“We are here to sign up.” Lafe prompted when he saw the stunned look on councilman Urwin’s face.
“Of course, you are. Yes, yes. I have the paper around here somewhere.” Councilman Urwin said as he patted the pile of papers.
They stepped up next to the desk as the councilmen said; “Ah, here we are.”
Lafe took ahold of the paper and examined it. It was a blank parchment. Not a thing was written on it at all. He turned it over thinking that he had missed something perhaps, but he was correct there was nothing on it.
“This is blank.” Lafe stated and presented it to the councilman.
“Yes, well the thing is usually it takes a few days or weeks even for anyone to volunteer so I haven’t made anything up yet. If you all sign your names and addresses on it, I will begin drawing up the contract.” Councilman Urwin explained.
They each, in turn, did as they were asked waiting for the contract to be finished. Two other men not from the mill entered and signed the paper. A few moments later the councilman presented a short document explaining the bounty being offered for their service along with a note of the dangerous nature of the hunt. If any were to leave the party, they forfeited their portion of the bounty.
They all agreed to meet in an hour and start the hunt. Each going their own way to get what gear they needed. Lafe felt good about doing the right thing. People needed help and he answered that call. Gabby would like that; she might even call him by his name for once.
Chapter 12
The night seemed to go on and on. For some reason, Gabby couldn’t seem to get to sleep. Either she was too uncomfortable to sleep, her bedclothes trying their hardest to choke her or tie her down. When sleep did find her, she had dreadful nightmares. The kind that left you in a cold sweat and panting when you woke. It was no wonder that when she did finally pull herself out of bed it looked to be around noon.
She found that to be kind of strange. Her mother never let her sleep this late. It was unbecoming of a lady to sleep until such an hour of the day, she would always tell her if she came into her room and caught her still in bed. Her father had gotten a large order a few days ago and he had asked for her to come and help at the shop.
It seems like it was her lucky day, even if there were dreadful nightmares about the skeleton attacking her. They were getting less frequent but a few times a week she would have at least one where the skeleton was after her, or it was the skeleton that had knocked Lafe into a hundred pieces. Dreams couldn’t hurt her; she knew but that didn’t make them any less scary. “Adventures had to deal with these things and would not be scared”, she would tell herself as she pulled her blankets tighter against her body. Soon enough the sun would rise, and the terrors of the night would be lost to the light of a new day.
She washed her face and hair in the wash basin, then put on a linen dress adorned with ruffles around the collar. She was going to go and talk with Lafe today about these rumors of wolves in the forest she had been hearing. It was a good enough excuse to go and see him. It must have been at least three days since that last time she had talked with him. No four, she thought. He had told her of the progress of the house and supplies he had been gathering.
It had come as a great surprise to her. Such a large house and property was beyond her expectations. He had planned everything out; he said he was going to list her on the deed for the property, house, and the accounts at the bank. They were so close to having everything in order for their wedding.
Today is the day, she thought, we will make the arrangements and finalize the plans. That put a smile on her face, and she twirled around her room, imagining them dancing at their wedding festival. She started downstairs to find some food.
Gabby reached the bottom of the stairs and noticed that her mother was not at the shop as she had thought. Even more surprising was her father was not at the shop either. It was rare for both her parents to be home in the middle of the day. Stranger still was that Ivy and Tony were also there. Ivy looked to have been crying and Tony looked upset as well.
“What’s going on? Ivy are you alright?” Gabby asked.
Ivy managed to answer with a barely audible whisper in between sobs. “No.”
Gabby looked to her mother and noticed that she too had tears running down her face as well.
“Papa, what’s wrong?” Gabby pleaded.
“Oh, my dear, dear sweet little princess. Come here and sit with your Pa.” He said.
She began to walk toward her father. She couldn’t figure out why everyone was crying. Her chest seemed to tighten with each step she took. She reached her father and sat in the chair opposite him. The pain was clear in her father’s face, and to his credit, his voice never quavered in the least. That only amplified the anxiety of the situation.
Her father leaned forward, wrapping his arms around her and squeezed her tight. Gabby was unprepared for the warm tear she felt on her father’s cheek. She could feel tears welling in her own eyes.
“I’m sorry, my dear, Lafe has died.” Her father whispered into her ear. “It was the wolves.”
The words didn’t make sense and she started to feel cold, then numb. Gabby wasn’t entirely sure if her father had been speaking common or another language. She tried to put the words together in her mind but couldn’t. Lafe, has, died. She noticed someone was screaming, a horrible wailing cry, the sound hurt her ears. The words played again in her mind. Lafe, has, died.
She knew what those words meant. The same moment that she realized she knew those words was the moment she realized it was her screaming. Her arms were flailing, and her father struggled to hold her, trying both to comfort her and restrain her.
“No! No! No! No!” She screamed.
She fought to free herself from her father’s arms. She continued flailing about wildly and screaming incoherent noise. She felt more arms and hands as her friends joined in to hold her. Tony gently grabbed her wrists and held them while Ivy stroked her hair. She wanted to be let go, she wanted to run away, she wanted this to be another nightmare to wake from, but it wasn’t.
She went limp, her energy completely gone. She sobbed and let her father and friends hold her. She wanted to ask how he died, but she couldn’t make the words come. She needed to know why he died, again the words escaped her. She felt empty, drained of life. Something that she hadn’t realized was there was now gone and left in its place was a chasm.
She understood now, why everyone was so sad, why they were all there. She knew why her mother let her sleep in. They all knew this moment her world would end.
Three days passed without Gabby leaving her room. She wouldn’t have left her bed those days either, but Ivy dragged her out. She had stayed with Gabby every moment since the news of Lafe’s death. She helped Gabby out of bed and washed her each day. This wasn’t anything new for Ivy, she helped with people too sick to take care of themselves at the apothecary all the time. This was a type of sickness in the heart and Ivy would help her as best as she knew how.
Gabby felt like a marionette after two days of Ivy manipulating her every move. She didn’t care, she lacked the energy to resist. She didn’t want Ivy there, she wanted to tell her to go away, but every time she tried, she started crying again. She didn’t want to eat but Ivy managed to get warm broth down her throat. At night Ivy would tuck her in and stroke her hair until she fell asleep. The next day it would start again.
This day was different. Lafe’s last feast was tonight, and Gabby would be there. She still lacked the energy to do much on her own. Ivy washed and dressed her in her best dress. Ivy braided her hair and she started to cry again, but this time it was for Ivy. She saw the beautiful braids, ribbons, and flowers woven through her hair for the first time.
“Thank you.” Gabby whispered.
Ivy kissed the top of her head and replied, “Anything for you.”
Gabby remained silent the rest of the time Ivy was getting her ready. She sat on the edge of her bed as Ivy changed and did her own hair.
Once finished Ivy helped Gabby up and out of her room. She hurt, not just emotionally but also physically. Lying in bed all day for three days had taken a toll out on her. Her whole body ached, and she felt it was fitting for her ache way at Lafe’s Last Feast.
Gabby’s father had hired a coach to take them to Maerryth’s Kitchen for the feast. She had always thought it odd that their religious sanctuaries were called kitchens. Almost every other religion she knew of called their places of worship temples or sanctuaries. Maerryth was the harvest god though, she could see how it might work. Afterall there was a lot of focus on eating in the religion.
They had arrived an hour early to the feast, so she could prepare for the rites and ceremonies. The Feasts were supposed to be a celebration and Gabby had believed they were as well. Now It felt like a thousand reminders of what she lost and would never see again. How could she celebrate a wedding she would never have, a husband that would never be, a life that had been taken from her?
It was hard for her to even be in the kitchen. It was hard to see the deity she worshipped knowing that Lafe was taken from her. It was hard to know that in a few moments she would have to take part in rites to that deity that allowed Lafe to die and did nothing to stop it. A deity that let her pleadings and screams go unanswered.
Lafe, having put Gabby’s name on the documents meant she was his heir. It would have made their wedding smoother with her already listed in the deeds. The only thing left was for them to have the ceremony. Lafe, it had turned out had even filled out the forms and left them for her in the care of the Sef here at the kitchen. All she would have needed to do was sign her name and make the offering of grains and wine, then they would have been married. Now none of that would happen.
Gabby felt that gave her a right to be part of the ceremony, and so did Lafe’s parents. She and Lafe’s parents were sent messages informing them of what he had done and asking them to accept a part in the feast. Ivy had replied on Gabby’s behalf. Another thing that Gabby was in-debt to Ivy for. She was stuck both wanting to be a part of the events and hating what they meant.
Gabby made her way to the grand alter in the back of the kitchen, where the Sef waited. The alter was an elaborate table with a twelve-foot tall statue of Maerryth standing tall in the middle. She had always admired the white stone with the pretty silver veins and flecks of grey throughout it. In one arm Maerryth held a sack of grain that spilled its contents to the tabletop, and the other a cask of wine held up high to the sky.
The alter was littered with offerings. Mostly grain, some vegetables, the occasional berry, wine, and ale were also found plentifully. Only things of the harvest were offered, coin was strictly forbidden as it was not as well as jewels or anything metal. Gabby placed a bottle of wild berry wine and a small sack of oats on the altar. It hurt knowing that this would have been close to the offering she would have made for her wedding.
The portly grey haired Sef, nodded and held out a small parchment. Gabby took the document and read what was on it. It was a receipt showing the town registrar had filed all the forms for her inheritance.
“One less thing to trouble your sweet head. We had all looked forward to the two of you getting married.” The Sef said.
Gabby nodded and tucked the papers into the pouch at her side. She had been doing a good job holding the tears back, but this was too much for her. Tears ran freely down her face.
“Why did Maerryth allow this?” She asked.
She didn’t wait for the Sef to answer. Nothing he could say would have mattered anyway. Platitudes would not bring Lafe back. She blotted the tears from her eyes as she walked to the front of the hall.
Geneve, Lafe’s mother, saw her approach and patted the seat next to her. Geneve was a kindly woman, the type to greet you in the street if she knew you. She was always the one to come running with food when someone was sick or offer to do chores. It was no surprise that when Gabby sat down next to her, the first thing she did was to grab Gabby’s hand and squeeze it tight. Just down from her was Henry and Lafe’s two sisters Emily and Candice.
“How are you holding up dear?” Geneve asked.
Gabby was taken aback by this. Of all the people in the world, she would not have expected Geneve to ask how she was holding up. After all, she had lost her oldest son. This made Gabby feel even more guilty. Shouldn’t it have been her trying to support Geneve. Lafe had been hers far longer than Gabby could claim him, it was her in her time of need just as much as Gabby’s. But Lafe’s mother was always thinking about others before herself.
“Not good.” Gabby admitted.
“Me either, but if you need me, I’m here for you. You’ll always be a daughter to me.” Geneve stated.
Gabby sat there holding her warm hand. It was so much warmer than it should have been in the cold hall. As Gabby thought about it though, she couldn’t think of a time she had touched Geneve’s hands and they weren’t warm. Most people said she had a warm heart, but Gabby thought it was a turn of phrase for how nice she was to everyone. Perhaps she had been mistaken the whole time. Gabby decided that she would ask Ivy, or Gertrude, if there was anything to the phrase.
The twins Emily and Candice were much younger than Lafe. Tears were clearly visible running down their face. They held each other looking down at the floor in their grief.
Lafe’s father, however, was not his normal cheerful self. It was clear on his face he was angry, seething rage lived in those normally pleasant eyes. He was most defiantly grinding his teeth, by the set of his jaw. Gabby wasn’t even certain that he was aware she had sat down.
“Don’t mind him Gabby.” Geneve said patting her hand. “We all grieve in our own way.”
“I’ve never seen him like this before. I understand, but I would have never imagined.” Gabby admitted.
“It takes a lot to bring out Henry’s hot side, but it's there. He would never hurt a fly until that fly hurt someone that he cared for. Then he would hunt it down and the fly’s family. Just remember that he is not upset with you, dear. He might be short or curt to you but it's not because of you that his anger is directed.” Geneve explained.
A lot of the townsfolk had turned out, mostly mill workers, and began sitting in the pews and lined up around the walls in the. During these final moments, an enormous table was assembled by many of the Susefs that helped run Maerryth’s Kitchen. They lined up many smaller tables together and covered it with a blue and gold cloth. Next, they placed platters filled with all manner of food on the table.
They were supposed to be only Lafe’s favorite foods. His favorite was bread, fresh out of the oven. That didn’t really seem fitting of a final feast though. The Sefs had prepared a giant loaf of oat and rye bread and left it in the center of the table. A wheel of white cheese sat on each end with a small knife in it. Gabby had to admit to herself that she didn’t know any food that Lafe wouldn’t eat. Looking over the spread Gabby knew he would have loved his.
This was the only place that had an oven large enough to produce the loaf of oat bread she thought was as tall as she was. She could smell the bread, it had to be fresh. And when she looked closer, she could see butter dripping down the sides of the loaf. The sight and smells of all the food had sparked a hunger in her body again. She could feel the saliva building up in her mouth. For a moment all the feelings of mourning and loss were lost in the thought of food. Perhaps that was the point, maybe Maerryth had designed this in a way to help people get back to work and overcome the pain of loss.
Hard work and toil were a very prominent part of the worship of Maerryth. Much of the books and lore about the religion was focused on work and effort. The two prophets of the religion had focused a lot on hard work and labor. It seemed selfish for Maerryth would ask for you to work so hard doing everything to take the best things for herself.
Just as the anger toward Maerryth started to blossom again the hum of the crowd died as the Sef stood at the pulpit. He stood there with a smile, hands clasped in front of his chest, s
he supposed it was meant to be respectful, but it seemed so self-righteous at this moment to her. He began to speak once the voices died down.
“Fellow-laborers in the field I welcome you to this most humble of feasts. One of our own has left life’s fields to join Maerryth and her sons. Maerryth’s hearth will be all the more full for it. Lafe was a true follower of Maerryth, he toiled harvesting wood with his hands. Each day he went and sweated and toiled on the Land.” Sef Brewer Opened.
“It is quite clear what awaits young Lafe when we read the sacred texts of Ibedd; ‘Maerryth proclaims it to all who will hear. Wherefore, if ye sow not ye reap not. Therefore, spend your days working the plow and, in the fields, each in their station. He that does his work let him feast nightly of his labors. For, he that labors receives the bounty. He that is slothful let him starve.’ Lafe was one who labored, this is certain.” Sef Brewer exclaimed.
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