Although I was happy travelling on occasions, I was not a wanderer at heart. I had dwelt in two homes only. Until I was fourteen my family had all lived in the farmhouse, northwest of Edoras. Then I had lived just outside Harwick with my parents, and my father alone, after my mother had died. There was the year at Forlaw, which strangely enough had always seemed home to me, far more than Harwick ever had. There were the months in Stangard, which I wish had never occurred. Back to the farm, this time with Waelden...and now…..
Northgyth had offered us part of her home, for as long as we wanted or needed. It was a clean and comfortable place, and had the attraction of Ymma cooking a few times a week. But we needed a place of our own. We needed to put down roots.
Though it was already dark outside, we were all eager to take a look at Erbrand’s house straight away. Waelden and I had ‘trespassed’ there in his cave, that was true. But none of us had been close to the house or main yard. We wanted to see what state of disrepair the building and barn were in before we thought further.
“We can bring lanterns,” I said, “My heart was racing at the possibility that lay ahead. “It may be dark, but it isn’t cold or raining. May we take a look outside, Northgyth.”
Waelden was still looking at the letter she had handed him. “Thirty gold, eh. We don’t have more than three or four gold between us, but my money is due from Ehris, and we have things we may be able to sell.”
I took his arm, and gestured towards the door. He was certainly the more practical of the two of us in such matters, but I wanted to see if there was a chance we could make it into a home, while he was thinking could we afford it.
Northgyth watched with her usual impassive expression, though there was a hint of amusement in her eyes. She took a small key ring off her belt (which held four key rings) and handed it to Waelden. “Take as much of a look as you want, inside and out. I hold spare keys so Ymma and I could take Erbrand meals when he was here. Return the keys in the morning, and let me know your thoughts”
“You want us gone, Northgyth?” Ethel had remained seated at the table, mopping up the last of her stew with a piece of bread. Now she sounded just a little concerned.
“Of course not, Ethel. I would rather you were all close. If you do decide that house is for you, well I shall have you all as neighbours for some time I hope.”
Ethel was on her feet then, and hurrying to get her cloak, and call Herne.
“No, Ethel. Not yet.” Waelden returned the letter to Northgyth with a nod of ‘thanks’. “Yllfa, you and I should go take a look, as you suggest. But I don’t want to get our hopes too high until we know more.” He turned to face Ethel, “If Yllfa and I think there's a chance it is for us, then you can come and take a look tomorrow. We won’t do anything without your agreement too, pumpkin.”
Making the expected ‘face’ at us, Ethel nodded, put back her cloak and returned to the table for the last piece of bread. “Alright, papa.”
So Northgyth returned to her own rooms, while Waelden and I both lit a lantern, wrapped our cloaks lightly about our shoulders, and took a walk in the dark. The moon was just a sliver of silver in the sky, many stars were hidden behind the slow-moving clouds as we picked our way past the old windmill on the edge of Erbrand’s land, and made towards the house. The bushes were very much overgrown, there were a few barricades that spoke of the owner’s military past, though they looked as if they would blow over now in a strong wind. Waelden put a hand on the top of one of the fences and it crumbled a little under his touch.
We exchanged glances.
“Nothing has been cared for in years.”
He nodded. ”More or less to be expected, love, with the man old and unwell. But all this can be repaired or replaced over time. Lets see if the same is true of the house.”
So we walked on, lanterns showing a very overgrown yard with some apple trees in one corner.
“Wynn would like it here,” I jested.
Walking on past the front of the house, we then stood back, raising the lights so we could see as much as possible.
“Now this isn’t as bad as I thought,” Moving his lantern so he could see the roof, Waelden pointed with his free hand. “See, there are a few places where the wood doesn’t seem to lie right..and there...rain or snow may get through. Otherwise it isn’t needing much work.”
I could see, and though neither of us were skilled carpenters I thought I may manage some outside work, and Waelden would manage even better. If we could get through the winter then I wondered if we could prevail upon Duncadda to help.
“The sills seem in order,” I made a small tour of those windows I could easily reach. “Save that one there. That looks like it has been letting in rain.”
Waelden held his lantern closer and nodded. “That’s easily sorted.”
So on to the door. Waelden handed me the keys with a wink. “Lady of the house,” he whispered.
I put the key to the lock, and thankfully it opened easily. Probably down to Northgyth, I suspected.
The sight took my breath away. Such emptiness, such sadness, it almost struck me as a physical blow. The little amount of furniture there was, a bed, a small table and a chair, were huddled under the stairs. On the facing wall a fire grate looked as if it had been used in recent months. Wood ash lay on the floor, and the smoke hole in the roof above was blackened with soot. The fire pit itself looked unused for years.
Such things could and did happen when someone was too old or too frail to be able to undertake repairs, and didn’t have family or friends close by. I thought for a moment about my own father, still in Harwick, but at least he still had a few good friends nearby.
Waelden was also still, casting his eyes around the main room of the house.
“Yllfa...I don’t think we are in Rohan any more,” he said.
I had never been in Dunland, or anywhere outside Rohan. I could imagine the state of some poorer dwellings, but even those I suspected had more of life in them than this place.
“The house is sad. The air itself holds several years of an ill mind, and light and love have departed.”
Putting a hand on my shoulder, Waelden said “Courage, love. If there is something here we can bring back to life, it may still be alright.” And he chuckled a moment, breaking through the oppression. It almost felt as if the house awoke at such a different sound.
“You must have Bema with you, dear, or be one of those wizards of some sort. Come, then. Let’s see what we find.”
Aye, it was a terrible sight, but as we moved along the walls, looking to see what damage we could find, we actually found the building was in a reasonable condition. The small side hallway was totally unfurnished, the other door locked. Downstairs was a large cellar.
“Ethel could have her own part of the house,” Waelden suggested, as we looked around. There were a couple of bags of mouldy grain, and nothing else. “She could have her own door, and a room, and this cellar. Now that would make her happy.”
I returned to his side. I loved Ethel dearly, but that notion made me happy too.
“Making good, repairing the roof a little, one sill, cleaning, adding life and love? Do you think we can do that?”
He hugged me momentarily in reply. “Aye, I think we can. It will be hard, there’s lots to do, but I doubt I will be away on the trail again before the first signs of spring. We three can make this home, if that’s what you and Ethel want too?
“Let’s look upstairs, first? We may be able to see where the roof needs repair, though probably it will be easier in the daylight.”
“Upstairs then!”
The stairs themselves felt sound and strong as we hurried up. The room, another highly vaulted one so typical of houses in the area, seemed to have another staircase to yet a higher level. We looked there first. The windows on both sides of the small tower let in a little more of the moonlight sliver. It was more than promising.
“My study,” Walden half suggested, half claimed the area. Aye, it would give him room away from Ethel and I and our interruptions.
“Of course, if you want it as such dear.”
It felt different to the rest of the house somehow, as if it alone had held on to the sun and the moon. Perhaps the change should start from here, I wondered. We could open all the windows and both doors and let in as much light as possible.
Back down a level, and the bedroom was similar to the one we had already at Northgyths place. The feeling was still not as dark as the ground floor. It could easily become a clean slate to work with.
“So, what do you think? I like it.”
Putting my arms round Waelden’s waist, I pondered a moment more, then nodded and smiled up at him. “So do I! It will take time to make this our home, but we can do it. Now to think about coin, eh, and let Ethel take a look.”
So it was decided by us at least.
We left the place with much to think of. I locked the door, placing Northgyth’s keys on my own belt for the moment and we walked back slowly together. The barn lay in darkness, I don’t think either of us expected much there. The second key unlocked that large double door and we held the lanterns up once more to peak inside.
“What’s that at the end?”
Waelden was already on it, walking through the darkness to what was a long unused forge. There was even a large anvil in a corner of the space.
“Ethel,” he said, us both knowing of her keen interest in smithcraft. “This does it. Don’t tell her about it yet, Yllfa, but can’t you see her here in the future? Her own forge.”
For me the experience of the house had gone from unpleasant to a workable vision. I nodded. Ethel’s forge, aye. May it be so.
And finally, we were back at Nothgyth’s house. Our minds fully taken up with this new vision we shared, and how to make it reality.
I had intended to get us both a small mug of ale before we headed to bed. On the edge of the table lay a folded letter. My heart almost skipped a beat. Was something wrong? The word on the front, however, was one I knew. It laid any fear to rest.
‘Papa,’ it simply said.
Handing it to Waelden to read, I smiled at him, knowing it was from Ethel. And I watched his expression light further as he then told me what she had written.
