Chapter 7
A Name, A Tale
I woke in an unfamiliar place. It had been so long since I had spent the night in a house that for a few moments I thought I was dreaming. When I did realize I was not still asleep, I tried to take in my surroundings. It was dark, so it must have still been night. The first floor was one room and spacious, but only because of the limited amount of furniture. There was a small kitchen in the back corner and a large table that seemed to serve as preparation and eating surface. A large amount of white cloth and open jars had been scattered over it, as if in haste. There was a bed in the opposite corner on which laid a sleeping form, near the end of this bed a ladder was suspended, leading, I assumed, to a second floor or loft.
I heard movement and a soft sigh from my other side and I nearly jumped out of the bed in surprise. Turning, I saw another sleeping form next to me, quite close. She was laid on just a thick blanket, thrown on the floor, the bottom draped over half of her legs. I looked on her face and realized with shock that it was the white and red haired woman of my dreams. Laying there she seemed but a girl. Flashes of memory went through my head; the girl kneeling in a dark pool, a warm but concerned smile on her face, the girl's face inches from mine as she held her apron to my mouth, the girl looking up at me, concern and pity in her gaze.
I struggled to remember how I had made my way into her home as she began to stir. I knew I had been searching for something, but I forgot even that when her eyes finally opened. In the moonlit dark of the cottage her eyes were pools of shadow, but they lit brilliantly when she smiled at me and whispered, "So, you are awake, Stranger. You must be very thirsty." I nodded at her, not even thinking to speak. And she quietly rose, going into the kitchen and returning with a ceramic cup filled with cool water. As I swallowed it, my mouth felt strange, but I could not discern why.
The girl spoke softly again almost to herself, "Now what shall I call you? Wen got to name the Bear, it is only fair that I…" but I no longer heard her. The Bear, my brother, I sat up and tried to cry out his name, but found I could not. And the rest rushed back to me, father, the Dwarf King, my tongue, my hands. I let out an anguished groan as I raised my newly bandaged hands to my eyes. The girl quickly bent over me, asking about the pain. But I barely heard her, I was cursing myself a fool over and over in my head. Tears were coursing down my face and I realized my hands were shaking.
Suddenly small, soft hands were moving up my arms and across my shoulders in a comforting caress. She pressed her body against mine, warmly embracing me, whispering reassurance in my ear. I felt myself calming down, the tension leaving my body. She pulled back from me slightly, "Oh, you brave man, what could have happened to you? Who gave you these wounds, these memories that tear at you?" she paused and seemed to come to a decision. "Leander. I am going to call you Leander. It is from one of Mother's mythology books. It means brave. Do you like it?"
I nodded slowly, she still had her arms wrapped around me and I had placed my unusable hands loosely around her waist. She seemed to realize where she was and gave me a small uncertain smile before speaking again, "I had better get a head start on breakfast. We have another mouth to feed now. It will be light soon, Mother and Wen wake early. I am usually the one to sleep late." At that she gave me another brilliant grin and rubbed my shoulders one more time, almost absently, before standing up.
I suddenly felt extremely tired and laid myself back down on the mattress. Everything began occurring in a dream-like haze. I heard other movements around the small cottage; footsteps down the ladder, sheets being folded and beds being made, the girl moving things about the kitchen. I thought dimly about the small family; a mother…, a widow, and two daughters. Was this the home in which Mahon had spent the winter? Was that the girl who he had fallen for? She was certainly beautiful. As my muddled thoughts turned more fully to her, she again appeared at my side, "We made some porridge. Can you eat it?" I nodded again and tried to think of a way to sit up without my hands. I did not know how I had managed it before. It was probably the momentum from my shock. "Oh," she said realizing my dilemma, "Wen, help me get Leander to sit up."
"Leander?" A voice cam from the direction of the kitchen, and a body to match a moment later, "Is that what you have named him, Lyn? How appropriate." I felt my eyes widen. They were the same girl, she was the fair one, the light one, they were both beautiful. She smiled, nearly the same as her sister but somehow more sad, more subdued. Oh Mahon, I thought, this is your treasure. Even I can see she is far more valuable than Mother's jewels. She walked around to my other side and together they brought me to a sitting position.
The dark twin, her sister had called her Lyn, stayed to spoon the porridge into my mouth. It was difficult to swallow and embarrassingly messy, but somehow I ate most of it. While she was feeding me I studied her. Her hair was a dark red-brown, soft and curling in loose ringlets down her back, held in a thick braid with a few short tendrils escaping and falling over her face. Her skin was healthily tanned and smooth. Her eyes in daylight were a deep brown, sparkling and lively, large and round, framed by a myriad of dark, red tinted lashes.
When I finished, she gave me another of her warm smiles and said, "You should rest some more, Leander. I have to go back to the forest to replenish my herbal supplies, but Mother will be here if you should need anything." I gave a half-hearted nod, strangely sad to see her leave, but I could tell her energy was stifled indoors. She turned and grabbed her sister's arm, practically dragging her mirror out the door. I could hardly wait to see her in the forest, in her element. I needed to get stronger and for that I needed rest.
I settled myself back down for a much anticipated nap when I heard the mother's footsteps coming in my direction. She stopped next to the mattress and knelt. She met my eyes and spoke quietly, "I see much of your Honored Mother in you, Prince."
My mind reeled as I processed her words. She gave me the same warm smile, passed on to her beautiful daughters and again spoke, "Rest easy, Prince, all will be explained. Let me tell you a story and maybe it will shed some light on the situation you, your brother and my daughters find yourselves in."
I nodded, wide-eyed once again and she began, "Once, in the hills of the east, there lived two young men, boys really, and they had been friends all of their lives. One was the son of a carpenter, tall and lean, but very strong, hair bleached nearly white from the sun's rays. His name was Conlan and he was raised carefully and honorably by his parents for he was their only son. The other was the son of sheepherders, but he was built like a blacksmith, great and hulking, ruddy brown hair curling on his head, chest, and arms. His name was Brody, the second born of many children, and he was often left to his own devises for guidance and care, to find them where he could.
"One lazy spring afternoon, the two boys took a walk in the forest beyond the sheepherders' fields and there they met a strange creature. He was short with a long gray beard, and seemed to be digging urgently for something buried in the corner of a sunny clearing. Conlan wanted nothing to do with this strange being, but Brody was curious and quietly bid his friend to stay a moment. The creature was nearing what he sought and discarded his tool to move the remaining earth with his gnarled hands.
"The fallen tool was shaped like an axe and a scepter merged, its gold and jewels sparkled in the sun, catching the eye. Without thinking, Brody swiftly took the scepter in his hands. As soon as another being touched his tool the strange creature turned, fuming.
'You do not know what it is you hold, puny boy,' he spat, voice almost shrill with ire. 'I am Dranek, King of Dwarves. You hold my Royal Scepter in your unworthy hands.' He then visibly calmed down and produced a false smile, 'Come boy, I will give you riches beyond your wildest dreams and you will be a king of men, if you give that back to me.' He paused for a moment and widened his guile ridden grin, 'Of course I will add one condition, to make the bargain a little more even.'
"Brody, the fool, nodded, greed twisting his young face into a mask not unlike the dwarf before him, he agreed vehemently, 'Yes, anything.'
"Impossibly, the Dwarf King's smile widened as he threw the boy a dingy sack. It fell at Brody's feet and glittering gold coins poured out. The dwarf spoke again, commanding, 'The bargain is made. You will give me your first born son to entertain my court on his twenty-first birthday. Make your way to the Castle Eisgairdin west of here. There you will find your destiny and there I will return to collect your debt.'
"He disappeared with a flash of light, leaving Brody with the sack of gold and Conlan standing dumbstruck behind him. The carpenter's son was shocked at the actions of the friend he thought he knew and promptly refused to have any more to do with the now wealthy man, saying, 'You have gained these riches through devious means. I implore you, use your wealth for the benefit of others, make good the evil by which you have acquired it.' Brody vehemently refused before the two angrily parted ways. Conlan returned to his parents' home and Brody journeyed into the west.
"Months passed and Conlan's life returned to normal until word reached is village that the young princess of Eisgairdin had taken an easterner for a husband and that she was pregnant with his child. Conlan knew who this foreigner was and wanted to journey and speak with him, but his father had taken ill and he could not leave. Two years later word came that the aged monarch of Eisgairdin had suddenly died. It was also reported that the princess and her husband had jointly ascended the throne. Conlan realized his childhood friend had come into power by treachery and deceit. He became determined to meet with his old friend and convince him to confess to his royal wife. He left the small village and his prosperous business behind to seek the sheepherder's son.
"Upon arriving at their Majesties' newly established court, Conlan was greeted warmly by his childhood friend, now named King Kail the Bear and his wife. The young Queen's name was Isolde, but her people called her the Dark Lily. She was a frail beauty and not suited well to child-bearing, making her first pregnancy a difficult one. Her raven black hair, always worn loose, fell in rolling waves for miles down her back. Her eyes were large and exotically blue and they adoringly followed her husband wherever he went. Conlan learned she no longer participated in the government as a result of her weakened physical condition. It had been taken over by her husband when she became pregnant.
"Conlan also met the young prince, Kail's first born, destined to be given to the Dwarf King. The Prince was the image of his mother, almost as if Kail had nothing to do with his birth. Conlan immediately adored the precocious young boy, a feeling that fueled his desire to confront Kail. The King had presented Conlan to his court as a visiting noble and the Queen introduced many of her Ladies to him, including her favorite companion, Myrna.
"Myrna came from an old nobility, nearly extinct from Eisgairdin, that were said in ancient times to have dealt in mysterious forces. Most of the old tales were exaggerated rumors, but one story was kept alive by the women of the family. This legend stated that some of the clan's young women still held a connection to the old power and were gifted with the ability to know her soul mate, her true love, when their eyes first meet. When Myrna looked into Conlan's eyes she felt this force and he was filled with such a powerful love for her that the legend was undeniable.
"Until that point Conlan had been repeatedly begging the King to reveal to the Queen the nature of his wealth and status. When he came to Kail to celebrate his newfound love for Myrna, the King threatened to keep the two apart if he did not cooperate with the deception. Fearful of loosing his beloved he reluctantly agreed and was given the rank of advisor in Kail's government.
"With the King and Queen's blessing Conlan and Myrna were married and a few months later both women were found to be pregnant. However over the passing months the King's secret began to gnaw at Conlan. One night, while in bed, he was no longer able to hide the truth from Myrna, he told her the King's secret, begging for forgiveness. She immediately granted it, but was faced with a dilemma of her own. Should she inform the Queen of their husbands' deceit?
"Having always been an honest friend, she felt she could not hide such crucial information from her best friend and Queen. It was the worst ordeal of her life to see the beautiful Queen's face crumple in anguish, hearing that her marriage, her love was based on lies and a facade. The King's punishment for breaking the silence was swift, Conlan was banished and Myrna was forced to choose her husband over her lifelong friend. It was not until weeks later that they heard the Queen had gone into early labor and died of complications not long after they had departed the castle. Myrna was heartbroken, blaming herself for the death of Isolde, but still they journeyed to the mountains of the north, outside of the rule of Eisgairdin.
"Conlan was also wracked with guilt, regretting his decision to reveal anything at all. Kail had not changed, and he had only succeeded in breaking the heart of the Queen. The two young lovers settled on the mountain a few miles from one of the smaller villages. Myrna was heavy with child and Conlan had grown ill with a coughing sickness, but they both worked hard to repair the small cottage they had found on the land.
"At midwinter Myrna gave birth to twin girls, one the mirror of the other, one light, one dark and Conlan, with the last vestiges of his strength planted two rose trees in the garden, one white, one red. He loved and cherished Rhoswen and Rhoslyn in the short time he had with them, for he died before the snows melted from the forest floor."
At this Myrna paused to wipe her eyes and wanly smile, "If the cursed dwarf had not taken your tongue you could tell me the half I do not know, Prince. I never did hear what the name of Isolde's second son, so I suppose Leander is as fitting as anything else my whimsical daughter could have chosen." She stopped when I began vehemently shaking my head at her and tried to motion to her, "You are not the second son?" I nodded at her and she said, "I realized the bear transformation was another of the dwarf's tricks but how did you…" she trailed off. I felt so useless, unable to answer her questions, but she smiled again at me, "Then you are Teirnan. Oh, my boy, I should have known, if only you had given me that mischievous smile I remember so well. You look so like your mother, Teir," she whispered, using a pet name only Mahon and Conroy knew, and a second time that day memories flooded my brain.
I remembered this woman. Somewhere in the back of my mind I had buried her with the rest of the memories of Mother, whose presence had been banished from court after her death. Myrna with the fiery, curling red hair, and kind, crystalline blue eyes, she was always smiling even when wiping a tear. I looked again at the woman before me, she looked older, and more tired. I realized she had been little more than a girl when I was small, so had mother, they had gone through so much, all for the greed of one man.
She put her hand, comfortingly, to my face. I realized there were tears rolling down, falling on my tightly bandaged hands. I did not know how long I had been clenching them. The wounds had reopened and red was seeping through the layers of white fabric. My helplessness suddenly overwhelmed me and I fell into her shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably. She held me until I quieted and when I lifted my head I saw I had bled onto her dress from my mouth. I looked up at her guiltily, "Not to worry Teir," she smiled again, "It is nothing a little soap will not get out. Your wounds have reopened from all the stress of these revelations. You should rest now. My daughters will be back soon, and I think I will let them call you what they will for the time being. The less they are involved in these circumstances the better."
I nodded slightly, but thinking that they were already involved. But Myrna did not know this and I was too tired to find a way to tell her. She placed a cool hand upon my brow and whispered, "Sleep Teir, there is nothing you can do to help your brother until you regain your strength." I laid myself back down on the mattress and wished fervently for Mahon's safety before falling into a dreamless sleep.