FreeHolds Adventure, Cycle 2 Part 7b
Adwin was a bit disgusted by how well lit the upper level of SkadWind was. The stairwell had two lamps, the main hall also had two lamps, the servants hallway and the back hallway to the privy each had one. They burned from sunset until the twenty-third hour and were re-lit between the fourth and fifth hours of the following day. Then there were the individual rooms, which often had a lamp or two burning in each, even if no one was in the rooms. Most of these were ensconced within the walls with large reflectors of polished silver set behind. Then there was the chandelier hanging in the main room of his suite, this was designed to hold oil lamps, thirteen of them. Thankfully the servants and Addath had accepted his suggestion that this only needed to be used when there were important guests to impress.
That need to impress seemed to be the crux of the situation, and that is why all the long winter SkadWind would appeared to be lit up for the solstice. If people were going to have confidence in the services offered they needed to see that SkadWind was prosperous. Adwin had argued against that approach, trying to convince his boss that if people were going to accept him as an every-day freeholder they could relate to, then showing restraint in the use of the oil and wood could only reinforce the cover story.
Addath had told him, in no uncertain terms, that he was wrong and that was not the way the world worked. She had been inflexible on the use of oil and wood, as well; the quality of ink, paper, linens and the clothing of the household staff and the employees. At least she had better taste than that of Lord Greensly.
He had estimated that SkadWind cost nearly as much to run as the town he was from, though the volume of goods was much less for the business. He had not calculated what Willik’s Keep would have consumed; he was too unsure of the numbers or even what kind of oil and other materials were used in the keep. While folks back home were mostly burning animal fat and a few used fish or vegetable oils, here in SkadWind they used scented oil from whales. Adwin was not even sure what a whale was, but he had heard, they seemed to be the size of a ship and it took dozens of men to hunt them.
When Adwin entered his suite, Calathy had been lounging near one of the lamps, reading. As he had entered she looked up and smiled at him, and like every time before, something about her smile made him feel better.
“This lexicon is great,” she held up the small book.
“I thought it was very handy. Though, I was under the impression that you had given up on trying to learn Maldorn.”
“Yeah, I think I was beside myself that day.”
“How so?”
“Swollen and moody.”
“Ah.”
“Anyway. I have a lot of time and not much to keep myself busy with. The head cook says it is not appropriate for a guest of Master Adwin to have to cook for themselves, or anyone else apparently.”
“No doubt it’s about keeping up appearances.”
“More or less, yeah.”
“And you’re sure you’re not going to go back to Lord Greensly?”
“Oh, no. I’m not exactly sure what I’m going to do yet, but I’m not going to be a servant anymore.”
“Won’t his lordship be upset?”
“At this point I think he will be much more concerned that his household was violated and his staff assaulted. Besides, Tipper gave me the payout fee for an early contract termination. The fee and my official departure letter will be delivered to him, when he returns.”
“How is Tipper?”
“Deep in study, she’s gained access to some older texts and has found out all kinds of interesting things about Kaymere.”
“Well, that’s good. Did you see Mokha?”
“No, he was playing at that cafe he likes, the one with all the wood.”
“Ah, Hearts Nook.”
“Yeah.”
Adwin paced around the room for a while, all the days business still jumbling through his head.
“Should I ring for supper?”
“Sure, I could eat a whole goat right now.”
She went over and pulled the handle that protruded from the wall near the mantle of the fireplace. It rang a bell down in the kitchen. The kitchen staff would bring up the food and then afterwards come to clear away the dishes and leftovers, then put fresh linen on the table before asking Master Adwin if there was anything else he needed.
Master Adwin was always very discomforted to be addresses in such a way. As well, the sheer decadence of it was nearly too much for him. He was living better than most lords throughout the freeholds, certainly better than he had ever imagined. The fact that he was just a front-man for a big old scam weighed heavily on him, more so as each day passed.
Calathy flopped back down onto the couch she had been lounging on earlier. She seemed to enjoy the luxury and being pampered. To be fair, after serving others for nearly ten years, he could understand why she would enjoy the present fortunes. He sat in a chair across from her and put his feet up on the hassock.
“I asked Tipper about going with her to Kaymere.”
Adwin chuckled, “Was I right?”
“Oh, yeah. She shut me down pretty quick. Said it was too dangerous and that I’d only slow you guys down.”
“I told you.”
“Yeah, I know. What if you talk to her?”
“That’s not likely going to change much. She wants to travel fast and light and tends to avoid most people and places as she travels. Travelling with Tipper is gruelling.”
“Oh, I know, but so is working in a kitchen all day.”
“I won’t argue that, but Tipper would say it’s not the same.”
“I want to see some of the world Adwin, I want to be somewhere else, other than GreensBridge.”
Adwin laughed, “I wonder if everyone feels that way. It’s how I felt the last few years in Willik’s Hold, and for me coming to GreensBridge was seeing the world. I know better now.”
“See, that’s what I need. To see what other places and people are like. To have experiences beyond what is normal here.”
“Sure. It’s likely one of the best choices I ever made. I’m also thinking about going to Maldorn after I help Tipper. Or, maybe Elquin, with Mokha.”
She pouted, “Please talk to Tipper for me?”
“I will. Next time I get to see her.” He did not have much expectation of actually changing Tipper’s mind. However, he really did not want to leave Calathy here in GreensBridge. Aside from the troubles he and his friends had created for her, he was much happier when they were together.
Supper arrived and they sat at the table, side by side. They had both thought it was weird to sit at opposite ends of the table from one another. Though, all things considered, the table was not really that big. They ate in companionable silence, enjoying the excellently prepared food.
Afterwards, They sat near the fireplace, Calathy sang a couple of songs, Adwin leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes while he listened. Her voice was so nice, he could listen to her singing anytime, for however long she would sing. A full belly and a pleasant voice helped him put the day’s business behind him.
Sometimes they played trees and traps, but most nights Adwin would read to her. They had already gone through Treabot’s Collected Poetry. When she had finished singing, he fetched the old copy of Tales From Around the Freeholds, collected by Ajax Burgandy. It was one of the more common books throughout the freeholds and had been reprinted many times by many different people. Until recently Calathy had thought Ajax had been a freeholder, but he was in fact from Maldorn. Adwin opened the book to where he had finished the night before, somewhat past the halfway point, and started the story of The Three Witches. Calathy loved being read to.
She was functionally literate, but had never read a book until recently. She often stopped him, to ask about a certain word, how it was spelled or what it meant. He was glad that she had an interest and was learning Maldorn. He had bought an entire box of paper bound books from West Port, thirty different titles. So far he had only read a couple of them, though with nearly three months of winter left and then the early spring, he was hoping to have gone through the pile by that point.
Near the twenty-third hour they both retired to his room, stripped their clothing and snuggled together under the blankets. Neither of them had thought to do otherwise since the first night she had arrived and they had regularly made love, lounging languidly through the winter nights.
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