Post by Tallaith on Dec 28, 2009 18:22:01 GMT -5
"Come in." Ceallian didn't glance up from her meticulous work. She was bent over a piece of parchment, drops of ink staining her hands and the desk blotter as she labored over scratching out a letter with an intense look of concentration.
Leasung stepped into the study with an expectant smile. She set down the modest traveling bag by the hearth and moved over to her cousin's desk. The light in here was terrible, cast only by a smoking oil lamp on the far wall. No wonder Ceallian's script was still so childish. She probably couldn't see what she was writing.
"Can I help?"
Ceallian dropped a fat puddle of ink on the letter with a gasp of pleased surprise. She was out of her chair and throwing herself on the girl in an instant, embracing her tightly and laughing.
"I am so happy to see you back! Are you well? How was Berenloth?" Her words threatened to spill over into a torrential rush as she smoothed Leasung's loose, knotted hair back from her face.
"I am fine, cousin! Berenloth is a good teacher and a better guardian than you could ever guess! I learned many things from him, but I still cannot cook!" Leasung returned the hug and stepped back quickly, shy from the unaccustomed contact. "I am glad you sent me with him. I think I learned many things about friendship and the meaning of what you do."
Ceallian smiled as she looked Leasung over from head to toe. The girl needed a bath and was a little sunburned, but seemed as well as she was when she left. "The meaning of what we do?"
"Aye, as a Kinship." Leasung stepped around the older girl to the writing table. "Still practicing, I see."
"Well, it has only been a few weeks," Cay replied sheepishly. "I cannot learn so fast as you. It will take ages to learn to read and write half as well as you do!"
"You know I can do this for you, if you like." Leasung moved around a few sheets of parchment, frowning over the scribbles and crossed-out drafts. "Though you should still learn, I could be of some help. Speaking of which, I think I have finally come up with something I can do to aid you! In a practical way."
Ceallian was clearly surprised. This was a new face of her cousin indeed. A girl who was eager to assist her, and who wanted to actively do something? She was used to first the very slow lass who cared only for a cup of ale, then the spoiled and sharp-witted girl who showed herself after her stay in Esteldin. This side of Leasung was pleasing to Ceallian, and she couldn't stop herself from hoping this was the genuine personality coming to surface.
"I need something from you, though. Perhaps something that will be hard to find." Leasung shrugged. "Though if anyone can get it for me, it would be you."
"Name it. I am so pleased with you staying with Berenloth that if it is in my power to give, you shall have it." Ceallian propped herself on the corner of her writing desk, sitting in a small smear of ink.
What Leasung asked for completely stunned her.
The next day, word came from Edan that he had arranged for Leasung's gift to be provided as a repayment of a very old debt. Directions were included with his message. The pair set out as soon as they were done with their noon meal, leaving Aedan behind with Caspia for the day.
The mews were in the hillsides near Duillond so the ride was fairly short. The cousins stopped once to have a drink of clear water from a spring that was so icy cold as it burst from the snowy rocks that they gasped and coughed in surprise, then within minutes were tying their horses to a birch sappling in the yard of the small barn.
Ceallian had never seen a mews but according to Leasung, who claimed herself to be an experienced falconer, this establishment was very small but lavishly maintained. The master falconer was out for the day, but his wife, a soft-spoken Elvish lady, met the girls in the yard and showed Leasung and Ceallian to the modest stone dwelling set just behind the low building housing the birds.
Ceallian accepted a cup of warmed wine from the lady and took a place on a bench beside Leasung in what appeared to be a sitting room. Leasung was so excited she could barely hold still, but was holding her silence with what was clearly a huge effort.
The lady of the house left them alone for only a few moments to go and fetch Leasung's gift. Ceallian toyed with her wine, watching her cousin from the corner of her eye. Leasung was like a little lass in her anticipation, her cheeks red with excitement and a wide grin crossing her face that had not faded since word came back from Edan.
The lady returned and tapped on the doorway. "If you both would come to the yard. She is ready."
Leasung almost bowled over the slender Elf as she darted out of the house. Ceallian shrugged apologetically as she followed the younger girl to the yard.
An eagle was perched on the fence rail that ran from the corner of the house all the way down to the mews. She was a massive bird, almost as tall as Leasung herself, and easily close to the girl's weight. Her feathers were glossy and gleaming in the afternoon sun, her eyes hard and glittering black stones that appraised and measured everything they captured.
"An.. eagle. Really?" Ceallian looked to the Elven lady with something like horror. "She asked for an eagle?" She was clearly in a state of disbelief and possible terror. This bird looked like it could eat a pony for breakfast and then a person for lunch. There was no way her cousin could ever control such an animal.
The lady nodded. "I had word from your husband that this bird would be perfect. He knows my husband's stock and skill very well. This was the bird the master falconer chose for Lady Leasung."
Leasung, meanwhile, seemed to have completely forgotten that the other two were even in the yard with her. She had attention only for the massive bird who basked in the warm winter sun, feathers glowing seemingly with an amber and ruby heat of their own.
She stepped delicately to the eagle, her eyes full of wonder and the purest happiness as she made her approach cautiously. The bird's powerful talons we so wickedly sharp that she could pierce all the way through Leasung's shoulder; her beak was razor-honed and all of her bulk was made up in tight muscle. This was a bird meant to kill other birds, animals, and people if it pleased her or her master. The power that emmanated from every tiny movement awed Leasung. This eagle was going to be hers.
She was a little surprised that the eagle was not hooded, as all of the hawks and falcons she had own usually were before they grew to know their new handlers. Instead, the amazing bird was permitted to see every bit of her surroundings and was not in any way tethered to her perch. This was either a testament to the bird's nature or to the falconer's skill in training her. The girl was not sure which to hope for.
There was no way this eagle could be carried on her shoulder, arm, or saddle, Leasung realized as she stepped up to within a pace of the eagle. That was why she was not tethered. She flew free as she pleased, finding perches where she was able.
Ceallian almost moved forward to stop Leasung, panic rising as the bird stretched out her wings in what seemed to be an agitated flap. But the lady reached over and firmly halted her, nodding to where Leasung stood.
Leasung laughed at the little display. "Very pretty, indeed."
She raised her hand to smooth the frill of feathers at the eagle's throat, knowing that if the bird was displeased with her in any manner, she could snap off Leasung's arm cleanly through the bone. However, the eagle seemed placid and resigned to the touch, though not precisely affectionate in return.
"Let us see you fly, love," Leasung whispered as she pulled her hand away. She hated to lose the feeling of those perfect feathers beneath her fingertips, but this was the true test. She whistled a two-note call softly and stepped back.
The eagle knew immediately what was expected. Her great wings broke the air in thunderous claps as she took flight from the fence. Ceallian nearly cried out in surprise and fright, but again the lady silenced and calmed her as the eagle almost instantly lunged into the air hundreds of feet over their heads.
Leasung still seemed to have forgotten about the others as she smoothed her touseled suede cloak. Her mind was racing with all the possibilities this brought about; a means to make her own living, a way to pass on information when it was needed, perhaps a useful way to contribute to the fight her cousin had left behind and unfinished. She could not recall being happier in her entire life as she was at this very moment, and then the eagle returned.
The bird spiralled close over her mistress's head and dropped something to the frost-rimed grass between her shoes before perching with another flurry of winged wind on the fence rail once more. Leasung felt an almost unbearable pleasure as she picked up the prize and turned to her cousin to display it.
"She is perfect. See?" Leasung held up a fat hare, completely unhurt by the eagle's claws but apparently killed with an efficiently broken neck. "She is an excellent hunter."
Ceallian looked to both be in awe and slightly ill. "Are you sure you are safe to be near such a creature?"
Leasung nodded with a derisive snort. "Your husband has given me many fine gifts. A lamed lynx who needed tending, a trained bear whose master no longer cared for it. Do you think those pets are any less of a danger to me?"
Ceallian shook her head with a small sigh. At least this animal could fend for itself right away and had the endorsement of both her husband and a master falconer. She trusted Edan's judgement in any matter that could bring her harm. He would not give Leasung an animal that would hurt either of the girls.
"Fine. We should be getting back. Do not think I will feed this one as I feed that great bear! Between you, a baby, Caspia, and Edan, I do not know how I ever found time to do even that!" Ceallian turned to the falconer's wife with a curtsey and began speaking polite words of parting.
Leasung turned back to the eagle. "Your name is Leodgebyrgan. It means 'protector' to my people. And that you shall be."
The eagle preened in the fading sun, casting her own golden light back on the girl's overjoyed face.
Leasung stepped into the study with an expectant smile. She set down the modest traveling bag by the hearth and moved over to her cousin's desk. The light in here was terrible, cast only by a smoking oil lamp on the far wall. No wonder Ceallian's script was still so childish. She probably couldn't see what she was writing.
"Can I help?"
Ceallian dropped a fat puddle of ink on the letter with a gasp of pleased surprise. She was out of her chair and throwing herself on the girl in an instant, embracing her tightly and laughing.
"I am so happy to see you back! Are you well? How was Berenloth?" Her words threatened to spill over into a torrential rush as she smoothed Leasung's loose, knotted hair back from her face.
"I am fine, cousin! Berenloth is a good teacher and a better guardian than you could ever guess! I learned many things from him, but I still cannot cook!" Leasung returned the hug and stepped back quickly, shy from the unaccustomed contact. "I am glad you sent me with him. I think I learned many things about friendship and the meaning of what you do."
Ceallian smiled as she looked Leasung over from head to toe. The girl needed a bath and was a little sunburned, but seemed as well as she was when she left. "The meaning of what we do?"
"Aye, as a Kinship." Leasung stepped around the older girl to the writing table. "Still practicing, I see."
"Well, it has only been a few weeks," Cay replied sheepishly. "I cannot learn so fast as you. It will take ages to learn to read and write half as well as you do!"
"You know I can do this for you, if you like." Leasung moved around a few sheets of parchment, frowning over the scribbles and crossed-out drafts. "Though you should still learn, I could be of some help. Speaking of which, I think I have finally come up with something I can do to aid you! In a practical way."
Ceallian was clearly surprised. This was a new face of her cousin indeed. A girl who was eager to assist her, and who wanted to actively do something? She was used to first the very slow lass who cared only for a cup of ale, then the spoiled and sharp-witted girl who showed herself after her stay in Esteldin. This side of Leasung was pleasing to Ceallian, and she couldn't stop herself from hoping this was the genuine personality coming to surface.
"I need something from you, though. Perhaps something that will be hard to find." Leasung shrugged. "Though if anyone can get it for me, it would be you."
"Name it. I am so pleased with you staying with Berenloth that if it is in my power to give, you shall have it." Ceallian propped herself on the corner of her writing desk, sitting in a small smear of ink.
What Leasung asked for completely stunned her.
The next day, word came from Edan that he had arranged for Leasung's gift to be provided as a repayment of a very old debt. Directions were included with his message. The pair set out as soon as they were done with their noon meal, leaving Aedan behind with Caspia for the day.
The mews were in the hillsides near Duillond so the ride was fairly short. The cousins stopped once to have a drink of clear water from a spring that was so icy cold as it burst from the snowy rocks that they gasped and coughed in surprise, then within minutes were tying their horses to a birch sappling in the yard of the small barn.
Ceallian had never seen a mews but according to Leasung, who claimed herself to be an experienced falconer, this establishment was very small but lavishly maintained. The master falconer was out for the day, but his wife, a soft-spoken Elvish lady, met the girls in the yard and showed Leasung and Ceallian to the modest stone dwelling set just behind the low building housing the birds.
Ceallian accepted a cup of warmed wine from the lady and took a place on a bench beside Leasung in what appeared to be a sitting room. Leasung was so excited she could barely hold still, but was holding her silence with what was clearly a huge effort.
The lady of the house left them alone for only a few moments to go and fetch Leasung's gift. Ceallian toyed with her wine, watching her cousin from the corner of her eye. Leasung was like a little lass in her anticipation, her cheeks red with excitement and a wide grin crossing her face that had not faded since word came back from Edan.
The lady returned and tapped on the doorway. "If you both would come to the yard. She is ready."
Leasung almost bowled over the slender Elf as she darted out of the house. Ceallian shrugged apologetically as she followed the younger girl to the yard.
An eagle was perched on the fence rail that ran from the corner of the house all the way down to the mews. She was a massive bird, almost as tall as Leasung herself, and easily close to the girl's weight. Her feathers were glossy and gleaming in the afternoon sun, her eyes hard and glittering black stones that appraised and measured everything they captured.
"An.. eagle. Really?" Ceallian looked to the Elven lady with something like horror. "She asked for an eagle?" She was clearly in a state of disbelief and possible terror. This bird looked like it could eat a pony for breakfast and then a person for lunch. There was no way her cousin could ever control such an animal.
The lady nodded. "I had word from your husband that this bird would be perfect. He knows my husband's stock and skill very well. This was the bird the master falconer chose for Lady Leasung."
Leasung, meanwhile, seemed to have completely forgotten that the other two were even in the yard with her. She had attention only for the massive bird who basked in the warm winter sun, feathers glowing seemingly with an amber and ruby heat of their own.
She stepped delicately to the eagle, her eyes full of wonder and the purest happiness as she made her approach cautiously. The bird's powerful talons we so wickedly sharp that she could pierce all the way through Leasung's shoulder; her beak was razor-honed and all of her bulk was made up in tight muscle. This was a bird meant to kill other birds, animals, and people if it pleased her or her master. The power that emmanated from every tiny movement awed Leasung. This eagle was going to be hers.
She was a little surprised that the eagle was not hooded, as all of the hawks and falcons she had own usually were before they grew to know their new handlers. Instead, the amazing bird was permitted to see every bit of her surroundings and was not in any way tethered to her perch. This was either a testament to the bird's nature or to the falconer's skill in training her. The girl was not sure which to hope for.
There was no way this eagle could be carried on her shoulder, arm, or saddle, Leasung realized as she stepped up to within a pace of the eagle. That was why she was not tethered. She flew free as she pleased, finding perches where she was able.
Ceallian almost moved forward to stop Leasung, panic rising as the bird stretched out her wings in what seemed to be an agitated flap. But the lady reached over and firmly halted her, nodding to where Leasung stood.
Leasung laughed at the little display. "Very pretty, indeed."
She raised her hand to smooth the frill of feathers at the eagle's throat, knowing that if the bird was displeased with her in any manner, she could snap off Leasung's arm cleanly through the bone. However, the eagle seemed placid and resigned to the touch, though not precisely affectionate in return.
"Let us see you fly, love," Leasung whispered as she pulled her hand away. She hated to lose the feeling of those perfect feathers beneath her fingertips, but this was the true test. She whistled a two-note call softly and stepped back.
The eagle knew immediately what was expected. Her great wings broke the air in thunderous claps as she took flight from the fence. Ceallian nearly cried out in surprise and fright, but again the lady silenced and calmed her as the eagle almost instantly lunged into the air hundreds of feet over their heads.
Leasung still seemed to have forgotten about the others as she smoothed her touseled suede cloak. Her mind was racing with all the possibilities this brought about; a means to make her own living, a way to pass on information when it was needed, perhaps a useful way to contribute to the fight her cousin had left behind and unfinished. She could not recall being happier in her entire life as she was at this very moment, and then the eagle returned.
The bird spiralled close over her mistress's head and dropped something to the frost-rimed grass between her shoes before perching with another flurry of winged wind on the fence rail once more. Leasung felt an almost unbearable pleasure as she picked up the prize and turned to her cousin to display it.
"She is perfect. See?" Leasung held up a fat hare, completely unhurt by the eagle's claws but apparently killed with an efficiently broken neck. "She is an excellent hunter."
Ceallian looked to both be in awe and slightly ill. "Are you sure you are safe to be near such a creature?"
Leasung nodded with a derisive snort. "Your husband has given me many fine gifts. A lamed lynx who needed tending, a trained bear whose master no longer cared for it. Do you think those pets are any less of a danger to me?"
Ceallian shook her head with a small sigh. At least this animal could fend for itself right away and had the endorsement of both her husband and a master falconer. She trusted Edan's judgement in any matter that could bring her harm. He would not give Leasung an animal that would hurt either of the girls.
"Fine. We should be getting back. Do not think I will feed this one as I feed that great bear! Between you, a baby, Caspia, and Edan, I do not know how I ever found time to do even that!" Ceallian turned to the falconer's wife with a curtsey and began speaking polite words of parting.
Leasung turned back to the eagle. "Your name is Leodgebyrgan. It means 'protector' to my people. And that you shall be."
The eagle preened in the fading sun, casting her own golden light back on the girl's overjoyed face.