| Fantasy Fiction posted March 20, 2018 | Chapters: |
...4 5 -6- 7... 
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  |
Joshua is taken from his mother to be raised with the Clan
A chapter in the book GULBRANDR- God's Sword
Hamish
by Roxanna Andrews
| Background A child is born to a young outcast, he will become a great leader. |
Nyla and the baby grew stronger, and Anna stayed on. She hated to leave Nyla on her own and it was a nice rest for her, away from the constant demands of being a midwife.
Joshua seemed to grow each day and grew more like his father, not just in appearence but in temperament as well. He had an intelligence behind his violet eyes and would hold eye contact as you spoke to him, as if he were listening intently and understood every word.
"I feel he can see right into my thoughts before I say the words," Anna would say, "he will be a leader one day I think."
Nyla felt the same. Her child had an intelligence that defied his young age, while still being a lovable, happy baby.
The day arrived for Anna to go home, she could delay no longer. She gathered her belongings and hugged Nyla goodbye. Nyla thanked her profusely and gave her food for her journey. Anna's father had sent a cart to collect her and she rode out of sight still waving.
Upon arriving at the village, Anna was met by two council members. Her heart pounded as they escorted her to the council chambers.
Had they found her out? That she had been caring for a Dark One? Would she be expelled from the village? She shook as she walked beside the men, her knees wanting to give out.
The council room was lined with smooth wooden benches on one side and a large tapestry on the other. In the middle stood the rest of the council, murmuring among themselves. Upon seeing Anna, they went silent.
Anna, the daughter of an outsider, her mother being a tradesman's daughter, had never been fully accepted by the clan. But being an intelligent girl, she made herself useful as a midwife, her skill highly regarded, making her much in demand.
The council head could see the fear in her eyes and he tried to put her at ease. "No need to fear us Anna, we just want to ask a few questions about the child." He seated her on a bench, smiled and continued with his interrogation.
"You delivered a child of the Dark One?"
Anna heart pounded. They knew. She merely nodded, not trusting her voice to speak.
"The child is a male?"
Anna swallowed hard, "Yes." Her voice shook as she spoke.
The council head nodded. "Is the child a Dark One?"
Anna quickly glanced at the faces of the rest of the men. They leaned in to hear her answer.
"No, he is as white haired as any Wahalander."
The men leaned back and began to murmur among themselves again.
"Is he strong, healthy?"
"He is."
The council head satisfied, dismissed her but said as she left, "Tell no one of this meeting."
Anna agreed though she had no intention of keeping it to herself. She would find Nyla's brothers.
Hamish made his appearance. He loved drama and made his entrance with a flourish. He whipped back his hood and gazed at the men in the room.
His hair, straight and brilliantly white fell almost to his waist. He kept it covered with a hood, most thought for spiritual reason, but in reality the hood kept the dust and dirt from his hair in which he took great pride. He was exquisite looking and very vain.
Hamish was their spiritual adviser and thus felt himself above the common man. He lived apart from the main village, closer to the outskirts, in a modest but well furnished dwelling.
He always wore white and carried an elaborately carved iron staff with a hook at the end so he could hang a light from it at night. He felt it gave him an ethereal, mystical appearance.
"The child is a Wahalander and must be brought into the clan. It is not right that he be raised by a Dark One. She cannot teach him the ways of our people. She was not raised as one herself and is a woman. She knows nothing about how to raise a Wahaland male."
The council members agreed. "We will take him when he is weaned."
"No," insisted Hamish. "We must take him before. If we wait, he will become too attached to his mother. He will be weak. He must be taken soon."
The council members shifted on their feet, casting glances at one another and around the room, not meeting Hamishs' eyes. They were not comfortable taking such a young babe from its mother.
"What is it?" He asked, impatient with their reluctance.
"Taking him so young..." the council head began.
Hamish dismissed him with a wave of his hand. "I will do it. I will go to her and let her know she has no choice. She will be reasonable I am sure. She will listen to me."
He sensed the child was special and wanted him close so he could be an influence in his life. He wanted to mold him, make him after his image.
Nyla awoke one morning to find an aberration in her front yard. At least that is how it seemed. Hamish had arrived on horseback in a snow storm. He sat upon a huge white horse and wore a hooded white fur cape as well as vest and boots. Nyla had never seen white fur. The horse pawed the ground impatient to be on his way. The aberration spoke.
"I am Hamish, adviser to the Wahaland council." He gave his voice a deeper tone.
"What have you to do with me?" Nyla asked, though knew the answer. Her brothers had told her there was talk that the council would want the child raised in Wahaland. They promised her if it came to that, they would insist on raising him. He would be in their good hands.
Nyla knew in her heart this was best for her son. She knew her brothers would teach him how to be a great warrior. They promised to tell him of his father. He would know where he came from.
"We will tell him of you as well, what a great woman you are. We promise not to fail him, or you."
After her brothers had gone, Nyla wept. She had lost her beloved husband and now before many more days, her son. How was she to bear it?
Hamish cleared his throat. "The council has proclaimed that your child shall be taken from you and raised in Wahaland. Know they only have the child's welfare in mind. I will come for him three moons from this day. I will be at the clearing in the woods just after the sun goes below the mountains. Do not think of defying me."
Without giving Nyla a moment to speak, he kicked the side of his horse, trotted off and quickly disappeared into the snow storm. Hamish was quite pleased with himself. He would have been very disappointed to know her brothers had already brought her news and he had not devastated her world as he had hoped.
************************
The tiny blue dragon sat on the ledge below his mother and siblings. After some time of making pitiful sounds, he gave up. His mother would not come to his rescue. He was on his own. He fell asleep, exhausted from fighting his way out of his shell and his mournful crying. He leaned his head against the stone cliff wall and slept.
In the morning he awakened to a loud, almost unbearable sound. The cicadas had emerged from their seventeen year slumber. Millions of the insects were crawling out of the ground and up the nearest tree They made a sound that could be heard for miles.
The dragon looked down and saw his siblings devouring the insects on the valley floor. They had flown down to gorge themselves along with the birds, raccoon, mice and anything else that might enjoyed a good insect breakfast.
The tiny dragon helped himself to the insects that had lost their way and climbed the cliff side. He ate until full and then slept.
When he woke, he knew he must find shelter, he could not stay on the cliff ledge. He gorged himself on the remaining cicades, it would be their last day on earth. They emerged every seventeen years to mate, lay eggs and die. They lived only two days so one must take advantage when one could.
The young dragon tested his wings, spreading them fully and beating them up and down. He had no one to teach him to fly so he bravely jumped from the ledge, half gliding, half falling to the valley below. After his awkward landing, he hopped and flapped, hoping to take wing, but his wings would not yet support him.
He had no choice but to walk. He kept close to the cliff, using brush for cover, in search of shelter. He came to a hollow in the stone and found it acceptable. He would shelter there until his wings could carry him to higher ground. Using his razor sharp teeth he cut branches from bushes to cover the opening. Leaves had blown in and they made a comfortable and warm bed. The dragon lay down and slept for three days.
Joshua seemed to grow each day and grew more like his father, not just in appearence but in temperament as well. He had an intelligence behind his violet eyes and would hold eye contact as you spoke to him, as if he were listening intently and understood every word.
"I feel he can see right into my thoughts before I say the words," Anna would say, "he will be a leader one day I think."
Nyla felt the same. Her child had an intelligence that defied his young age, while still being a lovable, happy baby.
The day arrived for Anna to go home, she could delay no longer. She gathered her belongings and hugged Nyla goodbye. Nyla thanked her profusely and gave her food for her journey. Anna's father had sent a cart to collect her and she rode out of sight still waving.
Upon arriving at the village, Anna was met by two council members. Her heart pounded as they escorted her to the council chambers.
Had they found her out? That she had been caring for a Dark One? Would she be expelled from the village? She shook as she walked beside the men, her knees wanting to give out.
The council room was lined with smooth wooden benches on one side and a large tapestry on the other. In the middle stood the rest of the council, murmuring among themselves. Upon seeing Anna, they went silent.
Anna, the daughter of an outsider, her mother being a tradesman's daughter, had never been fully accepted by the clan. But being an intelligent girl, she made herself useful as a midwife, her skill highly regarded, making her much in demand.
The council head could see the fear in her eyes and he tried to put her at ease. "No need to fear us Anna, we just want to ask a few questions about the child." He seated her on a bench, smiled and continued with his interrogation.
"You delivered a child of the Dark One?"
Anna heart pounded. They knew. She merely nodded, not trusting her voice to speak.
"The child is a male?"
Anna swallowed hard, "Yes." Her voice shook as she spoke.
The council head nodded. "Is the child a Dark One?"
Anna quickly glanced at the faces of the rest of the men. They leaned in to hear her answer.
"No, he is as white haired as any Wahalander."
The men leaned back and began to murmur among themselves again.
"Is he strong, healthy?"
"He is."
The council head satisfied, dismissed her but said as she left, "Tell no one of this meeting."
Anna agreed though she had no intention of keeping it to herself. She would find Nyla's brothers.
Hamish made his appearance. He loved drama and made his entrance with a flourish. He whipped back his hood and gazed at the men in the room.
His hair, straight and brilliantly white fell almost to his waist. He kept it covered with a hood, most thought for spiritual reason, but in reality the hood kept the dust and dirt from his hair in which he took great pride. He was exquisite looking and very vain.
Hamish was their spiritual adviser and thus felt himself above the common man. He lived apart from the main village, closer to the outskirts, in a modest but well furnished dwelling.
He always wore white and carried an elaborately carved iron staff with a hook at the end so he could hang a light from it at night. He felt it gave him an ethereal, mystical appearance.
"The child is a Wahalander and must be brought into the clan. It is not right that he be raised by a Dark One. She cannot teach him the ways of our people. She was not raised as one herself and is a woman. She knows nothing about how to raise a Wahaland male."
The council members agreed. "We will take him when he is weaned."
"No," insisted Hamish. "We must take him before. If we wait, he will become too attached to his mother. He will be weak. He must be taken soon."
The council members shifted on their feet, casting glances at one another and around the room, not meeting Hamishs' eyes. They were not comfortable taking such a young babe from its mother.
"What is it?" He asked, impatient with their reluctance.
"Taking him so young..." the council head began.
Hamish dismissed him with a wave of his hand. "I will do it. I will go to her and let her know she has no choice. She will be reasonable I am sure. She will listen to me."
He sensed the child was special and wanted him close so he could be an influence in his life. He wanted to mold him, make him after his image.
Nyla awoke one morning to find an aberration in her front yard. At least that is how it seemed. Hamish had arrived on horseback in a snow storm. He sat upon a huge white horse and wore a hooded white fur cape as well as vest and boots. Nyla had never seen white fur. The horse pawed the ground impatient to be on his way. The aberration spoke.
"I am Hamish, adviser to the Wahaland council." He gave his voice a deeper tone.
"What have you to do with me?" Nyla asked, though knew the answer. Her brothers had told her there was talk that the council would want the child raised in Wahaland. They promised her if it came to that, they would insist on raising him. He would be in their good hands.
Nyla knew in her heart this was best for her son. She knew her brothers would teach him how to be a great warrior. They promised to tell him of his father. He would know where he came from.
"We will tell him of you as well, what a great woman you are. We promise not to fail him, or you."
After her brothers had gone, Nyla wept. She had lost her beloved husband and now before many more days, her son. How was she to bear it?
Hamish cleared his throat. "The council has proclaimed that your child shall be taken from you and raised in Wahaland. Know they only have the child's welfare in mind. I will come for him three moons from this day. I will be at the clearing in the woods just after the sun goes below the mountains. Do not think of defying me."
Without giving Nyla a moment to speak, he kicked the side of his horse, trotted off and quickly disappeared into the snow storm. Hamish was quite pleased with himself. He would have been very disappointed to know her brothers had already brought her news and he had not devastated her world as he had hoped.
************************
The tiny blue dragon sat on the ledge below his mother and siblings. After some time of making pitiful sounds, he gave up. His mother would not come to his rescue. He was on his own. He fell asleep, exhausted from fighting his way out of his shell and his mournful crying. He leaned his head against the stone cliff wall and slept.
In the morning he awakened to a loud, almost unbearable sound. The cicadas had emerged from their seventeen year slumber. Millions of the insects were crawling out of the ground and up the nearest tree They made a sound that could be heard for miles.
The dragon looked down and saw his siblings devouring the insects on the valley floor. They had flown down to gorge themselves along with the birds, raccoon, mice and anything else that might enjoyed a good insect breakfast.
The tiny dragon helped himself to the insects that had lost their way and climbed the cliff side. He ate until full and then slept.
When he woke, he knew he must find shelter, he could not stay on the cliff ledge. He gorged himself on the remaining cicades, it would be their last day on earth. They emerged every seventeen years to mate, lay eggs and die. They lived only two days so one must take advantage when one could.
The young dragon tested his wings, spreading them fully and beating them up and down. He had no one to teach him to fly so he bravely jumped from the ledge, half gliding, half falling to the valley below. After his awkward landing, he hopped and flapped, hoping to take wing, but his wings would not yet support him.
He had no choice but to walk. He kept close to the cliff, using brush for cover, in search of shelter. He came to a hollow in the stone and found it acceptable. He would shelter there until his wings could carry him to higher ground. Using his razor sharp teeth he cut branches from bushes to cover the opening. Leaves had blown in and they made a comfortable and warm bed. The dragon lay down and slept for three days.
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