Golden Crown: The Fey Lands Saga book 2

Return to the Castle of Light: Fensdale Vilage

    Light filtered down through the trees of the village square and I and several of the villagers finished chopping vegetables for the village feast soon to come. For eight moons I'd traveled stopping at every village to heal and help and create where there was needed. Koshine and Ozarel perched in trees on either side of the pathway leading into the village square.
    A twinge of homesickness filled me every time I was in one of these villages. One of the villagers a round little fey with long flaming red hair, green eyes and red and green wings bustled up, dressed in a gown of sensible brown homespun. She bowed, running fingers through her hair and eyed me, "Highness are you all right?" "You don't have to stay for the festival." "We all know ya been a'workin ard fer us all." "Fact is me ma tol me that ye nivver stopped workin when ya was at her village." "Where was that?" I asked, "Little place yon a'down the road apiece, little place called Dumphrey's crossing." "Ye was thar fixin the dam thar right?" "Yes I was there." "Aya that, and she says yain't rested till nightfall." "All dem folks what says ye are a Princess ooh's spoilt." "They be wrong me ma says."
    "Dem that doubted ye got a right shock seeing ye in the mud and muck, elp in dem that was sick and don't nivver complain neither." She bowed again, "Point is that people been sayin the's wrong bout ye." "Ye ain't no layabout Princess ooh's more thoughtful bout the people than er clothes and whatnot." "Evra village ye ben in all say the same, and the tide's a turnin, Wave Walker knows that ye deserve all but praise fer yer work."
    "thank you for saying so." I said with a blush, "Tha's right, humble kind, a hard worker, does wha's needed and don't nivver say nothin bou nothin."
    "I thank you for your kind words miss?" I said, "Me name be Good wife Tarodra, call me Taro, evra one round ere does." "And since ya are ooh ye are, well we be like family I reckoned." "Pleased to have met you Taro." I said giving a sketchy bow, "na na none of that, I be a weaver and dyer, I ain't that important." "Ye be the Princess." "I may be princess." I said softly, "But I didn't come here to be bowed to and for people to be as if a friendly neighbor stopped by to help." "Ye are that Highness." "But if it makes ye comfortable twill be as ye say." "Dem folks as have hard thins ta say won't say dem no more." "Cause if ye be so determined ta be as though ye are a neighbor and no one to fuss bout ye, its moren good on ye."
    As the people celebrated the night away I spent part of it with them but my peace came when I flew into a nest Koshine wove for me from magic, hanging it in the branches and lined with pine needles. a small place big enough for a bed of needles but it would be dismantled in the morning. And though it would not be sturdy enough to hold out for the Winter it was a nice camping spot in the warmer moons.
    "We will be returning tomorrow??" Asked Koshine, " "I can't wait to get home." I said, "Neither can I." Said Ozarel, "Helping people all this time makes me think how much I miss what has been home for me for several years." I said, "It will be good to get back into my rooms and my duties." "I don't think you'll have many of those." Said Koshine, "After all, you have been working since we left the castle." Said Koshine, "It'll be good to see my old friends again." "Not that these haven't become friends." "I know." Said Ozarel, "you miss Karthena and Fariuu." "I do." I said softly as I closed my eyes.
The next morning as we were about to leave Tarodra came up with a young girl in toe. Standing 5 feet eight inches with long ravenn hair streaked with white, white and gold wings, and skin the color of pale silver. The girl bowed shyly as Tarodra said humbly, "Ye bain't got a weaver that is as good as me daughter." "Please considder taking her." "Tain that I ain't got food enough to feed her." "Nay, but she's talented is me gal." "Her magic be with the weaving." Questing into Lian's mind I asked, "Do we have a talented thread mage?" "Not since old Nurliel went back home, she was due to bond with the Mother Earth soon." "Why?" "Got a child here who's mother says she's extremely talented and wants her to come to our court." I sent back, "If she's that talented she should come." "Far from me to say we can't use talented hands." "and even if she's not as talented as she claims to be you could always use a weaver and maker of clothing." "I have one, who's also master of the robes." "You'll need one as well." "Even though they are usually high royals it doesn't mean that she can't be made one if she's as powerful as she claims to be." Good wife Tarodra waited as I had this exchange with Lian, "Yes of course we'll take her, if she's as talented as she seems." "Were trained by old Nuriel of the palace a'fore she went yon to the gods twa summers ago." "Says she a'fore she went, this chit be more talented than ere I be." "And she had talent." I relayed this to Lian and felt an overwhelming sense of astonishment, "If Nuriel said that then clearly the child needs to be here." "I would have had her sent her yon to weaver's guild four days journey from here." "But i ha'ent the funds for her apprenticeship." Said Tarodra, "and me thinks that ye being a Princess and all, well ye be needin a good weaver dyer and tailor." "I do, thank you." I said, "Pack your things and we'll be ready as soon as we break our fast." I said to the girl who bowed her head and hurried away, "I canna thank ye nuff Highness." Said Tarodra with a relieved sigh, "Wi us being as poor as we are, well and she be gifted so with the weavin and sech." "Er talents shouldn't be waisted on village weavin ye understand?"
Once we ate our meal of hand held loaves hollowed out and stuffed with meat and cheese, crisp Mellon and cold tea I mounted atop Koshine and Ozarel and the girl lofted into the air. She kept up without complaint though I could tell her wings were tiring as were koshine's by the time the sun reached its zenith. "Lets stop here." I said aloud, "By the river there." I pointed to a meandering river a few leagues to the west of us. With a loud groan the girl set down once we landed. Koshine fluffed her feathers and vaulted into the tree once she'd snared a rabbit for herself.
The girl and I sat and ate our second loaf with cold roasted pheasant and hard cheese as I asked, "No one told me your name." "Eh yah tha's me ma'am fault." She said then gulped and tried to speak like me. Since I'd lived in the Fey lands I'd developed a capitol accent with a lilting gentle cadence that seemed to grow more beautiful when I became High Fey, "My name is Penthela Your royal Highness." "And iff'n ye, I mean, if you are doubting my mother which many would I can weave as good as she claimed." She lifted her hands and seemed to call light from the air and weave it through itself. She played out threads horizontally then with a flick sent a shuttle of light vertically. A cloth of pure light began to weave itself b efore my very eyes, "i can weave and spin magic itself if I don't have cloth." She said trying to keep to my cadence and accent, "I can dye clothing and knit, spin, and regular weave as well and make clothing." "Give me some needles and scissors and i could turn this cloth into a handkerchief for yer, your pleasure."
Lian's mind gasp filled my mind along with feelings of amazement and awe, "She is worthy of the title of mistress of the robes for you." "Tell her she'll be made Duchess of Fortlands Graith, the duchy that is part of her village." "We haven't had a duchess there since the rebellion several years ago." "You are welcome in my service Penthela, you will be in charge of all my clothing from now on, and as such you will be the one who is the leader in court fashions." I said breaking it down for her, "You will be given a title, and be given enough of the power to become a courtly Fey." "But but, Highness." "Your Duchy." "Duchy!" She squeaked, "Your duchy of Fortlands Graith holds your village as territory." "So you won't have to worry about your village going to a noble who doesn't care about her people." "But Highness I'm not, that is, I don't have the breeding."
I laughed, "and I did?" "I was a village girl just like you remember, some day I'll take you there for a visit." "I promise you are worth it, any girl that can weave cloth from magic is worth her title." "We need you Penthela, it isn't a charity gift." "Then I thank ye kindly Highness." "If that's the way of it." "It is." I assured her, "Now lets go." "I want to make Senthus before sun's descending."
As we travelled on I got to know Penthela a bit more. She was still awed by Koshine and Ozarel so she gave all her comments to me, or if she did comment she kept to respectful short comments always followed with a "Pray pardon." On the last night of camping before we entered the actual lands belonging to King Faerdian and Queen Delonna we sat by the fireside eating roasted fish and drinking cold tea. "We'lll be home tomorrow by the mid morning." I said as Penthela shyly ate her fish, picking out the bones for Koshine to crunch on.
"It will be very different from what you know." "The castle is very large." "Many call it home." "Nobles from far territories, kindreds  stay there, as wel as all the different branches of servants." "I hope you will be happy there." "If not, we can set you somewhere where you would be happy."
"As long as I serve your highness I'll be happy." "I always wanted to serve one of the nobles, but what does a village girl like me know of that I asked meself." Said Penthela with a sigh, "I nivver dreamed I'd be servin, serving you or the royals."
"It will be hard at times but you won't be worked to death." "You'll have fun and days off of course." "As long as I have work." She said softly, "Believe me, I could use the help." I said, "Karthena my companion and High lady of my household does a lot, but she has many servants to make sure are doing their jobs." "I need someone devoted to my clothing and that of my servants." "You might get commissions from my courtiers as well as those of the Queen's." "You can take them as long as you have time for yourself." "You're a noble now so you'll have to go home from time to time to check on your people and there will be court functions that you'll attend." "You aren't just a simple servant."
We arrived at the castle just as the fourth bell of the morning rang out over its towers and halls. Lian would be in the scribe's room signing documents now. "No." He said as I thought at him, "no signing documents for you." "You just got back." "Have a long bath and meet me in the lesser dining hall for the noon meal." "Tell Karthena to settle Penthela in and get relaxed." "Have someone tend to your wings and hair instead of using that chain spell for once."
"Yes oh master." I teased back. I heard a mental laugh before Lian said, "I can't believe you were gone for eight moons." "Neither can I." I said wearily as i walked up the stairs into the outer hall. Courtiers wh'd been talking and laughing stopped and bowed or curtseyed as I arrived. Karthena came forward, curtseyed, and said, "its good to have you home again Your Highness." "Get Penthela settled, i need a bath." I said as we walked through the opulent rooms ndding and smiling as servants, pages, dignitaries and scribes hurried past, "Yes your Highness, I was told of her arrival."
Once I'd been bathed, massaged, my wings tended, and my hair done up I entered the lesser dining hall and embraced Lian. "Love." He said harshly through tears, "I've missed you."