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Sharing: The Mistress of the Shadowland; The next Chapter
Here is my next chapter.
I will post another one on Tuesday or Wednesday because I didn't post a chapter when I was away.
Thank you very much for reading, it means a lot to me.
♥
Chapter I - Chapter II - Chapter III - Chapter IV - Chapter V - Chapter VI - Chapter VII - Chapter VIII - Chapter IX - Chapter X - Chapter XI - Chapter XII - Chapter XIII - Chapter XIV - Chapter XV
While the men worked on the new enclosure at lunchtime, Anwyn went to the cellar and reached for the stored food she had bought at the market just two days ago. And she had been well aware of the stares when she bought more than just a loaf of bread and some butter. She heard the baker's wife whispering suspiciously with a friend as she bought a bottle of wine from old Nemus and her heart sank.
Anwyn suspected that the villagers knew about "the elf", his two half-elves and were talking about what was going on in their court. How had it come about that the poor fisherman and his daughter were now able to acquire things that went far beyond their status? They had always been poor.
And why was this high elf at their court? What was his purpose? And who was this elf? Did he come from the castle, was he a wood elf, mostly hidden from human eyes?
From the looks of the mostly female villagers, Anwyn guessed that they thought she was one of those women who gave in to the physical desires of an elven companion and was possibly rewarded with a few coins. She had sighed as she accepted the bottle of wine, thanked the old man and turned her back on the market. Still, the stares of the female villagers burned uncomfortably at her back.
She knew that her father had warned her that something like this would happen, that she would be ridiculed and insulted, that they would call her an elf whore behind her back, but Anwyn had decided in favor of Trálír, saying that she wouldn't care.
But now that she was aware of the whispered words and the disparaging looks, Anwyn realized that it hurt her.
Elves and humans were filled with the same prejudices, shaped by years of hatred between the two parties, and neither wanted to believe in the goodness of the other.
Anwyn put the bottle of wine in the basket and left the cellar. She placed the full wicker basket on the ground in the middle of the courtyard, went back into the house and then spread a large blanket on the ground on which she placed the basket and then put the food on the center of it. She smiled thoughtfully as this meal reminded her of the picnic she had shared with Trálír in the forest when they had gathered wood.
She called him, Ulthred and Conall to her, who turned away from their work and were surprised to find this makeshift picnic.
"I thought this little surprise would taste better to you all than wheat porridge with boiled carrots," Anwyn said softly and smiled when Trálír reached for her hand and kissed her gently on the cheek. She was always a little uncomfortable at first when Trálír did this in front of the two half-elves, but they were obviously happy for their master, who was able to show his love for Anwyn so openly here in this simple fisherman's hut.
All four settled down and Anwyn watched with a smile as the men ate heartily and savored the food. When they noticed the bottle of wine, all of them started laughing as soon as Trálír opened it with a broad grin and poured them all some alcohol into their cups.
She knew from Trálír that his father made Conall and Ulthred work hard in the few fields that lay near the castle, but his son knew of the talents of the two men. Ulthred was a gifted craftsman and Conall was very skilled with numbers and units of measurement, so the planning of the new stable was in his hands.
Tralir had also told her that the slim half-elf with the long, light brown hair and green eyes had been the father of a little boy of two years. Ulthred, on the other hand, was planning a betrothal to a young half-elf who also worked as a maid at the castle.
If it were up to Trálír, both half-elves would work in the position in which they had proven themselves to be skilled and talented, but his father obviously saw things differently. Half-elves had no business in highly regarded workplaces, no matter how talented they were.
However, as his father did not really care about his servants and left this to the lord of the castle, Trálír had taken the two men aside and asked them if they were interested in working for him. They had gratefully accepted this opportunity to escape the hard and monotonous work in the fields.
The next day, Trálír had gone to the Lord of the castle and made him understand that the tasks that now fell to Ulthred and Conall were given by him and no one else.
While Trálír and the two half-elves engaged in a lively conversation about the numerous wines from Faerun and their flavors, Anwyn leaned back a little and rested her palms on the blanket. She enjoyed the warmth of the sun on her skin, listening to the sound of the waves in the background and the voices of the men.
Thoughtfully, she realized that she felt comfortable in the presence of the half-elves, who had treated her without prejudice since their first meeting.
They themselves were more unprejudiced than the villagers had been towards her and her father in recent years.
At every meal they ate together, they engaged Anwyn in conversation, listening with interest to what a fisherman's life was like, what work he had to do and how Anwyn helped him. When she told them that she was interested in herbalism and healing, Conall was particularly interested in what she had to say.
He told her that his son often struggled with stomach aches or other well-known childhood illnesses, but that he was reluctant to go to the elven healer in the castle.
The healer hesitated to treat the little boy because he was not of pure elven blood.
To her astonishment, Anwyn realized that the half-elves were even worse off than the humans as far as their reputation among the high elves was concerned. There was no land they could call their own, no home. They were outsiders.
For the elves, half-elves were too human, for the humans they were too much like elves.
They also had to contend with prejudice, devaluation and ignorance. The healer of the Blackwater Castle made this particularly clear to Conall by only taking a brief look at the child and then sending him and his father away again with the words that the child would recover on its own. Conall suspected that the healer considered the half-elf so worthless that he did not want to waste his herbs, ointments and oils on the child.
Trálír knew about the healer's behavior as he had confessed to Anwyn when he listened to Conall's stories, but since the healer was held in high esteem by his father, he was perfectly allowed to treat half-elves like Conall and his family like this without being held accountable. They had not consulted a human healer as the half-elf and his wife feared that they would be treated in the same way as the healer at the castle.
Anwyn then asked Conall to explain what his son was suffering from and promised to do everything in her power to help him.
When Ulthred and he reappeared the next morning, Anwyn was already waiting for them excitedly outside the house. While Ulthred freed the horse from the cart that was pulling it and took it towards the stable, Anwyn approached Conall and handed him several small cloth bags containing herbs and various teas as well as three small jars of ointments for different illnesses and injuries. Inside each of the sachets was a small detailed description of how they should be used.
Conall stared at Anwyn in bewilderment at this generous gift. There was a mixture of deep gratitude and disbelief in his green eyes, as he was not used to being helped as a half-elf.
Touched, he reached for Anwyn's hands, squeezed them tightly and whispered a quiet thank you which touched her deeply as she sensed the sincerity in Conall's voice.
A few days later, he presented a home-baked cake made by his wife and some pickled fruit as a thank you for her help, which Anwyn accepted with surprise and emotion. He then asked her if he was allowed to recommend her as a knowledgeable herbalist among the half-elves he knew. Anwyn hesitated, for she did not see herself real healer, but Ulthred and Trálír also confirmed that she was perfectly capable of treating others. So far she had never treated anyone except now Conall's son and she admitted to herself that this made her feel relieved, for the thought of treating someone other than her father or the half-elf's child made her nervous. She doubted her abilities, but kept trying to remind herself that she had been able to ease her father's pain and had also helped Conall's son.
And Trálír had reminded her that she had cleaned and stitched up the wounds on his body after the battle with the Sea Devils. None of those injuries had become infected and had healed well.
When Anwyn replied that this was most likely due to his elven blood, Trálír did not accept this objection.
When he looked into her brown eyes, he recognized the doubt in them and so he leaned down to Anwyn, kissed her gently on the forehead and whispered: "Don't doubt yourself, my love."
*****
The days and weeks had flown by, the inhabitants of Blackwater Bay had long left the harsh and depriving winter behind them and the grass moon was also coming to an end, which the citizens noticed from the fact that the temperatures were steadily rising, the sky was mostly cloudless and the sun shone down on the land and the bay for many hours.
Despite the warm weather, there was still a steady wind blowing from the west, churning up the sea so that the waves broke powerfully on the coast.
Every day Trálír, Conall and Ulthred had come to the farm and done their work, which had progressed well. It was the month of change and they had already built the run for the chickens and the pigs. They were working diligently on the largest enclosure for the goat and the donkey, which could also live in the fenced area for the next few weeks while the old barn was being torn down and the new one built.
Trálír had suggested that Anwyn visit the market in Silverdew with him to buy the cattle.
Silverdew, a town on the border to the Blackwater Lands, was about a four-hour ride away. If they left that early morning, they would have enough time to acquire the animals and return before nightfall.
Anwyn could see the excitement in Trálír's blue-green eyes, his face beaming at the idea of spending almost an entire day alone with her.
For a brief moment, Anwyn allowed herself to dream of riding to the city and walking through Silverdew next to him, even hand in hand, where no one knew them, feeling as if their future was not so terribly uncertain and dark. Perhaps it was commonplace in the town to see an elf with his human companion, perhaps no one would judge their love for each other. Or maybe it was possible that the inhabitants of the bustling city were too busy to pay attention to a simple young woman and an elf at her side.
I will post another one on Tuesday or Wednesday because I didn't post a chapter when I was away.
Thank you very much for reading, it means a lot to me.
♥
Chapter I - Chapter II - Chapter III - Chapter IV - Chapter V - Chapter VI - Chapter VII - Chapter VIII - Chapter IX - Chapter X - Chapter XI - Chapter XII - Chapter XIII - Chapter XIV - Chapter XV
While the men worked on the new enclosure at lunchtime, Anwyn went to the cellar and reached for the stored food she had bought at the market just two days ago. And she had been well aware of the stares when she bought more than just a loaf of bread and some butter. She heard the baker's wife whispering suspiciously with a friend as she bought a bottle of wine from old Nemus and her heart sank.
Anwyn suspected that the villagers knew about "the elf", his two half-elves and were talking about what was going on in their court. How had it come about that the poor fisherman and his daughter were now able to acquire things that went far beyond their status? They had always been poor.
And why was this high elf at their court? What was his purpose? And who was this elf? Did he come from the castle, was he a wood elf, mostly hidden from human eyes?
From the looks of the mostly female villagers, Anwyn guessed that they thought she was one of those women who gave in to the physical desires of an elven companion and was possibly rewarded with a few coins. She had sighed as she accepted the bottle of wine, thanked the old man and turned her back on the market. Still, the stares of the female villagers burned uncomfortably at her back.
She knew that her father had warned her that something like this would happen, that she would be ridiculed and insulted, that they would call her an elf whore behind her back, but Anwyn had decided in favor of Trálír, saying that she wouldn't care.
But now that she was aware of the whispered words and the disparaging looks, Anwyn realized that it hurt her.
Elves and humans were filled with the same prejudices, shaped by years of hatred between the two parties, and neither wanted to believe in the goodness of the other.
Anwyn put the bottle of wine in the basket and left the cellar. She placed the full wicker basket on the ground in the middle of the courtyard, went back into the house and then spread a large blanket on the ground on which she placed the basket and then put the food on the center of it. She smiled thoughtfully as this meal reminded her of the picnic she had shared with Trálír in the forest when they had gathered wood.
She called him, Ulthred and Conall to her, who turned away from their work and were surprised to find this makeshift picnic.
"I thought this little surprise would taste better to you all than wheat porridge with boiled carrots," Anwyn said softly and smiled when Trálír reached for her hand and kissed her gently on the cheek. She was always a little uncomfortable at first when Trálír did this in front of the two half-elves, but they were obviously happy for their master, who was able to show his love for Anwyn so openly here in this simple fisherman's hut.
All four settled down and Anwyn watched with a smile as the men ate heartily and savored the food. When they noticed the bottle of wine, all of them started laughing as soon as Trálír opened it with a broad grin and poured them all some alcohol into their cups.
She knew from Trálír that his father made Conall and Ulthred work hard in the few fields that lay near the castle, but his son knew of the talents of the two men. Ulthred was a gifted craftsman and Conall was very skilled with numbers and units of measurement, so the planning of the new stable was in his hands.
Tralir had also told her that the slim half-elf with the long, light brown hair and green eyes had been the father of a little boy of two years. Ulthred, on the other hand, was planning a betrothal to a young half-elf who also worked as a maid at the castle.
If it were up to Trálír, both half-elves would work in the position in which they had proven themselves to be skilled and talented, but his father obviously saw things differently. Half-elves had no business in highly regarded workplaces, no matter how talented they were.
However, as his father did not really care about his servants and left this to the lord of the castle, Trálír had taken the two men aside and asked them if they were interested in working for him. They had gratefully accepted this opportunity to escape the hard and monotonous work in the fields.
The next day, Trálír had gone to the Lord of the castle and made him understand that the tasks that now fell to Ulthred and Conall were given by him and no one else.
While Trálír and the two half-elves engaged in a lively conversation about the numerous wines from Faerun and their flavors, Anwyn leaned back a little and rested her palms on the blanket. She enjoyed the warmth of the sun on her skin, listening to the sound of the waves in the background and the voices of the men.
Thoughtfully, she realized that she felt comfortable in the presence of the half-elves, who had treated her without prejudice since their first meeting.
They themselves were more unprejudiced than the villagers had been towards her and her father in recent years.
At every meal they ate together, they engaged Anwyn in conversation, listening with interest to what a fisherman's life was like, what work he had to do and how Anwyn helped him. When she told them that she was interested in herbalism and healing, Conall was particularly interested in what she had to say.
He told her that his son often struggled with stomach aches or other well-known childhood illnesses, but that he was reluctant to go to the elven healer in the castle.
The healer hesitated to treat the little boy because he was not of pure elven blood.
To her astonishment, Anwyn realized that the half-elves were even worse off than the humans as far as their reputation among the high elves was concerned. There was no land they could call their own, no home. They were outsiders.
For the elves, half-elves were too human, for the humans they were too much like elves.
They also had to contend with prejudice, devaluation and ignorance. The healer of the Blackwater Castle made this particularly clear to Conall by only taking a brief look at the child and then sending him and his father away again with the words that the child would recover on its own. Conall suspected that the healer considered the half-elf so worthless that he did not want to waste his herbs, ointments and oils on the child.
Trálír knew about the healer's behavior as he had confessed to Anwyn when he listened to Conall's stories, but since the healer was held in high esteem by his father, he was perfectly allowed to treat half-elves like Conall and his family like this without being held accountable. They had not consulted a human healer as the half-elf and his wife feared that they would be treated in the same way as the healer at the castle.
Anwyn then asked Conall to explain what his son was suffering from and promised to do everything in her power to help him.
When Ulthred and he reappeared the next morning, Anwyn was already waiting for them excitedly outside the house. While Ulthred freed the horse from the cart that was pulling it and took it towards the stable, Anwyn approached Conall and handed him several small cloth bags containing herbs and various teas as well as three small jars of ointments for different illnesses and injuries. Inside each of the sachets was a small detailed description of how they should be used.
Conall stared at Anwyn in bewilderment at this generous gift. There was a mixture of deep gratitude and disbelief in his green eyes, as he was not used to being helped as a half-elf.
Touched, he reached for Anwyn's hands, squeezed them tightly and whispered a quiet thank you which touched her deeply as she sensed the sincerity in Conall's voice.
A few days later, he presented a home-baked cake made by his wife and some pickled fruit as a thank you for her help, which Anwyn accepted with surprise and emotion. He then asked her if he was allowed to recommend her as a knowledgeable herbalist among the half-elves he knew. Anwyn hesitated, for she did not see herself real healer, but Ulthred and Trálír also confirmed that she was perfectly capable of treating others. So far she had never treated anyone except now Conall's son and she admitted to herself that this made her feel relieved, for the thought of treating someone other than her father or the half-elf's child made her nervous. She doubted her abilities, but kept trying to remind herself that she had been able to ease her father's pain and had also helped Conall's son.
And Trálír had reminded her that she had cleaned and stitched up the wounds on his body after the battle with the Sea Devils. None of those injuries had become infected and had healed well.
When Anwyn replied that this was most likely due to his elven blood, Trálír did not accept this objection.
When he looked into her brown eyes, he recognized the doubt in them and so he leaned down to Anwyn, kissed her gently on the forehead and whispered: "Don't doubt yourself, my love."
The days and weeks had flown by, the inhabitants of Blackwater Bay had long left the harsh and depriving winter behind them and the grass moon was also coming to an end, which the citizens noticed from the fact that the temperatures were steadily rising, the sky was mostly cloudless and the sun shone down on the land and the bay for many hours.
Despite the warm weather, there was still a steady wind blowing from the west, churning up the sea so that the waves broke powerfully on the coast.
Every day Trálír, Conall and Ulthred had come to the farm and done their work, which had progressed well. It was the month of change and they had already built the run for the chickens and the pigs. They were working diligently on the largest enclosure for the goat and the donkey, which could also live in the fenced area for the next few weeks while the old barn was being torn down and the new one built.
Trálír had suggested that Anwyn visit the market in Silverdew with him to buy the cattle.
Silverdew, a town on the border to the Blackwater Lands, was about a four-hour ride away. If they left that early morning, they would have enough time to acquire the animals and return before nightfall.
Anwyn could see the excitement in Trálír's blue-green eyes, his face beaming at the idea of spending almost an entire day alone with her.
For a brief moment, Anwyn allowed herself to dream of riding to the city and walking through Silverdew next to him, even hand in hand, where no one knew them, feeling as if their future was not so terribly uncertain and dark. Perhaps it was commonplace in the town to see an elf with his human companion, perhaps no one would judge their love for each other. Or maybe it was possible that the inhabitants of the bustling city were too busy to pay attention to a simple young woman and an elf at her side.
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Es gibt übrigens wieder ein oder zwei neue Kapitel. ^-^
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