Steel Butterfly

35

Ronan's POV

The next morning, by the first crow of the roosters in the chicken pens, they were going to the mill to get wood for the reconstruction. They had a group surveying the destroyed homes, the other clearing out debris, some pounding mortar and some of them making bricks to the side.

"Good morning, Ronan!" Aetnara was carrying planks of wood to a smaller cabin.

"We're going to work on the smaller cabins first in order to provide the smallfolk with a place to live." Sigrid was motioning people to move to certain areas. "And of course, we have another group of healthy civilians and hunters from other villages making temporary tents for the people. Excellent idea, Ronan and Kalia."

"Well, it was mostly Kalia's idea. I just encouraged her." Ronan smiled, putting his arm around her and kissing the side of her head.

"I should get going." Kalia spoke, smiling at him. She pulled away and skipped happily to the tents.

"Come on, lover boy. We got frames to rebuild. Lizin, her husband and the others spent all night clearing out my mother's house for us to finish it today." One of the other Hunters, a man named Nordson, hollered at him. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

"Coming!" He walked up to the house, ready to start the reconstruction.

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Kalia's POV

I watched as Lady Rosanna was helping Lizin cut up vegetables for a giant vat of tesmole and chicken stew.

"Like this?" I admired her for willing to help us with feeding the crowds, as most noblewomen turned their nose to the idea of doing "peasant's work"

"Yeah, that's perfect." Lizin was grinding up peppers, onions, garlic, and tomatoes with the mortar and pestle.

"Kalia! Watch me." Sharani poured a whole sack of masa, some lard, broth from the chicken and epazote in a giant bowl and added a bit of salt. She starts to knead the dough together. I follow her footsteps. The dough always feels squishy and moist but it smells great.

I watch as an older woman manages to cut up a chicken by herself. I watch the other women making piles of tortillas and making atole.

"So when are you and Ronan getting married?" Sharani asked me as she was kneading the dough.

"I don't know, hopefully in the near future." I told her.

"He's quite handsome. I say that in a nice way, I love your brother with all of my heart." Sharani smiled as she started to form little dough balls out of the masa.

"I know, I'm so lucky. I never thought I'd find someone." I sighed as I finished kneading my dough together.

"Why not? You're beautiful, funny, and you're a warrior. Any man would be a fool to let that go, no homo." Sharani spoke as she pressed her thumb into the center of the dough ball. "And that's how you shape tesmole dumplings."

"Thank you and nice." I told her. I followed suit with my dough balls.

"So I heard that Kutsi Malixta was getting married to Lord Erikkson." One of the older women who was grinding up peppers spoke. "She was showing off the pearl and silver ring he got her."

"Ha! It's probably just pewter, knowing how cheap that man is. And she believes him, what a fool." Another woman shook her head.

"I heard that they were going to give Lord Wileshire's manor to create a home to help unwed mothers and children." Lizin spoke. "I think that's a wonderful thing."