Back From Chaos

by Yvonne Hertzberger

  Before she could question him, he was gone, leaving the door open. Within moments a wonderfully familiar figure appeared in it.

  ~14~

  REUNION

  They both exclaimed at once.

  “Brensa!”

  “My lady!” and flew into each others arms, hugging tightly.

  “Thank Earth you are well, my lady. As soon as I heard we might come back to our positions, I tried to find out if you yet lived. I had seen the bodies …” Brensa stopped abruptly. Her hand flew over her mouth in consternation, and she drew back.

  “It is all right, Brensa. I know they are all dead.” Marja gave her another quick squeeze. “But I cannot tell you what joy it brings me to see you well. What of Nellis? How fares she, the babe, Mikost? Oh, it is good to see a familiar face. Give me all the news, quickly. They have told me almost nothing.” The questions tumbled out in rapid succession.

  Within moments, servants appeared with a copper tub, buckets of hot water, scented soap and oils, and cloths for drying. Gaelen had been true to his word. As soon as the door closed again, Marja let Brensa help her out of her gown.

  “I will tell you all I know, my lady, but you must have your bath as we speak, or it will grow cold. Let me help you. It will be as it was before.”

  Marja listened as Brensa began her tale. “Nellis escaped outside the wall with me. She breathed in some smoke and coughed a lot, but recovered and seems fine … the babe too. We thought it might come early, but then the pains stopped, and all is well now. Mikost had a burning beam fall on his arm. It is badly burned, but as long as it heals clean he should recover … though his arm may never move so well again. Until it heals he can do little work. But he lives and they are well.”

  By now Marja had sunk into the deliciously warm water. Brensa poured some over her hair and began to lather in the scented soap with practiced fingers. Through it all, she kept up her stream of chatter. So Marja just listened, enjoying the cadences of her familiar voice and taking in the news as it poured out. There would be time for questions later. She smiled to herself. Brensa had always been a talkative girl who knew all the latest gossip. If she just let her go on, most of what she wished to hear would come of its own accord.

  ~15~

  BRENSA’S TALE

  As Brensa spoke, she relived the horror of those spans in her mind: the women’s headlong flight over the wall, Nellis’ terror at not knowing where Mikost was.

  “We hid among the trees and watched the black smoke pouring over the wall. We could hear women and children screaming … horses, too, my lady. That is a terrible sound. We could hear soldiers shouting orders, too, and were glad to be over the wall.”

  They watched as more and more people climbed the wall, grasping tree branches to hold as they jumped, or found crevices to squeeze through, faces glazed with fear. With a stroke of pure luck, they had spotted Mikost jump from the wall and roll to the ground, clutching his arm.

  “Nellis screamed and rushed to him, not thinking of the danger it put us all in if we were seen. We dragged him back into the cover of the trees, away from the noise and smoke. His arm was badly burned, my lady, and he was in a lot of pain. Nellis coughed for a long time and began to have birth pains again.”

  Eventually, both the coughing and pains subsided, to everyone’s great relief. For a long while they huddled there, afraid to show themselves. Slowly, the noise grew less and the smoke ebbed. They were hungry and cold as night set in. By morning they knew they must chance returning. Nellis needed food. They stole back, keeping under cover. When they reached the point where they could see the wall, they met two women who told them about Gaelen’s offer of amnesty.

  “Mikost asked us, ‘Do you believe this may be trusted? It could be a trap to get us inside.’

  “When we heard everyone could return to their homes we did not believe it at first. So we hid a while longer inside the edge of the forest. But there was nothing to eat in the woods. Nellis was faint with hunger, and Mikost was still bleeding through the shirt he had wrapped around his burn. He needed to have his arm properly bandaged.”

  Realizing they had no choice, they ventured back inside. Terrible destruction greeted their eyes. The houses and shops almost all showed fire damage. Dead bodies lay piled in the central square, perhaps because that was the only safe place to burn them. Two huge pyres sent up columns of choking black smoke. The stench of burning flesh nearly felled them.

  Brensa’s voice caught with suppressed horror. “So many bodies, my lady.”

  On the other side of the square, the invaders had made a separate pyre for their own fallen. She had turned away in horror, unable to watch.

  Soldiers accosted them as soon as they were spotted. Mikost tried to keep Nellis behind him, but the men, acting very stern and official, commanded she show herself. They took in her advanced pregnancy and demanded to know who they all were and what they were doing.

  After Mikost explained their need for food and care, the soldiers advised them that if they wished to return they must first swear allegiance to Lord Gaelen.

  ‘Swear allegiance and you are free to go about your lives,’ they told us. ‘Refuse and you will be taken to a holding camp outside the walls.’

  “They also wanted to know if we had taken anything.” The amnesty included all those who returned stolen property immediately.

  Brensa’s voice shook as she continued her tale. “We had nothing. We fled with just our lives!”

  Mikost had not trusted the soldiers at first, but Nellis needed food. So, when he saw so many familiar people walking freely about, he told the women they really had no choice. They agreed to swear allegiance. There seemed no harm in it for now.

  When they had sworn their oaths, the soldiers pointed them in the direction of a large tent, where they were told they would find a meal and could have Mikost’s arm looked at. While Brensa walked to the tent she looked around.

  “I saw so many people returning to their shops. Some were already trying to repair damage from the fires. They were fixing broken doors and covering up the windows. People looked afraid. They kept their heads down and did not speak to each other, but the soldiers left them alone as long as they just acted normal.”

  Brensa poured fresh water over Marja’s hair as the account spilled out and began to rub a small amount of oil, scented with lavender, into it, running her fingers through it to remove some of the tangles. Then, as Marja soaked in the warm water, Brensa proceeded to carefully comb out the knots. Suddenly, she burst into tears. “Oh, my lady! I thought never to see you again.”

  Marja reached a hand up to her, saying, “Hush, Brensa. You have been very brave and you bring me much good news. We are safe together for now. The worst is over, I am certain.”

  Brensa continued to sob quietly as she finished combing. By the time Marja was ready to dry off, Brensa’s tears had also dried, and she resumed her tale.

  “When we got to the tent, Nellis was almost fainting, and we had to hold her up. Mikost called for help, and someone, an older woman I think, found us a spot where Nellis could sit down on a mat. Then she showed me where to get three bowls of stew and a jug of water. She told Mikost to wait with Nellis and went to find someone to dress his arm. By the time I got back with the stew, he was already being tended.”

  Brensa recalled the crowded tent. People milled about, elbow to elbow, some looking lost, others with bowls and cups in their hands. The table with the food and water stood at the far end, and she had to jostle her way through the crowd. She had never seen so many people in such a small space before and feared she would not be able to find Nellis and Mikost again. When she finally reached the food table, it took some persuasion before the servers agreed to give her enough for three. They had not believed her at first, and she had begun to weep. Since she did not know how she could carry three bowls, as well as a jug of water and cups, they found a large crock and put a goodly amount in it. She tied the cups and spoons in her apron and h
ugged the bowl and jug close under each arm as she wormed her way back to the others.

  “I was so relieved to find them again, my lady!” By the time she reached them, Nellis was shaking so badly Brensa had to hold the cup for her and to feed her the first several bites. By then Mikost’s arm had been bandaged, and he fed himself. Brensa ate what was left. Mikost had learned that the burn on his arm was very bad, and that it was likely the scarring would cause permanent stiffness. But he was grateful that as long as it healed clean, he would not lose it.

  “Someone in the tent had found a cup of watered wine and brought it to Nellis. It revived her quite a bit. They said there was not much wine or ale, so Mikost and I had to make do with water.”

  While Brensa and Nellis rested, Mikost left to find out what they should do and where they could go. The news he brought back was both good and bad. The rooms that Mikost and Nellis had shared had no roof. They had been burned. But, since both Nellis and Brensa had worked at the castle as ladies to Marja, they could return there and would be put up in temporary quarters. They might have to share a room with other women, but at least they would be safe and dry. Soldiers at the castle would ask them what their duties had been and find something for them to do until permanent positions could be found. But it meant that Nellis and Mikost could not be together, a worry when she was so near her time.

  As Mikost would not be allowed past the castle gate, he and Nellis clung to each other for long moments, until Brensa convinced him that she would look after Nellis. Mikost made Brensa swear, over and over, that at the first sign of danger she would get Nellis out.

  “I swore to him I would look after her, else I think he might never have left.”

  Finally, Nellis had bid Mikost a tearful farewell. Nellis made him swear, in his turn, that he would take care of his arm. He reassured her that he would find shelter and promised to come back the next midday to check on them. When she looked back as they entered the castle, Brensa saw Mikost still watching them.

  Once inside the castle, more soldiers directed Brensa and Nellis to a line of citizens waiting to speak with yet another soldier, seated at a small table at the far end of the great hall. She watched the line snake forward. After they spoke with this guard, he would send some people further into the castle. Soldiers escorted others out again, and she heard them direct these people elsewhere.

  Brensa hoped that she and Nellis would not be sent away. They squeezed each other’s hands as they approached the table. When they advanced close enough to overhear, she learned that those allowed to stay needed some skill that could be used in the castle. And they had to have held positions there before the invasion.

  Still, others had left under guarded escort. This often led to shouting and angry outbursts. But the guards remained firm. Only once had someone completely refused to obey them. This man pulled a knife from his boot and attacked a soldier. The response was swift. The guard ran him through and ordered two of Catania’s own citizens to carry his body out to the pyre that still burned in the square.

  “We were so frightened, my lady.”

  When it came their turn to explain themselves to the official it concluded very quickly. They had no positions at the moment for ladies-in-waiting.

  “My heart sank, then. I felt certain you must be dead.”

  They gave Brensa work in the laundry, and in helping restore the rooms, to make them habitable. Nellis was told to rest for two days, then light work would be found for her. They assigned the women two cots in a narrow room down the hall from where the late lord’s family had slept. The other four cots were already occupied.

  “You remember Narga and Meera from the kitchen, my lady? They are here. Narga told us we would have fresh bread come morning, as the kitchen would be running again.”

  By the time they had settled in, darkness had fallen. All the women were called to a large meeting room where they were given cheese, bread, dried apple slices, and ale.

  Back in their room, Brensa had lain on Nellis’ cot with her until she fell asleep before climbing into her own. There had been little conversation among the women. Fatigue claimed them as soon as their heads hit their pillows.

  Brensa brought herself back to the present. “How shall I dress your hair, my lady?” The question came after Brensa helped Marja get her gown back on, and she had seated herself in one of the chairs. “The knots are all combed out now.”

  “Just a simple braid, Brensa. It is soon time for bed. Thank you. I feel so much better, and your news is most encouraging ...” Marja looked suddenly apprehensive. “I expect Lord Gaelen may come back tonight. You may share my bed until then.”

  ~16~

  NEW ORDER

  “Come in and be seated, my friend.” Gaelen could not help noting that Argost looked grey with exhaustion and that he had lost weight. No doubt he, himself, had done so as well. They had had little time to sleep and less for eating. Yet, Argost held himself as erect as ever, and his eyes remained clear and alert. Thank Earth he had not been killed. No one else could be trusted to govern Catania with his wisdom and heart. Gaelen would be lost without him.

  “Tell me how Catania fares.” Gaelen pushed a mug of ale and a platter of meat and bread toward Argost. “What is the mood among the people? How are they responding to my amnesty?”

  “I think you will be pleased, my lord.” Argost’s face creased into a weary smile, and he sank into the chair across from Gaelen. Gaelen noted with approval that he took a good swig of ale and began to slice meat before he spoke. Formality here would only stilt the frankness Gaelen needed from Argost. He had so little time before he must return to Bargia, and he needed as much information as possible.

  As Gaelen listened to Argost’s report, he said very little, interrupting only when he needed clarification. What Argost related confirmed Gaelen’s own observations. His plan appeared to be bearing fruit.

  At first, people had straggled in fearfully in ones and twos, distrusting Gaelen’s promise of amnesty. When it became apparent that he was indeed sincere, they returned in larger groups and more quickly. By the end of the first day, long lines of people formed, awaiting their turn to make the oath of allegiance to the new lord.

  “Maybe this one will have more honour than Cataniast,” the talk went.

  “Look, that shop is open.”

  “He said we could go home!”

  Furtive whispers had given way to open astonishment. Slowly, an element of hope crept into the conversations Gaelen’s men overheard. As soon as the people realized no soldiers would stop them, many returned to their homes and set to work making repairs. Men who had come back alone, fearing for the safety of their families, went to retrieve them. Slowly, the city showed signs of behaving like a community again.

  The bakeries reopened the second day, as did the cheese stands, the ale shops and the wine sellers. They had customers to feed and coin to make. Those who had secretly stowed provisions when the invasion began retrieved them to sell or to use themselves. Butchers set out the cured meats they had stored and began carving fresh carcasses.

  “This is only the third day, my lord, and but for the signs of fire, a stranger might think Catania has always been this way. Already many windows and doors have been replaced. Most roofs have at least temporary covers.”

  Gaelen noted the pride in Argost’s voice and nodded, smiling. “I am very pleased with what I see. There has been so little unrest that I no longer fear returning to Bargia. I am confident that I have placed Catania in good hands. I am in your debt, Argost.”

  “Your plan is sound, my lord. I, too, am confident it is working.” He went on with his report.

  Even soldiers need to eat. When the shops reopened, they were among the first to demand fresh provisions. To their credit, or rather by Argost’s orders, they did not steal what they needed, something Catanians might have expected. Instead, they paid what they would have in Bargia, not trusting the people to charge a fair price. Though food remain
ed scarce, everyone ate, and few complained. Most agreed this was fair.

  Argost had also sent several men among the citizens to gather information. “Find out who might incite false rumours, create unrest. Who wishes to profit from the chaos? And who among the wealthy and powerful had schemed behind Cataniast’s back?” He wanted to let Gaelen know who might attempt to use the present disorder for their own ends.

  Argost’s spies had been carefully selected to blend in, so they appeared virtually invisible. They had skills in gaining trust, in getting people to take them into their confidence. A handful were also trained assassins. These were men who could get rid of influential enemies quietly and efficiently, in ways that brought no blame to their lord. During times of peace, assassins were rarely used. Argost regretted they were necessary now.

  “I took this decision upon myself, my lord. There have been only three deaths. We apprehended two planning your assassination. The other carried a message from an informant, with details about the castle, and where you and your lady have your chambers.”

  Gaelen grimaced before he replied. “Argost, you well know that I mislike such clandestine executions. But I chose you to govern Catania precisely because I trust you to make such difficult decisions. I have no doubt that these deaths were necessary.”

  “Indeed, my lord.” Argost bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement.

  Gaelen preferred to think that most people could be reasoned with, but he had learned that some men never gave up plotting. They thrived on just such disorder as they now lived in. There was only one way to control that kind. It had been Klast who had convinced him several years earlier that such decisions could not always be avoided.

  It was to Klast that Argost had given the special assignment of infiltrating the wealthy merchants and traders guild, where rumour had it many of the old conspirators met. Argost explained that it was Klast who had taken care of the first two.

  Gaelen decided to talk to Klast about this. He knew that Klast loathed that part of his duties and that he would suffer from nightmares. He might welcome hearing that Gaelen understood that this had been necessary at this time.