Chapter 4's up. Sorry if they seem a little short... I'm working on making them longer... Please Review!
Chapter 4
Entering the town, they passed small shops and homes, people going about their daily lives. Carts rattled over the rutted dusty roads, making their way to the market square. As they continued through town they passed the smithy; it was small but it served its purpose. The fair haired young man bent over his work, concentrating on forming the perfect shoe for the gentleman's horse. Finbar was an apprentice blacksmith in the small smithy of Rosscarbery. Every once in a while, the smith, Lorcan, would come over and check his work, showing him how to change the angle of the shoe or adjust the angle of the nail. At 20 he was large, muscular, and strong, and almost on his way to journeyman status. He had been apprenticed here in Rosscarbery for eight years, having first arrived when he was twelve. His father thought to make a smith out of him, hoping for a useful son who could build up the trade in his small home village of Leap. As he finished the final shoe of the gentleman's horse, Roisin came into the town. She was leading her family's two draft horses, pulling the wagon full of goods to be sold today in the town. He was about to greet her when he saw another man with her. Silently he watched as this man said something that made her laugh, the sweet sound filling the air.
Quilan listened quietly, absorbing the information that she told him. As they pulled up to the market stands. "I see that you love your family dearly." He helped her tie the horses to the hitching post and then began to help her to unload the wagon. Roisin laughed.
"Most of the time, yes. But there are some days… Lets' just say that being the oldest doesn't always have its advantages." She daftly carried a bag of grain and stacked it with the others. She greeted her sisters with warmth and laughter, giving them instructions on the placements of canned goods and other products that they were to sell that day. As she was heading back to the cart to retrieve another armload of goods, she met her father.
"You're late again Roisin." Eamon rounded the corner of the rickety cart, his arms loaded with two sacks of wheat, and a crumpling basket of potatoes.
"I'm sorry Da; I had some trouble with the horses on the way here. They…"
"You didn't try to go down the coast road again did you?" Eamon set down his load in front of their small market stand, waving one of the boys over to reposition them. He turned to his eldest daughter waiting for her response. Roisin looked down at her feet not answering.
"How many times must we be through this? I don't want you near that circle Roisin. Strange things happen there, and I'll not have the king of the Daoine Sidhe casting his eye or magic upon you!" His face had turned a slighter shade of red with anger and worry over his precious daughter. She was most like his beloved Aideen whom had died giving birth to their youngest son.
"Da, it's not as if anything happened. If Feidhelm hadn't come along I would have been even latter." She motioned to Quilan who had just returned laden with two very large baskets of vegetables. Why must Da worry so? It's not as if I'm still a child…
Having set down the baskets, Quilan turned to Roisin's father, extending his hand in greeting.
"So you are the young man who helped my foolish daughter. And why, may I be asking, were you traveling along the coast road?" Eamon took the offered hand, shaking it with some caution.
Finbar watched as the stranger helped her unload the wagon, greeting her father with a friendly smile and firm handshake. That should be me. For two years now he had watched Roisin, admired her strength and perseverance to overcome the hardships that the Lord had thrown her. After her mother's death, Roisin had the responsibility of taking care of her younger brothers and sisters, and all the house chores and helping her father on the farm. The boys were of some help, but were still too young to lend a hand with the plowing and most of the field work. Through it all she still remained sweet and kind, always helpful and cheery, but still pretty shy. Determined that he would no longer stand by and watch her be swept away by a stranger Finbar began to plan. Today, daughter of Eamon or soon after today, you will know me… I have loved you from afar for too long.
Quilan shook Eamon's hand.
"I'm on my way to the Rathbarry castle. I have business with the lord there." he replied.
"And where are you from? You're a stranger to these lands for I've not seen you here before." Eamon was wary of this stranger who just happened to come upon his daughter along the road by the fairy hill.
"I'm… I'm traveling from Dublin, as it were." Quilan had never been to Dublin in all of his long life, yet it seemed to be an acceptable place.
"All the way from Dublin? And without and horse or bag to your name? The lord will not look kindly on you; for sure as the sun rises you are as poor as I." Eamon looked at the young man, questioning weather or not he should be worried about having him in his daughter's presence. Though he was a devout Catholic, Eamon was also a firm believer of the Fair Folk and worried for his daughters.
"And do you have a specific time in which you must be arriving at the lord's castle?" An extra hand would not go amiss during the harvest season.
"My lord is not expecting my until the winter months. I made better time than I had anticipated." Quilan glanced back and fourth between Roisin and her father. "I plan to work through the harvest season, earning my keep until it is time for me to go onward, seeing as it would extremely rude to come early. Would you know of any farmer who might need an extra hand?"
"Perhaps… Let's see how well you take to hard labor." Eamon responded before his daughter could speak. Help didn't come around every day, and he was not about to send him off to his angry neighbors.
There it is... hope you liked it... please R&R!
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