Bonus Spin Offs, Mir’s Autumn Part B
By the time they had returned to Lekas the autumn equinox had passed, though the weather remained fair and warm. Harvest time was well underway, the main focus of work had shifted from the defences to gathering, preserving food and finishing the buildings that were still under construction.
Andisal had left to go talk to the dwarves of the Nahrg Dorma Holding over an eight-day before they had returned. She had promised to be back before the winter settled in, but did not know how long it would take as dwarves were known to be long winded and slow to make decisions. Del and Lef were in charge while Andisal was gone.
Wood, or more to the point, the lack thereof, was the major concern. As word spread through the village about the wood that had been abandoned in Aramy there was renewed talk of doing a raid. Both for getting the wood and in the hopes of rescuing the people they had sent to Aramy in the early summer. While Andisal had forbid any such action, in her absence the idea gained traction and the villagers forced Lef to call a meeting, to put the issue to a general vote.
Passions were high, especially among the families who had people in Aramy. The need for wood was a big issue, both for finishing a number of the building projects but also for the plans to make a couple of siege weapons and of course for arrows. Two of the families had people in Aramy and Alfi had spotted one of their kin during the time they had been snooping around there. Lef spoke eloquently about the issues that such a plan might face, the most obvious being the difficulty of getting the wood back before the autumn rain storms started, or worse, an early winter settled in. He also pointed out that the folks in Aramy would likely pursue them after the raid and with large wagons and with the likelihood of soft road conditions the people of Lekas could be faced with at least one serious counter attack.
More level headed folk pointed out that the wood was owed to the village and that an envoy could be sent to demand their shipment and the return of their people.
Mir surprised herself by stepping forward to address the villagers, “Most of you know who I am by this point, and you know I came from Aramy around mid summer to ask for your help to free my people from the mind-witch. Andisal promised me she would help, but her main concern was for you people that you not fall under the witch’s influence and that you don’t start another conflict before having dealt with the threat posed from Sharlok. My family, extended relations and so many other people I’ve known all my life are now under the sway of the witch, none of them are as they were and horrible things are happening in Aramy. If you walk in there to try and reason with that woman, you will just lose more people. As much as I hate to say it, we should wait.”
She could see that many of the people agreed with her, but she could also see in the eyes of the families that had people missing that they were tired of being cautious and wanted their kin back before the winter settled. She also wanted that, for them and for herself. She stepped back and Del tried to reason with them as well, but her talk of caution and the need for a solid plan before dealing with the Aramy situation mostly fell on deaf ears. It soon became clear that there were enough people who felt something needed to be done now, regardless of what other folks felt was the wiser course of action. They seemed willing, even eager, to risk a raid.
Arguments broke out, even between members of the same families, tempers flared. Del looked around, frustrated and saddened. Lef tried to mediate but then his wife declared, in a loud voice, “I will go to Aramy.”
Thern stepped forward, “I will go as well. I’ve been thinking about the situation since we were last there. Everyone who is interested in helping should meet back here tomorrow morning. We will finalize a plan and then we will go get our people and whatever else we need.”
There were some cheers and some who decried such rash action. Mir felt a thrill of excitement, it was going to happen. She glanced at Gweth and saw that she too was happy with this unexpected turn of events. They both had their reasons for wanting a shot at the witch, she knew they would both be going on the raid.
After the villagers dispersed, Del, Lef, Milla, Gweth, Mir and the Omdin twins retired to the keep. Del, Lef and Alfi were angry over the lack of solidarity and the foolishness of the action they were willing to take. Both Milla and Thern were unrepentant however and Mir and Gweth stayed out of the tense discussion.
Thern threw his arms up in frustration, “What would you have us do? Sit back and let half our people get themselves killed? Or worse?”
Del, red in the face, told them, “I expected you to follow Andisal’s wishes.”
Alfi said in sullen tones, “You should have talked to me first?”
“It’s not as if we’re married.”
Alfi scowled and looked hurt, she crossed her arms and glared at her brother.
Milla said, “Look, I know this is not what we wanted, help from Grange’s people would have been our best bet, but winter is coming. There’s no roof for the new hall, too few arrows and they would have gone, regardless of what we said to them.”
Lef shook his head, though he appeared less angry than the other two, “More will go now. The Omdin twins are well respected for their cunning and prowess. And, you my dear, are also held in high regard by many of the villagers and your kin from up north. Whereas a few might have gone on their own, now there will be many more who do so.”
“At least now there’s a chance we’ll have a good plan and accomplish some of our goals. I’d rather help than sit back and watch those people get themselves killed or fall under the sway of the witch.”
Del, looked to Mir and Gweth, “What about you two? Are you going?”
Gweth glanced at Mir, who gave a nod, then she said, “We’re both going. We’ve unsettled business with the witch and her henchmen.”
Del stomped a foot and threw her arms up, “Goddess, preserve me from young fools. I’m going for a walk. Make yourselves at home.” She grabbed her cloak and left the tower.
After a long silence, Lef said, “What’s done is done. You lot need to come up with a damn good plan. I’ll see what I can do about getting some food ready.”
Alfi went up to the roof with Lef, leaving the others to settle around the table. They started sharing their ideas about the best way to approach the problem. By the time the sun was setting they had roughed out what they thought their best options were. They had to wait until the morning to see just how many people would be coming with them.
They ate in a moody silence, after the meal Alfi and Thern stepped out to have a talk, Gweth and Mir offered to clean up after the meal, sending Lef and his wife home. No doubt they would be having their own talk. Del had not returned by the time the cleanup was done.
Gweth pulled her clothing off and went to the bed, “We might as well sleep here?” It was part question and part invitation.
Mir stripped out of her clothing and shyly approached her friend. Though they had spent many nights together hiking across the plains with the twins, it had been a rare occasion for them to be alone together. She took Gweth’s hands in hers and leaned over to kiss her lips. Gweth was a bit hesitant at first, but after a moment or two she dragged Mir down on top of her and they made slow, quiet love to each other until sleep overcame them.
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