Hearthglen

by Daniel Schinhofen

  “Welcome to our home,” Brendis said, his eyes showing his annoyance. “We didn’t expect all of you to come.”

  “Is that your son?” Myna asked.

  “Brendan,” Brendis said, his voice thawing. “He’s five.”

  Brendan went to his father’s side and bowed his head, “Welcome to our home.”

  Sean smiled at the much lighter accent Brendan had compared to Ida or Brendis. “Thank you for having all of us. I wish I’d known you had a son, but I can improvise.” Sitting forward, Sean pulled out a couple of copper coins from his coin pouch. “Brendan, I’m Sean MacDougal. This is Fiona, this is Myna, and that’s Ryann. We’ll be your neighbor for the next year. Can I ask what you like more than anything else?”

  Brendan’s eyes gleamed, a huge smile covering his face. “Papa.”

  Brendis couldn’t hide his smile as he looked down fondly at his son. Sean chuckled and showed Brendan the two coins in his hand. “Want to see something special?”

  “Yes!”

  Sean closed his hand slowly, “Your father is a strong man. I’m sure you know that, don’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “You want to grow up just like him, right?”

  “Yes!”

  “If you do, you’ll look just like this,” Sean said, opening his hand. On his palm sat a pair of figurines attached at the base. “This is part of our welcoming gift to your family.”

  Brendan took a step forward and then paused, looking up to his father, who gave a nod. With his father’s approval, Brendan hesitantly took the figurine. “This is papa and me?”

  “If you do as your father tells you, and grow up big and strong,” Sean said, sitting back once Brendan had the figurine in hand. Lifting his gaze to Brendis, Sean smiled, “Thank you for accepting my family into your home. Fiona and Myna are my Life Bonded, but they are also the women I love with my entire being.”

  Brendis met Sean’s eyes, nodding in understanding. “I misjudged your intent earlier. I see now you’re much like me. You’re a man who loves his woman with all his heart, regardless of how that might look to others.”

  “There is no need for apologies,” Fiona smiled. “We should have warned you before showing up. Please forgive our lapse.”

  “I told you they’re different,” Ida said softly. “Mother will be along in a moment. She’s giving instructions to the maid.”

  An awkward silence fell over the room while they waited. “I’m ready to move over to my apprenticeship tonight, if that’s okay,” Ida said suddenly.

  “We welcome you,” Fiona replied. “Myna and I will be going there once dinner is done.”

  “Ida, you don’t have to go over tonight. You can wait until tomorrow,” Brendis said. “Let them get settled in before you go charging over.”

  “I have a single year to learn, father. I do not wish to waste a single moment,” Ida replied, her stubbornness clear.

  “Now, you listen to me—”

  “Not in front of our guests,” Sam cut Brendis off from the dining room door. “You’re both too much alike, which is why you always end up like this.” Turning to the group, Sam put on a smile. “Thank you for coming over. Please, come and take a seat. Dinner will be served shortly.”

  They got to their feet and moved into the dining room. Pausing next to Sam at the door, Sean pulled the hair clip from his pouch. “A gift from us to you, for inviting us.”

  Sam looked at the clip on his hand and shook her head. “I can’t take this. It unbalances things.”

  “I disagree,” Sean said, holding it out to her. “I think this and the gift to your son barely covers the gift of being seen as friends and invited into your home as family.”

  Sam hesitated a moment longer, but eventually took the clip from his hand. “It is said that all deals have to be seen through the lens of both parties. I’m humbled that you would value us so highly.”

  Sean looked at the table, then back at Sam, clearly at a loss as to where he should sit. Sam chuckled and helped get them all situated at the eight-person table. Sam was at the head of the table, with Sean at her right, followed by Ryann, and Brendan. Brendis sat at the other end, opposite his wife, with Myna, Fiona, and Ida on the other long side.

  As soon as they were seated, a horse-faced older woman came in from the kitchen. She carried a small keg, which she set up beside Sam, then left as quickly as she had come. Sam filled her mug with the amber colored ale and, holding the mug out, she waited. Sean looked around, and guessed what was expected, trading Sam her filled mug for his empty. He passed it on down the table, accepting Ryann’s mug in trade. The pattern was repeated on the other side of the table, until all the adults had full mugs. Young Brendan was served a mug of juice in lieu of ale.

  “To our guests, who have agreed to take our daughter Ida on as an apprentice: we’ve long hoped for this day. I say to you; may the Queens’ blessings fill your life.”

  “Blessings,” Sean echoed, a beat behind the others. Taking a sip of the ale, Sean was surprised at the honey wheat flavor that predominated, hints of roasted caramel trailing behind and leaving a sweet finish.

  The maid came back into the room after the toast, pushing a small trolley filled with soup bowls. Once she had everyone served, she disappeared back into the kitchen. Sean wondered if Fiona and Myna would be able to find a maid who would promise to keep the secrets they had.

  Distracted by his thoughts, he was the last to try the soup, but ate eagerly once he tried a spoonful. The beef and barley soup was followed by a second course of sliced vegetables spritzed with a combination of lemon and thyme. The entrée turned out to be thinly sliced beef over a bed of barley and covered in thick brown gravy. The last course was dessert; apple chunks that had been boiled in a sauce of cinnamon, sugar, and red wine.

  Everyone was sated by the time the final course was cleared away, and Sam let out a heartfelt sigh. “We don’t eat like this often, so it’s a treat when we do. Thank you, MacDougal, for accepting our Ida as your apprentice. If you have need of anything, please let us know. We’ll be happy to help as we can.”

  “Thank you for helping us find a home,” Sean replied.

  “We should be heading to the inn. Joseph is probably wondering what’s taking me so long,” Sam said as she got to her feet, followed by everyone else at the table.

  “He knows; your daughter became my apprentice today,” Sean told her.

  “I’ll gather my things,” Ida said, leaving the room in a rush.

  “We’ll get her settled,” Fiona said when Brendis opened his mouth to call after Ida. “I will treat her as a sister.”

  Nodding, Brendis seemed to deflate slightly. “I’m sure it will be fine. I didn’t think I’d have this hard a time seeing her go.”

  “Parents are like that at times,” Myna murmured.

  “Come, Sean. It seems your women have everything well in hand here. Let’s go see who’s decided to give you a chance.”

  Sean followed Sam, giving Fiona and Myna quick kisses as he left. “See you in a bit.”

  “We’ll be waiting,” Myna murmured with a twinkle in her eyes.

  Chapter Six

  Sam was quiet as they walked down the street, something obviously on her mind. “Sean, what are you doing here, in the city?”

  “Time,” Sean replied, staring at Ryann a few feet in front of them. “I’ve been on the move for what seems like forever. I want to be able to explore what I can do, build up some coin, and if possible, just live in peace.”

  “What you’re doing— giving us smiths the chance to better ourselves— will cause waves,” Sam pointed out.

  “Probably, but the way things are now is so broken,” Sean muttered. “Demanding your daughter marry his son, just so she can have the chance to learn Shaping…” Sean trailed off, his hands clenching so hard the knuckles popped. “That kind of thing is just shit.”

  “You deride the way the world works,” Sam said. “How long have you been here, Outsider?” sh
e asked in a whisper.

  “Figured I’d given myself away,” Sean sighed. “Three tendays, or thereabouts.”

  “You must have made a deal with a powerful being, and I don’t wish to know about it. You should be prepared to deal with anything. No, what I wish to know is whether or not you’ll be able to keep my daughter safe from the troubles you will surely stir up?”

  “I’ll do my very best, Sam… by the way, is that short for Samantha?”

  “No, my name is Samele. It comes from my mother’s family, but I prefer the shortened version.”

  “Short and to the point,” Sean chuckled, “seems to fit.”

  Sam slowed her steps, looking thoughtful. “You might be an Outsider, but if Ida can learn from you, I’ll be happy that she’s got a chance to become more than me.” Pulling the hair clip from her small pouch, she held it out to Sean. “I don’t know what I can really do with this, my hair isn’t long.”

  “Pull your hair back behind your ear and clip it in place. It’ll be more a decoration than useful, but it will keep the hair back from your face.”

  Sam got the clip in place as they reached the square. Sean’s gaze drifted to a couple of guards standing near the guild building. Neither of them was the guard who had escorted him into town, so Sean ignored them.

  The inn was busy, Sean could see Joseph and several others at the same table they’d been at the previous night. Two of the six smiths who had left the day before were sitting with the people he had seen earlier today.

  “Next round can be on me,” Sean said as he took a seat next to Joseph. “Good to see you all again.” Ryann sat down beside Sean, and Sam sat on the other side of her.

  “Before we get too far along,” one of the two men who’d left so abruptly the night before said, “I want to apologize for walking out like I did yesterday. It was wrong of me to not give you a chance.”

  “Avery, right?” Sean said, getting a nod. “It’s fine. I was a stranger who joined the table and spouted off without knowing anyone. Glad I didn’t get hit; goodness knows you smiths probably pack a wallop.”

  A chuckle went around the table. The barmaid approached the table with a smile as the laughter died away. “What can I get you all today? Same as yesterday?”

  “Give me something different; anything at all,” Sean said.

  “The usual for you, Bronzeshield?”

  “No. I’ll have a glass of Serumtrutous.”

  “Hard cider,” Ryann ordered.

  “A round for the rest of the table, as well,” Sean said, placing a bronze on the maid’s tray.

  “As you require, sir,” the maid winked before swaying off.

  “Don’t you already have enough?” Sam asked archly.

  “That’s her running with a thought, not me. I’ll be well taken care of when I get home,” Sean said.

  A cough pulled everyone’s attention to the other smith who had left the previous day. “Like Blackhammer, I’m sorry for my actions yesterday. The other four are certain they were right to leave, which is why they didn’t come back.”

  “Maybe in the fullness of time, they’ll be right,” Sean said, “but I doubt it.”

  “Is that one of his hair clips?” Knox asked Sam.

  “We had him and his Bonded over for dinner. This was his guest gift to my family.”

  “A very extravagant gift,” Avery said. “If those are the kinds of gifts he gives, I’m going to need to invite him over soon.”

  That prompted laughter from everyone, including Sean, but Sam just shook her head. “I think the fact he agreed to take Ida on as his apprentice had something to do with it, too.”

  “You took her daughter on?” Avery asked with a thoughtful expression.

  “That explains the Serumtrutous, and why he turned down taking either of my sons on,” Joseph said, nodding. “I asked when he stopped by to pay his respects earlier today. Keep that in mind if you were thinking as I did,” he admonished the other men at the table.

  Sighing, Avery nodded, “Late to the party... it is my just due.”

  “Your drinks,” the maid said, setting mugs and glasses in front of everyone. Sean had a mug and a small glass placed before him. “For you, sir, I chose a light ale with whiskey. It’s made by the same brewer as the dark ale you had yesterday. The ale is called ‘Golden Dawn,’ the whiskey is ‘Forge Heart.’”

  “Thank you,” Sean said.

  “If you need anything else, just let me know.” With a saucy smile, the barmaid walked away to serve another table.

  “We know where most of that coin went,” Joseph chuckled. “Mind the whiskey. It’ll curl your chest hairs.”

  “I’m not much for hard liquor,” Sean said, shifting the glass to Joseph. “Feel free.”

  Joseph shook his head. “Oh no, that’s your drink.” Sliding the glass back to Sean, he chuckled, “Don’t be a wuss.”

  Picking up the glass and peering at the dark liquid, Sean shrugged then knocked it back. It seared his throat, making Sean gasp and bringing a tear to his eye. Coughing, Sean grabbed the ale and took a drink. The light ale quenched the burning, leaving behind a lingering warmth and, oddly, the taste of apples.

  Laughter went around the table while Sean caught his breath. Joseph slapped Sean on the back, “That’s why you should be careful around a forge.”

  “Got it,” Sean managed to say, wiping the tears from his eyes. “You can handle that?”

  “No one handles the Forge Heart,” Knox chuckled. “It’s known for its potency and burn. That you don’t look like a hammer hit you speaks well of your fortitude.”

  “Knox was all but laid out the one time he took a shot,” Avery smirked. “We had to get a wagon to carry him home.”

  “That was years ago,” Knox replied. “Besides, I recall you trying to pick up all the barmaids when you had a go last year.”

  “Did you hear about Donnel?” another man asked, derailing the conversation.

  “What did he do this time?” Sam asked.

  “A stone caught him on the head this morning. The guard is looking into it, but it looks like an accident. When he was heading inside the hall, a bit of stone came loose and fell, cracking his head open. He was hustled off to the mender, but you know how head injuries are.”

  “Fate finally caught up to him... serves him right,” Joseph muttered.

  “He was always a shifty one, but that kind of accident makes you want to look up more often, doesn’t it?” Avery said.

  “Not well loved, was he?” Sean asked.

  “He’s been in charge of new crafter admission for years. Rumors say he’s been using his position to maneuver his way in society with some of the bigger movers. Whether or not that’s true is unknown,” Sam said.

  “He and Gertihs have both been doing so, we all know it,” Joseph added. “No one’s ever proved anything, but they’re so interconnected with the upper level crafters, it’s obvious. Even House Brightlight turned a blind eye to it, and they were a damn sight better than Greenlimb.”

  A couple of the blacksmiths looked around uneasily. “Easy, Joseph,” Sam said. “Don’t go poking the dragon.”

  “You’re right,” Joseph sighed, draining his mug. “I’m going home early. I’m a bit too worked up for this.”

  People said their goodbyes to Joseph as he left the table. When everyone finished their drinks, they began to leave as well, citing work the next day. Avery, Ryann, Sam, and Sean were all that were left by the time people stopped leaving.

  “Sam, your daughter was okay with apprenticing to MacDougal?” Avery asked.

  “Oddly enough, she seemed eager for it,” Sam relied. “The deal was very equitable for us. She hopes to start learning tomorrow.”

  “So soon?” Avery said, sitting back with his mug. “You didn’t want to see her work first, MacDougal?”

  “Everyone’s said she’s talented, so I didn’t see the need. Ida seems quite sharp. I’m sure she’ll have no trouble catching on to what I can teach he
r. I’m sure with her life revolving around the smithy, she’ll have things I can learn as well.”

  “Huh, a Shaper who admits to not knowing everything,” Avery chuckled. “Since the world is obviously going to end tomorrow, I think I’ll head home to get some time with the wife. If you have need of another apprentice, let me know. My son will be reaching his majority soon.”