Aliandra: nymph: Book 1 The Nymph chronicles (4 page)

"I am sure I will be of no interest to any of them. I will just be there to work, not party" Ali insisted.

"It will not hurt if they are told to mind their manners around you. It will be better coming from your immortal pater I suppose. I will talk to him later and we will write a note to Hephaestus" he replied.

"I just don't want Hephaestus to think I am too ladylike or delicate to do the work. Smithing is usually a male occupation and I want to fit in" she replied.

"I have always found that working around women improves the tone of the company, as it should" he said emphatically. "It must be noon. Time to stop for luncheon. There is a river ahead we can rest and water the steeds. The men will unsaddle and tether the steeds, you go and eat" he said.

The women pulled down a large basket that was filled with flatbread, meats and delicacies from the feast. Ali was famished and ate more than her fill.

"I can't believe I am so hungry after all I ate last night" she whispered to the woman who filled her plate again.

"It is your body preparing for the keening. We are prepared. It is good that you eat as much as you can now. The keening will exhaust you and you may not be able to eat for part of it. Before the keening begins you must eat plenty. Do not worry, it is natural to eat when you are hungry. Men will choose a woman's figure with softness and curves rather than a bony skeleton. Eat and enjoy!" she said.

"Good to know" Ali mumbled as she started eating her second full plate as the men sat down and were served their first plate of food. Once the second plate was wiped clean by a hunk of bread a woman took her plate and filled it for the third time while she gnawed on the bread. In no time she had demolished her third plate but put up her hand and declared "Enough, I am full now. You might have to roll me onto my steed".

"It is good you enjoyed our food. It is a compliment to our skills" declared one of the elder women.

"Have no doubt that I appreciate your amazing cooking skills. I am likely to compliment you many more times with emptied plates in the coming weeks" she laughed as the elders joined in laughing and declaring the food to be very good. When everyone had finished they lazed in the shade sipping ambrosia.

"I think ambrosia is good for the digestion, is that right?" asked Ali.

"Yes, very good. It is also a good palate cleanser between courses" answered a woman elder.

"Have you been to many of the formal dinners with courses?" asked Ali

"Yes, yes" they answered delightedly. "We can tell you all about the special dinners that have been arranged for gods" said a woman excitedly. The women told her of the details of the table settings and impeccable service. The men told her of the richness of the food and wines. Certain dinners were especially memorable for different reasons.

When it was time to remount, various people rode up alongside her and told her of dinners they had attended or held. The gods were especially impressed when they sampled a food that was invented for the occasion. The talk of food, wines, diner table conversations and the occasional faux pas seemed endlessly enjoyable to Ali and her merry band of travelers.

"Nearly there. All this discussion has eaten up the miles" said her companion as he chuckled over his own pun. "If you look over there you can see the main entrance to the cave system. Directly under that is the main door to the fortress enclosure and entry into the main hall where you are to be set up" he said cheerfully. The fortifications became more impressive as they got closer.

Chapter 7

"As you see the fortress is made of stone so that they could not be burnt out. We males will be patrolling outside of the fortress walls and in the forest. Only the women will remain inside to care for you. We men will cook, sleep and eat in dwellings inside the fortress walls but no closer. Your great-mother will arrive later today but all the preparations have been made. The larder is full and the women can start making our delicious dinner for tonight. Maybe they will teach you how to make some of our foods if you are interested?" he asked

"While I am still able to I would really like to be taught some hunting and tracking skills. Trak must have learned mostly from you. Who better to learn from than the master?" said Ali

"How can I resist such a charming invitation? I will tell the women you will walk with us men before the meal" he answered.

Once the steeds were stabled, Ali left the fortress with the men and as they walked her hosts were keen to demonstrate their mastery of tracking. The men brought their bows and arrows and set up a target for Ali on a tree. Ali practised with the bow and arrow while the men corrected her stance and technique. Before long Ali was shooting the bull's-eye on the target. The men got her to stand further back and continued their lesson. Rom looked on with a bored look in his eye. The sun began to set and the group made their way back to the fortress. Glow worms and fireflies lit up the forest as the evening set in.

"The glow worms are so beautiful and so plentiful. It is hard not to step on one" she said

"It is the glow worms that keep the multipeds out of the forest" he replied

"How?" asked Ali

"The multipeds are creatures of the darkness. If they eat glow worms or fireflies it is like poison to them. They cannot resist eating them and do not have to eat many before they die. Multipeds have learned not to enter the forests. Something to keep in mind if you are near multipeds" he replied.

"Have a pocketful of glow worms. Check!" she grinned.

As Ali and the men approached the fortress doors they were drawn towards the delicious array of cooking smells from bread, roasted meats and vegetables.

"Do you know how to cook Ali?" asked a woman elder

"Yes, all the basic things, nothing too fancy. Bread, biscuits, meats, vegetables, jams, rice and some sauces. I made cookies and scones for my brother and sister too. Grandma showed me most of what I know. I can follow recipes. There were some recipes in the knowledge disk with herbs and spices I haven't heard of before" she replied.

"When you can no longer leave the fortress we will show you our recipes and some fancier stuff" she smiled.

"Then I won't embarrass myself if I am ever asked to host a dinner" Ali said.

Dinner was convivial with further talk of grand dinners and plans of what to teach Ali to cook. The men happily volunteered to be her taste testers. As dinner wound up someone was heard calling from the gate.

"Your great-mother has arrived. We prepared food for her and her companions. Go meet her and bring her through for her meal" asked the elder woman.

When Ali exited the men were closing the gate behind grandma. She was accompanied by two elder males.

"Let me take your steed, grandma. You look tired out" said Ali.

"I reckon I am getting too old for all this excitement" said grandma as she slid out of her saddle.

"Food is being put on the table for y'all. It is really delicious too" stated Ali. "Hug first, grandma". Ali hugged her grandma's small rounded body.

"You are always such a sweet girl Ali" said grandma as she pushed back a strand of Ali's hair.

"I don't want to become boring so I might have to add a bit of naughty in there sometime" teased Ali.

"I ain't complaining. Just stick to behaving, right?" chuckled grandma.

Ali took grandma by the shoulders and pointed her to the food. "Go eat grandma".

"I'm going, I'm going! Miss bossy pants" laughed grandma.

Ali led the steed into the stables then unsaddled and wiped down grandma's steed while Rom watched. She unbridled him then led him to a stall and gave him his food. She filled up the water bucket and watched him eat. As she breathed deeply she realized that she felt a little more reassured now that her grandma was there. When she was ready she joined her grandma and sat quietly while grandma and the newcomers ate. When they finished grandma declared Ali needed to be in bed because she looked half asleep. The women led Ali and grandma to their prepared rooms and said goodnight.

"Ali, a quick word to you first, your keening is coming soon, the first signs were noticed at the ceremony. It will start within the next week. You are not releasing scent yet. Even when you start releasing scent you can still walk around for another week before the keening really kicks in. Until then eat and sleep as much as you can in preparation" explained grandma.

"It is a relief the nymphs were able to give us so much information about this. Are we still hoping for the best but prepared for the worst?" asked Ali.

"You know me too well. One of the gifts you received was a sphere. It is used by nymphs to stop the spread of their scent and also to collect their scent to sell. Nymph scent is used in the perfumes of goddesses to attract males. Alternatively we can gift it to someone" explained grandma.

"Who would want nymph scent as a gift?"

"Soon it will be spring. The scent of a nymph affects animal behaviors too; for example, if Poseidon was gifted the scent he would drop it in various parts of the ocean where he wants the sea life to breed. In return he may do you a favor when you need it" said grandma.

"I figure it would be of better use to the animals than to be worn on the necks of spoiled manipulative women" answered Ali.

"Agreed. I will send a note to inform Poseidon that he will receive your scent as a gift" said grandma.

"How do you know all this grandma?"

"Asking questions to the right people tends to get the useful information" smiled grandma. "Now go to sleep, cheeky".

Ali saluted and said "Yes ma'am!" then turned and marched to her room. Ali undid her moccasins and climbed under the covers; she almost fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Chapter 8

The elders let Ali sleep in until well after sun up. Rom followed her as she wandered downstairs sleepily following the cooking smells.

"Sit at the table, Ali. I will get you a plate. This hunk of meat is for Rom" she said as she tossed Rom's meat on a sheet of canvas laid on the ground. Rom pounced on the meat and began eating. The elder woman soon delivered a huge plate of food before Ali.

"There is more when you are ready. It is not fancy but it is nutritious and plentiful" she replied and turned back to the cooking pots.

"It's perfect" said Ali as she tucked into the food. As Ali finished her second plate of food she asked "Where are the men?"

"Some are out patrolling, some are organizing the rosters and some are waiting to take you hunting when you have finished breakfast" she said.

"Really?" Ali said as went to wash her plate.

"Leave that for me. The men are saddling up in the stables. Go see them" she said.

"You are really spoiling me too much. I don't rightly know what to say" she replied. Ali headed to the stables as ordered. The men led her steed out and handed her a bow and a quiver of arrows.

"These are yours for today. We will make you a bow for you to suit your size later" he said

"I'd appreciate it if you could show me how to make a good bow and arrows when you do" she replied.

The elders laughed. One said "we knew you would ask that, it is already arranged. You are a quick learner and a pleasure to teach. Today you learn to shoot from your steed as you ride. Rom will need more fresh meat". Ali and the elder men headed out into the forest. The men pointed out tracks as they rode. When they got to a widening of the path a man rode forward and marked a tree with his knife.

"You can only learn some things by doing them. So you ride toward the tree and shoot your arrow before you pass it. Do it at a gallop. We will watch and correct you as we go" he said.

Ali got out her bow and nocked an arrow then rode toward the tree at a gallop. The first arrow missed by a wide margin. She returned for another run and hear their advice. Several runs later and she was hitting the tree. The advice got more technical and she was then told to shoot two arrows; one at a sidelong tree and one at a tree in front of her.  She was told to aim behind the first tree because she was moving. It took her a dozen runs before she got the hang of it and the men complimented her on her progress. It was decided she try her luck with a moving target. The group made its way into the forest and a man approached her and said there were rabbits up ahead. She should choose her target, aim and shoot.

Ali rode hard and the rabbits scattered in every direction. She aimed at a large rabbit and he stopped and looked directly at her. Ali fired her arrow and pulled up at the last second. The arrow hit the tree above the rabbit's head. Ali pulled up her steed and burst into tears. The concerned men raced to her location. A man pulled her from her saddle and hugged her; he brushed aside questions.

"You haven't killed anything before, have you Ali?"

"Only multipeds to escape them. The rabbit stopped and looked straight at me. He didn't move" she sobbed.

"Well, there is a little rabbit fur caught in the arrow so it was real close. I saw her pull up to miss. Real good if you hunt trees, not so good if you wanted rabbit stew" a man joked.

"The rabbit stopped because he was right in your sights. That rabbit wouldn't have been a mouthful to Rom. Don't be bothered about it. You technique is good. We can always let Rom out to hunt his own food. We thought rabbits would be a hard test for your skills but not your soft heart" he said gently. "We can show you how to catch some fish instead". The men nodded in agreement. Ali nodded and wiped her eyes. with the sleeve of her dress. The group remounted and turned their mounts toward the fortress.

On their return the women looked quizzically at the group, trying to spot the meat from the hunt. Ali went inside to her room and heard the men explaining what had happened. Grandma later knocked on her door and asked to come in. Ali mumbled an affirmative and she sat at the end of Ali's bed.

"No skill is ever wasted, so stop beating yourself up about not shooting the rabbit" said grandma.

"I don't know if I can hunt any animal for food. Hides are important to keep warm and make shoes and clothing here. This is the custom of my immortal family. I wanted to be part of it" moaned Ali.

"The custom is that men hunt and women cook, so you haven't failed any great test here. The men are still keen to show you how to make a good bow and arrows. They will take you fishing tomorrow too. Your progress is beyond what any of them expected, faster than most of the boys they taught. They say you have accomplished much in a short time and are very accurate. Nothing is stopping you from continuing to practise and improve with the bow" impressed grandma. "Lunch is ready. Are you coming down?"

"I can't sulk here all day" said Ali with a watery smile.

"Good girl. Always did like that steel in your spine" grinned grandma.

The days passed crammed with activity with Ali always accompanied by at least ten elder men outside the fortress. Ali was taught different ways to catch fish from flicking them out from their hiding spots along the river bank onto the grass, to stabbing them with a spear and line fishing with a cord and hook. Ali and the elders had finished off a large basket of food after spending the entire morning fishing. While the men rested Ali took her bow and decided to practise. Rom followed her away for the river and into a small valley. He took his position on a ledge to laze in the sun and watch over her as she set up her targets.

After an hour, Rom growled low. Ali heard some bushes moving in the distance. Ali got down low and watched carefully in the direction of the noise. A man with a gun stood and silently moved position. Ali watched as the stranger took aim in their direction. She saw the gun was sighted in Rom's direction. Ali nocked up her arrow and aimed for the barrel of the gun, hoping to get close and scare him away. She fired. Her arrow hit the barrel as the gun fired and the stranger's shot missed. Rom moved quickly towards Ali and the stranger stood to take aim at Rom. Ali nocked her arrow again quickly, aimed and fired. Her bolt shot directly down the gun barrel as the stranger pulled the trigger. The gun exploded out of his hands. Ali heard the elders running toward her. Rom reached her side and snarled in the direction of the stranger.

"Ali!" called the elders.

"I'm here" she called back "I'm fine. There is a stranger over there who was aiming at Rom with his gun" she said as she pointed in the stranger's direction. The men returned with the damaged gun.

"He's gone. Did you get a good look at him?"

"No, it was so fast" she replied.

The men crowded around the gun to examine it. "You shot this arrow, Ali?" asked one.

"Yes" she replied as her knees got too wobbly for her to stand. She sat down on the grass.

"Have a look at what you did to the gun, Ali. The arrow went straight up the barrel. That was a mighty fine shot and it was a good distance" a man said.

"I was practising and I had my eye trained in good" she responded as she put head between her knees and breathed deeply.

"Rom, it looks like this little girl saved your hide" said an elder.

Rom brushed his body up against Ali's arms. "Rom was heading to me to protect me. You are my hero, Rom!" Ali hugged Rom as he snuggled in to her hold.

"How are you feeling, Ali?" asked an elder.

"A little shaky still. I need a few more minutes to calm down" she replied.

"I will stay, the rest can pack up and ready the steeds, then return here for us" said Kitch's dad. When the men left he said "You did good, Ali."

"How did the stranger disappear so quickly?"

"He could be an immortal hunting on our lands. We will register a complaint with the council. They don't ever do much, so it is more of a formality. The stranger is unlikely to return after experiencing your marksmanship up close and personal" he grinned. He grew serious "Ali, it is only through experience that we discover who we are and what we are capable of. It is our choices of what we will or won't do that we define ourselves. Your unwillingness to bring harm to a defenseless creature in your sights is a sign of who you are. Nymphs usually protect the forests and its animals. You bravely defended Rom from a determined hunter, twice. We tribal immortals respect your courage and your values. We love you as our daughter. The rabbit incident was not your failure; but ours, for not seeing you clearly enough. You opened our eyes to who you are and we love you exactly how you are" he stated.

"My nymph friends said that we were related closely to elves. They are good with bows and arrows too. Can we make the bow and arrows tomorrow?" said Ali meekly.

"We will cut the wood from a small tree on our return to make the bow. If you like we can carve designs into it" he said.

"I will draw the designs" she stated.

The elders returned with the steeds in to and Ali climbed onto her steed. Rom followed her with a flick of his tail. The group slowly made its way through the shaded winding paths of the forest. They stopped to choose a sapling for Ali's bow. Once done the leaves and branches were stripped and carried by one of the trailing elders. When they remounted Ali gasped as a stomach cramp struck her.

"OK Ali?" asked the nearby elder.

"A cramp. It is starting. My keening is close. I think today may be my last taste of freedom outside the fortress walls for a while" gasped Ali.

When the group returned to the fortress there was much whispered discussion about the hunting incident. Ali went to her room to lay down as more cramps hit. Grandma knocked on her door and entered.

"Ali, you will have to remain in the hall for now. We suspect the immortal today may have been hunting you as he was close enough to have caught your early keening scent. We will have to take more precautions to keep you safe. It will mean your freedoms will become very limited, very quickly. We will have to get more braves to patrol the forest outside the affected zones to hunt the immortal. Saying that, we will have to put you in the sphere earlier than expected to limit the affected zones. We do not want any immortal to track you here. We will bathe you tonight and put you in the sphere" she said.

"Right now grandma, I am feeling so lousy I can't think straight. I will put myself in your capable hands" Ali replied.

"Are you hungry, child?"

"No, I think my eating days are over" she grumbled.

"We will draw you bath to prepare you. It is best if you stay in the sphere naked once you are cleaned up" said grandma.

"Anything you want. I'm all yours" said Ali with a weary grin.

The bath was carried into Ali's room and filled with steaming water direct from the fires. The hot water soothed Ali's cramps a little. When she was finished Ali stepped out onto a clean mat while grandma attached a controller device on the back of her neck. Grandma activated the device and a glass-like sphere formed around Ali.

"The sphere regulates your surroundings to provide the maximum comfort during your keening. It keeps a check on your vital signs too. We have arranged transportable collection containers for your scent. I have brought in some math and physics schoolwork to keep you focused on. I will have whiteboards set up in your room with the problems so you don't get bored. The more you dwell on the pain and feel sorry for yourself, the more it will hurt. Try to compartmentalize it and focus on something else to make the time pass more quickly" insisted grandma.

"Bring on the schoolwork, grandma. I am ready for that sucker. Can Rom stay with me?" asked Ali

"I will let him in. He is fretting outside your door" said grandma.