Tilda and Felux rode into a clearing, heading towards a small cottage house. Seeing the little house, Tilda's face broke into a smile. She cupped her hands around her lips and blew. The friction created a high-pitched whistling sound that mimicked a bird's call.
Two kids popped their heads out of the house.
"Oh, let me off, let me off, let me off, Tilda said, as she slid off of the horse.
The kids, a young teenager and a younger girl came running towards Tilda. They met halfway and hugged each other tightly.
An older woman with brown hair and blue eyes appeared in the doorway of the cottage, calling, "Tilda!"
Tilda ran towards the cottage and jumped into her mother's embrace. Safe in her mother's tight grip, Tilda said, "Lady Cosaria allowed me a visit. I can only stay till tomorrow morning." Tilda looked around at her two younger siblings and asked, "Where's Valka?"
Tilda's mother, whose name was Carmesta, laughed, saying, "Valka has a new beau."
Tilda rolled her eyes, "Who is it this time?"
Carmesta said, "The apprentice of some traveling peddler. She'll be home before supper. How's the little Lady?"
Tilda said, "She's been doing much better since coming to the Duke's castle."
Carmesta said, "Poor child. Been through so much. She deserves some happiness."
Tilda said, "That's what I think."
"Is the Duke really a monster?" Beniter asked. Beniter was Tilda's fifteen year old younger brother. He was tall and broad for his age, with a deepening voice that caught Tilda off guard. His muscles were well developed, having spent much of his time working in the blacksmith forge with their father. His face too, seemed to be growing out small patchy prickles. He was growing into a little man.
"Does he smell like blood?" Tilda's ten year old little sister, Mellia said. She was a bouncy girl with too much energy and not enough outlets. Her hair was the same generic brunette shade as the rest of her siblings, but differed in that hers held a distinct curl.
Felux came a few feet away from the celebrating crowd. He had gotten off the horse and was now leading it by its reins.
As she noticed the strapping young man, Carmesta asked, "Who is this?"
Felux bowed, saying, "I'd be Sir Felux Lother, commander of the Knights of Arquix."
Immediately, Tilda's siblings drew their breath in. They had never in their lives met someone so important and impressive.
"Welcome," Tilda's mother said, "I'm Carmesta. Here are my two youngest, Beniter and Mellia. What business do you have with a simple smithy family such as ourselves?"
Carmesta assumed Duke Arquix had ordered the Knight to accompany her daughter. Why else would he be there? But what would Duke Arquix want from a commoner family? She couldn't fathom. Had Tilda done something to get them all in trouble?
Felux saw her confusion and said, "I'm here as Tilda's escort."
Carmesta replied, "A Knight escort for my daughter? Has she caused so much trouble?" Carmesta wondered if they suspected Tilda might run away from the castle, or spill some deep secrets, and sent a Knight to supervise her.
Felux said, "The opposite. I'd consider her as good a friend as they come. I've been looking forward to meetin with her family."
It took a second for Carmesta to digest the information. Tilda, plain, simple Tilda, had attracted the attention of the commander of the Arquix Knights. He said 'friends', but the way he smiled at her, and the way she fidgeted and blushed, made it seem like 'friends' was a loose term between these two.
Carmesta said, "I'm glad to see she's got such good friends" -Tilda flinched at the way Carmesta exaggerated the word- "at the Duke's castle. Let me take your horse to the barn."
Tilda glared at Carmesta's teasing, but she knew she couldn't hide anything from her mother. Carmesta, in turn, took the reins from Felux. The beast was magnificent and Carmesta wondered if it would be too proud to be housed in such a simple barn like theirs. It surely deserved better treatment than that.
As Carmesta walked away, Mellia asked, "Is that sword real?"
Beniter playfully pushed his younger sister, saying, "Of course it's real." Then he turned his excitement towards Felux, asking, "Can you teach me something?"
༻✧༺
Not an hour had passed by and Felux already had Tilda's younger siblings wrapped around his fingers. He was showing Beniter different strikes in the front yard while Mellia watched in dreamy awe from the porch. Tilda had gone inside and was chatting with her mother as they prepared food.
Tilda put another log on the fire when Carmesta asked, "When you're done stoking the fire, would you tell Beniter it's time to take Papa his lunch?"
Tilda's eyes lit up and she asked, "Can I take it to Papa?"
Carmesta reminded Tilda, "You have a guest."
"He can come."
Mellia popped her head through the window, having heard the conversation, and asked, "Can I come too?"
"Sure," Carmesta said, "Why don't you all go and afterwards you can visit the waterhole."
Tilda planted a kiss on Carmesta's cheek, saying, "Thanks Mama!"
Then she grabbed Papa's lunch and ran out the door.
༻✧༺
The Attaway Blacksmith cottage was an open air building with a pitched roof overhead. The large hearth was glowing bright red and a man, Tilda's brother-in-law, tended to the bellows, testing their efficiency. Two other men, a younger, Tilda's brother, and an older, Tilda's father, stood over an anvil, examining a newly crafted tool. Tools and various other equipment lay scattered on various desks and surfaces.
Beniter ran in and announced, "I've got lunch and I've brought a surprise!"
The three men looked up from their tasks as Tilda, Mellia, and Felux walked into view. Dropping everything, the older man wrapped Tilda in his massive arms, asking, "How's my girl?"
"Good Papa," Tilda said through squeezed lungs.
Tilda's older brother, Junior, walked over to Felux and asked, "Who's this?"
Felux bowed politely and answered, "I'd be Tilda's escort, Sir Felux Lothar."
Beniter bragged, "He's the commander of the Knights of Arquix."
The men exchanged worried glances, having full knowledge of the Arquix reputation.
Tilda said, "Don't worry, he's my friend, not my captor."
The old man approached Felux with an outstretched hand and said, "Then a friend of Tilda's is a friend to us. Welcome Sir Lothar, I'm Tefer Attaway."
Felux shook the man's hand, surprised by its enormity in comparison to his own.
Smiling, Tefer turned to Beniter and asked, "Now, did you say you brought lunch?"
༻✧༺
The group sat on the nearby grass surrounding Tilda, eating their simple lunch of farm fresh vegetables and homemade bread. They were catching Tilda up on everything that couldn't be shared over letters.
Tilda had turned to her brother-in-law Thompser, asking, "And the baby?"
Thomsper said, "Just six months now. Took his first steps a few days ago." His face was still charcoal smudged black from working on the fire earlier.
As they talked, Felux turned to Beniter and asked, "Who's who here?" He was lost in all the relations.
Beniter pointed to Thompser and said, "So that's Thompser, he's my older sister Carm's husband. She just had a baby." Then he pointed to the browned eyed young man. His hair was the darkest in the family, but that might have just been an illusion from soot and hard work. Beniter continued, "That's Junior. His name is Tefer but that gets confusing so we just call him Junior. He's the oldest and has three kids of his own."
Mellia pulled on Felux's sleeve and asked, "Are you married?"
Felux smiled and said, "Not yet."
Having been satisfied with the conversation, Tefer turned to Tilda and asked, "And the little Lady?"
Tilda said, "The Duke's castle has been like a miracle."
Tefer said, "You've helped her find good then."
Junior said, "So what are you thinking now? When she settles in, are you going to quit and come back?"
Tilda bristled and said, "No, I'll be sticking by her side. She's still… I enjoy where I'm at now."
Felux smiled in agreement.
Mellia pulled on Felux's arms and held out a berry as she said, "Say ahhhh."
"Wait!" Felux said as a berry was shoved in his face.
Junior spoke to Tilda, "You need to start thinking about yourself. Get yourself a life, a family. Marriage and the like."
Tilda frowned. She didn't appreciate the teasing as she said, "Hey you-"
Tefer interrupted, "I can't say I disagree."
Tilda looked hurt. She said, "Papa?"
Tefer explained, "I just want to see you the happiest you can be. And if that means serving that helpless little Lady, then I suppose that's that. But it doesn't mean I don't wish more for you." He remembered Tilda as a little girl, giggling over her pretend games of wife and mother. Whenever she talked about being in charge of her own house, she had always lit up, as if there was a special glow. Maybe that desire had changed over the two year separation.
"Thanks Papa," Tilda said. She brightened as she said, "And who's to say it still won't happen."
"Of course," Tefer said. Nothing had changed. Except that this time she had brought home a guest.
Tefer glanced at Felux, who was in a fierce struggle against Mellia as she tried to shove more berries in his mouth. His cheeks were already full of berries and Mellia was laughing as Felux had to keep her, and her sneaky hands, at arms bay.
Tefer announced, "Let's go to the watering hole."
Beniter asked, "What about work?"
Tefer said, "It can wait till tomorrow. Not everyday my daughter comes to visit. You two" -Tefer pointed at Junior and Thompser- "Go get your families. Let's have a family feast tonight."
༻✧༺
At the watering hole, Mellia, and the two oldest nephews teamed up against Junior and Beniter in an epic water fight. They were piling on Junior to try and dunk him in the water while Beniter splashed water everywhere.
Next to a large smooth stone sat Tilda, Tefer, and Felux. Tilda was telling her father the stories of her time at the Duke's castle. He was listening, happily entertained.
"And then I woke up and she was gone. Ran away," Tilda said, recalling their adventure in the Red Forest.
Tefer commented, "The Lady's a bit dull, isn't she?"
Tilda ignored the comment and continued her story, "So I borrowed the coachman's horse and-"
As Tilda proceeded with her narrative, Mellia, dripping wet, came and sat right in between Tilda and Felux. Felux glanced down at her curiously and smiled. She giggled and hid her face in her hands. Then her fingers played in the grass as she looked up into Felux's eyes and said, "In five years I'll be fifteen and then we can get married. Okay?"
Felux said, "What?"
Mellia said, "Repeat after me. Say okay. Okay?"
Felux said, "Okay?"
Mellia squealed as Tilda paused her story in just enough time to see Mellia plant a big kiss on Felux's cheek. With a hop in her step, Mellia bolted back to the watering hole to continue splashing with the others.
Tilda asked, "What just happened?"
Felux's brows were furrowed as he said, "I'm, as of now, unsure. I think yer sister proposed to me and I think I'd just agreed."
Tilda laughed, saying, "There's no going back now. You gave your word."
Tefer and Tilda both laughed as Felux looked shaken. He'd never met such a forward little girl before. He worried about breaking her heart and wondered if that would leave lasting resentment towards her future prospects. Truthfully, he wasn't used to being around kids.
༻✧༺
On their way back to the cottage the family strolled along the village road. Junior wrestled with his kids while Beniter was yapping Tilda's ear off. Every few steps he would stop to show off the new move Felux taught him and Tilda would nod, feigning being impressed. Felux and Tefer walked side by side as Mellia lay asleep in Tefer's massive arms.
Felux was asking Tefer about his thoughts on Tilda working away from home. He said, "Why do you consent to Tilda going so far and staying so long?" It was obvious both Tilda and her family would rather be close if they could.
"She needs to," Tefer said, "Simple as that. Without my Tilda, it's likely that little Lady wouldn't be alive, isn't that right?"
"Aye. That's true."
Tefer said, "Then there's the reason right there."
Felux asked, "Why care about a noble? Have you met her?"
"No, but Tilda cares about her. And a life is a life, isn't it? Noble or not."
Felux nodded. It was apparent the entire family had priorities they considered to be of higher value than social status. They cared about people. To Felux, that felt like home.
༻✧༺
After inviting Felux into their home, the evening became a time full of festivities. Thomsper had brought Carm and the new baby, which Tilda held as the kids played games.
The adults put together a giant meal under the supervision of Carmesta while the younger ones held an arm wrestling competition. They dragged Felux into their competition, which brought in the other adults. Felux claimed a winning streak till he lost to Tefer. Mellia tried to flirt with Felux by giving him flowers and batting her eyelashes. Valka, Tilda's younger sister, eventually came home with knotted hair, and got an immediate scolding by her mother and father.
Dinner was served and the large family gathered around, passing food, telling stories, and laughing. Every so often Felux would glance towards Tilda and their eyes would meet. Tilda would smile and Felux counted himself lucky to be where he was.
As the meal died down Tilda was scrubbing dishes in the big wash basin. She glanced out the window and grinded her teeth.
"You're kidding," She said as she watched the young priest from earlier get closer to the cottage. He was still wearing his flowing white priestly robes.
Felux approached, having noticed the abrupt change in Tilda's attitude. Felux asked, "What's a matter?"
Tilda put down the dishes and quickly dried her hands saying, "Just a moment."
Tilda made her way out the door as Felux caught sight of the young priest through the window. He kept watching.
Tilda approached the young priest as he held out his arms for a big hug.
The young priest said, "Tilda! It's been so long."
Tilda put her hand out to stop the young priest. She said, "Malel, why are you here?"
Malel, the young priest, looked hurt, saying, "Can't I come see you?"
He should know better than to try and visit her family. Tilda put her hands on her hips and said, "You're a priest."
Malel said, "Yes, and we do so much good Tilda. You'll understand. It's been an amazing experience. I've learned so much and grown. See, I'm a whole head taller than you now."
Malel rocked to the tip of his toes to accentuate their height difference.
Tilda said, "A priest is still a priest, Malel. You better leave."
The front door opened and Tefer, who had seen Malel from the window, approached. With a hard voice he asked, "What is a priest doing on my land?"
Malel shrunk away. "Just making a humble house call."
Tefer said, "Get off my land boy."
Malel straightened his back, as if he remembered he had some greater purpose in life. He said, "Sir, it's my duty to overlook the wellbeing of the flock, just as a shepherd would. As a priest, I should be allowed anywhere."
Tefer took a step closer to the boy and glared down at him, saying, "Anywhere? Just like how my daughter's grave is not allowed anywhere near the church cemetery? No. I'll show your church the same respect you gave my family. No priest is allowed on my land. Leave."
Malel took a step back and stuttered, "W… well, that's because, you know better than I, that's because she was-"
Tilda said, "Leave Malel."
Malel slouched, saying, "But Tilda. We're friends."
Tilda said, "We stopped being friends when you became a priest."
Malel said, "If that's how it's going to be, then fine."
With a swish of his priestly robes, Malel stomped off. Without warning, he turned back and said, "Multa bona tibi. Vale."
A blood vessel bulged in Tefer's neck as he shook his fist and yelled, "What was that!? Another of your blasted curses?!"
Malel looked horrified saying, "How dare- It was a blessing. It means 'many good things to you'. Priests don't curse."
Tefer called, "Keep your blessings out of my family. We don't want them."
They watched Malel disappear in the distance before Tefer huffed and went back inside. Tilda lingered by the door and Felux came out to join her.
Felux asked, "A priest making house calls?"
Tilda said bitterly, "He thinks he's a friend."
Then she marched inside.
The rest of the evening continued on as before with much merriment, joy, and laughing, having completely forgotten about the annoying young priest. Eventually, the time came and they said goodbye to Junior's family and Carm's family, each going to their own homes.
After it was decided that Felux would sleep on the couch and Tilda was to stay in Valka's room, the family retired to bed.