ONE – GREGORY
Watching the sunrise I am hit with all the pleasure of being home. After a hard few days of riding, I finally arrived back late last night. My father and I thought the meeting would last a couple days at most, but it stretched for nearly two weeks. The other lords were hesitant about the building of barracks outside of everyone’s towns. It took much convincing but the barracks are necessary for the development of safer trading routes between our villages.
The plan is sound, each village will build two basic huts for shelter at the distances of one day and three days outside of their town. In addition, they will have a garrison in between them at a two days ride. This will allow for soldiers to patrol the surrounding areas while providing shelter to travelers and soldiers alike. The smaller villages were worried that this will eventually lead to assaults, as it would be much easier to arm and stockpile soldiers.
My father and Lord Westhaven were able to calm their fears. They were able to devise a defense pack, saying if one village attacked another, the rest would rise to squash the attackers. Being the two biggest villages in the area, their weight went far and the others eventually signed. Peace is guaranteed at least for another generation.
On a more sensitive note, my father and Lord Westhaven came to their own agreement, without the knowledge of the others. They set to solidify the peace with a marriage between my sister, Gwen and Lord Westhaven’s eldest son, Parker. My father and I disagreed on this, Gwen should be able to choose her own husband. But my father is looking at the bigger picture and desperately wants to ensure peace. I am realizing it is an obsession of his, and I am not sure where the insatiable drive comes from. It feels like he is willing to sacrifice anything if it leads to stability.
They set the wedding for early next spring and my only hope is Gwen falls in love with Parker, or at least likes him before then.
I am up with the sunrise at my brother, Grant’s bidding. He thought we should celebrate my return by helping to rebuild our town healer’s house. While I was away a small fire started and burned a portion of it. Most of the fire was contained, saving the whole house, but one whole wall needs replacing and a few other interior repairs are needed. My brother didn’t have to try too hard to convince me to help. Mainly because Liz has helped everyone else in the past – including delivering me, my brother and sister, but also because most of the men here today I will need to use to build the new waystations and barracks. So, despite my exhaustion and a deep desire for a long hot bath and a calm day, I decided to join him.
Together we rode through the main section of town on our way to Liz’s, hoping to stop along the way and grab a meat bun. They have always been my favorite treat. When Grant and I were younger we used to split one – now we are counted on to eat at least four apiece. I imagine Grant and I are the ones keeping the bakery in business.
I can usually smell the bakery way before I can see it, but today I was distracted by the sight of a new barmaid at Nash’s Tavern.
I noticed her first by her hair. Her back was to me and she was bringing drinks to a group of traveling merchants. Her wavy hair is striking, it is too blonde to be red, but too red to be strawberry blonde. It’s the perfect length too, as it nearly reaches her waist. I wonder if it smells like sunshine? It would be the perfect hair to run my fingers through.
I lose all thoughts of her hair as soon as she turns towards me. Her skin is fair and she has a subtle splatter of freckles over her nose. Those features have nothing on her eyes, they are beyond compare. Her eyes are the color of fresh grass in spring. They are the gentle green of budding life and new opportunity.
I was so distracted by her eyes it took me a second to recognize her, especially since she had clothes on. I was startled as I realized the truth, she is the eagle-shifter from a few weeks back. She found my village and decided to stay. A complex mix of emotions washed over me and I can’t be sure if they were good, or troubling.
I stopped my horse and was unabashedly staring at her. Grant pulled up next to me, then followed my eyes to glance at the barmaid. “Something special, isn’t she? Got into town right after you and father left.”
I nodded my agreement while keeping my eyes on her, “Do you know anything about her?”
“No” he chuckled, “But believe me, I wish I did. A few of the other guys in town have been trying to get to know her but she isn’t giving them the time of day – well except to take and deliver their order.”
I frowned at that, if I want to discover why a shifter was hiding in my town, I cannot be one of the many men trying for her attention. “Well, we might just have to go meet her tonight. What do you say we swing by the old tavern for a pint on our way home?”
“Sounds good brother, but I don’t think it’ll come to much.” He bends forward giving his horse a gentle head rub, “She hasn’t shown interest in anyone.”
“I am not seeking her interest, I am merely curious,” I say as she looks up and catches me staring. She gives me a half smirk, then turns away. What an irritating smirk. She probably thinks I was staring at her because I find her attractive, which is not what I was doing. Any attraction I might have for her will not be a distraction. I need to discover why she is here, and send her on her way.
“Your curiosity always tends to get us into trouble,” Grant says as he kicks his horse into motion. “We better get going, or we are going to be late. Besides, that faster we finish, the faster we can get that drink,” he chuckles.
“What about the buns?”
“We don’t have enough time to stop now and they have probably already started the repairs. We can get some this afternoon.”
Sighing, I give my reins a quick snap and follow Grant. I really wanted those buns, I haven’t had any since before I left. My stomach grumbles its irritation and he lets out a little laugh.
The five minutes it takes to ride to Liz’s house is not enough to get that woman or the food off my mind. But Grant was right about us running late. When we pull up, there are already seven others in a huddle. Liz’s son Aaron is talking to the group of men, my guess, he is giving out instructions. With this turnout, it should only take a few hours to complete the necessary repairs.
I take a look at the damage and it doesn’t seem too bad. The structure is still sound and the burnt wall is only charred. I haven’t seen inside yet, but I can’t imagine it will be much worse than this.
After setting up the horses to graze, we walk up to the group. Aaron nods a quick hello while continuing his instructions. “We are going to focus on repairing the outdoor wall first – that way we don’t have to worry about the roof caving in on us.” Pointing to three men in the group, “Mic, Samuel, and Tom, can you measure, cut, and transport the boards to the side of the house?”
Mic spoke up, “We are on it.”
“If you end up needing more help, come find me and I’ll add another person to your group.”
They headed off to get started and Aaron turned his attention back to us, “I need the rest of you to work on removing the damaged wall, supporting its structure, then rebuilding as the boards get delivered. The first step needs to be support.” He gestured to the woods behind the house, “We need to get some sturdy beams to wedge under the roof. Grant, Gregory, Silus, and Big Walt, can you go chop down four moderately sized trees? Ren and I will start digging the holes to place them in.”
We all nodded agreement and Grant hollered, “Last one to fell his tree has to buy the first round tonight,” and picked up his axe. Not being one to lose, I headed quickly on his heels.
Finding a suitable tree, I jumped right into chopping. It’s repetitive work and the steady thumping of the axe hitting home did nothing to distract from my thoughts. The coming weeks are going to be busy. My father tasked me with completing the waystations and barracks and I have much to figure out. Everyone agreed to be done by the end of the season, but my father is eager for us to be completed first. He thinks it will be a positive show for all the other villages, and I agree with him on this tactic.
Cliffden has three main roads, and each of them will need their own buildings. The West rode is the most trafficked as it leads to Westhaven. The other two are smaller but still get plenty of traffic, especially leading up festivals or the seasonal markets. As soon as the spring planting is completed, we will have plenty of workers. I am trying to decide if we will focus on one road at a time or split the forces to complete all of them at the same time. That might depend on how many people sign up.
The construction project should be the main thing on my mind, but as my mind is proving to be traitorous, I keep drifting to thoughts of the shifter. I worry about leaving town for extended trips while she is here, or at least until I discover her purpose of being here.
I will have to find someone I can trust to oversee the construction for me. Aaron would be perfect if he is willing.
Grant yells, “Timber.” I glance over to make sure I am not on the fall path and I see the other two are a few hits away from felling their tree as well. Not being nearly as close, I turn back to mine and attack with a new fury. Guess I let myself get too distracted. Right after I hear the thud of Grant’s tree, Big Walt, and Silus both bellow out a warning. Looks like I will be the one buying the first round tonight.
We partner up to carry the trees back to the house. It was a short walk, but the early heat of the day leaves us all sweating profusely by the time we make it. To cool down, I take off my shirt before heading back to pick up the next one. The other guys followed suit and I hear Silus muttering to himself, something about wishing the river was closer so he could jump in. I couldn’t agree more.
Even though Grant and I are the sons of a lord, we have not lived a soft life. My father believes that children working with their hands is essential to growing up. He was right and it made us well-rounded.
We were always being volunteered as extra hands, no matter what the project was. Grant and I used to hate it when we were little, all we wanted to do was swordplay and train with the guard. My father’s wisdom was proven right, as everything I have learned is invaluable for leading. I have a healthy grasp on the effort a project takes and how much a person can handle.
Once we got the support logs in place, the real fun started. Smashing down the destroyed wall was a release I desperately needed. I had been burning with extra energy since seeing that woman this morning.
It was steady work and we rotated through smashing and tearing away debris. That plus our conversation made time fly right by. Turns out I had missed quite the scandal on top of the fire. Aaron was filling me on in the recent gossip about the sudden wedding on Nault’s farm between his eldest daughter and Tom – his farm hand.
He was talking to me in a whisper, as Tom was occasionally near us, delivering new boards. “He was walking out to the field to check on the scarecrow - they have been having issues with early morning birds - when he heard some noises coming from inside the barn. Wondering if the cows were spooked, he wandered in, only to find Nessa is a very compromising position with Tom.” Aaron’s face bunched up with fake rage, “Nault exploded, and probably would have killed the boy if his wife didn’t intercede. She had heard the yelling and came running, I think she must have known about the young lovers.” He said with a knowing wink.
“She was able to calm everyone down enough to figure out a solution. Shortly after, they were planning a wedding. Good thing too, I have it on good knowledge Nessa is with child. Would have been a terrible thing for the kid to grow up without its father.”
“Surely old Nault would not have killed Tom?” I asked.
“I am not so sure, he wanted more for Nessa than to live on a farm for the rest of her life. Just goes to show, fathers don’t always know what is best.”
“That’s the truth.” I agree, thinking about Gwen.
I was about to ask him when the wedding would be but before I had the chance we were interrupted by Liz’s sharp voice. “Hullo boys, want a quick lunch break? You’ve earned it.”
On cue, my stomach grumbles. I turn around and see that Liz is not alone. The new barmaid, the eagle-shifter I have been obsessing over is with her. She looks up and meets my eyes. Great, she caught me staring at her again and she rewarded me another one of those infuriating smirks. If only she could tell what I imagined doing to her to take that smirk off her face. I would gladly give her mouth something else to do.
The woman looked at Liz and said, “Where would you like me to set the basket down?” Her voice is honey-sweet. I expected it to be harsher somehow.
“Oh, anywhere is fine. The inside isn’t friendly to eat in right now, so the boys will have to just eat standing up out here.”
She sauntered forward and placed the basket next to the water pitcher, “Well, I must head back. The lunch rush is bound to be starting and Nash will need my help. Goodbye Liz.”
“So long Ash, thank you for your help carrying everything here.”
Her name is Ash. Ash, like a tall tree? No, like all that remains of a fire. Ash fits her as I have no doubt she could burn hot and leave nothing but destruction in her wake.
“Anytime,” she shouts back as she hurries off towards the main street, not sparing so much as a glance back. Somehow that infuriates me more.
Everyone turns their focus on lunch but I keep looking after her. Maybe I am being too harsh, after all, she has already been here for a few weeks and nothing has happened. All my instincts are telling me to never trust a shifter, you never know what their goal is. I just need to find more about her or find a way to scare her out of town. No matter what, I cannot let her know that I know. A shifter is always the most dangerous when they know their cover is blown.
I was pulled out of my thoughts as Grant tossed a wrapped meat bun at me, “There had better be more than one in there with my name on it,” I said as I caught it.
“There’s a couple,” Liz said, “I picked up a few extra because of your obsession with them. Make sure you have some of the real food as well, you all need to eat enough to get through the rest of the building.” I approach the basket and see it is also filled with melty sandwiches and some chocolate dessert. I will have no problem eating plenty of this food, it is well known that Nash never makes anything bad.
Liz walked over to her son and I am sure Aaron was updating her on the progress. It was a good update. We will finish today, likely in an hour or two. New boards have already started being installed, almost all the debris is removed and carried away. A few of the guys are already working on the interior. By the smile on Liz’s face, I can tell she has been told just that.