Chamberlain's Struggles

Chapter 8

Over the next few months, Chamberlain did his job well. He took the queen's orders and concerns from the villagers back to her. Prince Lyrin had showed him around and even made friends with him.

Sil found out that Lyrin's father had been killed in Rakkida attacks. He felt that part, remembering his ordeal alone. He also had four younger siblings that were too young to have jobs at all other than just have fun and learn things about what their society was about.

At first, Sil's duties had been more confined to the delivery of messages. But after his ribs had healed a couple of months later, Athya did start giving him some jobs that were done involving some farming like jobs. He even got to go on a day job with Byron one time too and he got to see what Byron did all day in the fields with the Mounders, which didn't seem like much to him. But they did bring in crops from the fields too for food preparation in the evenings.

At one time, Sil was seeking out Wyneth for concerns for Athya of the coming babies in the village, and he happened to find her at one of the homes when the mother was actually in labor too. The screaming was a bit too much for him to handle and Wyneth told him to leave immediately, as this was a bad time. He did leave.

Chamberlain had adapted well to his new home and job, but there were still things that he did miss from, like his mate. He often thought of La and dreamt about her. He wished he could see her again.

Byron no longer went to Wyneth's home. Sil had moved out of her home and into his home after her outburst at him that time he had bad timing at the home where the mom was having her child that day.

Byron showed Sil more of the job of taking care of himself when it came to mealtimes. How to prepare certain foods, and if there required the killing of an animal for meat, Byron showed him how to catch it with netting materials, how to stay upwind or downwind of it and being quiet. He learned much from Byron.

Sil mostly only ate meat in the evening, as when he was in Queen Athya's home during the day, he was given mostly fruit and vegetables, as that was the most of the Gelfling diet.

On two other separate occasions, Sil was just doing his job of delivering messages, and with those times, he also met the two other expectant mothers to be. One was nearly at term, while the other one was mid-term. The mates of the pregnant females took care of the affairs with Sil while the males made sure their pregnant mates kept their distance from the Skeksis messenger. They still weren't so trusting of him even though he had been with them for a little while now.

Chamberlain wondered what it would truly take for the Gelflings to fully trust him. But when he looked at the Gelfling mates together made him long for his own that got left behind.

And from the outside, other Gelfling villages were being attacked by the Garthim viciously. The one where Sil was had been unnoticed for a long time.
.................

Sil had now been with the Gelflings for over 4 and half months. He had been doing his job well, but some things had been disturbing him of late, other than missing his mate.

He had begun to have trouble sleeping at night, he had weird cravings, he felt some weird feelings in his stomach after he ate and at bedtime. He also felt some weight in his stomach as well. Something was going on. And he was nearly always hungry too. And he couldn't help it if he nearly tripped over his own feet doing something.

Athya and Byron were easily noticing changes in the Skeksis. There were also mood swings. Some villagers complained of him to them, especially if they were an untrusting Gelfling.

Queen Athya summoned Chamberlain before her one day. He had a scroll ready to take her orders.

"Ready for orders." He said.