Anelle clutched her stomach. She was back in her room, standing before the door. Her door, no imposter in sight. The feeling of her body being twisted and folded in on itself left her stomach in knots.
The small window let in rays of fresh sunlight. The city outside was quiet, still finding its feet in the early morning.
The events of the previous night played out in her mind. The fish, the flaming dancers and the conversation with the terrifyingly beautiful woman. Why was the woman curious about her? She knew something about the war in Garlon. What did she mean that Garlon was never her home? Anelle shook her head. It must have been a dream. The fear of being found as an imposter by her father manifested the woman's words.
Anelle stood up straight, pushed the fear to the ground and stamped it out. I will not let fear continue to control me. She vowed.It was just a dream, nothing more.
A knock sounded. Anelle jumped out of her thoughts.
"Anelle, Doim-Keu." Emera's muffled voice drifted through the door. Her footsteps slowly drifted off down the corridor. Anelle let out a sign of relief.
She dressed. Over the last few days she had become accustomed to dressing in the Athon style. She had first assumed that the corset and bodice were one, but that was not the case. Emera had rapped her knuckles when Anelle had dunked her dress into the wash basin without removing the corset first. The ease of placing the corset within the bodice and slipping it on in one motion was no doubt why it became a popular style. Women in service would certainly gain extra minutes of sleep from being able to dress quickly.
Her fingers finished the shoulder buttons. She stood for a moment beaming with pride.
Anelle reached for the door and looked back at the small room. Her eyes lingered on the floor where the soft orange hue had reached out to touch the moon light the night before. She shook off the strange dream and made her way down stairs to begin a new day.
Once breakfast was finished Anelle cleared the table and gathered a bucket of water from the bath. Emera followed Tiione into the workshop. A few moments later her angry shouts could be heard, a long torrent that seemed to continue for an age. Anelle quickened her pace, cleaning the dishes and sweeping the dust out of the front door, not wanting to catch any of Emera's leftover fury.
Emera walked back through the pantry with pink cheeks. She smiled as she saw Anelle standing by the sink. The kitchen sparkled, every surface wiped, the dishes neatly piled in their place and the floors swept. She walked over to Anelle, held both cheeks in her palms and kissed her forehead. She pulled back still holding Anelle. Emera spoke too quickly for Anelle to understand. Anelle was picking up words and phrases but still struggled. In amongst her sentence Emera used the word 'carto' which she used whenever Anelle completed a task well.
Emera let go of her face, picked up the broom. She pointed at the bucket and motioned for her to follow. Anelle picked up the bucket and followed her through the pantry and into the workshop.
Tiione stood leaning against the wooden wall pushing with all his might. He grimaced with the strain. The wall had a giant door carved out of it. With a screech the hinges gave in and the door swung open into the street, the wood banged on the side of the house.
"Tiione!" Emera turned to the boy, giving him his second lecture of the day. He mumbled an apology. She handed the boy the broom and he dutifully began sweeping all the sawdust and dirt into the street.
Bright day light shone through the long room, illuminating every speck of dust and dirt. Anelle put down the water bucket and picked up a rag to begin cleaning. However, Emera had other plans and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her back into the house.
She followed Emera up the stairs to the third floor. Anelle looked around, she had never had a reason to ascend to the third floor before. At night she would hear Emera climbing the second flight of stairs to the top floor. The stairs opened onto a corridor much the same as the second floor but with a door in the centre, slightly propped open. The room was the width of the house with a double bed at the far end. The roof sloped down towards the floor, making the space feel cramped. Emera walked past the open door and down the corridor to a door at the end. A wide room with a low ceiling opened up beyond. Two small windows mirrored each other, letting in light from either end of the room. A wooden bed frame with a bare mattress was tucked away against the wall. Dust coated every surface making the room glow with grey fluff. They set to work cleaning every surface. Anelle could hear noises of the street below and Tiione working. The room must have been directly above the workshop.
Throughout the morning Emera stormed out the room and could be heard giving Tiione another lecture. His fear that his mother was of the all seeing must have been getting stronger. Once the room was clean Emera handed Anelle a set of bedsheets. She returned a moment later with a candle holder and some matches.
Emera looks around the room, carefully checking every surface.
The sound of cattle and men's shouts echoed from below. Anelle looked up. Emera hurried footsteps sounded through the house. Anelle followed with curiosity.
Anelle slowed her steps coming to a stop at the entrance to the workshop. The sounds of conversation mingled with the streets beyond. An old wagon sat backed up into the entrance, piled with crates and barrels. A creature stood next to it, grazing on a pile of hay, a thin rope loosely tied around its neck was attached to the wagon. The creature had short stocky limbs and leathery legs. A short curly coat covered the rest of its body except its wide snout. Its pointed ears peaked towards different sounds as its small eyes focused on the treat before it. Dangling around its neck was a small wooden plaque with two symbols on it.
Emera stood in front of the wagon talking with one of the newcomers. She leaned into him, her face inches from his and he wrapped an arm around her waist. He stood a head taller than her, looking down at her with a smile on the edge of his lips. He had the same wavy brown hair as Tiione, tied loosely at the nape of his neck with a piece of string. A matching short, shaggy beard and moustache.
Tiione stood on the wagon handing down boxes to the second newcomer. He was tall with dark black hair hanging down below his shoulders, the same as Emera's. His build and lighter skin tone matched his father but his sharp jawline and cheekbones hailed from unseen ancestors. He walked into the workshop, grunting at the weight of the barrel he carried. He placed it down and looked up towards the door. His eyes caught Anelle's, dark pools of ink, stared back at her. He smiled at her. She looked away, heat rose to her cheeks. He let out a chuckle and walked over to her. She looked up into his mesmerising eyes.
"Phy-Los, caru…" His words trailed off into quick sentences. She stood smiling trying to pick out words she understood. His tone of voice was neutral at the end of the sentence, Anelle guessed he hadn't asked a question.
"Phy-Dae, Kllu Nabe." She responds, hoping 'thank you' was the right response. He creases his eyebrows looking back at her. She forged on through the awkward atmosphere.
"Anelle." She says, holding her hand to her chest. She forced an uncomfortable smile to hide her frustration and embarrassment. She then points to his chest. "Kllu?"
He looked down at her hand and back up, his eyes brightened.
"Giien-Kae, holu breter."
"Holu breter… Giien-Kae." She smiled, looking down at her feet.
"Gol Kae, Kae." He responds pointing to himself.
Anelle looked back up at him, her forehead creased, searching her memory for the word 'gol' but coming up blank.
"Kae?" Tiione's tone full of questions drifts across the space. Kae turned and walked back to the wagon and took another box from his brother.
Anelle realised he meant his name was Kae, or it's what he prefers to be called. She also tucked away the word 'gol' understanding that it either translated to the word only or just.
Emera looked up at the commotion and called her over, beckoning her with the wave of her hand. Anelle walked over, keeping her gaze steady and her face neutral. The older man's eyes pierced through her, making it hard to breathe. Knowing he was the head of this house and would have every right to throw her out onto the streets played on her nerves. Every step felt heavier than the last. She lowered herself into a respectful curtsy, her body moving of its own accord. Staying at the bottom for an extra beat as a sign of respect. His body stiffened as he looked back and forth between Emera and her. Emera was just as stunned.
"Anelle, holu breter." She spoke softly, doing her best to sound submissive.
Back in Garlon she recalled her fathers generation always responding well to women who knew their place and spoke very little. As soon as she said the words she knew she had made a mistake, she should have started by saying Phy-Los. She kept her eyes straight ahead, focusing on the bridge of his nose to feint eye contact.
Her words broke the tension and he turned to Emera, a small amount of anger laced his tone and his hands made wild gestures in the air. She lashed back. Anelle hoped it was in her defence. Anelle took a slow step backwards, holding her hands together to stop them from shaking. Emera's cheeks flushed with rage. He stood apart from her now, his words calm but his eyes betrayed the anger. Anelle watched, unsure what to do. With an exaggerated sigh Emera walked towards the house. She grabbed Anelle's hand and practically dragged her along. Emera called something over her shoulder, before they entered the house. Anelle looked back and saw him standing with his hands on his hips, shaking his head.
Emera started picking out ingredients from the pantry. Anelle picked up the bucket from under the sink, took the dirty water out through the bath house and poured it onto the back streets. She filled the bucket again from the well and brought it back to the kitchen.
Emera shut the door to the understove, black soot from the fire stuck to her fingers, the heat slowly leaking into the room. She placed the vegetables into the freshly filled sink and Anelle went about washing and peeling them. The two women worked in silence. Emera mixed spices and flour for bread, her eyes unfocused. Anelle felt frustrated at her lack of understanding and communication. She wanted to help ease the tension but Anelle could only fumble over her words like a young child. They worked in silence.
Once the bread was cooling, wrapped in a cloth and the stew was simmering away, the distant sound of the cart being pulled away broke the silence. The workshop doors were pulled shut and locked. A moment later Tiione made his way through the house followed by Kae and their disgruntled father. Each took a seat at the table, Kae stopped to ask his mother something, she shook her head and he took one of the empty seats. The father sat at the head of the table, looking towards the kitchen. Anelle could feel him watching her and she curved her shoulders to make herself smaller.
Together Emera and Anelle lifted the pot and placed it onto the middle of the table. Emera brought over the bread, placed the board in front of her husband with a sharp knife and took her seat at the end of the table. Anelle sat next to Tiione and Emera started serving the stew. Anelle felt a lump in her throat, every bite was uncomfortable to swallow over the tense silence. She sat with her head lowered wondering what she would do if this was her last meal here. Fear threatened to break the surface and release a flood of tears. With every breath she pushed the feelings down, squashing them beneath her feet.
Kae managed to divert the conversation. Although Anelle couldn't understand most of his words, it distracted everyone else and helped dissipate the fog that had been hanging over the table. He seemed to be good at telling stories and before long he was animatedly talking with the entire family enwrapped. Anelle wondered what story he was telling? Perhaps it was something that had happened while he was away? She felt so alone.
Kae caught her eye and smiled back at her. She quickly looked away and took another bit of her bread, her cheeks burning.
Once dinner was cleared away the house dissolved into a quite comfortable atmosphere. Emera sat by the fire sewing a white shirt. Tiione dragged a chair over to the fire and sat next to his father. He had a wooden scroll for a lute in his hand and was asking his father questions about it. Anelle sat at the table, holding her sewing in still hands as she watched father and son interact. The anger from earlier had entirely disappeared. Tiione sat on the edge of his seat. His father held the scroll between his fingers, talking softly and pointing at different parts, making different motions and gestures with his other hand as he spoke. Tiione listened eagerly, taking in every word. She couldn't help a small smile as she watched. A master craftsman teaching his apprentice. His tone was caring. She felt a pang of jealousy in her chest. Her father had barely taken notice of her throughout her life, just another daughter who couldn't succeed him. Until she grew older and refused to marry, then she became a problem. She searched her memory of a time her father wasn't scowling at her but came up blank. Even as a child when the nanny brought her and her sisters down to see their parents her mother was always alone.
"Anelle?" Kae's voice brought her back to the present. He sat down next to her smiling with raised eyebrows. His hair was still wet from bathing and tied up in a loose bun on top of his head. He held a stack of books and paper in front of him.
"Ti?" She responds, nodding her head and smiling in response. She placed down her sewing.
Kae placed down a slate tile in front of her and a stick of chalk next to it. Then sifted through the papers and placed one in front of the slate. The paper has different symbols laid out in an invisible grid. The symbols looked familiar. The same symbols she had seen across the church's door and shop fronts. An alphabet. Kae leaned in close and pointed at the first symbol and made a 'ca' sound. She repeated the sound back to him, picked up the chalk and began copying down the symbol. She filled the whole tile with the same symbol, working in strokes from top to bottom, left to right. He raised an eyebrow as he watched her hand making smooth motions. She looked across the room and noticed both the rest of the family watching them. Anelle filled the board, satisfied with her final couple attempts. Kae handed her a rag and she whipped the slate clean before moving on to the next letter.
They made it down to the second row before the bells rang for curfew. Tiione had already been dragged up to bed by his father. Emera stood up and shuffled towards the kitchen. She interrupted the lesson and directed Anelle towards the bath house leaving Kae to clean up the papers before turning back to the task at hand.