To Buy A Fat Hen

[Elyna]

56 Ashan 717

Another grey day. So Elyna had chosen to wear a dress of dark blue. Brighter than the surrounding world without being garish. She pulled on a warm cloak and kept the hood up, to keep off the chill air. Elsie was similarly dressed in warm stockings, tiny boots, and wrapped up in a fur hood, that served the child as a cloak. Elyna was able to wrap the ends of it around her to keep her snug as they walked. Everyone so often, she would glance at the man beside her and smile. Well, it was embarrassing, how good he looked against the grey sky. The young woman reached out and her fingers brushed against his warm hand as they made their way through the city streets.
They had a rare morning together, in the afternoon she was due back at the barracks and suspected he would be similarly engaged. If not with the Iron Hand, but with the University. Still, they had a few stolen, precious hours and had set out early to the market place. With a dinner planned for the next day, Elyna had a mental list of ingredients that might be needed. Cooking had never been her strong point, but she could make a decent pie and hopefully not ruin vegetables. The idea of having so many guests, made her nervous. Not least, so many people she didn’t know. So she found herself looking to Malcolm as they walked. Edging closer to him as they drew closer to the bustling stalls.
“Is there anything you wanted to look at?” She lingered at the edge of the crowd.

[Malcolm]

Malcolm's place of work had been kind and given him some time off to settle into his new house and overcome the stress of the events that had taken place this season. It meant his class had suffered another substitute teacher from the sister university, but it was nothing they hadn't grown accustomed to by now.
A day off, however, meant helping out at home, which had led to a trip to the local marketplace. There were a couple of things he wanted for the study, and having decided to install a new bookshelf, would need some more nails for the task ahead. Elyna, of course, had come with other plans, so Malcolm had suggested they go out together and kill two birds with one stone.
The marketplace wasn't as busy as he had expected, but all of the usual stalls were there, along with some new ones. Malcolm hadn't caught Elyna looking at him, but when he felt her hand brush his own, he took her’s and gave it a light squeeze.
“Let me take Elsie,” he offered, thinking she had enough to contend with, being as heavily pregnant as she was.
Elsie liked the gained height advantage she had when carried by her father, and looked about at the world, wide eyed and fascinated by all of the movement and colours. “Look!” she pointed.
“Horse,” Malcolm would tell her, hoping she might try out a new word, being that she was rather limited to dadadadad, look, and no. “What's that?” He would try and tempt the word out of her before repeating it again. “Horse.”
“Look!” Elsie would smile, already distracted by something else.
Malcolm looked across at Elyna and smiled, if nothing else, at least Elsie was endearing. They carried on, weaving their way through the different fruit and vegetable stands as Elyna picked out the pieces she liked, and Malcolm carried them in a basket Elyna had brought along to the markets.
He did his best not to be distracted by the street kids that nagged a lot of the people passing by, begging for change. They had already picked him out as a knight, his leather pants, long sleeved tunic and neatly kept appearance giving him away, that and the weapons he wore on his belt. They knew better than to beg him, after all knights were not known for their generosity, but were prone to delivering a swift smack about the ears to anyone who pestered them, and rightly so.
Malcolm though, was a sucker when it came to children, and while Elyna was busy picking out the best potatoes to go with her roast tomorrow evening, Malcolm had purchased a few loaves of bread, and handed them out amongst the children he had seen holding their hands out for loose copper coins. He wasn't the kind of man who gave money to beggars, but he would never let a child go hungry.
Elsie watched the children tuck into the bread, silent for awhile, at least until she realised her mother was out of sight, and turned about in the warden’s arms, looking for her. “Look!” It was a demand.
“Mum,” Malcolm smiled. “Who’s that? Mum,” he encouraged again.

[Elyna]

They split, Elyna moving towards the vegetables and studying them. What would everyone want to eat? What if someone didn’t like potatoes? Wait...that was ridiculous, everyone liked potatoes. Didn’t they? She stood at the stall, trying to count up the required weights and translate it into a cost. How many per person? Too many numbers made her headache and returned the heavy feeling in her stomach, so she simply asked for what she wanted and handed over the coin without question. She turned, deposited the goods in the basket and watched as a few street-children scurried away with bread in hand.
The idea that given different circumstances, Elsie could have been one of them, squeezed her heart. Beggars, like slaves, caused a stirring of angry frustration in the woman. Yet, in all her years so far, her efforts to make change in the world had made little impact.
Mum, Malcolm tried to coach Elsie and Elyna looked up with a smile, “you might as well give up,” she edged closer and curled her hand around the man’s arm, “there’s only one parent she’s interested in.”
Elyna went nose to nose with her daughter, who giggled and tried to hide her face behind her hands. “Mum?” Elyna requested sweetly and was rewarded by a flurry of “Dadadada’s” as the child threw her arms around Malcolm’s neck. “See,” the skyrider rolled her eyes, “all yours.”
The young woman pulled a thin scrap of paper from her pocket and studied her list. Potatoes, carrots, swede and parsnip? Most of those had been found. It was too early in the year for fruits like strawberries or raspberries.
“Mal...did you want to get a drink perhaps? It’s a little cold still, and maybe it’d do Elsie good to be inside for a while?” The girls’ cheeks were pink and nose a little runny.

[Malcolm]

“Mum,” Malcolm was determined to get Elsie to say the word, only stopped by the suggestion to head inside and get a drink.
They walked to the inn and shrugged out of their cloaks as they were hit by a wave of hot air from the fireplace. Malcolm handed Elsie to Elyna and went to the bar to buy them each a drink, deciding to be good and share in the non-alcoholic kind. “Tea for the table.”
“Would you like anything else?”
Malcolm scratched his head and looked at the menu. “How is the beef and mushroom pie?”
“Picked the mushrooms myself this morning.”
“And the beef?” He smiled at the girl as if daring to tell him she had wrestled a cow too.
“Fresh. If you don't enjoy it I'll give you your money back.”
“My wife is pregnant,” he pointed out, thinking nothing of the slip of tongue. “I don't want her to get sick.”
“Of course,” the girl smiled, “we serve it with roast vegetables if you like?”
“Yes please.” Malcolm nodded before paying for the meal, and returned to the table.
Close to the fire, they warmed up quickly, and Elsie started to look a little sleepy. “Mum, mum, mum,” Malcolm teased her, and the girl smiled, snuggled against Elyna’s breast. “She is so cheeky,” the knight grinned, “you've done such a good job with her, my love.”

[Elyna]

Grateful to step out of the chill, Elyna ducked after Malcolm and was happy to take hold of their daughter once more. She picked a careful route through the tables in the inn, dodging the sleeping drunk, whose snores were enough to attract Elsie’s attention. The girl extended a hand.
“Look!” she exclaimed and the skyrider hurriedly moved on and took up a seat beside the fireplace. There was a round wooden table with a surface that shone.
“Look,” Elyna encouraged the child to pay attention to the polished mahogany. Elsie squirmed in her lap, wriggling to be set down to run free. “Fire,” Elyna pointed to the flickering flames and the girl seemed to freeze then lunge towards the embers, “no,” Elyna gripped her tighter, holding her in place on her lap, “no, no - dangerous.”
“No!” Elsie repeated but ceased her struggle. Content instead to watched the flames as they climbed up the mantle. Elyna eased back into the chair and Elsie lay back with her. Curling up with her head on her Mother’s shoulders, a small hand reaching up to grip hold of the skyrider’s dark hair.
Elyna offered Malcolm a smile as he joined them, too tall for the space.
“Mum, mum, mum” he tried again and the young woman laughed, “it’s not going to happen,” she insisted, “she’s more likely to say ‘horse’ or ‘immortal damnation’”
Elsie twisted to look at her father, as though she understood what he said, she stuck her tongue out at him before hiding her face in Elyna’s shoulder, pulling her Mother’s hood down to cover her features.
It was hard not to laugh, and be grateful that Elsie hadn’t immediately repeated her cursing. It was then that she took in the surroundings, peering at the inn before turning in her seat. The young woman looked back at Malcolm with a hesitant smile. “Is this...is this where we came that time? You know,” her cheeks felt a little warm, along with the back of her neck. She put it down to heat from the fireplace, “w-when we had that date?”

[Malcolm]

“Date, what date?” he teased, pretending he had no idea what she was talking about, though his smile swiftly gave him away.
“The one Heath and Benjamin interrupted?” Had it been Benjamin, he wondered, and what had ever become of Heath? Perhaps he had followed Qe’dreki after all and died in their needless war, or gone to the Eastern Settlement where the last remaining members were trying to regroup and reform, a little difficult without so many of their generals.
“I ordered pie, I hope you don't mind?” It probably wouldn't come out for a while, but they were in no hurry.
Each time Elsie looked back at her father, he would mouth the word mum, and she would smile. “Little mare knows exactly what I'm saying.” he smirked. “She's just like Vaughn was… is,” he corrected himself. “Always doing the exact opposite of what one would expect.”
Malcolm leaned back against the leather chair, looking rather comfortable. “I was thinking,” he said after a long pause, “the two of us do quite well, perhaps there is something we can do for the city?” He was thinking of the children he had seen on the street, sure he had filled their bellies for one day, but what about tomorrow, and the next? Not all strangers were so kind, in fact a lot of children went missing in Rynmere, especially the street kids.
“I don't think it's enough to just to hand money over to a charity, we don't know how much the staff pocket, and how much actually goes to the people in need.” Malcolm scratched his jaw, the stubble there rough against his fingers. “Maybe we should set up our own trust or a scholarship?” he shrugged, it was something to think about.

[Elyna]

Elyna was tempted to throw something at him, but with Elsie settled against her, and for once, not struggling, the young mother knew better than to move. The only date, she warned him with a look. Other than the time they had gone to the fair. Her mock-scowl said it all, before her expression lightened. “Yes,” she agreed, “that one.”
Malcolm seemed to be considering something, his thoughts taking him far away. “A pie sounds lovely, thank you,” Elyna peered down at Elsie and wondered if she could tempt the child to try a new flavour. Perhaps if there was pastry, Malcolm could end up wearing it again. Another smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Her arms closed tight around her daughter and she cuddled in against her. Moments like these were almost perfect. The fire warmed them both through and Elsie was besotted, staring at her father.
“In that case, they both just take after you,” The noblewoman offered, “when have you ever followed an expected path?” Her mouth tilted in a smile and she rested her head against Elsie’s. The little girl’s breathing had slowed and Elyna wondered if she might just go to sleep.
When Malcolm spoke, her heart gave small and sudden lurches and she nodded. “I want to do something,” she admitted, quiet. As though speaking it aloud would destroy the tentative dream. “I’ve seen so many people with bruises or broken bones. We go to a domestic disturbance and we’re told that everything is alright, from a woman with a bloodied lip and screaming children...Mal, I’ve always wanted to start a school of self-defense. I was putting money aside and then,” she looked down at Elsie, “I guess it just hasn’t been practical for me to start it up.”
“I like to think, that the youths could find some discipline in the training, it might help them focus on what they want to achieve beyond their current lives, maybe even a few would go on to join the ‘Hand with dedication?” Was it just a pipe-dream? A school for learning, or a scholarship, that was more Malcolm’s territory.
“They need a home, those children with nothing. They need someone to love them and make sure they’re fed - or that their parents can feed them.” It was an enormous problem and it didn’t even touch on her thoughts about slaves. Was she brave enough to voice those?
Elyna looked up at the man who had been bound with chains; “I want to end slavery,” her voice dropped lower still. “How can we exist in a world where it is necessary?”

[Malcolm]

It was an ambitious goal, and though Malcolm knew Elyna was more than capable of following through on her ideas, perhaps this one wouldn't go down so well.
“You're a noble,” he said, “you know first hand what it's like to be raised by slaves, have them tend to your every need. Do you really think half of the population that currently enjoys that is just going to vote to give it up?” Perhaps its was mean to play devil's advocate, but Malcolm was a realist. “There are things we can do, and then there are things we can only dream of.”
The conversation made him rethink his own goals, what if he was thinking too big? What if a scholarship or a few hours of his time every now and then didn't help anyone. Malcolm had leant forward, once again thoughtful. “What if we saved up some coin and bought a building, a community centre, and some land within the city. Teach some of these kids to garden and care about something. Start small. You could run your self defence classes there, I could teach common,” Malcolm said, and smiled. “People will know there is a meal there at least once a day, and if they grow part of it themselves, even better. I'm sure half the stalls in the marketplace don't sell all of their food every day, we could take donations, some of the older kids could do the cooking.” Now who was dreaming, Malcolm laughed at himself.
Elsie had listened for a while, and not understanding anything, drifted off, or at least looked as if she was part way there.
“I don't know what would help,” he sat looking at the fireplace. “I just want to do something.”

[Elyna]

Having been open with her secret dream, Elyna found herself disappointed in his response. It wasn’t cruel, but it was antagonistic.
“It was never something that I enjoyed,” she replied, voice low in an attempt to hide the depth of her frustration. If she never tried, then how would she know what could or could not be achieved. Her training master, she was sure, had been sold as a slave. Malcolm had been a slave himself. How could he remain reluctant to help them? Elyna had been held in chains, had her life and choices taken out of her hands and she had hated it as much as she had always feared she would.
The young woman from the bar approached and set down a pot of tea and two cups, then returned with sugar and a small jug of fresh milk. Elyna leant to one side and realised that Elise had fallen asleep in the crook of her arm and was snoring quietly. Rather than pour the tea immediately, the skyrider rested in the comfortable chair and considered Malcolm’s proposition.
“I think it’s a good idea,” she admitted, “I think it has to be somewhere in the city, so that it remains accessible to the people who need it. If...the children know that they’re coming for a meal then hopefully we can work on a trade for them. They attend a class in exchange for a meal…”
A small smile returned and it seemed that she had forgiven the Knight for his pessimism. “It may be a little ambitious to consider gardening...I don’t know anything about trying to grow herbs or vegetables. I can help them sew, and pass on the knowledges I do have...maybe this is bigger than us, Malcolm. Perhaps we would need others to help?” She thought about her friend, the Smith and wondered if he would be inclined to take on apprentices if she and Malcolm would sponsor the wages. It was about providing a long term change, a future instead of a quick fix.
“...it would be nice to have some balls element of care and healing to the place as well,” it would mean another room though, be more expensive to stock.

[Malcolm]

“Investors,” Malcolm smiled, he may have said the word but it was clearly Elyna’s idea. “We just need to pitch the idea to a few of our friends, I'm sure they will be more than happy to help.”
He poured Elyna a cup of tea and stirred in some milk. He opted out of having any sugar, but added enough milk to his own tea to colour it.
Malcolm set Elyna’s cup close at hand, and eased back against his chair. “I don't pay tax on my wages for my work as a Knight. I would be more than happy to put that towards the project each season, perhaps even double it, and I'm sure if I tell our friends I will match any of their initial donations, they will be bound to give generously.” He could just imagine Benjamin emptying his purse if it meant Malcolm would be out of pocket for a season.
The waitress came back with the pie and winter vegetables Malcolm had ordered. The man asked her for a piece of parchment and some ink, and she quickly obliged. Malcolm jotted down a couple of numbers. “You know it will cost us just over three thousand for a quarter acre in the city, that's probably enough to build on and grow a garden, but for that price we could buy and build outside of the walls.”
He started adding some of the figures together, and the likelihood of them being able to build a space big enough for everything they wanted seemed grim. “It's going to be a long term plan if we build inside,” he pointed to the totals. I guess we will have to wait and see how generous our friends are.”