Chapter 17
As usual we had to wait until after we had eaten to find out why Arthur had called us all together. No one seemed as anxious about it as me. If they had to go away again so be it, I would have to deal with it, but it seemed as if they had just gotten back from the last long trip. They all seemed to be in particularly good moods, the laughing and joking was more than normal, and they were all being extremely nice. I could stand it no longer, I had to know.
"Arthur, why did you call us all together tonight?" I blurted out.
"We don't have to have a special reason to eat together do we Taryn?" Arthur replied with a smile.
"Yes, but they told me you only meet in here for special occasions, or for guests, and since there are no guest here there must be something going on." I said the curiosity killing me.
"Well, Taryn maybe there is something special going on tonight. We have some special entertainment." He turned to look at Jols who was still standing in the corner of the room. "Jols, why don't you send them in." Arthur called.
"Right away Arthur." He replied, sticking his head into the large wooden doors.
I waited anxiously for the doors to open wondering what kind of entertainment we could be having here. I was quite surprised when through the doors came a large number of people. Mostly little people, it was Bors and Vanora's children, followed by Vanora, and Phillip. They all came around the table and stood directly behind my chair, and then the most amazing thing happened. Everyone began singing to me the traditional Sarmatian birthday song, in Sarmatian.
"My birthday", I exclaimed I had forgotten all about it. "How did you all know?" I asked when they were finished, tears coming to my eyes.
"Vanora forgets nothing dearie." Bors answered me.
I looked over to Vanora who was holding a large cake, and was grinning from ear to ear.
"Thank you." I said to her as she sat the cake down to come and give me a hug.
"We have presents for you too!" said Emily, Bors and Vanora's 4 year old.
"You do", I said pulling her into my lap "You shouldn't have."
"You can't have a birthday without presents." She said her eyes wide.
Presents indeed, it seemed as if almost everyone in the room had something for me. I had received small gifts before on my birthday, but nothing like this. The children came first. They gave me one of the woven baskets Vanora makes.
"We helped make it." Several of them were calling. "Open it Open it." They yelled.
"There is more?" I asked thinking this lovely basket was quite enough. I lifted the lid to find a beautiful emerald green dress. It was prettier than anything I had ever owned. Underneath it were oils, and scents for bathing.
"Oh Vanora." I said, holding the dress out to examine it. "Did you make this?" I asked wondering when she found the time.
"Of course I made it, but not without some help from two girls." She replied.
I looked to where the twins were standing, and ran to give them both a hug, and thank them.
"Come on Taryn, we are going to be here all night if you have to hug everyone, after you open each gift." Lancelot complained.
"I don't know about you Lance, but I want my hug." Galahad said.
"Taryn this is from Me." said Arthur placing a package in my hand. "And I will take my hug also." He said with a smile.
I was surprised, I had learned Arthur was a good man, but he did not pay much attention to me, he was much to busy. I opened the package to find a book. I opened the cover, it was in Latin, thankfully my father had taught me to read back in Sarmatia. I looked at the name of the writer. "Pelagius" I said out loud.
"He was my replacement father after mine died." Arthur explained. "His book is about free will and equality; he is in Rome now teaching from it."
"Thank you Arthur, if he is a man you respect, I know I will enjoy reading this." I said giving him a hug around the neck.
Next came Lancelot, he and I both had a private little chuckle over his gift. It was a mirror for my room.
"Now you won't have and excuse for sneaking in the knights bedrooms" he whispered in my ear.
"Lancelot, I don't think you could have given me a more perfect gift." I said giving him the hug; he had earlier claimed he did not want, which he gladly returned.
"Hey, speed it up." Galahad called from the back of the room.
Dagonet's present brought a laugh from everyone especially Phillip. His main gift, was a beautiful leather belt with sheaths on both sides for my tridents, and one on the side for a long sword. The gift that caused all the laughter was wrapped in some brown paper. I opened it up and pulled out two identical tridents, both carved from wood, and both very dull.
"I think I should be thanking you for those." Phillip said with a laugh.
"What a thoughtful gift Dagonet." I said reaching up to give him a kiss on the cheek, which even on my tip toes he still had to bend down to receive. He did seem slightly embarrassed, but hugged me none the less.
Phillip was next, he handed me a little box. I opened it and pulled out an exquisite necklace with a small green stone in the middle. "Oh Phillip, where did you get this?"
I asked.
"Don't you know Taryn it is rude to ask where a gift came from?" Vanora scolded me.
"Yes, but it is just, that I have never seen anything like it." I said.
"I am not offended, Taryn, because where it is from is part of the gift. It is from Rome, and it is to always remind you that not all things from Rome are bad." He said reaching out and taking it from me. I heard some snorts from around the room from the knights.
"Phillip, please put it on me." I said raising my hair from around my neck. "Yes, now there are three good things from Rome in this room instead of two" As he gave me a kiss on the cheek after putting the necklace on me. I think I heard Tristan clear his throat at that.
Galahad brought me a pair of gorgeous silver hair combs, to keep my hair from getting into that awful mess again he explained to me. He took a hug and a kiss on the cheek for thank you.
"I will be right back with my gift." Gawain said, getting up and exiting the room. Several minutes later he came back with a large wicker hamper.
"I thought since you loved Vanora and Bors kids so much I would get you one of your own." He explained, leaving everyone, extremely curious about what was in that hamper.
I slowly pulled back the flaps of the hamper, hoping I was not about to find some poor woman's baby Gawain had stolen for me. When all of the sudden a black and tan ball of fur, leapt into my arms, and began bathing my face with a pink wet tongue.
"A puppy!" I screeched holding the little fur ball out to take a look at it. "I had a dog in Sarmatia, but couldn't bring her with me. I trained her myself and everything. I never thought about finding a new dog here." I rambled on ecstatically.
"Well it looks like you win this time Gawain." I heard Lancelot grumble to a grinning Gawain.
"Gawain, how did you know?" I asked.
"Well the fact that you have to stop and pet every friendly looking dog in the town we pass, kind of gave it away." He said smiling. "Now are you going to hug me, or just keep carrying on about that dog?"
I tried not to make his thank you hug any better than the rest since, I had already been accused of liking my puppy more than any other gift. I did reach up to give him a quick kiss on his cheek to make sure he knew how pleased I was, and to my embarrassment he turned his head, so instead I kissed him right on the lips.
"Gawain" I said pulling back my face turning red.
"Happy sixteenth birthday sweetie." He whispered in my ear before turning to beam at the crowd, Phillip in particular, I noticed.
"Lets eat!" Bors yelled saving me from anymore embarrassment. "Taryn hurry up and cut your cake."
It was the best birthday I believe I had ever had. I did miss my family from home, and it did bring back many memories of my parents, but I had just made a great deal more memories, I thought looking around the room at my new found family. I looked at the kids chasing my puppy around the room, to Galahad and Gawain, laughing about God know's what, to Arthur, and my father having some sort of intellectual looking discussion. Yes this was my family now.
I started to gather my presents together when the party seemed to be winding down. The only trouble I was having trouble with was my wiggly ball of fur, who thought it would be funny to run from me.
"Looking for this." Tristan said holding my puppy at arm's length by the scruff of her neck. She was trying to look all innocent now.
"Thank you" I said rescuing my squirming puppy from her captor, and stuffing her safely back inside her basket.
"Taryn, I have something for you also, but I left it in my room." Tristan said picking up one of my baskets. "I will help you carry your things to your room, and then I will get it for you."
"Okay Tristan, I will gladly accept the help." I said looking at the mound of presents.
We made our way to the room, stopping to let the puppy take a potty brake, and filled my small little room with all my new found treasures. I followed Tristan into his room to receive his gift. My mind was wondering what this peculiar wonderful man could have gotten me that he did not want to give me in front of everyone.
"Here" He said thrusting leather bound folder into my hands.
I opened the flap, and starred down into the face of my mother. She was much younger than what I remembered, but it was her. The drawing was very well done, and had even caught the sparkle, I remembered in her eye.
"Tristan did you do this?" I said the tears again welling up in my eyes.
"Aye, turn the page there are more." He said.
On the next page there was a picture of my grandparents, Tristan's mom and dad, the next was a sketching of our village. The last two pictures, I did not recognize. One was of a baby in a mother's arms, and the last was of a woman's back with an older baby peering over her back with her arm outstretched.
"Tristan who are these off?" I asked.
"Taryn those are of you." He said.
"Me?" I asked again.
"Yes, I drew them after I left to help keep home fixed in my memory. The one of you waving was on the day I left, your mother came out to tell me goodbye, and as she turned to go, you waved that chubby little arm. I always thought you were telling me goodbye also." He said remembering back.
"You mean you actually saw me as a baby?" I asked not understanding what I had just heard.
"Yes Taryn, the Romans did not come as soon as expected, so I did see you as a baby." He explained.
"But she never told you I was yours?" I said not believing my mother could have done that.
"No Taryn, but in ways, I suspected." He said.
"Tristan, this is by far, the best gift I could have gotten." I said, the tears running down my cheeks.
"That will not make Gawain happy to hear."
"Yes, but maybe we shouldn't tell him, can't be damaging that male ego now can we." I said wiping the tears away.
"Happy birthday Taryn." He said giving me a hug.
"The best." I said squeezing him back.
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My furry friend was a great gift, but she was a lot of work. She insisted on sleeping with me at the foot of my bed, instead of in the stables where most of the canines slept. I must admit I enjoyed the company. She was a smart little thing. Her breed was used for herding, Gawain had told me. He said they were known for there intelligence, strong nerve, and loyalty. She would be around 70-80 pounds when full grown. I had decided to name her Ursula. Jols gave me the name after struggling for days for the right one. Ursula was the name of a princess of Britain, he had told me, and it fit. Ursula she was.
She did indeed grow fast it was almost three months later, and she had gone from a playful ball of fur, to a good sized dog, who was not even halfway done growing.
"Gawain, I am not sure if you got me a dog, or a small horse." I said one day, as we were taking a walk along the edge of the woods.
"She is growing that is for sure." He said watching her chase birds, and other unsuspecting little creatures.
"What are the winters like her Gawain." I said pulling my cloak closer to me for warmth against the cool fall weather.
"Terrible, cold, snowy, icy or rainy, take your pick." He said.
"The only good thing about it, is that it slows up the woads, not as much as you would think, but it does some."
I was about to ask another question, when Ursula let out a bellow. I looked over to see she had some sort of small animal pinned against a tree.
"Ursula what in heavens have you got there." I said making my way to where she had her prey cornered.
I saw a black furry little animal with a white stripe down its back crouching low to the ground.
"Taryn stop where you are and come back." Gawain called.
"Gawain, I can't let her kill this helpless little animal." I said ignoring his command, and grabbing Ursula by the collar.
The little creature did a strange thing then. It turned its backside to us, raised its fluffy black tail, and let out the most awful smelling substance I had ever encountered in my life.
The yellow gassy material hit us in an instant. It saturated my clothes, Ursula's hair it burnt my skin, and my eyes, I couldn't see I felt like I couldn't breathe. The odor was unbearable. We were a good 15 minute walk from home, and probably only about 5 from the lake, I quickly calculated in my head. I took of running in the direction of the waterfall, thinking of nothing but getting this smell off.
"Ursula, come on!" I yelled, running full speed. When I reached the bank, I did not hesitate, I plunged, in and pulled Ursula in with me. The icy cold water took my breath away, but I did not care, I scrubbed at my clothes my hair trying to get the pungent odor gone. I was interrupted from my scrubbing by the sound of laughing.
I looked up at the bank to see Gawain sitting on a stump watching me doubled over in laughter.
"Gawain, so help me God, you laugh at me one more time, I am going to come out of this water, and kill you." I said pulling one of my short swords from its sheath, and holding it out menacingly.
This only added to his laughter. "I warned you to stay away." He said between laughs.
"Gawain it is not funny." I cried. "What am I going to do!" I wailed.
"Scrub, scrub, scrub"
"I am and it is not helping." I yelled.
"Taryn, that was a skunk, they are known for, well their shall I say rather unpleasant odor, and the only thing that will get rid of it is time." He said no longer laughing.
"Than what am I doing in this freezing water!" I said jumping out of the lake, and joining my shaking dog on the shore.
"Taryn, seriously, you are going to freeze, that water, is cold, and the temperature is dropping, we have to get back to the wall now." He said the worry evident in his voice.
"You're not kidding" I said my teeth starting to chatter.
"Why did you jump in the lake?" He said shaking his head.
"Gawain it was burning my eyes I couldn't think straight." I said pulling my wet cloak around me.
"You will never make it home like that, there is a cave on the other side of the waterfall Galahad and I used to go to, we can go there, and try to get you dried off." He said grabbing my hand.
AN Okay, I have been bummed, but I just read that Fanfiction was encountering problems, and not that everyone hated my last chapter, like I thought . If I am making my story to full of fluff, I am sorry, I can't help it, it is just what is coming to me right now. Sorry if this chapter stinks. I don't know if they even celebrated birthdays then, or had cakes, or sang birthday songs, but lets just pretend they did. It was just an idea. Also, I found out what a Mary Sue was, I had no idea what people were talking about. Please give me reassurance this is not too Mary Sueish, I don't think it is, but of coarse I am bias. Thanks for reading. Also chapter 18 is done also, but I wont post it, unless people are still interested, threat, threat, threat, lol, just kidding. Please Review if you are able, I have been trying to post this chapter for a couple of days with no luck.