Willow's End - Jera Skyspear
Elvish words/phrases linked to Glossary OR hover mouse to see translation.
Curious Correspondence part three

Two unusually tall riders on unusually tall horses passed quietly from Camelot and eastward through the plains. There were few to witness their transit as the incessant cold rain discouraged anything but necessary travel. Fortunately the main roads were packed well enough to prevent them from being bogs, but it was not swift going.

Jera's mood was reflected in the grey winter skies. She was not given to dwelling in the past but neither had she been prepared for a reminder of such a tragedy in her life. Ashe rode with her, unable to really help carry her burden, but supportive by his presence. His lady hoped that there was no more to her mood than a revisit of Thetford, however, she felt a slowly growing sense of foreboding. Then again, perhaps it was only the cryptic nature of Vosper's missive.

Jera was certainly glad to have Ashe with her when they stopped at a tavern here and there for a warmup and break from riding. Some of the places had gone quite hard since she'd last been through. While one stranger might invite trouble, two seemed to ward it off, particularly when those two towered over everyone else in a small common room.

What daylight there had been began to fade. The two riders approached the head of the trails following along a range of hills which would lead them further east and northward. Ian's courier had already warned that some of this portion of the route was difficult. He highly recommended the road along the foot of the hills, although it was longer, instead of the ridgeway. The rain and snow had made the higher passage more treacherous. He'd also heard that the road on the other end of the range, which branched off from Milden toward Thetford and the Fens, would be no joy to undertake. They'd had much more rain there and the area was a bit swampy to start. Yet, the courier reassured Jera that her missive would reach its destination.

At these prospects and with the last greyness shifting to dark, Jera and Ashe decided to overnight before venturing the hill road. It was a common decision among travelers apparently, for a reasonable town had risen up in this spot. There were a few places to lodge but one seemed familiar to Jera, at least by name. She had known some mother Colne who'd been an elder healer in those days past and here there was a Colne & Majors Inn. They did indeed have rooms and were indeed friendly, even to elven kind, and one of the innkeepers was apparently the grandson of the woman Jera had known.

A warm fire, hot spiced cider, thick stew with fresh bread, drying boots and cloaks... all made for soothing away the travel bringing on restful sleep. Jera was particularly pleased that her clothing was completely dry by morning and much lighter when she dressed for the day's ride. Besides her dress and its layers, she'd worn leggings and knee boots for extra warmth. The heavy rain had weighed down more than her spirits. But on the new morn, the rain had stopped and there was a hint that the sun might actually show his face.

Indeed the sunlight filtered over the ridge through the trees as the morning progressed while the two tall riders proceeded at a much better pace than expected. They spoke more, sharing anecdotes of their previous individual journeys. Jera was rapt by Ashe's stories of his adventures, but then, she was always caught up in the spell of his voice and his way with a tale. Ashe was relieved to see Jera feeling better and enjoying the travel now. The miles and the time passed quickly such that they found themselves at the Milden crossroads in time for a noon meal.

Milden was still as bustling a marketplace as Jera remembered, even in the January chill. The sunshine likely brought out more business than they'd had in several days too. The elven riders dismounted and walked their horses through the main street, receiving more than a few strange looks but so far no trouble. There were others besides human folk milling about and so the sight of a couple of Sithryn was notable but not terribly disturbing. There were in fact other elves. Jera found this surprising and pleasantly so. While there was not an outpouring of welcome, and none expected, Jera and Ashe were greeted with a 'mae govannen' here and there.

The two made a point of finding Lakenheath Tavern, for that had been one of the stops for Vosper's letter. Jera recalled the tavern being in a different place yet it was easily enough found a few streets northeast of the main thoroughfare. The tragedy of a fire some years ago had led to an opportunity to rebuild and expand.

All this they heard from the tavern keeper in great detail. He also explained that he'd received the letter a few months past, hand delivered by an apothecary friend from Thetford. He had an inkling where Jera might be because he'd heard passersby mentioning very tall fair beings, such as herself, in the west. His Thetford friend elaborated on the description made in the note because he recalled the elf who'd owned a candle shop in Thetford when the apothecary himself had been only an apothecary's son. He said that Brother Hullyn was sure the lady addressed was of the same ilk, a bit more than what they were accustomed to as elves go.

The tavern keeper said it all very nicely to Ashe and Jera, but there was a hint that he was using his best diplomacy. Beneath his schooled demeanor and his carefully chosen words was a suggestion that all who had spoken of the Sithryn and perhaps all elven kind, were not nearly so complimentary or congenial.

At any rate, the man had no way of knowing precisely where in the west such folk might be found so he just sent the letter in that direction to his cousin who had a larger establishment on the south side and further west of the hills they'd ridden past. Besides, there wasn't much more to the east but the sea.

Jera thanked the man for his part and tipped well for their drinks and meal. In truth, both Jera and Ashe were grateful to leave the tavern because the man had the potential for being exhausting with all his sidewinding explanations. It was nice to see they still had daylight left after the long-winded update.

Now what remained of the journey was only a dozen or so miles of... swamp. There was a road, but it had been washed out many times in many places. Once in a while the horses were up to their knees in mud, having to seriously high-step to get through to the next patch of more solid ground. As a result, it was long past sunset when Ashe and Jera rode into Thetford. This much had changed very little and Jera felt more than the night's chill as they dismounted and walked along the street toward the end of town where the torches lit up three taverns and a single inn.

The inn was small, but it had a stable, and the guest rooms were clean. All the mudding had worn out the riders as well as their horses, so a resting place was the main requirement. After a scarce meal and only a small bit of tired talk by the fire, Ashe led Jera back through a hallway to their rooms. He paused at her door and asked once more if she was alright. She nodded but he knew she wasn't being truthful. She smiled for him, "I am tired. That's the bulk of it." He leaned to lightly kiss her forehead then nodded, "San' quel kaima, arwenamin."

Jera whispered, "Tenna' tul're, melamin," and slipped into her room. She did not see that Ashe stood a few more moments in the darkened hall. He knew how it was to be haunted by memory and by loss.

DHP and Bill West © Jan 2003

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