by Robin Roseau
“Eggs come from chickens, right?”
She laughed. “Yes.”
“Do they fight you when you try to take their eggs from them?”
“Only if you look like a fox.”
“Funny.”
* * * *
I’m not going to talk about all the work. We did at least a little bit of farm work each day, and quite a lot some days, and that began early the next day. But Rosaniya did show me the books, and that helped a lot, perhaps more than almost anything else.
Then she, Grandma T, and I sat down with a pot of tea to share. I made sure no one else was about and then said, “Ressaline has some interesting customs.”
“They kicked out all the men,” Grandma T said. “How do they produce new children?”
“Magic.”
“Really?”
“Yes,” I said. “They have a few kinds of magic.” I paused. “This is a very sensitive conversation. You’re probably going to be shocked. Nothing I’m about to tell you is a secret.” I smiled. “Everyone living north of our borders knows this.”
“It can’t be so bad.”
“Do you know they keep slaves?”
“I heard something about that,” Rosaniya replied.
“Do you know more about it than that?”
“No.”
I told it to them in pieces. There were questions, but for the most part, they were very quiet. It was at the end that Grandma T and Rosaniya asked the three questions I knew would come. “Has Tess done this?”
“No.”
“Have you?” Rosaniya asked.
“Yes. Once. And I was deeply frustrated Father brought me home before I could start doing practice challenges.”
“Sex, sex, and more sex?”
“Pretty much.”
“If Tess goes to Ressaline, she’s going to have to do this,” Grandma T confirmed, the third question.
“Yes.”
Rosaniya grinned at that. “I’d like to see that.”
“You can come with, but you’d also get your turn.”
They actually took it better than I expected. We sat quietly, and then it was Rosaniya who said, “So. You need not only two or three women from here who can represent us, but they need to go through this.”
“Yes. And be able to travel. They wouldn’t necessarily be pleasure slaves, but the process starts out… as I explained.” I had explained about the different types of slaves, so didn’t need to go into that again.
“And they should probably do it ahead of time,” Grandma T said. “You explained about being complaisant for a few months.”
“Yes, although we can make that work. My staff and honor guard will also have to go through it, so we’ll have to take our time or make it two separate trips.”
“I suppose they need to be pretty.”
“No. Don’t worry about that. They need to be good representatives of your interests who can be gracious about this custom.”
“I don’t know anyone who prefers women,” Rosaniya said.
“That won’t be a problem.” I smiled. “She’ll like women just fine.” Grandma T snorted a laugh. “But I don’t want to take someone that far if she’s going to back out.” I shrugged. “Tess knows about this and has declared her intentions. If we can’t find anyone else, she may have to do.”
“She was young when she left,” Rosaniya said. “She knows what any farm girl knows, but she doesn’t know what I know, and I’m not anyone special.”
“I don’t know how to handle this part,” I admitted. “The people of the region need to be happy with their representatives, but I don’t really want to have to explain this to all of Lorafar, and I imagine the women involved won’t necessarily want to be the subject of the expected gossip.”
“If you could snap your fingers and make this happen, how would it happen?”
I’d thought about that. “Two women, or maybe three.” I laughed. “I don’t know if we can find any, and I’m talking about three. They don’t all need to be young, but they need to be prepared for travel, and I think I want to be able to go all the way to Ressaline City. I could get anyone to Charth. Maybe if one of them is unprepared for harsh travel, we could leave her there, but then I definitely want three.”
“Keep going,” she said.
“So, at least two, at least 18 years old, and probably no older than your mother, or so.” She nodded. “Respected and very knowledgeable.” Another nod. “Can be gone for a half year. I bet that’s a serious impediment.”
“On the other hand,” she replied. “They’re going with you. Would they be part of your staff?”
“Yes, for this.”
“So an adventure.”
“Most definitely an adventure.”
“Does she need to be single?”
“Or have a very, very forgiving husband.”
They both laughed.
“One more question. Would these women, I don’t know. Be together?”
“You mean while they’re having their First?”
“Yes.”
“No. It’s an intense experience, and there are rules.”
“So, sisters could go, or a mother/daughter,” she said. “And it might be a little weird, but not really, really weird.”
I smiled. “Correct.”
She nodded. “Grandma T, are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Only if you’re thinking you wish I was twenty years younger.”
“Grandma T!” Rosaniya exclaimed.
“Then no, I’m not thinking what you’re thinking, because I’m stuck on that.”
I laughed. “Seriously?”
“Yes,” she confirmed. She sighed dramatically. “What are you thinking, Rosaniya?”
“I’m thinking you’re going to have to take the numbers back from me for a while.”
Grandma T grew quiet, but then she nodded. “Who else?”
Rosaniya turned to me. “Calarel’s mother never married. She and Grandma T don’t get along, or she’d be living here.”
“Is she a difficult woman?”
“She’s a hoot,” Rosaniya said. “I really like her. She was a young mother, so she’s… hmm. I think 8 years older than I am.”
“What does she do?”
“She’s an animal doctor.”
“We can’t take the animal doctor with us. What if she’s needed?”
“Her father, brother, uncle, and one cousin will do,” Grandma T said. “She’s respected.”
“You said she’d be living here if you two got along better.”
“She’s an acquired taste,” Grandma T said. “One her sister-in-law hasn’t acquired.”
“Grandma T doesn’t like her because Lyeneru is smarter than she is,” Rosaniya said with a grin. “You should meet her and decide for yourself.”
“Is she going to fight with me over authority?”
“Find out. I don’t know. But I get along with her. She and I won’t fight. We come at this from different sides. But she knows the region as well as anyone else we could approach.”
“Before we can make this official, do we need to talk to your father?”
“Yes,” she said. “But our family is fully committed to this. He’ll agree.”
“We’re going to need to make sure Tess is okay with it. That’s only fair.”
“That’s only fair,” Grandma T agreed.
“When can I meet Lyeneru?”
“We’re hosting a festival,” Grandma T said. “Everyone will come.”
“Everyone?”
“Well. Not everyone, but a lot of people.”
“Should we send a courier to ensure Lyeneru is planning to attend?”
“It wouldn’t hurt,” Grandma T replied.
“If you write it, Tess can get it delivered.”
* * * *
The festival was three days later. People began arriving about an hour after breakfast. They came by wagon or mounted. Some came as families; some came alone or with friends
. There were too many horses and wagons for the available space, so the surrounding farms offered places for both, and they ran people back and forth by hay wagon. For fun, I rode one of those trips, sitting on the back of the wagon to help make a round. We were halfway back to Sessen Farm before people realized who I was.
I suppose I could have offered my name sooner.
But I started a hay fight with two of the girls, then acted offended when they threw some of the hay back at me.
It eventually devolved into giggles and one young girl sitting on my chest, trying to stuff hay down my shirt. I was laughing so hard I could barely fend her off, and she was relentless. Her parents may have been terrified of my response, but Sergeant Felist barely looked over her shoulder from her seat beside the driver, so no one interfered.
I finally caught the girl’s wrists, and this time I didn’t let her go. She giggled and tried to get free, but I said, “Maybe let me catch my breath.”
“Let the princess up now, Desiah,” said her mother.
“She’s fine,” I said. But I helped the girl climb off me. Then she giggled and flopped down next to me, but I kept an eye on her. She was still holding onto some of the hay.
“You’re not what anyone expected,” said the mother, whose name I hadn’t caught yet.
“A proper princess wouldn’t have thrown hay all over the road,” I said.
“No, probably not.” There were chuckles.
“I’ve never been in a hay wagon fight before, especially not with someone as good as Desiah,” I said. Then I waved a finger at her. “Throw that at me, and I’ll get you back.”
“Nuh-uh,” she said with another giggle. But then she pointed. “Is that a soldier?”
“Sort of. Sergeant Felist is with the royal guard. It’s her job to save me from little girls throwing hay.”
“She’s not very good at it.” Even Mariya chuckled at that.
“I will point out that you weren’t throwing hay, you were attempting to stuff hay. They are decidedly different.”
“You have hay in your hair.”
“So do you.”
“Princesses aren’t supposed to have hay in their hair.”
“That’s probably true,” I agreed. “But I’m not a princess today. I’m just Darfelsa.”
“I don’t think it works that way.”
“Well, you’re right. I can’t stop being a princess, but I don’t have to act like one all the time, just like I bet you aren’t a little hay-stuffer all the time.”
She giggled at me.
I sat up and looked around. “I think I should be embarrassed.”
“Because you have hay in your hair, and some sticking out of your tunic, and, well, more hay just about everywhere?”
“Because it’s my fault there’s hay all over the road instead of on this wagon.”
“Technically, it’s not hay,” said the girl’s father. “It’s straw. And you may not have noticed, but there’s more straw on some of the other wagons.”
“In anticipation of little miscreants like me?”
“Yes,” he said. And then he picked up a handful and went after his wife, who began screeching. But his daughters jumped to Mother’s defense, and all I could do was laugh. In the end, I wasn’t the only one with hay everywhere, but I found myself with Desiah in my lap, and her mother seated beside me, leaning against a bale that was, in turn, leaning against the front of the wagon.
“Have you been to a country festival before?”
“I have,” I said. “And I’ve always had fun. Will there be games?”
“Probably. They can be pretty silly. No one knew what to expect.”
“I bet some of you thought I’d be all… Formal.”
“Afraid of getting dirty.”
“And the animals.” I made a face. “Do you know, they have sheep on the Sessen farm. They make the most horrendous noise.”
“Baa!” said Desiah. “Baa! Baa!”
“Just so, you little sheep,” I said, hugging her.
“You’re not really afraid of sheep, are you?”
“No. I like sheep. They’re cute. Do you have sheep?”
“Yep. We make wool.”
“To sell?”
“No,” said Mother. “Just for ourselves.”
“Have you ever sheared a sheep, Darfelsa?” asked Desiah.
“No, I haven’t, but I can spin the wool.”
“That’s what we do in the winter,” she said.
“I think I saw cotton in some of the fields.”
“Probably,” said the father. “It’s not a cash crop here, but a lot of the farms have a little, or a few farms use it for trade. Even with machines, it’s labor intensive.”
“Farming is a lot of work,” I agreed. The wagon came to a stop, and I looked around. “We’re here! Genmenor, do I need to replenish the straw I threw everywhere?”
“Yes,” he said with a laugh. “There are bales there.” He pointed.
“Who is going to help me? How much should we add?”
“Two bales,” said the elder daughter. “I’ll help you.”
* * * *
I met a lot of people. There were games, and I played with everyone else. And there was so much food, such good food. These were good, generous people. Then, while some of the older kids helped to entertain the younger kids, I sat in a big circle and explained everything, from start to finish, skipping some of the details regarding Ressaline customs. It took time, and more time to answer questions.
“Tess Sessen is on my staff, which is how I landed on this particular farm,” I said. “But I need to know as much as I can, myself. And so, I want to learn how things work, and I want to learn about your concerns. I want to know what is difficult for you, and if there are things we can do to help. I’m going to take a tour of the region, but I don't know where to go. And I’ll talk to anyone who wants to talk to me. We can talk about all of this, or we can talk about other concerns, too. I don’t promise to have answers, or to be able to help, but I can listen, and maybe there are things I can do, or answers I can send once I return to Barrish.”
We talked for a while, mostly to make plans, and then it was time for a few more games before dinner. As if we hadn’t been eating all day.
I was talking to one young man when Calalel approached. She had another woman with her, tall with long, black hair and dark eyes. I thanked the man and told him he could find me again if he wanted to talk more. I smiled. “You must be Lyeneru.”
“Princess Darfelsa,” she replied. “I’ve been volunteered to be your partner in an upcoming game, but Grandma T refuses to tell me what game. If it were with anyone else, I would have declined.”
“You’ll love being my partner,” I said. “Everyone does.” I grinned. “How soon is this game?”
“A few minutes.”
“Well, we can walk together,” I said. I took her arm. Calalel went one way; we went another. “You’re an animal doctor.”
“You are well-informed.”
“I have memorized every single name, what they do, and their favorite animal when they were six.” She laughed. “It was suggested you would have perspective that not everyone else would have, and I should get to know you.”
“Ah. That may be true.”
We chatted. Eventually we reached the area where they were playing games. Lyeneru groaned.
“My company is so unpleasant?” I asked.
“No. Do you think we can get away before we are trapped into playing this game?”
I eyed the preparations. “I don’t recognize this one.”
“It’s more fun as an observer,” she said. “Quick, I see an escape path.”
I let her try to steer us away, but then Rosaniya and Terla cut us off, folding their arms. Lyeneru tried a fresh path, only to be blocked by Tess and Desiah. And then we discovered everyone here was in on the plan to ensure Lyeneru and I played this game, as they herded us into the center of a large circle along with six or seven other
pairs.
“I think we’re trapped,” I said.
“Quick,” she replied. “Remind them all you’re the princess.”
“Good plan. That will get me out of it, but you’re stuck.”
She grabbed my arm and then pulled me to her, my back to her front and wrapped her hand over my mouth. “If I’m stuck, you’re stuck.”
I reached up and pulled her hand away, then looked over my shoulder at her. Then I quietly counted to three before her features changed, and she realized who she was holding. Her hands would have dropped, but I was holding one of them, and I reached with one free hand to grab her other. “We’re playing,” I said. “Do my guards look nervous?”
She looked over. “No. They look amused.”
“Well,” Grandma T said, raising her voice. “We seem to have our volunteers.”
“I have no idea what this game is,” I said. “But given my partner’s reaction so far, and the glee with which she and I were herded into the middle, I take it I’m in for some embarrassment. So I have to ask: what did all these other people do to land beside me?”
There were chuckles. “They were volunteered pretty much like you were.”
“Well then,” I said. “I would like to know who volunteered my name.”
“It wasn’t me,” Grandma T said.
“Well, I’m about to draw upon my position. Either they’re all picking your partner, Grandma T, and you’re joining us, or someone is giving up a different name.”
Grandma T’s mouth dropped. Most of the other people laughed. And about six people confessed.
“Oh, please,” I said. “I want the real culprit, Tess.”
“It wasn’t me!”
“It was me,” Rosaniya admitted.
“Honestly this time?”
“Honestly this time,” she admitted.
“You folks know what to do,” I said.
They did, and laughing, they began herding Rosaniya into the circle, but partway there, she grabbed her sister’s arm. Tess complained, but she let herself be herded in, too.
“Much better,” I declared. “Someone explain this game.”
It wasn’t that bad, and there was a lot of laughing, even from the participants. But honey was involved, that’s all I’m going to say.
I kept possession of Lyeneru. She didn’t seem to mind. I did like her. Once she got into the game, she got into it. I think watching me get honey in my hair helped a lot. We sat together, chatting easily.