* * * * *
Legon felt Sasha’s crying ebb away. She looked up at him. Her eyes looked like glass and her face was red and tear-stained.
“Are you ready to go home? I know you have a lot to do,” she said.
“Are you strong enough?”
He didn’t want to rush her; in truth, if it would help he would hold her here all day. That’s what he wanted to do, keep his arms wrapped tight around her fragile body, keep her safe from herself or anything that could hurt her. But he knew that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t protect her from everything, not from her own body. He could protect her from unkind townsfolk, and he did, but what would happen when the tax collectors came? He didn’t want to think about it and returned his attention to his sister.
“Yes, I think so,” she replied. “Hold my hand on the way back in case I fall.”
“Ok, let me pack up… no, you stay here and rest. I’ll do it,” he said to her softly.
He rolled up all the blankets and packed everything in the empty basket. He hoisted it on his shoulder and helped up Sasha with his other arm. They began the descent to their house. It was slow compared to the climb up, since Legon didn’t want her to fall. As they entered the trees they saw shafts of morning light penetrating the canopy. There were flower buds on the ground; over to their right some pretty red ones had already blossomed, their sweet scent mixing with the musk of the moist earth. Thick green moss grew on the trunks and roots of the trees, and vines with little orange flowers were crawling up them. The air was thick in the woods, and when you entered it felt as if the rest of the world had been shut out. Mist was forming in the low-lying areas, and dew collected on the leaves. As they passed one tree, they noticed that between one of its branches and its trunk was a large spider web covered in dew. Legon marveled at the little structure. “How can a bug build something like that?” he wondered.
Both of them loved the woods; they would live right in the heart of it if they could. They both cheered up as they saw some rabbits running on the forest floor and squirrels high in the trees chattering their disapproval of the visitors. Birds were singing and life was bursting all over the forest. They didn’t stop to practice archery as they didn’t have the time, and Legon didn’t want Sasha to over exert herself. Soon they came to the foot of the hill and were crossing the field to their house. The field was green with wildflowers growing all over. Everywhere there were splashes of color; red and white here, purple and yellow there. The dew-covered plants shimmered in the morning light, reflecting tiny rainbows. It was beautiful. As they passed a clump of tall yellow flowers, Legon picked one and gave it to Sasha. She shortened the stem and placed the flower in her hair above her right ear.
“Thank you,” she said with a slight smile. She was apparently still feeling weak. Soon they could see the back of their house. He could see his mother outside beating a rug. The resemblance between mother and daughter was uncanny; their mother looked just like Sasha but a bit older. As soon as they were close enough to see her face they saw a worried expression cross it.
“Sasha, you’ve had an episode,” she gasped. She dropped the beater she was holding and rushed over to them.
“Yes mother,” Legon said.
“Get her in, get her in!” Her voice sounded panicked as she reached over and swung Sasha’s arm over her shoulders and began to pull them in the house. “I want to have a look at her.”
They got Sasha inside and to the kitchen table. At that moment their father, an average -sized man with brown hair and thick burlap clothes, walked down the stairs and into the room. He saw what was happening instantly.
“Is she ok, Laura?” he asked in a deep, concerned voice.
“Oh, Edis, I think so,” she replied. “Legon, what happened?”
“It happened on the hill after we ate,” he explained, giving the details of their morning picnic up until Sasha’s episode.
“Thank the Gods your brother was with you!” their father exclaimed.
Sasha nodded and sipped a hot cup of something that her mother shoved in her hands. Sasha winced. “Mother, what on earth…?” she started.
“It’s herbs,” interrupted Laura. She was the town healer, which had its benefits if you felt ill but also had its downside, as she was always giving them new concoctions to cure various ailments that none of them knew they had. This was especially true in Sasha’s case, since their mother was unable to figure out what caused her episodes. Sasha had been subjected to cure after cure for years, none of which seemed to help, but a few did cause her to get quite sick in other ways. Once, after drinking one of their mother’s brews she couldn’t eat for two days without throwing it back up. Their mother said that this was her body’s way of cleansing her from her illness. These remedies, of course, didn’t make a difference. Sasha still had episodes, and their mother kept coming up with new ways of fixing them. Legon didn’t know what the remedy was today, but he could smell it and it was horrid.
“Will you be ok, Sash?” he asked giving the drink a look.
“Yes, I think so” she said, but her voice wasn’t confident. She gave the glass a glance and shivered a bit.
“Ok, I’m going to go change my clothes and help dad, I’ll see you before lunch okay?”
“Ok, don’t worry about me. I’m fine now.” She gave the glass another look and placed in on the table.
Legon smiled at her, leaned over, and kissed her on her head. He walked to the stairs and started for his room. On his way up his father stopped him and placed his hand on his arm to bring him in close. He said in a soft voice, so Laura and Sasha couldn’t hear, “I want you to stay close today incase Sasha has another one. You’re the best with her.”
“I was planning on getting a new cleaver from Kovos today, but I think you’re right. I can get it tomorrow and Sash can come with me. It will be good for her to get out and about,” he said, looking at his sister.
“I think she’ll like that. Now go get ready, I want to hit it hard today so we’re not working late.” His voice was business-like as he patted Legon’s shoulder.
Legon chuckled. “I hit it hard every day old man, you’re the slow one.”
His father laughed, shook his head, and walked over to the table.
Chapter Two
A Hard Day’s Work
“To many, the Everser Vald was at one time no more than a commoner, struggling with the everyday woes of the world. Only the trained eye could see the servant and master, laboring by day and by night for those that mattered most.”
-Excerpts from The Diary of the Adopted Sister
Legon hustled up the stairs to his room and began to undress. He went to the dresser and pulled out a pair of rough brown pants made of thick cloth and an off-white shirt made of the same material. His room was flooded with light coming in from the window, and outside he could hear signs of the town coming to life.
At the sound of soft footsteps in the hall, Legon poked his head out of the door to see Sasha being led to her room by Laura. Sasha was starting to look better, and he thought that a good nap would probably help. He got his clothes on and rushed downstairs, stepping out of the front door onto the dirt street. The street was lined with buildings of varying sizes, all made of the same dark brown wood. Many of the structures were starting to gray with age and the constant bombardment of snow, rain, and sleet. Most people in town built their home next door to their place of business, and in some cases the buildings served both purposes. The town did have a central market, but most of the things sold there were livestock and produce, along with the occasional traveling merchant who would sell their wares there.
Legon turned to his left and walked through the door to their family’s store, instantly being welcomed by the scent of salt, meat, and spices. An impressive array of knives and cleavers glinted on the walls, speckling the room with reflected daylight. Because they were butchers, their business was not set by the seasons but by what people would bring in. People in the
town would bring their livestock and would either pay to have Legon and Edis butcher the animal and give the meat back to them or sell them the animal for them to butcher and sell to the rest of the town. Oftentimes, people would bring in kills that they made while hunting and would get the meat prepared. The shop did much more than cut up meat, however; they would cure or smoke it if people wanted, and they also would make sausage and other similar products. Because of how fast uncured meat would go bad, Legon and Edis would have to get all the work done in a short amount of time, and if possible they tried to have a one-day turnaround.
“Ok, what do I need to get done first this morning? Who has orders today that will be here early?” he said aloud to himself.
A moment later Edis stepped in, and as if he could read Legon’s mind said, “Moleth.”
“Just the person I want to see this morning.”
Moleth was one of the people that he liked least—she was irritating and very odd. Most people in the town either disliked her or thought she was a raving lunatic. Legon had gotten into several arguments with her about Sasha. Moleth loved to tell the town what a demon Sasha was, and that the day would come when they would all regret not listening to her. And Moleth didn’t restrain herself to criticizing Sasha; she had a go at the entire town, and it was for that reason that no one took anything she said seriously. She would often get into arguments with people because she would say something about their family or friends.
Legon’s friend Barnin couldn’t stand her; his family lived next door to her and he had been subjected to the woman on a regular basis for most of his life. They would get into huge fights shouting insults at one another. The townspeople would often stop and watch the arguments just for the entertainment value. It wouldn’t normally be acceptable to verbally accost a woman in public, but in the case of Moleth people tended to make exceptions, as most, if not all, had been in the same situation with her before. Barnin had even once tried to sell her to a group of soldiers, but sadly the men knew a bad deal when they saw one. It didn’t even take them five minutes to figure her out, and they left the town without Moleth leaving heartfelt condolences for those she inflicted herself upon.
“I know how you feel son, she’s a right piece of work that one.”
Legon walked behind the waist-high stone counter that split the shop in two and leaned over a wooden box that, when opened, revealed a big block of ice that had been collected from the nearby mountains and a shoulder of lamb. He took the lamb out of the box, set it on the counter, and plucked a cleaver off the pegboard on the wall. Soon the sound of chopping filled the air. He was almost done cutting the meat and wrapping it in paper when he heard the little brass bell above the door clink. A short plump woman with shoulder-length blondish-grey hair and a pronounced nose walked in. She looked timid and seemed to have a slight facial twitch.
Her voice was small but still irritating, like screeching metal. “Hello, is there anybody here?” As she spoke she looked around as if the shop was empty and Legon was not standing in front of her.
He grimaced and resigned himself to an unpleasant encounter, “Yes Moleth, we’re here. How are you today?”
“O-oh there you are,” she said with a nervous chuckle. “I was supposed to pick up some…. Hmmm…. Some meat.” As she spoke she looked around the shop noticing the knives and other sharp objects on the walls and shook her head disapprovingly.
“Well how else are we supposed to cut the meat you idiot?” he thought. Moleth was very odd and probably mad. He was already getting annoyed with her. She walked to the counter now and clasped onto it like Legon was going to pull it away from her. She started to speak but he cut her off.
“I’m just finishing up now, Moleth. The meat will be ready in just a moment.”
“Ah, oh well ok… ok I-I guess that works.” Her voice sounded confused and tired as if she was worried that Legon would do something to her; in truth she wasn’t worried at all. She was always like this. She fidgeted with her hands in a way that reminded him of a chipmunk. A fake smile played across her face.
“Why… why is it so late getting done? I am a paying customer after all, you know,” she started with a shaky but surprisingly accusatory voice.
Legon tried to cut her off. She continued to talk but he just spoke over her.
“Sorry Moleth, it will be done in a sec and you can be on your way.”
“She can’t hear you, you know?” said a voice inside his head. “She’s in her own world right now; she’ll be with you in a moment, not the other way around.” This was true. Moleth was prattling on about something completely unrelated to meat and seemed not to take notice that he’d spoken. After what seemed to be hours to Legon, Moleth registered what he’d said.
“Ah, so I take it you got off to a late start this morning?” She said this as if she had figured out the solution to some challenging riddle that he hadn’t solved yet. “Yes, I can see it in Edis’s eyes. He looks worried,” she said, growing more and more confident.
It was true. Edis did look worried. He was thinking about his daughter, and he seemed not to have noticed that Moleth was even in the shop. “Why does he always do this? He pretends that’s she’s not even here and I have to deal with her the whole time!” thought Legon bitterly. In the last few years Edis hadn’t said much of anything to her, and when Legon thought about it he wasn’t sure if his father had ever said anything to her at all. Legon knew that Edis did not approve of the way Moleth talked about his family, and he would have understood if his father had banned her from the shop or even gotten into fights with her, but he didn’t. Instead, it seemed that she just didn’t exist to him.
His attention was jerked back to Moleth. “It was that demon half-sister of yours, wasn’t it?” Moleth said knowingly.
She had apparently been born without the ability to figure out that you don’t say things like this about somebody’s sister. It was true that Sasha and Legon were not related by birth. Legon was by all accounts adopted, but they were still brother and sister. He felt his face flush.
“My sister is fine, Moleth,” he said through gritted teeth. His anger was rising fast.
She tittered. “Na, na she’s not, I’ve always said there’s something wrong with her, just you wait… not that it’s going to matter anyhow. The queen will be taking care of her soon, so don’t you worry.” She said this like she was telling a sick person that they were going to get better.
Her statement pushed any kind or nice feelings from his mind. If any man had just made the statement that Moleth had, Legon would be all over him. He attempted to hold back his fury and counted to ten slowly in his mind. He tried to keep his voice calm but the attempt didn’t work.
“Sasha is not going anywhere, Moleth, so get used to it!” He felt his hand tighten around the handle of the cleaver.
There was a warning tone in his voice that a person with any sense would heed unless they were ready for a fight. Moleth did not have this sense and she pushed on, oblivious to the now quivering man in front of her.
“Oh come on now, you people can’t keep paying the taxes that she costs you. In the spring they will take her away and be gone with her. I dare say the queen’s men will have a lot of fun with her, don’t you think? She is a pretty girl after all, and the queen’s men do deserve it. They work so hard to keep us safe.” Her voice was warm and a smile came over her face as she winked at him.
Legon’s face contorted and rage filled his body, tearing through him like a wild animal. All rational thought left his mind, replaced with an overwhelming bloodlust. The arm that was holding the cleaver jerked up of its own accord. Edis seized Legon’s arm hard, all the man’s strength holding him back. With his other hand Edis threw the packages at Moleth, who stepped back with the sudden weight of the packages, and barked “Get out!”
Moleth looked perplexed and angry. Her voice was rough and irritated as she spoke.
“What, what’s the matter with you?” She was oblivious to how rude
and dangerous her comments had been.
“I think it’s time you leave, Moleth. Legon and I have a lot of work to do.” This time Edis’s voice was calm and controlled, but he still had a look of murder on his face. Moleth looked at them both reproachfully and left the shop muttering about rude people under her breath.
After that the morning went by quickly. Legon was still fuming, and the hard work was good for him. For once in his life he was happy about the prospect of a long and difficult day. He and Edis brought in a cow carcass and hung it from the ceiling. He felt the rage in his heart dissipate as he heaved the cow. Work had a way of clearing his mind. He looked back on the morning and felt a twinge of shame. If Sasha had known that he was planning on hurting, if not killing, Moleth, she would have been very disappointed with him.
Sasha knew what people said about her, and Legon knew that it hurt and bothered her, but that didn’t mean that she would be ok with him attacking a woman in cold blood. Sasha was a kind person and couldn’t stomach violence or cruelty in any form. She had always been a compass for him; she made him a good person. Sasha was sweet and innocent, kind to everyone, and would do anything to help. It tore at him watching her do kind things for people in town who, as soon as her back was turned, said things like, “Don’t think that will buy you any grace with me freak.”
“How could people think so poorly of someone so good?” he thought. Legon turned his attention back to the bloody carcass in front of him. He now understood his father’s approach to Moleth—it was better not to acknowledge her rather than do something rash.
“Thanks dad, I’ll split it and then I’ll need your help again to put one half in the ice box until I’m ready for it.”
“Sounds good. I’m going to get started on that deer that we got the other day.”