Aislinn Ashgriever looked up, turning
an ear to the door to hear her mother better.
"Aislinn, come down! I need your help here..."
She sighed. The reverie of reading was broken and there was no returning.
Resigned, she left the book in the chair and slowly walked down the creaking
wooden stairs. Her mother waited in an exceptionally dirty kitchen, covered in
half baked dishes of all kinds and dirty utensils. Without being asked, Aislinn
grabbed a brush and began scrubbing at the dishes closest to the sink.
"Honestly mother, is all this really necessary?"
"Aislinn! Don't patronize me. Ord is your only brother, and anything less
to welcome our new relatives would be shameful."
With her back turned to her mother, Aislinn rolled her eyes. While it might be village
etiquette to host a large feast when in laws visit, it felt like a dated and
strained tradition if one had known the family for years.
Back when Harding was
populated by only four or five families, it was necessary to make a good
impression on visitors to encourage more future residents. But now....Harding
could hardly be called a village any more. With well over forty families, it
was becoming a frequent trade stop for those on the way to the capital from the
East mountains.
Ord was marrying his longtime sweetheart, Hanna Flourian. The Ashgrievers had known
the Flourians since both sets of parents went to school together as children.
While they were never close, they still felt close enough to not bother with feasts. But
Aislinn's mother was clearly not of the same opinion. She popped a pork roast
into the oven and began placing a lattice top on a blackberry pie.
Aislinn was happy for Ord. He was lucky to truly love Hanna and marry into a
kind family. Many of their friends had married into neighboring villages or the
less liked families of Harding out of necessity. Marriage was security. It
meant having a partner to face life's troubles with. Aislinn truly hoped Ord
would find more in Hanna than just a partner though; that they would share in
joy and laughs into old age.
"Aislinn, could you fetch some flowers for the house when you've finished
those?" her mother asked, gesturing out to the fields of wild flowers now
in bloom.
"Yes mother," she replied, feeling relieved she wouldn't have to cook
anything. While she could manage, she lacked the flair her mother added into
everything.
Drying the last wooden spoon, Aislinn wandered out to the fields, happy to
breathe in some fresh air. The wind rustled the fields slightly, making the
tall grass look like a moving sea. Or so she imagined. She'd never actually
seen the sea. It was at least a twenty day journey on horseback.
The wild flowers brightened the otherwise dreary landscape. Hints of purple,
yellow and orange peeked out of the grasses, while the clouds overhead hinted
at a brewing storm. The light waned as the sun leaned towards the horizon,
taking what little brightness it had given. Aislinn sighed. She was
anticipating the first real day of spring, when the sky was a beautiful blue,
beckoning everyone outside. The winter had been short and temperate, but it had
still been months since the last truly enjoyable day.
The flowers grasped in her hands tickled her nose as she walked back towards
the house. It was unremarkable, much like the other wooden two story homes in
Harding. Three bedrooms, a kitchen and a sitting room comprised her whole world
here. It wasn't much, but it was plenty to be grateful for.
Lately she had heard some troubling rumors at the monthly market held in
Harding that attracted travelers. Some merchants hinted that towns only a few
days' ride away were being heavily taxed by the capital to fund public
services. Last month she'd heard of one town that started to turn away orphaned children
and weary travelers for lack of resources.
While concerning, it had yet to affect
Harding and travel gossip often misrepresented true circumstances in favor of
dramatics. Still, it made Aislinn realize Harding might be a protected
community by its small size and relative distance from anything of importance.
While it was growing steadily, it had yet to grab the attention of the capital.
Footsteps and laughter came up the path towards their house. Aislinn hurried
inside and called to her mother, "They're coming to the front door! I'll
get these flowers in a vase."
Her mother made a startled noise and began to move more quickly in attempt to
cover any signs of kitchen chaos. Aislinn laughed inwardly. That was an
impossible task. One look at the kitchen would reveal to their guests that
Frida Ashgriever had gone above and beyond, as usual.
The front door creaked open and Ord called in, "Hello? Mother? Father?
We're here!"
Aislinn scurried to the entryway with a smile and warmly welcomed the Flourians
inside. "Hanna, how nice to see you! Mr. and Mrs. Flourian, welcome to our
home. Would you like to come into our sitting room?"
"Please Aislinn, you should call us Marie and Grish. We're almost family
now!" cried the middle-aged woman coming through the door. Marie followed Grish through the door. They were a slightly wrinkled, peaceful and polite couple. Their daughter Hanna
bounced on her toes in a yellow sundress though, full of anticipation. She had
always been full of a childish joy, whether playing at the market as a little
girl or contemplating a math problem as an adult. It was this effortless happiness
that made Aislinn like her and Ord fall in love.
Ord led the way into the sitting room, allowing Marie and Grish to sit before
taking a chair himself. He was tall and broad, unlike anyone else in the
Ashgriever family. Almost a small giant, he had a calm energy and constant half
smile on his face. They would make a good pair, tackling everything in a
positive light, Aislinn thought.
Frida bustled in, smoothing her dress as she went. "Marie, Grish! How nice
to see you. Thank you for joining us this evening! Hanna, that dress is
lovely."
Hanna smiled warmly at the compliment. A door upstairs slammed shut and down
came a tall, thin man squinting through spectacles.
"Oh Darian, about time. The Flourians just arrived for dinner. Won't you
come sit?" Frida beckoned to Aislinn's father, clearly embarrassed he had
not been ready for the company.
"I'm so sorry. I was just poring over some new maps of the
East Mountains and forgot the time..." Aislinn's father was a map maker,
a new trade of the past few years since the rise of travelers coming through
Harding, in need of directions or better marked maps.
Both families sat and enjoyed the company for some minutes before moving to the
kitchen table to enjoy Frida's feast. All in all, the evening was so pleasant that Aislinn hardly felt the time slipping by. She thought their future with the
Flourians was destined to be a blessed one.
Until a quick knock on the front door at the end of dinner signaled an
unexpected visitor.
"Who could that be? Dorian, would you go check?" Frida requested.
Aislinn wondered who could be calling this late. Neither of her parents held
important positions that would bring villagers on urgent calls. Unless a
neighbor had an emergency, nobody came after sundown.
Loud, impatient voices came down the hallway, halting any remaining
conversation as Aislinn and Ord shared a concerned look. What was going on?
Aislinn crept over to the hallway on pretense of clearing some dishes, despite
her mother's glower serving as a warning not to behave childishly with
guests. Aislinn didn't care. Clearly something unusual was happening and she
hoped to overhear a hint.
"...it’s urgent or we would not ask," came a deep voice.
"I can't simply leave this moment!," protested her father.
"I would rather not say it this way, but you have no choice. I have orders
to escort you, with or without your permission," responded the mystery
man.
Escort her father where? Was he in trouble?
"Fine. Fine!" her father snapped, obviously affronted. "You can
wait outside while I inform my family." And he slammed the door.
Dorian walked to the doorway of the kitchen and beckoned Frida over. They
conspicuously walked upstairs to their room so as not to be overheard.
Aislinn cleaned the kitchen, while waiting impatiently for
her parents to return with an announcement of what the stranger waiting outside
wanted. She signaled to Ord to keep the Flourians company while she peeked out
the window at the man outside.
Only it wasn’t just one man. There were about six men, all dressed
in full armor, standing abnormally straight and tall. They clearly had military
training and since the commander took orders from someone, they must work for a
very important someone. But what could
they want with her father?
Quick footsteps down the stairs brought her parents back,
her father now carrying a small pack. Dorian stepped into the kitchen and
glanced at their company with an apologetic smile on his lips. “I’m so sorry
Marie, Grish and Hanna. I have a short trip I’ve been called on and need to
leave our dinner early. It was wonderful to see you.”
He then turned to Aislinn and whispered, “I’ll be gone for a
few days. Listen to your mother. Can you handle the waiting orders that I have
upstairs?” Aislinn nodded. “Good girl. I’ll see you soon.” He gave her a quick
kiss on the top of her head.
Aislinn tried to stop him, blurting out, “But Father, where
are you going? Who are those men? Why do they need you?”
Dorian stopped her suddenly with a finger over his lips.
“Aislinn,” he whispered urgently. “Don’t make a fuss while we have company.
I’ll see you soon!”
With that, he gave her mother a fleeting kiss on the cheek, and
walked out the door. Aislinn stared longingly out the window, watching her father
walk quickly away with those soldiers, until her mother pulled her back into
the kitchen.
Knowing her duty, she put on a smiling face and finished the
remainder of the evening politely. Hanna and her parents seemed to realize that
the feast was over with Dorian’s departure and made excuses to head home early.
“Frida, that meal was wonderful. You always cook such a
feast! We will have to host you for dinner soon!” Marie hugged Frida before
walking out the door.
Ord looked back at Aislinn and said shortly, “I’m going to
walk them home. I’ll be back soon.” Aislinn nodded, knowing he wanted some
alone time with Hanna.
Aislinn and her mother cleaned the kitchen and retired to
the sitting room. Aislinn kept looking at her mother, trying to decipher any
clues but Frida’s face was placid and unreadable.
“Aislinn! Stop. When Ord is back, we’ll talk,” Frida finally
sighed exasperatedly.
Grabbing her book from upstairs, Aislinn tried to pass the
time until Ord returned, but kept thinking that sweethearts took far too
long to say their goodbyes. It was ridiculous.
Ord finally returned, shutting the door quietly behind
him. He sat down across from Aislinn and looked imploringly at Frida. “Mother,
what happened?”
Frida looked up and sighed. “Your Father was needed by the
Duke. Urgent business. No further explanation was given except that they needed
maps copied that were located at the Duke’s camp and could not be brought
here.”
Aislinn bit her lip, thinking it sounded very secretive.
Since when did the Duke deign to visit Harding? And on his way…where?
Ord clearly had the same thoughts. “What type of maps are
that special? Is he on a quest for something?”
Frida looked at Ord sharply before stating flatly, “That is
none of our business. Your Father took a paying job and will return. The
business of royalty does not involve us.” With that, she put away her sewing
and bid them goodnight.
Aislinn watched Ord in the lamplight, as he studied his
hands, clearly deep in thought. “I think tonight went well for you,” she
murmured.
He looked up at her and smiled. “Hanna thought so too. I
didn’t think I was worried but I feel relieved everyone got along so well. They’re a good family.”
Aislinn nodded, then stood up
and patted him on the shoulder. “I’m glad you chose such a nice girl for my
future sister. She’ll be that much easier to prank!” Aislinn laughed and
winked, then stole upstairs to her room.
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