"Will Madeline get to see the castle?"
"Why would he ask the daughter to go? She is far less experienced in her blacksmith skill."
"Why must it be the Gavins? The king has never bought anything from anyone in Oakdwell, why must it be them?"
"If the King buys from them, does it mean more opportunities will come their way?"
"Will rich men now notice Madeline with her tanned, unappealing skin?"
.......
It has been a week now. The king has approved their project to be finished in a month, and the news has spread far and wide. People no longer talk behind closed doors.
Most of the time, she could sense the envy in their eyes as she passed by, hearing the negative words they spoke—ninety-nine percent of them.
She wondered, though, why the king had noticed her father after all these years. But the reaction from the villagers was even more shocking.
Her father was known for his skill; he was good, and they knew it. So if the king had noticed him, it wasn't merely sheer luck - he had worked hard and earned it.
"It is said that when good things happen to you, there will be people who are ready to bring you down," Mr. Richard said on one of the many days she went to his bakery and was fed with his words of wisdom. Those words gave her reassurance, and she couldn't thank him enough.
"Do not listen to what people say," Mrs. Sophia said to her one day as she sat outside to rest.
Mrs. Sophia would leave her tailor shop and walked to their side occasionally, sometimes just to sneak a peek. Many times she would wrinkle her nose when she thought no one saw her. However, Madeline noticed everything. So when Mrs. Sophia spoke those words, Madeline merely gave her a nod without engaging in any conversation.
She did not stop Jo from playing with Mrs. Sophia's children, as it would be out of character and immature to involve children in this act of adult childishness. Instead, she decided to put all of her mind into work, focusing on making the perfect weapons for the king.
The king did not specify his interests, so they decided to make the finest steel they could think of. Madeline was still struggling to think outside the box and come up with something convincing enough. Although her father had advised her not to pressure herself, he did mention that the hand of a craftsman who made good things was enough to make people stop by.
He told her to believe in what she was making, to create good weapons, to craft anything useful from steel that could benefit the king. He emphasized that her skill was far more important than attempting to invent something entirely new.
Day and night, they worked. Most times, Madeline would skip breakfast despite her mother's pleas, just so she could be at work and start working on the unfinished project.
"Don't grow lanky like your friend; eat rye bread," Josiah told her one morning when she was hurrying again for work and had left her food on the table.
He sat on a stool in the dining room with his food placed in front of him, oat and rye bread from Mr. Richard bakery shop.
He had not touched his food and had been watching her the whole time as she ran around trying to gather things to start heading for the shop. His mouth puckered into a frown as he looked at her.
Madeline stopped in her tracks after his words, "Philemon is not my friend."
Josiah's eyes flew open. "But he came to see you at the shop."
"Hush," Madeline sighed and sat close to him, "you know I did not invite him, and I dislike him."
"I know, but he did not seem to dislike you," said Jo.
Madeline tilted her head, watching him for a while, then she laughed, "Of course he doesn't, but I know quite well that he is not my friend."
Josiah averted his gaze from her to her untouched food on the table. "Did you eat anything yesterday?"
Madeline's stomach rumbled at his words. She had been so occupied with work that she forgot to eat, aside from drinking milk from the jar before she headed to work. When her father had asked, she had said she ate something, all because she could not unfocus on what was at hand.
Madeline eyed him. She didn't want to say anything to Jo because if she lied, he would be quick to catch her.
"Eat, Madeline," he said with a sigh.
"I will eat at the shop."
But Jo shook his head and took the bread, splitting it in two and giving her one side. "Mr. Richard's bread is the best," he smiled. "I could eat it all day and not get tired."
Warmth spread in Madeline's heart as she took the bread from him. There was no way she could say no to this adorable brother of hers.
"Look at you, all grown up," she rolled her eyes playfully.
He smiled and munched on his bread, then took a spoonful of his food. "The priest at the cathedral said that when one has a task at hand, one should not think of anything else. If you lose focus, you either will not remember your task or probably won't enjoy it.
Madeline paused in eating and eyed him, wondering what else the priest had said. It was normal for Jo to come up with something he had learned at the cathedral during his reading and writing lessons.
One thing she was grateful for was that they all got to learn how to read for free through the priest and priestess.
"Look, you are not focused on your food. That is why you did not realize that the oat was too hot, and you should blow on it before eating." Madeline blinked; it was true. She felt the heat on her tongue and must admit she had been thinking about work. But Jo was not the same age as her. She could endure the heat of the food.
"Ohh," Madeline blew on the remaining spoonful of oat before putting it in her mouth.
Josiah smiled, "Mother already cooled mine so I wouldn't have to worry about the heat."
Madeline smiled, "Thank you."
He nodded, "Focus on the task at hand, Madeline, when the time is right."
As he ate, Madeline's jaw dropped. How did he grow up so fast and with so much wisdom?
He was right; perhaps the reason she couldn't think of anything else was that she worried too much about what to present. If she focused on what she was doing instead of letting her mind wander with worry, she might miss something.
With that realization, she decided not to worry about anything else other than the food she was eating.
Suddenly, a knock came from the door, jolting Madeline and Josiah.