Chapter Fourteen: Green Lemons Are Ripe Lemons.
Green. Green. Ooh, nope green. Is it really that hard to find a ripe lemon? That's all I ask for a yellow lemon. This is crazy, who eats green lemons anyway.
Oh wait the sign says they're limes. I thought they were a bit small to be lemons.
I was in the market looking at a trader's stall that sold fruit and vegetables. The girls at the inn had everything except lemons and turmeric, not that they knew what turmeric was. I was looking for lemons but all I could find were limes. I walked up to the man to ask him where the lemons were.
"Excuse me Sir, do you sell lemons?" He looked at me like I had grown two heads and sprouted tentacles out of my mouth.
"Yes of course we have lemons, they're over there." He points to the limes.
I paused frowning. "Are they not limes? The sign did say limes." He looked confused, then he asked me with a straight face.
"What are limes?" I nodded smiling like an idiot and backed away to another stall.
I walked a minute down from the 'green lemon' stall to a stall with slightly overripe lemons. They did not have the best rinds but they would do. I caught the attention of the young girl attending the stall. She skipped over.
"My mother has gone to get something Miss. What would you like?" She looked to be around six or seven. I smiled kindly at her, and pointed to the lemons.
"I would like eight of those lemons please." She nodded and ran off to only to return with a small cloth sack. She then had a bit of trouble keeping the sack open while putting in the lemons, I nearly went and helped her but she managed eventually.
"That will be one pening Ma'am." I glanced over her clothes, they were a bit thin for such a cold winter that was coming. I looked in my little pouch and found that I had no pening's. That was strange I'm sure they were some there this morning. I shrugged and handed over a fæt, she looked at me dismayed.
"Miss I have no change for you." I smiled and leaned in as I took the lemons.
"Keep the change." I whispered. Her face brightened up and she gave me the widest grin I have ever seen. As I left she ran to a lady that had come from the back of the stall.
"Mama! Mama! Look what the pretty lady who bought lemons gave us!" I smiled and walked off but stopped as I heard someone call out.
"Excuse me Miss." I turned and saw the lady from the stall.
"We cannot take this, it is your hard earned coin." I smiled at her and reached out to the palm that held the silly golden round thing, and closed her hand around it.
"I am leaving this magnificent city tomorrow and I will have no use for its currency until I visit again. Take it, it's now your hard earned coin." I was about to turn away when I remembered the child.
"Oh and take this for your daughter and yourself it's going to be a cold winter soon." I mentioned as I forced another golden coin into her hand I was about to turn away again when I remembered.
"Oh and before I leave do you know where I can buy a root that makes things yellow, and it's preferable that it is fresh." She nodded.
"Next to the main gate is a Harad woman who sells spices and dyes, you will find it there. And thank you Miss." She then hurried off back to her stall. I nodded to myself as I made my way to the gate. That's one good thing done today.
As I reached the stall that the lady was talking about and saw that it was not as crowded as the others around it. Strange, this is the only stall with spices why would there be no one around it? I filed that thought away to be answered later and stepped up to the stall. An elderly woman that I would have thought to have Arabic descendants if she had been from earth, shuffled forwards.
"Hello Miss, what would you like?" She gave me a toothless grin.
"Hello Ma'am, I was wondering if you had any fresh turmeric?" She nods and gets up to get it. She returns with a large piece of it,
"Is this what you are looking for?" I nod eagerly.
"Yes it is thank you." I then remembered some ingredients I forgot to put on the list.
"You wouldn't perhaps have any ginger and saffron, would you?"
She nodded.
"How much miss?" I think for a few seconds.
"I will need twice the amount of ginger than turmeric and I will need a few pinches of saffron." She nods again. And goes to the back.
As she returned I already had my coin pouch in hand.
"Do you need a bag miss?" I shake my head.
"I have enough room for those in my pockets." She put everything in front of me and then tells me the price.
"That will be fifteen peningas Miss." I looked in my purse and saw yet again that I only had fæt. I shrugged to myself. Two good deeds in one day is fine by me, as it's not like this woman got very much money since no one visited her stall. I put two fæt in her outstretched palm, and called 'keep the change' as I quickly took my items and walked away very fast, I did not want her chasing me. At her age it wears down your joints if you do, I thank personal experience.
I got back to the inn at two o'clock, I immediately put the groceries on the kitchen table and told Celeste and Diana what to do.
"Slice half the lemons and with the other half, peel the rind off and then juice them. Place the slices, rinds and juice into separate dishes please." With that I left out the back door to feed my hungry mare.
As I entered Sandomeldir's stall to lead her out, she pushed past me and then with her teeth grabbed the pitchfork that was against the wall and brought it to me. I smiled and hung her halter back on its hook, it seems she's used to the routine. I scooped up all the dirty straw into a pile and was about to turn and fetch the wheelbarrow when I heard a scraping behind me. I had to laugh. Sandomeldir was pushing the wheelbarrow to me but because she wasn't lifting the back it was dragging, and so it made a sharp scraping noise that she spooked at every time she heard it. I giggled until she looked at me grumpily.
"Here you silly girl." I held out my pitchfork. She took it again and held it while I wheeled the wheelbarrow into the stall. I then went to take the pitchfork but found I couldn't. I looked pointedly at Sandomeldir, she just snorted and pulled it away again.
"Do you want your lunch or not?" She reluctantly let me take the pitchfork and then trotted away to drink some water I put out for Mr. Rumbald's horse. After I finished cleaning up her stall and feeding her I went back to the kitchen.
"Progress girls?" I asked as I walked in after cleaning my hands. I stopped. In front of me was three plates and a bowl. Slices of lemon, ginger, and turmeric were on the plates along with lemon rind and a bowl of lemon juice.
"This is perfect, well done girls." They grinned and blushed at the praise.
"Ok we need to complete the first step of the recipe. So, Celeste can you please start to brown the chicken in a large pot with a little bit of butter." She nodded and went to work.
"Diana I need you to peel twelve garlic cloves, actually make that seventeen as these cloves aren't as pungent as the ones I used, and finely chop them. She nodded and got to work. I started peeling the onions and finely dicing them, trying hard not to cry.
"Rebecca I have finished browning th-. Are you alright you are crying." Celeste asked worried. I nodded and laughed.
"It's just the onions Celeste, they have fumes that make me cry." She nodded in understanding.
"Just one second, and then you can add the garlic, onion, butter and salt to the pan after taking the chicken out and putting it aside." She nodded. Then Diana stood up.
"Miss do you have the recipe for this dish?" I nod, too busy wiping my eyes to reply. She grinned. "Go and enjoy yourself Miss we will cook it." I nodded and teared out the recipe that I knew by heart. She took it out my hands and went to help Celeste. Seeing I was still there, Diana then chased me out of the kitchen with a tea towel.
Yelling out, "you are our guest go off and make sure you have all your things for tomorrow!" I laughed as I raced up the stairs to pack.
After I had finished, I checked the list that I wrote down while packing. It had all the things that were in my bag on it. As I checked the list I realised that I didn't have any weaponry on my personage. In the city it is fine but I will be traveling on a main road and there will be bandits and other... Unsavoury, creatures. I check the time and saw that it was three thirty o'clock, plenty of time to go down to the forges. I grabbed my carpet bag and walked down to the bar.
"Mr. Rumbald, I am going out for an hour or so, don't wait up. Oh and give this to Diana, it's the recipe for the rice." And with that I walked off to arm myself.
As I came to the forge I met Côlhîth again.
"Afternoon Miss Larkspur. Now what's a lovely lady like you doin' at a forge?" I smiled at him. He thought that I was so innocent.
"I'm here to arm myself for the journey ahead."
He chuckled, "I don't think you would be able to lift a sword Miss, but you can try." I glared at him, but he only laughed harder. A metal smith came up to us.
"Sir, Miss, what is it that you need this afternoon?" I smiled at him. Finally a gentleman.
"I am here to look at your smaller w-." I was rudely cut off.
"Hello, Thorne. Missy here wants a blade for her journey. I thought a sword might do don't ya think, or how bout a mace. That'll do won't it Missy?" Thorne just shook his head.
"Côlhîth, go pester someone else, this lady has every right to arm herself. Does not Rohan have the finest shield maiden in all of middle earth. You should know better than to raise a lady's ire." Côlhîth walked away embarrassed by the telling off he got. I giggled at his face, serves him right. I then turned to Thorne.
"As Côlhîth has mentioned I am here to acquire a weapon for my journey to Bree." He nodded.
"I think I'll have something for you. Now follow me." He walked into the forge and I followed.
The first thing I think as I enter is, it's hot in here. And it was, the heat generated by the furnaces turned the room into a sauna.
"Here we are Miss. See anything you like?" I looked around there was weapons ranging from broad swords to battle axes. What caught my eye were a tray full of daggers and knifes. The daggers ranged from simple to ornate, complex works. The knifes were chunky and looked to be used for meat and hacking at foliage. As I carefully, as not to nick myself, looked through the tray a dagger caught my eye. It was larger than a normal sized one would be, it was simple yet unique as it had a snake skin hilt. The guard was a coppery colour as was the pommel. The pommel was horse head shaped and had an black stone set in its centre. The blade itself was eighteen centimetres and had an odd greenish purple sheen to it from an oil polish of some sort. I picked up the blade and took it to Thorne. He nodded.
"That blade suits you Miss, it was one of the first blades I ever made since opening up shop. The metal is a mix between iron and a small amount of mithril given to me by a thankful dwarf who had his axe broken when I gave him a new one. It won't break on another iron blade that's for sure Miss. But before you go, do you know how to wield a blade like this?" I shrugged,
"I've used a bayonet before can't be that much different as they are both the same size and shape." He nodded.
"I don't know what a 'bayonet' is but if its like a dagger you'll be fine. That blade will be a fæt Miss." I nodded and handed the coin over. He nodded and showed me out.