Post by Alsivor on Jun 15, 2008 19:34:09 GMT -8
Turn 96, Caminar Gather
Aleda sat on the edge of the wherry rock with her satchel stuffed full of herbs. The woods were bountiful this Turn, likely because she kept 'encouraging' the plants to grow by breaking off budding seedpods where she walked, turn after turn as she came here over and over again to meet Teimo. She ran a hand through her hair absently, re-arranging the curls and smoothed her hands over her skirts. Her mother had made these for her, these and the bodices that accented the blooming figure that had come to stay in the past turn. They were meant, likely, for her to either impress whatever man her father chose for her, or attract a likely match at the Gather. But that's not what Aleda planned to use them for. A girlish giggle escaped from her lips as she tried to imagine the look on Teimo's face when he saw her. He wouldn't be able to tease her now about her gowns.
Again, as earlier, she shaded her eyes and looked down the slope of the hill. No movement in amongst the brush, though he often surprised her with how quietly he could move. He'd been taller last turn and the turn before that. How tall would he be now? Aleda sighed softly and kicked her heel impatiently against the rock. They'd been here two days already and still no sign of him. She'd come up to the rock each day and watched for him, but he hadn't come. Walking through the caravans had yielded no sign of him. She didn't even know his real name to ask after him, which left her few options for finding out if something had happened. There was time yet though for them to arrive and sometimes wagons didn't make it to the gathering.
Again Aleda swung her foot and thunked her shoe against the side of the rock impatiently. She had much to tell him about the last turn. Her teeth caught at her lip and she sighed softly, remembering the sickness in the morning, the bitterness of the draughts, pushing herself to get out of bed in spite of the dizziness after, so that Giana wouldn't suspect. There was that and the whole next step in her studies and how her mentor had said she was almost ready to tackle the final stages. There was the latest argument with her father about marriage. There were all the news and stories she'd saved up over the course of the turn to share with him.
And still he didn't come.
Aleda waited until the very last possible moment, pushing it even towards almost too late before she slipped off the rock and made her way quietly through the brush, back down the hill to get back to camp before dinner. Desultorily she plucked a few more stems of this or that plant, caught some leaves down from a tree and stuck them in her satchel. Maybe tomorrow he would be there.
But tomorrow came and went and the tomorrow after that and the one after that and so on until all the days of the Gather had run out. Aleda was very quiet the day that Giana's wagon pulled out onto the road again, sitting on the back lip of the creaky wooden structure, legs swinging violet and amber-paneled skirts out into the void. She watched the other wagons splitting out this way and that and wondered if any of them would come across the rafeiro. Deep inside, she wished she could be with whatever caravan did come across them. But she only watched and watched until Giana's wagon crested a rise and dropped down behind it until all that was left to watch was the dust trails rising on the wind to mark where the others had gone.
Aleda sat on the edge of the wherry rock with her satchel stuffed full of herbs. The woods were bountiful this Turn, likely because she kept 'encouraging' the plants to grow by breaking off budding seedpods where she walked, turn after turn as she came here over and over again to meet Teimo. She ran a hand through her hair absently, re-arranging the curls and smoothed her hands over her skirts. Her mother had made these for her, these and the bodices that accented the blooming figure that had come to stay in the past turn. They were meant, likely, for her to either impress whatever man her father chose for her, or attract a likely match at the Gather. But that's not what Aleda planned to use them for. A girlish giggle escaped from her lips as she tried to imagine the look on Teimo's face when he saw her. He wouldn't be able to tease her now about her gowns.
Again, as earlier, she shaded her eyes and looked down the slope of the hill. No movement in amongst the brush, though he often surprised her with how quietly he could move. He'd been taller last turn and the turn before that. How tall would he be now? Aleda sighed softly and kicked her heel impatiently against the rock. They'd been here two days already and still no sign of him. She'd come up to the rock each day and watched for him, but he hadn't come. Walking through the caravans had yielded no sign of him. She didn't even know his real name to ask after him, which left her few options for finding out if something had happened. There was time yet though for them to arrive and sometimes wagons didn't make it to the gathering.
Again Aleda swung her foot and thunked her shoe against the side of the rock impatiently. She had much to tell him about the last turn. Her teeth caught at her lip and she sighed softly, remembering the sickness in the morning, the bitterness of the draughts, pushing herself to get out of bed in spite of the dizziness after, so that Giana wouldn't suspect. There was that and the whole next step in her studies and how her mentor had said she was almost ready to tackle the final stages. There was the latest argument with her father about marriage. There were all the news and stories she'd saved up over the course of the turn to share with him.
And still he didn't come.
Aleda waited until the very last possible moment, pushing it even towards almost too late before she slipped off the rock and made her way quietly through the brush, back down the hill to get back to camp before dinner. Desultorily she plucked a few more stems of this or that plant, caught some leaves down from a tree and stuck them in her satchel. Maybe tomorrow he would be there.
But tomorrow came and went and the tomorrow after that and the one after that and so on until all the days of the Gather had run out. Aleda was very quiet the day that Giana's wagon pulled out onto the road again, sitting on the back lip of the creaky wooden structure, legs swinging violet and amber-paneled skirts out into the void. She watched the other wagons splitting out this way and that and wondered if any of them would come across the rafeiro. Deep inside, she wished she could be with whatever caravan did come across them. But she only watched and watched until Giana's wagon crested a rise and dropped down behind it until all that was left to watch was the dust trails rising on the wind to mark where the others had gone.
