Quinn
"I'm sorry you're greeted with such devastation, my lady," Eden said as we descended the stairs.
"Just call me Quinn," I said.
Behind me, Sara asked, "Will you be returning to Bedford?"
I glanced at her, wondering why she'd ask me that.
"Why would I be?"
She looked confused. "But why wouldn't you be? There's nothing here but destruction. As a lady, this must be horrible for you to see."
"You're a lady, too," I said. "But you managed."
"We're different," Eden said. "We've seen, been through so much that it's normal. Us Norsewood people are different. We're used to the roughness and challenge that life gives us, unlike the ladies of the capital. They, you are not used to this sort of thing."
She was implying that ladies of the capital were soft, I supposed, just as Calla and Iris were soft and sheltered and spoiled and wouldn't be able to handle living this rough.
I said, "I'm not returning to Bedford. As Aldric's wife, this is my home now."
Eden said, "There isn't even a room for you, my lady. The master chamber has already been destroyed."
"Quinn," I said again. "Please call me Quinn, and I don't need a master chamber." I shrugged my shoulders. "I'll make myself a master suite."
"Make yourself a master suite?" Sara asked, looking perplexed. "What's a master suite?"
"It's like a master chamber but with better amenities. Can you tell me how many refugees there are here?" I asked as we came to the landing of the first floor.
"Refugees?" Eden asked.
"I mean people," I said. "How many people are there here?"
"Around five hundred if you include us," Frances said. "And many more still out there across Norsewood, starving."
"Five hundred, eh?" I said and then turned around to face the three women. "All right, since it's getting dark, I think preparing dinner and arranging sleeping quarters is in order."
Frances said, "We have the kitchen staff preparing bread and soup for everyone."
I suspected it must be hard rye bread and bland soup.
"Then please go and tell them to stop," I said.
"Why?" Sara asked, again, looking perplexed.
"Because I'm going to make everyone dinner," I said and turned on my heel. As I walked, I continued. "Where's the best place to set up a table?"
"Table? What for?" Eden asked.
"To serve everyone food," I said.
"That'd be in the great hall," Frances said.
"Good, we'll do it there, then."
In the great hall, I spotted Elizabeth already tending to some of the mothers with newborns while Maria aided the elderlies. When they saw me, they came rushing over.
"Quinn," Maria said. "Are we going to do something?"
I nodded. Turning to Elizabeth, I said, "Mother, can you please gather all the parents and their newborns and any parents with toddlers that need breastfeeding. Let me see." I scanned around the place. "Ah, ask them to gather over there close to that fireplace." It was away from the shattered windows, so I thought it wouldn't be too drafty.
Elizabeth nodded and hurried off to begin her duty.
Turning to Maria, Frances, Eden, and Sara, I said, "Can you please ask the people close to the end of the hall to move back. I need space."
"Why?" Sara asked. Goodness, but she was always full of whys this new sister-in-law of mine.
Maria said, "Just do it. Quick."
Still looking as confused as ever, Frances, Eden, and Sara did as instructed, requesting the refugees to move back, thus giving me a decent enough space to work with.
Now, I thought, as I crouched down and planted my palm on the cold, stone floor. Then I closed my eyes and summoned my magic circle. I heard loud gasps echoing across the hall and whisperings of, "What's going on? What's happening? What's my lady doing?"
What was I doing? Feeding you all was what I was doing.
Hmm. What should I feed them? Something warm and hearty. Something soft for the elderlies and the children. Something delicious.
Aha! Beef stew with carrots, potatoes, and sweet potatoes served with soft, warm rolls of bread. As for dessert, it should be apple and berry crumbles served with orange custard. For drinks, obviously, tea, coffee, and hot cocoa, and of course, the usual hot and cold water.
I finally lifted my hand, stood, and drew back as my magic circle started doing its work. Within seconds, five tables materialized. One had cutlery and was stacked with stainless steel food trays that had compartments perfect for serving multiple dishes at the same time. Three had trays filled with freshly baked rolls of bread and more trays with baked apple and berry crumbles and pots of orange custard. There were three big iron pots, one on each table, filled with beef stew. The last table was set up for serving drinks, with mugs ready and five dispensers, with the labels of which types of drinks in the common as well as English language.
The magic was done within minutes, and by then, it was loud and crowded, with people staring—in both shock and amazement—at the food on offer before them. They were clearly starving, and the delicious aroma that suddenly filled the air certainly didn't help tamp down their hunger.
I turned to Frances, Eden, and Sara, who had their mouths dropped opened and their eyes wide in disbelief. I said, "Can you please get the other women in the families and the cooks and maids here. I'll show everyone how to serve."
They managed to regain their senses, and Sara went rushing off to call in the cooks and the maids while Eden called in their cousins. About ten minutes later, they surrounded me. I began demonstrating how to serve, then the cooks and the maids took their stations. Meanwhile, Maria, along with the maids, was tasked with telling everyone to line up and pick up food trays and cutlery while Eden, Sara, Frances, and their cousins and a few other maids took the already-filled food trays and mugs to the children, elderlies, and those severely unwell, some with burn scars, and some who couldn't walk.
Within no time, three lines were formed, and there was a loud buzzing of excitement and anticipation. While that was happening, I turned my attention to the mothers with newborns and toddlers Elizabeth had gathered.
"My lady," one said, taking my hands gently in hers. "You truly are sent to us by the deities." There was a series of nodding of the heads in agreement.
I didn't know whether I was sent here by a higher power or not, but I guessed since I had the ability to, there was no way I wouldn't help. They were my people now, after all.
I summoned my magic circle and created another station, this one for the newborns. It had baby bottles and a dispenser with formula milk, and it'd always kept fresh and warm, magically. At the bottom of the table there were also diapers in different sizes, baby wipes, rubbish bags, and different sizes of warm infant clothing, mostly colorful onesies with animal ear hoodies. Once Elizabeth had gathered the parents around, and there were quite a number of them, I began my demonstrations.
"This here is baby formula milk," I said. "What you do is take a baby bottle, open the lid, and do this." I put the bottle under the dispenser and pushed the release button. "The milk will pour out. When you think it's enough, just pull away and then put on the lid and tighten it." I turned to a woman standing close to me and asked, "May I?"
She nodded, and I said, "Just feed the baby like this." I gently touched the baby and then put the nipple into the baby's mouth, who began to suck.
Suddenly, the mother burst out crying and chuckling at the same time while the husband said, "He's drinking. He's drinking."
The mother looked up to me and said, "Thank you, my lady. Thank you..."
I showed them how to use the diapers and baby wipes next and dressing the babies into onesies. I'd think about introducing bathing later. There were a lot of noises from the mothers at seeing the onesies, and I knew they liked the clothing. The cute animal ears on the hoodies made them even more adorable.
Half an hour later, after a series of questions from the parents about using the baby products, I left them to it, the others lining up and taking turns getting the formula milk for their babies while others began changing their babies and dressing them in new clothing.
Returning my attention to the main hall, I was surprised to see that a whole lot of people were crying while they were eating. Why?
I paced over to Eden who was currently eating with the children, Jonah, Abigail, and Alexander included, and I asked, more than a little concerned, "What's going on? Why are they crying?"
Eden, apparently also in tears, said, "It's been a month since we had proper food, let alone something like this, Quinn. They're just so happy."
So happy that they must cry?
Abi toddled to me and with her little hands, she raised them, holding her food tray. She said, "For you."
I knelt down and smiled at her. Rubbing her grubby cheek, I said, "It's all right, sweetie, you have it. I'll get some later."
Suddenly, a booming voice said, "What in heavens is going on? Why are people crying?"
It sounded like Uncle Colt, and I turned to see not only the man, but Aldric and the others from the conference room, too. I stood as Aldric came over to me.
He looked around at the people gobbling down their dinner, some crying and others smiling, while yet others were waiting impatiently for their turns to get served. Though his face was a hard mask, I knew he appreciated what I was doing because of the look in his eyes. Returning his attention to me, he lifted his hand and stroked my hair. "Thank you."
I grinned at him. "We don't have to worry about food," I said. "But I do want to check the stock that's still available in the storage." I gazed up at the shattered windows. "Is it worth fixing, do you think? Or should I start distributing tents and sleeping bags?"
Aldric gaze up at the windows, too, and said, "Can you do it with your magic?"
I nodded. "I can, but it'd require everyone to leave, so right now, it's not doable since it's dark and cold outside."
"Then for tonight, a sleeping bag would suffice," he said. "They've been sleeping in worse conditions."
"I know," I said. "But I think the vulnerable will need tents. That'd at least keep them warm at night. Also, I'm curious about that." I pointed to the chandelier in the middle of the hall.
"Are you curious about the light, lassie?" It was Uncle Colt who said that. I turned to him and saw he had a food tray in one hand and a spoon in another. He continued. "Eden said you made this with your magic. I've never had anything like this before, lassie. I'd never even imagined I'd get to eat something this nice in my life. And the soft bread. How in heavens did you manage to make it like that?"
"I'm glad you like the food," I said. "About that chandelier." I stared up at the crystals that were glowing and giving out soft, warm, golden light, like a light bulb. "How does it do that, giving out light?"
"Magic crystal, lassie," Uncle Colt said. "It's very rare and very expensive. We managed to get some during a dungeon raid about eight years ago. It uses mana."
"I see," I said. "How very interesting." Turning to Uncle Colt, I asked, "Are there any around I can have a look at?"
He nodded. "I'll see if I can find one for you, lassie." Changing the subject, he said, "We're very blessed to have you as one of us, lassie. Aldric is very lucky to have you as his bride."
"Uncle," Aldric said.
Chuckling and doing his uttermost to hide his emotions, Uncle Colt patted Aldric on the shoulder and me on my head and turned on his heel, striding toward the children on the other side of the hall. Instantly, they surrounded him, and when he sat down, a few even climbed on his large back and straddled his mighty shoulders. He was one big, gentle bear, all right.
Two hours later, after everyone had had their meals, some eagerly opting for seconds and more dessert, and kids were burping from gulping down hot cocoas, which was apparently their new favorite drinks now, I summoned my magic circles and created at least one hundred tents and five hundred sleeping bags and pillows. Vincent, Theo, Liam, and some male servants and young men distributed those, tents to families with the vulnerable, and sleeping bags and pillows to everyone. There was a lot of oohs and aahs as demonstrations were held as to how to unzip the tents and open the sleeping bags. I guessed there was no zipper in this world.
Well, zippers weren't invented back on earth until the nineteenth century, and considering Athol was closer to a medieval era, a device like that would be mind-blowing.
Once the refugees settled in their tents and sleeping bags, a look of content on their faces, Eden took me, Maria, and Elizabeth upstairs to where our sleeping quarters would be. As we went into the room, I noticed the children were getting ready for bed and they looked rather... excited. I suspected it had something to do with the sleeping bags, as they had one each, and couldn't wait to get in.
I asked Eden, "Is there a washroom available?"
"Did you want a bath?" she asked.
"I do," I said. "And the children look like they need one, too."
"We try to keep them as clean as we can," Sara said. "But there isn't enough water for luxuries like that."
"It's all right," I said. "I can make water with my magic. I just need a room I can use to wash, or maybe two, one for each gender."
"We have washrooms on the other side of this wing," Sara said. "They were for servants previously, but now, everyone uses them when there's enough water for a wash."
"Can you show me?"