A Castrovel Adventure: Part 5, Chapter 37

~O'mei Vaeol-Ile iqove o'yei kaolyahaze o'ahi lanarye veaerru esherru.~ (In which Lady Vaeol witnesses how rulers may be cruel even to themselves.)

From the Daylog of Vaeol-Zheieveil Yaranevae be’Son

5. Afaelae, 24,547 - 11th Month in Qabarat
Guilt owns me for not writing more often, and now but a short log. The weaponyard leaves no quickness for anything else. I wish to never lift weights again! Also, Master Evauess and the elder yardmates seem to find endless idleness in making me and Kaure wrestle. She never slows or yields, like a hungry coeurl, and they forbid me from the running, dodging game I fight best. I have an inkling of a thwartsome glee whenever she topples me. Their only warning is that we not begladden too much when she stakes me aground.
On another inkling, however, I think I understand why Sievae has been so earnestly drilling. Often after drilltide Remaue and I have spotted her talking with Meiss, the younger yardmate Master Evauess had erewardly bidden me thrash. I have glimpsed her leaning on his shoulder and combing his hair, and her hand’s reach, beseeching him to haul her from seat. For his share, he seems kindly, and also plays with Lenis her son,
At this thought, however, I have reckoned our housemates’ behavior, and dolefully Hanos, who hovers between jealousy and friendship, and maybe something stronger. Oshis is swyly heedful, but makes no deed. Insofar as the weaponyard’s reckfulness, Master Evauess today outspoke: ~Uki siyayeli o’heiassi, o’di-ussi ilamisa!~ - “If you have strength for lust, you are not drilling enough!” He then bade us dash the yard twenty tides, and then fight breathlessly, and then to repeat weaponframes until not only our arms shuddered, but also legs. I reckon shame gave Sievae and Meiss more strength to reach drilltide’s end.

7. Afaelae, 24,547 - 11th Month in Qabarat
Yesternight after market day, Semuane beseeched us to come to a mirthtide. Of this gatherhood I foreknew little, else than Semuane had ereward spoken much with Remaue and Kaure, and that our heavenly maidenlove dolefully wished me coming. Also, for the first time ever, I left Aeosel with Oshis and Erymi, right as Remaue left Lanaryel with Less and Tae.
Semuane led us to the hall of Lady Eneae, the matron we had met when first we came to Qabarat. After the doorwarden yelled us in, we mingled in the elfyard with a host of ladies ingathering unfew outriders, and even Lady-Captain Veiemi, headmistress of the Issendil Outriderhood, along with whom I guessed as many tradwives. I tallied the whole guests about forty. Reckfully, else than the Korasha doorwarden and a hallreeve, all the grooms here were wives.
At dusk a light drizzle began, whereat Lady Eneae our host nodded to the hallreeve, who rang a small bell. At that token, the gathered guests arowed and followed the lady-matron and the lady-captain down a stair, to an underhall, and well lit with lanterns and witchlights. Such a hidden stead forecaughtly showed wealthily fair, with wallshafts carven as trees, as feywives, and as fey becoming trees, and on every wall maidens painted dancing, fighting, and loving.
We stood in a ring with Lady Eneae amidst, who bore a tightly wrapped shroud. She looked to the hallreeve waiting at the stairfoot. At her beck, he shut a door, leaving himself outside, and us within.
Lady Eneae outsang: ~Rae voade, hei kaoli Matarassei di domonya-shyeldi,~ - “The sun has set, but Burning-Mother’s goodwill has not forsaken us.” She raised the wrapped shroud and beseeched Father-Night to bless all deeds we did here and to keep them secret. Then she strode to Lady-Captain Veiemi and yielded the shroud, who took its end. ~O’samae Diaraeasti,~ answered Lady Veiemi: “In Father-Night’s liss.”
While the lady-captain held the end, Lady Eneae drew the unwrapping shroud back over the room’s midst until she reached the far side’s stander, who took the other end. Thence the ladies on both sides further unwrapped the shroud, a dark, mistily sheer silk, rightward and leftward until it spread netlike over the the whole room and we all in the ring shared its edge. This we stuck on hooks set in the wallshafts, which thus held it overhead and made a dark whelve through which the witchlights glowed starlike.
I shrive that, else than lesser deed at His shrine within Burning-Mother’s temple, I had erenever witnessed a worship rite beholden to Father-Night, which made me wonder whether Lady Eneae was Father-Night’s priestess. Her next word upheld my guess when she thankfully spoke His blessing. She bade welcome to friends, lovers, and evermaidens. Yet then she bade us sing to ~noe loaeante~ -the beloved goddess - with this call: ~A lae! A moare! A le keiahasse o ealu yanzyelu! A maeore-stime zhehue oe ahante!~ - “Maiden! Warrior! She who danced when the trees were young! Ever sheer, fair, and mighty!”
Our hymn-dance worshiped Laurohe the Maiden-Warrior, daughter of Burning-Mother and Father-Night, whom many deem the matron-goddess of outriders (thus outlaying the many outriders here). Yet I had heard of strifesomeness wherein others behold her as well, as matron-warder of ~Laestinma~ - Evermaidenhood, a stand I know that some sorrowfully misdeem, from Semuane’s own deedfulness. Even so, it is one thing for outriders to stay evermaiden, rooted in our oath and livelihood (and some may say I had betrayed by becoming wife and mother). It is a thing else for any other maiden to choose evermaidenhood, which some in city and household misdeem a betrayal of folk, and kin by not bringing more babes into the world. At some times I had reckoned evermaidenhood (the last when Oshis had angered me ere my bridetide), as also had Kaure. Now while we danced, I full-wared that many else had rued that same choice.
The hymn-dance ended with a kiss shared to both right and left. Then the whole ring clasped hands, and Lady Eneae blessed our gatherhood. Then she outcalled anyone who would make beseech or shrift before the Warrior-Maiden, and Father-Night also for secret’s sake.
A tradewife strode into the ring’s midst and beseeched leave. She told her mother had foreset her bridetide after her firdhood’s end, and to a good and listful man. Yet she had naysaid and quoth to her mother she would stay evermaiden. For this deed her mother had forsaken and forbidden her from the household. Lady Eneae hugged her and yielded she might take stead in her household, whereat the maiden knelt and wept. Then fellows from the ring came forth, likewise hugged, and took her among.
Next came forth an outrider holding hands with another warrior and beseeched shrift before Father-Night. The lady then set the other maiden before herself and heartened speech. Shyly the maiden shrove she was a spear-rider in the lady’s troop. After firdhood, she would stay a warrior in the outrider’s house, would love only her, and also would share her maiden-oath and have no bridetide. Lady Eneae blessed their love in Laurohe’s name and their secret under Father-Night, and then forespoke them to lady-captain, who swore to uphold and hugged them.
Then two tradewives stepped forth: one a maiden and the other a wife who had had her bridetide but no children. They beseeched to swear matehood before the throng-ring under the Warrior-Maiden’s blessing, which Lady Eneae swiftly bestowed, and bereading that, if anyone gave bother, they should come to the lady-matron and take her uphold. Then the two swore troth under the goddess’s blessing, and we all danced their cheer, throughout which I reckoned the sundry reasons these wives sought both Laurohe’s blessing and Father-Night’s. For the forsaken maiden I rued her shame, which was no secret. For the outrider and her maidenlove things showed less grim, although over time some would ask why her spearlove bore no child. And the two tradewives foreboded the hardest plight, since not only their houses but almost all they know would sometime ask why they bear no children, and even shunt them from stalworth for motherhood’s lack.
And then Semuane stood forth in the ring’s midst. She knelt before Lady Eneae. ~Ve o’illi emesya-yoruelve Diaraeasru,~ she beseeched, almost a whisper: “I would make shrift to Father-Night.” I stared at my heavenly maidenlove; too forecaught. Yet while Lady Eneae gave her leave to speak, Kaure and Remaue clutched my hands.
From her knees, Semuane looked to me. ~Meoave eisryerru,~ - “I have a wifemate,” she outspoke, ~Oye di meove o kolama thoma,~ - “And who belongs not to the same city.”
Against her will, her eyes thoughtlessly flicked to Lady-Captain Veiemi, before whom this would forestand a grim oath-breach. Soon as the word fled her lips, I sagged in my loves’ arms. With antennae jutting and all my might, I outthought beggingly to not shame herself, even as the ring on my finger burned, which she had sent as a bridetide gift ere we left Son, along with the unsealed leafwrit that I should not forget my far wifemate, as she named herself.
Yet Semuane, though I witted her ruthful answer, heeded not. Instead her head rose. ~Eisrye yazaea-shyele,~ - “My wifemate inspires me,” she outquoth, and bespoke me so good as any outrider she had ever met, that I led without loving mightiness, showed boldness before the mighty, loved honor over craftiness, and would sacrifice myself for those weaker than I. Then she named me for all to hear: Lady Vaeol Yaranevae of Son, known to many as the one whomto she had yielded her blood in weapontrial.
Sobbingly I broke from Remaue and Kaure’s grasp and fell before Semuane, taking her in my arms. ~Honyaea shorazif eisteyerru mi Vatheiarru!~ - “I would have taken this secret to the grave and the World-Soul,” I wept. Semuane wept, too, but laughed and said that now she was free, as was I, and in her heart’s stead where that secret had now, now love already grew greater. Yet my sorrow swayed not as I answered I would see her worshipfully uplifted and not downcast. She chided me to worry not. Lady Eneae then blessed our deed and sang another hymn while Kaure and Remaue came forth and laid their brows and bosoms upon us. My tears had not halted, nor did I so wish. I could not bedream how to worship her enough else than to take her in my arms.
Foredawn trended ere I woke. Then I stumbled to the sidenook, brooked the needpot, and thirstily found water. I wared the underhall’s door had opened, and eyesomely some other guests had already left. More reckful than shrewd, I followed the stairway upward, to where the main hall clove the midyard. There, against my guilt at leaving the underhall, I beheld other guests taking a swift breakfast.
In a sideroom I spotted Lady Eneae, who of all things, sat with a slumbery child on her lap, was speaking with Lady-Captain Veiemi, and who already yielded farewell. They saw me while I halted, and ended their talk. On her way out, the lady-captain bowed and beseeched she and I should laterward meet.
Lady Eneae with a lissome nod greeted me. She yielded a seatpillow and bade a groom bring tea while I settled. Then she started with word that doubtlessly I had questions. At the end, she hoped I would forgive her.
Slowly I spoke that ereyesteryear Semuane had told she had found a ladylove, but deemed forecatching that until now she had not shared the name. Lady Eneae shifted forward on her seat, resettling the child, and bowed. She outlaid they had kept their love secret at Semuane’s beseech, since they would shun the seemliness of a young outrider riding on a matron’s skirt hem.
We stilled when the tea came. While I sipped, my eyes fell on the girl, maybe ten years old, and maybe the same yearspan as the lady-matron held older than I. Foregiven yesternight’s worship-rite, the girl raised more questions, if even I knew how. Lady Eneae, however, witted my eye, and maybe also my befuddleness, which likely started her next word. She told that in maidenhood she had wanted to become an outrider. Yet she had lost the trial, and furthermore her mother had forethought else (and which tone outcalled yestermind of Efadi my grandmother, and all she had done to make my mother High Matron and to upraise my sisters). Also, shrove the lady, she had wished to become outrider for the wrong reason. When I asked her reason, she bluntly answered: ~Tenzyelve laestime,~ - “To stay evermaiden.”
Eneae swiftly shrove she owned a wealthy livelihood, as if to shirk her seemliness as the moodsomely wantsome rich wife. She athanked all the stallworth she behooved. Yet to earn and ward it, some at her mother’s behest, some at her own, she had guiltily done things she misliked, and which ingathered wifehood. Then she told her priesthood under Laurohe (and twofoldly under Father-Night) had become her small shriftgeld for forsaking her heart, whereby she could uphold those wives and maidens caught in her same plight, and so had been lucky enough to find Lady-Captain Veiemi as ally.
On that name, I asked how the lady-captain had found this thing. Lady Eneae shared the captain’s wifemate had undergone a samely plight, which made the outrider headmistress ruthful. The Issendil Outriderhood, however, holds nameworth as a rather backwardsome fellowship, and while they surely uphold outriders' maidenright, they answer less warmly for other maidens.
While we talked, the same hallreeve neared, beseeched, and took the sleepy girl from Lady Eneae. I witted a dearness flow among, and not only for the child, but also between the lady and groom. Another inkling overcame, and I asked - after begging overforwardness's sorrow - whether he was the child’s father. Lady Enease yaysaid, and furthermore that he had come into her household’s groomhood, forwhy he was like her in that, as she loved only wives, he so loved only men, and wherein they had found mean sake to uphold each other. Yet then I shrive the most uncouth question next took my mind. More boldly I asked how Lady Eneae, loving only wives, and her fathermate, loving only men, had somehow quickened a babe. She looked wry. ~O’dierosi,~ she answered, ~Oeo neamara hish’ezima,~ - “Uneasily, and with much other help.” At her shrift I shamefully chuckled and squeezed her hand.
Swiftly she added that, having born her child, she surely would not now forsake. She merely rued the forsoothness that she must choose between her heart’s truth and a matron’s livelihood (and under her mother’s beswayness), and would spare other maidens that doom. She also acknowledged evermaidens bear a lighter shame than others, as she nodded toward her hallreeve’s path, who may be misforedeemed unless they find a housewife’s goodwill (often a mother or sister) and may be banned, bestowing rise to the free ~dasola~ - mansteads lying beyond a city’s landhold.
~Yeio os Semuanea,~ - “About Semuane,” akept Eneae, she would see our maidenlove uprisen. I yaysaid, and asked how I might help. The matron weighingly read my share might be riddlesome, since Semuane already bore ill nameworth from her weapontrial’s loss against me, and also for being overly besmitten under a ~zheieve mauhaue~ - heathen upper-strath outrider. I chuckled ruefully, and then asked whether any ill will grew from Her Highness Lady Maiali, who had led the peacebode from Qabarat to Son ten years ago. Lady Eneae startled, but yaysaid, whereat she asked the tale. I merely told Semuane had ridden with the peacebode’s host-sith, and that Her Highness, whom we reckoned soul-mighty, had guessed our secret. Lady Eneae atook this, although with a queer inkling that guessed more to the tale. She forespoke to overread my canniness to help Semuane’s livelihood, and also that, under her priesthood, all our secrets stayed safe.
At that word, a wild thought overtook. I asked whether the lady-matron knew the worry Semuane and I had lately undergone from the Motorae Eve crowdstrife and the hushy outcome the Matronhood had overswept. She answered she understood too well. So I beseeched her thought, and in which deed loosened my bother at the happendom’s unfairness, ingathering not only us and Kaure, but also the plight of the city’s Damaya-Elves and other Thwartkind so undertrodden, and also the blithe but mistaken goodwill embodied in Lady Soriel and Master Raeas’s alchemy. Lady Eneae acknowledged the folksome mood unfairly grows against those mislucky souls. Yet she also read the Matronhood reckons little will to help them. As to Lady Soriel’s alchemy, she told that lady-matron misluckily stands as a milder fellow on that riddle within the greater Matronhood.
Lady Eneae also shrove she treads heedfully on the thing of Thwartkind, since she will stand again for the matrons’ choosetide in three years (unlike Son whose matrons are chosen outcomefully for lifetime, Qabarat chooses matrons for a ten-year tide, with half every five years. So they must ever grovel to folksome mood). So I asked that, if she openly outstood not only for Evermaidens and Onlymen, but also for Damaya-Elves and all Thwartkind, would there not be enough friends in the city to choose her? She warned that only Damaya wives choose, to which I asked again whether there would not be enough friendly Damae, who have not only lovers but children, sisters, and brothers so bestricken? If all so undertrodden stood together, would they not find strength?
Lady Enease halted. ~Mei sinyei loshanti,~ she whispered: “Here is a reckful riddle.” Then tears brightened, and a sob fled her throat. She dithered thoughtfully, almost as if praying in her mind. ~Dei iheshive?~ - “Would I dare?” Then she looked shameful, as if dreading that under fear I would misdeem her.
~Ei avyri o shaeomi,~ I read: “There is wisdom in boldness.” The lady-matron nodded, but added wisdom must also be learned. Yet she forespoke to reckon my thought, and also to pray for both boldness and wisdom.
While we so spoke, Semuane introd. At our heavenly maidenlove’s sight, Lady Eneae’s tears flowed anew, at which anon Semuane misthought we both had fallen to feud. Yet Lady Eneae knelt before her, took her hands, and kissed them. Then she outquoth she now understood Semuane’s love and worship for me, and furthermore why Her Highness Lady Ivassil had named me ~Ruzhyahaze~ - Worry-Maker. Then she stood before, kissed my brow, and sang blessing. At last she clove my hand with Semuane’s. ~O’vusi-samae,~ - “Go in liss,” she bade.
Semuane and I found Remaue and Kaure, got a swift tea, and then headed back to the household, since both Remaue and I craved our children. At home we stayed swy on the nighttide’s deed when asked, faithful to Father-Night’s doom. Yet alone I told Semuane of Lady Eneae’s talk. We whispered of what may be canny.

Recap: Lady Vaeol rejected a proposed cure for Damaya & Korasha cross-clade development.

Lashunta Words & Phrases:

• Uki (spir): strength; quickness; energy
• Siyayeli (3rd-spir depend): you have; possesses you
• O’heiassi: to lust
• O’di-ussi (adv): not enough
• Ilamisa (2nd-comm intrans cond): you may/would drill
• Rae (fem): sun
• Voade (3rd-fem): has fallen/set
• Hei: but
• Kaoli Matarassei (spir): Burning-Mother's goodwill
• Di tomonya-shyaeldi (3rd-spir perf honor): has not forsaken [us]
• O’samae (adv): in liss/grace
• Diaraeasti (spir possess): Father-Night's
• A lae! (voc fem): oh maiden!
• A moare! (voc fem): oh warrior!
• A le keiahasse (voc fem): oh she who dances
• Ealu (anim): tree; trees
• Yanzyelu (3rd-anim perf depend): if/when it was young
• A maeore-stime: Oh ever-sheer/pure
• Zhehue oe ahante (fem): beautiful & mighty
• Laestinma (comm): Evermaidenhood
• Ve (fem): I/we; 1st-person exclusive pronoun
• O’illi (adv): would; will
• Emesya-yoruaelve (1st-fem intrans cond humble): I may/would shrive/confess
• Diaraeasru (masc alla/dat): to Father-Night
• Maeoave (1st-fem instrans): I/we owe/belong
• Eisryerru (fem alla-dat): to [my] wifemate
• Oye (fem): who; that. Relative pronoun
• Di maeave (3rd-fem): does not own/belong
• Kolama (comm): city; citizenry
• Thoma (comm): same
• Eisrye (fem): wifemate
• Yazaea-shyaele (3rd-fem honor): she inspires [me]
• Honyaea (spir; acc): secret(s)
• Shorazif (1st trans perf cond): I/we would bear/take
• Vatheiarru (comm alla/dat): to the World-Soul
• Lenzyelve (1st-fem intrans perf cond): I/we may/would stay
• Laestimye (fem): evermaiden
• O’dierosi (adv): uneasily
• Oeo: and by/with
• Neamara (comm): help; act of helping
• Hish’ezima (comm): much other/else
• Dasola (comm): manstead; place where outcast men dwell
• Yeio (adv): as; relevant to
• Os Semuanea (common): Semuane's thing/business/matter
• Zheieve (fem): outrider; knight
• Mauhaue (fem): up-valley; yokel; bumpkin
• Mei (adv): here; now
• Sinyei (spir): riddle; problem
• Loshanti (spir): reckful; curious
• Dei: interrogative adverb
• Iheshive (1st-fem intrans cond): I/we may/would dare
• Ei (3rd-spir): it is; there is
• Avyri (spir): wisdom
• Shaeomi (spir): boldness
• Ruzhyahaze (spir): Worry-Maker
• O’vusi-samae (polite imp): go in liss/grace