A Castrovel Adventure: Part 4, Chapter 11

In which Lady Taiase frightens the Retaea Clans, even as Vaeol’s household tries to garner goodwill.

From the Daylog of Vaeol-Zheieveil Yaranevae be’Son

12. Zielae, 24,543 - Afterword
Ere I tell today’s deeds, I bewrite yesternight’s. Lady Vei and the Miniada held a mirthtide to cheer the birth of Vosaeth’s son, to which they welcomed all the clans, and which they did in most Retaea wise. Instead of the Miniada giving forth all the food and drink, Lady Vei went to all the clans and begged a tithe, which they all yielded. Thus these unrich and elsewise wantsome folk could give forth for all’s welfare. Lady Vei made token of sharing mead-milk with each clanwife and elder who came, and so by the nighttide’s end was quite besotten. After she led the praise-dance, likewise she also gave forth gifts, which soon forecatchingly became more than she owns. After she had given her tent, clothes, and weapons, she asked the clan to yield more gifts, which they did, until I feared the whole clan would befall wantsome. Enthrivingly, however, today most of these goods (those small enough to carry, for the tents had stayed) were brought back to the clan. When I wondered on this deed, Vosaeth outlaid it is the wise the Retaea have ever shown worship to their fellows, for it outcomes that such goods are held meanly, and thus their share strengthens fellowship.
As a fathership gift, Lady Vei gave Erymi and Oshis a yaruk-horn long as my arm, hollow for drink, and rimmed and tipped in wrought silver, in thanks of her new grandson. Lady Vei said she was giving the longest horn she could find, in praise of Oshis’s manliness. Then boldly she reached low and squeezed within his loincloth, which got forth a startled yelp, and much laughter from us watching.
Happily I spent the nighttide sitting beside Vosaeth and Tae, who both got worship for their newborn babes, and whereof I too got some yard, as word spread that I am bechild. I felt only somewhat self-mindful, sitting before this singing, dancing, joking throng with bare breast and belly, and letting unkith folk kneel before and kiss me. I kept steadfastness by holding Kaure’s hand, while Remaue came arear and whispered wickedness, making us giggle.
Then Byreath the Zhihuafa warrior came forth. She stood tall, greeted Vosaeth coolly, and asked leave to yield worship. At once I felt their tightness. Softly Vosaeth yaysaid, whereat Byreath knelt before. A breathtide they held gazes. Then Byreath lowered and kissed my oath-sister’s belly. Then she asked leave to do me samely. While she leaned upon my thighs and her antennae stroked my fresh thickness, subtly as I could, I felt her mind. Her thoughts were well shut. Yet I witted self-sureness, and unyielding eagerness. She bore a reckoning drive, and that all she here did owned some forethought. After she stood, she wandered from the mirthtide, though halting to speak with some elders, and soon left.
I sought Vosaeth’s mind. I asked what had made this feud between her and Byreath, which even now simmered. My oath-sister answered: ~Doauztame~ - “I was a fool.” She outlaid Byreath had willfully given offthank to craft a feud between their clans, which bait Vosaeth had taken. Byreath had then behooved to rise in worth within the Zhihuafa. Vosaeth had sought to save honor by daring Byreath to a weapon-trial. Yet this had happened in Lea, which under elder law forbids clanfolk to fight within the city’s walls (for this same will). Thus wardens had come to forestall the fight. Then both Vosaeth and Byreath were brought before the matrons and banned, as I had ere learned. Eyesomely Byreath has wealed from this smart hallcraft-game, since she now stands as foreholder to the Zhihuafa’s clanwifeship. Furthermore, she is young, maybe older than I, though rightly no crone. I wonder whether she even has any children.
With her offleave, however, the mirthtide again took ease. Erymi and Oshis came forth - he proudly bearing the drinking horn at hip-height - and greeted us. While Erymi stooped and hugged, Oshis knelt and kissed Vosaeth’s belly. Our Retaea love thanked praise upon them, kissed Erymi, and named him ~Zhehuas~ - beautiful.

13. Zielae, 24,543 - 2nd Day at the Blighttide Clanmoot
Many things happened today. Firstly, Tae and I were inled within the Earth-mother’s priesthood, as befitting her babe and my bechildness. The priests asked us to sing the prayers, and afterward painted glyphs on our bellies. Then the priests kissed us in trend, and bade us be good mothers and true, to the Lashunta’s wealth and growth. Also they renowned Vosaeth for her child’s birth.
Kaure stood before Elindrae’s priesthood, to which Remaue and I proudly hosted beside, whereby her newlinghood became acknowledged. I shrive I had never seen so many Thwartkind together, forwhy in Son and other cities they are held so unfairly low. Yet here they tallied more than a score, both stout ~Korashe~ wives and treesome ~Damaeas~ men. I strove to behave so worshipful as I could and not gawk, though Remaue gleefully stared and wondered at their unlikeness. Amind, she endlessly asked thoughts that shamed me too much to answer. Sternly I bade her do or say nothing that might shame Kaure’s worth.
Foremostly, Taiase began her tale to the clanwives about her elder wayfare, which will doubtlessly take many tides. To my mind, they are truly enthriven, and furthermore have many questions. Also inthrifty, however, they brought her before Azaryau, for many would match Taiase’s nowward self with her yestermind kept within the Soul-Tree. So we came to a shrine among the great tree’s roots, dressed with henge-stones, dyed scarves hanging, and bells.
Taiase stood before the tree-reeves upon a stone cradled within the Soul-Tree’s roots while we watched among the henges. She bowed and knelt, at which the priests began a song. Soothly I had forelooked this rite as rather like how one outmeans to the Soul-Tree in Son. Yet soon I witted a stark unlikeness. She did not lift and float under the tree’s might, as one does back home, as neither did the priests. Also, soul-might throbbed forth, and not merely among the treesingers, but through the gathered watchers. I witted Azaryau’s Overmind enfolding us all. As I looked about, I beheld many of the Retaea with eyes shut, swaying, and singing under their breath in time with the priests.
Heedfully I opened my mind to the tree-sight, and then outreached to Istae, Remaue, and Kaure beside. Within Azaryau, the Overmind showed, as glowmotes flowing down the limbs and dripping from the great tree’s twigs and leaves. Aground, they flowed up the root and back to the huge beam, which glowed as a light-shaft to our minds’ eye. I wondered that each mote might be the yestermind of an elder soul gathered within the Soul-Tree, and of all the thousands, ten thousands, and even hundred thousands this mighty tree has taken over its life spanning History’s Time. Then a mindscape opened over all, into which we were drawn...
Within this swirling light-ring, I beheld not one Taiase, but two. One was she as we knew her: grim and sorrowful. The other Taiase showed as she had been twelve thousand years ago: younger and dressed in elder cloth-wise, a crown upon her brow, every share a princess. This bewitted in herself, too: a haughtiness that our Taiase as we know lacks, an unbeshaken self-worth, almost blithe, of one not only born and raised to rule, but who also believed herself so benamed by the gods.
This elder yestermind of Taiase as she had once been now beheld her nowward, older self. While we witnessed, the two Taiases argued. The elder-time Taiase of younger years naysaid that anything could ever thwart her belief in queenship’s right, while our Taiase of older years naysaid. She tried to warn her younger self of the mistakes she had made, the sins that could not be taken back, and the shames undergone. Yet the yestermind of her younger self would not hearken.
Then we beheld Taiase’s yestermind come forth of her life after her elder wayfare among the Retaea. We caught sight of priests lifting the crown to set it upon her brow, a great hall that had yesterly stood in Son upon the Ofu, where elder noblewives bowed and hid their breasts in worship, then great ladies, whose names might lie in dusty books, sneering and making threats, warriors beweaponed, and then a wild and hopeless flight from Son into the mountains, until the Dale of Amaea, and then the twisted, misshapen elder Dalefolk, their geld of Taiase to the Moqeva, and the wracksome, dreadful path into the warren and the weird chest they had shoved her in…
I awoke breathless and shuddering as the tree-sight ended, as also did my loves and all else about. While I watched a fright overtook the throng, some talking wildly, some fleeing, and some yelling in wrath at the yestersight of the Moqeva, our kind’s greatest, oldest foe. We stayed gathering our breath and wits while the throng melted away.
Taiase crouched upon her face, shoulders heaving in sob-wracks, amid Azaryau’s roots. Istae rushed to her, and we followed. We lifted her from the stone, upheld her, and helped her back to the tent, where we set her to bed and sang to ease her fraught mind.
Laterward, Istae and I were called before the clanwives. They asked our rede of Taiase’s tale, which we beswore true to our best knowledge, and told our tale of the feud between the Highland Clans and Elves and how we had found the Moqeva warren, and Taiase within. Lady Zhorofi of the Aloaha, the eldest clanwife here, spoke they know the history of how Son and the clans warred upon the Moqeva and overslew them. Yet this is Son’s history, she added, and not the Retaea’s. Of their folklore, they have only wild tales, the kind told to scare children. Taiase’s had given them a new and unsettling tree-sight into this elder foe.
Now some folk worried that Taiase might be blighted from her time under the Moqeva’s might, Lady Zhorofi beread, berotten even as those Amaea Dalefolk had been. Some had outspoken that Taiase should be outcast from the clans. We answered warily that this was a grim thing, and the clanwives rightly so behaved. This riddle Son had also uptaken when we first brought Taiase to the city. There she was inseeched by our craftiest soul-seers, and not only them, but also by our lorewardens, the priests, and the matrons themselves. They had deemed her fit and unblighted. Furthermore, and as these clanwives had seen from the tree-sight, Taiase had wholly repented her erstwhile pride and misdeeds. She had forsaken all queenship in guilt, and would seek livelihood as a priestess to grow worthiness. We ended with word that we would not bid the clans what they should do, for Son holds no claim over the Retaea. Yet we believe her good, worthy, meek, and wise, as well as friend and lover. If the clans choose to ban Taiase, then we would leave with her.
Another clanwife, Lady Shauth of the Terana, asked of the queenly pride we had witnessed from Taiase’s elder yestermind, and asked what would drive a wife to believe herself so high. Here we answered that from our histories we know that such pride had held not Taiase alone, but even the Sage-Queens whom we have worshiped, and many more. We reminded that even the clans had suffered under queenly pride, for after the Thief-Queens were driven from the Yaro Strath, had they not warred and feuded among themselves and over the Retaea for long yearhundreds, striving to reclaim their erstwhile glory, until at last the clans had wearied of their strife, and had offdriven and slain the last? We then added that Taiase would be the first to tell that we, the afterbears of the Sage-Queens and the Thief-Queens, are better off queenless.
Then another clanwife, Lady Kovael of the Shossa upspoke: some would say those feuds have never soothly ended. A worry stirred through the gathered clanwives and witnesses. I bewitted her word had touched something sore.
Lady Vei, Vosaeth’s mother rose. She nodded to Lady Zhorofi the eldest, overlooked the clanwives, and then spoke: ~O’samae ma modomifa yi Taiase-Ile, oyi vaeyifa tollona o’ezimi yi reasarya qofathara hitilif, o’emesassi, o’yi zhiathassi avyrya.~ - “May we all be so lucky as Lady Taiase,” she read, “so that we live old enough to hearken back on youthtide’s misdeeds, beshrive them, and so learn wisdom.” Then she came, kissed me and Istae, and left, behinting that the moot-tide was ended.
The clanwives upbroke slowly, with many knots staying to talk. Istae and I wondered whether we must worry of Taiase’s banship. I could not help reckoning Lady Zhaene’s word of Retaean hallcraft, and thus this doom over Taiase might link to something else.
Erenow, Lady Vei called, whomwith we met Lady Zhorofi and Lady Kovael. They asked Taiase whether she would willingly undergo a cleanse-tide, forwhy they believe the clans will take this deed as her unsmirchness’s proof. Taiase, still looking wan after sleeping the daytide, yaysaid. So we shall plan for tomorrow.

Lady Vaeol continues her narration of the Retaea Blighttide Clanmoot.

Lashunta Terms & Phrases:

• ~Doauztame~ - "I was a fool."
• ~Zhehuas~ - "Beautiful man."
• ~Korashe~ - a female Korasha
• ~Damaeas~ - a male Damaya
• ~O’samae ma modomifa yi Taiase-Ile, oyi vaeyifa tollona o’ezimi yi reasarya qofathara hitilif, o’emesassi, o’yi zhiathassi avyrya.~ - “May we all be so lucky as Lady Taiase so that we live old enough to hearken back on youthtide’s misdeeds, beshrive them, and so learn wisdom.”