by S E Turner
Eujena listened sympathetically as the woman recounted her traumatic experience.
'You are not having my baby!' I yelled out to the elements, fearful that they were blasting me from above. 'Yes, you are trying to send me back, I know you are, but you will not beat me. I am stronger than you give me credit for, and I am not going to give him up to you, or to the clan. I am not going to give him up to anyone!' I remember opening my cloak to look down at him. I saw that he was sleeping peacefully, and then covered him up again and braced against the unforgiving wind and the unrelenting rain.'
But unbeknown to her, the wind and rain were aiding her escape, because as the wind howled past her, it whipped away all evidence. Her tracks, her smell, any fibres left on branches—it was all caught up with the gusts and dispersed of. And as the wind worked hard, the rain came in from behind and washed away anything that was left so there were no signs of blood or footprints to follow. After climbing an arduous course, she found a small hole carved out of the mountainside. The vegetation there was ripe and in vast quantities. She knew it would keep her sustained but now, all she wanted to do was to sleep. She bundled her small baby inside the cocoon, lay down her sleeping mat and holding him close, slept for the first time in about twenty-four hours. Dainn finally woke and started crying for food. She felt groggy but, in her semi-conscious state, put him to her breast and closed her eyes as he suckled. She started to stroke his legs, very gently, so very carefully, and as she stroked them, she gently manipulated the soft bones of his tibia. He didn't like it, of course, and squirmed so she stopped, kissed his head, and let him feed in peace. But it was something that she would continue to do on a daily basis, just for a few minutes, to try and straighten out his limbs. When he had fed, she wrapped him in the rabbit fur and laid him down to sleep while she went to forage for food.
The sun was up now, but she could see the rain clouds in the distance. She needed to stock up before another deluge soaked her to the skin. New shoots and bulbs were big and juicy now, full of flavour and essential nutrients. Clovers, dandelions, wood sorrel, purslane, and if she was really lucky, she would find some mint and marigold to help with her stomach cramps and stem the flow of blood. She had to get water, too, but that was more difficult. Looking around, she saw many disc-sized boulders, so she arranged them in wells and grooves so they would catch the rainwater. She also needed to clean herself, and she could do that by ripping up one of the old blankets that she had brought along with her.
The next day, Peira had tried to make a fire. There were still a few sticks of dry stalks left around from where she had foraged, and thin strips of wood in the form of debris made a handy tool. She twirled a stick between her palms against another piece of wood. She didn't have the endurance to maintain the effort required to make it smoulder, and it was fortunate for her that she couldn't, because a few of the search party had found their way to the mountain meadow while she and her baby slept. If that fire had been started, the men would have smelled it and found her. As it was, they walked so close to the cave, that if Dainn had whimpered in his sleep, they would have heard him. But he was so well fed and kept so warm in his mother's arms, he never murmured, and the entrance to the small hole in the rock wall was so well hidden by the thick bushes, they didn't even notice it.
The leaking swollen sky had turned the bank of her shelter into a basin of mud and washed away all traces of her, so experienced hunters, used to following tracks and disturbances, had nothing to go by. Where she had dug up roots and bulbs, the rains had laden the stalks down and flattened those, too.
But she couldn't stay in the cave forever. She had heard the men talking outside. She was still too close to home and knew that she had to push on. She couldn't stay on her own, either. She needed to find another clan who would accept her and her child. So, she left her refuge when the rains had stopped and the ground was duly quenched with water and began hunting and foraging and learning to cover her tracks. She found herself in the forest and feasted on wolf spiders, fat and juicy with their eggs sac still attached. So hungry was she that she swallowed them whole. The towering trees were entwined with tendrils of ivy and creeping vine, and a delicacy of slow-moving grubs and fast flying insects feasted on the leaves and then hid themselves away. But Peira searched them out as food, and with a keen eye and nimble fingers found their larvae to be a good source of protein as she continued to suckle her baby. Life was teeming in the forest and there was no shortage of food or water. She noticed a fallen oak, and in the warm glade, a fawn could be seen hiding while the hind was feeding on flower heads.
'Another mother protecting her young,' she thought. And smiling at the newborn, she moved quickly on.
Then one day, in the distance, peeping through the windows of the forest, she saw the fort. She could almost touch it now. She heard the water wheel groaning and creaking. The droplets of water that escaped from each rotation seemed to dance towards her like the fireflies in the forest that she had become accustomed to. She could smell the rich succulent aroma of fresh meat cooking on a spit. Her mouth began to salivate, and her stomach growled in response. She looked down at her son, pulled the cloak around her, and made her way to their new home.
'Colom found me, disorientated and confused. He took me in and has looked after me ever since.'
Silence filled the air as the two women shared the painful experience and discovered a bond.
'Oh, Peira, what a sad story. But what a declaration of your love for Dainn. What a testament of your strength.'
Peira wiped her tears. 'So, you see, the locket is a symbol of death to me, and that my son could have so easily been taken and left to die if I hadn't gathered my strength and run away with him.'
Jena composed herself and allowed time to pass before she told Peira the true meaning of the necklace. 'I am so sorry that you had to go through that. But I truly believe that by meeting Ajeya and her beautiful spirit and contagious laugh, Thorne realised the error of the tradition. He gave her the locket as a symbol of life because he knew that nothing is truly without imperfection. Perfection is a state of mind of how we perceive things. The tradition and customs paved the way, but they had been misinterpreted all the time. Dainn is an example of that. Ajeya is an example of that. Look how strong they are.' Jena sighed. 'He gave it to Ajeya for her to tell everyone that it was he who gave it to her and why. He has changed, Peira, he really has. The weeping caves are a thing of the past now. No more will babies be left to die in there.'
Peira listened intently to what she had been told and digested the words carefully. 'I am glad. I really am. Too many babies have died. Such wasted lives.' She wiped away her tears.
Jena's feelings for Thorne were humbling. 'Why don't you take Dainn to see Thorne. To show him what a fine boy he is. That his son didn't die, that he is alive and well. Thorne is a good man.'
Peira looked horrified. 'No, I can't do that. Never will I do that. He believes that Colom is his father and I won't do anything to change that. I would have to explain to him why I ran away, and I can't do that to him.'
Jena dropped her head in shame for she knew the burden that Peira carried.
'You know what I mean, don't you?' Peira's voice was all knowing.
Jena nodded her head.
'Is your story similar to mine, dear lady?'
She nodded her head again.
'Tell your story to me, Jena. I think we share a common ground. I believe we have been drawn together. The gods have paved our paths. We were meant to meet, don't you agree?'
Chapter Twenty-One
'I can't believe you didn't recognise her, Hagen. It was only six years ago that she went.'
'I really can't remember her. I didn't pay much attention to what was going on around me at the time. I was quite busy.' He finished his tea in three huge gulps.
'But she was Thorne's wife. You must have been aware of her going and all the agony that surrounded it. She just vanished and no one knew where.' Jena was wrapping a few chunk
s of bread in a muslin cloth and sealing a flagon of fresh water.
He pursed his lips together and shook his head. 'I think I remember something going on, now you come to mention it. But Thorne kept it all hushed. I thought she had died.' Hagen put the mid-morning meal in his bag and slung it over his shoulder.
Jena knew she was on delicate ground now and decided to leave it. 'You get to work, now.' She smiled. 'I will have some lunch ready for you at noon.'
His kissed her goodbye and went to start his first day in the fields mending fences.
Keao sat on his stool in the byre, his hands drawing hot milk from the udder of the patient cow and watched the dawn creep up over the misty land. The milk hissed into the wooden pail in rhythmic spurts, the notes growing deeper as the pail filled. The cow tugged hay from the bulging net before her. A young girl sat next to him doing the very same thing to an equally patient Holstein.
Keao noticed how the sun rose over the rim of the furthest hills, and the burning bright orb tinged the ground tangerine before his very eyes. He was sure he saw a barn owl in flight, and when he saw it rise with a field mouse in its talons, his heart raced for a minute and he felt its elation.
'It's a beautiful setting, isn't it,' said the young milk maid coyly.
He was so focused on the owl that he didn't hear the young girl and continued to look at the spectacular scenery.
'I said it's a beautiful setting, isn't it?' her voice became an octave higher.
He snapped out of his daydream and, for the first time, noticed a pale complexion peppered with pretty freckles, red hair was tied up in a scruffy bun, and moist lips matched the same shade as her hair. Bright green eyes shone out at him and smiled before her lips curved.
'Yes, it's beautiful. Really beautiful.' He was mesmerised.
'My name is Red—because of my red hair—so what's your name?'
'I am Keao. My family has just moved in.'
'I thought I hadn't seen you before.' Her eyes still smiled.
The cow swung her mournful head to gaze at him.
'See, even Buttercup is checking you out.'
He laughed softly. 'A cow checking me out, eh. Now that is funny.'
Buttercup swung back again to snatch another mouthful of hay.
'I guess she's not interested.' He laughed again.
'I like cows,' she said.
'Well, that's just as well seeing as you work with them.'
'Do you like cows?'
'I do.'
'Why do you like them?'
'I like all animals. I find them calming and beautiful. I like the power they have to see anything and hear everything. They give so much and yet receive so little in return. I like the simplicity of the life they lead—the grass they eat, the smell they have. I like any herd animal because of the way they group together and can feel each other and are in tune with each other. I like the sounds they make. A cow lowing is music to my ears. Their milk feeds my very soul.' He breathed in the rich smell of the milk and saw the froth of bubbles in the pail.
Red was enchanted. The cow turned around again and swished her tail, the end of which tickled his ears. Red laughed. 'She likes you.'
'I like her, too.' And he carried on with his work.
When they had finished the milking, Red took the pails into the buttery and Keao took the cows back to the field. He waited for her to bring fresh sandwiches and a flagon of fresh warm milk for an early lunch in the afternoon sun. Then they went to the goats’ pasture to do the same thing all over again.
He liked being with Red. She was the same age as him and he found her to be the prettiest girl he had ever seen.
And back at the lodge, a little girl practised alone with her catapult, and for the first time since she could remember, she didn't have anyone to practise her craft with.
After a couple of days, Dainn appeared. 'Do you want to come and see the horses with me? I can ride one on my own today because my splints are off.' He ran around the yard in front of her to show her that his legs were straight and muscular, and now he had the freedom to do all the things he wanted to do. Ajeya laughed and ran around with him. Round and round they went, and she followed him to the stables. Jena saw them go and smiled to herself.
He tacked up his mount and led it out into the paddock where he trotted around and went over some jumps. He watched Ajeya following him with a keen eye and he offered her the chance to have a go. It was the first time she had ever been on a horse, so she was a little apprehensive. The sheer size of the animal was huge compared to her small stature.
At first, she just sat there, passive, rigid, hardly daring to move. Then he began to walk her round a bit, and she got used to the motion. She didn't know how to squeeze with her thighs or pull on the rein. She wasn't really strong enough, but she was most content to just sit up tall, swaying from side to side as the horse trundled along.
It was a mutual training period, each learning from the other, and in the process, deepening the relationship between them. Soon she was trotting, and it felt good for Dainn to stretch out his legs and run alongside the horse. He, too, grew in confidence as his balance and posture improved. He put up little jumps for them and Ajeya learned to lean forward into the mane and grip with her knees. As the jumps got higher, so did her confidence, and soon she was able to use her catapult whilst jumping over a low fence.
Chapter Twenty-Two
After two years, Keao asked Red to marry him, and it was going to be strange for young Ajeya to not talk about her day to him every evening.
'I will still come and visit you. We will only be round the corner. It's not like I will be leaving the camp.'
'I know, but already we don't practise together anymore, so it's just one more thing that will change.'
'But you have Dainn as your guide now. He is teaching you how to ride a horse and I saw you the other day knocking down a can with your catapult whilst riding.'
She wrinkled up her nose and he came down and sat beside her.
'I am not going anywhere, Ajeya. I am still your big brother and you are still my little sister.'
She wrapped her arms around him and nestled into him.
'And you know what?' He looked at her with a kind face.
'What?'
'We both want you and Dainn to be our attendants and our ring bearers. Would you like that?'
She nodded her head and found it hard to hide the big grin that spread across her face.
'I am going to make you a beautiful dress for the day,' said Jena wearing her proudest expression. 'And Dainn will be wearing his finest clothes.'
Ajeya's sparkling eyes matched her beautiful smile and at last she began to look forward to her very first wedding.
Within a few weeks the stage was set. A stunning archway of jasmine, honeysuckle and creeping ivy shimmered in the light of the sun and opened the way to the sacred Blessing Tree. In the sky above, shining like the sculpture of a bronzed god, a tawny owl looked down on the arrangement and carried on its flightpath towards the forest. Keao had donned a full-length white robe held in place by two sashes. His ceremonial attire was complete with a grand garland of impressive animal tusks, and he looked majestic waiting at the head of the aisle for his beautiful bride. Behind him sat Hagen and next to him was Jena, both wearing similar white robes with smaller garlands. Peira sat at the entrance of the gateway and ushered the clan members in with hauntingly beautiful melodies on the jaw harp.
The sun was at its highest point and Colom had taken his place in front of the Blessing Tree. On the other side of the aisle sat Red's mother and father, Flame and Gules respectively, and as the bridal party arrived and stood at the entrance, Colom's eyes lit up and the congregation knew what a vision the bride was.
She moved silently down the passageway with Ajeya and Dainn in attendance. Each of her bearers carried a clear obsidian stone—a piece of natural glass that bore a lighted wick. The glittering natural beauty rendered them sacred and were only used in important ceremonies
such as this.
The bride wore a pure white silk dress that had been woven by her mother. Her glorious red hair was loosely scooped up and secured with crimson rose buds, ribbons and elaborately carved grips. There were gasps of approval as she glided lightly past her audience, keeping her eyes focused as she approached the Tree. Hagen looked at Keao with unsurmountable pride and then focused straight ahead. When Red stopped, the attendants moved forward. Ajeya gave one stone to Red, while Dainn gave the other stone to Keao.
When all was in place, the ethereal music ceased, and Colom opened the proceedings. 'Welcome, everyone, to this special occasion. It seems not that long ago we were welcoming Keao and his family into our clan, and here we are now witnessing the marriage of this son and his chosen bride.'
Red and Keao breathed in the magic of the moment.
'Be sure in the knowledge that all our ancestors are here with us today in spirit, and all those who have left this world and who want to share this day with us, they are all here amongst us.'
The congregation bowed in memory of loved ones and welcomed the spirits in.
Colom continued. 'Today is special because we are hailing a new dynasty. We look to the spirit guides and totems to take care of these two young people as they begin a new life as husband and wife and we ask the spirits to help you support them and protect them in whatever guise that might be.'
A few minutes silence transcended while the assembly held those thoughts and summoned loved ones who had departed and could not be here to share this auspicious spectacle.
'We begin with the two speeches of declaration, so Keao, would you please start with yours.'