The Love That Bonds Us

Chapter 28 : Woodcarver And Queen

IDUNA

I stood outside the carpenters shop, clutching my satchel against my chest and breathing hard. I was sweating in the thick clothes Thomas had advised I wore, but that wasn't what was making me so uncomfortable.

I just hadn't anticipated my first day to be so hard.

Halima had helped me prepare the day before and I was all set and ready to get started, but now, standing here was like standing in that Castle ballroom for the first time. The only difference being I was sure I belonged here. Woodcarving had been something I grew up with, it was the one piece from my heritage that had stayed with me while I grew rusty in every other custom I had once held dear.

A cloud then shifted in the sky and the sun shone so brightly I was momentarily blinded. That's when I remembered Thomas had wanted to see me bright and early and I dashed inside before I was late.

It was much cooler in the shop, and I heaved a sigh of relief, strolling into the workshop where every head immediately turned to me.

Just like Thomas had promised, most of them were young men, around my age and slightly older. These men perked up at the sight of me and I couldn't help but find it just as amusing as Thomas had said it would be.

Some of the others, however, were older men with wiry beards and beady eyes which fixed on me with either curiosity or skepticism.

"Get lost on your way to the dress shop, darlin'?" one of them asked, a sneer spreading across his face.

I frowned and held my head high, opening my mouth to speak when none other than Thomas Jordsen came into view, his power undeniable as a hush fell over the room. Funnily enough, I didn't feel awed by him this time. Maybe his soft and humorous side wasn't shown to many of these men.

"On no, Ernst, don't be daft lad. This is Iduna of Borlun and she is here on a three day trial to show us what she's made of." he said, his voice booming through the workshop.

I smiled at him gratefully as he directed me towards my very own workspace. It was small and fairly cramped, but every workspace was like this.

There was a musty, woody smell hanging in the air throughout the entire room and there were many tools and machinery that clanged away as the rest of the employees got back to work.

"Let me show you the ropes then Borlun." Thomas said, "This is where you will be working for the next three days and then longer if I decide you're right for the job. Under here is a drawer," he pulled it out in demonstration, "where you can keep all your tools and pencils and personal belongings and so on. They can even stay overnight if you wish, the drawers can be padlocked. Then over here," he gestured to the wall beside me, "are all our hooks. This is yours, the one with your name above it. See? You can hang your bags, coats and leather aprons on it. Speaking of which, here is your's." he took down the small, brown apron from the hook and passed it to me.

It was quite heavy for its size and I was grateful that it wasn't so hot inside the workshop, with all the windows open, as I tied it around my waist.

Thomas continued to explain how everything worked. He gave me a break down of each tool I was unfamiliar with and each piece of machinery that I'd be expected to use from time to time. I told him I specialised more with small things, but he said I'd still need to manoeuvre my way around the place, so knowing everything would be hugely beneficial.

Eventually, he got me started on a small project, which was to make a chair for him. I'd never really made anything like that before, but I was willing to take on the challenge and Thomas gave me a stack of plans to help me.