Lunamae (16 page)

“I’ll be out in the back laying down if you
need me,” Talfrin said. “If you could, there are some empty pouches
that need refilling. The herbs should all be hanging around the
shop. I think I have taught you well enough to sort them yourself.”
I bobbed my head. I truly had learned much from my travels with
Talfrin and Lunamae over the years. I was quite capable of doing it
myself and it would give me ideas of what I needed for my herb
chest. Talfrin went into the back room and shut the door so I set
to my task diligently.

After getting the pouches filled, I decided I
might as well put them up on the shelves for Talfrin since I knew
he wasn’t able to do that. I heard footsteps behind me and so I
greeted the person.

“How can I help you?” I asked, stretching my
arm to put up one of the last pouches.

“I’m looking to fill the position of
apothecary, if it’s still open. I wasn’t aware women were allowed
to work in these kinds of places,” I heard the man say. I knew that
accent. It was of Fanarion. I turned around quickly and was met
with the gaze of a familiar face.

“Theron?!” I said, surprised. “What are you
doing here?” My face flushed from the unexpected appearance. The
fact that we had been exchanging letters and it had been so long
since we had seen each other and when we had seen each other I was
barely dressed. The circumstances only added to my tenseness. I
wasn’t sure how to react. I wanted to hug him, but I felt awkward,
so I stood there. Gawking.

“Muirenn, I would ask you the same thing. I
thought you were a maiden, not an apothecary’s assistant,” he said
with a chuckle. I took in his appearance. He wasn’t wearing the
traditional Fanarion garb, probably since the climate was a bit
milder here and he wanted to blend in better. Instead, he had a
jacket, undershirt, and britches. For some reason, it was an
irresistible sight.

“I’m assisting Talfrin, he’s in the back
resting,” I explained nervously, pointing to the back room’s
doorway. The door was still shut. “The chief dame gave me
permission to assist him until a suitable replacement arrived. He
will still be able to instruct if you need any help.”

“You know that I have a good knowledge of
herb lore,” Theron said, brushing his hand past his curly brown
hair. He was carrying a large pack with him that he shifted.

“You don’t need that though,” I said,
implying his use of healing without herbs.

“It still needs to be kept a secret when
possible,” he warned, although he pointed his finger at me in a
cheerful manner. “People might abuse the knowledge.”

“Did you want to talk to Talfrin?” I asked,
moving towards the door. “I don’t think he would mind you. I mean,
I would like it if you got the job over other people.”

“Yes, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble,” he
said, dropping the pack nearby. He touched his own arm and then
sighed in relief.

“It works with your own self?” I said while
knocking on the door. I heard Talfrin get up.

“Yes. Sometimes I have to pretend to be sick
to keep the secret,” Theron said. “Can I meet you somewhere later
to talk?”

“Across the bridge at the eleventh hour would
work. The chief dame would be in bed by then,” I answered, my heart
flipping in my chest. Suddenly I was giddy with anticipation.
Talfrin opened the door and I introduced the two of them, not
mentioning I had known Theron. Theron purposely did not shake
hands, knowing that might hinder his progress at being an
apothecary since he would have healed Talfrin’s arm. After the two
had formally met, I excused myself to go explain the situation to
the chief dame. I wanted to let her know Talfrin didn’t need help
any longer. I woke up Eclipse who just yawned and mewed for a pet.
I gave him one and then picked him up to lead him to the keep.

“What has gotten into you?” Morwenna asked
me, her sweet voice edged on shock.

“What do you mean?” I asked, surprised. I had
been in the sewing room for quite a while with the rest of the
maidens, working on my tapestry, and I had realized I was humming
to myself. I looked about the room and noticed everyone looking at
me, including the chief dame.

“You are acting strange,” she said, lifting a
thread through her cloth. I worked the loom, threading each row
carefully and then beating the row to lie flat with the previous
one.

“Oh?” I asked, sheepishly.

“Ever since you’ve been in here today you’ve
been a bit happier than usual. You act like a woman who has been
courting,” she said plainly. I swallowed hard, hoping to not let
out my secret.

“I’m glad to be doing something different,” I
said, trying to imply my latest workings with the apothecary. As
truth is told, making a tapestry was much more tedious.

“Perhaps she is only happy that Talfrin has
found someone to replace him. A well-rounded sort I hear,” the
chief dame said, working on the last bit of embroidery before she
was to get up for bed. She finished with a coy smile. “Although he
is
male.”

“Nonsense,” I said. “Can’t I be happy for a
change?”

“If you must,” Tegan said shortly. “Just keep
your humming to yourself.” The women got up to escort the chief
dame to her quarters and I put down the loom. I followed them out,
noting that the bell of the night watchman rang ten times. Eclipse
trotted proudly behind me.

I assisted with the chief dame’s wash and
helped get her into her bedclothes and then into bed and was
dismissed. I went downstairs instead of going back to my apartment,
hoping that I wasn’t late. I hadn’t heard the bell but it’s very
hard to in the chief dame’s quarters. The only thing you could hear
in there is the horn of the village guards.

I left the keep and went over the bridge,
Eclipse in my arms. I thought the bridge would be the best spot.
There would be no way for my mother or father to see me and no way
for Lunamae either. I hadn’t seen her much since her fourteenth
birthday. With the Kyrians back home there wasn’t a reason for her
to see me every day. I missed her, but I had continued to write
letters to Theron and I had Eclipse who kept me company.

I had never bothered to think about whether
an animal’s mind would affect the bridge, but I assumed the mages
had thought of that when they enchanted it. I scurried across and
then waited for Theron. He was already there, however, waiting for
me behind some bushes. He didn’t want to stir up suspicious
attention. I put Eclipse down and walked to him. He embraced me and
held my head in his hands. A shiver of excitement trickled down my
spine.

“I have been thinking of you daily,” he said
in a hushed tone. “I didn’t know if you had met anyone since my
last letter. I didn’t know if the position was still
available.”

I whispered back, “It’s been a long year.” He
removed his hands and stroked my hair, which I had worn down as I
nestled myself next to him. We were both sitting on the grass, not
worrying at all if there was dirt below to soil our clothes.

“
Nearly
a year,” he corrected.

“Yes. I couldn’t send another letter as
quickly as I would have liked. You see, since I’m a maiden now, I
can only leave the chief dame’s side if I am dismissed or if she is
in bed,” I told him. We sat down on the grass next to each other,
not worrying at all if there was dirt below to soil our clothes.
Eclipse skittered right into my lap and curled up after pawing the
area.

“What of us?” he asked. “I know we didn’t
part on good terms, at least with your mother. I wonder if there
could be a future between us, now that I’m no longer a lowly
servant.”

“There is nothing permanent that I can see.
While you aren’t a servant anymore, you still are only an
apothecary. I don’t see how that would work. They would most likely
want me married off to another country or a clan,” I said, my voice
solemn.

“What if I could change their minds?” he
asked me softly.

“How?” I wondered.

“Later. I have a plan and I know it will
work. Also, I have some documents from the royal family regarding
Alexo, and myself,” he told me, repositioning himself in the
grass.

“Alexo? So did they want him to marry
Lunamae?” I asked Theron. He just shrugged his shoulders.

“I wouldn’t dare break the seal on the letter
but I didn’t hear them discuss him,” he responded, and got up from
the ground. He offered his hand to me which I took. Little shivers
scattered between my fingers. “You should go to bed and I need to
go back to the apothecary shop. Talfrin had suggested that I sleep
in there on the floor which would be fine by me. Perhaps after I
talk to the chief dame about my new position she’ll help me with
something more suitable. I have enough coin for a house.”

“You are lucky you have that letter. I don’t
know if the chief dame has seen you, but if my mother knew you were
here she’d try to kick you out,” I said with a giggle. I realized
Theron was still holding my hand. I didn’t mind. I let him guide me
over the bridge, making sure to remind him to think about something
that wasn’t about himself or what he was trying to achieve so he
just started counting. As soon as we crossed the bridge I let go of
his hand. Even though the only people around were the night
watchmen, I didn’t want anyone to see me. Eclipse padded along
behind us.

“I hope to see you later. By the way, it
looks as though your cat has grown up well,” he said to me. I
nodded with a smile. As he left, my heart dropped. Why did I have
to be so important? Why couldn’t they marry off Lunamae and be done
with it? I didn’t want to marry a stranger. Well, Lunamae would
have to. I understood finally how she felt. She wanted to be with
Marcus but couldn’t.

I entered the keep, picked up my cat, and
headed up to my apartment. By the time I arrived, the new maiden I
shared it with was asleep. Emylyn was her name. She was the
daughter of the candlemaker. I hadn’t had much time to get to know
her but we did seem to get on well. She was petite compared to me.
She had auburn hair that she liked to keep curled around her head
in tight braids. On special occasions, such as Brynna’s
wedding—which was wonderful—she let it down. I missed Brynna as she
was much more talkative.

I poured some water for Eclipse and made sure
he had adequate food in his bowl. I had decided it was so much
easier to feed him if I had the food and water in my chamber. The
cat started to lap the water and then munched on the morsels
hungrily.

Emylyn was snoring blissfully as I hopped
into the bed beside hers. All the excitement led to several minutes
of tossing and turning, wondering what plan Theron had. I had such
a feeling of completeness with him nearby. It was hard to explain.
I had only known him for seven months. It seemed like so much
longer. When he wrote, I tried to imagine his voice. It was so much
better to be able to hear it in person now. When I finally dozed
off I imagined what life would be like if I was allowed to marry
him.

“I think he’s dying,” Theron told the chief
dame. We were in the hall of duty and the chief dame was seated on
her throne. I stood beside her as did the other maidens. It was a
windy afternoon in Aust and Talfrin was getting worse now as his
age was catching up with him. Theron had taken over the shop
completely. He had his own house now and had been checking in on
Talfrin frequently. “I think he knows it as well. He’s in bed now
if you would like to visit him.”

“You have tried all the herbs you can think
of to help him into the afterlife?” the chief dame asked. “So he
can meet the Creator in peace?”

“Yes, Chief Dame,” Theron replied.

“Then I will accompany you to visit him.
Muirenn, I know you were close. You may come as well. The rest of
the maidens may be dismissed,” the chief dame instructed. I
followed her lead, wanting to ask Theron why he didn’t heal
Talfrin. “I will be a moment; I think your cat, Eclipse, should
stay up in my apartment until we get back. You can wait here
Muirenn.” The chief dame went up to her apartment, carrying my cat
with her, and I was left alone with Theron.