"Welcome to the annual Foaling Festival! As Spring approaches it's end, we are gathered to celebrate the fertility of our lands as we sow them, the winter we have weathered, and--most importantly--the bounty of newborn foals! Come one and all, and take part in the games and feasting of the season! May the festival begin! The first competition shall be archery!"
And with that the festival began. I must be honest, I have never attended a Foaling Festival myself. Everyone in Aldburg helped out in one way or another. Hilda made sure to announce the games while Miss Rosefled sold her husband's goods while he was away and gave out meaningful gifts as rewards to the games. Seaxa ran the games. I personally helped other local hunters gather meat for the feast beforehand. In the halls many of the women helped cook and prepare food for our feast. Miss Gerta passed the horn around for everyone to sip from and spoke as a town elder on behalf of our Thane. Even the wealh, Blóstma, helped tend to the feast under the watchful eye of her host. Men and women from all around attended as well. Everyone from the locals Githa and that halfblood Hund to pretty, young women like Nenn who I have never met before like the stranger Hamarwulf (who I personally enjoyed competing with) and many more whose names I do not remember by now. But in my opinion, the most exciting face to see in the entire festival was when my beloved cousin Ceolu appeared.
I lunged over to her the moment she came into my vision, wrapping my arms tightly around her, "Hello Ceolu!"
A chuckle escaped her in her surprise, "Audelwyn, Cousin! Where have you been?"
We spoke very little throughout the games for often one or the other were busy competing, but something sent excitement through me to have my cousin by my side. I do not entirely remember the last time we had spoke. It was before I ran away with Eorland, but I remember her constant disappointment in me in things she knew I had done back then. If she had known everything, she would have even been more upset with me. I remembered our fights, our arguments, our disagreements. I remember wanting to flee for I felt I could never find her approval. I know now it was probably not that she disapproved of me, but I disapproved of myself. It is easier to shove self disgust onto someone else.
When the games came to an end, we moved into the halls.
"Wesath hál! Éomer Lord is away on business with the King, so Arcil Thane sits here in his stead. I, Gerta daughter of Alfred, greet all of you today. Thank you all for coming. I hope you enjoyed the festivities. As we share in the mead of Aldburg's hall today, we are friends! Today, all enmities are forgotten, all friendships renewed. Today, we celebrate this year's births."
Gerta's voice rang clearly through the hall as she tapped on her cup to gain all of our attention. She began to pour the horn as she continued to speak.
"As you each share my cup today, you do not drink merely of mead. You drink too of the hospitality of Aldburg and its lord. You drink of our wealth, safety, and the frith that Théoden King has brought us."
The sharing horn passed through the hall from person to person as each took a small sip. Finally, the feast began and conversations filled the large hall. Ceolu and I both sat at a table together as the echoes of laughter and conversation flowed around us.
"I am with child," she told me. "I am a bit surprised my husband wasn't at the games."
Blinking several times, I felt a shiver of excitement pass through me, "Your husband?"
"It has been a long time since you left, Audelwyn," she nodded.
"Indeed, I've missed a lot." Suddenly my eyes widened, "You're having a baby! Oh! I love babies!"
"Aye," Ceolu chuckled, "Torwiga and I have moved to Walstow, just across the river from here. You should come visit, Audelwyn."
The elder woman Gerta came and joined us, sitting down beside Ceolswith as she inclined her head, "Hail, young ones."
Nodding eagerly to Ceolu, I responded with an excited, "I will." Then my eyes shifted to the woman, "Oh hi. Thanks for the welcoming! You spoke well."
Ceolu nodded respectfully to the woman, "Greetings. Thank you for welcoming us."
Snorting softly, Gerta smoothed her skirt as she responded in a somewhat offputting tone, "My words are wind without the backing of Aldburg's generosity." Her words pause for a moment, "I have not had the pleasure of meeting you."
"No, I don't think I've met you." I nodded, "But Blóstma has mentioned you before I believe. I am Audelwyn. I live with Wulfheah's Household." I then gestured to Ceolu, "This is my cousin Ceolswith. She's visiting for the festival."
"Aye, my husband and I came down from Walstow," Ceolu explained, "I haven't been to one of these."
"Ceolswith? She is very fair," Gerta smiles to Ceolu and then directed her gaze to me, "Wulfheah is a fine host, very giving. I have broken bread with his household many times before. Tell me, from whom are you descended, Ceolswith? Audelwyn?"
"Wulfheah is a wonderful man. So is his wife, Wilcum," I agreed before looking to Ceolu, "We actually come from Harwick."
"My father, Forthstan," Ceolu met my gaze, "was the former quartermaster in Harwick. Warriors, our family tends to be. The Wold has a history of being nomadic is the past, but it's in our blood to want to defend our walls."
The older woman smiles, "A very good line from the sound of it. Was he much renowned?"
'He is in Harwick," Ceolu looked back to Gerta, "I doubt his name has reached this far south."
"Ah, but I mean in Harwick!"
"A quartermaster has an important place in an Eored," Ceolu responded, "He aided Reeve Harding and his father for some time."
"Of course. You were married, weren't you?" Gerta pries, "Any children?"
"The one coming by winter," Ceolu nodded. "None other though."
"Isn't that exciting?" I finally spoke up in excitment, "Everyone loves babies!"
Gerta grins despite herself, "I pray it will be a successful birth. And that the child shall grow up whole and hale."'
"So Gerta," I sit up, looking to the old woman as my head tilts to the side. "I hear Garsig is staying with you. Are you keeping him on a leash? I haven't seen him causing unusual amounts of havoc in town."
"He is not an animal, Audelwyn." Gerta responds somewhat more harshly, "He is my husband's brother-son. I raised him more than his true mother ever did."
"No, no," I lifted my hands defensively. "I never called him an animal. I just remember him being quite a wild one back in the day." She frowned a bit as the memories of the man's disgusting behaviour comes to mind. Of the pain he inflicted and his forcefulness, "Well..." I then shook my head, deciding not to speak of my memories. I suddenly felt a surge of panic as I wiggled in my seat. I had no clue what to speak of and no clue why I mentioned Garsig. Quickly, I looked back to Ceolu to change the topic, "Anyways, tell me about your husband? How pretty is he?"
Hesitating on her pouring herself of a new glass, she looks to me with an amused expression, "Pretty? He's tall and a former champion of a few tournaments in the Maerc. He came to Stangard a few times, though I don't recall if you saw him. But, now that we are living in Walstow, he will go back into lumber. Him and Forthdyrt would have loved to fight each other."
"Lumber is a good trade," Gerta inhales deeply. "Does he fight with an axe, too?"
"Tall is good," I grinned. "Tall men make tall sons."
'He'll use any weapon he chooses to," Ceolu said to Gerta before her eyes shifted to me. "And uh... I suppose tall sons is good."
"Of course, sometimes sons do not take the best of their fathers," Gerta said as she lifted her mug to drink from, "But that is fate."
"I like to think hopeful rather than negatively," I responded curtly. "I am sure if you have a son, he will be tall and handsome. And if you have a daughter, she will be stunning like her mother."
"Realistically," Gerta corrected me to my annoyance. "I pray every mother has strong and healthy sons and fair daughters. 'Praise day at even.'"
'Healthy will be a good start,' Hilda chuckled.
"Yes, I do hope they all have healthy babies," I grunted and then looked to Gerta. "Do you know if there are any babies coming soon in Aldburg? I think I heard a little whisper of the healer Layfled's daughter might be pregnant. But nothing for sure."
"Who told you that?" Gerta said curtly. "Layfled never told me any of this."
I shrugged, "I heard it the other day when I was in her house. Her daughter's still in Beaconwatch. I don't really know any of the details."
"I pray the father stays," Gerta says, her tone growing more soft. "That family has always had ill luck with men."
"From what I've gathered, most women have ill luck with men," I grunted before quickly looking to Ceolu, "Not all of course."
She shrugged, "I was lucky to meet him."
"Young women, perhaps," Gerta snorted. "But my Osgar was good to me until his death."
"You were lucky then, Gerta," I shifted a bit, "Not all women get that."
Gerta smiled to me, "Yes, now if you'll forgive me, I should join Rosefled's table. it has been a long time since I have talked with her, and I think it would do me good."
I nodded to the woman, "Of course, tell Blóstma that she should come spend some time with Hilda and I."
Ceolu offered the woman a little smile, "It was a pleasure meeting you."
"And you. I wish you the best of luck for your children," Gerta inclined her head. At the mention of Hilda, I noticed she seemed to turn a little paler. "I will tell Blóstma. Be well, the both of you."
Then briskly the woman stood and moved away from our table to the next one over. There she sat beside the other older woman cloaked in a fine, maroon cloak and a pretty purple dress. I wondered why she seemed to react to Hilda's name, but Ceolu's voice interrupted my thoughts, "Aldburg is really pretty. I suppose I would have stopped here long on my way to Beaconwatch."
((OOC Note: Thank you for everyone who showed up! I'm sorry if I didn't get your name tagged, I tried to tag everyone I remembered. It was a fun event and congrats to the winners of all the games. I hope to see all of you around in RP and perhaps even at a Foaling Festival next year. <3 ))
