Golden Shadow [Ceolmund]
Jan 22, 2018 14:33:54 GMT -5
Post by Runa on Jan 22, 2018 14:33:54 GMT -5
“It should be any day now,” Adelais hummed girlishly to Gurdur, her bright blue eyes sparkling with excitement. “The Eored’s been out for a month already.”
Gurdur laughed, the sound almost a scoff, though her green eyes were keen and kind, alight the same as her friend’s as she sought to fold more bed sheets from the laundry basket. “Counting down for Ceolmund, I see,” she started, her voice low, though perhaps equally as tinged in girlish giggle.
Adelais shushed her quickly, wheeling and looking over her shoulder with a fan of wheat colored hair to be sure none—especially Hildred--had heard. The woman was on the far end of the hall, though, stooping over one of the patients who had arrived the night before with a fever and safely out of earshot. “Don’t try and tell me you haven’t eyed him,” she hissed.
Gurdur shrugged. “I much more like that brother of his.”
“Beorhtric? Really?” Adelais repeated, grabbing another sheet and setting her hands to work.
The girl with the red curls grinned. “You should be happy—that way we don’t have to fight.”
A small form appeared as a ghost at the doorway, and the only reason Adelais looked up from her chatter at all was the fresh gust of air from outside marked the opening of the entry. The figure was almost hunched, as if she wished to fade into the very boards of the Hall’s walls, and her bright blue eyes seemed half shrouded by the bend of her brow. Runa had stumbled her way into the House before a fair few times for injuries that the younger girls at the Hall could not fathom, and every time she looked as if she had just been scolded and sent to a corner.
“She’s back,” Adelais half-sang. Gurdur stopped what she was doing to glance toward the door herself, half a frown upon her face. “Think she’s going to check clear in that mouth of hers, or do you think she went ahead and ate some more ash?” The girl was mad, it was certain. Burned mouth, alcohol poisoning—there was no shortage to the strange things the girl did to herself. Small wisp of a thing, too; it had come as a great surprise to learn the girl was the same age as them. Eighteen.
“Hm. You’d think she’d learn not to stick hot stuff in her mouth,” Gurdur hummed in reply.
“Probably the only thing she sticks in her mouth,” Adelais grinned.
Gurdur’s mouth fell open but she laughed nonetheless. It was probably true; the whole city knew the girl’s mother was just as mental as she was.
--
Hildred saw the moment Runa stepped into the House; her petite and fair features shown almost golden in the way the sun streamed in behind her. Runa had, likely despite her own efforts, grown into quite a lovely young lady. Once more the door clicked shut, and Hildred righted herself, adopting a warm and gentle smile as she swept toward the door. Her heart panged, seeing the way the girl tried to hide, to meld into the architecture of the building.
“Runa! How’re you feeling sweetheart?” She asked as gently as she could. The young woman looked to her, a faint, stiff smile coming to her lips, though it hardly reached Runa’s eyes at all.
Her mouth moved, though the sound was so faint, Hildred did not catch what it was the girl had said.
“Come,” Hildred hummed, setting a hand behind Runa’s shoulder and motioning her toward a free cot. “Let me take a look and see how you’re healing.” Her eyes flashed up toward Adelais and Gurdur, hearing some sniggering coming through the House even over the din of the workers and patients. She offered them a stern look, though turned back to Runa as she sat; whatever the girls thought, they were wrong. Runa claimed the ash had been eaten of her own accord, but Hildred recalled the girl’s mother from the years she had lived next door; Runa and her sister Sunnifa had cried often at first.
Her sons had wanted to help, too; they had worked so hard to see if they could find some way to get the two girls free from that witch, Elin’s, grasp, but ultimately it had just driven Ceorl and his family to move, and they had lost all contact with them.
While Hildred loathed every time Runa had need to cross the threshold and seek her help, she was infinitely relieved the girl was still alive. She and Amalric had not been so optimistic.
Runa opened her mouth obediently, and quickly the woman examined the inside. The burns were healed, though likely it would take a lot more time for the girl to desire anything warm to eat. Her face softened, and she gave Runa the best smile she could muster to hide the sulk of her spirit.
“I think you’re all set,” Hildred offered with a small smile. “Keep up the tonic, and the spoonful of honey—Runa,” she paused.
“Y-yes, ma’am?” Runa’s voice was as small and timid as her countenance, and Hildred softly brushed her fingers down the girl’s cheek and cupped under her jaw.
“Come back any time you need, all right?” She murmured to the girl. Her crisp blue eyes were wide as they peered back up to Hildred, but Runa almost seemed a shade relieved.
“All right. I…I h-have to go, Miss H-hildred,” the young woman answered as she stood and righted herself as much as she could manage. She could feel the eyes coming from the far side of the Hall, where the eyes were boring in to her like hot coals, and she dropped her attention once more to the tips of her worn shoes. “T-thank you.”
Hurriedly she wheeled and made way for the door, not lifting her eyes from the planks before her. Mother was likely already waiting for her at the shop, and Runa could not delay a moment longer; Elin was, after all, not likely to care if Runa was in fact on time—a lecture was going to ensure the moment she stepped foot inside. Anxiously, the girl tossed the door open, and sought to step out into the fall air.
Gurdur laughed, the sound almost a scoff, though her green eyes were keen and kind, alight the same as her friend’s as she sought to fold more bed sheets from the laundry basket. “Counting down for Ceolmund, I see,” she started, her voice low, though perhaps equally as tinged in girlish giggle.
Adelais shushed her quickly, wheeling and looking over her shoulder with a fan of wheat colored hair to be sure none—especially Hildred--had heard. The woman was on the far end of the hall, though, stooping over one of the patients who had arrived the night before with a fever and safely out of earshot. “Don’t try and tell me you haven’t eyed him,” she hissed.
Gurdur shrugged. “I much more like that brother of his.”
“Beorhtric? Really?” Adelais repeated, grabbing another sheet and setting her hands to work.
The girl with the red curls grinned. “You should be happy—that way we don’t have to fight.”
A small form appeared as a ghost at the doorway, and the only reason Adelais looked up from her chatter at all was the fresh gust of air from outside marked the opening of the entry. The figure was almost hunched, as if she wished to fade into the very boards of the Hall’s walls, and her bright blue eyes seemed half shrouded by the bend of her brow. Runa had stumbled her way into the House before a fair few times for injuries that the younger girls at the Hall could not fathom, and every time she looked as if she had just been scolded and sent to a corner.
“She’s back,” Adelais half-sang. Gurdur stopped what she was doing to glance toward the door herself, half a frown upon her face. “Think she’s going to check clear in that mouth of hers, or do you think she went ahead and ate some more ash?” The girl was mad, it was certain. Burned mouth, alcohol poisoning—there was no shortage to the strange things the girl did to herself. Small wisp of a thing, too; it had come as a great surprise to learn the girl was the same age as them. Eighteen.
“Hm. You’d think she’d learn not to stick hot stuff in her mouth,” Gurdur hummed in reply.
“Probably the only thing she sticks in her mouth,” Adelais grinned.
Gurdur’s mouth fell open but she laughed nonetheless. It was probably true; the whole city knew the girl’s mother was just as mental as she was.
--
Hildred saw the moment Runa stepped into the House; her petite and fair features shown almost golden in the way the sun streamed in behind her. Runa had, likely despite her own efforts, grown into quite a lovely young lady. Once more the door clicked shut, and Hildred righted herself, adopting a warm and gentle smile as she swept toward the door. Her heart panged, seeing the way the girl tried to hide, to meld into the architecture of the building.
“Runa! How’re you feeling sweetheart?” She asked as gently as she could. The young woman looked to her, a faint, stiff smile coming to her lips, though it hardly reached Runa’s eyes at all.
Her mouth moved, though the sound was so faint, Hildred did not catch what it was the girl had said.
“Come,” Hildred hummed, setting a hand behind Runa’s shoulder and motioning her toward a free cot. “Let me take a look and see how you’re healing.” Her eyes flashed up toward Adelais and Gurdur, hearing some sniggering coming through the House even over the din of the workers and patients. She offered them a stern look, though turned back to Runa as she sat; whatever the girls thought, they were wrong. Runa claimed the ash had been eaten of her own accord, but Hildred recalled the girl’s mother from the years she had lived next door; Runa and her sister Sunnifa had cried often at first.
Her sons had wanted to help, too; they had worked so hard to see if they could find some way to get the two girls free from that witch, Elin’s, grasp, but ultimately it had just driven Ceorl and his family to move, and they had lost all contact with them.
While Hildred loathed every time Runa had need to cross the threshold and seek her help, she was infinitely relieved the girl was still alive. She and Amalric had not been so optimistic.
Runa opened her mouth obediently, and quickly the woman examined the inside. The burns were healed, though likely it would take a lot more time for the girl to desire anything warm to eat. Her face softened, and she gave Runa the best smile she could muster to hide the sulk of her spirit.
“I think you’re all set,” Hildred offered with a small smile. “Keep up the tonic, and the spoonful of honey—Runa,” she paused.
“Y-yes, ma’am?” Runa’s voice was as small and timid as her countenance, and Hildred softly brushed her fingers down the girl’s cheek and cupped under her jaw.
“Come back any time you need, all right?” She murmured to the girl. Her crisp blue eyes were wide as they peered back up to Hildred, but Runa almost seemed a shade relieved.
“All right. I…I h-have to go, Miss H-hildred,” the young woman answered as she stood and righted herself as much as she could manage. She could feel the eyes coming from the far side of the Hall, where the eyes were boring in to her like hot coals, and she dropped her attention once more to the tips of her worn shoes. “T-thank you.”
Hurriedly she wheeled and made way for the door, not lifting her eyes from the planks before her. Mother was likely already waiting for her at the shop, and Runa could not delay a moment longer; Elin was, after all, not likely to care if Runa was in fact on time—a lecture was going to ensure the moment she stepped foot inside. Anxiously, the girl tossed the door open, and sought to step out into the fall air.