We were in a pretty sorry state when we stumbled into the clearing and the ruins of an ancient water forge. The woman we saw there was beautiful. As beautiful as you can imagine. I could tell from Inayin's face that she was the same woman whose lock of hair was tied to his belt. Of course, this version of her was much younger, and her hair was glossy black instead of silver.
Inayin asked her about the snake she' mentioned, and she told us that it was down in the deeper part of the water forge, but trapped--unable to come up but unable to leave, and it fouled up the waters. That was why she couldn't finish her song. Of course we (Inayin) offered to kill it. I was watching her when he did. A beautiful woman in the woods singing to draw in strange travelers? With a snake infested pool? Who has a (albiet, future) habit of tying locks of hair around unsuspecting men's belts to "engage" herself to them? Fine. We can kill the snake. All the better if its her pet we're killing. I don't care much for her. It doesn't help that I'm filthy, smelly, and my clothing is shredded.
With the thought about my clothing first on my mind (I'd like to say I had nobler reasons) I turned to Thargash and asked if he'd teach me Treian. I NEED new clothes. What do I do when we get to town? Ask Fjalanor to get it? Would he have any idea how to get a woman's dress? Unlikely. Thargash is the only other one who can speak Old Treian, and I think he might know his way around a woman's dress a little too well. His comments make my ears burn. I would be mortified to ask either one of them for help. Anyway, once I started thinking through the chance to learn Treian I started to have other ideas about what I wanted to learn. I will need to think about this.
The flowers are still alive. I'm so relieved that they aren't dead. I'm using little pinches of my moon dirt. I'd been saving that against... Well, things come up. (Someday Fjalanor is going to do some idiot something, and the moon dirt is my insurance to make sure I can pull him out of it). And it isn't like any of us are home now, so we might all need it. But if only I can keep these two alive! Ever since I left the river I've kept my little white river stone in my pocket. I like to hold it in my hand while I'm walking or thinking and turn it over a bit. I'm going to try my best to keep these flowers alive, but the stone I know I will be able to take home with me.
As the day drew to a close it was time to face the monster. It would seem one of the warding stones set by the Stone Kings when this forge was built had cracked. As Inayin, Talari and I could breathe under water, we were the ones to go inspect. We got to the bottom and found the broken one. When I looked at the stone I saw a vision of a young man--tall and lordly--weeping over the bodies he'd just interred there. I am certain it was a vision of Sanur burying his brothers, Setela and Teythbor. I was able to awake from my vision, as was Inayin, but Talari fell unconscious. We knew that the only way to shift the stone together was knowledge of the lore. I'm not the best, but mother has been quite strict with my lessons and I've been paying close attention to Fjalanor's various commentary lately, so I tried. It went terribly. I didn't just sort of wreck it, I broke the entire stone in half. Water began rushing in and Inayan and I hastily grabbed the stones and Talari and drug everything up top.
Panathfei was horrified and began cursing (I assume. I don't understand, but I got the gist. Maybe I should add those to my word wishlist. Might come in handy). We knew we needed to forge the stone together. At first we considered our weapons, but no one wanted to be weaponless right now. We know too much about what was about to happen. Then someone suggested our silver. Everyone was excited about that and quickly threw their coins in to be melted. I cried a little inside. My strong garrison. My beautiful apothecary. My new dress. Adventuring doesn't pay nearly as well as I'd hoped--at least not in silver. What little I'd earned over the last few months I added, less a few coins. 100 silver total, with 15 coins remaining in my purse. Maybe I can buy a dress for what is left. Inayin did a brilliant job getting the two sides of the stones together (and kindly has never yet specified who it was that actually broke the stone to begin with).
We were almost done when Panathfei said the only thing lacking was a vow of constancy. One of us had to vow to protect the forge for our entire lives and the lives of our children. The fixed warding stone would hold as long as the vow held. There was a long silence. We all felt the weight of it. Herek was the one who accepted it. From now until eternity this forge is bound to his constancy and his line. Quickly Inayan and I took the stone down and placed it, healing the breech.
Panathfei began singing a song of creation about then, and I realized that I'd mistook her. Whatever she becomes in the future, she isn't that yet. This Panathfei is lovely. I guess I need to cross out that poem I wrote about her earlier today....
She offered us a boon in thanks for helping her. We agreed that Herek should have the benefit, since he was the one with the courage to make the vow. He asked for a weapon to better protect the forge. She took a strand of her hair (WHAT IS IT WITH THIS WOMAN) and tied it around his blade, and said it would make it blessed or magical or some such.
Good grief. What if I were to go about just chopping off my hair and tying it to people and things? WHAT EVEN. I dunno. She is fine. A bit daft. The hair thing probably works. But why. I think I might not like her. She's annoying even when she isn't evil. And now three of the five men in our party are taken in by her. She collects them. Like toy soldiers or something. Thargash and Tenuala remain "unenthralled" and I think Thargash might be immune. Tenuala is just lucky.
Inayin asked for her to cut her older version's hair off his belt, but as Thargash translated she began to look horrified and then really noticed Inayin's eyes for the first time. Uncomfortable, she asked us to leave. It was midnight. The least hospitable thing I've seen so far here in this lovely land, but truly, I didn't mind. Her future self misuses Inayin (he doesn't deserve to be bound up like that, he should have a proper, normal-aged wife, not one that spent "quality time" with his grandfather) and her present self is annoying. Maybe the first person I've truly disliked, outside of actually wicked people. She wants us to leave at midnight? After saving her precious forge?
All the better.
[Added later]
Oh, I should have added that when Talari woke up she had a sword made of Hurpalb. It has a wavy edge. I wonder what it's story is? I haven't gotten a good look at it yet, but apparently it was in a stone in her vision and when she touched it it loosed itself.
Poor Fjalanor. I will find him a sword. I've told him I would twice, but I don't think he knows I mean it.
I do mean it.
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