Servant Kari (Car-ee)
Chapter II: Market Place
Tortall FanFic
((Chapter 2 of my story. It is best that you read chapter 1 first, duh ^_^ he he he. Once again it has several of Tortall's beloved characters, TP's creation, as well as my own, such as Kari. I am not real sure where my story is going, where ever it's going it is going to be slow. If you have any suggestions please let me know. I would love to try to fit some of the readers' ideas into it. Other than that, please enjoy the story and Review when you're finished))
(I love Tamora's books so much, so using her characters and her land is a great honor for me. I hope you enjoy.)
It was strange to be in the Market Place at night and by one's self. Kari wouldn't admit it to herself, but she was scared. She had been wondering around for at least three hours now. It was well after supper and she knew her mother was just now heading back up to find the basket of laundry all over the washroom floor.
She couldn't help but giggle when she thought about what the Pages might say when they find that they had no fresh clothing to soil that next morning. Their best uniforms had to be worn that following night for a banquet that the King and Queen where holding for foreign visitors. They will never finish getting them clean before the following afternoon, most of the Pages would be wearing damp tunics and hoses.
"Serves them right," she said angrily. Kari had found a bench just on the skirts of the main Market Road. Behind her was a small stream that the local city folk got their supply of water.
"Serves who right?" asked a young woman walking by. She wasn't that tall, wearing a plain brown dress with a fade blue apron. Her auburn hair fell to her waist limply, her light green eyes were warm and loving as she looked at Kari with puzzlement.
"Oh…no one, Miss," she said quickly. "I was only talking to myself."
"Where is your mother, Child?" asked the sweet voice.
Kari eyed the woman curiously. She could tell that she had to be at least in her late thirties, city born commoner with several children no doubt, as she noted the basked filled with left over bread from that day's market.
"I…I don't have a mother," she lied.
"You look well taken care of," the woman replied. Kari searched for an answer with out seeming too obvious.
"Well, umm…my, umm, my Master didn't want me anymore. He said that I wasn't, umm, pretty enough to, umm serve at his table. He said that only pretty girls, umm, yeah, that only pretty girls could cook for his, umm, his guests," she finished. Oh Kari, that was a horrible story! What was you thinking? She scolded herself.
"Is that so," the woman scowled. Kari nodded and tried to look pitiful. The woman eyed Kari, she didn't believe one word, but she wasn't about to leave the child out in the cold. "May I join you?" she asked.
Kari quickly scooted over to make room for her, and she sat down. They sat for a moment in silence. Kari huddled up inside her new, but used coat and the woman rubbed her arms to warm them up. Night was falling and a nippy breeze was wiping through the half-deserted city.
"Well, it is rather chilly out this evening, and I am willing to bet that it will only get worse, so what about this…" the woman pause a moment to make sure she had the girls attention. "I have five little ones and they are probably tearing about hunger than half starved cubs. You help me out with dinner and getting them down for bed and we will give a hot meal and warm place to sleep for the night. Then maybe, in the morning we can talk."
Kari couldn't believe what she heard, why was the woman being so nice, surly she couldn't afford another mouth, however it sure beat freezing on her first night of independence.
Kari nodded some and the woman smiled. "Good, let's get going then." Kari took the woman's basket for her and followed the street away from the Market Place.
The two talked the way there, getting to know each other's names. "My name is Lenea, my husband works for the Raven Inn keeper, a small inn on the out skirts of town so he won't be home tonight."
"How old is your children?" asked Kari curiously.
"Oh, the youngest isn't even a year and my oldest daughter just turned nine last week. Here we are." Lenea turned down a small ally and they climbed two flights of stars up a tall stone building.
Greeting them at the door were five little children; Lenea's oldest daughter, Traylen came out first with their three-month-old brother. She had bright red curly hair and a million freckles dusting her nose and cheeks.
Kari spent the next two weeks with Lenea and her family. She helped around the house, cleaning, cooking and taking care of the children while their father went to work at the Inn and their mother to Market to sell baskets.
"Kari, dear, would you like to go into Market with me today? Our neighbor said she would look after the children, you and Traylen can help me out today."
"Come one Kari! Please go with us," begged Traylen. She had grown quite fond of Kari, being five years apart, Kari was like the big sister she would never have.
"The festivals are starting, you girls could do some Midwinter gift shopping for me," Lenea offered.
"Sure, if you don't mind that is."
"No, you and Traylen would be a big help. Here are two silver coins. I want you to make sure you get all the children a present, and then get something for yourself with what ever is left over."
"Thanks, mommy," squeaked Traylen as she stared at the coins Lenea handed Kari.
Tortall's Market Place was filled with colorful people. All walks of life where shopping about, Nobles and servants flooded the neatly decorated streets. Tonight would start the Squires' Ordeal, by the end of the week a new generation of Knights will be born, so many proud parents where out buying shield polish, new swords and daggers.
"Let's look over here first," suggest Traylen. They just said good-bye to Lenea and were on the search of some dolls. She headed to a red tent with a lovely looking woman.
"Good morning, Ladies," she said sweetly and Traylen giggled.
"Do you have any small dolls, that aren't too expensive?"
The woman dug around in a nearby bag and pulled out a wooden doll, her skin was painted a milky white, she had bright red lips, green eyes and wore a bright scarlet dress made form died cotton. She had long black yarn for hair.
"This way you can play wither her hair, braid it or twist it like so," the woman said twisting the yarn on the dolls head and pined it in place.
"She is so pretty," whispered Traylen. "Who is she?"
"Well umm, she is the Queen," said the woman with a smile. "Would you like to hold her?" She gave Kari a wink as she placed the doll in her hand.
"How much?"
"For two lovely Ladies like yourselves 2 coppers."
"We'll take three. One for each of your sisters," she explained to Traylen, for her brothers they bought wooden swords.
When they returned back to Lenea's booth Kari froze in fear. Her mother was talking with Lenea, they were bent over some larger baskets used mainly for laundry and such.
"Kari, what's wrong?" asked Traylen as the older girl grabbed her arm and pulled her behind a table full of real swords and axes.
"Oh, hello again." Kari turned around and looked up into familiar bright purple eyes.
"La…Lady Alanna?"
"Hmm," she answered. "Yes, I will take that small dagger right there, no not that one…yes, that one," she told the keeper. Laying down some gold nobles, she turned back to the hiding girls.
"Kari, wasn't it? My father and friend, they spoke highly of you. Said you ran errands for them. My friend is usually grumbling about how slow Pages have become, says they get sidetrack and take twice as long to send messages."
Kari curtsied and she turned a dark crimson, "Thank you, My Lady; I am glad I could help."
"Sir Gary, hmm, Garth the younger, was commenting on you the other day at lunch when someone over heard and said you worked in the washroom of the Pages wing. He went to search for you and said your mum said you vanished."
"I…I ran away…Ma'am," she said in shame.
Traylen stared; she was told that Kari was thrown out by her Master, what was all this about a Palace and running away? "Kari," she whispered.
"Well," she paused as she tried to think of something to do. "Why don't you come back with me, I'll take you to Sir Gary and than maybe we can work something out? Your mom must be worried to death."
Alanna held out a hand and brought the two girls to their feet. A shy Traylen led the way to her mother's now deserted tent. Lenea bowed her head as the Lady approached.
Unwilling, Kari explained everything to her foster mother of the past weeks and then to the knight.
"I see, that explains why the Pages where a little damp and wrinkled a few weeks ago" said the knight with a smirk. In the end, Kari was walking beside Moonlight and the Lioness back up to the Palace.
Things were going to be different this time, Kari could feel it, and even if they did send her back to her mother and the forsaken laundry room she could always run away again, right?
((Thanks for hanging in there through the second part, it was a little slow and boring, if you having any suggesting about where the story should go from here let me know))