Interlude 20: Croesfyrd*
"Do not invoke the crows in a place between,
for they are just and swift in their reckoning.
Robed in black, they sit in wait upon a high seat
and watch for the careless transgression.
Do not wander where the council should meet
unless prepared to make a confession.
Do not invoke the crows for their memories are deep,
and they know all of the secrets that you keep."
Once there was a man, Sylrok, who had two daughters and no sons. He resented this and when his wife died, he wished to not be saddled with his daughters' care. So he brought them to the crossroads, and sat them at the foot of a large ash tree, instructing them to wait there until he returned for them, though the wicked man had no intention of doing so. He then went off; satisfied that he was free of his responsibility.
The little girls, Branwenn and Perweur, were kind and obedient. They waited dutifully at the tree for their father. Branwenn, the elder by two winters, sang to her little sister and played guessing games, trying her best to stay brave. When the day began to wane and night began to fall, Branwenn challenged her sister to a contest to see which of them to count the most stars. She allowed her sister to win and eventually the younger girl began to drowse and fall asleep, unaware that her sister was sorely afraid, for the night was dark and the wolves would soon prowl.
When Branwenn was certain her sister was asleep, she cried bitter tears that watered the ground, "What is to become of us, with no mother and a father who has left us to the mercy of wolves?" She sobbed these words shortly before she too fell asleep, certain that either wolves or her deep sorrow would prevent her from waking again.
The ash tree drank the girl's tears and heard the girl's lament and was moved with pity. Its roots ranged far and it listened to the ground; its branches stretched high and it listened to the wind; it sought an answer the girls' dilemma. The boughs creaked and sang, beckoning the lords of the crossroads and was rewarded with the flutter of wings.
The crows gathered in the branches and peered down on the two sleeping girls. They worried, and clucked, and cawed among themselves, trying to decide the girls' fate. By the laws of the forest, the girls were weak and therefore fair prey for wolves. The crows in turn were permitted to feast on the scraps left behind. That was the established order of things, however there was another option…
…If a creature chose to foster the girls, offering protection, then none in the forest could do harm unless they first defeated the guardian. The ash tree had sheltered the girls, but had not the ability to meet every need of the children. A second guardian had to be found, one who could feed the girls.
The ash tree again stretched into the breeze, singing and creaking, beckoning a champion for the young girls. Again the tree was rewarded with the flutter of great wings.
A large crane came to roost and he too peered down at the sleeping girls. The crows related to him the case and the great bird was moved with compassion. He swore to the ash and to the crows that he would foster the children and raise them as his own.
The crane was a wise bird and possessed enough magic to spare. He removed his wings, as if removing a great coat, and hung it in the branches of the ash tree for safe keeping. He took on the guise of a thin man and sat down near the girls. The wolves, knowing the old law, stayed away from the crane and his charge.
When morning came, the girls awoke to see the smiling man wearing a white tunic and a scarlet cap, "My dears, you have slept the night on the cold ground. I am Crahin, and I have been sent here to fetch you and bring you home with me. You will be my daughters and I will be your father, and you shall never want for food or kindness as long as I live."
The girls were initially frightened of the strange man, but he was kind and patient. Eventually the girls were coaxed to follow him. He held their little hands in his and he led them to a small reed hut on the edge of a river, deep in the heart of the forest. When the girls became hungry, he would fetch fish from the river and they would cook them over a little fire and eat. When the girls were thirsty, he would fetch a skin of clear river water and they would drink. The hut was comfortable, staying cool in the summer and warm in the winters.
The crane-father also taught the girls to read and he taught them deep knowledge. He was kind to them and, true to his word, came to regard the girls as his daughters and they honored and loved him as a father. Soon all memories of their first father vanished, along with the pain of their abandonment. The girls grew older, wiser and more beautiful with each passing day.
Years later, the girls were laughing and singing near their home, when the local arlson was riding through the forest. He heard them and followed the sound of their voices until he came upon them in a clearing. On seeing them, the arlson was filled with a deep sense of desire and felt that he must possess them. He ran into the clearing to catch them and force them to return with him to his father's home.
The girls on seeing him were very frightened, and they shrieked.
Suddenly a large crane swooped down, barring the youth's path, flapping its wings and squawking angrily, until the young man withdrew and the ladies stole away back into the woods.
The young man was enthralled by the girls' beauty, and he travelled to the nearest village, inquiring if any knew who the girls were and if they had any parents.
Sylrok, who had wandered hither and yon in the intervening years, answerable to none and useful to none, was passing through the village again at this time. He heard the story from the arlson and the description of the girls. He knew that the arlson was wealthy and suspected the girls might be the daughters that he had abandoned, based on the details he heard. He smiled to himself, and considered greedily how he might use the girls to better his position and fill his pockets.
The man told the arlson that he was the girls' father, but they had been separated from him when he lost them in the forest. Since he was the only man who had a true right to the girls, he would be willing to offer them to the arlson for a reasonable sum. The arlson, consumed by his desire, readily agreed to the terms Sylrok stated.
Sylrok then had the arlson lead him to the clearing where the girls had been seen. The greedy man had the arlson wait behind a tree, just out of sight, and then went into the clearing and began to call to the girls by their names, begging them to appear as a kindness to him. He entreated them with sweet words and invoked the memory of their departed mother in hopes that they would be moved to meet with him.
After some time, the girls appeared, but they were not alone. Accompanying them was an old gentleman wearing a bright white tunic and a scarlet hat. He walked slightly ahead of the two girls, as one would do in the hopes of putting oneself between dear ones and danger. Sylrok smiled at the girls, nodding his heads and throwing his arms wide, encouraging them to come and embrace him, but the girls cowered behind their guardian, wary of the man who was no more than a stranger to them now.
When Sylrok saw that the girls would not be swayed by sweet entreaties, he shook his fist at them, calling them cruel and wicked, claiming that they were disrespectful and proud, cursing them for hard-heartedness. The girls cowered further behind their guardian, embracing each other and trembling. The guardian scowled at the man and stood his ground between him and the young ladies.
Finally Sylrok demanded, "I am your father, you are my blood, my children, my property. I have a right to be heard before a council of elders and they will uphold my claim. As my daughters you are required to obey me. Either you must meet my demands or your very lives might be disposed of as I see fit."
"Very well," stated Crahin, having heard enough, "you wish to assert your rights before a council of elders and that is sound. A council will convene at the crossroads beneath the large ash tree tonight at the deep hour. You may plead your complaint before the council, provided you will abide by their judgment."
Certain that the council would rule in his favor, Sylrok eagerly agreed and stormed away back into the woods where the arlson waited. He and the arlson planned to meet at the crossroads and then he would turn custody of the daughters over to the arlson.
That night, the old moon hid her face. The only light at the crossroads was a small fire at the center, casting eerie shadows into the branches of the ash tree. Sylrok arrived carrying a torch, accompanied by the arlson. The two girls arrived with their guardian, looking very afraid.
"I am here to collect what is mine," Sylrok bellowed, sizing up the girls greedily, mentally jingling the gold they would fetch from the arlson within his mind.
"Are you so certain that these girls are yours?" Crahin asked the question mildly.
"Yes! They are my flesh and bone. They were the blood in my limbs. They are the breath in my lungs. They only have being through me and they are mine to embrace or dispose, as any other aspect of my being." Sylrok recited, remembering the words of his fathers and the old tradition of claiming lineage of a child.
"I have acted as guardian for these children. They have nested in my heart and enjoyed the shelter of my wings when you were nowhere to be seen. You have lived as a stranger in their lives. If you claim them, I require a ransom for the time of my devotion," Crahin warned Sylrok.
Thinking that Crahin meant money, Sylrok readily assented figuring that the arlson would help to pay the amount, "Any ransom will be met as a debt of honor requires."
"You are all witnesses," Crahin announced, raising his arms to the outstretched limbs of the ash tree. For the first time, Sylrok saw the crows. They filled the tree branches, rustling with the leaves, and when Crahin appealed to them they cackled in unison. Turning their beady eyes onto Sylrok they stared down at him, watching him.
For the first time Sylrok faltered, swallowing hard, "Whatever gold you require, I will see that you receive it."
"Gold?" Crahin shook his head, "For eight winters I sheltered these girls. Between the two, it is equal to sixteen winters. I ask no less of you, to surrender the time that was lost: sixteen winters and two nights at the crossroads. Then the debt will be paid."
"How can I pay that?" the frightened man demanded, "How can I possibly pay that?"
"Do you relinquish your claim?" Crahin asked.
Sylrok's greed swelled up, choking back his fear, "Never!"
"Then take this ash staff into your hands," Crahin directed, handing an ornately carved staff into the man's hands. Instantly, Sylrok could feel something ebb from him through his fingers. His shoulders became more stooped, in the firelight his hair became grayer, the hands gripping the staff gnarled and spotted; the lines in his face became deep furrows. Then Crahin reclaimed the staff from him, "Now, you have surrendered sixteen years to the ash tree to be distributed to the forest that provided for these two. Now, you only owe two nights to the crossroads."
Sylrok was now frailer, but he straightened up as far as he could despite the slight tremor of his limbs, and made to sit beneath the ash tree, his bones creaking and cracking with shift of his weight. The arlson stepped forward, but the guardian extended his hand, "What is your stake in this, arlson?"
"I have an agreement with the man, and that is between the two of us," the arlson stated haughtily.
"Then you may remain with the old man, but once you have made the commitment you can never turn back," Crahin clarified, "we will return in the morning when the ransom has been paid."
So the arlson joined Sylrok beneath the tree, sword in hand, as the crows stood by as witnesses. Crahin and the girls withdrew into the darkness and away from the crossroads. The night ambled forward and the fire died down to dim, red embers.
No one knows what happened that night, except for the crows, the silent council.
The next morning a peddler walking through the crossroads found two bodies: an old man and a young man. The bodies had no wounds upon them; however the expressions on the men's faces showed unfathomable terror, eyes gaping wide. The village gossips stated that the arl quietly had men come to retrieve the body of his son, but no one came for the old man. No one knew him or remembered him. Since no one claimed him, the people of the village buried the man where they found him, at the side of the crossroads.
There are still stories told of Crahin and his foster daughters. One states that the girls grew older and eventually married men worthy of them, having families of their own. Crahin was honored as grandfather and great-grandfather to their descendants. Other stories state that after their human father had passed away, the daughters embraced wings and became birds so that they might fly away with their guardian, far from the reach of the fickle whims of dishonorable men. Yet another story claims that instead of returning to the woods, the guardian and the girls walked through a place where the veil was thin at the crossroads, protected by the staff of ash.
None of the village will spend the night at the crossroads, not even in the shade of the benevolent ash tree, for the crows still roost there and none are so innocent that they would surrender to the justice of their council.
Author's Note:
Croesffyrdd: Avvarian for "crossroads."