As A Stranger Or A Friend?: The Swallow And The Drowned Sailor

Mariel - 29 Morning Star, 1246 A.D.

"Your bear is quite lovely." I said, smiling as one of the little ones demonstrated their toy to me.

"What about mine, Auntie Anna?!" Another one of the children clamored.

"Yours is lovely too." I gushed softly, "But we mustn't wake the baby."

I pantomimed that we should all be quiet with my free hand, as in the other arm, I cradled their sleeping baby sister against me. The children giggled softly, all imitating me excitedly. I laughed gently with them and smiled at Hilde as she entered the living area where we were all sitting.

"Dorma, be praised. You're so good with them, Anna. Are you certain you have none of your own?" She whispered.

"Quite certain." I replied, feeling somewhat saddened at my own response.

"Were it that I could grant you one of mine, dearie. Or even the latest arrival." She said, setting down a basket filled with clean laundry and coming around to admire her daughter.

"She is still so young. She will need her mother for some time." I remarked, smoothing the baby's hair gently.

"Yes, though you wouldn't know it if you looked at her now." She said with a small laugh.

I smiled. "She is quite friendly."

"She gets it from my Balhur." She declared with a proud smile as she drew away to begin folding the clothes she'd brought in.

"I think you've just proved it comes from you, my dear." Balhur replied as he joined her in the task with a smile of his own.

They continued in relative silence but shared loving looks every now and then as I returned to entertaining the children quietly. It had been over a week since I'd been in the Copperpot home, and I'd concluded they were trustworthy and kind as I'd originally thought. Perhaps I could not tell them the whole truth about my circumstance, but I could easily remain here without needing to be suspicious of them or their motives. They truly treated me as if I was a guest and didn't probe into my business unnecessarily. Yula might be the exception, but that was mostly because it was her natural disposition to be curious. In any case, they fed and clothed me without complaint and made sure I wasn't lonely or wanting for anything, even going so far as coming to have supper with me in my recovery room. It was touching. And once I was well enough to be up and about, they eagerly welcomed me to join them in their daily rituals: family walks, playtime with the children, reading by the fire, and of course, sharing meals.

While I was happy to partake in such activities, I was a little surprised that they trusted me with their children so easily. I certainly had no intentions of harming them in any way, but most families I'd served in the past were somewhat guarded when they employed me to care for their children. Some even observed me with a judgemental and watchful eye, but the Copperpots had no such reservations or habits. They routinely and comfortably, left their children in my care as if I were Yula or some other trusted relative. All of this because Balhur determined that I had a trustworthy nose one night over supper, and therein was enough proof that I was not a threat to his brood. I didn't understand it, but Hilde insisted that he had a sense for the darkness in people, and if he endorsed my goodness, then it must be true that I was indeed harmless.

They were so staunch in their decision that I decided not to go against it and instead went along with his favorable determination so I could make myself useful to them. Watching over their children felt like the least I could do to repay them for nursing me from certain death, and it was hardly a strain for me to do so. It brought me much more joy than I'd anticipated and distracted me from the constant sadness in my heart over my failed quest. But even if such distraction was welcomed, it forced me to question my original plan. When I first arrived, I was determined to escape as soon as possible and resume my journey, but I was unsure of myself now. What did I truly want?

I still desired Axtapor very much, but maybe it really was best not to seek him out. Still, the prospect of not seeing him again saddened me. Not so much time had passed, but already I struggled to remember what he looked like and hadn't dreamt of him at all. I suppose it would only be a matter of time before I forgot his face entirely and all of the other things about him that I once remembered so vividly. Maybe that was sign enough that it really was time to move on...

"Is there anything else I can help with?" I asked them in an effort to pull myself from my melancholy.

"Goodness no, dearie!" Hilde whispered in a flustered manner, waving her hands all around, "You've been such a help already keeping these little ones entertained. It's such a welcome change not being so harebrained going into Solas Week. Last year I even forgot to make my own mask and missed the first night of festivities! Speaking of, did you finish yours, dearie?"

"Yes, the children were quite helpful." I replied with a gentle smile.

"Good, I wouldn't want you to miss out on any of the fun, dearie. Going out and enjoying yourself will be good for your health." She declared; Balhur nodded vehemently beside her as he folded a tiny dress.

"I look forward to it." I said before I gave my attention to one of the children who was trying to show me his blocks.

Solas Week was just around the corner, starting on the first of Sun's Dawn, and despite my general sadness, I was rather looking forward to it. The festivities were to take place in the Square of Seasons at the foothills of Dalton and, apparently, were quite the spectacle to behold. People of all kinds from all over Oepus went to celebrate Solas there due to the fair weather. Most places this time of year were blanketed in layers of snow, so it wasn't difficult to understand why so many might want to celebrate there instead. Especially because all of the festival's events took place at night, and enticing anyone to celebrate in freezing conditions was difficult, if not impossible. The idea of throwing myself into such a public event should be terrifying, but tradition demanded that everyone be masked, so as long as I did not arouse suspicion, I could enjoy the festival as freely as any other.

As Yula had mentioned, Manta was one of the smaller and more remote islands of the Hefredies Isles, so we would need to travel to the main island by ferry and stay the duration of the festivities in a cabin that belonged to Yula's parents. Apparently, she'd sequestered the keys to it, and rather than send them by post; she elected to send herself as the falsely inconvenienced messenger instead. The trip had taken her nearly a month and a half to complete, as she'd come all the way from the Ironsong Hold, but she was young and had an appetite for adventure, so she didn't complain all that much about it. And perhaps it worked to my benefit that she'd journeyed from there directly.

She mentioned once how the way here was lonely and how she wished she had a companion to make the trip with. Maybe I could be that companion. Traveling with her might be safer than going alone and beneficial since she spoke Dwarvish. And it would be a welcome change of pace after going around on my own for so long. But if that is what I decided to do, I would need to keep my wits about me for both of our sakes. And once we were in The Hold, I would have to quietly disappear from her life to make sure she was untouched by my dangerous circumstances. It felt underhanded to think about things this way, but if anything had been made clear to me, it was that I needed to change my ways if I wanted to survive. Perhaps I could even find a way to thrive!

"Would you mind if I took the other children outside for air?" I asked.

"Not at all. It'll be good to tire them out before bed, anyhow. Give me that little baby." Balhur replied with a generous smile.

I handed her off gently to him, then went outside so the other children and I could enjoy the last of the day's sunshine. As I watched them play their make-believe games, my heart lifted. Maybe one day, I would have just as many to call my own. Dwarves liked having large families, and if I planned to travel to The Hold after this, perhaps I should acquaint myself with the idea. I had always thought a small family of two or three might suit me best, seven was quite the brood by comparison, but there was great comfort in having so many loving and smiling faces around. They filled the home with joy and laughter, so despite it being cramped, it was palpably warm and happy. Such a thing might be simple to most, maybe even burdensome to some, as it made for a great many mouths to feed, but for someone like me, it was a dream that I could only dare to hope for.