Across the ocean Book 1: On the run

Chapter Two : The Wedding of Mewen

A fine Tuesday morning marked the beginning of the twenty-first of Velli. The inhabitants of Gimvault were running back and forth within the village, preparing for the ceremony. The church, obviously, would be the center of attention and many brought food in barrels and pots: potatoes, carrots, cabbage, wild berries, loaves and buns of bread, butter, cheese, vinegar... From the inn Slumber of the Woods, some military men brought their own contribution despite not intending to participate: salt. For such a small community, a wedding energized everyone from elder to toddler. Quite understandable, as the church was big enough to welcome the entire population, and parishes were one of the gravity forces within the Kastosian culture for social interaction. Wells, inns, taverns, marketplaces, plazas, harbours, bathhouses and children's gates were all places for socializing, but Gimvault had only the two firsts, but neither the well nor the inn could compare to a church.

A great day was on the horizon and had been gifted a beautiful blue sky with some scattered white clouds too thin and too sparce for rain, but Mayen had yet to wake up. A woodpecker pocked at the shutter in hope of some tasty bug, producing a noise which would have woken up the lad had he not been recuperating from yesterday's insomnia. From the door of his room knocking came, but it was not a bird and the voice from the other side was much less melodious to the ears.

-"Mayen? Mayen I'm entering!"

As soon as the woman opened the door, she resumed talking as if she had not even halted. She threw a wet warm rag to the boy's face. Her name was Lauria, and she was the mother of Mayen and Mewen. She had birthed a girl and two other boys in the past, but the three of them had died within their two first years. It had been quite difficult for her and since the last death she had given up hope of having a bigger family. As a consequence she became overly proud of her first born and overprotective of her cadet, which was also why she, and not Mewen, had come to wake Mayen up. Lauria had blond hair and eyes the same colour as her youngest son.

-"Goodness me! When was the last time we had to wake YOU up?! Hurry and wash yourself son, it's Tuesday morning and the sun is already up! I called you earlier, thought you heard me, apparently not!"

Mayen grabbed the rag and opened his eyes. With a big yawn, the greeting he gave his mother sounded pitifully lame.

-"Your favourite breakfast awaits son: salted pork sausages with honey. Not your every morning meal. Now hurry up!"

He could barely smell the food below with all his senses still numb from sleep.

She walked to the window and opened the shutters, but the light coming from the east could only touch the bedroom's door. Still, fresh air came in and with it the song of birds. For some, the melody of the morning's anthem would be relaxing enough to be a temptation to stay in bed and enjoy; for Mayen, it was nature calling him outside.

-"Nassy came this morning, said she's out of some medicinal herbs."

Lauria had thrown from the wardrobe a tunic dyed blue without looking, barely missing Mayen's eyes. She told him, for the third time, to hurry, but how could he if she kept throwing at him stuff? With a low moaning he washed his face with the wet rag.

-"I—"

Of course, if a mother threw her son a tunic, a pant would come, and once it would have arrived, then undergarments. A mother never used half measures.

-"Mother! Can you please burry me alive with my wardrobe?"

She looked at him, not moving.

-"Get out! Get out before you really do it! I promise I will hurry and get—"

-"Let this be your lesson for not waking up on time~!"

-"I— Rea-lly... Now you throw my undergarments?"