Edin: An Ilmarinen Prequel
By Marilla Mulwane
Copyright 2013 Marilla Mulwane
Cover Art By Elisa Ferguson
Copyright 2013 Elisa Ferguson
Chapter 1
There was no fanfare. No procession throughout town. Family and friends did not gather and cheer. These types of unions did not warrant such frivolities. There was a small banquet. The couple sat together facing their families, while the food that had been prepared by those family members was passed around. There was small talk, and congratulations, and the bride smiled happily at her new husband.
And Edin returned the smile, so as not to upset the girl. And that was exactly what his wife was: a girl. Having seen only thirteen years, the child still believed in dolls and was infatuated with Edin as a child would be, and did not truly understand the ways of love, of marriage. She was not yet a woman, but that did not matter to their lord Tanahn, who had ordered the marriage in hopes that the girl would mature soon. And it was foolhardy to disobey their immortal master. Not that anyone had tried, at least not in years. It was how things were done in this time and age of Ilmarinen.
But, Edin questioned it. Only silently, in his head.
The young girl, his wife, kept her hand placed on his arm, and looked up lovingly at him. She wanted to please him, as she had been taught to do since her birth.
The ceremony had been simple. Anessa's father had performed the ceremony. He united the two and handed the young Anessa over to her new family. She had flowers in her hair, but wore a simple dress, the same one she would continue to wear whenever the couple went into town or entertained guests. The girl had tried to look beautiful, and she was pretty in her way, and as pretty as a begotten girl could be. Her eyes stayed on Edin's face, and he felt her stare even as he tried to watch only her father as he spoke. It was over in minutes, and once the final words were spoken, Anessa's mother burst into tears. Edin could not tell if the tears were of joy for her daughter's match, or of shame for having given her away while she was still yet a child.
Edin glanced at the tearful woman and guessed it was the latter. The woman smiled at Edin, and nodded at him. Although Edin was only a stonemason, it was a trade that always had business these days, and the woman knew her daughter would be well taken care of. Edin also knew that there was gossip among the women of the town that Edin was the eligible bachelor to wed, but they were words he never understood. What was so special about him?
Anessa looked up at Edin and he looked down at her. He leaned down and kissed her forehead gently. As he would his sister.
Chapter 2
In the very early morning, before the sun even began to think about waking and rising, Edin would be up and Anessa would fix his breakfast. It was her duty to feed her husband, and she did so very well. Her mother had taught her how to cook a delicious meal and she always made extra and heaped it on his plate before he even asked for it.
Then he would kiss her cheek, and leave for the day, with a promise to return for lunch, which she would already have done and waiting for him by the time he walked in the door.
Then, as he carried his lantern, Edin would follow the other flickering candles seeming to move on their own in the darkness. The light came from the other stoneworkers, with their own lanterns, as they headed toward their work. Once at the castle, the men would bring out their tools that were kept locked in a shed. Not a single one of the men owned their own tools, and only borrowed them from their lord. And then, by candlelight, the men would start their work, sculpting the giant chunks of stone into shapes. The quiet sound of scraping, of metal on stone, would linger in the air. Every now and then, someone would sneeze, or cough.
Not even one of the men really knew what they were building. Lord Tanahn created the plans for the fortress Tanahn. It was years ago, and the stonemason trade had been created because of it. Edin was a stonemason, because his father was one, and his father before him, who had been one of the first to learn the trade.
It wasn't until the sun started to peek out, it's rays hit the stone and made it shimmer, that someone would finally start to talk.
"Edin's got a wife now, I hear," said Cartel.
There were a few murmurs of congratulations, and Barin slapped Edin on the shoulder.
"A real young thing," Cartel stood up and wiped sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. Edin continued to work. He never spoke much. To anyone. "Before long Edin will be a father, like the rest of us. It was surprising that lord Tanahn waited so long to wed him."
Edin was twenty-four. Most of the men around him had been presented with brides when they were sixteen. Edin didn't know why he hadn't been wed before, but he didn't question it either.
When dawn passed, that was when the women emerged from the castle and made their way to the garden not far from where the stonemason's worked. By watching the sun, Edin would know the moment the women would turn the corner around the castle and into his view. Every day there was a different group of women, of three or four, but Edin had learned their pattern by then and knew which ones worked the garden that day.
No one spoke of them. And no spoke to them. It was forbidden.
The workers ignored the women, and continued to talk as if no one was there. They sculpted stone and hauled it to its place among the walls of the castle. Except for Edin, who continued to work, but also glanced at the women every now and then.
The women always made him wonder. They wore the same dresses, which they would tuck up around their waists a little so they wouldn't trip over the skirts while they worked. They had no fear of digging into the dirt, and would bend over to rip the weeds from the dirt as if the plant was evil and needed punishment. Many of the women were pregnant, and still worked like dogs. And as time went on, Edin would notice how one pregnant woman would be no longer, but never for very long.
It was common knowledge where the babies went: into the arms of the couples in town, where they would grow up and become coupled and be given babies of their own. It was a situation that Edin was now in himself. Anessa was to have her own children, yes, but children would come to them even without her being pregnant.
Everyone in town had been told the women were not of their land, and were foreigners meant only for their task to populate the country. They were told that the women had no feelings beyond their job, and happily gave away their children for the benefit of Ilmarinen. No one questioned the words.
No one except Edin. But only silently, in his mind.
Chapter 3
"I have heard such news!"
Young Dai barged into the house and started to speak before the door was barely opened. Her family was gathered around the dinner table, waiting for her, and Edin smiled at the child. Of course, by Ilmarinen standards, Dai was nearly grown. She had seen twelve years, and the idea that in a year she could be a wife, much like Anessa, made Edin's stomach wish to turn inside out. He could not imagine sending his sister away to a fate worse than the one Anessa faced now.
"Where have you been?" Dai's mother asked. She stood up from the table to finally serve their meal. She served her father first.
The man, Dai and Edin's father, stared at his plate as if he didn't know what its purpose was. His face was pale, and his eyes sunken in. With every day that passed, the man seemed ten years older. The only thing that kept the man going was the medicine that was always happily given to them by the healer down the street, a woman who had grown up with him. Edin knew the healer loved his father, but he had been wed to another, Edin's mother, as the healer had had her own ceremony. Two actually, as her first husband had died young by a tragic accident and the woman could not save him.
But those were things that were unimportant in Ilmarine
n.
Dai took her place at the table, the one beside Anessa. She thanked her mother when her meal was placed in front of her. Although she was being polite, Edin could see the excitement in her eyes. The news she had in her mind wanted out.
After everyone was served, they thanked lord Tanahn for their lives and then began to eat.
"Will you hear my news?" Dai asked.
"I wish to hear," Edin said when no one else seemed like they were going to respond.
"I have heard there is a new woman within the castle."
"That is not news," their mother said.
"No, but there is something about her that is very newsworthy."
"And what is that?"
"She is very beautiful."
Eating utensils stopped, mid-flight, and mouths hung agape. Even their father seemed surprised.
"Where have you heard this news?" Anessa asked. The girl seemed suddenly interested. As if beauty was important.
"From a friend within the castle," she answered while she looked down at her plate.
"Anessa!" her mother snapped. "You have not been with that young boy, have you?"
"He has been my friend since birth."
"You are no longer children," she snapped again. "Please, for your own happiness, leave him be."
"Yes, mother." Dai looked sullenly at her food and gave a great sigh.
Edin wanted to hug his sister to him.
"A beautiful woman," Anessa said. Her face looked lost in fantasy. "Edin, what if we are granted one of her children? A beautiful begotten?"
"If the woman is as beautiful as they say, I cannot imagine that lord Tanahn would give the children to any of us. He most likely plans to raise an heir," Edin's mother answered.
With a frown, Anessa nodded and went back to eating.
Edin was the child of his mother and father, born to them, their flesh and blood. Never did he have to wonder which of the women was his mother, trying to match eyes and noses, and never did he look upon their lord Tanahn as he wandered the streets and think of him as "father". He was part of a full begotten generation.
But, Dai was not.
She was brought to them as many were given. A man who worked within the castle knocked on the door with a small bundle in his arms. When the master of the house opened the door, the child was unceremoniously placed within his arms, the burden released from the other man, and that was it. The deliverer would leave, sometimes with a congratulations or a nod of the head, and the child now had a home, parents, and family.
Then there would be a mad dash to find milk, a young mother willing to provide, a place for the baby to sleep, and all other necessities since none were ever provided, and no notice given. No one knew for sure how lord Tanahn decided what couple would get what child, but most suspected there was no pattern to it. He just gave.
Since his marriage, whenever there was a knock on the door, Edin would freeze. He barely slept at night, waiting.
There was a story that surrounded Edin's birth. His mother would tell the tale repeatedly, to any that would listen no matter how many times they'd heard it. The whole town knew the tale. It was said that Edin's mother went into labor while she was within the forest, and feared she could not get back into town. And that Odin's consort, Lilith herself, came upon the laboring woman and eased her pain and led her to her home. Lilith laid her hand upon his mother's stomach and whispered unintelligible words. Usually at this part of the story, Edin's father would be asked if he remembered, and he always dutifully agreed that it was Lilith, beautifully striking, and that she did say some words to Edin, meant only for his ears.
The tale was told as if Lilith had been there on purpose, to aid his mother, but Edin knew better. It was common knowledge that when lord Tanahn's parents came to visit that Lilith could be seen wandering the forest. She must have heard the pregnant woman's cries and had offered her aid. Simple as that.
Edin was no one special.
After dinner, it was time to turn in to sleep. Anessa shared a room with Dai and would continue to until she could perform nightly duties to her husband. So, Edin climbed into his bed alone, and dreaded the knock on the door, while he wondered about the beautiful woman within the castle.
Chapter 4
"Give me a woman as ugly as a pig. They are more likely to give you what you want, and do what you ask, and all you have to do is lie every now and then and tell them that they are beautiful. But a beautiful woman has you fumbling over yourself trying to make her happy, just so you can be rewarded with a little pat on the head. And you will be happy with that little pat, yes you will, because it came from a beautiful woman."
"Back to work, Cartel. You have no idea what you are talking about." Barin shook his head with annoyance.
"Look at all the scion men, falling all over their women to buy them trinkets and bowing down to their feet. We never have to do such things. Because our women are ugly."
Cartel talked animatedly as he swung his pick around in heavy loops. Once the sun had risen, talk immediately started about the new woman within the castle. The beautiful one.
Usually the women of the castle were never mentioned, but this one, the new one, was a novelty and everyone in town was interested and gossip was everywhere.
Edin did not become involved with the conversation, he never usually did, but he listened. His features stayed bound to his work so that to everyone's eyes they would see a man hard at work and not bothered with gossip. It was no different than any other day.
Until the young woman stepped out from the castle and made her way toward the gardens. There was collective silence among the men, but none stopped their work. Except Edin. His eyes fell on the woman as she approached one of the centaurs given to the women to help them haul their loads. He stared as she reacted to the creature, and he thought it funny that she looked as if the centaur was something strange to behold while every man around him, himself included, looked at her in the same way.
"Edin," Barin whispered harshly. He placed his hand on Edin's shoulder and turned him away.
"Edin, you have just proven my point," Cartel said with a laugh.
If Edin had been caught staring, he would have lost his job. As Cartel said, a man would do anything for a beautiful woman.
Edin ignored Cartel's comment and resumed his work, but now his ears closed off to the conversations around him and his eyes constantly glanced at the woman. There was beauty there, similar to those of the scions, and the only thing that made her newsworthy was because she was one of the women meant to bear their children. Children not meant to be beautiful.
But, that was not what kept Edin's eyes on her.
That night, as Edin entered his home with the smell of his dinner in the air, his mind was full of thoughts about the young woman. His family greeted him happily. They seemed in good spirits and were talkative and excited. Dai pressed him down into his chair at the table, the one near his father who smiled a little at his son but Edin wasn't sure the man knew who he was smiling to. Anessa kissed his cheek as she set a dish down on the table before him. Once everything was ready, the women took their places at the table, and they thanked lord Tanahn for all they had.
"Her name is Serenity," Dai blurted the moment everyone was about to eat, food nearly to their mouths. She had waited for just that moment to speak, and smiled wildly at the surprise she caused.
"How do you...?" their mother asked, but then guessed the answer and frowned. "I told you to leave that boy be."
Dai gave her mother a defiant look.
"I wish I worked within the castle." Anessa sighed.
"Lord Tanahn would not let you approach her even if you did."
"But, mayhap, I could catch a glimpse of her."
Edin ate his dinner, silent like his father.
Anessa turned to Dai, her eyes wide with excitement.
"Has he seen her?" she asked, meaning Dai's friend. "Is she as beautiful as everyone says?"
"Yes."
It w
as Edin's voice they heard, and it surprised him as much as everyone else. He looked up from his plate at the eyes that stared back at him. When he glanced to Anessa beside him, he saw her frown. Feeling guilty, Edin smiled at her and raised her chin to meet his gaze.
"But only as beautiful as you."
The young girl's frown immediately disappeared and she believed without doubt Edin's words. Just as Cartel had spoken. She leaned up and kissed him quick on the lips, the first time their lips had ever touched. Happy now, Anessa went back to her meal, and the family changed the conversation to one about lord Tanahn's parents being seen. They had come to visit, and they always did so without fanfare, preferring to keep things quiet. The only time anyone saw them was by chance, and it was usually only Lilith, lord Tanahn's mother, that was seen outside the castle walls.
That night, while Edin stared up at the ceiling in his bedroom, he thought about the woman's name. Serenity. The name did not fit her. Yes, it was as beautiful as her, but its meaning did not fit. There was no serenity in the woman's face while he had watched her. She was not free of mind. There was no peace about her.
Lost in his thoughts, Edin did not hear his bedroom door open, and it wasn't until Anessa's small body pressed down upon his pallet that Edin even realized he was not alone. He stiffened as she spread out her body beside him. In the darkness, he could barely make out the outline of her body, and could not see her face.
"Anessa, what is wrong?" he whispered.
"You are my husband."
He kept silent, not knowing what to say.
"Although I can not conceive we could still practice." Her voice was nervous and unsure.
"You are only a child," Edin blurted from shock. If he had expected this he would have said something nicer, but he had been caught off guard.
The words had hurt her. Although he could not see, Edin heard the tremor in her throat, the whimpers as she tried not to cry. Anessa was just a child, but by Ilmarinen standards, she was a woman expected to please her husband. And her husband had just turned her down.