Hi! Sorry about the wait! Been sick!
Later that evening, I left Mordred with my mother as I went to join my father and the others on a hunt. My father had brought back our own deer that day for the Scythian kurgans, but now we needed fur to trade for the goods we would buy in the south. Mordred handled my departure well. He kept his face blank as I touched his face and went to join the hunt. We would only be gone for a few days, but Mordred was nervous about being alone.
We rode northeast for a day and a night. The weather grew colder ever step we took. I had not hunted sable in years and I had forgotten how damned cold it was. Luckily, this was a short hunt meant only to give our trading a boost. The real sable hunting would begin in a few months in the winter when their coats were longer. We hunted for a day, catching about twenty of the marten's in all. It had been a good hunt, for this time of the year, and I was please when it came time to return home.
Once we were home, the real work began. We had only days to prepare the furs to be trade ready for my mother's journey south. My hands were blistered and sore by the time we finished.
"Lucky runt…" I muttered as I sat next to Mordred. I had just finished seeing my mother, Oponis and Marhaus off. They would be gone for at least a fortnight, as would Euxil and some of the others who had decided to go to Euxil's tribe. It was even farther south and she would be gone longer. The tribe felt empty…Nearly half of it was gone and we seemed only to be a measly few tents perched up on the endless steppes. The others had taken all our wagons and a few of the tents to bring back to goods they brought.
"You'll need a coat soon." I said to Mordred. He only watched me with his dark eyes and said nothing. The weather would turn cold in a matter of months… I had been gone from Britain for over three months. I imagined what the harvest looked like right at that moment… Gods how I wanted bread. I hoped mother would bring some flour back with her. Even the coarse Roman stuff would do.
"I bet they're all getting fat with bread and chicken." I said longingly.
"And fish…" Mordred added.
"Mmm."
"And apples…"
"No more…No more… Do you miss your mother Mordred?" I asked. The look in his eyes said yes.
"You'll take me back to her one day." He said assuredly. I smiled a bit. The boy was always so calm.
"Yes but when? Should we head back before winter, or when spring comes?" I asked. I would need to make up my mind soon, or else we would have no choice but to wait until winter came and passed.
"What is winter like here?" Mordred asked darkly. I smiled.
"Cold…With no stone walls to keep out the wind. But our tents are sturdy enough…" I said. Britain was so small compared to my homeland, but I knew I'd rather spend winter in the confines of the fortress rather than in a tent.
"I'd like to go back before winter…" Mordred said eyeing me to see my reaction.
"Alright. It's settled. We will head back in two moons." I said after a moment's pause. He nodded.
"I'm six now."
"Really? You are growing so fast…If you work hard, you can make a bow before we head back." I said. His eyes lit up and I smiled. Perhaps the bow would not be as… special as my own bow, but it would be better than any British bow. I myself had spent a year drying the wood, shaping it and polishing my bow before I had declared it finished, but we didn't have that much time.
I looked over at the coat my mother had finished lining with fur. It was handsome and would look foreign in Britain. Wearing the clothes she gave me, I would never be mistaken for a native of Britain or a Roman. I was torn between dread and excitement concerning what she would bring back.
Days turned into weeks on the steppes. The weather cooled as summer ended and finally my mother, brother and cousin returned.
"I think she's preparing to make you a wedding dress…" Arghil muttered into my ear as he helped unload the horde of goods.
"What do you mean?" I asked in an equally low voice as I hefted a bag of felt over my shoulder.
"Red silk…With a nice bit of gold thread…Not to mention some other fine material." He said as he grunted under the heavy load.
"I'm going to look like a fool going back with a load of that. I'll probably have to get another horse just to carry it all…" I said grimly. He sniggered and threw down his bag in front of a distant cousin's tent. Toulnis's mother popped her head out and gave a thank you as she hauled the load inside.
"We'll be heading back in a month." I said as I doled out felt to a few tribesmen. Arghil looked at me sharply.
"Why?" He asked as if there could be no worthy reason to leave Sarmatia. "This is the first time you've been home in almost nine years."
"Nine years…Nine years Arghil. I have another life in Britain. The only life I've known for years. I'm still under Arthur's command. I won't abandon him." I said looking out to where our herd of horses were standing. Kolaksay was trying to shove Scosin out of the group as if he knew that the grey horse had replaced him as my mount. Scosin shook his mane and trotted away arrogantly.
"Arthur…Is he the only reason you return? Or is there more?" Arghil asked knowingly.
"Of course there's more." I said dryly. "I left behind quite a few companions. Sarmatians…Woads…"
"And a lover?"
"Don't pry." I said edgily. Arghil smirked and grabbed another load.
"Isolde! There you are… Your father says you plan on leaving in a month. Come, I'll need to start fitting your dress tonight!" I heard my mother's voice call out.
"Yes mother…"
I soon found myself herded into our tent. Oponis and Marhaus were coerced into helping my mother immediately, and Mordred and my father joined us for the amusement of it.
"Lovely…" I drawled as I stared at my audience.
"One of my cousins helped me start it… I was unsure how to handle the silk…I have never worked with a piece this large…" She said holding it up to me. The silk was a deep crimson with a good amount of gold embroidery already done. The embroidery was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. It was so delicate and intricate… The silk and the gold were rich and vibrant, and I no longer minded my mother's pestering.
"I'll need to trim some to make it fit you snugly…You've got all that fat; might as well show it off."
"I am not fat." I said stiffly.
"I did not say you were fat…"
"You implied it." I said giving my mother a baleful look. She smiled wryly as she adjusted the silk around my hips and then my shoulders. I hoped that when I was her age, I looked as young as she did.
"Axolde, my daughter is not fat." My father said while fighting to keep the smile from his face.
"I agree." Marhaus said.
"Axolde meant that she had more of a shape than either of us." Oponis said coming to my mother's rescue.
"I'm not shapely- Am I?" I asked twisting to look at myself. I had never really paid too much attention to that sort of thing. Not that I was uncaring of my looks, but Galina had always been greedy with the mirror. I had only noticed that I had not been able to share clothes with her for years.
Marhaus snorted while Mordred shook his head in a yes.
"Yes." Oponis answered sonorously.
"Especially since you've been here. When you arrived you looked rather waifish as compared to now." My mother said stepping back to eye the fabric. "It must be my cooking. What do those Romans feed you? Dirt?"
"Less meat. No koumiss…More fruit." I answered while yawning.
"Ha. Animal fodder…" My mother said dismissively.
"Well, at least your knight will be pleased when you return." Marhaus said knowing I would rather he not bring up 'my knight'.
"Hm yes." Mother said. "You left a girl, and you will return a woman. A Sarmatian woman!"
I muttered a few choice words and, my mother pinched my arm.
"When I was in Britain, I longed for a Sarmatian woman… Something to remind me of home." My father said getting a far off look in his eyes. My mother smiled softly at him. The way they had spoken of 'my man' or 'my knight' had meant nothing to me. But the look my mother and father shared made me think of Tristan. I was still accepting the fact that I loved him. Him and his stupid braids. I wondered if he loved me. It was hard to fathom Tristan loving me, but perhaps he did. Would he wait for me? I had taken up with a woad and then left him for months now. Would he have another woman? I doubted he would have an actual lover… But there were plenty of women around the fortress ready to spend the night with one of Arthur's men. All the more now that they were heroes… I thought of the possibility. I could not even muster up a jolt of anger or jealousy. I had done the same to him. What right did I have to be angry? If he loved me, no number of loose women would stand in my bloody way however.
"Sarmatian dress or not, he's going to think she's beautiful." Marhaus said while giving me a huge toothy smile.
"Kiss ass." I said simply.
"Don't call your brother an ass of any sort." My mother snapped. I kept from sulking by eyeing my silk happily. Mordred was watching us all with amusement. Somehow I doubted his household was like ours.
After my mother had finished with me, I managed to escape the tent. I wanted to go for a ride on Kolaksay while I still could, but instead I headed to the shamans' tent.
"Tattoo." I said simply and Lipixios entered another section of the tent to gather what would be needed. He returned with the ink and tools. Erdim had me lie down on an old rug. I pulled up my trouser leg to show her the ghost of a tattoo. Lipixios grounded more black powder into the mix and stirred it.
"Have you any others?" The aged shaman asked me as she touched the tattoo.
"Just one." I said peeling back my hair to show her my neck. It was in no need of a touch up.
"Allow me to mark you." She said. It was odd that I had so few tattoos. I nodded a yes knowing the priestess would listen to her gods. Lipixios left and returned with a piece of felt longer than my arm and nearly as wide. He attended to the tattoo on my leg while Erdim began to cut shapes and swirls into the felt. After a few minutes she held up an intricate net of felt. She eyed it and nodded as if sure that it was as she wanted it. As Lipixios finished with my calf, Erdim put a thin layer of black paste onto the felt. I rolled over and removed everything covering my back. She laid the felt on my back and I shuddered as the cold paste met my skin. I waited patiently for the paste to stain my skin in the shape of the tattoo. Minutes passed and finally she removed it and wiped my skin clean. She laid the felt nearby so I could see what she was putting on my back. I winced as over the next hour as my skin was punctured repeatedly from my mid back to the base of my neck. I felt geometric designs continue on even past my shoulders onto the top of my arms. I eyed the felt with interest. A stag was at the bottom of it all, forming the base. His antlers turned into the sacred tree and sprawled across my shoulder blades. In turn, several of the tree's branches morphed into flames. I was quite pleased with it.
By the time we were finished, it was dark outside. I made my way to my family tent and excepted a bowl of stew from my father. I nodded to Arghil who had come to eat with us.
"Get married and leave us be." I said in mock annoyance.
"You first." He said smugly.
"Old maid…" My brother whispered.
"Where were you?" Mordred asked while finishing his own bowl. I stood while I ate.
"Getting a tattoo." I said between bites. His eyes ran over my body as if he could see the new addition through my tunic. I pulled my tunic up in the back to expose the tattoo.
"That's a beauty." Arghil said while Marhaus whistled appreciatively.
"Very nice." My father said while mother nodded.
"I want one." Mordred said staring at mine.
"Ask your mother when we go home." I said lowering my tunic. My back was extremely sore.
"I want a Sarmatian tattoo." He said firmly. It amazed me to no end how the boy acted far beyond his age. He was begging me for a tattoo, but in no way did he sound like a whiny child.
"I am not your mother." I said finishing my meal. "I can't just let you get a tattoo…"
Mordred's shoulders sagged slightly.
"Fine." I sighed, but to my surprise his shoulders remained slumped. I walked over and put my hands under his arms. I hauled him up and let him wrap his little legs around me. I handed Arghil my bowl and stepped outside with the boy.
"You miss your mother?" I asked gently. The small head on my right shoulder nodded.
"Are you going to marry Tristan?" He asked in a guarded voice.
"Maybe." I answered feeling hopeful.
"Will you have a baby?"
"Perhaps." Where was this going?
"Will you still love me?" He asked in his still guarded voice. I squeezed him tight.
"Why wouldn't I love you?" I asked surprised. He didn't answer. I scratched his mop of dark hair. I was going to miss having him all to myself when we returned to the island.
Aight. Finally. Hope I got rid of the errors… My Word isn't a great checker. And plus after a while, all I see is words….I don't recognize errors. REVIEW
