Leave Her Johnny Leave Her
Chapter 1
"Agnes! Agnes! We need you!" Lady Isolade Ambergreen practically shrieked as she banged on the door to Agnes' house in the back of her apothecary that was closed because it was Sunday and everyone usually went to their temple of choice on Sundays. But it was early still, a whole two hours before services would start.
"I'm here, I'm here," Agnes said as she opened the door, only half dressed but to see Isolade's daughter Merideth being pulled from the carriage who looked half dead, crumpled up in pain in her father's arms- she immediately understood the urgency of the visit as Agnes quickly ushered them inside.
"What happened?" Agnes asked as Merideth was put onto the cot as Merideth slowly uncurled herself.
"She was trying to get a morning ride in before service. She was thrown but kicked in the gut before she hit the ground." Isolade wept as she and her husband stood aside helplessly as Agnes was grabbing all kinds of things off her shelves and putting them rather haphazardly onto the table next to the cot.
"The marriage to the Whiteales is in only four months! What are we to do if she dies?" Lord Collin Ambergreen lamented.
"She's not dead yet, don't be digging her grave before she's cold enough to go into it." Agnes firmly resolved before she noticed blood under Merideth's bottom from where she was sitting before she laid Merideth down on her back, still clutching her middle.
"Shit." Agnes cursed before she rather unceremoniously checked under Merideth's skirts and had to move Merideth's undergarments out of the way to find the source of the bleeding because she was bleeding profusely and her undergarments were already being soaked in blood and she needed to find which whole she was bleeding from and to see her bleeding from her vagina, she knew exactly what was happening.
"She's hemorrhaging. She's losing her womb." Agnes realized as she did all she could to stop the bleeding.
"No, no, no, no! Agnes, I beg you, charge us whatever you have to, use whatever arts you must- to save her and Merideth's womb. We're done for if she's lost, we'll give anything and everything we have!" Isolade desperately pleaded.
"Send a man to the Souja's. The Souja's have a daughter who can help." Agnes answered before Collin nodded and left Agnes' house and sent his carriage to the Souja's farmhouse to get the whole family before he immediately came back inside.
"What's the plan?" Isolade asked anxiously as she and Collin waited for their man to come back as Agnes had already packed the area with cloths to keep the bleeding to a minimum.
"A trade for a miracle. Nora Souja, my adopted granddaughter. She confided in me that she has no wish to marry or have children. Even though the Lass seems custom made by the creators to do just that. But her parents wish to build a tavern and Nora has the makings to be one of the finest cooks in Dale. If you two can tempt Nora to give up her womb and a measure of her health to Merideth. So that Merideth can recover and then once she recovers, she can bear the Whiteales at least an heir and a spare, Merideth can be saved. Nora looks enough like the Whiteales that any child Merideth would carry and birth wouldn't look suspicious to anyone so that it would be doubtful that Merideth was not the mother. I know the fate of Dale rests on Merideth's wedding to the Young Lord Richard Whiteale. Nora is 17, her womb is ready to mature, and if Nora will be induced to do the trade, Meredith will most likely conceive a male heir on her wedding night. But we have to give Nora and more importantly the Souja's enough incentive to make it worth their while." Agnes told them as she readied her supplies to get her soul forge ready for the trade since she was both medicine woman and witch and she needed the soul forge for this to work.
"Nirewen, we can give the Souja's - Nirewen- to use as their tavern! Because after Merideth marries, we can move in with her to Whiteale's Dunbower! What's an old wooden castle, rotting in its core compared to a palace of stone and marble?" Isolade pleaded with her husband who nodded in agreement because Merideth was looking paler by the minute and they were desperate for this miracle. And it would save them the cost of the upkeep of their old ancestral home. Although it was not like they had the money to do it anyway, having to pool all their money into Merideth's dowry just to marry her into the Whiteales since Merideth was their only surviving child. All of Merideth's siblings either died at birth or in their early childhood and so Merideth was the sole hieress to Dale. Because Dale was poorer but older than Fits, all of it's homes were made out of wood. Compared to Fits that was currently building in stone because Fits had a quarry whereas Dale had an old, and rather ancient but very thick forest of stone timber pine.
"Yes Gramma?" Your family asked as all of you came into the place.
"Nora Dear, Meredith had an accident early this morning, she's dying and the Ambergreens need a miracle." Agnes informed you as she took your hand and led you over to Merideth for you to see her for yourself as your eyes went wide to see all the blood still coming from Merideth.
"What happened?" You asked.
"She suffered a fall and a kick from a horse, she's losing her womb and might lose her life if you don't help. So if you would give her a measure of your health and strength so that she can recover and trade your womb for hers, the Ambergreens are ready to make a trade with you and your family." Agnes revealed before you and your family turned towards the Ambergreens.
"Agnes has told us of your wishes to have a tavern, if your Nora will do the trade, your family can have Nirewen as your home and tavern." Lord Collin offered your father.
"But with us inheriting such a castle, we could never hope to pay for its rent." Your mother paled.
"Oh no, no. You see, we would be moving into Dunbower with the Whiteales upon Merideth's wedding and Dale is to be combined with Fits then to make Fitsdale. The future of Dale rests on this. You would not rent Nirewen, you would own it. No rent due- ever. You would own it- deed- lock, stock and barrel." Lord Ambergreen offered as Merideth's eyes struggled to stay open as Collin knew that it would only be a few more moments that she could stay alive. They were down to the wire.
"And pay only 5% of whatever your profits would be when you open up your tavern in Nirewen. You could even rename it to whatever you wish. Please, we are desperate. Everything we have rests with Merideth and it'll come to naught if she's not saved." Isolade desperately added to her husband's offer.
"Miss Nora, is there anything we can offer you personally to incite you to make the trade? Gowns? Jewels? A ladyship?" Isolade asked as she came and grasped your hands with her thin, wrinkled and trembling ones as her gaze implored yours as your mind was a blank from the overwhelming nature of the circumstances.
"Miss Nora, if you'll do the trade, I'll bless...this cauldron, it will be just as blessed as your womb and health. And whatever you make in it each day, for yourself and your family and your parent's tavern, it'll give you limitless amounts of it until you ask it to stop each night. And you will be heiress of the tavern itself and it will keep you better than any husband could and you'd have a say in how it's run. And you will never have to marry unless you absolutely wish to, for love and only love if you wish. And you can leave it to whoever you wish to when you grow old, whether you birthed them or not." Agnes incited desperately herself because she had helped birth Merideth herself and was fond of the sweet if not sickly girl. The Ambergreens' investments in Merideth's health was half of Agnes' living practically.
"But if I'm trading my womb, for a dying one, doesn't that mean I won't have children of my own anyway?" You hesitantly asked.
"That's why you could adopt! Your whole family can adopt whoever you wish to, all of you can take on the Souja name and all of you would again, only pay a tiny 5% tax on your profits, not your whole income, just your profits. Every year from now until the end of your days." Isolade insisted before you looked at your parents.
"It's your body and health Nora, it's your choice. You would be the one making the sacrifice. But if you do make the trade, I swear you'll get every penny from each plate or bowl of whatever you make from that cauldron as your earnings and you'd inherit the Tavern itself." Your Da vowed as they all nodded their agreements.
"Then I will trade my womb and a measure of my health to Merideth. I trust it will take time to do, but I wish for this to be in a contract that everyone will sign so that no that no one may go back on it, no matter what." You insisted.
"Oh absolutely." Isolade readily agreed before she looked expectantly to her husband who looked pained because he would never get any more than that measly 5% of profits but in order to save Merideth and to a greater extent- Dale, he nodded his agreement before Agnes began to throw things into her magicked cauldron and turned on her soul forge. She then had you lay down on an extra cot next to Merideth before you reached out and held Merideth's cold, clammy hand with your own.
"It'll be ok Lady Merideth." You swore to her before she turned as you did the same and held onto each other's hands tightly.
"How much of a measure of my health can I give her?" You asked Agnes.
"She'll need at least a third of it if she is to recover from this." Agnes answered.
"Give her half, that way she can recover just as much as I can in a short while without either of us being in too much danger. Like splitting a bunch of chive onions. It's hard to regrow the bush from just a few. If we split the bunch half way, it won't be long before they're back to full size right?" You reasoned.
"Bless you Miss Nora," Meredith smiled tiredly before she used the last of her strength to kiss your knuckles on your intertwined hands as Isolade repeated her daughter's sentiment and happily took off the necklace and broach she was wearing and put them on you as you laid there as her thanks for the trade.
"No, My Lady, I don't need..." You tried to stop her and refuse them.
"No I insist, you're saving Merideth's life this day and sacrificing your own to save hers. Much more is owed to you and I hope in time you'll receive what you're owed. But this is all I can offer you now. Please, honor me by accepting it." Isolade prompted before you nodded your agreement, not being able to argue with her further.
"You'll be alright Lady Merideth, Gramma Agnes is the best healer, she'll set us both right." You confidently insisted before Agnes put you both into a translike sleep and showed everyone else out of the house while Lord Ambergreen and your Da drew up a contract to be signed by themselves, as well as yourself and Merideth when you would wake up from the procedure.
By sunset, you both woke back up as both of you felt your lower bellies ache, you felt like you were coming down with the worst flu of your life while Merideth felt better than she had ever felt before in her life aside from the ache in her lower belly too. Her once sickly complexion, was now rosey and the light in her eyes now glowed with more health than she had previously had and instead of being so tiny and frail, she had some meat on her bones and even some fat to spare so that her wedding dress would need to be refitted but she could now bear little ones with ease. Which is all she really needed and wanted.
"Now, let them rest for at least a fortnight. Give them both bone broth and fresh clean water for the next two or three days. Then when they have stomach for it- soups and stews for a few days after that. Then gentle foods after that for a few days and then they should have a regular diet. Full of nutritious foods to build up their strength, but both will make a full recovery before the wedding." Agnes coached your family and the Ambergreens after you and Merideth both read the contract after Agnes added her bit to it.
Her bit was that not only could the Souja's adopt all who they wished to- but any business bearing the name Souja also would only pay 5% of profits as well. And Agnes had agreed to change her Apothecary 's name to Souja Apothecary. And she too would have the last name of Souja since she was a widow. So she too would only ever have to pay the smaller tax as her own payment for her work as all parties signed it since Merideth and yourself would be the parties involved once your parents passed as well as hers and that the Souja's taxes would always be paid to her and her choice of heirs in the future Fitsdale.
"Thank you Miss Nora. Is there anything I might do for you? Could I make you one of my bridesmaids for my wedding perhaps?" Meredith offered as she watched you sign it after she did.
"Only if you really want me to. You've always been kind to me, My Lady. If you will have me as a bridesmaid- then I will have you as a guest of the tavern once we open it up for business and I'll do my best to make you as fine a meal as I can." You offered.
"I would like that, might we be friends then?" Meredith proposed.
"Aye, I would count myself happy and fortunate to have a friend like you, your Ladyship." You nodded.
"Merry," Merry offered her hand to shake.
"Nora." You grinned as you shook hands. Meredith was after all a sweet girl. Only about a year older than you were.
Four months later, Lady Meredith Ambergreen became Lady Merideth Whiteale. You were one of her bridesmaids, wearing the finest dress you had ever put on and the nicest, most comfortable shoes too that matched the dress. You were wearing the jewels Isolade had given you and had even danced a fair bit at her wedding and had even danced with Lords and other nobility from all over Creegaria.
However, once they learned that you were just a farmer's daughter and were wearing "charity wealth" given to you for 'saving Lady Merideth from an accident before the wedding'. The others made no effort to do anything more than dance with you, abandoning any further designs they might have had which was a relief to you.
Fits and Dale became Fitsdale that day.
Ten months after the wedding, Meredith gave birth to her first son, Richard Whiteale the Fourth. The heir to the Whiteale name and the city state of Fitsdale and the Whiteales were given the status of Viscounts by King Griar since he ruled all of the nation of Creegaria and had just married his son, The Crown Prince Griar the Second to a moura bride from Dorierra, Lila. Who was apparently old friends with the Queen of Yekmeni and because of their close, personal relationship and the political one- Creegaria was now in the Dorrierran Alliance.
And Creegaria and Fitsdale soon boomed in business because of it. And all of the nobility in the country received an advancement, and promotion in noble title rank at the wedding that the King and Queen of Creegaria held that hosted royalty and nobility from all over the world. Even the King and Queen of Yekmeni attended themselves, Queen Audravienne Azurah's pregnant belly already large and heavy at the time as she was only a month away from giving birth to her first child too. But she would not miss the wedding of her friend Lila and only a week later had to go to Solowards to attend the wedding of her other friend Lavena to the Crown Prince Griar the Third- of Solowards before she went back home only weeks before she gave birth to her son. Crown Prince Ahi-Shumai.
The blessing soon spread to all of Fitsdale. Tadiating from Dunbower and Souja Tavern. Agnes had been so moved by your own selflessness and willingness to help and sacrifice even your own health for someone you had barely known at the time. Agnes added a special blessing that as long as the Whiteales, Ambergreens and your family honored the contract both in the letter and in spirit- that success, prosperity, wealth and comfort would follow all of you.
And she had made sure that like those proverbial bunches of chive onions, both you and Merideth both- not only did each of your health grow back out to full size, but then some. So that both of you now enjoyed excellent health and when your family moved into Nirewen, your family also bought Souja Apothacary for Agnes to own soon after- since your stews were a big hit among all those who tasted them and paid for a bowl.
In that first year, your parents had adopted many other families. Almost all of them being widows and their children in old Dale as well as old Fits as your family moved them into a wing of Souja Tavern. Each family having a large room to themselves so that all of you could work in the Tavern as room and all their meals being provided for them in addition to making a living in the Tavern so that the Tavern itself kept your family and the widows and their children better than most husbands could. Since most of the younger menfolk had been lost in the last war Creegaria fought in only a decade before.
All of you now bore the Souja name to become one larger extended family to fill up Souja Tavern and help make it the largest and best one in all of Creegaria. All of you had helped to renovate Nirewen since it was practically an ancient old wooden castle whose timbers had been rotted out and needing replacing for over half a century but had stood for centuries before that.
But Nirewen's name had changed to Souja Tavern after Merideth's wedding and your family moved in- once the Ambergreens moved out of Nirewen and moved into the Whiteale's Dunbower. And in that first year, your skills had grown from the best cook in your family, to the best cook in all of old Dale and soon to be all of Fitsdale.
Only the cooks at Dunbower were better but not by much. And that was only because they had access to better ingredients, a bigger and more expansive garden and had more experience.
But you were getting better every day.
Within three months of the procedure, you were back to full health and churning out delicious food that had every worker- building up the port in Fitsdale coming to Souja Tavern to eat before they would go home to the worker village that had been built to house all the workers.
Meanwhile Merideth's health was also full and she no sooner had her son than three months later, got pregnant with her second and life went on with this new normal.
Five years after that Merideth's wedding- Souja Tavern had grown in size and great popularity along with Fitsdale. Which then became a gigantic port city. Nearly the whole state was one huge city as your family then bought up most of old Dale, first buying up lands then building upwards when they could no longer expand outwards. The Souja name branched out into almost every conceivable business it wanted and needed to have. Until this part of Fitsdale was known as The Souja District. Because the Souja name was not just on all the names of all the businesses but on all the deeds to the properties too.
Everyone in the 9 seas knew of Fitsdale and most importantly Souja Tavern soon after it's opening five years prior.
Now Fitsdale, ruled by Viscount Richard Whiteale and his wife Merideth after his parents stepped down. He was a good and fair Lord and thanks to Creegaria being part of the Dorierran Alliance meant war was no longer a threat and trade was booming. His lands were always welcoming to merchants of all kinds and since Fitsdale was a port city state with a natural bay that had been developed into a port as fine as any other.
The port also sported three shipyards. One owned by the Whiteales, One owned by Salgria Shipping and the third was owned by the King of Creegaria because of that old, large and super dense forest. The lumbar to be had in Fitsdale was some of the best in the Supersphere because it was an ancient forest of stone timber pine. A wood so hard yet fine and strong it was like you were building with stone. But flexible enough to make both seaships and skyships with as well as any house and of course a good and sturdy harbor with many docks for many ships of all sizes and kinds.
Nirewen had originally been built with stone timbers which is how and why it lasted as long as it had. But in the renovations, your family was replacing one section and wing at a time with stone from the quarry to keep the threat of fire at bay. And by now Fitsdale has also built and kept one of the largest skyports as well because of an old mountain that had settled into a hill with gently sloping sides in the very middle of the city that made building winding roads easy to get goods up and down the hill in every direction and the largest main road from the Fitsdale Skyport, dumped out right across the street from Souja Tavern.
Fitsdale was a magnet for commerce and travelers and often people going to or from Dorrierra in both the western direction through Wakanear and the Brighway Line or eastern towards the Middle Eastern Continent, The Silk and Spice Routes to the Orient through the Enodia Straight and the Southern Poles, to Fitsdale to Forestrong in Solowards ruled by King Grenver. Or really any other place, often passed through here.
Because of the size of Fitsdale's harbor, even the largest or smallest ships could find proper docking here. Even warships on their way to conquer lands far beyond here- traveled through here to restock and resupply because of the Dorierran Alliance or D.A. as it was known. Being in the D.A. meant that they were safe from the threat of war and invasion but could still do business with others who still engaged in such tactics both in and out of the D.A.
All the docks themselves lined with a broad, stout and sturdy boardwalks still made out of those stone timbers. They were wide enough that two mammoths with their load and cargo and carts could pass each other easily. And Souja Tavern was situated perfectly on the main road- Maveler, from the Fitsdale Skyport to the Fitsdale Seaport and all three shipyards. Salgria Shipyard being the closest. So Souja Tavern had its fair share of merchants and sailors from both ports along with the locals.
And often ships who often didn't have need to be here in the first place, could take shelter in the large protected bay in bad weather. And whose passengers could also take refuge in Fitsdale instead of having to wait out the weather on the ship itself. And almost all of the ships happily let their crews take their holidays in Fitsdale between loads and even the Skyport had hundreds of braced holders for the sky ships to dock in bad weather so the winds didn't whip the boats into each other.
So since Fitsdale's population could swell with the tide. Souja Tavern was built to accommodate the swells with ease. The wooden fortress like castle was slowly changing from wood to stone. One wall and wing at a time seeing as how another quarry had just been opened up that was under the old thick ancient forest that was still being taken down to use the lumber for the ever growing city of Fitsdale and it's many houses, ports, docks, shipyards and harbors.
The port town seemed to boom into a full fledged major city after the Whiteales really built up the Fitsdale Seaport and the Fitsdale Skyport and especially once the shipyards came in to build their ships as well.
The Whiteales commissioned the building and installing of large cranes right on the docks that would pick up loads right from the docks or the belly of the ships and swing them over to either a different ship or to a cart and helped build up the protected cove. The Whiteales received their investment back almost a hundred fold because Fitsdale just grew and grew ever since.
Even now- five years later, the outskirts of town were getting settled and developed while merchants were building large and fine houses indeed just outside the city. So that the Whiteales and Ambergreens were not the only nobility in the area anymore. Now, the Souja family were the highest ranking merchants in Fitsdale so that the name Souja soon became synonymous with Fitsdale along with the Whiteale name and the Salgria Shipping name as well.
And thanks to some renovation by your parents and their large extended family. The Souja Tavern was relatively new and still getting renovated, updated and upgraded constantly. The swinging and banging of hammers and saws a constant roar in the cacophony of sounds in the place. Usually in the fair weather, that's when the work on the outside of the place was done. But in the winter and "off season" that's when the work on the insides of the place concentrated.
And thanks to your parent's savvy business sense, as well as your own, even when all the ships were out of port and all that was left was the locals in the off season. Souja Tavern did just fine because Souja was a favorite of the area.
Even the Whiteales coming from Dunbower just to come and have a meal when doing business in the heart of the city, by now, Merideth and yourself were some of the best of friends. Even as different as your life paths were as Merry had taught you how to run Souja Tavern and the other Souja businesses since she had been educated in how to run a castle and state and you were a very eager pupil. And the more you learned and the more sage advice Merry gave you that you put into practice, the better things went. And often people coming through Fitsdale, often raved that you needed to stay at least one night in Souja Tavern and be treated like both a royal and like family.
In the five years since the wedding, she had had a child every year since while you had adopted two children yourself. Often her, Agnes' daughter Ainsley and yourself had all of your children playing together while Ainsley, Merry and yourself ate in a private booth and chatted or played a card game while Richard and your father and brothers did their own business in the main hall. Richard double checked your father's books to make sure Merideth received what was properly owed to her. Since Merideth received all of Souja's taxes to herself personally that helped pay for her own needs and wants like gowns and such while Richard received everything from everyone else.
Richard had also been moved by your sacrifice, since he had noticed a marked change after the incident but kept the whole truth of the matter a closely guarded secret. To keep the dignity and safety and security of his wife, children safe. As well as the livelihood of Fitsdale. You now counted him a good friend too. Something like a brother in law, and with the two of you looking a fair amount alike- it was very easy to pass off his own children by Merideth as their pure blooded children by himself and Merideth, simply taking after their father much more than their mother. Although whenever you got to meet Merry's children, you couldn't help but notice they looked quite a bit like you too. In both looks and personality. But while you were drawn to Merry's children emotionally and instictively. Mentally you knew that she was the one to concieve, carry and birth them. You just donated your womb to her- to make her dreams possible for her.
Besides, having adopted two children yourself, any mothering need you instinctively felt was perfectly sated by having them. And it was something you had a hard time explaining. The first time you saw your children, your heart just instantly told you that they were your children and that you needed to take care of them and protect them like they were your own. And while you didn't birth them yourself, you were very strongly bonded to them like you had, and they were very strongly bonded to you too. So you were family of three, a Ma and two kids. You had a tiefling hybrid daughter named Lena. And a boy who you had no idea what speices of person he was. But he was slate gray but with bright white hair and had horns like a tiefling but no tail. And he couldn't climb the walls the way Lena could and liked to do. And he and a boy. So your mother had simply called him- your gray son and Grayson stuck. They were a handful but you loved them dearly and the fact that they were orphaned and came to Souja well past nursing age- meant you could take them on pretty easily and didn't need to rely on Agnes to give your body a spell to make your bosom ready to nurse babes, like she had done with several others. In fact, almost every orphan in Fitsdale found themselves here and found either a parent or a pair of parents or even a group of parents to adopt them since the others had been adopted too.
And when the Souja Family would celebrate the holidays. It honestly looked like a random group of people from all over the supersphere together. But yet, all of you found a way to make it work while your father kept a very important book to differentiate who was related to who and who, who was married to who and who adopted or gave birth to who.
Collin and Isolade Ambergreen were now retired age and liked to stay to Dunbower with Richard's parents and happily cared for Merideth's children so that Merideth could oversee the goings on in the castle Dunbower herself. It was decided that your daughter Lena and Merideth's daughter Tabita as well as Ainsley's daughter would continue to the contract you and Merideth had entered into which Ainsley Mariot agreed to and signed off on as well since it was now referred to as 'the ladies agreement'.
One of the biggest reasons why the Souja Tavern did just fine- besides the clean warm rooms because each room now had a fireplace of its own. Thanks to it's now stone construction. And besides the bathhouse. Since Nirewen had originally been built over a set of hot and cold springs. Supplying the now grand Souja Tavern with hot and cold running water that had been plumbed into the whole tavern. And the Souja family had put a water toilet in each room, which was a grand modern convenience. Besides all of that, Souja Tavern did just fine because the food and drink were excellent.
Souja didn't have the fanciest food, but it did have some of the best in all of the port. Besides the kitchens in the Whiteale's castle Dunbower, which was why it was full of the locals even when all the sailors and visitors weren't around in the off season.
And the Alewives that worked at Souja were practically the best in the country and far beyond and Souja Tavern was lucky to boast of at least two dozen Alewives. All of them having an apprentice or two and happy to take the Souja name as well while keeping a fair bit of independence. Each one with her specialties. Each one choosing to make at least three different kinds of ales, lagers, stouts, meads, grog and such. So that the bar had a vast variety.
And some of the men who worked at Souja worked for the lumberyard and built giant caskets and barrels to store and age the ales and other spirits and the bar was built to store the barrels right there at the bar while the stronger men took care of carrying and loading and restocking the bar itself while the Alewives dispensed their own brews. All of them happy to compete with each other for the best stein of ales, lagers, grog and whatnot each night they worked. All of them working in shifts so that none of them got overworked or burnt out doing it either.
Yes Souja Tavern, and by a greater extention- The Souja District was great success indeed.