The Sea Maiden - Marked Words

I did not expect this chapter when I began writing at all. I had to edit it a bit so it took longer than expected, but it is also a chapter longer than expected. Hope this makes up for it being late <3

"Mountanes" is part of the accent and is misspelled for mountain, but pronounced "moun-TAYNE"

The name Lireaine was created during a misspelling and I ended up liking it; pronounced "Lyre-RAIN". Think of the lyre instrument and say rain after it. SO pretty, don't you think?

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Everyday LeVane went off with a kiss for his wife before he went to work, and everyday LeVane came home with a scrunch on his brow even while he smiled. Kreta did not notice for she was too enraptured with every thing the baby did, from the way she kicked and smiled and chewed on the blanket, to the way she kicked off her socks every time with annoyance. The boys saw the look on their father's face and even could tell what it had to be about. Throughout the week Kreta stayed indoors and sent the boys out to do chores and to the markets while she crooned over the baby, and this is how the boys discovered how everyone felt about their little sister.

"Boys!" Kreta called from the bedroom. It was slowing down in the early evening and in a couple hours LeVane would return home. Obediently little Keenan and Hadin came over from where they were shoveling the snowy porch and came to their Mamma's side. She was returning the babe into its diaper and gave the baby time to squirm and kick herself dry after a small bath. Afterwards it was off to finish setting the table and preparing the roasted chicken,potatoes vegetables and sugared carrot cake that took her hours to make. Tonight they had guests. "Go tell Nolan and Arlen to head to market and fetch some cow tongue," she handed them a small bag of coins and cried out, "And when you get back milk the goat! Don't dawdle!"

The boys snatched their heavy coats from the door hangs and ran as quick as they could through the half foot of snow and out toward the back where the older boys were chopping wood. "Nolan! Nolan! Arlen!" Hadin cried. "Mamma wants tongue!" Keenan followed behind his faster brother as he tried to step gingerly lest he step on a hidden stone and fall into the cold snow like last winter.

Nolan watched Arlen as he took his turn hacking into a large tree root. It was a large tree root and they saved the fun part for last where they could hack aimlessly to shave down the grotesque gnarled thing. Where the logs required precision, the root only required a contest of strength.

"You need more strength to match me!" Nolan declared. "Put your back and legs into it! That's the real secret."

The older boys had stripped off their heavy coats and knits and had thrown them on the bare ground underneath the protection of the slanted roof. Even in the light snowfall they had been sweating from the hours of chopping the wood so they were ready for the fire. The winter had lasted longer than expected and their father was too busy these days to go into the woods and chop down the trees along with them. They had even made it a contest to see who could chop the most to impress their father when he came home. Nolan's pile stood half a foot taller than Arlen's.

Arlen gave one last swack and the gigantic root split down the middle and made a large thump into crushed down and muddied snow where they had stepped to work.

"Well done!" Nolan called.

"You think I can go to work with you at the same time come summer?" Arlen asked while he caught his breath.

Nolan clapped him on the back. "Maybe-- if you grow an inch or two!" he grinned.

They both laughed and that's when they heard their littlest brother come around the corner demanding tongue.

"What's this now?" Nolan asked while grabbing the heavy winter clothes and throwing Arlen's towards him.

"Tongue!" Hadin yelled handing him the coin bag.

"Mamma wants cow tongue," Keenan clarified with a kick into the snow. Keenan did not like the snow and how cold it was. He shivered and brought his hands to warm them near his mouth.

Arlen looked up at the purple sky. "I bet if we hurry there is still time to build a snowman when we get back."

"Maybe," Nolan said. One could never tell how long the sun would last when it was snowing.

"No, Mamma said we have to milk the goat when we get back, and I hate snow," Keenan said.

"I want to build a snowman!" Hadin insisted.

"If you hate snow then you can milk Tilda then," Arlen suggested with an eye roll. Keenan would do anything to get out of being outside.

"Fine then. You go to market and I will stay here," Keenan huffed, but secretly he didn't mind the shack. They kept Tilda surrounded by hay and near the stacked logs and it insulated it a bit.

Nolan hesitated because Keenan was a little young to be by himself, but he was just going to be in the shack with Tilda so he thought it was alright. Nolan tucked the coin bag inside his woolen coat chest pocket and the boys kept beside him as they walked hurriedly down to the markets.

The wind was chilled but it urged them sooner down to the town than if there were no wind. The cobbled streets greeted them with slick ice and hastily shoveled areas with snowy patches. The snow had stopped and they hurried straight to Gisppo and his store where he always gave a fair price.

There was a small line waiting for the end of the day deal, and the boys stood behind patiently. When it was their turn Gisspo greeted them warmly as the well kept room.

"Boys, you grow into mountanes!" he complimented. "You be out working sooner than summer, and Arlen if you ever wanten a summer job, iffen you don't leave fer apprenticeship, you know where to fin' me shop," he grinned with a browning smile. Gisspo was a very large and round and nice man. His wife stood by helping a young mother with a baby in her hands put a bundle of fish into the woman's basket while her arms were occupied holding the screaming babe.

"I might take you up on that," Arlen agreed. "If I don't get picked," he added.

"I 'ave a feeling you will," Gisppo responded kindly. "What brings you here today boys?"

"Mamma wants cow tongue!" Hadin blurted out, remembering to specifically say cow this time.

"I heard there was a new lil babe 'round the firepit and she came from the island," Gisppo said while pulling out one of the cow tongues from the metal tub filled with snow and organs. He packaged it in a brown envelope and gave it to Nolan in exchange for some coins. His apron had lots of blood on it and it caused Hadin stare like he always did. "This time I killed a two headed mountain lion!" Gisppo winked playfully. Hadin's eyes widened with admiration and Gisppo laughed. The boys instantly knew that Gisppo did not care where their little sister was from and Arlen even let out a sigh in relief. They could always count on Gisppo for fairness.

It was then that Gisppo's slender daughter came out from behind the store counter and shyly held out a knitted red cap. "It's for you," Lireaine said quietly while holding it in Arlen's direction. The cap was plainly stitched with no intricate pattern, but it was painstakingly neat with a lot of time spent into making it perfectly.

Arlen accepted the gift and blushed, and turned to leave with only an attempted mumble of her name. The butcher and the butcher's wife grinned at young love and the wife took Lireaine into the back to explain that she didn't do anything wrong.

"Thanks for the cow tongue again," Nolan cleared his throat awkwardly.

"And blessin's to yer family!" Gisppo said back jovially with redness puffing into his cheeks.

Nolan and Hadin hurried outside to catch up with their brother, but bumped into a pair of nuns heading for the store.

"Oof!" an older nun gasped.

The younger nun glared.

Hadin's eyes widened at the mean looking old lady beginning to give them a meaner glare and Nolan instantly bowed. "Forgive me!" he said bowing. Hadin clumsily bowed too.

"Boy, mind your walking," the older woman grouched. She had a closer look when the boys raised their heads and began coughing in surprise. "You- You're LeVane's brood?" she questioned.

The younger nun looked on with fright and kept her eyes downcast.

"Yes," Nolan answered. She was a very large woman, at least six feet, and had a round stomach. Her face was sweaty and red with sickness.

Suddenly she spat at their feet. "Curse that child! Mark my word, cursed!" she screeched in a fit of coughs. Even her face was turning an ugly disturbed purple shade. "Devil's child! Witch!"

The boys were frightened and then could then only run and run away from that hagly old woman who said such horrible things, for what else could they have done? They ran until the reached home, Hadin not complaining once as they ran up the hill.

When they made it there they halted for breath and Nolan assured Hadin and told him that it wasn't true and to keep what happened to themselves. "I bet Arlen is with Keenan in the shed," Nolan said lightly. Hadin nodded and followed behind his brother where he felt safest.

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I still have a bit of editing to do on the next chapter. Should be a couple days. Enjoy :)

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