A Castrovel Adventure: Part 3, Chapter 47

In which Vaeol confronts her feud with Oshis

From the Daylog of Vaeol-Zheieveil Yaranevae be’Son

2. Soelae, 24,542 - Flaghold [continued from last chapter]
...Yestermorn Semuane, Istae, and I rode forth to the Flaghold. It was a hot Blighttide day with a nice drizzle. I think we all begladdened to ride asaddle without armor, clothed in hunting scarves, swordbills stepped easily astirrup. Yet it was my lifetime’s longest ride, for I feared what awaited.
We uprode to Remaue and Kaure waving from the main deck, who seemingly had been watching. Soon as we climbed up, they met us with kisses, and were joined by Tae, Nae, and Sievae. I looked about and saw else only the children. When I asked of the Korasha, Remaue told they had gone ahunt. At this word I was relieved. Yet something bothered, as if misdone.
Remaue nodded glancingly off behind my shoulder. Against my will, I looked backward. There stood Erymi, holding little Tesine’s hand. Against my will in hithercoming, I started to bolt. Yet my mates and lovers inshut me, even Semuane and Istae who held the beamstair, as if they all had undercrafted to catch me. I stared at them doomily, and then set heavy foot on the step up to Erymi’s bower.
Erymi first lifted Tesine and handed me her, in what I am coming to understand is a blackmail-wise: a babe’s mind so mightily reaches mindshare that it breaches all the heart’s wards. I was overwhelmed with the girl’s love, such a blithe copy of Erymi’s own, though it also held fear of my ill will. Against such ruthfulness my heart melted. I hugged her against my breast and gloried in her baby-smell until Erymi welcomed me inside.
We sat while I held the babe. Then Erymi spoke that yesterweek Oshis had hithercome befuddled and hurt, and not rightly knowing what he had misdone for my anger. Together they had overtalked what had happened at Noruma. Erymi reckoned she had a fairly good thought of what had befallen, but wished to hear my witness. I softly told best as I could that night’s tale, outleaving no whits, even to my shame: my mirthtide with the Sholasa headwives, and then finding Oshis in the stallbarn with Damyane, Kazos’s daughter.
Erymi sat back and heard while under Tesine’s sway I outpoured all my sights, thoughts, and heart. When tearfully I ended, her mother slowly rose, took the girl back, and sat beside me while she gave breast. Then she leaned against me and laid hand on my head. She asked whether I had ever heard the tale of how she and Oshis had met, of which I had not heard the whole. So she told it.
Erymi and Oshis met in Valmaeana, while their first warfare yonder. They had both ended newlinghood, and both had bewilled to the Formian War in samely wish to stay with the Citadel. Yet until the sith-gathership to Qabarat and shipfare southward, they had erenever met. She first found him loutish and bothersome, since he swiftly started fights. As the only manly rider within their troop, he behooved of so many wives as he could, which got him into bother after they reached Alendrastya, where he dallied with a Valmaean sith-reeve and got hauled before doom-bench when she tried to claim him as her own. Yet he could fight like anyone, as we know, for he has ever flouted the mean wisdom that Korasha are too heavy to ride, and with his shortness could duck and wallow out of spear-strokes that would lift a Damaya lisslessly to ground, and with his thewsome shoulders could strike like a smith-hammer. Even if he spent almost so much time in lockhouse as on watchtide, the reeves acknowledged his doughtiness, rightly as Erymi ashrove witness to his manliness anight within the barracks, as he begladdened another wife after more.
From the start, Oshis had wanted her. Erymi withheld, though not from lustlessness, for she would become a warrior by livelihood and wished to look earnest to the reeves. All changed, she told, when they fought the Formians on a raid into the Bulwarks, and their rider-troop became offcut. They fought back to back against the Formian swarm until all were hewn down. In that hopeless tide they found war-mind with each other, and their souls had locked unforsakingly. Amid the slaughter they had stripped byrnies right there, and over the night and daytide he had filled her until mindlessness. Thus on the morrow, the reeves had found them still cloven idly. From their love, Oshis then spent the next monthtide in lockhouse, and Erymi’s hair got shorn to shame-boot. Yet soon as he left lock they had run back into each other’s arms.
All elf-lovely as that may sound, Erymi added, little if nothing in Oshis’s self changed. Manlier than wise, she named him, for even after they clove, he could not withstand a welcoming Damaya, and she would misdoubt Tesine has a brood of half-siblings all along the Shattersea Shore. Yet even therein he has an endearing blitheness. If his soul’s faith to her were a whit less, she outlaid, she would forsake him. Yet since his faith is so strong, she can forgive his body’s stray. Her last doubt faded when, after homecome, they went to meet his motherkin. Then Erymi met Zheye, Oshis’s eldest daughter born to his youthtide love-mistress. Erymi said that, until Tesine, she had never seen a girl so beautiful, with all of Oshis’s might and handsomeness reshapen unto Damaya. Then she had known, and on the morrow they had sworn mateship.
By her tale’s end, I was weeping again, though not sorrowfully. Erymi shortly rose, set Tesine afloor, and softly bade her seek Mother Tae. Gleefully the girl ran out, at which Erymi again sat, laid my head upon her breast, and soothed my antennae. She asked my thought. With more laughter than sob, I shrove the angriest thing had been my own shame from jealousy, and that I misliked him for making me so feel. Erymi laughed and kissed me. Then she asked whether I bethought myself the first Damaya who had grown ownersome of a Korasha. Shamefully I shook nay. She read that it would not hurt our love if Oshis should woo me and pay a little worship. She asked whether I like the thought of him akneel at my feet, singing elf-poems, and maybe begging forgiveness. My tears turned to laughter.
Much laterward, we woke to yells that the Korasha were homecome. Erymi bade me stay in the bower while she went out, and would bring Oshis. While I sat in evetide’s gloom, my fear came back, of what would too soon happen. I watched the door waiting while worry beat my heart.
I saw him upcoming; bronze-grizzled face and shoulders clearing the floor, chiseled breast like a barrel, dun skin starkly dark in the evelight, and basked in his sight. I wondered if Burning-Mother had so looked on Father-Night at the World’s Quick. I stayed aseat, overhunched, while he strode over the threshold.
My heart broadcast for him to wit. Yet I read nothing. His mind shut tight against me, his anger’s first hint. I stood and asked him inside. Slowly he neared. He let me take his hands, though stayed offshut. Stutteringly I told I had spoken with Erymi, and would settle things right between us. I shrove I had wounded him, and that he was rightfully angered.
Oshis stood unstirring, wordless. I waited. Yet he merely glared upward, an eightstone block of godlike thew and bone full of wrath I could not sway. I laid my brow upon his and reached forth. Yet his antennae flinched away.
Then he growled low, like a bull-Shota warding its hunt-land. Did I understand, he asked, after I went off with a whole sith of wives and maidens to sport and idle, how he had felt to take my wrath from the same deed? He understood he is but a Korasha and lowly, and I am the high Outrider, and doubtlessly my lovesport had fostered alliance with the Sholasa. Yet how was my deed nobler than his, for had he not earned Damyane’s goodwill, who would someday become Clanwife?
His word shamed all I had feared, the guilt I carried, even unwittingly, ever since that night. I took his head in my hands, strove, and begged him to let me into his mind. I outquoth my sin, but that it lay not in me loving him too little, but rather too much and greedily.
At last he yielded. His antennae swung forward and found mindshare. Still his smoldering anger smote. I let it burn through, ataking and hating myself in that breathtide. This at last earned his ruth, and his wrath ebbed.
Yet then within his mind, erstwhilely buried, I found his own guilt. He quailed at my find: he had half-known but not recked his idletide with Damyane would anger me. He had done so anywise, forwhy he knew it would hurt me, and forwhy he had wished she might be me. Such shame flooded out of him as wished death. Together we wobbled, hugging tightly to keep from fall while we sobbed in each other’s arms.
Then I withdrew right enough to look into his eyes. I asked if he still wished to become my First Man.
Anon he lifted me from feet. He bore me childlike, like a doll within his mighty shoulders until my back hit the rear wallshaft with a blow that knocked breath from me almost so heavily as when I fought Kazos. My lust thrilled in his weight crushing me, the scratch and tickle of his hair on my body, the right fit of his head within my bosom, and his hips between my thighs. Only our loinclothes, slight wards for my sheerness, forstayed.
There we hung, frozen between want and duty, both willing and yet faltering, lest we break brideship’s wont. He begged to worship me and almost set me down so that he could kneel between my legs. Yet I offstayed him, for I knew that if he opened that door we would have no halt until he beat it all down.
I bent to his ear and whispered: ~O’ralli timaea eshya, a Valantas, o’illi shyaelm imali-sya lomya, o nilonya-mei.~ “Wait but a while, my love, and I shall give all you want and more.” Against my breast he groaned almost hurtfully. Then grudgingly he set me afoot, though still we held and kissed long.
Full dusk had fallen when we came from the hut, hand in hand. Merry buzzes greeted us aring the deck. Erymi met us, and we three kissed together. She outquoth our love, and then herded us to the others. Then I raised Oshis’s hand and named him spear-brother and manlove, and would strive to reach his worthiness. Aback Less asked whether we had already had my bridetide up in the bower, at which Tae smacked his head, and all laughed.
I spent the nighttide softly, for idleness with anyone else after what Oshis and I had shared seemed a wrong I should not besmirch. Today we took to spend mildly among ourselves, but for what work Erymi set the Korasha doing, and also to overtalk house business, namely Lady-Mother’s namegift. I offered that anyone who wish may use it.
Then smartly Remaue told that some had already taken a name for our household. Rather forecaught, I asked what. She answered: ~Ravaeolma~ - the Sun of Vaeol. That made me blush, for it bestruck as too proud. Yet Less and Oshis chimed they like it well, and furthermore had already been using it. They found honor in bearing a great lady’s name, outlaid Oshis, and moreover in letting know our kinship. Yet I cannot call myself Vaeol Ravaeolmaue, for that would forsoothly be too haughty. Then Tae upspoke that some houses have nicknames, and could we not so keep it for whoever wishes, for she likes its renown over Yaranevaea, which to her thought sounds too haughty. Remaue bade that tomorrow, when we go to the Herald-Stall, we shall seal both names. She belikened she will use both: as Remaue Yaranevae-Ravaeolmaue, and that with such a haughtily long name she shall feel worthier to betread my mother’s house and rub shoulders with the matrons and my sisters, at which we all laughed. Kaure spoke that she shall happily stand as Kaure Ravaeolmaue, which she deemed worthy enough, and kissed me.
We ended the daytide with a trip to my fatherkin’s farmhold, where we learned Lady-Mother had already sent word to him about my broken nose, for after my kiss, my father oversaw my face. Happily, he quoth that the mar showed not so bad as Lady-Mother had forebelieved. He forgave the worry he claimed I had wrought, though warned that I should henceforth forgo fighting heathen Korasha.