Chapter 7 [Tom's House—A Quarter of an Hourglass Later]
Tom came through the door between his forge and the house. Business buzzed on that particular day. Horseshoes, a harness and even two swords found their way to his forge. Craftsmanship and Quality guided his efforts on that day. He flexed his hands. Hunger nagged at his stomach. Toil's Sweat beaded across his brow and face. "Gwen?" His handkerchief dried his face.
Nobody worked about the dwelling. Table remained unset. No fire burned in the fireplace. Food remained covered with a cloth in the corner.
"Hmm." Tom ladled himself a cup of water from the wooden bucket. He took a draught to ease Thirst's parch in his mouth and throat. "Gwen must be taking care of something for Lady Morgana." He placed a few pieces of wood in the fireplace.
Gwen walked in the door. "Father!" A smile spread across her face. "I will have dinner warmed up. I hope you do not mind. Prince Arthur's new manservant is by himself tonight. He came from up north." She draped her shawl over the chair.
"Mind? Of course! Is this the young man who saved the Prince?" Tom's face brightened. "I would like to meet him. I have heard stories." He noted Gwen's interest and nerves at that point. His mind wanted to know more about this particular guest. He saw Merlin standing in the doorway. "Welcome! Please come in."
"I just kept him safe." Merlin cleared his throat. "Hi. My name is Merlin. As Gwen said, I am new here in Camelot. I am Prince Arthur's servant and Gaius' apprentice. Gwen says you are a blacksmith?" He looked about the residence. "This is really nice."
"It has always worked well for us." She lit the fire. Then she brought out a big wooden bowl. "I will get this heated back up. I do not think you have told us where you come from, Merlin." She met his eyes briefly. Then she returned to her duties.
"The village is called Ealdor. It is in the Essetir right over the border." Merlin swallowed. Nerves flared inside of himself again. "We are nowhere near as big as Camelot."
"I imagine not." Tom regarded Merlin again. "Small village?"
"Aye. We work together to survive. My mother's hovel is about half this size. We are happy though." Merlin shrugged off the point. "She wanted me to have a better life. She sent me to Gaius. I'm learning healing and herbcraft from him. As Gwen said, I'm Prince Arthur's manservant."
"I think I know where it is." Tom pondered Merlin's description. "On the other side of that border valley. Right? Very friendly people although they are cautious. I suppose that comes from living in complete isolation."
"Cenred's troops want us to help fight their wars. We just do the best we can." Merlin tried to keep a smile on his own face. "Now if I can figure out everything in the citadel, I will be all right."
"You heard Lady Morgana earlier, Merlin. You have only been a servant for a fortnight. You are learning how to do everything. It takes time." Her spoon stirred the stew. Scent filled the area. "Hope you like pork. I made too much." Worry weighed in her voice.
"If your cooking's like your housekeeping, Gwen, it will be great! This is a treat. Thank you." Merlin grinned at her. "We might get this in the Fall after Harvest." His mood eased a little. Her manner relaxed him to be honest. He preferred her companionship to Arthur's bellowing to be honest….
…even if her father still had him on edge….
"I imagine so. I am glad we have something to share. An apprentice to Gaius the Royal Physician? That's quite an endeavor in itself. We can never have enough physicians. Do you have any background?" Tom noticed her looking toward them. Then she'd turn back toward the stew. She brought out three wooden bowls.
"Mother taught me some things about herbs. I am certainly not Gaius or anywhere near a healer. I do know how to be with people and keep them comfortable. Mostly, I follow Gaius' directions. Someday, I will be good enough to be a healer on my own. Pardon me." Merlin turned toward Gwen. "Can I help?"
"You may if you wish. Thank you." Her smile outlit the fire's glow on its own. She handed him one bowl. "That's for Father. I have one for each of us. There's also some bread too." She brought the other two bowls to the table. Then she uncovered the bread and set that between them as well."
"I wish I had some apples from the village. I would have brought them. I miss the cider." Merlin rubbed the back of his neck. "There's this apple mash we'd make with pork too."
Tom nodded. "Apples flavor that pork really well. Sometimes they have cider here in the market, Merlin, after Harvest. It depends on what the merchants have in their carts. I am sure King Uther's kitchen staff know about that."
"They do. Lady Morgana lets me have an apple after I finish with her chores." She set a smaller spoon by each bowl. She cut off a few pieces of bread and handed one apiece to Merlin and Tom. "I still cannot believe that farmer paid you with that hog, Father."
"I know. That was a welcome surprise. At least Aethelred the Butcher still owed me for that shoeing I did a while back. He took care of this and salted some hams." Tom watched her refill his cup. "Thank you, Gwen."
Merlin waited for her to join them at the table. "Gwen and someone else are going to help me with these table settings. So much to remember." He squirmed.
She shook her head. "Merlin, you need more patient with yourself. You have to learn what Prince Arthur expects. Lady Morgana has us working together. She likes you. Father, you had to learn the forge." She pointed at Tom.
Tom spooned some stew. He blew on it. "Do you think I learned blacksmithing in one day?" He shook his head. "Gwen is giving you some good advice. Listen to us." He savored that spoonful. "She's worked on stews and soups like this one. I learned as an apprentice. Gaius is teaching you one thing. Prince Arthur has expectations too. That is a lot to think about."
"And you have all of us to help you. Prince Arthur's a manly hero type. Merlin, you are sensitive and kind. He does not know how to deal with someone like you." She drank from her own cup.
"I hope so. I want this to work out." Merlin enjoyed a few more spoonfuls from his bowl. "My neighbors back home would love this. Thanks again." He relaxed even more so by that point.
"Well, that's good. Maybe one day." She nodded to him. "Just take a deep breath. You will learn basic table settings. Now, enjoy your dinner."
"Best listen to her, Merlin." Tom pointed at him with his spoon. "She is a good teacher too."
Merlin bit his lip. Arthur demanded perfection. He wanted to rise to the occasion.
Perfection, however, had to wait for Competency first. Challenge and The Rub lay with that….