Chapter 7

16th Day of Deep Winter 768 n.c - The day after Long Night

Although we all had a late night, there was still no sleeping in. Today was the day after Long Night, the day that tradition said that Barley must be planted. Although the ground was very cold and extremely hard, any crop of Barley that was planted even a day later or a day earlier (it was said) would invariably fail.

Father was extremely happy this year as normally it would just be him and my brothers planting the seeds, but as I was now an adult I was free to help. I was happy to, as much as I did enjoy helping Mother around the house and preparing the meals, I had always thought that it was a bit unfair that we couldn't help out when there was so much work to do.

I got dressed as I normally did, only to run into Father in the hallway. We exchanged 'Good Morning's and father stepped back to look at me thoughtfully.

"That won't do Sharein, you'll get much too dirty wearing that dress. I'll get you an old pair of Jocam's clothes to change into," Father said before going off into the boy's room.

He came back with a pair of leather breeches and a linen shirt, he also had a pair of Jocam's old boots. I took them from father and went back into our room to change, swapping my dress for the breeches and shirt, slippers for boots. It felt very strange to be wearing boy's clothes. The breeches were very tight over my hips, and very loose around my waist, I felt behind and discovered that they were also quite tight over my backside. I tied my hair back into a pony-tail and felt completely ready to go out and work in the fields.

I went back into the kitchen and Mother glanced at me briefly from where she was kneading out some dough.

She didn't even look up again when she said "Jocam, how many times must I tell you not to wear your boots inside the house!"

I put my hand over my mouth and let out a little giggle, Father started laughing whole-heartedly from the table. Mother spun around to look at him, her flour covered hands resting on her hips.

Father contained his laughter briefly, looking a little contrite "Sorry Mother, but that's not Jocam."

"What do you mean it's not…" Mother started before looking at me again, shock this time spread across her face before she too started laughing.

My brothers and sisters must have been woken up by the laughter, for they all came out of their rooms into the kitchen. Bleary eyed they stared at the three of us before most of them trundeled out to get ready for the day.

"I thought it best that Sharein ruins a pair of Jocam's old clothes than one of her dresses today," Father said to Mother. "How do they fit Sharein?"

I spun around for Father and Mother, thumbing the extra material at my waist "They fit very well indeed, except that my waist seems a little smaller than Jocam's was and my hips a little wider."

"Well now," Mother said with a bit of a giggle, "it's a good thing that Sharein will only be working in the field and not going into town dressed like that! Think of the scandal she'd cause!"

"But they feel so comfortable Mother! I wouldn't mind wearing them into town," I told her, honestly.

"I'm sure you wouldn't Sharein, but some would think that the skies were about to fall down on them if they saw you wearing them!" Mother looked thoughtful and took on a sly grin, "Perhaps next Early Winter, when they have all run out of interesting things to talk about in town? I could measure you properly and make you a pair that fit better."

Father was guffawing so loudly that tears were streaming down from his eyes, Mother looked over at him and arched her eyebrow at him, "Something the problem with that Father?"

It took a moment for him to calm down, "Oh no Mother, I'm much too wise to offer comment on how to stir a pot of stew and I'm much too wise to offer comment on stirring other pots."

Father stood up from the table saying, "I shall fetch you a length of rope Sharein, to thread through the belt loops, It shall stop your pants from falling down."

We (Father, the boys and I) had a quick cup of tea with honey before we headed out into the fields. Father and the boys had already tilled the soil, but it still needed to be broken up again. Father and Jocam attached the plows to the horses, each doing a separate field. I followed Father with a bag full of seeds, dropping them at even spaces into the furrow. Jara did the same behind Jocam. Daavid (who loved getting dirty) followed behind me with a large rake, pulling the soil back in to cover the seeds. Father, Daavid and I finished our field before mid-day and each took up a rake to cover over behind Jocam and Jara. Mother, Illith and Kara brought out lunch to us.

Mother exclaimed surprised, "Two fields already?"

"Yes Mother, picking up that second plow, and the help of Sharein means that we should be able to plant four fields this year!" Father replied, he looked so pleased underneath all of the sweat and dirt.

"Oh Father!" Mother exclaimed, before giving him a big hug and a kiss. The rest of us brought out the lunch of bread, butter and cheese.

"I'm of the mind to fertilise two of the fields with the manure of chickens and pigs, to see if I can get barley good enough for malting." Father mentioned conversationally.

"Malting, Father?" questioned Daavid.

"Yes, once we collect the seeds I'll keep them wet for a little bit until just before they sprout. Then I'll smoke them and dry them slowly. This makes the grains, the malted grains a bit sweeter. Once we have malted barley, we can use it to make quite a nice beer. I might keep some to try my own hand at it, but I'll sell the rest to Master Merryman," Father explained.

Master Merryman was the local brewer. He was busy all year around, experimenting with different methods, ales and beers. Most of what he made, he sold to the merchants who visited Easthaven to be then sold to taverns and inns all across Carn. Townsfolk who had travelled anywhere else had often returned to Easthaven to exclaim that they drank his ale in this inn or that inn, in districts that they had not expected to find it. Master Merryman was quite proud of this, and his brewery/home had a large wooden sign in the front window stating:

Merryman Ale

Brewer of Beers, Ales and Meads.

Famous across Carn.

The sign then went on to list all of the Inns and taverns Master Merryman knew that sold it. We once even had word that the Baron Oscura had mentioned to Baron Eastholm that he had drunk some!

Whilst the younger children and Mother drank water, Father pulled out of the basket two bottles of Merryman beer. He opened both, by pulling out their corks and handed one to me. I took it, beaming.

"There's nothing like a cold ale after all of this work," he said with a smile.

We ate quietly, and fairly quickly. My muscles were aching, and the perspiration that I had built up made my borrowed clothes a little damp. The cold ale was indeed extremely refreshing and I felt my exhaustion lift a little. As soon as we finished Mother and the girls packed up, and we got back to work. Just like with the previous two fields we separated and soon I was lost in the rhythm of dropping the seeds into the furrow. Before I knew it, the sun was starting to get low and I'd finished planting the last of that field.

The ale I had drunk had also started to cause a little bit of pressure in my bladder and I called out to Father, "I just need to make water!"

Father pointed out towards one of the hedges near to me, as a place where I could wee with privacy. I hadn't thought about it earlier, but doing my business whilst wearing breeches was going to be a little difficult. The other side of the hedge was a small field of Winter's Heart flowers, all now coming out into bloom. Once I managed to do my business, I pulled up the trousers and fastened them, then began to walk back through the flowers towards the field. The smell of the flowers was refreshing and I glanced up towards the forest.

The noise of the birds around me faded, all noise stopped. I sat down in the field of flowers as everything grew dark and fuzzy, just as had happened a few short ten-days ago. Did I look towards the forest, or did the forest spin around to be in front of me? I couldn't be sure, but it was there, all sharp and clear. Clearer than it had a right to be. Once again a light grew out from the deep dark, rising and sending the shadows of tree trunks arching out and down towards me. The figure, the woman, was clearer now. Quicker, everything seemed to happen quicker. It was the same girl from my dream. She wore a long black dress, inlaid with small beads of a shiny black stone. It fit her perfectly. She wore a tiara in her black hair, silver with small icy blue gems the same colour as her eyes. She was looking at me with a slightly curious, or puzzled expression. I reached an arm out towards her and her eyes widened in surprise. Suddenly she was right in front of me, or was I right in front of her? I caught sight of trees in my periphery, somehow I had moved into the forest to where she was. She was standing in front of a low altar made of black stone. I noted absently, that it was smooth and gleamed almost with an inner light. The surprised had gone from her and she was now smiling at me enigmatically. She reached out a pale hand and our finger tips touched...