, Milligan, Iola, Ashdell, Alice, Molly, Rill, Briar
90 Morgelle, Tuyere, Bistort, Beth, Beatrix, Sanderling, Falcon, Gosellyn, Gage, Will, Fiona, Jackdaw, Wayland, Merle, Cynthia, Jed, Warbler
91 Morgelle, Tuyere, Fritillary, Bistort, Jed, Otday, The Squad, Turner, Gudrun, Ptarmigan, Swegn, Campion, Otis, Asphodel, Jana, Treen, Xeffer, Stonechat, Bekka, Vikki, Carley, Beatrix, Jackdaw
92 Turner, Otday, Mackerel, Eorl, Betony, The Council, Will, Yew, Basil, Gerald, Oier, Patrick, Happith, Angélique, Kroïn, Mako
93 Beth, Greensward, Beatrix, Odo, Morgelle, Tuyere, Bistort, Otday, Turner, Gace, Rachael, Groundsel, Irena, Warbler, Jed, Mayblossom, Mazun, Will, The Squad
Word Usage Key
Some commonly used words are below. Replace th on end of words with ness and t with d or ed and most of the rest are obvious if sounded out aloud. Some words with n or en on the end can be easily understood if the n is replaced by a d. Only difficult words and words that do not exist in English are now referred to specifically. There is now an appendix of Folk words and language and one of places, food, animals, plants and minerals too. Both follow the story chapters.
Agreän(s), those person(s) one has marital agreement with, spouse(s).
Bethinkt, thought.
Braekt, broke.
Cousine, female cousin.
Doet, did. Pronounced dote.
Doetn’t, didn’t. Pronounced dough + ent.
Findt, found,
Goen, gone
Goent, went.
Grandparents. In Folk like in many Earth languages there are words for either grandmother and grandfather like granddad, gran, granny. There are also words that are specific to maternal and paternal grandparents. Those are as follows. Maternal grand mother – granddam. Paternal grandmother – grandma. Maternal grandfather – grandfa. Paternal grandfather – grandda.
Heartfriend, a relationship of much more significance than being a girl- or boy-friend is on Earth. Oft such relationships are formed from as young as four and they are taken seriously by both children and adults. A child’s heartfriend is automatically one of their heartfriend’s parents’ children too, and a sibling to their heartfriend’s siblings. Such relationships rarely fail and are seen as precursors to becoming intendet and having agreement.
Intendet, fiancée or fiancé.
Knoewn, knew.
Lastdaysince, the day before yesterday.
Loes, lost.
Maekt, made.
Nextdaynigh, the day after tomorrow.
Sayt, said.
Taekt, took.
Telt, told.
Uest, used.
1 Heartfriending ritual, both parties have to say they like the other and are having fun being with them. It has evolved as a face saving mechanism in case of unrequited interest.
2 Fain, happily an adverb.
3 Aflait, frightened.
4 Ingeniator, origin of engineer (civil), they maintain the Keep.
5 Allure, the walk way inside the parapet of a fortification, also known as a chemin-de-rond or a wall-walk.
6 Seagreen, sea lettuce, Ulva lactuca, an ocean leaf.
7 Nelt, a flatfish that can grow to five or six feet long and wide. It is similar to turbot, Scophthalmus maximus.
8 Redspot, plaice, Pleuronectes platessa.
9 Lunge, halibut, Hippoglossus hippoglossus.
10 Flat shark, blue or common skate, Dipturus batis.
11 Weäl, wellbeing.
12 Hardset, mortar or concrete.
13 Flait, fright, fear.
14 Tart, tarred.
15 Stickering, the separating of cut timber using thin laths known as stickers to separate the timber toaid drying. Possibly derived from the stickers originally being referred to as sticks. Historically thin branches or sticks were uest. Timbers so separated are said to be stickered.
16 Jadda, something only eaten when facing starvation.
17 Bethink I is an alternative to the more normally uest I bethink me. Both are equivalent to I think in English.
18 Riandet, a matter of no significance.
19 Seeën, saw.
20 Trett, treated. Past tense of treat.
21 Tallgrass, generic name for various species of bamboo.
22 Spelks, splinters.
23 Resin collected by bees, propolis. Bees collect it from trees.
24 Spirit, nearly pure ethanol.
25 Cork oak, Quercus suber.
26 Aflaiten, frighten.
27 Trett, treated, past tense of treat.
28 Tyer, one who ties. An irregular Folk form which it is said possibly arose to distinguish the word from tier, as in one of several or many levels, but none know for certain.
