The Prologue of Liadan

[Liadan]

The Prologue of Liadan
   “Oh Liadan, could you lend me at least 10? This hair ribbon can only be found from this vendor,” Lucena begged, holding up the baby-blue ribbon against her hair. “I promise will pay you back.” 

   Liadan sighed, and handed her money, watching her chance to buy the dagger slip away. Her sister quickly transfered the money to the vendor, who complimented her on her choice, then was distracted by the next possible customer. 

   Locking arms with Liadan, the younger girl tied the ribbon around her wrist, looking around excitedly, peering through the crowds of people for something else to explore.  Seeing another vendor, she tugged on Liadan’s arm, dragging her over. 

   The vendor was displaying necklaces, handcrafted chains with large stones and gems set as pendants. Lucena bent over the table, her fingertips brushing over the pendants as she exclaimed over the craftmanship.  Liadan was bored, having no interest in gaudy trinkets and had started to look around when she heard her sister gasp, then felt the tug on her sleeve.

   “Liadan…”, Lucena started her plea, looking at her with big eyes, holding up the necklace for her inspection.  The necklace itself was not much to look at, but the pendant was the focal point: an opal held in place with fingers of gold, cradling it below the chain.  “Is it not beautiful?” Lucena breathed.

   The vendor was quick to notice the interest, and stated, “There are only two, and that is one. You are sisters, no? I will give you both, one for each, for the price of one.” He held up the sister necklace, which was similar to the first.  The words were out of Liadan’s mouth before she knew it, and the vendor quoted a reasonable, but expensive price. 

   Lucena’s face fell, and she hastily replaced the necklace on the table.  The price was twice that their father earned in a month; not even the beauty of the stone would justify such an expense. 

   “I’ll pay for both, in exchange for this,” said a voice behind the girls, extending a heavily jewelled bronze bowl.   Lucena and Liadan turned around to see their benefactor, and were surprised to see a young man, simply dressed. He winked at them both, saying, “Two beautiful girls should not be deprived of equally wonderful stones.”

   Liadan began to protest, but the trade was complete before the words were formed on her lips.  He handed the first to Lucena, then indicated to Liadan to turn around, and clasped the second around her neck.  Standing back, he admired the two with their necklaces, then offered his arms to them, stating his intentions to show them the best that the fair had to offer.

   Lucena took his arm without hesitation, but Liadan had a nagging feeling at the back of her mind, but dismissed it, and took the offered arm without any other thought….

[Leama]

More, please, I want more. Very nice story Liadan.

[Liadan]

Dear Meiwen,                            

Azhord 15

   A lot has happened since you left, my dear cousin. I do not know where to start. Perhaps at the beginning would be best. You remember that farmhand that was recently hired when you visited for the month? This letter concerns him and what he has done to my family.
   Extraordinary how your life can turn around in a few short hours.  Two days ago, he announced his intention to marry me. Me, of all people. I could not believe my good luck. Father enjoyed his presence, he worked hard on the farm and was worth five hired hands from the local village. My brothers, you remember them, had their reservations about him, but all brothers do.  No one is good enough for their sisters.  And Lucena, well, I think she may have been slightly made envious of this declaration, but she disguised it well as she congratulated both of us in our good fortune.
   But with all good news, there comes bad news.  That night, after I finished closing up the barn, I went back to the room shared with my sister, only to find my fiance forcing himself upon her.  Of course you might think he may have mistaken her for me, but that was not the case. She was gagged, and even though she struggled, she could not move him off her. I flew to her rescue, scratched and pulled at his hair, then finally grabbed the chamberpot and whacked him hard on the side of his body. It made him stop, but only to knock my head against the wall. 
   Ithel found Lucena and I the next morning when he came to find out why we were not helping prepare breakfast. He was enraged to find out what happened, and called for Ivor and Idwal, who have left already to make him pay for what he did.
   Mother, may Talad bless her, held it together for all of us, tending to the bump on my head, and severely questioning my sister as to the actions of the night and more feminine things. She sent off a hired hand with a message for father at the mine as soon as she could, so we have yet to know of his reaction, but my dear cousin, I think he will be livid, although he will not be able to join my brothers in the hunt, due to his age.
   I will inform you of more news as everything unfolds, but as this letter may sound very cold and detached, I have had to stop several times to wipe the tears away. Please do not burden your mother with this news, she has enough burden with your own family problems. I tell you this in confidence and because no one else here will discuss what has happened. I think we are all still in shock.
- Liadan Creag

[Eliseth]

Shocking! And so well written Good Job Liadan, I'm assuming more letters are going to make their way here?

 

[Mathy Stockington]

Liadan you are very talented. I am impressed with your writing and hope to read much more.

[Liadan]

Dear Liadan                                                                                                   Azhord 30
   Unfortunately, I have not been able to keep the news that you have sent quiet. Your aunt, my mother, can be very persuasive and you know how she can smell bad news from miles away. She opened the letter before I had the chance to, and is now drafting a letter to her sister. What she will write, I haven’t the faintest clue, but as an elder sister, it’ll probably contain encouragement mixed with criticism.
   It makes me angry that such a thing could have happened to you, of all people. To be betrayed in such away, I will not be surprised if you never speak to another male again, aside from your brothers, that is. I wouldn’t. In fact, this gives me more reason not to trust any male, regardless of their race or religion.  I hope your brothers kill this man that did that to your family; he dishonored his own gender and has ruined your sister for ever. No man, regardless of how liberal minded he maybe, will take your sister’s hand in marriage, even if this encounter does not result in a child.
   Speaking of which, how do your parents plan on covering up if she does have one?
- Meiwen

[Liadan]

Dear Meiwen,                                                                                                                Ylaaren 14
    We still have time to decide of what to do. My father has heard the news and his reaction was as expected. He came straight back from the mine, demanding to know where this man was. Mother explained the best that she could everything in between his outbursts, curses and oaths. The same hired hand has been sent with messages for his brothers and brothers-in-law, There is not much he can do, since his time is split between the farm and mine. And with this turn of events, the farm is even more short-staffed. His priorities then are divided between protection of his family, staffing the farm and working at the mine.
   The male relatives should be arriving soon, with a matter of days for the closest, weeks for the farthest. Even as unfortunate as this event is, it does bring the family closer, whether or not that is a good thing is another issue yet to be determined. Either way the next couple of months, and more past that, will be busy and hectic, not to mention crowded.
   My cousin, what suggestions would you give my parents for the coverup?

-Liadan

[Liadan]

Liadan put down the pen and stretched, looking out the window at the sun as it peeked above the horizon. The floorboards behind her creaked, and she started cleaning up her writing elements.

" I'll be out of your way soon, Mother," she apologized, gathering everything up and turned around. "Oh, it's you." Lucena stood in front of her, hands folded meekly and her head hung. Liadan briskly said, " I don't have time for this," walking around her sister.

"Mother said we need to talk," Lucena whispered. Liadan closed her eyes, then turned around.

"Talk? Talk about what, Lucena?" Liadan clutched her parchments close. "What should we talk about? About how you and my fiance, sorry, ex-fiance, ended up in our room?" Lucena's pale blue eyes welled up, her mouth opening and closing like a fish, but saying nothing. "It's been a month, Lucena, and there hasn't been a single apology from you.  Not one! Just excuses!" Liadan felt her temper rising, and the volume of her voice, but she didn't care. She took off the ring she wore and held it an inch from Lucena's noice, "This was the ring he gave to me when he propossed. ME! Not you! And yet no one's asked how I feel.  NOT ONCE! I am the victim here. Not you! You were just collateral damange, Lucena."

She paused, then pointed out the door, "You caused all of this, with your cow eyes, your feigned innocence. And look what it's done to the family. Father now has to worry more about who he hires, and every day he spends away from the mines, is money taken away from our family income!" Tears were streaming down her cheeks, but she didn't care, " Do you know what that means, Lucena? Huh? It means less new clothes for you! No more trips into town! No more blue hair ribbons!" Liadan spat the last words out, holding out the hair ribbon that started it all. "Everything, everything has consequences, Lucena, time to deal with your own!" Liadan screamed, as Lucena trembled, her bottom lip quivering as her sister's rage peaked.

No longer able to take it, Lucena fled the room, as her tears overflowed down her cheeks. Liadan watched her leave, then sank into a nearby chair holding her head in her hands, staring at the worn cloth of her dress.

Liadan had no idea how long she sat there. Her eldest brother distrubed her trance as he came in to close the shutters and light the lamp dangling from the ceiling.

"Liadan," he said softly touching her shoulder, after lighting the lamp.

"What?"

"How are you holding up?"

She didn't immediately answer, instead held up the ring she had shoved in Lucena's face. Finally she spoke, "Isn't it weird that I still have the ring he proposed with?"

Her brother took it from her, held it up to the light, examining it. "Well, he definitely had good taste. It has a ruby as a stone, which is rare than diamonds, and the ring itself is a silver/gold alloy, although I would be guessing farther than that. Very good taste in the design as well." He handed it back to Liadan who shot him a withering look.

"I suppose the question is, did he truly love me? Did he really care about me, as I am, or was it a transferance of who he thought I was?" Liadan said studying the design of the ring. "And why me? What did I do to deserve this?...it's not fair.." Her voice trailed off.

Her brother said nothing, but gave her a warm hug and kissed the top of her head. As he left, he turned as if he remembered something: "Liadan? The relatives arrive tomorrow. Mother needs both yours and Lucena's help to prepare."

Liadan grunted and wearily picked herself up and shuffled towards the door, glancing over her shoulder as the last ray of light plunged into darkness.

[Liadan]

The letter fell to the table, its folds well creased from numerous re-reads, the parchment itself stained from the tears it had caused. Her eyes were rimmed red, her nose sniffled and her lips swollen. The letter never ceased to cause this reaction and her self containment was well worn to brink of collapse. Liadan quickly glanced around, and wiped her nose on her sleeve, hoping no one had seen the waterworks quietly shed as she read the letter once more to see if she wasn't imagining what she read.

It had started as all the letters had, with a Dear Liadan scrawled in Meiwen's famously legible writing. Then something was wrong. Her writing changed - it was shaky, the letters not as well formed - the e now looked like an i, the o resembled an a. Liadan eventually had to translate the letter by writing it out word for word on another sheet of parchment. This was the copy that Liadan had retained. The original letter, tossed into the fireplace flames of the tavern, since it was illegible by the end.

 The news was not good, she had a pit in her stomach as soon as she finished the first paragraph. It grew as she waded through the second then the third paragraph - Oh the third paragraph felt like she had been kicked by a rivnak in the diaphragm, and embarrassingly enough she even exhaled loudly as if she had been. She clapped a hand to her chest, trying to get her lungs to inhale, to get the air needed to continuing reading. It hurt - so much but finally her lungs expanded with air and she just sat, breathing. The last conversation she had raced through her mind, regretting every word, every hateful, loathing poisonous thought that had been clawing to get out as her mind tried to comprehend matters that time refused to stand still for. She knew she had to leave - soon.

Liadan shook her head, ending the memory of first reading the letter. She picked it up off the table, folded it into three and stuffed it back into her satchel when her finger touched a cold, smooth circular object at the bottom of her bag. Liadan sat up straight and quickly dumped the contents of the satchel onto the table, pushing away everything that wasn't metallic to the side. Sitting against the bare wood of the table was the ring. Liadan shoved herself away from the table, staring at the object that had started it all as if it was a dark magic relic. Hurriedly she gathered everything else that she had dumped onto the table back into her bag, avoiding touching the ring as if it was cursed, and walked quickly out of the tavern, leaving the ring where it laid.