Enent: Chapter One

From: Niki Karras <NKarras_at_...>
Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2000 20:01:50 -0400


Very, very strange fan-fic... But, hey, I'm very, very strange!

Enent sat on a stump in the pastures, spinning wool into yarn on her spindle, and watched the children run about and play in the fields. The cows watched them benevolently, but the children stayed clear of the bulls. There were three of them, eight-year old Beneva, six-year old Wilms, and three-year old Umathkar. Their flaxen hair fluttered in the gentle breeze, and Enent sighed contentedly. The weaponthanes were patrolling the borders of the pastures to catch cattle raids, and she smiled as the children ran to their father, clambering over him, and Wilms tried to lift the heavy sword at Broyan�s waist. The other weaponthanes smiled at the children. Broyan patted Wilms�s head, and bent and gave something to him, then shooed the children back to their mother. Wilms handed Enent a long stemmed flower, her favorite kind.
"Papa gave it to you, Mama," Beneva piped up. Enent smiled, and gathered
little Umathkar, who had just made it across the pasture, into her lap.
"Sit down, little ones. Mama will tell you a story."
"Tell us about Elmal!" "No, Uralda!" "Tell about Orlanth�s Contests!"
"What do you want to hear, Umathkar?"
"Chalana Arroy an� de scars."
"All right. Even as we pray for the Chalana Arroy priestesses to heal our
injuries and sicknesses, we must remember that Chalana Arroy healed the Scars of the Storm Tribe long ago in the God Time. She was not one of Orlanth or Ernalda�s kin, but an attendant of the Bad Emperor. Orlanth killed the Bad Emperor, and he thought that Chalana Arroy was an enemy."
"But she wasn�t, was she?"
"No, Wilms, she wasn�t. Chalana Arroy healed the thanes of the Bad Emperor,
and then she went to heal Orlanth�s thanes. Orlanth didn�t know she was good, and so he tried to kill her. However, Chalana Arroy healed a part of him he didn�t even know was hurt, and so he thanked her and made her one of his attendants. It was at this time that the Unholy Trio appeared in the world. Orlanth�s brother-"
"Yinkin?"
"Wilms, don�t interrupt. It wasn�t Yinkin, it was Kolat. Kolat argued with
Malia, the evil goddess of disease, and she made him very sick. Chalana Arroy kept Malia from killing him and she cured Kolat, so Malia had to go away. We thank her for curing diseases. The Unholy Trio did more bad things, and finally Urox decided to fight with his brother, Ragnaglar, who betrayed the Storm Tribe."
"Isn�t that kinstrife?"
"Yes, I suppose it is."
"Isn�t kinstrife Chaos?"
"Not as much Chaos as there would be if he didn�t fight Ragnaglar."
"I don�t like Chaos."
"All right, Wilms. Hush.
"When Urox was about to kill Ragnaglar, Chalana Arroy threw herself between
Ragnaglar and Urox. We thank he for her mercy, which she even gives to our enemies. There was a very big, very bad, war between Orlanth and Wakboth, the Devil. Chalana Arroy healed our ancestors, and even brought them back from the halls of the dead. Chalana Arroy and Humakt quarreled about this, but they got very angry at eachother when Thed, the other member of the Unholy Trio, hurt King Heort, the father of all us Heortlanders. He was dead, and Chalana Arroy was going to bring him back to life, but Humakt wouldn�t let her. She healed Humakt of being sure he was always right, and we thank her for giving Humakt the ability to make an exception once in a while. This is the end of the healing story." Enent smiled at Umathkar, who had fallen asleep, and at Wilms, who was lying on his back, dreamily gazing up at the clouds. Only Beneva was looking at her mother her small face serious. "Mama, who is the most important goddess?"
"It depends, Beneva. Different people worship different ones above all the
other. Some people think Ernalda is the most important, others think that Uralda, Chalana Arroy, Vinga, or even Maran Gor is the most important."
"What about you, Mama?"
"I think that the most important goddess is Ernalda, the Mother."
Suddenly Wilms sat up, pointing to the clan hall, a few fields away. "Mama, there�s fighting!" Enent was suddenly alert, and dropped the still slumbering Umathkar into Beneva�s arms. "Beneva, take Umathkar and Wilms back to the stead and don�t come out until I come back." As Beneva hoisted her little sister onto her back and started across the fields, with Wilms holding her hand, Enent broke into a run. She was quite fit for a woman of twenty-eight and her long strides brought her to the front of the clan hall. Whatever fighting had been going on, it was over now. Her eyes quickly scanned the crowd for the face of her husband, Broyan, and when she saw him she rushed to his side.
"Broyan, what happened? Who was fighting?"
"Some traders from the Elkenvali didn�t like our trade agreements, and they
ordered their escort to attack us. We fought them back, and it�ll be some time before they bother us again. Where are the children, Enent?"
"I sent them back to the stead. It�s getting to be late in the afternoon,
anyway. I�ll send Beneva and Wilms to herd the animals in for the night, and get supper ready."
Broyan nodded, but as Enent turned to go, he caught her arm, spun her around, and kissed her. She smiled over her shoulder at him as she turned to go, and he smiled back.
Enent was stirring the stew when Broyan returned that evening, and Wilms had come in with interesting news.
"Mama, there�s a new calf in the herd."
"That�s strange� They�re usually born in Sea season, not Fire season."
"That�s not all. Papa, Mama, the calf is white!"
Broyan smiled at his little son, then reached out his wide, callused hand to engulf the much smaller one of the child. "Why don�t you show me this white calf while your Mama makes the stew?"
Wilms jumped down and tugged his father out the door and through the tula into the pasture. Beneva turned to her mother, and smiled. "I found the white calf, Mama, not Wilms. I told him he could tell you, though." Enent smiled indulgently at the little girl, and patted her shoulder. "Come on, help me dish out the stew before Papa and Wilms get back." Broyan and Wilms were back soon, Wilms smiling broadly, and Broyan shaking his head in disbelief. "�Tis indeed white, Enent." Enent smiled, and pulled her husband down onto the bench beside her. She leaned over and whispered in his ear "Broyan, I know you can�t stay here, but I�ll come to the weaponthanes stead tonight when the children are asleep."
Broyan smiled broadly, and kissed her cheek. Enent watched the children bicker over who got more chunks of beef in their stew and over whose slice of bread was larger. Finally, she said "Beneva, I� ll clean out the bowls after I put Umathkar and Wilms to bed." As the little children hurried off to the other end of the stead, flaxen heads bobbing, Enent smiled softly. She tucked the children into bed, and rinsed the bowls. Finally, she hooked her arm through Broyan�s, and allowed him to lead her to his bed in the weaponthanes stead. He slowly pulled the curtain around it shut, and they collapsed to the soft bed.

--Niki
nkarras_at_...
A zebra does not change its spots.- Al Gore

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