Marela

Her finger tapped on the pine table. White Pine to be specific. Although it was dyed to look darker than normal. It was made to look like oak, a more expensive wood. It did not impress her.

Marela tapped her finger on the pine table louder, she knew the noise would echo deeper if the table was real oak.

Marela: “ETA?” she said with an annoyed look.

Servant: “I’m sorry my lady. Lord Olliff will be in in just a moment,” the man said avoiding eye contact.

The “help” didn’t seem to have any fucking clue about what was happening.

Marela: “Great,” she said with an eye roll and a huff.

The anti-chamber held a round table that sat in the center. Marela sat in a pine chair tilted backward. Her back was to the room’s only window, which let in the setting western sun through the shutter’s slits. The help stood next to the door on the other side of the room. She would catch him staring at her crown, clearly in awe or jealousy.

Marela grabbed a lit candle on the table and brought it toward her face. The help’s eyes widened as he saw a pipe quickly float from her jacket pocket to her mouth. She lit the pipe and put the candle back on the table.

The room now smelled of tobacco.

Servant: “My lady, he shouldn’t be more than a moment. Please refrain from smoking. It will soil the carpet”.

Marela looked at her new best friend with an arched eyebrow. He jolted back as he saw the wooden window shudders burst open behind her. She said nothing and continued to puff her tobacco with a smirk.

She waited for enough time to repack her pipe and get through half of it before Lord Olliff finally decided to grace her presence.

Olliff: “Lady Marela! So good to have your company!”. He practically burst into the room; his arms stretched wide.

Marela: “So good of you to have me”. She got up and they kissed each other’s cheeks in greeting. “Took a while”. She glared at him as she put out her pipe.

Olliff: “Oh my. I give my sincerest of apologies. Just a little squabble with some new kitchen staff”. He patted her shoulder and motioned for them to leave the room.

Marela: “Seems like a small problem for the Baron to be handling.” She held his crooked arm as the two walked down a hall of Stronghold Holfaller.

The two were an odd coupling. Olliff wore typical robes and jewelry of a noble. His house crest of a beaver plastered all over his clothing. Marela’s black oiled leather coat contrasted his yellow and blue nicely.

But nothing about the two stood out more than Marela’s crown. It rested above her shoulders and arched behind her neck. It was a miniature tree. The branches and leaves were over her left shoulder, and as the tree snaked over her other shoulder, its bark was chipped away and gradually became carved. Small intricate details were carved such as wild animals and flowers.

The two continued small talk until they made it to the great hall. An impressive throne room that had room enough for a living tree. The tree was fed light from arched windows near the ceiling of the room. Carved near the trunk was the seat of the throne. This was Marela’s first time seeing the Oaken Throne. She cursed to herself at how impressed she was.

Olliff intentionally paused to let her bask it in.

Olliff: It is much more impressive than comfortable. I have to have three cushion’s to even think about sitting on it”.

Marela didn’t even listen to him. She just stared at the tree. It only had a sparse collection of leaves. Several servants were underneath sweeping up dead leaves. The servants looked at Marela tentatively. She slightly nodded her head and winked at them.

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She turned quickly.

Marela: “Let’s discuss business”.

The two sat near a crackling fireplace. Fresh from the orchards; hard cider was being poured like a bursting damn. The two had just struck their deal. In truth, they had been planning this deal for months now. Marela could only now visit from her busy schedule. Being that preparation for winter was at an end. The sun was low. So, celebration was underway.

Their large wispy signatures laid freshly inked on the bottom of the trade deal. Marela’s logging company in Sol would take lumber only from Stronghold Holfaller, owned by Olliff. It was an impressive operation to be honest. They grew and bred dozens of tree species. Olliff’s keep supplied apples and cider to almost every city that had a port. His trees grew fast from frequent visits of Autumns Children. It would double her intake of lumber from just this one source.

In return, she paid the ultimate sacrifice. Marela stared at the raging fire blankly between sips of the floral cider.

Marela: “He is an honest man?”. She said slightly turning her head to Olliff.

Olliff: “My lady, my son Olifer is a knight of the realm. He has his vows practically carved into his bones. He’s also got his suave looks from his father”. The two laughed, Marela’s laugh hid her doubt.

Olliff: “He’s riding in now. Should get in by morning”.

Marela: “I’ll just miss him then. A shame”. She looked down at her cup and motioned to have more poured.

Olliff: “Nonsense! You must stay the night. I’ll throw a feast large enough to fill every table in Holfaller!” he said sloshing cider onto the floor while gesticulating. The two laughed more as the servants cleaned up his mess.

Marela: “If I must. I’ll send word to my ship crew to anchor and wait for further news”.

Olliff: “Nonsense! It’s time for celebration! Let them come and indulge in the night’s festivities”.

Bingo. Marela smiled and patted Olliff on the shoulder.

Olliff: “You are truly a kind man”.

They both laughed some more.

Marela: “What the fuck happened in the kitchen!” she said about to slap her crew. The boat rocking almost seemed to be coming from her voice alone.

Lucern: “It was under control. Then lord fuckwit came in and made a show of it”. He held his ground to Marela not wavering eye contact.

Marela: “Tonight has to be perfect, you hear me”. Her words lashed out; the rest of the crew cowered like children behind Lucern. Marela insured they were trained like dogs.

Lucern: “We have it under control. Everyone is in position”. He smiled at her. She needed to relax more.

They paused waiting for her next word. The boat rocked and bumped against the dock, making a chilling creaking sound.

Marela: “All right. Let’s fucking do this. Come on then lads, we have a party to attend”. She turned and led the “sailors” towards the keep.

Stronghold Holfaller was not an impressive keep. The tree throne was the only thing of note inside the dull stone box. The orchards and tree nurseries were dull too. They were poorly maintained and held no regard for actual modern botany practices. I don’t think anyone here even knew what the word botany meant.

The reason it produced so much timber each year was its river. It was right on top of the deepest river in the kingdom. Marela didn’t even remember the name of the river, it didn’t matter to her. It allowed the large tree farm to export their wood directly. No middlemen, and no trade chains.

These facts about this place constantly rattled on in Marela’s head. She would answer questions when prompted but her focus was somewhere else. Her gut twisted with anxiety. Tonight had to go perfectly.

Wife: “How long have you been Touched?” Olliff’s wife asked. Marela couldn’t care to remember her name.

Marela: “A few years now. It happened back when I moved to Sol and started to work in the shipyard steaming and carving wood”.

Wife: “How fascinating? I actually knew the last Sun Priest. He was a colleague of my fathers. He had the most magnificent body, and could only wear clothing made from metal”.

Marela: “Fascinating,” she said rolling a pea across her plate.

Everyone at the dinner table had to practically yell to be heard. The music was pounding. However, it made for a nice atmosphere.

Olliff: “SHUSH, everyone quiet!”. He stumbled up from his seat. The band stopped their playing. “I would like to congratulate my new daughter into the family”. He pointed at Marela. She nodded to the table. “May her business and god continue to grow with the help of our trees”.

The rest of the table cheered for the union. Olliff sat as the head, his wife to his left and Marela to his right. Their three daughters and two younger sons sat on the other end, along with a few other family members.

Marela got up as well and lifted her mug.

Marela: “I would like to toast my soon-to-be husband Olifer who we, unfortunately, do not have with us today”. She as slyly as she could looked over to one of the servants pouring cider and nodded. “May his travel be swift and safe and our marriage is long and loving”. She could throw up at those words. “I also have a treat from the capital. May I present a little gift from me. A fine Sol wine from the city’s best vineyard”.

With her crown’s ability, she floated a wooden cask from cup to cup across the table. The spectacle made the younger girls clap and cheer. With all of them having cups in the air she said a final toast.

Marela: “To a long and prosperous union of families!”.

Table: “Huzzah!”.