Red Rowan: Book 3: Return of the Reluctant Hero

by Helen Gosney

  “Better move them then, lad.”

  “Aye, we’d better.”

  The ponies clustered around Rowan as he looked at them carefully.

  “Now, none of these little buggers nip like their grandsire, do they?” he asked.

  “No, No,” Toren laughed, “’Tis only old Nipper who did that. He threw good colts though.”

  Rowan nodded.

  “Aye, he did. I can see his stamp on them… these are fine ponies, Toren. Thank you. Fess’s lads will be thrilled,” he said happily.

  “Well, you could hardly teach them to ride on a damned great troop horse, could you?” the dwarf said with a grin.

  Rowan laughed again. He’d been riding huge work horses and the neighbour’s bull for quite a while when he’d been as old as Fess’s youngest lad.

  “No, I suppose I couldn’t,” he said, “Let’s go and see what they think, Toren. The Captain’s Cottage is this way…”

  “Before we do that, Rowan lad… what’s that on your shoulder?” Toren shook his head, puzzled. “’Tis a strange looking thing…”

  Rowan was shirtless as he and the troopers always were when training or exercising; he glanced down at the silvery handprint on his own shoulder and sighed.

  “’Tis a very long story to that, Toren,” he said slowly, “I can tell you later if you want to hear it…”

  “Oh, I want to hear it all right, laddie,” the dwarf said as he looked at it again, “I’ve seen a hell of a lot of tattoos in my time, scars too, but I’ve never seen anything like that…”

  “No, I’m sure you haven’t… and I doubt you will again,” Rowan shook his head, “Let’s get these ponies sorted out first, and I’ll tell you then. ‘Tisn’t a secret exactly, but… well, it just isn’t something I really want the whole world to be talking about either.”

  Bella opened her door to find Rowan and Toren standing there.

  “Rowan! What the hell is all this?” she said, shocked to see several ponies crowding around and nibbling at her garden.

  “’Tis so the lads won’t break their necks falling off a troop horse, Bella,” Rowan said with a smile, “What do you think?”

  She looked at the three smallest ponies: all bright bay with a couple of white socks and a star or small blaze on their foreheads. Even she could see that they were very fine ponies, more like small horses than the shaggy bad-tempered creature she’d had herself as a little lass.

  She smiled at the two who’d brought them.

  “They’re beautiful, thank you. Just let me call the lads to see them too; they’ll love them. But could you, er, stop them eating all my plants please, Rowan?”

  **********

  20. “…much quieter and less fraught.”

  Rowan was dragged from his reverie when Scrap suddenly leapt protectively in front of the ‘mouse’ made from an old sock that Rowan had been throwing for him to play with. The kitten arched its back, and then hissed as loudly as it could.

  “What’s wrong with you, little laddie?” Rowan said, looking around, “Ah, I see. Ivan’s not going to steal your mouse, silly kit, and he’s certainly not going to hurt you. He’s in a hurry though, isn’t he?”

  Rowan watched idly as Ivan ran past where he sat, then turned abruptly and came back to stand before him. The lad saluted smartly as the kitten fluffed its fur and hissed again.

  “Er… sorry to disturb you, Sir, but… um… the Captain, er…” Ivan tried to ignore Scrap’s fierce hissing and started again, “Sorry, Sir. Captain Fess asked would you be able to go to the Cottage, Sir. Now, Sir, if you, er… could, please Sir.”

  Rowan looked up at him, puzzled.

  “Aye, Ivan, I suppose I can. I’m not doing anything really. Is something wrong?” he said.

  “It’s… it’s Mrs. Fess, Sir… The Captain said could you, um… hurry, please Sir?” Ivan said in a rush.

  “Mrs. Fess? What’s…?” But suddenly Rowan knew. Bella’s baby was due any day now. “Is she having the baby now? Why doesn’t the silly man send for the bloody midwife?”

  “He… he did, Sir, but… but they can’t come, Sir. He said…”

  Rowan flowed to his feet astonishingly quickly, grabbing Scrap and his toy mouse as he did.

  “All right, Ivan. Run back to the Cottage please, lad, and tell Captain Fess I’ll be right there,” he looked around quickly, saw Costa and Ulrich and called them over. “Lads, can you put Scrap up in my rooms, please? He can have the run of the place, but could you close the windows so that he can’t get out? He’ll only follow me, and I doubt that Mrs. Fess would appreciate his presence right now. Thanks.”

  He caught up with Ivan on the way.

  “Thanks, Ivan,” he said, “Can you wait at the Cottage for a couple of minutes, please? I’ll need you to take a note to the healers if you wouldn’t mind.”

  “Aye, Sir. I’d be happy to,” Ivan said as they rounded the last corner. It was more than mere politeness. Scrap would never let him forget what he’d done, but Rowan saw no need to do the same, for which Ivan and his friends were very grateful. They were still running the battlements every morning, but they were used to it now, used to the troopers’ banter as they went past, and they were amazed at how fit they’d all become. And their scrambleball team, The Battlement Gaspers, was doing well in the competition too. Sergeant Benni was in charge of the recruits again now, but Rowan still helped out at times.

  Rowan smiled at him and ran on to the Captain’s Cottage, where Fess was practically pacing along the verandah in his agitation.

  “What’s wrong, Fess? Is Bella all right? Ivan said the midwives can’t come…?”

  “Gods, Rowan! It seems that one of them’s off somewhere delivering twins and the other one’s… I don’t bloody know where… and the third one’s sick,” Fess gabbled.

  “Fess! Calm down, lad, calm down. I’ll help you and Bella… but there are other midwives in the town, why don’t you just…?” Rowan said, surprised as he always was at just how much a normally sensible Wirran man could panic when a woman was having a baby. “I’m sure Bella would prefer it if it wasn’t me…”

  “No, Rowan, no! She said to get you. Come inside…”

  Rowan followed Fess into the Cottage and stopped in his tracks when he saw Fess’s other children all squashed together in a big armchair, looking very worried. He shook his head. “Just a minute, Fess. What about this lot?”

  Fess stared at Rowan and then at the children.

  “Bugger me, Rowan, I don’t ...”

  Rowan went over to them, all huddled together in the chair. The oldest, his namesake, wasn’t quite nine. They all looked up at him wide-eyed as he knelt down in front of them and put his arms around them.

  “’Tis all right, little ones, ‘tis all right. Your Ma will be fine, truly she will,” he said gently, “Your Pa is a bit of a daft old bugger, he panics for nothing, but don’t worry about that,” He smiled at them as the oldest two giggled guiltily at such sacrilege, “Now, Rowan, you’re a good sensible lad. You know where Mrs. Cade lives, don’t you? Over there in the Married Quarters, number… um… three, I think.” He knew that Bella had arranged for Violet to take care of the children when the time came; Fess had told him himself.

  “Aye, Uncle Rowan,” the little lad said, “But… but is Ma truly all right?”

  “Aye, laddie, she’s all right. But I think it’d be best if you take Steffie and Aaron and little Zara over to Mrs. Cade’s and stay there till your Pa or I come for you. It’ll take quite a while, so you’ll probably have to have supper over there. You might even have to sleep over there, but when you come back you’ll have a new little brother or sister,” he smiled as the children’s eyes widened even further, “Do you think you can do that?”

  “Aye, Uncle Rowan. Will it be a new brother, do you think?” young Rowan asked.

  “I don’t know, laddie. You’ll have enough for a scrambleball team if it is, but… well, we’ll just have to wait and see. Now don’t worry if it seem
s to take a long time, sometimes babies are a bit slow in coming. And Steffie, I want you to help Rowan with the little ones please, and be good for Mrs. Cade.”

  “Aye, Uncle Rowan. I will,” the second little lad said stoutly.

  “Good lad. Now, get yourselves a couple of toys each and something for Zara to play with too. Don’t forget her favourite doll, will you? Put them all in your Ma’s basket there, and then Ivan’s out the front, he’ll help you. Your Ma’s fine, I promise you.” He quickly scribbled a list of things he might need from the healers as the children gathered themselves up.

  Fess watched gratefully as Rowan herded the children out the door and sent them off to Cade’s wife, with Ivan carrying little Zara and the basket.

  “Thanks, Rowan. I… I don’t know if I’m coming or bloody going,” he said unhappily.

  Rowan smiled at him.

  “’Tis all right, Fess. I know you poor bloody Wirrans aren’t trained very well, but that’s about to change. For you at least. Come with me, lad.”

  “But… Rowan…” Fess was appalled.

  “Don’t be any bloody dafter than you can help, Fess. This is your fifth child and you’ve let poor Bella do the work all by herself every other time. You can at least hold her hand or rub her back when she needs it.”

  “But…”

  Rowan sighed and pushed Fess ahead of him.

  **********

  “Fess! Did you find Rowan?” Bella said anxiously, then saw him behind her husband. “Oh, Rowan, thank you, I…”

  “Bella love, I’m happy to help you, but are you sure you wouldn’t rather someone else? What about Davi or Zefer…?”

  The garrison’s two Master Healers were both very pleasant and very capable men who’d surely delivered their share of babies.

  She shook her head firmly.

  “No, Rowan, with all respect to Davi and Zefer. They…”

  They’re men, she’d been about to say, realising the silliness of it. Well, she was allowed to be silly at a time like this. And she knew Rowan was well-experienced at delivering babies – he’d even delivered Rose’s twins and coped well in spite of his own previous tragedy.

  “And I don’t want anyone coughing and sneezing all over me and my baby. I don’t want someone I’ve never seen before either,” she looked up at him, “You… you don’t mind, do you?”

  “Daft lass, of course I don’t mind, so long as you’re sure you’re happy about it,” he smiled at her, “And Fess is going to help too.”

  Bella stared at him in astonishment.

  “Fess? But… but he doesn’t know anything about birthing babies…”

  Rowan laughed.

  “Not yet, he doesn’t. But he’s about to learn. Let me just wash my hands, Bella. You too, Fess.”

  “And what about little Rowan and the others?” Bella gasped as she felt another contraction.

  “They’re fine, Bella. They’ve gone off to stay with Violet for a bit. Young Ivan will see they get there all right and she’ll look after them,” Rowan reassured her.

  The healer brought the basket of bits and pieces that Rowan had asked for. He was a Crellian, unsurprised at seeing a forester helping at a birthing.

  “Do you need me too, Rowan?” he asked as he handed the basket over. The house seemed very quiet, he thought.

  Rowan shook his head.

  “No, I don’t think so, thanks Davi. Bella’s doing well and she’s happy with just Fess and me. But you’d best make sure, I suppose,” he said.

  The healer emerged a few minutes later.

  “No, she’s fine,” he laughed, “She told me to go away and find something useful to do and let her get on with it. But what’s Fess doing in there? They’re a bloody useless lot when it comes to babies, these Wirrans.”

  Rowan grinned at him.

  “He’s making himself useful too, Davi. He was rubbing Bella’s back last time I saw him. And why should Bella have to do the hard work all by herself?”

  “Aye, well, I suppose that’s true… And Fess can always make you and Bella a cup of tea if you’re desperate,” Davi laughed again. “Or come and get me if you find you do need me after all.”

  “Aye, he can do that too. And a bit more besides, as he’s finding out.”

  “It’ll do him good,” the healer said as he went on his way.

  Fess was surprised to learn that he really could do a bit more than simply pace back and forth on the other side of a closed door while his wife laboured to deliver his child. Bella was amazed too, but found herself pleased that he was there. This being her fifth child, she knew what to do, what to expect, but she was amazed at how different it was this time with Fess and Rowan there to support and help her. Rowan was so calm and relaxed and matter-of-fact about it all that Fess quickly became much calmer too.

  She was surprised to hear Rowan singing softly as he prepared a warm bath for her.

  “What are you singing, Rowan?” she asked curiously.

  He put his head around the door of the bathing room and looked at her, puzzled.

  “ What? Oh, sorry, Bella love. I didn’t mean to disturb you,” he said, “’Tis a Siannen lullaby. Everyone sings like that at a birthing at home… I just wasn’t thinking…”

  She smiled at him.

  “No, don’t stop. ‘Tis soothing, peaceful. I just wondered what it was, that’s all. This is so different from when the others were born…” she sighed gratefully as Fess and Rowan helped her into the warm water.

  “Is it?” Rowan looked at Fess, who shrugged helplessly: he had no idea, except that it was certainly much quieter and less fraught. He was even starting to think that perhaps the Siannens had the right idea with this childbirth business.

  “Oh, yes,” Bella said, “Some of the midwives do nothing but bloody shout at you. Do this, don’t do that, push, don’t push, … and some are damned rough too. And they don’t like it if you want to walk around. They certainly don’t let you have a nice warm bath, like this… ooh, this is wonderful…” she sighed as Fess carefully rubbed her back and shoulders with sweet oil.

  “Shouting won’t make a baby come any sooner,” Rowan said, surprised, “It only annoys them, makes them more determined to stay where they are, and who could blame them? But this is how Gran taught Rose and Griff and me to birth babies, and…”

  “… And she’s taught you well. You won’t get any complaints from me, lad. I don’t even feel like I really need any of the herbs and potions,” Bella said happily.

  “Well, speak up if you do, Bella. They’re just there. Fess is in charge of that,” he looked across at his friend again. After a nervous start Fess was fascinated and captivated by the whole process, wishing that he hadn’t missed out the last four times.

  Not too much later, Rowan said quietly, “The job’s nearly done, Bella love. Grab Fess’s hand nice and tight, and then a couple of good strong pushes, and you should just about…” he broke off as a lusty wail filled the room.

  “Arrinas ela’u, lyriana d’Fess y Bella,” he said softly, “Hush, little lyriana. We’ve all heard you, we know you’re here now. Hush now, you’ll frighten your Pa. You’re all right, sweet one. A little girl, Bella, Fess. You have a beautiful little girl. You’ve done well, Bella. You can rest now.” He smiled at them both. “Fess, can you come over here in a minute, please, lad, I’ll need another pair of hands. And can you bring that little blanket with you, too? I can’t quite reach it.”

  Fess kissed Bella and went to stand beside Rowan. He gazed down in wonder. Cradled in Rowan’s strong hands and gripping one of his fingers, was a tiny baby: red, wrinkled, a bit bloodied, but laying there serenely, and so beautiful. His little daughter. He wondered how he could possibly have let himself miss out on this before. It was the most wonderful experience he’d ever had.

  Rowan looked up at his joyful face and smiled again. “Fess, lad, can you tie that thread there and there please, tightly… no, tighter… aye, good… and now take my dagger, I’ve already cleaned it
… and don’t cut yourself lad, this is the important bit…” he smiled again as Fess stared at him, took a deep breath and picked up the gleaming g’Hakken dagger. “Good lad… now, cut the cord… just… there…”

  He quickly washed the baby, wrapped her in the blanket and handed her to Fess. The baby howled in sudden outrage as her father carefully took her, his hands shaking a little.

  “There you go, Fess. Now don’t drop her, you daft bugger. Go and let your wife see her new little lass that she’s worked so hard for…”

  “Thank you, Rowan. Thank you,” Bella said softly, “You’re a damned good midwife, lad. Much gentler than any of the others I’ve had… oh, she’s such a beautiful little lass, just look at her.”

  “Just like her Ma,” Rowan said, “You’ve done a good job there, Bella love. And Fess didn’t even faint. Truly, I thought I might have to pick him up off the floor before we’d even got started.”

  Fess beamed at him.

  “Thank you, Rowan,” he said quietly, “Thank you for making me stay. It’s the most wonderful thing I’ve ever…”

  “Hush, Fess. You don’t need to thank me. Truly, I should be thanking you. ‘Tis an honour to be able to help birth a child.”

  “Rowan…” Bella said, smiling as the baby found her breast, “What did you say when the baby was born?”

  “‘Arrinas ela’u, lyriana d’Fess y Bella’, ‘tis the traditional forester greeting for a newborn,” Rowan said softly, “It means ‘welcome in love and joy, beautiful child of Fess and Bella’… ‘tis ‘lyriana’ for a little girl and ‘lyrion’ for a boy.”

  “That’s beautiful… thank you. Do… do folk ever call their babies Lyriana? It sounds so pretty,” Bella said.

  Rowan nodded.

  “Aye, some do. ’Tis a pretty name, I’ve always thought,” he said.

  “Then that’s who she shall be… Lyriana…” Bella said happily, “What do you think, Fess?”

  “Bella, my heart, ‘tis perfect. She is a beautiful child, Lyriana is perfect for her…” Fess couldn’t stop looking at his new daughter. If there were more children in the future, Fess vowed he’d never let himself miss out on this again.