The Hunt

Chronology: Tristan is 29. Raja is 19. Ardeth is 3.

Little Ardeth had painted his face with mud for the occasion. It was his first official hunt. He had marks on his cheeks like his father, and his glossy black hair had the same braids as him as well. The young boy insisted that his hair be the same length as his father's, so it was cut jaggedly to match, but his mother always made sure it was clean and untangled.

"We have to be quiet," Tristan whispered to his son.

Ardeth nodded with serious concentration. It made his father smile. His boy was smart, a fast learner, and he couldn't be more proud of him. While he taught Ardeth of weapons and hunting, Raja saw to his academic education. He could speak Sarmatian well, and also was coming along with Arabic. Ardeth often interchanged both languages in the same sentence. In the next few years, he wouldn't be surprised if his son added Latin to that list as well.

"There," Ardeth said in an exaggerated quiet tone. He pointed at the plump hair.

"You want to try this one?"

Ardeth's big, golden eyes shot wide open in surprise. Then he smiled, some teeth missing, with glee.

"Okay, remember what I told you," Tristan said.

Ardeth moved into a good position and drew back his small bow. Quiet as a ghost, the arrow whooshed through the air – a clean kill.

"I did it!" Ardeth screamed in triumph.

Tristan laughed, it was okay to yell now that the prey was dead.

"I did it Baba!" Ardeth said again, arms raised in the air.

"You did," Tristan said proudly, swinging his son up in his arms.

The hare was collected and skinned, Tristan set up a campfire while Ardeth collected twigs. They roasted the meat and ate in companionable father and son silence. When they were finished, Tristan snuffed out the flames. Each put their bows and quivers across their backs. Ardeth sat in front of Tristan on Dyne, the boy was still a bit too small to have his own pony.

When they got back to the fort, Raja was in the stables tending to Odin. She helped Ardeth down from the saddle and he clung to her in happiness.

"Guess what, Walida!" he preened.

"What, love?" She kissed him on the cheek.

"I gotted my first hare!"

Raja paused and shot the briefest of glances at Tristan who turned away and tended to his mount.

"Walida?" Ardeth asked uncertainly.

She cleared her throat. It wouldn't do to scold her son. He had done nothing wrong. She'd never hunted in her life, not for real animals anyway. Her Uncle Ardeth had set up wooden targets, always of the mind that she should at least have the know how just in case.

Raja smiled. "You're proving to be an expert marksman like your baba."

Ardeth beamed. Being compared to his father in any way could have him grinning for days.

"Can I go tell Uncle Lancelot?" Ardeth said, already squirming in her loving arms.

"Go on, now," she said, giving him one last kiss before he sped from the stables. "Straight to your uncle!" she called after him.

When he was completely out of sight, Raja pivoted sharply to face her husband. He stared at her innocently.

"How could you?" she hissed.

"Raja..." He looked at her with warning, even though he knew he was in for it. "He had to learn sometime."

"You didn't even speak to me about it first!"

"I've been instructing him for a while now."

"But with wooden targets!" she retorted. She ran her hands through her silky black hair, hands on her half cocked hips.

Tristan thought she looked exquisite when she was all huffed up like that, her curves accentuated in her present stance.

"Don't look at me like that, Tristan" she reprimanded, knowing the thoughts that were flittering through his head. "You are not getting away with this."

Tristan put down Dyne's grooming brush and stood in front of his wife. When she did not move, he took that as a good sign. He dared a caress on her cheek which she accepted.

"He had to learn. And he treated the death well, saying that little prayer you always do over any animals' graves."

Raja sighed and went into Tristan's warm embrace. "Well, I meant what I said. He is becoming as adept as you." She looked into his golden eyes, the same eyes that she saw when she looked into her son's. "You are such a wonderful father, Trissy."

"I wouldn't be half the father I am if it weren't for you, Raja," he said, his forehead pressed against hers. "I wouldn't even be half the man."

7/20/07