Lunamae (12 page)

“You are the king’s favorite—favorite
servant?” I asked curiously.

Theron waved a hand in dismissal. “I’ll have
to tell you later. There is too much commotion with Alexo and I
don’t think it would be good to talk about it now. Will you
write?”

“I think I can fit it into my very busy
schedule,” I said sarcastically. I was feeling a little better now,
not so awkward. “Lunamae will be leaving for another foster family
so I will be quite alone. Writing would be a good way to pass the
time and be less lonely. Assuming, that is, you write back.”

“I surely intend to. I have done some healing
in secret and have managed to pull a good amount of money I can use
for parchment and ink. Also, I have a present I will leave with the
caravan leader. I hope it will keep you less lonely,” Theron said.
He started toward the door and then stopped. “And there was
something else I’d like to do.”

“What would that be?” I wondered. He walked
to me, put his hand on my forehead which relieved all the pain in
my face and then kissed my lips. The sensation was absolutely
wonderful. Not only had I never been kissed before, neither had
Lunamae. I had one up on her! It was as though static electricity
had entered me—the kind you get when touching metal while wearing
woolen clothes. I could feel it from my head to my toes.

He didn’t wait for me to respond to it, he
just left. I touched my lips tenderly. They weren’t chapped
anymore. They were smooth. My face wasn’t burning either, it felt
normal. I wanted to look at my face but there wasn’t any way to at
night so I decided instead to run to the door, lock it, and go back
to bed. I didn’t trust him not to return later in the night and I
didn’t want to be scared silly.

Finally, it was time to return home. I
couldn’t say I didn’t miss it. Fanarion was fine and all but I
missed my brother and Brynna. I missed the fog over the hills in
the morning. I also missed, if you could believe it, the smell of
woodsmoke.

I had gathered my leather pack, dressed in my
Feyrisian attire, and ventured out into the apartment courtyard.
Lunamae soon followed and then my father and mother, and finally
the chief dame. I had kept my encounter with Theron a secret, not
even telling Lunamae. I knew she’d probably let loose the secret
eventually. I didn’t need the embarrassment. They wouldn’t believe
we hadn’t done anything and then I would have to be checked to
ensure I was still pure. A pure bride is required in an arranged
marriage.

The king and queen followed us out to the
coach to see us off. They were dressed in the usual robes, except I
noticed gold trim on the bottom and they both had gold cord belts.
They also wore their golden leaf crowns. The people walking around
the palace stopped and bowed or curtsied when they saw them
standing with us.

“Did you enjoy your trip?” Queen Eirene asked
Lunamae after we were seated.

“Yes, indeed Your Grace. Thank you for
asking,” she replied politely. The queen nodded and waved us off.
The royals went back into the palace. I thought the caravan would
be moving by then as the guards were all mounted up but it didn’t.
I saw the caravan driver coming towards me with two small creatures
in his hands.

“What is that?” Lunamae asked me. I shook my
head, not knowing what it was. I heard barely audible cries coming
from the creatures.

“For the ladies. I was told they are called
‘catlings’ and when they grow up they are ‘cats’. That’s what the
king’s favorite said,” the caravan driver told us. I smiled,
remembering Theron’s promise. The animals were very fluffy and
looked adorable.

“What a nice gesture from Alexo. What are
they used for?” my aunt inquired. I suddenly realized that Theron
was quite ingenious for using the term “king’s favorite” because my
aunt thought that meant Alexo—the king’s favorite son.

“I was told they are good for killing mice
and other small vermin, although you can keep them for
companionship. This one’s a boy and this one’s a girl. They were
from different litters. Perhaps you can breed them later to
populate the village. We have to get going but there is some meat
they can eat later. They’ve already been fed this morning.” The
driver gave one to me and one to Lunamae.

I assumed they didn’t have names so that
would be the first task. I held the catling in my hands and looked
him over. He was all black with a few patches of white on his paws
and chest. He had blue eyes and a pink nose. He reminded me of when
the luna covered the solis so I called him Eclipse. Lunamae’s
female catling was solid white with a pink nose and green eyes. She
decided to call her Flurry from when the winter snows come down in
large flakes.

The catlings behaved well in our confined
space which surprised me. They slept on our laps for the most part
although when they woke up they occasionally mewed. We couldn’t nap
this time because we didn’t want the catlings running off out of
the coaches so we had to remain awake. When we made our next stop
we got some of the meat to feed the little pets. The two catlings
ate to their fill and then promptly fell asleep again.

“If you two would like to sleep, we can hold
them. I would not mind,” Angharad said, offering her arms to
Lunamae to gather up the fluffy animal. Lunamae reluctantly handed
hers over and I gave Eclipse to my mother.

“Be careful,” Lunamae said strictly. Her
mother laughed mildly and nodded. I couldn’t wait to see how my
catling would react to my house when we let him in. We took our
leave and both dozed off, oblivious to the rest of the journey.

In honor of the birth of the Teacher, we all
were in a hubbub of excitement readying the village for the Winter
Feast in the colder month of Dagfyr. Eclipse followed me obediently
out of my house so I could get the pine wreath on the front door.
The village was all decorated with greenery. A tree was hung from
inside the keep and it had silken drapes all around with gold glass
bulbs imported from Fanarion. There wasn’t any way to fit a tree in
our house so we just had pine garlands all around. What we did was
take woolen cords and broke off pieces of pine trees outside the
village and stuffed them in the cords. It made the whole house
smell wonderful.

Eclipse was getting bigger. We discovered
that he liked milk as well as bacon scraps and chicken bones in
addition to other meats. For some reason he also took a fancy to
green beans. He did a wonderful job at reducing the village’s mouse
population along with Flurry. We thought they might get into
naughty mischief together and we weren’t ready to deal with a
litter of them so I’d been keeping an eye on Eclipse and Lunamae on
Flurry. Lunamae was now housed with Brynna and her family which was
quite convenient since Logan was courting her. We were able to
visit frequently during the week. Now that she was almost fourteen
we did have a lot of chances to meet up in the village or the keep.
She didn’t need supervision anymore. The only time I was certain to
not let her wander alone was during the daily visits to the
dungeon.

The Winter Feast was in a couple of days but
many of the men were out hunting for it. My father had taken Logan
with him. Even though Logan couldn’t shoot with a bow, he still
liked participating as much as he could. They didn’t have much time
because the snows were approaching. I was told that we might even
have snowfall on the day of the feast. I was interested in seeing
how the two catlings would react to snow.

I decided to go up to my loft space and dig
up the parchment from Theron I had been hiding under my pallet.
Since Lunamae no longer lived with us I could more easily sneak the
letters in and out. I was afraid that if she saw them the way mine
were addressed she would think I was going after Alexo—which was a
disgusting thought to me. He was much too young and immature for
me. I think that my aunt decided he wouldn’t be a good fit as well
as she had addressed Alta’s clan chieftain which lived in a village
near Pinor for interest in their son. The clan Cruacroi had written
back, saying they would be visiting soon. That was a month ago. I
had wondered if they were going to stop by any day now. At any
rate, I knew that Alexo was not off the table yet. If the Fanarion
king and queen wrote for consideration of an engagement, my aunt
would probably readily accept because of the prosperity it would
attain.

I unfolded the letter and began reading.

Dearest Muirenn,

I read Eclipse is growing into a
sizable opponent for your mouse problem. I’m glad to hear it. I’m
glad that he is keeping you company. If you would like, I can send
up more for the other women of the court. My neighbor’s cat had
another litter. I will try to arrange something so I can see you
again so be patient for me. I am glad you have forgiven me for
getting us in trouble. I wanted to get to know you. All the girls
in the palace are part of the court and the rest I don’t seem to
have anything in common with. I wish the letters from you would
come faster than a few a month. I know it’s hard to keep them a
secret. I have decided that if there is an opportunity to take a
job as an apothecary, I will work there—wherever “there” might be.
Even though I can’t see you, know that I care for you
still.

Theron.

I breathed a sigh of contentment. Since Aust,
I had discovered I had really liked Theron. He was a kindred soul.
I had to have control and not let on my feelings although Theron
didn’t mind doing so. He had grown into wishful thinking. I knew
that even if he did want to ever marry me it would never happen,
but deep down I wanted it to happen. I just went on and let Theron
think that I was completely available. Better than hurt his
feelings. It still puzzled me that the king had let him be, but if
he was a favored servant I suppose that would explain why. Maybe
the king knew about his healing secret. I took out my blank
parchment and quill. I gathered the inkwell nearby which was nearly
empty. I decided now would be the best time to write back since
Father was out hunting and Mother was in the keep, decorating and
working with the cook house to get the feast menu together.

Dearest Theron.

It is with great sadness I write
you, that you could not be with me to enjoy the wonderful
festivities that winter here provides. The keep and village have
all been decorated in greenery. I know you don’t have our
celebrations since your people have dismissed the Teacher as myth
now. In regards to your comment about healing, I may have something
that might be of interest to you. Talfrin, our apothecary, isn’t
doing so well. Not only is he up in years, he’s also has been
having issues with his arm due to an arrow wound many years ago. I
know he had mentioned giving up his business, but having no one to
give his business to. Perhaps you could come here and work. I don’t
know how my mother would fancy you being here, but it’s always
worth a try. Eclipse has been keeping me company since Lunamae
isn’t here. I am so glad you gave him to me. He likes to cuddle in
my lap and be petted and whenever he wants to go outside he stands
by the door and starts meowing. That annoys Logan quite a bit but I
think since the rodent problem is much less he has allowed the
catling to get away with it. Logan doesn’t have bites in his
leather anymore from them. My aunt has invited me to be one of the
maidens so I think I might accept. My mother was allowed to be
relieved from her duties as a matron.

Even though I only saw you for a
little while, I feel that I’ve known you for longer since we have
this correspondence. Thank you for being here in thought.

Muirenn.