JadeViper08: He he! Thank you for your review, you made me smile. Myrtle Riddle: Thank you. Goldeneyedwildmage: I hoped you were okay! Thank you for pointing out about wisewing, it will be one of the things I correct when I one day edit. Silverlake: Thank you, they were fun to write. It was the first time I think that I've written animals like that. Bitterosemary: Thank you. I always had in mind that Ostara would be in Dunlath, I don't know why. Daine's Daughter: Thank you! NealsChick: Here's the update! Celuna Cirrus: I hope I've done her justice. I was a bit worried about how I portrayed her. Sonnet Lacewing: Thank you – I took your suggestion! Animal Writer 1: Ostara is basically pagan easter – I'll explain more below. Lime 63: Pretend you're a teacher and have to mark lots of books; Good, or Could do better are comments that I use when marking, quick and they let the child know that you've read it. Dolphin Dreamer: You still wrote reams! Thank you, I'm glad you liked it! Aravilui: Thank you. Wolf Speaker is the book I've read least from the quartet, so it was quite refreshing to go back to it. Feyrey: Thank you, this was much more fun to write, it felt much more gentle (?), I'm glad its compulsive, that means it's working!
A/N: I found some really interesting stuff out about Ostara and Easter while doing this, so I thought I'd bore you with it! The names Ostara and Easter are from the word oestrogen, the female hormone. Early Catholics chose the first Sunday after the vernal equinox as Easter Sunday as they didn't want it to be the same day as a pagan festival. There are so many traditions that we have taken from paganism, that has nothing to do with Christianity – I was amazed. If anyone wants to know more, I have some really good links I can send.
Disclaimer: All characters belong to TP. The words for the rituals are tradition pagan ones which I found on some very useful websites.
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Ostara PartII
Chapter 2 – Maura
Daine awoke to brilliant sunshine beginning to dance through the windows of the room they were in. She stirred in the large bed and began to try to wake Numair, whom she was sure could win prizes for Tortall should sleeping ever become a competition.
He eventually sat up; startled out of his sleep by Daine's prodding and for a moment seemed unaware of his surroundings. Daine stopped a laugh from erupting; Numair looked almost comical. She realised he must have been in such a deep sleep that he was now having to adjust back to reality.
He turned at looked at her, lying back down and flaying one arm across her, his fingers gently caressing the top of her arm.
"Sleep well, Magelet?" He murmured, his fingers travelling towards a different destination.
"Hmmm," Daine voiced appreciatively. "The maid left us a present of a purple candle outside our door," she told him not really aware of what she was saying.
"She seemed to like you," Numair said, smiling. Daine just smiled back.
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They eventually got up and went downstairs to a large room with a low ceiling. Beams of wood grew up the walls and across the ceiling, causing Numair to bow his head whenever he went under one. A shrine had been created at one side of the room, simply but effectively done. It was a table draped with a green cloth, four candles, one at each corner of the table were placed and a mild jasmine incense had been lit, although its sent was slightly overcome by the smell of breakfast.
Daine had no doubt that it had been Heleani who had arranged the alter, and marvelled at how early she must have arisen to decorate it. There was also a priapic wand laid on the table and several pots of seeds. Numair took hold of Daine's hand and they walked over to it. A small, chalk circle had already been drawn around the alter, and Daine would have thought that a full ceremony had taken place there at sunrise.
Numair picked four of the small candles left under the table and placed one next to each of the corner candles. He lit the one placed at the north end of the table. Speaking quietly, so not to draw attention from the few people who were eating their breakfast, he began the old words that Daine heard most Ostara mornings.
"Elements of the north, of the fine earth and rich soil, bless us with your gifts," he then lit the candle he'd placed at the east of the table. "Elements of the east, of the sweet wind and gentle rain, bless us with you gifts."
He then passed a match to Daine, who accepted it and lit it, lighting the candle at the south of the table.
"Elements of the south," she began. "Of the warm sun and creation, bless us with your gifts." She lit the last candle, watching the gentle flame flicker as someone opened the door to outside, letting in a soft breeze. "Elements of the west, of the pure water and energy, bless us with your gifts."
Numair then took the priapic wand, which was a length of oak with an acorn attached to the top and tapped each of the pots of seeds three times. He then muttered a few more words, summoning the spirits of the seeds to grow and bear fruit, ending the short ritual with the words, "Blessed Be."
They then sat down at a table, one of the maids bringing over mugs of tea and fresh buns and preserves.
"It's ham an' eggs this morning, with it bein' Ostara," she told them. "We like to stick with tradition on days like these."
"Thank you," Numair said politely, taking one of the buns and beginning to spread it with the butter that had been put down for them. "Do you want to go to see Brokefang first?" He asked Daine. "We are up fairly early, so we'll have time before we have to go over to the castle. Maura will know by now where we are."
"Won't she be expecting us to be there soon?" Daine queried. "She would have thought that we'd have been there last night."
Numair nodded. "I would imagine that she didn't really expect us so early. She requested that we come to help deal with this as her advisers couldn't explain what was happening to the water. She will know that we will have been way-laid finding more things out."
"I suppose I do have time to check on the pack. Will you come, or stay here?" She asked.
"I'll stay here. I want to go back to the stream where I took the sample from last night and see what I can do to improve the water quality," he explained.
Daine nodded, tucking in to the plate of ham and eggs that had been brought for her, although rather than touch the pork, a food that she was none too fond of, she discreetly flipped it onto Numair's plate when he was gazing out of the window, using a slight of hand trick that she had picked up from him.
A second or two later he admired his plate eagerly, there journey the previous day having not affected his appetite as much as usual. "Hag's Bones!" He called, a little too loudly. "Parlen's generous with his portions!"
Daine just smiled.
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She set off on Cloud, cantering at full speed to reach the cave where the wolves were as soon as possible. She found Frostfur now up and about, the yellow look in her eye having diminished. The female fox didn't look at Daine as she approached the cave, pretending that she wasn't there. Daine was neither surprised nor hurt by Frostfur's actions, only amused that none of the usual digs were made about her.
Brokefang and Russet came up to her immediately, licking her as they had done the night before. They were soon joined by the rest of the pack and Daine found that she had to shout quite loudly to get them to move back to be able to talk to them.
Where are your mate and the dragon? Russet asked, giving Daine one last lick.
Numair has gone to look more at the water. He thinks it's been polluted as the result of an experiment that's not been thought out right; and Kitten wasn't awake yet. Numair will take care of her, Daine informed them. Can I check on Frostfur again?
Brokefang called his mate to the human he thought of as Pack. Frostfur came reluctantly, not wanting to be in debt to the woman again, but Daine looked firm. She needed to see if all of the poison had gone from the wolf's stomach, otherwise there would be every chance that the problem would flare up again and Daine wouldn't be around to help.
She put her hands on the wolf's belly as she had the night before, and drew on her magic to enter the wolf, checking for the liquid-like substance that had been there. She found a small amount, smaller than the bit she had left the night before and began to blast at it, shrinking it dramatically until there appeared to be nothing left.
She came away from the wolf, this time not exhausted or tired, just happy that Brokefang would not have to go through the pain of loosing another mate.
It's all gone, she announced. Has anyone else had any symptoms?
One of the pups has been sick in the night, Frolic spoke up. Snuffle was poorly, worse than he is usually when he eats plants he shouldn't.
I'll look at him, Daine assured her, and the female wolf dragged her pup to her. Snuffle was reluctant to come. He hadn't met humans before and was a little overwhelmed by Daine. She touched him gently, sensing that he wasn't feeling too good still. Putting her hands on his stomach, she found the same mass as she had inside Frostfur. She blasted it without as much force this time, knowing that as he was young still he wouldn't have the same tolerance for her magic as Frostfur had.
Within a few minutes of her finishing he was back tumbling around with the other pups, pulling at tails with his baby teeth and snapping as they tried to tease him.
What has he eaten? She asked Russet, knowing that the wolves had kept everyone from the water.
It could have been anything. He will eat anything he comes across. I did see him near some reeds which he was chewing at, Russet told her.
Daine smiled. It was probably those. They would have been near the water, so they've probably been troubled too by this poison. Don't worry, Numair will see to it that everything's put right.
You have great confidence in your mate, Daine heard a familiar tone coming from the back of the cave, where she spotted Frostfur glaring at her. I only hope he's as good as you say he is.
Of course he is, she heard Frostfur's mate. He has already proven himself the last time he was here. We need them to help us.
We never needed them before she interfered! Frostfur called, as if Daine wasn't there. What if this happens again and she and her mate aren't around to help?
Then we'll have to manage on our own. But Daine is pack and she will come to us to help, Brokefang mediated. Frostfur realised that she had lost the argument and slunk off back to where two of the pups were sleeping, settling down beside them.
Daine wondered if she would always be able to come to their aid when they needed it. The last time she and Numair had been to Dunlath it was officially because they were looking for the lost rider group, that they eventually found had been disposed of by Tristan Staghorn. Daine didn't know if Jonathan would always let her come to the aid of her animal friends, particularly these who had been the only family she'd known after her own had been killed. She also knew that at some time in the future she and Numair would probably have pups of their own to take care of, which would cease some of her antics.
I will come whenever I can, she assured Brokefang, feeling guilty about her thoughts.
I know you will always find some way to help us, Brokefang replied quietly. Although you will have young of your own to look after too, sometime soon.
It won't be that soon! Daine laughed as she passed on her thoughts to him. I'm not much more than a pup myself.
Brokefang made a sound a little like laughter and Daine wondered how much he had picked up from her once more.
She left the pack sadly, wishing for more time to spend with them. Brokefang was growing older now, and Daine knew that a day would come when she would be told of his passing away, when Old White and Night Black decided. She raced quickly back to the small town and found Numair tacking up Spots and putting Kitten in her carry-bag.
"Any news on the water," she asked him, as he leant over and kissed her softly in greeting.
"It will take a few mages to stabilise the water, but it can be done. Tkaa is at the castle with Maura, so he may well be able to have a large input on this as well, but I think we will find our best help in the City of Gods," he explained. "I managed to correct the chemical levels in the stream where I got the water sample from, but that took a lot of my gift."
Daine nodded. "It seems to have affected some of the water plants too. One of the pups had eaten a reed and that caused the same thing to happen as with Frostfur."
"Then we will leave for the City of Gods in the morning. It's obviously affecting things quickly, so it needs to be dealt with quickly," Numair mounted Spots as ungracefully as always, but this time Daine did not laugh.
"How come you didn't go to the City of Gods?" She asked him, a worry niggling her.
"Carthak was much closer and had a greater reputation. However the City of Gods is still an outstanding place for mages to be trained," Numair replied.
Daine comfied herself on Cloud. Numair had packed up all of their things and had given payment and thanks to Master Parlan already, so they were all set to go to the castle. "Isn't it where Inar Hadernsra was trained?"
Numair nodded. "Most of the Scanran mages are trained either there or at their own university in Scanra. It's also where Thom, Alanna's brother was trained."
"Do you mind going there?" She asked, looking up at him with intense eyes.
Numair laughed. "Not really, it will give me a chance to show off. Some of the teachers will be desperate to test themselves against me, so I'll have to be at my best."
Daine smiled with relief, knowing that Numair quite enjoyed the opportunity to show off his skills.
They arrived at Dunlath to find Maura waiting for them at the castle gates. She waved madly at them, and Daine somehow managed to stop a groan from falling out of her mouth. She liked Maura well enough, but had found the girl a little trying at times.
"It's so good to see you both again," Maura called as the horses came to a stop. "I haven't had a letter from you in ages!" The young noble aimed the comment at Daine. Numair glanced at his lover with a small smile etched upon his face.
They left Cloud and Spots to be taken to the stables and fed by hostlers that Maura employed and followed the girl into the imposing building. Daine knew that Numair wanted to go and see the tree that had once been Tristan Staghorn and see what had happened to him; she also knew from Maura's letters that the girl was looking forward to making the Krashanky, decorated eggs that would be blessed and put in places of importance.
"How long can you stay for?" Maura asked hopefully.
"Probably only tonight," Numair replied, feeling rather guilty at the look of disappointment on her face. "We need to head to the City of Gods in the morning," Numair noticed Maura's guardian, Douglass of Veldine, approach them.
"That wouldn't have anything to do with the problems with the water, would it?" the elder man asked, overhearing what Numair was saying.
Numair nodded, "Very much, sir. I believe that the water is being affected by a spell that is meant to dispose of waste – the type of waste that cannot just be buried and will return to nature. I don't think that the mage in charge of it has realised the effect that it having on the local area. It's certainly not a deliberate attempt to upset things here," the mage assured, noticing the worried look on the man's face.
"But you will be able to spend today here and this evening?" Maura interrupted.
Daine nodded. "That's what we intend to do anyway and we would have stayed longer, but we do need to sort this problem with the water. Animals are being made sick with it."
Maura still looked disappointed. Daine quickly put her arm through the younger girls and began to lead her through the castle toward the suite of rooms that Maura tended to stick to using. She had told Daine all about them in her letter, to the extent that Daine knew exactly where to go.
"Show me the wooden eggs you have for the krashanky," Daine demanded, and was rewarded with a smile from the girl.
"They're in here," she replied, taking Daine into a large, study type room. A box full of egg sized, egg shaped wooden pieces lay on one of the tables. Next to it was a tub of natural red dye, that they would use to paint the eggs. Daine had not heard of krashanky before, it was a tradition that Maura's mother had written down at some point, and now Maura was trying to follow it.
"What exactly do we do?" Daine asked, knowing that Numair would be talking to Maura's guardian for some time.
"It's really simple actually," Maura smiled, glad to have someone other than her guardian for company. "We paint them red, let them dry – which should only take a few minutes – and then take them to the lake. We float them in the water, when they will travel upstream to the Blazhenni, the kindly ones, to let them know that the sun has returned. We are also meant to put them on the places where the bodies of people are lay, as a sign of rebirth."
"You've really been reading up on this, haven't you?" Daine grinned. "Numair will be impressed. When I mentioned krashanky to him he looked blank and quickly changed the subject!"
Maura laughed slightly. "There's not much else to do but read," she sighed. "I thought we could make pysanky too. We need melted wax to draw designs on the eggs and we mix that with some of the dyes. We put the wax and the dye in this," Maura produced a pen like instrument. "The handle is called a derzhal'tse and the nib is called a pysal'tse. We use this to make patterns on the egg and then once it's dry you can give them as presents. They are meant to be good for fertility if you know…"
"You really have looked into this," Daine interrupted, the same sixth sense that switched itself on when Numair was about to talk himself to death appeared to work on Maura too.
At that moment the mage and Sir Douglass appeared in the room, Numair looking curiously at the implements that Maura was holding.
"Did you make these yourself?" He asked her. She nodded shyly. She hadn't had chance to speak much to the mage and was a little in awe of him.
"They are very good; they must have taken you quite awhile," he said, taking one and admiring it.
"It gives me something to do," she replied in a timid voice. "Do you know what they are?"
Numair nodded, giving the parts the names that Daine knew that she would not be able to pronounce.
"I thought you didn't know anything about pysanky and krashanky? When I mentioned it to you, you looked all blank," she looked at her lover curiously.
"You should know by now, Veralidaine, that there is little that I do not know…" he began.
"You went and looked it up, didn't you?" She said, a teasing tone edging at her voice. Maura looked quite shocked at the way she had spoken to Numair. Daine spied her look and smiled.
Not quite sure what to say, their host began to explain the sleeping arrangements for the evening. Dunlath was a large castle, and as there were few people living there Maura had decided to use only a few of the rooms.
"Daine, I put you in a room with Kitten that's just down the corridor with Numair…" Maura ceased speaking noticing the look that passed between the mage and the young woman. "Sorry, does Kitten stay with Numair…"
Numair smiled amusedly. "Daine can explain, Maura, I'll just go and see how that tree's coming along that I planted last time I was here," he said and made a swift exit, Sir Douglass following him, seemingly wanting the story of the tree from the mage's mouth.
Daine sat down next to Maura who was looking slightly puzzled. Feeling a little sorry for the girl she put an arm round her shoulder. "You need to get Sir Douglass to bring you to court more; you're missing out on all the court gossip," she said, trying not to smile.
Maura looked up at her, still a little blankly, and squinted as if she was trying to see something that wasn't very clear.
"What does that have to do with where you and Numair sleep?" she asked.
Daine held the laugh that was desperate to erupt inside her. "Because Numair's not my teacher anymore."
Maura looked at Daine, her mouth now shaped into a perfect O as she seemed to realise what Daine was trying to say.
"He's a bit more than my teacher now," Daine made sure that Maura's thoughts were on the right lines.
"So I didn't need to have both rooms made up?" Maura asked, looking as if she had been told a very precious secret.
Daine shook her head and stood up, going over to where the wooden eggs lay for the pysanky and krashanky, letting Maura digest what she had just been told.
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Even Numair joined in the egg decorating, painting his with different symbols that Daine recognised from some of the spell books that he had in his study. The pysanky were meant to be embellished with symbols for protection and fertility, amongst other things and Maura had brought an old book from the castle library so that she and Daine knew which symbols to design.
After about two hours they had painted a dozen and a half eggs between them, and dyed a handful with the red paint. Maura had put them in a tub to dry thinking that they would take ages before they could be handled, but Numair impressed her with a small spell to make the wax and paint set quickly. She looked at him in awe.
Rather shyly, she took a piece of paper from a pocket and began to read in a quiet, low voice.
"In the name of the Goddess of Spring,
And the ever turning God of the Sun,
By the power of the four elements --
Earth, Air, Fire, and Water,
I do consecrate these eggs."
Looking timidly at Daine and Numair, who smiled reassuringly at her she continued, becoming a little more confident with what she was saying.
"Now do they contain new life.
In accordance with their signs,
And with my will,
So mote it be!"
Daine and Numair both solemnly repeated the last line and picked up some of the krashanky, letting Maura lead the way to the door from where they could throw their eggs to the Blazhenni, letting them know that the sun had returned.
As they threw the eggs, watching the waves of the lake bob the wooden eggs up and down, Daine kept noticing Maura first looking at her and then at Numair. The mage was oblivious to it, far more intent on the water in the lake and its condition, lowering himself down and scooping some water into a small pot he had brought with him.
"I'm going to go and test this water," Numair told them. "I believe you have a mage here also?" Maura nodded. "Then he might want to have a look too."
"He's really old and a bit deaf," Maura shouted after Numair as he entered the castle.
"He's too lost in that pot of water," Daine sighed. "When he gets in the library we shan't see him till he's fair hungry. And when he forgets to eat, I know he's becoming obsessed."
Maura giggled and looked a little embarrassed. "How come you didn't tell me in your letters that he's courting you?"
Daine looked a little red herself. "I thought you'd probably found out already, or guessed from what I'd said."
"You did write about him a lot, in fact, in one letter you sent ages ago, he was all you mentioned, even though you'd just returned from Carthak and had all that business with Ozorne," Maura said, obviously intrigued by Daine's love life. Daine blushed. "You weren't together then, were you?"
Daine shook her head. "We first kissed a few days after mid-summer's day, when we were in the divine realms. I moved into his rooms just after the autumn equinox," she explained.
"You liked him for a while before though, didn't you?" Maura said inquisitively. "When we were battling Tristan Staghorn and my sister you seemed to like him a lot. You used to look at him all the time, and you would seem really happy when you saw him."
Daine felt a little like she was being interrogated. She tried to remember that Maura was a lot younger than her, or well it seemed like a lot younger, and had no family and no friends of her own age to have discussions with about boys. Daine wondered if this was what it would have been like to have had a little sister. She swallowed her impatience and made herself feel calm.
"I didn't think I liked him like that then. Maybe I had started to, but I didn't know it. I knew I liked him a lot, and just as my teacher, when we were in Carthak and his old lover was there. I felt fair jealous then," she confessed. Maura's eyes lit up at the confidence.
"I always thought people fell in love as soon as they saw each other. I never realised that it could… grow," Maura stated thoughtfully.
Daine felt quite wise next to the young girl. She remembered thinking the same thing once. "You can fall in love with someone after you've known them years. The Lioness and her husband, Baron Cooper, didn't fall in love straight away. It happened as they got to know it other."
"What about the king and queen?" Maura asked and Daine worried if they were going to dissect the relationship between every one at court.
"I know that they both liked what they saw, but that doesn't mean they fell in love. It might've only taken a bit of talking to each other though," Daine answered.
Maura was silent for a moment. "Numair is really nice, although I'm a bit scared of him. He's so powerful and clever. Is that why you're in love with him?" Maura asked bluntly.
Daine laughed and shook her head. "I like all of him, even the bit that gets annoyed when an experiment doesn't work the way he wants it and that he cannot for the life of him manage to get his dirty socks in the laundry basket. The powerful mage bit is nice, but that's not all of him."
Maura smiled broadly at Daine. "You really love him don't you?"
Daine nodded. The simplicity of Maura's words was unlike anything she usually heard from her friends at the palace. She had a way of saying things exactly as they were, which was both refreshing and eye-opening. Daine watched the girl for a minute; she obviously wanted to say something, but not quite sure how to say it.
"Spit it out," Daine prompted. "I can tell you want to ask me something."
Maura twisted her mouth and looked a little bit red in the cheeks. "It's just… There's nobody here to talk to about things like this, and in two or three years I'll probably be married…"
Daine stopped herself from laughing. Sometimes, back in Snowsdale, young girls had come to her Ma with questions similar to what Daine knew was going to be asked by Maura. She tried to think as her Ma may have done, and sent a quick prayer to her, asking her for guidance.
"What do you want to know?" Daine asked.
"Does it hurt?" Maura said quietly, her cheeks now totally red.
"It depends," Daine replied. "It's different for different people. If you're relaxed and you're ready for it then maybe only a little. If you're all tense and worried and not enjoying yourself, then it would probably hurt more."
"Did it hurt you?" Now it was Daine's turn to go a deep shade of red.
"A bit, but it didn't hurt for long, a few seconds. And then it was quite nice," she replied honestly, smiling a little at the memories. "Maura, you need to get your guardian to bring you to court more, spend some time with girls your own age. Then you'll find out about things like this, and get all the gossip."
Maura smiled at Daine shyly. "I'm sorry for asking…"
"No, don't be," Daine interrupted shaking her head. "You need to be able to ask things like that more often, which is why you need to come to the palace."
They stood up; Maura linking her arm through Daine's and went back into the castle.
Numair was hovering near the door when they went through, and Daine hoped that he hadn't heard any of their conversation through the open window. However, he still seemed too engrossed in the water, nipping outside to get some more.
"How's it going?" Daine asked him as he absent-mindedly kissed her curls when he came back in.
"Surprisingly well so far. We seem to have come up with a way to purify the water, although it will take a few of us," he looked at the eggs in the corner of the room. "Do you know why we associate eggs with Ostara?"
Daine looked at him in amusement.
"Because it's a sign of new life?" Maura answered.
Numair nodded. "It is, but there are lots of sign of new life throughout the summer. When the vernal equinox occurs chickens receive twelve hours a day of natural light, this increases the hormone that it required for egg laying, hence it is the start of having lots of eggs at Ostara."
Daine glanced at Maura, sending her a look that sent the young girl into fits of giggles. Numair looked blankly at them and returned to whatever arcane spells he was digging out of the tomes he had discovered.
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That night as they lay in bed with Kitten snoozing in a cot that had been put up especially for her, Numair asked Daine what how she had explained their sleeping arrangements to Maura.
"I led her to realise that you weren't just my teacher anymore," she answered, her head tucked under his, feeling that the safest place in the world was anywhere with him.
"Are you still glad about that change?" He asked her, half seriously. He felt her warm breath on his neck as she laughed
"Yes," she replied. "Are you?"
"More than you could possibly know," he kissed the top of her head softly. "Now, sleep," he ordered. "We have to go to the City of Gods in the morning, and you'll most definitely need your strength."