4857 Words
This is a beta version of Enar's Vacation. Changes can - and probably will - be made as a result of reader feedback. I hope you'll enjoy it and I hope you'll take the time to give me some feedback. It will help me make this story the best it can be.
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Enar stepped out of the forest right where he'd entered it, at the stone by the side of the road near the cider-house. Coming back down had been a lot easier than going up, but even then it had been quite a walk, and he looked forward to sitting down with a good meal.
He'd sat there for quite a while, on the bench at the top of the hill watching the wind sprites play. He'd laughed and giggled at their antics, even yelled encouragement when they did something that particularly impressed him. At first he'd thought of them like a bunch of playful puppies, but when he threw a stick and yelled fetch they'd completely ignored it. Strange little buggers.
This was such an amazing story to bring home. He puffed his chest out and put a spring in his step. Everyone would be so impressed.
So far his stay in the anetacht had been great, and from what he'd gathered, the afternoon would continue in style - a good meal, and a long nap. What more could he ask for?
Coming out here on vacation had been a great idea. Just getting out of the city was good. He'd needed that. Maybe he'd stay and not come back. What would it cost to get a burrow and live permanently out here? Was it even possible? It'd probably be too much hassle, but it was nice to think about.
Maybe he'd find a nice local girl. They could settle down and start a family and grow old together. He smiled to himself. A man could dream.
First he'd have lunch though. His belly rumbled and he walked a little faster. Maybe he could ask Rolf about finding a burrow for himself later. Rolf would know.
While he'd been playing with wind sprites the space in front of the inn had filled with people. They stood in little groups or sat at the tables. Children ran all over the place, yelling and screaming and chasing each other. Two men struggled to get another table out through the door of the inn, and a waitress with an empty tray waited for them to get out of the way and let her in. Hedgie was nowhere to be seen, but the door to the stable had been shut, and children climbed in the tree she'd stood under.
Enar tried to spot someone he recognized. One of the kids in the tree might have been Elsie, but he wasn't sure and he didn't want to get closer to check. The kids would all stare at him, and he could be wrong. It'd be embarrassing.
"Hello! Enar! Over here! Enar!" Rolf's voice boomed from somewhere in the crowd and everyone turned to look at him.
Everyone.
Everyone in the entire crowd stared at him. His face grew warm. Where was Rolf? He squirmed and fidgeted. Where? His feet stuck to the ground and wouldn't move. Everyone stared.
Finally - after half an eternity - he spotted his host. Rolf stood at the edge of the crow with his wife and another couple. Waving his hands in the air, and yelling at the top of his lungs, he made quite a spectacle. Heaving a sigh of relief, Enar waved back and hurried over - keeping his eyes straight, careful not to look at anyone else.
"There you are my friend. How was the walk? Did you make it to the top? Nice view, right?" Rolf clapped him on the back, and, before Enar could even begin to reply, he started introducing the two fylkin with him and Beired. "This here is Burre and this is his wife Gitta. They're from down by Littleford and they're a bunch of greedy miserable bastards. If Gitta didn't make the best apple tarts in seven hills I wouldn't have anything to do with them. If you're lucky we might get some after we herd down the sheep there on Infday."
Burre laughed. "Don't you listen to him Enar. My brother's just jealous he didn't get any of my boyish charm or dashing good looks. If Beired didn't set the best table in living memory no one would have anything to do with him."
Both men laughed the same deep laugh. Burre stood a little shorter, and perhaps a bit younger, than Rolf, but had the same face and mannerisms. His wife, Gitta, stood tall and straight, with deep furrows lining her face and red hair tied into a braid down her back. It wouldn't be right to call her skinny, but tall as she was, she might have been mistaken for a short human.
"Rolf," said Beired. "Table."
"Aye, of course. How rude of me. You must be tired from the walk my friend. Let's go find somewhere to sit down."
"Yes." said Enar. "That would be nice."
Finding a table that could seat all five of them turned out to be easier said than done. In the end they had to ask two younger couples to move together and share a table with each other.
"There we are my friend." Rolf leaned back in his chair, clasped his hands over his belly, and smiled. "Restday meal at Hyardum inn. Drinks will be here shortly, just sit back and relax now."
"Won't the children be eating anything?" said Enar.
"I'm sure they will. They'll find seats somewhere when the food starts coming out."
This too was different from back in the city. The people he knew who had kids constantly kept their eyes on them; always making sure they were safe and out of harms way. Beired and Rolf didn't even seem to know where their children were.
Rolf laughed. "Don't look so worried my friend. They're proper hillsider kids. They can take care of themselves."
"Even the little one?"
"Well, no. Loianna is too little to be on her own, but she's too old to be still, so we let her run around as she wants. Erik's keeping an eye on her."
"I see." Enar nodded. "I guess that works out here."
"Aye. It's his turn this week. Linnea's staying home - watching the apples grow, or counting the clouds or something. It's a good day for it."
Enar relaxed back into his chair and looked up at the sky - not a cloud in sight. "Good day indeed." A lazy smile slid on to his face.
The walking he'd done caught up with him; his legs grew heavy, and his gaze drifted off into the distance. He forgot to pay attention to what anyone said, and his thoughts wandered off on their own, like thoughts sometimes do when you're tired.
Back up the hill they went - to where he'd met the wind sprites. They drifted over the landscape and landed by the door to the guest burrow where he'd slept. Rolf would let him stay there for a while until he got his own place.
He had coffee in the break room at the office, telling his friends he'd be leaving. They would beg him to stay but he'd be adamant and strong. Everyone would be sad to see him go but he'd have a wife and kids to come home to and he'd be happy. His mother would be so proud of him.
"Ice or no ice?"
Enar jerked back into the present. The most beautiful woman he'd ever seen stood right by his chair, trying to talk to him. She'd just said something, and he had no idea what. Large blue eyes, curly blonde hair, and round little cheeks that smiled like the sun filled his world.
She put a hand on his shoulder, just a light touch, and her smile grew even wider, almost blinding him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Do you want ice with your cider?"
"Ice?" Enar shook himself awake and tried not stare.
"Frozen water. Used for keeping drinks cold. Rings a bell, city boy?" Her eyes sparkled with mischief.
"Yes. Yes, sorry." Enar cheeks flared up. "I'd like ice with my cider please." His entire face burned like fire. "If it's no bother," he hurried to add.
"No bother at all hot stuff. Coming right up." She winked at him and disappeared off to another table.
Enar stared after her. With her golden curls bobbing in the wind, and her long brown dress swinging back and forth with the movement of her hips, his eyes clung to her until she disappeared in the crowd and he lost sight of her. Could she be single?
"Enar, my friend." Rolf could barely speak from laughing. "Close your mouth. It's like you've never seen a woman before." He slapped a hand onto the table and took a deep breath. "You should see your face."
Enar blushed again. He hadn't even realized his mouth hung open. "I... well... I have..." He stammered a little, but found no words, and in the end he just sighed. "I have."
"Don't worry son," Burre added, "Jolene's something else. I bet you don't have many women quite like that in the city, do you?"
Gitta sneered. "We all know what city women are like."
"Shush now," said Burre. "Enar's a fine young lad and he's Rolf's guest. We shouldn't go offending him right away on his first day."
Gitta glared at him and turned back to her conversation with Beired; something calm, and polite, that Enar hadn't followed at all, and which he probably couldn't contribute to anyway. Perhaps Beired shot him a glance of amused approval. He only glimpsed it in the corner of his eye, and he might have been mistaken. When he looked again, her attention was completely focused on her conversation with Gitta.
Enar stretched and leaned back in his chair. It was definitely about time he met someone and settled down. Moving out into the anetacht probably wasn't a realistic option, but that didn't mean he couldn't meet someone in the city.
Brunolf, on the cart yesterday, had said he knew where to meet nice single girls. Perhaps he should take him up on that. Only he'd have to spend time with Brunolf then. There must be other ways of meeting people.
"Well, my friend, you never told me how you found it on top of the hill," said Rolf. "Did you see any wind sprites?"
Enar raised an eyebrow and nodded. "I did..." He paused for effect. Hopefully he didn't look too smug. "I most definitely did..." Once more he stopped, making sure he had everyone's attention. "In fact, they attacked me - three of them. If I hadn't managed to grab hold of that bench up there they'd have thrown me off the cliff."
Rolf stared at him for a moment and then burst out laughing. "It's good to see you getting into the spirit of things around here. Three of them. Did you hear that Burre?" He elbowed his brother in the side. "He saw three wind sprites. Three! And they threw him off the cliff. Did they catch you halfway down and bring you back up again too?"
"No, what, why?" Enar sputtered. "They tore me off the seat and they would have pushed me off the cliff too if I hadn't thrown myself back onto the bench." Why weren't they impressed? "It was really scary."
Both Burre and Rolf were laughing at him now, and that's when Jolene arrived with their drinks. Carrying a large tray on the flat of her hand, she placed their mugs on the table with practiced ease.
"Jolene, my dear," said Rolf. "Did you meet Enar here? He's a real catch you know. He just fought off three wind sprites at the top of Lookout Hill. Three of them!" His grin threatened to split his face in half, and he had to take a deep breath to compose himself. "Mark my words Jolene - Enar is a good catch for you, strong and handsome. You make sure you keep an eye on him, before someone else snatches him up."
Jolene scowled, but her eyes kept smiling. "Rolf, you old rascal. You shouldn't be making fun of your guest like that." Jolene turned to Enar and set his drink down in front of him. "There you go tiger, freshly iced cider from the best apples in all the hills." She placed her hand on his shoulder again, just like before. "Now don't pay no mind to these liars. Old farts always make fun of the new guy, but they mean no harm by it." Her round cheeks and sparkling eyes beamed at him. "Why don't you and I meet up in the field later, and you can tell me what really happened."
"But... it really did happen." He stopped himself as his thoughts caught up with what she'd just said. "Yes, that would be nice. I'd be happy to meet up and have a chat later. Maybe somewhere in the shadow of those trees?" He pulled on his most charming smile and nodded in the direction of the oaks out in the field.
"Sure thing handsome. A girl loves a good story. I'll see you out there later." She wiggled her fingers at him and walked off with her tray of mugs and her swinging hips.
"Enar." Burre cleared his throat. "Mouth."
Enar turned back to the table, grabbed his drink, and while his company once more roared with laughter he hid his red face in the mug and drank deep. The cold cider tasted of apples and summers and carefree afternoons - sweet, but not too sweet; tart, but not too tart.
Shivering ever so slightly, he put down the mug on the wooden. "That's some good stuff right there." He sighed and smacked his lips.
Both Rolf and Burre smiled at him as they too raised their mugs and drank.
"So, Burre, brother, did you hear what Roini had to say about the goats?"
"Yes. I'm not sure I agree, but she does have a point. Something needs to be done."
"Indeed. We can't leave it as it is for much longer. I'm just not sure what she's thinking with that idea of hers." Rolf rubbed at his chin and leaned back in his chair. "Beired, my dear, what's your take on Roini's idea about the goats?"
Beired, for once, had a lot to say on the matter, and gave a lengthy explanation which almost completely went above Enar's head. When Jolene passed by with an empty tray and flashed him a smile he lost all track of whatever it was they were talking about, and after that he just sat there; enjoying his cider and smiling like a fool.
Thick cut ham, along with carrots, mash, and cabbage, lay piled high on the plate, all of it covered in a rich, creamy parsley sauce. Enar's belly rumbled.
"There you are, knives and forks and I'm sorry about the wait. Enjoy your meal." The other waitress - Adne - placed a small pile of utensils and napkins on their table and hurried on to the next.
"Always like that isn't?" Rolf chuckled and started handing out knives and forks to everyone.
"Indeed brother. I don't think we've had the tools before the food a single week this summer."
"Don't be harsh on the girls, men," snapped Gitta. "Adne just started out and she's still learning the ropes. If she'd been at it as long as Jolene and still forgot you'd hear me complain too."
Before she could get any further, and she looked like she would, Burre held up his hands to stall her. "Don't worry my dear, we mean nothing by it. It's just funny how it's happening every time. It's almost traditional, like."
"Enar, my friend," said Rolf. "Adne, the younger wench, is Gitta's niece through her brother Forrom and she's fiercly protective of her. She won't hear a bad word said against the girl."
"Well, neither would you Rolf if it was your niece out there working hard on Restday while everyone else was respecting the day as they should." Gitta held her head high and almost, but not quite, looked down her nose at Rolf. "I don't know why they have to have the girls working on Restday. It ain't right I tell you. They should just let us queue up and collect the plates at the counter like when I was a girl." She shook her head and sighed. "The least they could do is have some monks come over and help out. They never do anything, and they always claim to be oh so holy."
"I think she's doing great," Enar hurried to say before Gitta could launch into another rant. "I know what a tough job it can be, waiting - especially with this many tables. I did it on the side when I was studying. It's not easy, and she even manages to look good doing it." He smiled his most charming smile, hoping it would help his flattery appease the woman.
Adne wasn't bad. He'd seen her running back and forth with trays, passing out ciders among the tables. She seemed to work hard, and with her long brown braids and freckles she was pretty in a homely, countryside-girl, kind of way. Still, she had nothing on Jolene, who was, quite frankly, one of the most beautiful women Enar had ever seen.
Gitta nodded. "Well, yes, she does..." She leaned forward, pointed her fork at Enar and fixed him with a glare. "But you keep your city fylk hands away from her. She's a good girl and you're much too old for her."
"I... what? I never..." Enar stared at the woman. "I didn't mean it like that, I just..."
"Told you she's protective my friend," Rolf said with a grin. "But enough of that. Food is served and it's time we enjoy it."
"Yes, it does look delicious and I am really quite hungry." Enar hesitated for a moment. "Are we saying grace or something? I'm new here you know."
They all looked at him. Enar swallowed, and his face grew all hot.
"Sitting in the sun with a cold drink not enough for you, my friend?" Rolf raised an eyebrow. "I didn't take you for a pious one."
"Oh, no, not at all. I'm fine like this. I just didn't want to offend anyone." He paused for a moment and smiled. "More than I already have, I mean."
His little joke drew smiles and laughs from around the table, followed by a happy silence as they all dug in and started eating.
The mash was made from real potatoes, with little lumps in it. You didn't get it like that back in the city, except for in the really fine restaurants where they made it themselves, from scratch.
The food here was probably better than at most of the places he frequented back home. There was no way he'd get anything close to this good at the little diner round the corner from the office, and let's not talk about the cafeteria at work itself. They even had real cloth napkins here.
Of course the fare out here would be rustic. They produced their food themselves and of course it would be better like that - highest quality ingredients, all natural and ecological and such.
Then again, you'd probably get used to it after all while. It must be a lot of the same. You wouldn't be getting stuff like tapas or sushi out here. He tried to imagine Adne and Jolene running around taking orders for something like that from everyone; it'd never work, but the thought brought a smile to his face.
"Horse." Beired broke the silence. She raised her head and looked in the direction of the road down towards the cider-house.
Enar and the others looked up as well, but the road lay empty. No horse in sight.
"Someone coming," asked Rolf.
Frowning, Beired nodded but didn't say anything. At the other tables people still ate and chatted among themselves.
A horse pulling a cart came around the bend in the road, and conversations slowly ceased around them. Silence fell over the tables as people craned their necks to look at the newcomer.
It could have been Hasse. The horse looked just like Rosalove and the cart was similar enough. It wasn't him though; on the driver's seat sat a woman. She wore a long green dress and a broad-brimmed hat that hid her face in its shadow.
On the back of the cart sat two passengers, both of them with heads shaved so clean they gleamed in the sun. As the cart drove closer they jumped off, hurried over to the inn, and disappeared inside. Enar didn't get a good look at them, but they'd both worn the same grey robes, loose and flowing.
"There are you monks dear." Burre shot his wife a smile. "Maybe now Adne can get some rest from her chores."
Gitta ignored him. "It's her," she hissed. A deep scowl on her face, she glared at the woman on the cart. "That's the Storvak girl. What's she doing here?"
"Oh, is it?" Burre shot Rolf a glance and squirmed. "I didn't recognize her. Haven't seen her for years."
"She'd better not stay here for lunch. I won't stand for it."
"There, there dear." Burre swallowed and put a hand on her arm. "She's probably just giving the monks a ride and then she'll leave again."
"Everyone is welcome at the Restday meal." Beired put down her knife and fork and wiped her mouth with a napkin, her eyes still focused on the cart and the woman driving it. "Remember that. All anfylk should rest on the Restday."
Gitta turned to glare at Beired. "But she-"
"Everyone!" snapped Beired. "Even she."
Rolf sawed at piece of ham that was already small enough to swallow without chewing. Burre looked back and forth between his wife and his brother's, beads of sweat pearling on his brow.
Enar sat absolutely still. He didn't make a sound. At tables all around him, similar scenes played out. People whispered to each other and stared at the newcomer. Occasionally, someone threw a glance over at his table.
He itched all over, but fought to keep still. This was not the time to draw attention to himself. Not now.
The woman on the cart completely ignored the stares she received. Her back straight and her head held high, she drove her cart up to the little open space in front of the wagon shed and turned it around there. She stopped the carriage and then just sat there, facing the crowd.
Perhaps she smiled at them. She might have, but it was hard to tell. With the wide hat and the bright mid-day sun you couldn't quite see her face.
Silence fell over the tables.
No one breathed.
Up on the driver's seat, the woman from Storvak bowed her head in a nod, shook the reins, and got her horse and cart moving again, back the way she'd come. Not until the carriage had disappeared out of sight did conversations start to pick up again around the tables.
"I'm sorry. You're right - of course." Gitta sighed and lowered her gaze. "Everyone's welcome at the Restday meal. It's just... I'm..." She stared at her food. She opened her mouth to say something else, but stopped and sighed again. Without looking up she grabbed her fork, stabbed a piece of ham, and started eating.
Rolf and Burre exchanged glances. Burre put a hand on his wife's arm and gave it a light squeeze. Her shoulders slumped a little, but she continued eating and still didn't look up. Beired sat back in her chair with her eyes closed and her face blank. She might have been sleeping, but she'd been awake and talking just a moment ago.
Enar poked at his food, speared a piece of carrot and dragged it through the sauce, but didn't eat it. He ought to try and lighten the mood a little. The joke he'd pulled earlier had worked; maybe he could change the topic, get them talking about something else?
He took a deep breath. It probably couldn't make things any worse. "So... monks? I didn't realized there were any here. Do you have a temple as well, or are they wanderers?"
"Yes, sort of, but Burre knows-"
"Not exactly, Rolf can tell-"
The two brothers stopped talking, looked at each other, and burst out laughing.
"Haha, that hasn't happened since..." Rolf took a deep breath. "Since that time you know, way back when." He sighed and stared off into the distance. "You tell it Burre, you know the place better than I do anyway - and I've got my eating to catch up on."
"Well, I don't know about that." Burre chuckled. "But who am I to keep my brother starving?"
The two men grinned at each other, and Enar smiled and nodded. Perhaps he'd gotten them on to a different track and everyone would be happy and cheerful again soon.
"So, anyway..." said Burre. "It's over in Storvak, and it's technically a shrine and not a temple. Might as well be though. The Storvaks have spare rooms available for wandermonks all year, and there's always someone staying there - so it might as well be a temple." He paused and sipped his cider. "If someone round the hills needs a monk for something, that's where they go. They say you'll always find a monk in Storvak and that's the day's truth. I've never been there when there's not been one around."
"That sounds like an interesting place. I haven't heard of it before." Enar thought about it for a moment. He couldn't remember anything about a shrine in the brochure. "Is it a secret?"
"Yes! You can't tell anyone! They'll steal the monks!" Rolf held up a finger and hushed - loud enough that the people on the table next over turned their heads to see what was going on.
Enar laughed. That one was on him. "I mean... I didn't read anything about it before I came here. Do they want to avoid tourists? Keep it for the locals? That kind of thing?"
Rolf's expression turned serious. "You know what, my friend? I haven't actually thought about that." He turned to face his brother. "Do you know?"
Gitta cleared her throat and sat up a little straighter. "Everyone's welcome at the shrine." She put down her knife and fork and waited until she was sure she had everyone's attention. "Everyone's welcome at the shrine, but it's more convenient for everyone if the place isn't full of city fylk gawking at the gardens and trampling the flowerbeds."
"Oh... err... well, I guess I..." Enar hesitated and cast down his eyes. "I'm sure there is plenty enough to do around here," he mumbled.
He didn't want to look up. He didn't want to meet her gaze, or that of anyone else. He hadn't known. It wasn't his fault. He was just curious. He wouldn't be in the way. Why did she hate him? "Maybe I should-"
"That's enough," snapped Beired. "Gitta. I will not have you insult our guest. You will apologize, or you will leave and take your ill will with you."
Silence.
Enar stared at the food on his plate. It had been so good, but now the sight of it made his stomach turn. Sunlight flashed in the blade of the knife, blinded him, and nearly made his eyes tear.
It wasn't fair.
"Burre, we're leaving."
Two chairs scraped across the ground and two pairs of feet walked away from the table.
In the silence that followed, Enar could hear the footsteps further and further away, until drowned out by hushed conversations at the tables around them. He swallowed, took a deep breath and looked up. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have. I didn't know..."
"Enar, my friend, there's no need to apologize. You've done nothing wrong." Rolf forced a smile. "Now let's finish up the meal so we can go lie down in the grass under the trees and forget all about this. Okay?"
"Okay..." Enar nodded and started poking at his food. He was still hungry, but it just didn't taste anything anymore.
Rolf leaned close, with his hand next to his mouth. "If anyone asks, don't say anything. It's a bit complicated. I'll tell you later."
Questions - Chapter 11
These questions are meant to be answered from memory, based on your first impressions of the chapter. Please do not check back or re-read the chapter before answering.
These questions aren't meant to test if you've paid attention, they're meant to test what kind of impression the story has made on you. As such, any answer is a good answer. If your answer doesn't match with my intention for the story, then it's the fault of my writing, not your fault for not picking up on everything.
Please also bear in mind that some questions may be referring to things mentioned in previous chapters.
Do you feel that this chapter furthered the story, or could it have been skipped, completely or in parts?
Was something in this chapter unclear? If so, was it in a negative or in a positive way?
This chapter introduced a number of new characters. Do you remember their names and can you tell them apart?
How do you feel about the names of the characters?
Which one of the newly introduced characters do you feel was the most important one to the story?
Who was the woman on the cart and why did people react the way they did when she arrived.
Who were the passengers on the cart?