Chapter 12

They traveled slowly but steadily, stopping at the same places Indeira and Mirria had on the way out. Quin spent most of his time sleeping. He seemed unable to stay awake for more than a few hours at a stretch. He was sleeping when they turned off the main road onto the track to the farmstead.

It was midafternoon when they came around the bend in the track and saw the barn ahead of them. Mirria was in front with the old wagon, followed by Indeira in the vardo. Torvin and Frida brought up the rear.

As soon as Torvin cleared the trees, there was an angry, equine challenge. Blaze came galloping toward them, nostrils flared. He bypassed both wagons, heading straight toward Torvin. Frida stopped and raised her head, staring at the approaching stallion. Blaze slowed and pranced up to her. He extended his neck, and she struck like a snake, snapping her teeth within an inch of his nose.

She then proceeded to completely ignore him as she resumed walking down the track. Blaze stood there for a moment, bemused, before following, circling Frida and her rider a couple of times. She totally ignored him.

When they pulled up in the yard, Elli came out of the barn. She ran up to the wagon.

"Mirria!" she called, "You're back!"

She leaped up onto the wagon seat and hugged Mirria before the wagon had fully stopped.

"Yess," Mirria said into Elli's hair. "We arre back."

Mirria saw Rafe peering out of the house. She waved at him, and he slowly stepped forward. He relaxed slightly when he spotted Indeira on the vardo.

Elli stood on the wagon seat and looked back at the vardo, and at Torvin.

"You got a new wagon!" she exclaimed. "And who's that?"

"Torrvin." Mirria responded. "And Quin is sleeping in the vardo."

"Quin?"

"You will meet him. He wass hurt. We took him with uss."

Indeira pulled up beside the wagon, saying, "Let's get the wagons into the barn, and the horses unhitched. We can deal with everything else after that."

They maneuvered the wagon and the vardo into the barn, turning them so that they were backed up near the grain storage room. Elli jumped down and started to undo the buckles on Bonnie's harness. Rafe stepped up to Stout and did the same. Torvin dismounted and looked around.

"This place is huge!" He said.

"My grandfather and his brothers built it." Indeira told him. "They were called to fight in the war when my father was still a boy. None of them ever came back."

They rubbed down all three horses, and turned them loose to find their own stalls. Frida watched as Bonnie greeted Star and Spot, joining them in a stall near the east end of the barn. Frida then walked into one directly opposite the open doors. Stout ambled into the one next to the three mares. Rafe brought them all grain and fresh water.

Torvin walked back to the vardo to check on Quin. He opened the door in the back just as Quin was sitting up and stretching his arms. Quin winced as he moved his left shoulder. Torvin climbed in and sat on the opposite bunk, smiling at Quin.

Quin smiled back. He looked out the open door, noting they were in a barn.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"Home." Torvin replied.

"Home?" He looked startled.

"For now, at least." said Torvin. "Come, Indeira says the children must approve of us."

"Children?" Quin looked confused.

Torvin chuckled, and held out his hand. "Come, let's go find out."

He helped Quin out of the vardo, and waited while he stared around the barn in awe.

"This is enormous!" he exclaimed. "I did not know there was an estate of this

size out this way."

"I don't think there is." Torvin said. "Just a big barn."

Mirria and Elli were gathering up some packages of hand pies from the old wagon. Elli grabbed as many as she could carry and followed Indeira who was walking with her crutches towards the door into the house.

Torvin led Quin over and asked, "What can we carry?"

Mirria pointed at a pile of packages. "All of thosse." she said.

They all picked up packages and Mirria led them after Indeira.

Inside the house, they piled all the packages on a table near the kitchen door. Elli and Mirria brought over baskets to pack some of the food in, and carried it out to the spring house. Indeira stirred up the fire in the kitchen hearth and put a kettle of water on a hook over it.

They had all settled around the table with their tea, when the door to the barn opened. Rafe stepped in, holding a small bundle of black and white fur inside the front of his shirt.

"I found this cat in the barn. One of the barn cats had her backed in a corner. She's new."

"Bitsy?" Quin said. ""Is she hurt?"

Bitsy wiggled and Rafe opened his shirt. "I don't think so." he said.

Bitsy jumped out of Rafe's shirt and ran to Quin. She leapt into his lap and buried her head in his elbow. Quin stroked her fur.

"Thank you for rescuing her." he said to Rafe.

"Well," said Indeira, "I guess I should introduce everyone. Elli, Rafe, this is Quin, and Torvin, and Bitsy, of course. They have traveled with us from the Harvest Moon fair. Torvin has been helping us out a lot. Quin had a run in with your uncle."

Elli's head came up and she looked closely at Quin. Rafe backed up a step toward the door.

"No, we did not tell him about you." Indeira continued. "And we won't. Don't worry."

"He showed us what sort of man he is." said Torvin. "He was beating Quin when we found him."

"I barely remember it." Quin said quietly.

No one spoke for a moment. Then Elli asked, "What happened?"

Quin looked over at her. He took a breath and said, "I was playing my harp in the market. A young woman tried to convince me to take a walk with her. She was very insistent. When I continued to refuse her … advances, she became angry and started screeching at me. Her father came up and she told him I had tried to kiss her. When I told him I had no interest in kissing her, the man began calling me names, and then attacked me. I tried to flee, but he caught me, hit me in the face, and wrenched my arm. He threw me to the ground, kicked me a few times, and I blacked out."

Torvin growled. "I was too easy on him." he grumbled.

"I am grateful for what you did." Quin told him. "And I am amazed that both Bitsy and my harp survived unharmed."

Bitsy looked up at him, letting out a small meow, and he skritched behind her ears.

"And now you have taken me far enough away that I am unlikely to run into that man again." he continued. "You have my deepest gratitude for that. As soon as I am able, I will be on my way, so as to not strain your hospitality further."

"You do not have to leave!" said Torvin, looking panicked. "Unless …. you don't want to stay."

Indeira looked at Mirria, who looked at the children.

"Did you say you had a harp?" Rafe asked.

"I … yes, I do." Quin looked around the room. "It must still be in the vardo."

"If I get it, will you play?" Rafe asked quietly.

Quin shifted his shoulder experimentally, and winced slightly. "I think I can."

Rafe dashed out the door, returning a moment later with the instrument. He brought it to Quin, and said, "I was very careful."

Quin smiled at him, turned his chair away from the table, and accepted the harp. He ran his fingers over the strings, and then spent a few moments fussing with the tuning. When he was satisfied with the sound, he started to play.

He went through an aire, a reel, and a couple of slower dance tunes. Then he sang a short ballad about a young man who missed his home. His voice was a pleasant tenor, and his playing was quite good.

When he finished, he found Rafe sitting on the floor at his feet, gazing up at Quin's hands on the strings. Elli was in the next chair. The children both clapped their hands, and the others joined in.

"Rafe loves music." Elli said, "But Papa said we couldn't afford a harp or a lute."

Rafe looked down, sad at the reminder of their parents.

Quin said, "Perhaps, when my shoulder has healed some more, I could teach you."

Rafe's head came up, his eyes wide. "Would you? Please?"

Quin looked at the others, all of whom were smiling. "Yes," he said to Rafe, "I will."