Dreaming of the Past
Wow I know, another chapter so soon, but hey I was on a roll. I actually had this written and ready to upload the day after last chapter but for some reason or another the site wouldn't let me upload it. I think this is the longest chapter of this story so far too, or maybe second longest. So there you go. Enjoy and review!
Chapter 13: First 'Job'
"So that is why I locked myself away." Miranda ran her fingers along the outside of her half empty tankard.
Vanora leant over and patted her hand thoughtfully. "Well that certainly explains quite a bit dear. Goodness you've been through a lot." She was balancing her latest baby on her hip with her other hand, it gurgled happily and played with a lose strand of her hair.
"Thanks Vanora, I- I really appreciate being able to let this out to someone here. If you don't pass it on it- it would be greatly appreciated." She brushed at a few stray tears on her cheek and smiled as best she could.
"I think you should tell Galahad though, if you do love him as much as you seem too," she eyed her young companion with a look Miranda couldn't decipher before shifting her child to the other arm.
Miranda sighed and contemplated the idea, she didn't like it, the less people who knew the better. But if there was anyone she should tell it was Galahad, he deserved to know after all she'd put him through. She wasn't ready to yet though, and she wondered why of all the people to tell she told Vanora, the woman who controlled the wagging tongues of the village, but she felt she could be trusted with this. She was a loyal and compassionate woman, always there with comfort during times of need.
"I know just what you need, some work, something to occupy your mind. I could use an extra hand working at the tavern every night, especially now that this fellow has come along," she pinched her babe's cheek affectionately. "We had Brigid and Fenella on top of it before I started getting distracted by Levon here, the other children can look after themselves for the most part. But if you wouldn't mind giving me a hand with them everyone now and then as well. You could earn yourself a bit of extra coin to get you some independence from Arthur and the rest and besides, it'll go down well with the men I'm sure." The woman grinned.
Smiling she accepted Vanora's offer, it was generous of her and she could tell she needed all the help she could get with her dozen or so children running about. They downed the rest of their tankards amidst small talk and gossip on the events that had occurred during her stint in bed but Miranda could tell Vanora was curious about what she had told her and wanted to know more. She wasn't stupid though, and knew now wasn't the time to press for more details.
Soon the rest of the woman's brood arrived, the two youngest, Ronan (about two Miranda would guess) and Saoirse (a year or so older), toddled at the heels of the others, one of the middle boys, she thought his name was Gilly seemed to take charge of the rest and led the group to their mother.
"Mother, we are hungry and the cook won't give us anything." He wiped a trail of slime from the end of his nose and sniffed.
"Well of course she won't when you look like that. You all look like a bunch of street urchins. Come here, the lot of you." Instantly she was swamped by the horde as she attempted to neaten their appearances. Vanora noticed a bruise beginning to flower on Gilly's cheek and frowned, "Have you been fighting with the Cooks son again? He's bigger than you."
"Yeah mama but I've been winning!" he grinned cheekily, "You should see what he looks like!"
The two women couldn't help but crack a smile at the cheek of the boy, "Well no wonder she isn't giving you any of her leftovers then! Get on with you." she gestured them away with a laugh.
"But mother, we're hungry." The eldest, a girl nearing ten, complained loudly and Vanora sighed.
"I'll go find them something if you'd like Vanora, I have nothing better to do." Miranda was shot an appreciative look.
"You heard Miranda then, she'll go and find you something." In a quiet aside to the volunteer she added, "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into, you'll never be rid of them now."
Miranda laughed, "I've babysat before, and I'm just getting them some food, it won't take too long."
Vanora snorted, "Oh you'll be taking that back soon enough. Just have them and yourself back at dusk, and don't let them wear you out too much. I'll be needing you later."
With a smile and a wave she bid Vanora farewell, Gilly hanging from her arm like a limpet, the others in tow. "So where is it you get your food?"
"For lunch we normally get the cooks left over bread, if she's being nice to us." Gilly huffed.
"If not, then we steal it anyway." another boy who so resembled Bors she had to laugh, added with a grin.
"O well, rightio then," Miranda tried not to be shocked by the children's lawless behaviour as she once again realised how different life was here, obviously it wasn't something uncommon for them to do. "So, how do we go about stealing this bread then?" She asked somewhat nervously.
A small cheer erupted from the children milling around her, Gilly pulled harder on her arm to get her attention, "Well, we need to get into the kitchens. Then we snatch it from the basket and make a run for it. If she catches us we'll get a belting."
"Aha, and how do we get into the kitchens in the first place?" she asked the boy.
"We use a distraction."
"Do we have a distraction?"
Gilly's eyes widened, his eyebrows disappearing under his scruffy hair as he thought of an idea, "We'll use you! You can ask the cook for something and while you are talking to her we'll sneak in through the garden and snatch the bread." He nodded self importantly, proud of himself.
"Yes and you can get us some special food!" Another yelled excitedly.
"We'll have a feast!" A little girl cried.
Grinning she ruffled Gilly's hair, "Well lets get started then shall we?" Another cheer erupted and they ran in the direction of the fort's kitchen, Saoirse and Ronan toddling behind as usual. She had to pick up her skirts and jog after them, glad to have some entertainment to keep her mind off other things.
Miranda soon found herself walking down the hall to the kitchens indoor entrance, wondering how she was going to get the cook distracted and give the children the chance to sneak in. Slowing as she came to the rough wooden door she took in a breath and knocked.
A grunt sounded from inside, something she took for admittance and she pushed open the door. The cook was hunched over a simmering pot in the fireplace and didn't seem too thrilled at Miranda's appearance. "What are you after?" She grunted, not lifting her eyes from her stew.
A quick glance at the window showed five sets of eyes peering in, waiting for their chance to run through the open back door. The cook was just as stereotypical as Noreen was, a large, robust lady it was clear she didn't just cook the food. Greasy, greying hair fell into her eyes from a loose bun as she wiped a sweaty hand across her brow.
"I, err, I was looking for something to eat. I, err, haven't had the chance to grab anything today." Mirada said nervously, intimidated by what appeared to be a fearsome woman.
"Well you're a bit late for lunch aren't ya. I'm already started on dinner." She growled.
"Oh I'll be happy with just some cheese or fruit maybe." The cook turned and glared, Miranda winced, "Please?"
"Let me see what I can find." The cook grumbled and shuffled towards her cupboards, the children's eyes disappeared.
The cook was still grumbling as she looked through her cupboards, Miranda thought she caught something like 'pretty young women always thinking they can get away with anything…'. Gilly dashed through the door, followed by two other boys and they grabbed two half eaten loaves of bread before spinning to run out again. The cook turned to Miranda holding a wizened apple and a less than enticing piece of cheese, a scowl marring her already less than tasteful features. One of the boys, the one that so resembled Bors, caught his foot on a broom as he was fleeing the room, sending it crashing to the floor and instantly the cook knew something was up. With agility surprising for her age and size she spun about and grabbed a saucepan with one hand and a roller with the other, waving them menacingly at the boy.
"Not you lot again!" She yelled, her face reddening in anger.
"RUN!" She heard Gilly yell from outside and the Bors-a-like and Miranda (holding the apple and cheese) fled past the cook and into the herb garden. The cook was close behind them, yelling obscenely and waving her instruments menacingly. Miranda was sure of her escape until she realised that they had to scale the wall surrounding the vegetable patch to get out. She'd never been too good at climbing. The children were having no trouble though, the elders helping the youngest up and over the wall.
Slightly panicky Miranda threw her fingers over the top of the wall and heaved her elbows up onto the lip grunting with effort as she attempted to lift her body over the wall. The children were already on the other side waiting for her and calling out advice, she could hear the cook getting closer. With a final push she managed to pull herself onto the wall and her leg just out of reach of the podgy hand clawing for it. With an innocent smile and wave to the cursing cook she jumped to the ground and was instantly surrounded by Vanora and Bors's eager offspring overjoyed by the addition to their meal of the apple and cheese which had managed to survive the escape in her belt pouch (they seemed unfazed by the foods appearance).
It was to be, as the girl had stated earlier, a feast.
She spent the rest of the afternoon with Vanora's troublesome flock and they began to grow wearing just as dusk was falling, perfect timing for Miranda as she was just returning them to their mother. They stifled yawns as they walked into the courtyard and their mother's arms.
"Look at you all! What have you been up to?" Vanora laughed, noting their drooping eyelids with a smile.
"We had a feast mama!" Little Saoirse cried in delight and her mother scooped her up into a warm hug.
"Well I guess you won't be wanting any of the dinner I cooked you then would you?" An indignant cry sounded from their throats. Miranda laughed, "Children," Vanora added with a sigh, "always hungry. Could you finish cleaning these up for me while I fix these rascals up? I should be back shortly, before people start arriving."
She had gestured to a table lined with tankards that she had been wiping down as Miranda had entered. Nodding Miranda set to work preparing the courtyard for the nights patrons while Vanora tucked her children into bed.
The courtyard was quieter than usual that night, likely due to the noteworthy absence of the knights on their final mission. Miranda was still kept busy however, whether caring for baby Levon whilst Vanora was occupied or serving people herself she was kept safe from the distressing thoughts of Galahad. They were due to collect the Bishop Germanus, and more importantly his papers in the morning and they should return home by mid to late afternoon. Miranda knew she would hardly get a wink of sleep through thoughts of Galahad all night, and work seemed like it would be a nightmare she'd have to force herself through as usual. She was not looking forward to the awkward conversations tomorrow evening would bring.
Just as she had predicted earlier sleep didn't come easily that night and as she transported home she winced at the late hour she was arriving. Well six in the morning wasn't exactly late but it meant only two hours of real sleep before she went to work. She had learnt early on that she wasn't capable of functioning properly without at least some of the mental sleep she needed and now refused to accept appointments before nine thirty. Something that was often difficult to arrange.
She wasn't just kept awake by thoughts of her knight but by a rather unfortunate phone call from a memorable Scottish voice.
"Alfie, what do you want?" Miranda groaned into the phone upon recognising his number.
"Och, it's nice to hear ye soundin' so happy love." He replied sarcastically. "I have some good news for ye."
"Mmmm and what's that?" she yawned into the receiver.
"Ye're comin' to England, on Thursday. The flight's already booked."
"What!?" She yelled into the phone, "England! Why?!"
"Because of the sword of course, I need ye there with me to present our findin's to the board at the Museum of London. We have really hit it big lass!"
Miranda groaned, she knew she should be happy, really, she did, but it was just too much for her to handle on top of everything else. "Do I really have to go Alfie?"
"Why? Don't ye want to see me?" He sounded personally affronted.
"What? No! I just… I've been so worn out lately."
"Och, well, I'll just have to get nice Ms Brown to come along then." He knew that would get her.
"No Alfie don't, I-I'll come." He said something too much like 'I told you so' for her liking, "But don't expect me to be very entertaining."
"Since when have ye been lass?" he laughed and she scowled at the old mans humour, he was such a lovely old gentleman though, well maybe not gentleman… "I'll let ye get back to yer lazin' about then. Not like ye have anythin' better to do."
"Thanks Alfie, I suppose I'll be seeing you Friday or something then." He sounded an affirmation, "Well bye then."
Hanging up she rolled over and screamed into her pillow. Why did things always have to get so complicated! All at the same time! She couldn't sleep again after that so she got up and dressed, the weather was starting to warm, a much needed relief to the increasingly cold weather in England. She found it hard to believe she would actually be going there so soon and wondered if she could take a trip to the wall whilst she was there. God, she didn't even know how long she'd be there for. She decided on sending Alfie an email full of questions from the museum that morning, she was helping the curator set up a new exhibit a the Powerhouse. Eating a bowl of cereal she rang her mother to let her know what was going on and left the house, waving to Mrs Copper out on her veranda on the way to her car.
After work she decided to sleep a bit before going back to The Wall, she wasn't sure how much real sleep she'd get to have in the next few days. It meant she'd arrive later but that was something she could live with. She had nothing to do there anyway but wait. And her bed here was far more comfortable.
She got there around ten in the morning and didn't have the guts to go down to the kitchen to try and get breakfast. Instead she decided to go look for Vanora and her tribe, and they weren't too hard to find. They were in the courtyard, Vanora's usual haunt and in fact seemed to be looking for her.
"Oh good, there you are. I was afraid you'd changed your mind." Vanora said warmly when they spotted her.
Miranda grimaced, "No, no."
"Thankyou for looking after them all yesterday," she gestured to the children around her, the girls were playing a clapping game whilst some of the older boys were wrestling, "They told me everything. You did a good job."
"That's fine, I had fun."
The mother smiled, brushing back Levon's hair, she was cradling him as usual, "So did they. I think they were all quite taken with you, you'll never escape them now."
Miranda laughed, "I'm glad to hear it." Her stomach growled and as an afterthought she asked, "You wouldn't be able to get me some food would you? I don't think they'll want me anywhere near the kitchens anytime soon."
They made arrangements, Vanora would go to the kitchens for food whilst Miranda looked after Gilly and his brothers and sisters and then they would head up to the top of the wall and wait for their lovers and father to arrive.
The afternoon past slowly, broken by the occasional hijinks of the children, and as time wore on other women began to appear. An attractive girl Vanora labelled scornfully as Lancelot's new lover leaned on the parapet and watched the horizon wistfully.
Miranda had long ago learnt, for better or worse, of Vanora and Lancelot's ongoing affair, something Bors vehemently denied as no doubt Lancelot's short term lovers did. When looking at some of the children though there was definitely reason for Bors to be concerned, Miranda had her suspicions about Gilly's parentage. He screamed Lancelot in both appearance and cocky personality even at such a young age.
It wasn't until the sun was around four in the afternoon that signs of the returning knights appeared. Spots became visible rounding hills on the horizon and grew into a group of horsemen followed by Roman cavalry and a small carriage. Miranda's heart leapt in her throat and counted.
One, two, three, four… five, six and seven. She let out a sigh of relief, as did Vanora as they came to the same conclusion, they were all safe. Everyone had survived.
Yes there will be the return of Galahad next chapter, and we have gotten to the movie at last. I don't think there will be an incredible number of chapters left, I'd say we are two thirds of the way through. But don't quote me on that.
Pagan