Southbend

2 FALL SOLSTICE (unedited)

     Fall Solstice. It's my favorite time of year. The end of summer means warm evening air and a perfectly cool breeze. Soon the ground will be littered with leaves and too-ripe apples and the small animals of the forest will hurry by to grab them before they putrefy, filling the air with their sweet stench.

     For now, though, the ground remains free of debris aside from the crisp, brown grass as we cross from the dirt road into the big open field where the whole town has set up for a night of merriment. The Longfoots have, of course, set up an outdoor tavern of sorts. Obviously, the actual tavern to the other end of the field was not going to be enough. They had set up a large tent complete with a bar and tables that will be used more for dancing than sitting once everyone has had their share of Longfoot mead. The three Longfoot sisters seemed to be running the tent—Rose, Rowan, and Rodelia. Two of them are already busy serving mead to people are the bar.

     "Look," Amand said "The Gardners seem to have had their fill already, huh?" He was nodding towards a table in the Longfoot tent. Sure enough, there were the Gardners fumbling around their table already.

     "Oh no," I said, trying not to laugh "what is she doing?" I whispered as we looked on.

     Holly Gardner was using her husband to balance and she tried to climb up onto a bench, a clay stein of ale sloshing in one hand as she climbed.

     "Hold still—ahh!" She let out a small yelp as she fell back down onto the ground, running into her husband. They both laughed and laughed. Everyone in Southbend knew they were madly in love. Even on their drunkest evenings, they were never not laughing and hanging off each other. It was also widely known that the Gardners could not bear younglings--one of the bigger tragedies Southbend had seen in recent days. By day, the Gardners were quiet and contemplative, digging around in the dirt, helping townsfolk with their crops. Perhaps the absence of a child is why they placed such care in their flowering garden beds and those of everyone else in town.

     Everyone knew this actually struck Mr. Gardner the hardest. Or maybe Mrs. Gardner was just ever the optimist. Either way, Mr. Gardner did not take the news well from our healer the day he paid them a house visit. No one saw him for months. Mrs. Gardner still assisted the townsfolk when blight hit our crops west of the river and began to spread, but Mr. Gardner could not be reigned back in from his sadness for almost a year.

     But alas, here they were. Drunk as skunks. I laughed. After all they'd been through, here they were.

     "What?" Amand asked.

     I shook my head but still smiled, "After what they went through," I said "and here they are. Drunken kids." I laughed and cozied in closer to him, still holding onto his arm from our walk over.

     "If you can't laugh and be drunken fools together, what's the point?" Amand said.

     Mrs. Gardner had finally settled back down onto the bench next to her husband. She sat drinking her ale with her arm in his, her head on his shoulder.

     "Drunken fools", I laughed, "How about some Longfoot mead?" I asked.

     "You took the words right out of my mouth, Peony Undertree."

                                                                            *

     "You slimy, slippery SNAKE!"

     "Say that again you COWARD!!"

     Amand slammed his fists on the table, shaking steins and bowls, sloshing ale and mead. He laughed then and took a swig of his own ale.

     "Two out of three?" he said, wiping foam from his ginger beard.

     "You're dreaming if you think you're gonna win again." Theo said.

     The two halfling men posted up again, fists at the ready.

     "This can only end well" I said, "I'm going to get my fill of Longfoots".

     I stood up from the wobbly wooden bench and made my way up to the bar where Rodelia Longfoot was sliding a tray of bread and chowder across the wood counter to Kenai Greenleaf.

     "'Preciate it, Miss Rodelia", Kenai mumbled, looking down and spooning the hot chowder into his mouth. His dark hair hung around his face when he leaned over, emphasizing his angular features. Despite the festivities, Kenai remained cloaked in his wool hood, a leather baldric and belt around his torso. In recent days, he had taken to patrolling the edge of the Darkfern Woods, though he wouldn't tell anyone why or what he was looking for.

     "Holly certainly worked her magic after the drought last year," Rodelia said "and you know it's just Rodelia, Mister Greenleaf".

     Kenai grumbled, a mouth full of bread and chowder, "fair enough" he said, brushing wavy brown hair from his brow.

     Rodelia noticed me standing to the left of Kenai and made her way over, releasing the mysterious Kenai Greenleaf from her soft gaze. "What'll it be?" she asked sweetly, flashing a smile and leaning on the counter.

     I steadied my gaze, not forgetting the brief but sweaty evening Rodelia and I shared last harvest inside her father's brew house.

     "Just a refill please, ma'am" I said, setting my now empty cup on the sticky counter.

     "Sure enough," Rodelia said, uncorking a bottle from behind the bar, "Only the finest for Southbend's fairest."

     I grabbed the full stein from the counter, giving Rodelia a curt nod as thanks, and headed back across the tent to where Amand had seemingly just lost for a second time to Theo.

     Amand looked up at me, grinning "She seems in good spirits, now, doesn't she?" He said laughing, fully aware of the brew house incident.

     "Shut it," I said, taking a swig of mead. "I'm going to go for a walk up to the ridge."

     "You need any company?" Amand asked, now concerned.

     "Nah, just need some air," I replied, standing again "I'll be back soon."