Awakening, Quickening

Deep Thoughts part 2

Agatha, finished with her chore, turned and smiled at Harmony. "Awake now, my Lady? I would guess you will be wanting some breakfast before you go to take the Lord's counsel. Help yourself to food; there's bread on the table in the dining room, and fresh fruit. When you come back there will be stew and mash, if you are hungry then. I have asked your maid for your measurements, and she purchased you both some new clothes; and some more diapers, for the babe. You've paid me most finely, and I don't mind offering you any provisions, since you seem to be needing them."

Harmony smiled "My thanks, Agatha. I am actually hungry right now, as a matter of fact...Muse, would you? And Agatha–Do you know if there are rules I should remember about approaching the Lord? I have heard only that Grebefal is ruled by this Lord, I don't even know a name... Lord what?"

Agatha nodded and grimaced slightly, her gentle face showing her consternation. "The Lord prefers his anonymity–it's likely you won't even see him. His name is Lord Harlan Grebe, son of Uvin Grebe, but he has requested via letter that we all just call him "The Lord". Everything in Grebefal is handled by the 'Lord's Hands'--Master Jer, the butler, and his head housekeeper, Madam Fyn. There's only two castle maids and they handle everything else. Lord Grebe never comes down to the town--the only one who sees the Lord, besides those two, is Neil Jaksson, the guard captain. He gets his orders and makes a report to the Lord once a week."

Harmony remembered the tall, thin, dark-hared man from the gate, with his sharp features and curious gaze. He didn't seem the type to be giving out any information without orders, to be sure. Harmony guessed she would have to speak with the butler. Muse fetched her a hunk of bread and a soft, round reddish-yellow fruit with a creamy taste; Kyir finished nursing, and Harmony changed the soiled the downy-fluff liner of the diaper he had been packed into. Muse carried it outside to the compost between two fingers, with a wrinkled nose and a look of deep disgust.
Why are babies so disgusting? she thought, and Harmony snorted with laughter. Because you're looking at the leftovers, not the baby, Muse. The baby's pretty cute.
Harmony then recruited Agatha's help to teach Harmony to pin a new diaper on; Kyir kicked and wriggled, and it took Harmony a few tries. Her diapering skills were nowhere near Granny's level of expertise, but with Agatha's direction, she got it to work, finally. Not without a few finger-pokes, which she healed surreptitiously. Then she wrapped Kyir in a section of her cloak again, and Muse rolled up and put all of their new clothing and other various belongings into a wide fabric carry-bag which Agatha provided.

Next, Agatha showed them to a room on the upper floor; this room was large and clean, with white-washed walls and a high ceiling, and had two large, many-paned glass windows which stood open to the sun. Each had a heavy curtain of tan fabric, pulled off to one side. Two heavy wooden beds with thick mattresses, pillows, and coverlets, stood against the walls; beside one, a large woven basket had been set up as a baby-bed. A small wooden desk sat between the beds along the far wall, with a candelabra, mirror, and stationary-box arranged on top. In the center of the room, a small table and two chairs sat, decorated with a vase of small flowers, looking festive and sweet. A large woven rug covered the cold floorboards, and behind a privacy-screen sat a large, low wooden tub, meant for bathing in, along with a stack of towels, and buckets for hot water. At the foot of each bed stood a small chest, made for clothes storage. Harmony took it all in with a sense of deep gratitude, and a pang of chagrin; Agatha clearly didn't know how simple summoning those gold coins had been, for Harmony. She had obviously worked hard to make the place lovely, and had made sure the room had everything they would need to support them, all in one place.

Agatha gave them a nod and left them, without waiting for thanks; and Muse helped Harmony unroll their new clothing out on the beds. There were long fabric leggings, and new shoes for each of them, made of some sort of brushed suede. For Harmony, there was a short, light outdoor work dress, a long, deep-brown formal dress with a corset and petticoats, and a night-dress. For Muse, there was a nightdress and a sturdy, un-ornamented everyday dress. A carryall and wide leather belt for Muse; a large, soft shawl and wide brimmed hat for Harmony. And for Kyir, a long, soft shirt with a drawstring to close it at the feet; a soft blanket, and a tall stack of diapers and fine silver pins. Harmony carefully dressed Kyir in the shirt and tucked the blanket around him, then helped sort and fold the clothing, and laid their outfits out on the beds while Muse carried buckets of water up to the tub. First Harmony, and then Muse, had a quick, cold-water wash; it felt so good to be clean!

Over the next few days, Harmony, Muse and Kyir got to know Agatha, worked on familiarizing themselves with the village, and rested in the room; occasionally Muse would go down to the marketplace to find some trinket or toy for Kyir, or a treat for herself, or Harmony. It was calm and very restful, and Harmony soon felt fully renewed. She knew they couldn't live in the inn forever though; eventually Agatha would begin to wonder where she was keeping this stash of gold coin which she kept paying for things with. Harmony studied the currency and exchanged a small sack of created gold for a quantity of Grebefal's coin, a small, flat square silver coin, with a leaf stamped into one side, to keep from becoming too suspicious. After two weeks at the inn, she sent Muse to buy a notebook, and began to keep a journal of notes about life in Grebefal; and later that day, she sent Muse to deliver a note to Granny, that she would go to the castle in the morning, if Granny would still like to walk them there.