by Robin Roseau
"You're really big!" she said.
Haldara laughed lightly. "Yes, I guess I am. How old are you?"
"I'm ten," she said. "I'm going to be an Amazon when I'm older."
"If you're living here, you're already an Amazon," Haldara said.
"I am?"
"Yes," she said. "But when you're ready for your own warrior, you let me know, okay?"
"Okay," she said.
Haldara stood up and looked around.
"Looking for someone in particular?" I asked.
"I was looking for my chief," she said. "Sometimes her companion helps me out. But I don't see her."
"Did you need your bruises tended?" I asked with a grin.
"No more than you do," she said back, also smiling. "No, just-"
"Right." The voices.
From in front of her mother, Annalise was listening. "Did you need a hug, Haldara?"
Haldara looked at her. "Yes," she said. "I guess I do."
"You may hug me if you want. The warriors at Lake Juna always tell me they like hugging me."
"I may?" she asked, but she was looking at Lia, not Annalise. Lia nodded to her. Haldara paused for a moment before kneeling back down. She opened her arms, and the girl stepped into the hug. Annalise definitely disappeared when Haldara closed her arms around her.
Haldara closed her eyes and held our daughter. It was amazing to see such a large warrior offer such a tender expression. I saw some of the tension leave her body, and then she clearly whispered, "Thank you," to the girl before releasing her.
"Haldara," Lia said. "Perhaps you would like to join us for lunch, if you're not needed elsewhere. Annalise can make a plate for you, if you like."
"I wouldn't want to intrude."
"It's no intrusion at all, but there is no obligation."
"I eat a lot. Can your village afford to feed me?"
Lia smiled. "We eat with Queen's Town. You don't mind sharing a table with the queen, do you? Please, we'd love to have you." She looked down at Annalise. "I believe one of my daughters wants to ask you about your sword."
"May I see it?" the girl asked. "It's taller than I am!"
Haldara laughed. "Yes, I believe it is. I would love to join you for a meal."
"I need to get back to the kitchens," Lia said. "But I'll see you at lunch. And these two have duties for Maya. Go on, you two. I'm sure she's wondering why I haven't returned you yet. Annalise, you may ask about Haldara's sword after lunch. Maybe she'll show you her real sword."
The girls ran off. Haldara stood up. "Are you sure?"
"Of course," Lia said. "It was very frightening watching you with my warrior-"
"Aw, I wouldn't have hurt her."
"-but Beria said you're a good woman, and I find my warrior to generally be an excellent judge of character. So I'll see you at lunch, won't I?"
"Yes, Lia," Haldara said. "I would enjoy nothing more."
"All right," Lia said. "We need help in the kitchen, Beria. Hint."
"I'll be along shortly," I said.
"We both will," Omie added.
Lia gave me one quick kiss and then disappeared into the crowd. Haldara looked at me. "Was there a fight you wanted to see?"
"Jalad hasn't fought yet, but I have her figured out."
"I haven't fought her, either. I think maybe when I do, I won't pull my strikes."
I laughed. "I like you, Haldara."
"You two help in the kitchen?" she asked.
"Our companions are the cooks," Omie explained. "All the companions are so busy helping with the event."
"I'm pretty good with a knife," Haldara said. "Is there room in the kitchen for me?"
"Oh, I'm sure they'll happily put you into work. You know, the moment we step in, we belong to them until they release us."
Haldara grinned. "That wouldn't be so bad."
Omie and I chuckled, but then Omie said, "Get your own."
Haldara laughed. "I'm all bluster. Someday I'm going to ask Maya to help me find a companion a little closer to my own age, I think." She shrugged. "Maya has a hard time finding companions for me. I seem to scare them." She paused. "Annalise didn't seem scared."
"Who could be afraid of you, Haldara?" I asked. "You're a big teddy bear."
She grew quiet, and the three of us turned towards the kitchen, stepping forward to go lend a hand. But outside the kitchen, she pulled me to a stop. "Maybe I should dress up in a bear costume. Would that help?"
* * * *
Aren and Lia were overjoyed to see the three of us. Aren took one look at Haldara. "You're in my kitchen. You know what that means, don't you?"
"This little thing is your warrior?" she asked, pointing a thumb at Omie.
"She is. I am Aren."
"I'm Haldara. I understand I now belong to you until you let me go."
Aren laughed. "Yes, you do. Know your way around a kitchen?"
"I might know a thing or two."
"Well, we don't let Beria do anything more complicated than the dishes."
"I can handle more complicated than dishes," Haldara said. "Why don't you give me the big jobs?"
Lia turned to me. "You know your job."
I laughed. "Right."
Haldara fit right in. She teased everyone, but it was exceedingly good-natured, and she uttered not a single complaint or suggestion a warrior shouldn't be serving in the kitchen.
Twenty minutes later, I heard Malora from the entrance of the kitchen. "May I come in without being put to work?"
Aren laughed. "Just this once," she said. "I have enough help."
Malora stepped in. I glanced over, and she looked surprised. "You have three of my favorite warriors at work in the kitchen?"
"They're doing a good job, too," Aren said. "Please don't tell me you're taking them away from me."
"Well, I was looking for the one at the sink," she said. "But I'm happy to see Haldara at the same time. If I can borrow her for just a minute, I'd appreciate it."
"You aren't going to take her out of the kitchen, are you?" Aren asked. If she let one of us leave, we were free.
Malora laughed. "We'll talk over at the sinks."
"All right then. But they aren't leaving, and if you so much as look like you're thinking of taking them away, I have potatoes that need peeling, Queen Malora."
Malora laughed again. "I promise." She gestured towards me, and Haldara stepped over. Malora gestured both of us closer and said, "I was very impressed with both of you today."
Haldara and I exchanged grins. "Thank you, Queen Malora," she said. "Chief Beria is a good opponent. And her daughters are darling."
Malora shook her head. "Those two. I had misgivings when I gave permission for them to join us, but they have bewitched half my warriors and are hard at work bewitching the other half." She turned to me. "Did you know what your eldest has done?"
Lia heard that and moved closer.
"She asked me to wrestle with her."
"Is that where these grass stains came from?" Lia asked, stepping up beside her.
"Yes."
"She is promised to Bea," I said.
"So she is telling everyone who will listen."
"The little one is just as enchanting," Haldara said.
"She's got this one wrapped around her finger," Lia said. "Queen Malora, I hope I have not overstepped my limits."
"What have you done?"
"Invited Haldara to lunch with us."
Malora laughed. "That's why I wanted to talk to her. You have simply beaten me to what I was going to do already."
"Annalise will be serving Haldara her lunch," Lia said. "We'll have a small one with us."
"That's fine," Malora said. "They are always welcome."
"All right," said Aren. "More work and less talk, or I'll put you to work, too, Queen Malora."
"Yikes!" Malora said. She beat a hasty retreat from the kitchen.
Haldara watched as the Malora disappeared. "She's a good queen. I've never had a conversation wi
th her before. So much energy. I've talked with Maya in the past, mostly about companions. We've shared fires. But we've never talked. I like her."
"So do we," I said.
Lia turned to me. "Misgivings?"
"She was concerned I was taking on a potential discipline issue. This was before we'd met."
"But they met me years ago. I thought she liked me."
"That was a long time ago. People change. Like your brother."
"Oh."
"She is pleased to have her worries put to rest," I added.
"All right!" Snapped Aren. "More work, less talking!"
"Yes, Chief Aren," I said.
"And don't you forget it," she said.
* * * *
Lunch was very pleasant. Joelle wanted to serve Bea, but Maya took her aside and said, "You must let Halla continue to serve her warrior. I am pleased to see you so excited, but perhaps we should find ways to channel that excitement that won't upset Halla."
Joelle glanced over to the companion in question then back at Maya. "Do I have to?"
"I'm afraid so."
"May I still wrestle with Bea?"
"Yes," she said. "But perhaps let her ask you. But I tell you what."
"What?"
"You may ask Queen Malora to wrestle as much as you like. I don't mind at all."
"But Halla will mind if I ask Bea to wrestle?"
"She might," Maya said. "Halla will be a warrior soon, but this time they have together is very precious. Bea shouldn't have asked you to be her next companion while she still had a companion, but she wanted to ask before someone else did."
Joelle looked back at Bea and then at Halla before turning back to Maya. "All right, Maya. Will there be more swimming this afternoon?"
"Maybe," she said. "If we have time. But I don't have any competitions planned."
"Then maybe you and I can team up against Mother and Annalise."
Maya laughed. "I'm not sure that is a game your little sister is ready to enjoy, but I'm sure we can come up with something everyone will enjoy."
Over lunch, Haldara was quiet. I decided she was more comfortable in a small group and she was perhaps intimidated by more faces. I made a point of asking her opinion of the remaining competition, and everyone listened to what she had to say. Then she and Nori began talking, Nori offering Haldara a great deal of respect.
Maya invited Joelle to help serve the queen, and so she sat on one side of Malora, Maya on the other. Malora spent a good share of the meal with one arm around my daughter.
The other daughter plastered herself to Haldara's side. The warrior asked permission with her eyes, granted by Lia, and so she put an arm around her, taking the comfort a warrior takes from a young companion: soothing of the voices. Haldara was amazingly gentle with her.
Maya noticed all this. Maya noticed everything, after all. She waited for a lull and then said, "Haldara, you need a companion."
"Perhaps," Haldara said. "Someday I want what I see at this table." She gestured towards Rora, Maya, and Lia, then looked over her shoulder at Omie and Rora, seated with Bea and Vorine. Then she looked back. "But I think I want to mother one or two more first." She grinned. "I still have a few oats to sow, I believe. Some of the girls out on the plains are happy when I come to visit."
Then she looked down at Annalise seated next to her, studying the girl for a moment before returning her gaze to Maya. "I think I may wait another year or two, then see what mettle the available companions show."
Later that night, Lia invited me for a walk. She took my hand and led me to the river, then asked me where we could sit. I led her to a place over the water. She sat down next to me, but I pulled her into my arms.
"I didn't come to make out," she said. "I need to talk to you."
"We can talk between kisses."
"Beria, stop this," she said, pushing away. She climbed off my lap and sat down next to me.
I was a little hurt, but she leaned against me. "I will give you all the comfort you can stand after we talk."
"All right. What's wrong?"
"Did I lose both my daughters in the same day?"
I didn't know what she was talking about and told her.
"Bea has enchanted my eldest, and I won't be able to keep her more than another year at the most, will I?"
"Probably not."
"She's so young."
"How old was Tamma when she came here."
She sighed. "Joelle's age. I was two years older."
"And she left her home and went far away with people she didn't know. Your daughter will be barely an hour away-"
"Closer to two!"
"And watched over not only by one of my dearest friends in the entire world, but by my sister, the queen, my warrior, and all of Queen's Town."
"I know," she said. "That's why I agreed. But where does Haldara live?"
That's when I understood. "Oh. Oh, I see. Lia, she's not trying to claim Annalise. She only said she'll be watching her to see if they would be a good fit."
"For a lover?"
"Is that what you think Bea wants?"
"You said Bea would mother her."
"And you heard Haldara say she wants a companion to mother, and you also heard her tell you where she finds that kind of companionship. She was telling you that your daughter would be safe with her."
Lia sat quietly for a minute. "All right."
"Haldara seems to know what she wants in a companion. She found Annalise to be very sweet and unafraid of her. But she wants to give her a chance to see what style she is going to take on. So she'll probably find an excuse now and then to visit us. She may be subtle about it; she may not. She also asked us not to promise Annalise to anyone else without giving her a chance. And so, we shouldn't."
"All right," Lia said.
She didn't press the question about where Haldara lived, and I didn't volunteer it. I thought it was best to let her get used to the idea before letting her realize that if Annalise went with her, she'd be living three days' ride away.
And I could always beg Malora for another favor.
* * * *
But I let my story get ahead of itself, and so I must reverse for a moment.
After the morning's bouts, there were twelve warriors remaining in the tournament. Three -- Jalad, Tenda and Lilith -- remained undefeated. And so the sixth round of bouts was to be performed in two rings with Malora as referee for one and Ping for the other. I thought Ralla would be a better choice but Ping had always been a solid warrior, and she was a good referee.
I hadn't been paying much attention to my opponent in her previous fights and didn't know much about her, but Nori quietly talked to me. "Use both swords. She's good against one sword, but she won't know what to do when facing two."
And so, she hadn't, and I had an easy bout.
Afterwards, we went swimming, and Haldara accepted our invitation to join us, "Although I don't swim."
"I'll teach you," Annalise offered immediately. "It's really easy."
"Maybe for her first lesson, we'll use a somewhat more experienced teacher," Lia said.
"I'll be happy to listen to your tips, Annalise," Haldara said, "but my body is so different from yours. I may not float quite the way you do."
We weren't, of course, the only ones who decided a swim would feel good, and the water was crowded. I realized that Lake Juna would have had an advantage, as we weren't limited by a swift current. Maya appeared shortly after we arrived, saw me teaching Haldara how to swim, and came over to offer her own brand of teaching.
Later, with Maya managing the girls, Lia and I lay in the sun together holding hands and enjoying the warmth. She turned her head, and we looked at each other.
"Thank you," she said.
"For what?"
"All of this," she said. "What you do is dangerous, and I know the voices are horrible. Life here isn't comfortable. But it's a good life, and we have good friends."
I smiled. "Yes, we do."
"You miss this, don't you?"
"Miss what?"
"Queen's Town. At Lake Juna, you're the chief."
"You've made life at Lake Juna so much better," I said.
"But they're not your friends, not like everyone here. Have you seen how much happier you are here than at home?"
"To me, this is home," I said, "even more than Gallen's Cove. Maya still talks about visits there as 'going home to see Mom and Dad', but for me, coming here is going home."
"Then why are you at Lake Juna?"
"Because Queen Malora asked me to be chief there."
"You didn't ask for it?"
"No."
"You're a good chief."
"I guess. It's not hard. Everyone does what she is supposed to. I don't have that much to do. Mostly I am just another Amazon. I train myself; I teach those younger than I am; I patrol."
"You're a good chief," she said again. "You set the tone for the entire village."
"Do I?" I asked. "If I truly did, wouldn't they be, oh, I don't know."
"Naughtier?"
I laughed. "Yeah, I guess."
"You're kind," she said. "You protect those who need protecting. You take care of everyone."
"You're confusing me with my sister."
"You both do that; you do it differently than she does. You're a lot like Maya. But you're a lot like Malora and Nori, too."
I stared at her, deeply flattered. "Thank you," I said.
"I know how most people see Amazons. You are deemed fierce and standoffish. Mythical. Unapproachable. But almost none of you are like that."
"I don't know anything about that," I said. "But I bet my sister would love this conversation with you. She probably has theories."
"I'll talk to her about it sometime." She smiled at me. "I like Lake Juna. I like being near my sister. But if Queen Malora ever asks you to come back to Queen's Town, you should accept. You're happier here, and I will be happy where ever you are."
I didn't know what to say. I grew quiet. "You know, she offered to let me come home."
"She did? When?"
"A little over a year ago."
She thought back. "I think you should be a little more specific."
"If you had turned me down, I was going to resign as village chief."
"Oh darling," she said. She squeezed my hand. "Do you wish that's what happened?"