|
Prologue Ales looked at the hourglass she had been working for over an hour and she had only gotten the measurements of the first five herbs she had collected ten in all. She was making a set of ointments for the Askens big festival that they had every two moons. It was a big festival they were celebrating the only night in the year that the two moons were full. They represented their god and goddess the one on the right represented Anres the goddess of love the one on the left represented Aner the god of war. She sighed if she was going to finish by five o’clock which was two hours away she would have to work a little harder. As she dropped one of the herbs in it’s bowl she heard a knock on the back door. As she opened it nobody was there. Looking around it looked as if this was one of those pranks that the neighbors boys do. As she walked forward to look around some more she hit something with her foot. Looking down she saw a basket with a blanket draped over it. She kneeled down to pick it up she heard a soft whimper. Lifting up the blanket she saw a baby cuddling with a big teddy bear sleeping. It looked as if it had been crying. She gasped what was this baby doing here? Had it been kidnapped? Maybe it’s mom couldn’t take care of it whatever the reason was she didn’t care . Her and her husband had prayed to Anres to give them a little baby and here it was right in front of her however she wasn’t sure if her husband would take this one in. he had wanted a girl and this one was a boy. She tried to think what to say to her husband would say once he saw the baby. She knew that he wanted a baby that he helped create. She sighed and looked at the baby. It ‘s face squinted and it looked like it had just woken up he was about to cry. "Oh hush" she said as the first wail escaped "don’t worry I’m here" she said cuddling the baby. It’s hands reached out and touched her face. It smiled as it felt her cheek against his hand. Then it snuggled back down into it’s blanket and fell asleep. As Ales took him inside he squirmed and started to cry again all of a sudden she realized what it was saying. "You must be hungry" she said "here let me get you some warm milk." Then she rushed over to the cupboard where she kept all of her things for their baby. Her an her husband had gotten a baby once but it was stillborn the memory’s still haunted her mind of that horrible night when she looked upon her dead baby's face. Little bares he also was a boy that was another reason she didn’t think that her husband would let her keep him. He would remind him of Bares. This baby even looked like him. She tried to find the milk solution that she had made but then remembered in her anger and sadness about the baby she had dumped it out of the window. Only to dump it onto the miller's head who was just passing by. She chuckled at the thought the masters face as he looked up at her. His face all powdery with milk. Then the baby started to cry louder. She took him and did the only thing she could think of to do. Take him over to her best friends house, her name was Hanna. She had a family of her own, seven kids if she remembered right. She would go over there and ask for some help with the milk. She took the baby and opened the door. Went out, closed it, and then locked it, turning the sign that said open to closed. As she neared the shop that said "Hanna’s bakery" she opened the door and saw that it wasn’t Hanna who was managing the shop but her husband. He smiled as he saw her walk in "hello Ales he said how are you today?" Ales nodded and said "fine Arkes um I’m looking for Hanna, do you know where she is?" Arkes nodded "sure she’s upstairs with the kids I think she’s reading them a story." Ales nodded to him and said "may I go up to see her? It is very urgent" Arkes nodded and said "no problem she’s in Sarens room I think just go right up." "Thank you very much" and then she rushed upstairs just as the baby started to cry again. He had quieted down on the way here. As she turned the hall corner Hanna came rushing out "Ales it's you! I thought I heard your voice! Is that a baby I hear?" she said as she neared Ales "yes, Isn’t he beautiful?" She asked "I found him on my back doorstep, I was working on my herbs when there was knock at the door, but I’ll tell you the rest later right now I need to ask you a favor, you have kids could you help me with him? He needs some milk but I don’t have any could you help me? Please?" Hanna nodded she turned toward the door she had come out of her second to youngest Sarens was peaking out of the door with his older sister Mollis " Sarens go get some milk and put it on the stove to heat. Mollis go and get a bottle down in the cupboard above the stove. Ales come with me to my room I have a baby crib there for decoration." Hanna grabbed Ales hand and lead her into her room. The room was very plain. The bed was in the far left corner. A dresser right across it, a rocking chair stood by the door. Hanna beckoned ales into it "you should sit down after all your the one who’s going to be feeding the baby." Ales looked up at her "but I can’t do that, I’ve never fed a baby before in my life." Hanna chuckled "all you have to do is hold him in your arms support his head with one hand and feed him the bottle with the other. Ales looked at her and said "do you think I could do it?" Hanna nodded "I’m positive you can. By the way have you showed Anrays yet?" Ales shook her head "I don’t know if this husband of mine will want him. He looks so much like bares and it’s a boy. But it would break my heart if I had to give him up. He is such a doll don’t you think?" Hanna nodded "you should keep him, if someone just left him on the doorstep then that means that they want you to take care of them." Ales nodded "I just hope Anrays will see it that way." Just then Mollis came rushing in with a bottle of milk. "Mama we put it together for you." "Thank you dear" said Hanna "just set it on the dresser." Mollis walked over to the dresser and set it on top. "Oh! Is that your baby aunt Ales? He is so beautiful" Ales nodded "thank you, I’m glad you think that." Ales looked up at the hourglass it was ten to five. She stood up "oh no!" she said "I’m late Hanna could I borrow this bottle for awhile? I’ll bring it back tomorrow I promise" Hanna laughed "you can take it for as long as you like, I hope that Anrays will let you keep him." Ales nodded and said "me too." Ales opened the door just as it hit five. She rushed to her bedroom and set the baby on the bed for it to take a nap. It had fallen asleep on the way home. She rushed to the kitchen and opened the cupboard. Found her deep pot and set it hanging over the fire place. She jogged into the back to the shed and took some carrots from the basket of vegetables she had picked from their garden just yesterday. She took them inside and started to peal them. She had just finished putting the carrots into the pot when she heard a horse out front. She ran and looked out of the front window. It was Anrays! He wouldn’t be to pleased if his supper wasn’t ready. She ran to the cupboard took out some bread she had made earlier that day. She set it on the table and ran to the ice box she reached inside and pulled out a chunk of butter from it. She took it and put it on a table, she ran over and pulled out a knife from the drawer. She cut the bread just as he opened the front door. She relaxed a little he was whistling that meant he was in a good mood. "Hello" he said as he passed by to hang up his hat. When he came back in he gave her a kiss. He walked over and sat down "I can’t stay for supper I have to go to an important meeting about swords" (Anrays was a black smith) "the army has asked me to make them a good deal of swords, Ales the money they offered if, everything works out all right, will be enough money for us to go visit your parents." Ales looked up "you mean we could actually go see my parents?" he nodded. Ales parents lived 2,000 miles away it would take them over six hundred Garents to travel on the birds." The people always traveled by bird. They would ride on the back of a giant falcon or swan or owl. It was the fastest way to travel. All of a sudden they heard a baby cry. Anrays looked up "what is that noise?" he said "it sounds like a baby crying." Ales nodded "it is he's hungry I should go warm up some milk for him could you go get him? He is on our bed." Anrays looked at her "what is going on?" Ales looked at him go get him and I will tell you." Anrays nodded and then turned toward the bedroom. Ales walked over tot he ice box and took out a bucket of milk and set it on the table. She took a pot out from the cupboard and set it on the table. She poured some milk into the pot and put it over the fire, scooting the deep pot over to the left. Taking the bucket she put it back in the ice box. Just then Anrays came in holding the baby. The baby snuggled up by his chest. He looked at her and said "Ales what's the meaning of this?" She looked up at him and said "sit down and I will tell you the story but please don't interrupt or else my nerves will fail me. She told him about the knock on the door and how she found the baby. She told him about going over to Hanna’s house and feeding him. When she was done he looked dumb struck. "I don’t know what to say." Ales leaned forward and said "then tell me are we going to keep him?" Anrays shook his head and said "I don’t know, I really don’t know." Ales looked up there was a knock on the door. It had been a day since she had introduced the baby to Anrays. She stood up and went to the door. When she opened it Hanna was standing there with a basket in her hand. "Hello" she said as she stepped in "I thought you could use some help with the cooking for tonight so I brought over these dishes for you, so have you introduced the baby to Anrays yet?" Ales nodded "I did" Hanna looked excited "and what did he say?" Ales shook her head and said "he said he doesn’t know if we could keep him. I think he wants to though," Hanna nodded "I bet he does, well I better go. I just came to give you the dinner and find out what he said. Maybe I’ll pop by tomorrow or the next so long...oh Anrays you scared me" Hanna had opened the door and Anrays was standing in it apparently he was about to open the door when Hanna had pulled it open. Ales looked up "Anrays" she said in surprise "I wasn’t expecting you till late." Anrays looked at her and said "I only left work to tell you this then I’m going back. I given this a lot of thought since last night and my answer is that you can keep the baby." Ales looked him not able to put into her words the joy that she felt inside. She rushed over to him and hugged him "oh thank you!" she said "Thank you, thank you, thank you." Anrays pulled away "I’ll be back later then usual tonight." She looked at him and nodded "I love you" she said as he shut the door behind him. Hanna looked over at Ales in excitment they both hugged eachother nad then Hanna said "I have to get going now I need to tell my family the good news!" then she opened the door and ran out "I'll be back tommorrow though!" she yelled as she ran. Ales went back inside. Going over to her table she sat down and went back to mixing herbs. "I will name him..." she thought "I will name him Baron." |