Constant

Chapter Two – In Friendship

'A friend accepts us as we are yet helps us to be what we should' – Unknown.

Chiltern was a small place, a market town at best. But to a young woman who had spent the majority of her life in a village of sixty eight, it seemed the centre of the world. On her first visit Hunith had found herself overwhelmed by the noise and variety of the place. Every stall had been covered with new and unknown things. Every person had a strange and unfamiliar face. The town had bewildered and excited her all at once.

Brought there weekly by the plentiful harvest, Lukan had encouraged Hunith to attend when her hens had started producing large numbers of eggs, to gain her a small income. After some reluctance, Hunith had been convinced to go by the encouragement of Nellay and her four daughters – people who had become her family.

The pattern of her life had seemed to take a natural course since the wedding. Instead of taking either extremity, she had found herself spending nearly every day at the farm house, cooking, cleaning and tending the animals with Megan, Nellay and her daughters. But she also enjoyed quiet, relaxing night either sewing or knitting by her fire. Or on certain nights she would join the family for a lively dinner (for which she would always bring something, normally in the shape of a vegetable or fruit pie), which had led the family to have a taste for her light pastry.

All in all, it had caused the summer to pass in blissful happiness and joy for Hunith; as they had worked and laughed together, gathering in a bountiful harvest and stacking shelves with preserved fruit and vegetables. It had been a time of great plenty that Nellay had credited to the hope she had expressed on the day of Ross and Megan's wedding.

Now an entire season had passed since their wedding and she had a new family, was meeting new people through the regular patrons at her egg stall and she had just recently learned that Meredith was pregnant with her first nephew or niece.

It was a time of great joy and happiness that was only marred by the ill-health of Lukan's brother Jacob.

Since his exertions from the hard ride back to Ealdor, Jacob had been very frail. He had fallen ill to a fever after the journey, which had greatly weakened his immune system and left him constantly tired and with a strange shortness of breath. For a man of the field who had always been active and strong, it was an infuriating illness that left him drained and thoroughly depressed. Uncertain of how to proceed when the normal remedies had failed, Jacob's wife had sought the aid of a local medicine woman. She had even paid her exorbitant fees from the hope he would be cured, but Jacob had remained ill and listless.

In desperation the family had considered every possibility, and then Hunith had thought of Gaius. Though it had been years since she had last spoken to him, she had recalled his skill as a physician and knew of his position as court physician at the court of King Uther.

So it had been by sheer good fortune that she had met a cloth merchant name Tarin at the market who travelled far and wide with his bolts of cloth, even to Albion's capital city of Camelot. From pure kindness he had agreed to bear a message to the court physician, asking after a suitable treatment for Jacob's ailment.

It had been over two months since his departure. So with every passing market, Hunith had found her hopes rising for Tarin's return and had then been greatly disappointed by his absence.

The day when he approached her was one of the first days of cold that autumn; speaking clearly of the winter that was to come, regardless of the abundance of their harvest.

Seated comfortably behind Lukan's stall Hunith had been deep in discussion with one of her regular patrons, a stout fisherman's wife named Denny, when she had glimpsed Tarin's ruddy face amongst the crowd. With a startled exclamation, she had leapt from her stool and hurried to approach him.

Tarin smiled at her in amusement, his hands held behind his back.

Hunith could barely contain herself. "Good day, Master Tarin," she stated, her eyes bright with the unspoken question.

"How may I serve you, Mistress Hunith?" he asked wryly, his eyes crinkled in enjoyment at her suspense.

Hunith was almost bouncing. "Please do not delay, Master Tarin, have you a letter for me from Master Gaius?"

The merchant laughed and handed her a brown and slightly crumpled piece of parchment. "I have indeed mistress, I do apologise for my little joke."

She took the parchment gratefully, allowing herself to smile for the first time. "No, it is I who need to apologise for my pushiness. It was so kind of you to carry a correspondence for me."

Tarin inclined his head to her slightly, his expression more solemn. "It was an honour to be of service to you, Mistress Hunith and if I can help in any other way please do not hesitate to ask."

Hunith smiled gratefully before placing a small basket in his hand. "Four eggs, Master Tarin. I am sorry I have no other currency to offer in thanks but I hope you will accept them as a token of my gratitude."

Oddly touched, the merchant accepted the gift thankfully before heading back to his stall.

It took all of Hunith's self-restraint to leave the letter unread until the end of the market, in order to serve her customers. But she made a point of remaining faithfully behind her stall and then aiding Lukan and Ross until all of their produce was sold. It was only when the light began to fade that she took the parchment from her apron pocket.

"Have you had news from that physician you know, Hunith?" Ross inquired as he stacked the produce baskets.

She nodded. "Yes, I have yet to read it though."

Lukan glanced over. "You sit down and read it before the light fades too badly to see then. I can finish off here and Ross can head over to the pie man to get us some dinner."

"Thank you, Lukan," Hunith replied. She gratefully settled herself upon a stool before breaking the unornamented wax seal. Her own correspondence had been a simple note of greeting and request for advice upon the ailment, so it surprised her to see the length of the letter she had received in response. She read it curiously:

Dear Hunith, (it began)

It seems years since I was last in Cenred's kingdom, and now that I think about it I do not want to recall how many years it has been since I was last in his territories. I was very pleasantly surprised to receive your letter and take great pleasure in writing this reply. I can understand the urgency with which it was written, a thing that demanded its briefness. But I find myself growing very curious about the state of your family.

You wrote about this man named Jacob as the brother of your father-in-law but neglected to inform me as to which of your sisters is married. I assume it would be Meredith for I recall that she was the elder? Though it seems quite incredible to my mind to imagine the young and pretty seven-year-old girl whom I knew is a married woman! How does your father? Does the farm still thrive as it once did under his careful skill? I imagine that Perry must now be a man full-grown and running the farm alongside him. Is Perry married and how is little Megan? As with Meredith, I imagine that Megan must no longer be the engaging child I remember her to be, or you the industrious young lady of fourteen.

As I grow steadily older I find it strange to consider how the passing of years seems to speed up with each decade of my life that passes. Especially in King Uther's court there is always some traitor being pursued or skirmish being undertaken that requires my skills to assist the wounded. If I were to give one piece of advice to you Hunith, it would be to be wary of all you meet. Appearances can often deceive as I have lived and learned, particularly concerning matters that involve magic. Often that which is broadcast as evil may not be so clear cut, and those who seem honest and decent may deceive and betray. Be good to all but do not trust unreservedly.

As to the ailment you describe I would suggest...

He then followed by giving detailed instructions of plants to prepare and use in the healing of Jacob's ailment – all of which (to her relief) she was familiar with and were readily available in Ealdor. The letter ended with a sincere farewell and a request to maintain correspondence through Tarin's hand. In slightl confusion, Hunith pondered the motivation of the letter, wondering why Gaius would speak so openly of magic and advise her not to trust unreservedly. It seemed strange to her that a man who had been so merry and unreserved in her childhood should now advise caution.

But, though she wished to re-read the letter she was denied by the falling of dusk and the pressing of a hot meat pie into her hand. When asked about the contents of the letter by Lukan she simply replied that it held some advice and a possible cure to Jacob's illness.

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In the end, Hunith was able to have only a brief word with Tarin before they left that night and found she was unable to give any reply as there had simply not been time in the business of packing up.

"I suppose it will be many weeks before you are again passing through Chiltern," she replied, thinking of her reply to Gaius. "When will you next be in this area?"

The merchant considered. "I have urgent business to attend to in Fourglen, but I might be able to pass by this way in a fortnight's time or so," he replied. "I wish to speak with a wool merchant about his produce and he did invite me to return and enjoy his hospitality."

"Would you?" Hunith asked, barely daring to hope that he might return so soon.

Tarin smiled softly. "I think I can do that, Mistress Hunith. I find myself willing to do much for a gentle answer and kind word from a good woman."

To her astonishment, Hunith found herself blushing and hastily dropped her gaze. Uncertain of how to act, she bobbed a quick curtsey and left Tarin standing alone, suddenly very grateful that it was dusk and she could hide her face in the fading light.

Once seated upon the cart, Hunith found herself considering Master Tarin as a man and her ridiculous reaction to his compliment. She had blushed as horribly as any silly girl! Feeling thoroughly embarrassed, she shook herself and resolved to be always respectful and sensible around him in future. It was a ridiculous notion, to blush at the attentions of a man as upright as Master Tarin. In her head, Hunith considered the actions of certain young women from the village at harvest dances and weddings. She had always been amused by their ridiculous antics, fluttering their eye lashes and giggling stupidly at the young men's actions in some absurd attempt to attract attention.

Yet, did she have any more experience with young men than those silly young creatures? Just around the age when she would be entering that time of life, she had become the eldest female of their family, responsible for raising and feeding her three younger siblings while her father tended to the farm. She had never had time for boys or their attentions in her youth, and now when she was finally free to be courted and marry, she was much too old and wouldn't have known how to act if any man had approached her.

Amused by the whimsicality of her own thoughts, Hunith shook her head and settled herself comfortably down in the cart. She was far too old for such things and already had so much in her life to be grateful for.

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The next few weeks brought about subtle changes in the life of the village. First of all, Jacob grew healthier with each day, drawn back to health by the taking of Gaius' remedy which Nellay had so carefully prepared. It was a cause of great joy which gladdened the hearts of all Ealdor's inhabitants. As he was gradually able to rise from his bed, attend to more menial tasks around the home and then finally move around the farm and take his work back from his eldest son.

Secondly, the colder weather started to set in more heavily, bringing with it the first of the snow fall and the coming of the freezing months. But in Ealdor there was security in the fullness of their store houses. It had been the most plentiful harvest for years and promised a comfortable winter, the like of which had not been known for seasons.

It also saw the start of a correspondence between physician and country woman which would last for long years and come to affect both of their lives in the profoundest of ways. Through these letters would form a deep and touching friendship – a companionship which would bless, touch and change both of the individuals in ways that they would never have comprehended in those first few epistles or greeting and cordiality.

This time marked the start of that rare and wonderful thing – a true and constant friendship.

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