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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