Here it is. Thanks!
Winter was brutal.
We had to make more than a few stops to the forests to chop down trees for firewood. Iggy and Gazzy were worked to the bone, and by the middle of the month, Gazzy had caught a fever. Iggy and father had tried their best without their third man, but winter was not on our side.
It was Thursday evening, and I was in the backyard behind the screen door, carving up the coconuts we had stored months before.
I didn't mind all the work that had been dumped on me. I understood from a young age that everyone in the family had their parts to uphold for survival here. Although I will admit I would like at least a few hours to myself to be with my friends. I haven't seen them since the beginning of winter.
"Distracted as usual." An amused voice said behind me.
I looked up from my seat and saw Gazzy standing near the door. He towered over me and his thick and strong arms were wrapped around himself. His nose was bright red, and his eyes twinkled with kindness although he looked as if he would faint any moment. I frowned and stood up, walking over to him. I placed a hand on his forehead and frowned at the heat. It was worse than yesterday. I shrugged off my cloak and threw it over his shoulders.
"What are you doing out here? You're sick!" I said pushing him inside.
His friendly smile was still there, and he ruffled my hair just as he's done to me my entire life.
"I came to get you. The weather has dropped and you haven't noticed?" he asked looking back at the door.
I turned around and frowned. The entire brown and green backyard we used to have was frozen in a thick sheet of ice. I looked down at my clothing, I was dry, not a speck of snow on me, not even my shoes.
"How strange…"I muttered.
"Well….you are Maximum...strange shouldn't be a stranger to you," Gazzy said chuckling.
I smiled at him, hooked my arm through his and we walked in the house together.
"So…I heard Nudge was taking a trip out here on the morrow…" I said nudging his shoulder.
His already pink cheeks flamed up as he grumbled under her breath. I laughed and hugged his arm.
"Nudge is coming to collect a pig for her master." He said tightly.
I frowned and sat him down on the living room carpet near the fire. I got another three blankets from the corner and threw two over him and kept one for myself.
"Mark my words sister. As soon as I have enough money saved up from the markets I'm going to free Nudge from that bastard of a master." He said glaring at the fire.
I dabbed his forehead with a wet cloth I had fetched from the bucket earlier and stayed silent. I knew that talking about Natalia (I call her Nudge. Almost everyone close to me has a nickname) was a tight subject for Gazzy. He loved her dearly and would do anything for Nudge.
"Just…be careful alright Gazzy? You know the law-"
"A stupid wretched law it is." He snarled.
I frowned sadly and dropped the cloth. One of the laws here in Enclin, was that servants (Nudge) could not have any interaction with the commoners (Gazzy) unless serving them. It was one of the laws that Minister Joseph had put to action in order to remind servants to watch their place in line.
"One day. One day I'll take her far far away from that wretched Atticus. Then I'll marry her. Millions of miles away if I have to." He said narrowing his eyes at the fire.
Atticus was Nudge's master. And a terrible one at that. When we saw her in the town markets we'd often see Atticus nearly ready to beat her. I think he has, on more than one occasion, but I wouldn't let Gazzy know my thoughts; he was already deeply troubled by the thought of not seeing her every day.
We sat in silence for a good amount of time, just enjoying each others company and the company of the fire. The cottage was silent, I had assumed everyone had gone to bed.
"Max…" Gazzy said.
I turned to face my brother. "Yes?"
He hadn't taken his eyes off of the fire for a while. "Can you play the Lute for me?" he asked.
I smiled and stood, brushing my gown off. "I would be delighted too."
I walked to the hallway and made a right turn into the room I shared with Ella. As I suspected, Ella was asleep on the haystack, snoring loudly. I giggled and walked to the foot of the stack where we kept a large trunk. The trunk held 8 thin gowns, 4 for Ella and 4 that belonged to me. At the top of the clothing, was my Lute.
It was an instrument my entire family knew how to play. The Lute was a part of me. I always played it in my spare time, exploring the different tunes and creating new songs. Walking back to the living room with the Lute clutched to my chest, I sat back down in my spot next to Gazzy.
"I created a new tune." I said excitingly.
Gazzy's stress seemed to have vanished by the time I got there, so he smiled widely.
"Let's hear it then." He said turning his body to face me.
I clutched the Lute to my chest and placed my right hand fingers on the strings, and my left hand fingers near the neck. Closing my eyes, I let my fingers and ears recall the pattern of plucking. The music overtook me and I played my piece with a new feeling of confidence and pride.
It was a piece I had made during the summer, and I named it 'Green sleeves' after my inspiration being the summer breezes and grassy plains.
When I finished, I opened my eyes to look at Gazzy. His smile was blinding.
"That was beautiful Max. Thank you for sharing your wonderful piece with me." He said grinning.
I grinned back. "Alright. That'll be enough for tonight. Let's go to bed." I said.
"I'll be sleeping here tonight." He told me.
"The floor is uncomfortable." I frowned.
"It's ok. I want to be close to the fire." He said smiling.
"Alright. Good night. Love you." I said kissing his forehead.
"Good night. Love you too," he said.
I walked to my room with a smile. Despite the fact that we were living like birds in a cage, winter was closing in hard and my brothers romance problems…life was good.