Bookish dragon with a pen (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
bookish_dragon) wrote2006-11-18 05:53 pm
bookish_dragon) wrote2006-11-18 05:53 pm
Entry tags:
NaNoWriMo, part 12
Chapter 6
Ameena did not need long to get her backpack filled. There was not much she possessed and wanted to take along with her. A change of clothes. A leather strap and the stone bullets to sling with it. A small pouch with money so she could buy what she still needed later on. She would take one of thequarterstaffs along with her as well. That was standard practice. There were enough weapons that people could take them if they were going on a long journey. And hers was going to be long. Needle and thread and a hairbrush and some other odds and ends she thought she might need. She did not have any personal effects, nothing in the way of pictures and letters. She slung the rather empty backpack over one shoulder and left the dorm to go to the training-field.
Bjernu was sitting near the training-field, dressed in green and brown again. He also had on a coat to keep the cold out. He was hoping Ameena would say yes, but he would not find out until they had to leave. He sighed. He was getting chilly. Getting up he drew his sword. He might as well spend some time getting warm. The rime was melting away in the sunlight. Bjernu ran through a series of exercises. This felt better than sparring with Olgyu. Sword raised above his head he spun around, and brought the sword down. Something blocked its way. Bjernu blinked. There was a quarterstaff there. He looked further. Ameena grinned at him. "Hello there."
"Are you crazy? I could have hit you!" They stood locked in this position.
"I would not have let you. I do know what I am doing. Do you want to train with me?"
"Are you coming with us?" he asked. His heart was beating faster in anticipation of her answer.
Ameena still was feeling strangely calm. "Yes, I am. Do you want to train? When are we leaving?"
"This afternoon, so we have the time." He winked. "Good that you are coming with. You will not regret it."
"Only time can tell. Now let's start." She lowered her quarterstaff. Her backpack she had lain down at the edge of the field when she saw Bjernu training. Bjernu grinned and brought his sword down in front of his stomach. "Do you not use a shield?" she asked. She took a step away from him, staff kept at chest-height.
"No, I do not. One would just get in the way during the rest of my work. I try my best not to get hit. You?" He matched her movements.
"We are not trained in the use of one. Besides, I need both hands for this." She swung one end of the staff at his side. Bjernu parried it with his sword. Ameena backed away, and looked at him warily. He winked again at her. They circled each other. Bjernu suddenly darted forward and hit her in the side with the flat of his sword. She gasped.
"You left a gap in your defense there. Pay attention," Bjernu said. Ameena glared. This was not as easy as it had looked like. She shifted her weight. Her tail swung wildly. She came forward, swinging the staff in his direction, the blows coming too fast for him to follow. Two of them hit him in the arm and shoulder. These would leave bruises in the morning. They would match those he got the other day nicely. Bjernu grimaced. He and his big mouth. "That is better. You are getting the hang of it." They broke apart again. More blows were exchanged. They were both panting from the exertions and the pain. No blood was drawn. Bjernu hit Ameena in the leg, behind the knee. She went down. "Do you give in?" he asked her, towering above her. In response she rolled over to lean on her hands and kicked him in the ankles with her uninjured leg. Bjernu fell down next to her.
"Only if you do too," she said. She got up into a cross-legged position, wincing at the pain in her right knee. "Did you have to hit that hard?"
"I could ask the same of you. Both my ankles?"
"Best way to get someone down." She stretched out her right leg.
"Better to kill them. That way they can not get back up." He leered at her.
She giggled. "Truce! I call truce." She laughed. "Let's not kill each other before we have even started travelling together." She shivered. "My trousers are getting wet. Shall we go inside and dry up?"
"Truce it is. I will have my revenge, though." He turned his feet. "They are still working. Help me up, please?"
Ameena got up and stuck out her hand. "There you go." She planted her feet more firmly in the ground.
"Thanks." He grabbed her hand and with her help hauled himself off the ground. "Are you all packed? What have you got with you?" He took a few cautious steps.
"I did not kick you that hard." She walked over to the edge of the field, sparing her right knee for the moment, and picked up her backpack. Even from that distance Bjernu could see she did not have enough with her.
"No bedroll? Blanket? A nice piece of rope? Extra food?"
Ameena looked miffed. "I was going to get those. I have been outside before, you know. I ran into you while getting a weapon. Would you like to search my pack, or will this suffice?"
"I did not mean to say that you did not know what you were doing. I only wanted to make sure you were prepared."
She sighed. "I am sorry. I did not mean to snap at you." She smiled wanly. "Shall we go inside? You can make sure I get everything I need."
Bjernu smiled. "That is a good idea." They wandered back to the monastery, using each other as crutches.
In front of Father Morgenstern's office Marnak got pulled to the side just as he wanted to knock on the door. "I have to talk to you. Now," Olgyu said. He looked at her. She was looking withdrawn.
He sighed. "I was going to inform the abbot we were leaving. Can it not wait until after that?"
She shook her head. "No. It has to be now. We might have a problem."
"Do tell." They walked off to a more secluded part of the hallway. Olgyu looked very nervous. She swallowed a few times before speaking.
"There is someone else who wants to join us. Sister Emmar, the healer." She looked at her feet. Marnak narrowed his eyes at her. He would not like where this was going, he knew it. He waited for her to continue speaking. Olgyu did not. She got red.
"Why does she want to join us?" Olgyu got even redder at this question. "Do say you did not do what I think you did. Please, Olgyu."
"We spent the night together."
"As I thought." He studied what he could see of her face. "You are very red. Normally you do not care this much. Why is that?"
Olgyu was still looking at the floor. She did not know herself. There was shame for getting someone's hopes up. Annoyance at the monk's insistence and her own weakness in changing her mind. Fear for what might happen. Something about this encounter felt different from all the previous ones. "I do not know. I just do." She looked up. "She can not come! The group will get too big. She is needed here. She can not just leave her responsibilities."
"Have you told her that?"
"I did. She did not care. We can not deprive the monastery of a valued member."
Marnak sighed. "This is getting tricky. I do not know what to do. I suggest we talk to the abbot, to see if Sister Emmar is as unmissable as you think she is."
Olgyu gave him a wide-eyed look. "Are you saying she can come along with us? She can not...we can not...it can not be done!"
"Stop running. Your choices have caught up with you. Now you have to deal with them. Excuse me." Marnak smoothed down his robes and walked back to the door, leaving a very unhappy looking Olgyu behind him. She kicked the wall, hard, and cursed at the pain that shot up through her leg. Marnak ignored the cursing and the warrior's stalking off and knocked on the door.
"Please come in," the abbot called. Marnak entered the room and bowed to the older man. He noted there was more paperwork on the abbot's desk than last time.
"Good day, Father Morgenstern," he said. "We are leaving today. I wanted to convey the gratitude of all of us for the hospitality you have shown to us. However, a small problem has come up this morning. Do you have the time to discuss this?"
"I do. Please sit down." The abbot wondered what the problem was. It seemed like an attempt at bribery. It had happened before. "Sister Ameena will be going with you. That is very good news, that she decided that."
Marnak sat down. "It is not Sister Ameena I wanted to talk about. It is about one of the other monks. Sister Emmar also want to come."
The abbot looked puzzled. "Sister Emmar? I did not know she had met with any of your group. Why does she want to come along with you? She seems so happy here."
"She has struck up a friendship with Olgyu Axil, and does not want to leave her. This creates a tricky situation, as you can see."
The abbot steepled his fingers and looked at Marnak. "I will affirm that. She is the best healer in these regions. Losing her would seriously inconvenience a lot of people, both here in the monastery as in the villages. However, we do not force people to stay here. How does missAxil see this? Would she be willing to take her new friend along?"
Marnak did not reply. He knew what Olgyu thought, or at least what she had told him. On the other hand, it was time she learned from her actions. "Yes, she is. We will take care of SisterEmmar as well as we can. I will not lie and say it be an easy life. It will not be. As I understand Olgyu has discussed this with SisterEmmar. I have not met the monk myself, but I do have the utmost trust in my friends' opinions."
"I see. When will you be leaving?"
"We were hoping early this afternoon, Father Morgenstern."
"I will talk to Sister Emmar before you leave. Regardless of the outcome of that conversation I will meet you at the main entrance after lunch. Agreed?"
"Thank you Father Morgenstern. We will see you then." Marnak got up, bowed and left the room.
Sister Emmar was still looking at the door when the abbot came inside. "I knocked, but there was no answer. Are you doing well, Sister Emmar?"
She looked up at him. "I am, Father Morgenstern." There was a hollowness to her voice. After Olgyu had left, she had not gotten out of the seat, but she just stared at the door, waiting for the warrior to come back. She did not know what to do right now. Her head felt empty and her brain was not working. She wanted to go with Olgyu and despaired at the thought of leaving and having to pack up.
The abbot cleared his throat. "I understand you want to leave with this group of visitors. Are you certain you want to? I will not mince words. You are very valuable to us, and you and your services will be greatly missed. If I could, I would persuade you to stay here. Are you certain you want to leave, over a friendship that has lasted all of two days?"
Sister Emmar glared at him at that. "Yes, I am. She sees me as a person, not just as a resource."
"Sister Emmar! I did not mean it like that, as you well know. As a person you are valued too. Yes, your skill in healing will be missed. As will you. So I ask you again, are you certain that you want to do this?" He folded his arms and looked at her, searching her face for an answer.
"Yes, I am certain." She got up out of her chair and skittered around the room, She had things to do. The talk with the abbot had given her the motivation she needed to begin. "Widow Franke in Pranz has enough knowledge to be able to take my place. She is young so she can learn more and work here a long time. And she would not turn it down: she has had an eye on this position for a long time.She will do very well. There is enough brew to last for a year, if you ration it. I made it last night."
The watched watched her with sad eyes. "You will be missed. I hope you will not regret your decision."
"I am sure I will be very happy. I will leave the papers and most of the supplies. I can find more and I know the recipes by heart."
"I thought you were at peace here. Why did that change?"
She stopped in getting vials together. "It did. I do not know why. I do know I can find a new peace." She turned to the abbot. "FatherMorgenstern , I am very thankful for all you and The Duchess have done for me over the years. But I do have to do this. I can not let this chance get away from me."
"They are leaving after lunch. I will escort you to them. You will not be the only one from this order. Sister Ameena will also be going with them." He sighed. "Losing you two will affect The Duchess, even if only in subtle ways."
"I had not heard Sister Ameena was also leaving. It will be nice to not be the only new person in the group. Now I have to get on with packing. Please excuse me, FatherMorgenstern?" She went back to collecting vials, checking the contents and putting some back on their shelves.
"Yes, yes of course. I will see you later, Sister Emmar." Abbot Morgenstern left the room. Sister Emmar went on packing.
Ameena did not need long to get her backpack filled. There was not much she possessed and wanted to take along with her. A change of clothes. A leather strap and the stone bullets to sling with it. A small pouch with money so she could buy what she still needed later on. She would take one of thequarterstaffs along with her as well. That was standard practice. There were enough weapons that people could take them if they were going on a long journey. And hers was going to be long. Needle and thread and a hairbrush and some other odds and ends she thought she might need. She did not have any personal effects, nothing in the way of pictures and letters. She slung the rather empty backpack over one shoulder and left the dorm to go to the training-field.
Bjernu was sitting near the training-field, dressed in green and brown again. He also had on a coat to keep the cold out. He was hoping Ameena would say yes, but he would not find out until they had to leave. He sighed. He was getting chilly. Getting up he drew his sword. He might as well spend some time getting warm. The rime was melting away in the sunlight. Bjernu ran through a series of exercises. This felt better than sparring with Olgyu. Sword raised above his head he spun around, and brought the sword down. Something blocked its way. Bjernu blinked. There was a quarterstaff there. He looked further. Ameena grinned at him. "Hello there."
"Are you crazy? I could have hit you!" They stood locked in this position.
"I would not have let you. I do know what I am doing. Do you want to train with me?"
"Are you coming with us?" he asked. His heart was beating faster in anticipation of her answer.
Ameena still was feeling strangely calm. "Yes, I am. Do you want to train? When are we leaving?"
"This afternoon, so we have the time." He winked. "Good that you are coming with. You will not regret it."
"Only time can tell. Now let's start." She lowered her quarterstaff. Her backpack she had lain down at the edge of the field when she saw Bjernu training. Bjernu grinned and brought his sword down in front of his stomach. "Do you not use a shield?" she asked. She took a step away from him, staff kept at chest-height.
"No, I do not. One would just get in the way during the rest of my work. I try my best not to get hit. You?" He matched her movements.
"We are not trained in the use of one. Besides, I need both hands for this." She swung one end of the staff at his side. Bjernu parried it with his sword. Ameena backed away, and looked at him warily. He winked again at her. They circled each other. Bjernu suddenly darted forward and hit her in the side with the flat of his sword. She gasped.
"You left a gap in your defense there. Pay attention," Bjernu said. Ameena glared. This was not as easy as it had looked like. She shifted her weight. Her tail swung wildly. She came forward, swinging the staff in his direction, the blows coming too fast for him to follow. Two of them hit him in the arm and shoulder. These would leave bruises in the morning. They would match those he got the other day nicely. Bjernu grimaced. He and his big mouth. "That is better. You are getting the hang of it." They broke apart again. More blows were exchanged. They were both panting from the exertions and the pain. No blood was drawn. Bjernu hit Ameena in the leg, behind the knee. She went down. "Do you give in?" he asked her, towering above her. In response she rolled over to lean on her hands and kicked him in the ankles with her uninjured leg. Bjernu fell down next to her.
"Only if you do too," she said. She got up into a cross-legged position, wincing at the pain in her right knee. "Did you have to hit that hard?"
"I could ask the same of you. Both my ankles?"
"Best way to get someone down." She stretched out her right leg.
"Better to kill them. That way they can not get back up." He leered at her.
She giggled. "Truce! I call truce." She laughed. "Let's not kill each other before we have even started travelling together." She shivered. "My trousers are getting wet. Shall we go inside and dry up?"
"Truce it is. I will have my revenge, though." He turned his feet. "They are still working. Help me up, please?"
Ameena got up and stuck out her hand. "There you go." She planted her feet more firmly in the ground.
"Thanks." He grabbed her hand and with her help hauled himself off the ground. "Are you all packed? What have you got with you?" He took a few cautious steps.
"I did not kick you that hard." She walked over to the edge of the field, sparing her right knee for the moment, and picked up her backpack. Even from that distance Bjernu could see she did not have enough with her.
"No bedroll? Blanket? A nice piece of rope? Extra food?"
Ameena looked miffed. "I was going to get those. I have been outside before, you know. I ran into you while getting a weapon. Would you like to search my pack, or will this suffice?"
"I did not mean to say that you did not know what you were doing. I only wanted to make sure you were prepared."
She sighed. "I am sorry. I did not mean to snap at you." She smiled wanly. "Shall we go inside? You can make sure I get everything I need."
Bjernu smiled. "That is a good idea." They wandered back to the monastery, using each other as crutches.
In front of Father Morgenstern's office Marnak got pulled to the side just as he wanted to knock on the door. "I have to talk to you. Now," Olgyu said. He looked at her. She was looking withdrawn.
He sighed. "I was going to inform the abbot we were leaving. Can it not wait until after that?"
She shook her head. "No. It has to be now. We might have a problem."
"Do tell." They walked off to a more secluded part of the hallway. Olgyu looked very nervous. She swallowed a few times before speaking.
"There is someone else who wants to join us. Sister Emmar, the healer." She looked at her feet. Marnak narrowed his eyes at her. He would not like where this was going, he knew it. He waited for her to continue speaking. Olgyu did not. She got red.
"Why does she want to join us?" Olgyu got even redder at this question. "Do say you did not do what I think you did. Please, Olgyu."
"We spent the night together."
"As I thought." He studied what he could see of her face. "You are very red. Normally you do not care this much. Why is that?"
Olgyu was still looking at the floor. She did not know herself. There was shame for getting someone's hopes up. Annoyance at the monk's insistence and her own weakness in changing her mind. Fear for what might happen. Something about this encounter felt different from all the previous ones. "I do not know. I just do." She looked up. "She can not come! The group will get too big. She is needed here. She can not just leave her responsibilities."
"Have you told her that?"
"I did. She did not care. We can not deprive the monastery of a valued member."
Marnak sighed. "This is getting tricky. I do not know what to do. I suggest we talk to the abbot, to see if Sister Emmar is as unmissable as you think she is."
Olgyu gave him a wide-eyed look. "Are you saying she can come along with us? She can not...we can not...it can not be done!"
"Stop running. Your choices have caught up with you. Now you have to deal with them. Excuse me." Marnak smoothed down his robes and walked back to the door, leaving a very unhappy looking Olgyu behind him. She kicked the wall, hard, and cursed at the pain that shot up through her leg. Marnak ignored the cursing and the warrior's stalking off and knocked on the door.
"Please come in," the abbot called. Marnak entered the room and bowed to the older man. He noted there was more paperwork on the abbot's desk than last time.
"Good day, Father Morgenstern," he said. "We are leaving today. I wanted to convey the gratitude of all of us for the hospitality you have shown to us. However, a small problem has come up this morning. Do you have the time to discuss this?"
"I do. Please sit down." The abbot wondered what the problem was. It seemed like an attempt at bribery. It had happened before. "Sister Ameena will be going with you. That is very good news, that she decided that."
Marnak sat down. "It is not Sister Ameena I wanted to talk about. It is about one of the other monks. Sister Emmar also want to come."
The abbot looked puzzled. "Sister Emmar? I did not know she had met with any of your group. Why does she want to come along with you? She seems so happy here."
"She has struck up a friendship with Olgyu Axil, and does not want to leave her. This creates a tricky situation, as you can see."
The abbot steepled his fingers and looked at Marnak. "I will affirm that. She is the best healer in these regions. Losing her would seriously inconvenience a lot of people, both here in the monastery as in the villages. However, we do not force people to stay here. How does missAxil see this? Would she be willing to take her new friend along?"
Marnak did not reply. He knew what Olgyu thought, or at least what she had told him. On the other hand, it was time she learned from her actions. "Yes, she is. We will take care of SisterEmmar as well as we can. I will not lie and say it be an easy life. It will not be. As I understand Olgyu has discussed this with SisterEmmar. I have not met the monk myself, but I do have the utmost trust in my friends' opinions."
"I see. When will you be leaving?"
"We were hoping early this afternoon, Father Morgenstern."
"I will talk to Sister Emmar before you leave. Regardless of the outcome of that conversation I will meet you at the main entrance after lunch. Agreed?"
"Thank you Father Morgenstern. We will see you then." Marnak got up, bowed and left the room.
Sister Emmar was still looking at the door when the abbot came inside. "I knocked, but there was no answer. Are you doing well, Sister Emmar?"
She looked up at him. "I am, Father Morgenstern." There was a hollowness to her voice. After Olgyu had left, she had not gotten out of the seat, but she just stared at the door, waiting for the warrior to come back. She did not know what to do right now. Her head felt empty and her brain was not working. She wanted to go with Olgyu and despaired at the thought of leaving and having to pack up.
The abbot cleared his throat. "I understand you want to leave with this group of visitors. Are you certain you want to? I will not mince words. You are very valuable to us, and you and your services will be greatly missed. If I could, I would persuade you to stay here. Are you certain you want to leave, over a friendship that has lasted all of two days?"
Sister Emmar glared at him at that. "Yes, I am. She sees me as a person, not just as a resource."
"Sister Emmar! I did not mean it like that, as you well know. As a person you are valued too. Yes, your skill in healing will be missed. As will you. So I ask you again, are you certain that you want to do this?" He folded his arms and looked at her, searching her face for an answer.
"Yes, I am certain." She got up out of her chair and skittered around the room, She had things to do. The talk with the abbot had given her the motivation she needed to begin. "Widow Franke in Pranz has enough knowledge to be able to take my place. She is young so she can learn more and work here a long time. And she would not turn it down: she has had an eye on this position for a long time.She will do very well. There is enough brew to last for a year, if you ration it. I made it last night."
The watched watched her with sad eyes. "You will be missed. I hope you will not regret your decision."
"I am sure I will be very happy. I will leave the papers and most of the supplies. I can find more and I know the recipes by heart."
"I thought you were at peace here. Why did that change?"
She stopped in getting vials together. "It did. I do not know why. I do know I can find a new peace." She turned to the abbot. "FatherMorgenstern , I am very thankful for all you and The Duchess have done for me over the years. But I do have to do this. I can not let this chance get away from me."
"They are leaving after lunch. I will escort you to them. You will not be the only one from this order. Sister Ameena will also be going with them." He sighed. "Losing you two will affect The Duchess, even if only in subtle ways."
"I had not heard Sister Ameena was also leaving. It will be nice to not be the only new person in the group. Now I have to get on with packing. Please excuse me, FatherMorgenstern?" She went back to collecting vials, checking the contents and putting some back on their shelves.
"Yes, yes of course. I will see you later, Sister Emmar." Abbot Morgenstern left the room. Sister Emmar went on packing.