Intertwined part 1
Heime year 427
Glyn was watching his father pace back and forth in front of the hearth in the warbands side of the hall. The winter storm raged outside, and the tensions ran high around the table. Far highter, Glyn thought to himself, than in the spring before war. He worried some himself, haunted by his mothers scream and his fathers rush to send for the “midwife”. Glyn hadn’t realized who his dad meant untill she showed up later, herbs on hand and chased him and his dad out of the room. Gwenca, the herbwoman, always seemed to know the cures for every ailment he thought to himself, trying to relax through his fathers pacing. Looking around the room for a distraction he saw the pages sitting by the servants hearth, playing dice. Briefly, he considdered trying to join them, but it was rare, even in a small lords castle, for the pages to play with the wrbands’ brood. He just thought better of joining them when one of the serving lasses approached his father, delivering the news that they could come back up now.
The eyes, stormy and dark as the sky outside the window, transfixed him. He knew her, without knowing how. This baby girl allready held his heart in her hands. Somewhere in the background he heard someone comment that it was a shame it was only a daughter, but then again a simple rider hardly needed one heir never mind a backup. Glyn thought, as he kept staring at the little miracle in his mothers arms, that noone had ever said such folly before. The little life turned to smile at him, and exhausted his mother told him to say hi to his little sister. Raena.
Heime year 433
The summers fighting had been hard, the messengers had been few and far between, yet they painted a grim picture of the ongoing war between the Adder and Wren clans following the fall of the Cormorant. Normally such a matter of inheritance would have been resolved quickly, seing as the cormorant clan had held a not insignificant demense. The curent king, however, was unwilling to meddle seing how young of a line he was from, with only his grandfather having taken the throne after what was described as a century of civil war. As such, war raged, and Glyn had never known diffrent, seing as the lord his father fought for was an ally to the Wren clan, who claimed right to inherit as the lord of the clan was married to the younger sister of Gorm, the last lord of the Cormorant clan. The Adder clan claimed that since Gorm was slain for having breed a bastard with their young daughter, making her inelligible for decent marriage, the land was rightfully theirs. Glyn didnt much care for the war, as long as pa came home at the end of the summer, and mum and Rae was safe. But Rae loved to hear the old stories, so he made sure to memorize them so that he could tell her them as she wished. There wasnt much hed shy away from doing to protect his little sister he thought as he saw her walking across the courtyard with their mother. Ma and Rae had been down in the village, helping old Gwenca with her cleaning. They looked like a picture, the little darkhaired girl walking hand in hand with her brighter coloured mother. Rae had taken after their father ever since she was born. Hed known it then too, at the tender age of 5, where as he held the much gentler soul like their mother. Raena let go of ma’s hand and ran to meet him.
- Glyn, Glyn! Gwenca says pa is on his way home! she shouted excitedly, ma smiled gently over her shoulder.
- Thats wonderfull! He responded and caught the young girl in his arms. Looking at ma he knew, what neither of them had the heart to tell her. That word would have been sent to the castle. Theres no way the old herb woman could know that the warriors were on their way home. Its just the thing you say to calm a nervous child.
It was during the evening meal that word reached the castle. The war band was on their way in, after sustaining heavy losses in the summers fighting. Raena sat calmly, looking at her brother. Unlike the others she had allready known this was to come. Her green nymph sat in front of her at the table. A whisper had spread through the hall, strengthening to a murmur as the tired messenger finished speaking. The messenger walked down from the podium and approached mum. Raena felt her heart nearly pound out of her chest as they spoke in hushed voices. She could tell that Glyn was observing the pair just as intensely as she was. Mum who had looked quite happy at the news, seemed much more somber now. A lump grew in her throat as she wondered if dad was really comming home.
As the darkness fell around the castle it seemed torture staying around the mostly merry dinner table. While she could easily run off to hide somewhere and noone would bat an eye, mum wouldnt be able to excuse herself so easily untill the end of her meal. Raena picked glumly at her food, thinking for herself wether she could confide in her green nymph, who was currently engaged in a playfight with a gnome, whod tried to steal one of the meat pieces from Glyns plate. Glyn seemed sunken into his own thoughts, unable to see or hear the battle going on in front of him, not that he usually seemed to notice the little ones anyway.
The thoughts raced in his head. Was dad comming home? Was he not? What would happen with Ma and Rae if dad didn’t come back? What could he do to protect them? Every now and then he looked up at the women he wanted so badly to care for. To protect. Ma was doing her best to hide her emotions, but he could tell she was hurting and worrying. Worrying far more than she normally did when pa was at war that was. Rae seemed transfixed looking at something on the table that wasnt there. Yet another one of her “little ones” he supposed. He couldnt fault her for turning to childrens story and make belief in hard times. After all, she was but a child. He felt the weight of the world on his young shoulders as he thought over an issue that should never have been his to solve. And in his young mind he made a desicion hed dreaded making for a long while, yet he knew hed do anything for his little sister. He finished his meal in peace, knowing what he was going to do. What he had to do.