Chapter 5: Breakfast

Katalin stirred awake as a fierce growl rumbled from her empty stomach. Reaching to the pouch hanging from her bedpost, she retrieved some torvgras to quell her hunger. As she chewed the dried meat and fruit concoction, dawn's first light peeked through the shuttered window.

Rising from bed, she absently noted none of the lingering soreness she expected from yesterday's brawl. The ugly bruises mottling her arms and legs had faded during her few hours of sleep. She reached back to touch the swollen, tender welt striping her backside that Laszlo's blade smacking her bottom at the duel's start had given her. But the painful contusion had greatly diminished overnight. Lifting her nightshirt and twisting to inspect the healing trauma, she exposed her rear just as a voice sounded from the doorway.

"I'll admit it's a very nice bum, but seems a mite vain to be staring at it each morning."

Whipping around, Katalin saw her childhood friend Marissa watching amusedly. Pretty features surrounded by a halo of curly brown hair marked the young woman's smiling face. At fifteen years old she had grown tall and slender like a sapling, Marissa's left hand remained locked in a claw-like grip from her long ago injury.

"Marissa!" Katalin cried joyfully, as she rushed to embrace her friend. But her enthusiastic hug partly crushed the air from Marissa's lungs.

Bombarding her winded friend with rapid-fire questions, Katalin blurted, "What are you doing here so early? Did anyone else come? See anything on the road?"

Regaining her breath, Marissa gently admonished, "I'm fine, thank you for asking. And yes, Mama sends her love."

Calming herself, Katalin repeated more slowly, "Yes of course - so nice to see you, love to your mother. Now please tell, what brings you here this early?"

"Oh Katalin, it was just awful!" Marissa cried. "Last night three brutes showed up at our farm demanding to be let in. They were searching for you!"

"I could clearly make out the colors of House Stonehaven on one man's surcoat. Father tried refusing them entry, but the fiends just shoved right past him, tramping through every room. Rifling through chests, dumping out wardrobes, sweeping under beds - they searched everywhere."

Marissa paused, brow furrowing. "It was only after they left that we noticed the meat pie mother left cooling for today's breakfast had disappeared. Very strange..."

"But nevermind that - Amalita has run off to Butterridge to see the mayor and lodge a complaint against the ruffians. And Elias with one of our workmen is making the rounds of nearby farms to see if anyone else was bothered by the same men or other suspicious lurkers."

The young girl's eyes were bright with exhilaration. "Meanwhile I got sent here to gather news. So tell me, what happened yesterday Katalin? Why are the Duke's own men hunting for you? This is all so thrillingly exciting!"

Katalin gripped Marissa's shoulders, noticing her friend's increasing agitation. "Relax. Know that the men weren't sent by the Duke himself, but instead were followers of Lord Tamas seeking revenge."

She took a deep, calming breath before continuing. "They hunt for me because yesterday I fought Laszlo in the tavern."

Marissa gasped, hands flying to her mouth in shock. "Laszlo Stonehaven himself? Is...is he dead?" The girl's features had drained of all former excitement, eyes wide with grave concern.

Despite the dire situation, Katalin felt a small surge of pride that her friend's first instinct was certainty of her victory against a hardened warrior like Laszlo.

"No, he yet lives. But I left him badly injured and Lord Tamas surely wants my head now to avenge his wounded son."

Hope flashed across Marissa's face. "But Duke Alaric would never allow harm to come to you Katalin!"

Katalin sighed, and said, "Tamas cares little for rules or laws. But you are right about Lord Alaric, I am sure he would control his brother if he could."

At that Marissa smiled, "See. So it will be alright. Father says we are lucky to have a man like Lord Alaric as duke. Mama says it is because he carries 'Mayfair', your father's sword." At mention of Henrik's sword Marissa's face fell again and she looked nervously at Katalin, afraid bringing up her father would make her sad or angry

But Katalin did not show any reaction to it, instead putting a hand on Marrisa's shoulder and smiling told her, "I smell bacon frying in the kitchen. Go see who else is up and get some food. Give me a few seconds and I will be right behind you."

"Oh no, I know your game," Marissa said with a twinkle in her eye as she headed out the door. "You just want me to leave so you can go back to gazing longingly at your own backside."

"Should I be concerned with how fixated you are on my rear today?" Katalin called as Marissa disappeared down the hall. Shaking her head affectionately, Katalin slipped her linen tunic over her night dress and followed the scents of cooking food to the kitchen.

Approaching the kitchen Katalin noticed an unknown aura dimly showing through the wall. Upon entering the warm room, they found Seraphina busy cooking while Cassius and Garren sat talking with another man at the heavy oak table. Studying him closer, Katalin guessed the traveler to be in his early thirties. His features were strong and defined with lines etched into his weathered face. His brows were furrowed in thought as he scanned Katalin with a serious yet anxious look. His simple tunic and breeches marked him as a commoner. Over by the kitchen exit, she noticed two large traveler's packs and a short handled axe placed next to a pair of mud-caked boots. The man did not seem threatening, but she could not decipher the meaning behind the white, yellow and brown swirls in his aura.

Garren stood upon seeing them enter. Placing a hand on the stranger's shoulder, he made introductions. "This is my man Wulfgar, he will be accompanying us out of Stonehaven."

Marissa's eyes widened in surprise. She looked between Wulfgar and Katalin. "Out of Stonehaven...? You're leaving?"

Katalin gave her friend a remorseful nod. Wulfgar eyed the exchange cautiously.

Marissa stepped closer to Katalin, distress on her face. "For how long?"

"Not long, I hope," Katalin murmured briefly to her friend before squeezing Marissa's hand reassuringly. She then turned to appraise Wulfgar. They silently studied one another for a long moment before Katalin gave a slight nod of greeting. Wulfgar returned the gesture, though his eyes still carried a glint of wariness.

Katalin took a seat at the table where Seraphina already had a heaping plate waiting - bacon strips, golden fried eggs, crispy potatoes, and a tall glass of milk.

Looking warmly at Marissa, still distressed by the news, Seraphina gestured for her to join Katalin at the heavy oak table where another plate of food sat waiting for her. "Come now dear, sit and eat. I know you must be worried for Katalin, but all will be well."

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As Marissa sat, Garren and Wulfgar exchanged concerned looks, realizing her knowledge of their plans could prove dangerous.

Garren cleared his throat politely. "We would deeply appreciate discretion regarding the travel plans you overheard. It could endanger Katalin if certain ears learned of her movements." Though his words were gentle, his tone made clear the gravity of secrecy.

"Please Marissa, be very careful who you tell about my sister leaving," Cassius gently pleaded. Though his eyes were kind, his furrowed brow conveyed shared concern.

Marissa nodded anxiously and cast an uneasy glance at Katalin as she took the seat beside her friend.

Katalin leaned over and gave Marissa a light, reassuring bump with her shoulder. Through a mouthful of eggs and bacon she added casually, "Oh don't worry, a little adventure builds character."

Marissa paused a moment before retorting, "Well if anyone's character needs building, you'd be the first pick." She reached over to steal a slice of bacon from Katalin's heaping plate.

"Hey!" Katalin protested in exaggerated offense. "Momma, Mari's stealing my food!"

Seraphina grinned affectionately as she sat with her own plate. "Marissa's a good girl. She would never do that." Everyone exchanged amused smiles, the warm familiar banter putting everyone at ease.

Once everyone had their fill of food and news, Katalin pushed back from the table. She declared she needed to make use of the facilities in the smithy before preparing to depart.

Reacting to what Katalin said, Wulfgar's eyes lit up and he spoke for the first time that morning. "Those fass-ill-it-tees," he said, sounding out the word carefully, "are wonderful!"

Katalin gave Wulfgar a surprised look. She glanced questioningly at Seraphina, wondering how the scout knew about the washroom addition.

"Oh, Wulfgar was one of the men standing watch down the road last night," Seraphina explained. "I invited him in to make use of the facilities before we ate."

Katalin felt a swell of gratitude and friendliness towards Wulfgar, realizing he had endured the cold dark night outside keeping watch for trouble and helping ensure their safety.

She smiled at him and shared her pride in her father's special addition. "Yes. Designed by my father, from things learned on his journeys. He was always tinkering to improve them."

"I did not know such things existed outside of castles or great halls," Wulfgar admitted, awe entering the scout's gruff tone.

"If you'll excuse me, I'm going to make use of them myself before we head out," Katalin said, leaving the table.

"Race you." Cassius suggested with a playful grin.

Before Katalin could respond, Marissa cheekily added, "Don't get distracted admiring your rear again."

Katalin just chuckled at her friend's jest as she headed for the hallway.

Cassius exchanged bemused glances with the others. Seeing everyone's confused looks, Marissa asked innocently "What?"

The brief, lighthearted nonsense helped lift spirits before Katalin departed.

After making use of the facilities, and leaving the washroom, Katalin realized she did not need to visit them nearly as often since gaining her new gifts. Clearly her body now functioned differently, needing increased food but creating less waste.

Entering the hallway joining the smithy to the house, Katalin found Cassius standing silent and somber, gazing at the leather work aprons belonging to Henrik and Gregory.

As Katalin approached, Cassius sighed heavily. "It won't be the same here without the three of you hammering away in the forge."

"No, nothing will ever be the same," Katalin agreed, the weight of recent loss hanging thick in the air.

Cassius went on to share how much fulfillment he found in his station at Stonehaven Keep - the training, the travel, the vast libraries and fascinating people. Most rewarding was growing to know Lord Alaric himself over the years. It had been all Cassius ever dreamed.

"Yet part of me was always a little envious of the life you led here with Mother and Father. Playing in your Mayfair Meadow alongside such close friends through the seasons. It gladdened me picturing you enjoying such comforts while I studied away in the wider realm."

Katalin smiled gently, squeezing her half-brother's shoulder. "I'm glad the keep was a happy home for you. But now you need to make time to look after Mother. You will inherit everything now, maybe sell the smithy and have mama take rooms in the keep."

Cassius nodded. "A good idea. I will try to arrange it." His expression shifted, seeming to recall an important matter. "Actually I wanted to speak privately for a moment to give you this." He held out a small but heavy coin purse.

Katalin initially refused, but Cassius insisted. "My stipends exceed any needs, and Lord Alaric provides whatever I require. I only wish I could gift you more."

Relenting, Katalin placed the purse in her tunic the same way she had done the the night before with the purse from her mother. "Had I known fighting Laszlo was so profitable, I'd have done it years ago," she quipped.

Grinning together, the siblings moved to the warm kitchen.

Entering the kitchen, Katalin saw Garren and Wulfgar standing ready in dark, thick cloaks with fur-lined hoods. Their body language suggesting readiness and determination.

Seraphina hurried over to Katalin, hefting a large sack. "Take this. It's all the torvgras I made for your father. Inside is a smaller pouch of sweetflesh, his favorite torvgras with the added honey. I know it's quite heavy, but you have your father's great strength now. No doubt it will lighten on its own all too quickly."

Katalin took hold of the ample bag and set it by her packed gear as her mother anxiously continued.

"You'll have to make more yourself now. This recipe kept your father going for endless hours at the forge. You helped prepare it enough to know what to do. Crushing the dried meat will be easy with your new strength. And you can dry it in sunlight when no forge fire is near..." Seraphina trailed off, realizing her rambling worries would not ease the hard road ahead.

She embraced Katalin fiercely tight. "Oh Katalina, I wish you didn't have to go."

Katalin hugged back with equal desperation. "I know, Mother. I do too. Hopefully I can come home soon."

Parting reluctantly, Katalin surveyed Garren and Wulfgar by the door. "One moment - I need a few things from my chamber." She hurried off, returning shortly outfitted warmly for travel. The woolen fabric of her hose and tunic provided protection against the cold, while the fleece lining added an extra layer of warmth. Over it all, she wore a thick wool sweater to shield her from the harsh elements. The gifted coin purses were secreted safely away in the tunic. The small bag of torvgras from her bedpost now hung from her belt. And in her hands she bore her hammer and Gregory's shield.

Garren held up a halting hand as Katalin hefted the shield. "The hammer can be wrapped and stowed to avoid notice. But that shield's too distinctive. Folk will remember it in our passing, and common pilgrims traveling together would not have a shield."

Katalin ran her fingers sadly over the beautiful steel face etched with Gregory's distinctive scrolling designs. But she knew Garren spoke the truth - it would draw dangerous interest on the road. Reluctantly she passed the shield to Cassius for safekeeping. "Please save this for when I return," she asked and her brother nodded solemnly.

Moving to the townhouse doorway, Katalin laced on her sturdy travel boots and swung a heavy brown woolen cloak about her shoulders. After wrapping her hammer in a linen cloth and securing it, along with the large sack of torvgras, to her father's travel pack, she hoisted the bulging pack onto her shoulders and turned to Garren. "So, which way do we head first?"

As she spoke, Katalin watched Wulfgar deftly heft his own backpack then attach the axe to his belt, the handle angled across his hip for easy access.

Garren shook his head while cinching his own pack tight across his broad back. "Safer for all if your mother and brother do not know the exact path we walk. Innocent slips could bring harder hunters to our trail."

With that, Garren and Wulfgar stepped outside, leaving Katalin alone to bid her final farewells. She tightly embraced her mother, then Cassius, and finally came to Marissa. As the two girls clung to each other, Marissa hesitated before asking in a hushed tone meant only for Katalin's ears:

"Do you...do you have any messages for - for anyone?"

Katalin's breath caught in her throat, hot tears filling her vision. There was one she longed to leave a private last word for. But uncertainty and fear held her back.

"Tell..." Katalin paused, the name hovering silently on her lips but she could not give it voice. "Tell them all I love them and will be thinking of them every day." Tears streaming down her face, she squeezed her mother's hand one final time. Then she turned and stepped out to where Garren and Wulfgar waited by the snow-lined road leading into the wide unknown.

Katalin took a deep breath to compose herself, the cold air stinging her wet cheeks. She wiped the remnants of tears from her face. Garren and Wulfgar both politely ignored her moment of emotion.

Garren was now equipped with stout walking staff nearly as tall himself. Wulfgar quietly gestured to a similar oaken staff leaning near the cottage door which Katalin took up in her gloved hand.

The scout then led them around the rear of the quiet smithy, then followed the footsteps through the snow Katalin left the night prior when returning from Butterridge. They silently followed her trail towards the trees, their bare branches etching lines against the gray winter sky. The powder crunched softly under each step as they passed buildings trimmed with ice.