That night we gathered my things — which consisted of the book, ribbon, tunic, and ripped imata’s robes, and made our way to Master Theos’ House. As we gathered the items, Finiel teased me again about the white silk robes. “You are the ugliest imata there ever was”, he laughed. Mirelle glared at him, but I found the joke to be funny and grinned, eliciting a frown in my direction.
“Don’t encourage him” Mirelle scolded.
When we went outside it was already dark. Solmar had provided me with a crutch to help me walk. It was unpadded and made of wood, but it worked. The house itself was too far away, however, to walk on an injured foot — so I was loaded up into a wagon which was pulled by a matum, a horse-like animal. Solmar rode on it’s back as it pulled the wagon through the town.
I laid back in the wagon and looked up at the night sky. The sound of the matum’s hooves clopped along the ground and the jostling of the wood wagon seemed to cry out into the dark silence. Clouds slowly roamed across the sky, gliding along a tapestry of twinkling stars. The town was small, and it was only about a mile that we traveled before we arrived at a stone house that was markedly larger than Solmar’s. There was candlelight glowing in the windows and a stone fence surrounding the house.
Solmar stopped the matum and tied it to a pole just outside the fence. He then helped me out of the wagon. We walked toward the house, passing through a stone archway, and up a stone pathway which led down a well-tended yard, and Solmar knocked on the door. A moment later a pretty blonde woman in a long, simple white floral dress answer the door. “Oh! Solmar! Come in!” She looked at me, “Welcome Chon! My name is Lilena. Almir is busy and will be here in a moment.”
The inside was very different from Solmar’s house. If his title hadn’t given it away, I would be sure now that Master Theos was an influential man, and certainly one of means. We were in an entranceway with carved wooden arches leading each direction. One led straight down a hallway. The other two led into a living room and a kitchen and dining area. I could see a set of stairs leading upward in the living room from where I stood. The floors were hardwood with thick rugs laid out, each containing exquisite detail. Candles glowed on wall sconces giving the house a cozy feel. There was the smell of baking bread and the sound of a fire crackling in the living room.
A moment later I heard steps coming down the stairs, and Master Theos entered, followed by a cadre of people I could also assume was the rest of his family. “Ah! Solmar! Chon! Welcome!”, his face was jolly and much more energetic than it had been at Solmar’s house. “Do come in!” We were ushered into the living room, which, between the fire and candles was the most well lit of the rooms.
“Allow me to introduce my family!”, Master Theos enthused, “These are my wives, Lilena, Alea, and Telia”, he pointed to them as he introduced them, each of them giving a respectful curtsy as he did so. Despite my time with the forest girls, I was still taken aback by the practice of polygamy. I had not expected it, and I hoped I managed to hide my surprise. Lilena I had already met. Both Alea and Telia were also beautiful and wore similar dresses. Both had long brunette hair, though Alea’s was up in a neat bun and Telia’s was neatly combed and fell down to her waist. Telia seemed the older of the two, likely in her late 30’s in Earth years. Alea appeared ten years younger, and was holding a baby in her arms.
“These are my children”, he declared. There were 3 boys and 4 girls in all, counting the infant. Two of the boys, looking to be in their mid to late teens, were tall and strong looking. Like their father, they were well dressed. The third boy was a toddler with blonde hair who was now shyly hugging Lilena’s skirt. Of the four girls, one was the infant carried by Alea. The other three were older, two of which appeared to be close in age, somewhere between 10 and 15 in earth years. They had brown hair falling down in two long braids. The third looked to be an older teen. She was wearing a long light blue dress. Her hair was combed neatly, tumbling down her back with a blue ribbon at the back of her head which matched her dress. She was obviously trying to make an impression. “My sons Alus, Torin, and Perel, and and my daughters Salea, Corilie, Alonia, and Telina”. The three older girls curtsied politely as their name was mentioned. Telina, the oldest blushed. There was indeed a simple beauty about her, yet my thoughts could not help but dwell on Adrelia and the ribbon in my book.
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After a short introduction, the children dispersed and Solmar said his goodbyes. My head spun as I tried to remember all the names. I knew I would fail and I hoped that forgetting them would not be cause for offense. Master Theos helped me with my things while his wives went into the kitchen, followed by Telina. There were two rooms on each the side of the hall and one on the far end. My room was the first on the left, the guest bedroom.
After placing my things, I hobbled into the living room and Master Theos and I sat down in chairs next to each other. “You have a beautiful family, Master Theos”, I said as we sat down. I was not sure how I felt about multiple wives, but it was clear that his family was well loved and happy.
“Thank you!”, said Master Theos heartily, “They mean the world to me. But please, just call me Almir. It seems that you are a scholar in your world as well.” As we talked, Almir Theos, I learned, was a retired professor from the University of Avalid. He had grown up in Timbervale but moved to Avalid with his brother in the hopes of making their mark on the world. However, unsatisfied with the faster paced life in a city, Almir returned to Timbervale many years ago to start a family. His brother, who was greatly attached to his work, still taught there. Since returning, Almir continued his study and research, which consisted mostly in the history of Timbervale. Because of his learning, he was often sought out for advice in varied situations.
Free of the prophet and other inquisitive ears, Almir became a different person. We were able to talk, almost as colleagues, and I learned a great deal from him. He was, like the others, interested in the forest girls, but more from an academic perspective.
Even after only a couple days I learned that life in Timbervale was hard. While Almir spent most of his time in intellectual pursuits, his wives and children kept busy tending crops and animals, cleaning clothes, gathering wood, and doing other necessary chores. While they worked, I sat in the living room or lay in my bed. Solmar would visit me daily to check on me and encourage me to rest, but I felt helpless and guilty watching everyone work around me, so I occasionally got up and tried to help around the house.
By evening, however, when the work was done, the family would sit together for a large meal, followed by games, stories, and laughter. There was a warm joy that permeated the house and I found myself drawn to it.
When the games died down, Almir and retired to the living room to talk while his younger children were put to bed. The older family members would find something to occupy themselves. For Telina, this involved sitting in the corner of the living room, knitting and listening to us. Perel, his oldest son, retired to his room with a book.
Noticing the book, I perked up. “Almir”, I asked. “If it isn’t too much to ask, might someone teach me to read?”
Almir looked at me, raising his eyebrow, “You don’t know how to read? I sort of assumed you did, since you had that book and all.”
I shook my head, “I do, but only in my native language. The book was a gift.”
Almir gave a knowing expression. He looked over at Telina, who was doing her best to pretend like she was uninterested in our conversation. “Telina”, he said, “Chon here was just expressing a desire to learn to read. Instead of cleaning up after breakfast in the mornings, how would you like to teach him?”
Telina flushed, playing with her fingers. “Of course father!” she enthused. She looked over at me and I smiled back at her. The idea of spending time with her every day was appealing, but I couldn’t help but think Almir was trying to play matchmaker.
The first few nights Almir and I talked late into the evening, long after the rest of the family had gone to sleep. Almir was fascinated to learn about my experiences and insights into the culture of the forest girls and I was grateful to learn about the world outside of the forest. The pain in my foot was still throbbing so much that I would not have been able to sleep anyway. The third night, after the house had gone quiet, Almir turned to me conspiratorially. “Chon”, he said, “I don’t mean to pry, but I noticed there was a ribbon in your book. Did you leave someone behind?”
I felt a twinge of guilt at the thought of the ribbon. I wondered what had happened to Adrelia. “Yeah”, I said, my voice trailing off.
Almir raised an eyebrow, smiling, “It sounds like she meant a lot to you.”
I sighed, nodding, “Yeah. She did. I do not know what became of her.”
I explained to Almir how Adrelia and I had met, and what had transpired between us. I explained about the sisters of the mist and what had happened to her. He listened with rapt attention. The more I talked, the more I missed her, and the more I knew I must do something to help her. Unfortunately, I had no idea what I could do.
Almir rubbed the corners of his mustache thoughtfully, “I have never heard of these sisters of the mist. You should visit my brother in Avalid. He would be interested in hearing what you know about them, and he might have some ideas of how to help.”
I looked at him curiously, “What does your brother teach at the University?” I asked, “You never told me.”
Almir looked surprised at my question, “Magic.” He said.