The Flame and the Arrow

by Emigh Cannaday

  Chapter 42

  Aghavni’s gift

  “They’re coming! Quick, everyone get inside!” Zaven said with excitement the next morning, ushering Runa and the others into the house where Hilda and Yuri were serving breakfast. Ohan and Aghavni strolled through the door looking completely refreshed and rejuvenated. But Aghavni was clearly not prepared to experience what had happened while she was gone. The house was spotless, every dish was put away, and every linen was washed and folded. The fairy house had been hung in a tree in the front yard, and a flagstone path led the way to the threshold rather than a shallow and muddy trench. The garden was fenced in well enough to keep out even the most determined rabbit, and was ready for tilling in the following spring. Her six eldest sons were sitting on fixed chairs at the clean table with bathed bodies and trimmed hair and washed hands, eating their breakfast with spoons and using napkins instead of their miraculously clean sleeves to wipe their faces. Baby Sedem was in Hilda’s arms, squealing in delight at seeing his mother, as the other boys got up and ran to her, enveloping her and her round belly in their arms.

  “Mother, we missed you!” cried Shez.

  “Mother, I’m sorry I never fetched you water before! I’ll do it from now on!” Tri promised.

  “No you won’t! I will!” Pet announced.

  “No, it’s going to be my job, I’m the oldest!” said Edno.

  “Well then I’m going to be in charge of chopping wood!” Chetri squeaked.

  “No, I’m going to be in charge of that! I’m the second oldest!” said Dve.

  “You two can’t be in charge of gathering water and wood!” Chetri argued.

  “I get to fold the laundry then!” Pet piped up.

  “That’s not fair!” Shez whined.

  “BOYS!” Ohan boomed. For a moment he looked as though he had stepped into the wrong house. But Aghavni didn’t appear that way for a second. Her eyes began to water as she sat down.

  “Mother, are you sad?”

  “Mother, why are you crying?”

  “Mother, do you want me to find you a sea monkey?” Aghavni wrinkled her blue nose and looked at her children.

  “What, pray tell, is a sea monkey?” she asked, overcome with emotion.

  “Annika said they’re in the water, but they are so small, you need to look in many different buckets to find them,” Edno answered proudly. Aghavni’s blank expression was met with a wink from Annika.

  “Well then, I’ll tell you all about it at bedtime,” she said, winking back. “Annika’s right, you know.” Ohan and his wife looked around the house as if it were a museum, inspecting everything very carefully.

  “My red chair!” he cried. “I thought you got rid of it!”

  “Well, I’ve thought about it more than once,” his wife said with a smile.

  “It’s amazing what happens when you wash the cushions,” Sariel grinned. “Did you see the fairy house? I think I saw some fairies looking at it earlier this morning.”

  “Did you hear that?” Pet said to Shez. “That means we get pie, if we do our chores!” The boys started to bicker and argue about who could do the most chores and eat the most pie, when Talvi spoke up.

  “Remember what I told you about fairies liking things peaceful and quiet where they live?” He reminded them. They nodded and hushed up.

  “We can’t be noisy around the house or we don’t get any pie,” Dve whispered, glancing fiercely at his brothers. Clearly nothing was going to come between a future warmonger and his dessert.

  “I am so grateful. You didn’t have to do all this for us,” Aghavni said, still looking around house in wonder. “I never in my wildest dreams thought…well, perhaps in my wildest dreams I did think my boys could act the way they are acting right now.” She wanted to say more, but her proud sons had taken her by the hands and wanted to show her the fairy house, and the mended garden fence, and the well-stocked wood pile. When she was gone, Ohan turned to Finn, Justinian, and all of his other guests. He took a deep breath and sighed contentedly.

  “You know, I haven’t seen my wife so happy in years. I don’t know if you realize what you have done for her. I always thought that my sons were fine boys, but what I saw just now only confirms my highest hopes of the fine trolls they will become.”

  “They already are good boys. They love their mom, but they really look up to their dad,” said Annika. Ohan’s face turned into a grin as he stood up a little straighter to his full eleven feet, puffing out his chest a little.

  “They certainly do, don’t they?” he beamed. When Aghavni came back wearing her impressed smile, she rolled up the long sleeves of her dress and turned to her husband.

  “Well, I had better get busy packing your things. Would you like to sharpen that axe of yours before or after lunch?”