Echoes of Spring Ch. 02

-=-=- Erika - 1275 D.f. -=-=-

The inn at the crossroads of Stow was quiet this day. Quiet, except for one cute, over-excited peasant girl, who was now leaning over a table with triangles etched into it as the man opposite looked on with a frown. She enthusiastically rolled the dice she'd been shaking.

"Twin fives!" she giddily exclaimed as she pushed her remaining checkers off the board. "An', game. By the gods, Eric, you really suck at this."

"Backgammon was never my thing," the Lord Eric sighed, folding his arms as he leaned back in his chair. Erika giggled at his noble despondency.

"An' I believe it! Best four-outta-seven?" she beamed.

"No, no, you won for good. In fact, winner buys the next round," he said, nodding towards his empty glass. Erika snatched some of his coin from the table.

"Haw-haw," she childishly replied, going so far as to thrust out her tongue. She twirled about to make her way towards the bar, giving him a sassy sway of her hips as she left.

Erika had been on the road with the ridiculously-handsome Lord Eric for two nights now, and the pair had decided yesterday to rent a night at this no-name inn rather than spend another in the weeds. It had to have been almost noon by now, and they probably should have been traveling, but they only had twenty miles or so to make in two days, which was a simple prospect for anyone with a horse; and Erika was now one of those anyones.

She slammed three coppers onto the bar when she arrived, leaning in between two tavern-goers. A mere smile got the barkeep's attention.

"Hail, pretty lady. What'll it be?" he asked.

"Um, the uh... not the brown," Erika smiled sweetly.

"A'ight. Blonde beer for a blonde lass?" the barkeep grinned. Erika nodded, giggled, then swung about to lean her elbow on the bar, so she could get another glimpse at the man she was now traveling with.

And what a man he was. Young, well-tempered, with broad shoulders and thick muscles that could simply envelop her whole. He even had blond hair, too, and soft green eyes, thick brows, and a cute little nose that took all her willpower not to pinch. He looked so similar to her, Erika thought with a merry grin.

Much to Erika's annoyance however, nothing fun had transpired between she and him last night, even though they'd shared a bed. It had just been more excuses. More fears, perhaps, that a priestess didn't actually know what the gods meant by, 'Thou shalt not commit adultery.' Phooey.

"Here y'are, pretty lady. Just two cops'll do," the barkeep said from behind her, slamming two mugs onto the bar. Twin mugs, Erika realized; for she and her twin Eric.

"Gratitude! Keep the extra," she winked, taking the drinks. "An' may the gods bless you and yours, sir."

With beers in hand, Erika gaily returned to her table. There she would drink, be merry, play some more games, perhaps - if her travel mate could stop whining about losing, anyway - and generally just bask in the fulfillment her heart absorbed in Lord Eric's presence.

"Hail, sweet lass. Do I know you from somewhere?"

Erika twirled towards the unexpected voice, her drinks sloshing violently as she spun. She gave the tall man who had greeted her a once-over, recognizing him instantly from his hard jawline, and the distinct armor he wore; a hauberk of black chain beneath a shirt of red-and-black. She couldn't recall his name.

"O' course! We spent some time together down in... Maidenhead, it must've been," Erika cheerfully answered, before reminding herself of her present company.

"Yes, that's right," the gentleman chuckled heartily. "You're that supple priestess of Fiona. Oh, what a night that was, Maidenhead. I'm only passing through, but would you be of a mind to duplicate your performance from that night?"

Ugh! Erika had hoped her modest attire would have warded off any advances, but her work always found a way to follow her no matter where she trode. As handsome as the man was, she would have accepted him without question had it been last week... but...

"I'm most sorry, sir. Even the Mother needed her rest on the seventh day, and I'm but a shadow of her magnificence," Erika rejected him as kindly as she could, finding the ones easy on the eyes the most difficult to dismiss. The man appeared only a bit pained from her reply, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly.

"Well, another time then. Gods guide you, priestess," he bowed.

"Fiona bless you 'n yours, sir," Erika politely replied. She turned away from him as hastily as she could without coming off as rude, letting out a sigh of exasperation once he was out of earshot. She hoped Eric hadn't-

Fuck. He was looking at her. Erika forced out an anxious grin as she stumbled her way back towards the table.

"What was that about?" Eric asked with a nod as she set their drinks down. She took the seat opposite him.

"Nothin'," she frowned, muttering her answer under her breath. "He recognized me from summ'r. Wanted a roll in the hay."

"Ah. And you declined?" Eric said coolly, taking a sip of his beer.

"Um... o' course I did?" she squeaked, taken aback that he found the notion so surprising. "I'm not dressed for it, an' I don't want to."

"Huh. Are you renouncing your vows, Erika?" he smirked, looking so very smug as he leaned back in his chair.

"By the goddess, no!" she adamantly denied with furrowed brow.

"Sounds like you are," he shrugged.

"That's... that's utter falsehood! Can't a girl jus' say no every now-and-again?!" Erika hotly replied. "I don't have to accept every offer y'know, despite what you've heard elsetime."

"Whoa, whoa," he chuckled at her disparagingly, raising an opened hand. "I'm only teasing you, Erika. No need to be so ornery."

"'orny?! Who's 'orny?!"

Eric nodded hesitantly towards the table. She followed his gaze, finding her fists balled and her knuckles white.

"Ohh," she pouted, moving her hands into her lap. "Orn'ry. I-I am, aren't I? Prolly 'cause I'm..."

"'orny," Eric casually suggested.

"Yeah," Erika cringed, her cheeks now flushed with embarrassment. The drink likely wasn't helping her much either. She pushed her beer away without even taking a sip, and convinced herself that now was a good a time as any to tell Eric of the decision she came to yesternight.

"I'm sorry. Truth is, I... I've been thinkin'. The last couple suns have been so eye-opening, Eric. So eye-openin' that, I'm not even sure I wanna work anymore. 'Member yesternight, when I went on and on about the Temple?"

"How could I forget?"

"I think I'mma do that instead. Be charitable and um, help people, like most the other sisters do. What d'you think?"

Eric answered her after another swallow of beer. "I think you could do most anything, besides swing a sword or rule the Empire. But, if you're changing because of me-"

"S'not 'cause of you," she exhaled.

"-but if you are, know that I'll always find you pleasing, no matter who you decide to be," he warmly told her. The thought was most flattering, and Erika couldn't help but play with her hair... yet, it wasn't what she'd wanted to hear from him that moment.

"Eric... you don't really mean that..." she murmured with trembling lip. Eric looked on her with much sympathy, shaking his head, and softly redressed his words.

"I only mean, don't predicate your entire life's story based on my opinions. I'm young, untested, and my future is in the hands of the gods now."

"An' the gods will grant you victory, Eric. I'm sure of it," she smiled, replacing the self-doubts of her own story with an utter assuredness of his. The gods were merciful, Erika knew, and they showed partiality to those with kind heart. Just like Eric.

"Thanks," he sighed. "Oh, but when did the mood become so piteous in here? I say we make tracks from this depressing place."

"Yeah," she instantly concurred, despite their latest round of drinks barely being touched. These weren't the conversations that two souls should share after only three suns of friendship.

They both rose to their feet, Eric leaning over to grab Erika's bag from under the table. He rarely let the pack out of his sight, since it now held the majority of his remaining wealth.

"I'm going to go get the mares reshoed," he informed her as he fumbled through her pack. "They weren't prepared for any sort of long journey when we took them. Can I task you with acquiring food and refilling the skins?"

"O' course," she smiled.

"Thanks. Gods, Erika, how in the hells do you find anything in here?" he groaned, getting a sympathetic giggle out of her. She asked herself that very question every single day.

-=-=-

Erika rejoined the outside world with only her bottomless pack on her, as Eric left with the horses to visit the blacksmith instead. She found the radiant summer sun already far above her head, telling her just how much time the two of them had spent drinking and playing games. A morning well-spent, she thought with a smile.

She scanned her surroundings with a curious joy, finding the town of Stow far more appetizing during the day rather than shrouded in shadow, like when they'd first arrived. It wasn't a large town - the center only home to thirty or forty one-story buildings - but it was charming. Quaint. A simple place filled with simple folk, the priestess's favored locale if anyone were to ask her. Erika decided to take the long way to market, figuring a walk beside the river a most calming prospect.

And it was calming, truth be told. The summer sun sparkled brightly atop the flowing waters, the birds sang amicably about the pleasant weather, probably, and the smells of apples and cherries hung sweetly in the air. Erika twirled about, beaming, extending her arms in a giddy glee as she embraced the gods' great world.

Calming, at least, until she spotted a young woman sitting on her lonesome by the river; her eyes downcast, her hands in her lap. She looked far younger than her, with simple features and a simple dress. Erika couldn't help but pout, her heart not allowing her to witness such tragedy and do nothing in turn.

Sure, she knew that sadness was a helpful part of the human condition; something that we all must experience to make our victories taste sweeter. But, that didn't mean that a stranger had to stand by when sadness took hold of another. In fact, Erika never did. Such was the way of a Priestess of Fiona.

She plopped down beside the forlorn lass, letting her legs dangle over the water. "Gods bless you, young miss," she delicately greeted her.

"Gods bless," the lass whimpered, seemingly a pinch or two away from tears. Her gaze didn't move from the river.

"I couldn't help but see ya lookin' so sad. What could be so foul to put such a charming girl in this mood?"

The girl sighed and shook her head. "Nuttin'. Nuttin' worth botherin' a stranger with, anyhow."

Erika pouted. "But, miss, a stranger desirin' to listen is the best kind o' person to tell. I can't judge you. I don't know you. An', if you don't want the advice of a stranger, I can jus' listen. I'm okay with that, too."

The girl chuckled, lifting her heart an inch from the pits. "You're so kind. The gods gifted ya with such a gran' heart," she smiled.

"Gratitude," Erika whispered, scooching an inch or two her way. She let the lass take whatever time was necessary to muster up the courage to speak.

"It's my husband," she eventually moaned. "Or, the man who I wish I could call husband. He confessed his love to me under the moon but a week ago, ya see, and I confessed mine in turn. I felt like magic."

"That's wonderful!" Erika cooed.

"It was," the love-struck girl sighed. "I knew then, with not a single doubt, that my life was gon' turn good. He's perfect. Tall 'n strong 'n so smart, lady."

"Sounds like quite the catch."

"Right?" the lass smiled, finally sharing eye contact with Erika. Her eyes were blue, the same color as the river before them, but were filled with tears rather than snow melt. "So I went to my pa, ya see, an' I tell him this. I tell him, I love this Brian, an' he loves me, an' I can't wait to make grandchillen for ya with 'im. 'Cause he's tall. An' strong."

"Uh huh..."

"So my pa goes to his pa, jus' like pa's are s'posed to do, to set the whole thing up. I wanted to be married in the summer, ya see. This summer. Under the Father's great sun an' under a happy Penelope, to bless us both with the best of luck."

"'Tis a good time to marry," Erika softly agreed.

"Right? But..." the lass sniffled, "but Brian comes from a good family, lady. They're truly blessed. They've cattle 'n silverware 'n all sorts of stuff. So, anyhow, my pa, he axed the price... axed what the dowry should be. An'... an'... ann'..."

And the girl broke into tears. Her face was in her arms faster than Erika could blink, but Erika's arms were wrapped around her just as quickly. A stranger was only a stranger, true, but their hugs are just as pleasant as any other; besides Brian's hugs, of course.

"An' what?" Erika softly asked.

"An' pa can't afford it!" she wailed so sadly. "It's so much, lady. An' now there's another family wantin' his hand, a family with the coin, an' now I dunno what to do! I love him! I really do."

"I know. I know," Erika sniffled. "If you um, don't mind me askin'... how much are we talkin'?"

"A-hundred... a-hundred-an'-ten."

"... Silvers?"

"Mhm..." the lass whimpered through her tears.

"What?! That's ridiculous!" Erika exclaimed.

"Right?! What kind o' Stovian has that kind o' coin just lyin' around?! But Brian's pa said the other family does, an' now I'll never have 'im! The gods laugh at me! I'll just be some spinster, rottin' away while the world turns without me! Sarah the Spinster - I can't stomach the thought!"

Neither could Erika. A trusting and godly woman was a blessing for any family to have, and to ask for money alongside her hand was a disgusting, horrid thing. It was a shame such practices were so common.

She drew seven of Eric's gold coins from her pack, just a pinch over the supposed settlement. She knew Eric wouldn't mind her using them for this purpose; he was a man of great virtue, and would likely do this and so much more for his future subjects.

"Here, Sarah. Take this, and please know that the gods never laugh at us," Erika wept, wiping her nose with her wrist. "They only laugh with us, 'cause every one of us are their children."

"Wha'... wha's this? You can't be serious, lady!"

"As serious as your love is for Brian. Know that, in this world, there's a thousand-thousand people who can't choose their husband... an' then, know that a complete stranger would do anythin' to prevent that fate for you," Erika wobbly replied.

She pushed the gold coins into Sarah's trembling hands, the incredulous lass only finding the will to speak after staring down at them for a time.

"Buh... but with this I can pay the dowry! I can be with Brian! O-Oh my goodness! Thank you, lady! Thank you! A thousand blesses, thank you! Wha'... how do I even begin to repay this?"

"Jus' promise me you'll live a good life, and that you'll please your Brian with all your bein' every night," Erika answered truly.

Sarah lept to her feet, her heart and her eyes now filled with a happiness that, unfortunately, only a stranger's coin could summon. "I will! I will! Thank you, lady, I will! I... I mus' go find him!"

"Go, Sarah. An' may the gods watch over your future house," Erika smiled, wiping her eyes clear once more.

"I won't forget this, lady! I won't!" Sarah giggled as she skipped off towards town.

Erika completed her tasks in a merry daze after that, dreaming of the wonderful life she'd helped create. She purchased some vegetables, some meats, some fruits, some breads, and filled their waterskins at the well. She then found her way to the town blacksmith, where Eric probably was.

And there she found him, casually flipping a coin between his fingers as he leaned against the door of the shop. Erika's heart fluttered a bit at the sight. She skipped up to him, eagerly wanting to relay the story of Sarah and her Brian, which she told in the matter of a minute.

"What nonsense. Erika, no commoner's hand is worth seven gold," the Lord Eric scoffed. "Four, tops. You certainly got cheated."

"Huh?! I did not!" Erika exclaimed, wrinkling her nose. "You din't see her tears, twin Eric. Din't feel them."

Eric rolled his eyes. "And I'm sure tears have never been fabricated to hustle coin from a stranger. Come on," he groaned, grabbing Erika's wrist. "Let's go find your lass. What was the name she offered? 'Sarah'?"

"Uh huh. In fact, that's her, right over there," Erika whimpered, nodding her head towards the well. She had expected more chivalry from Eric, and would never let him take back Sarah's dowry.

"Great," he sighed, letting go of Erika's wrist. The two of them trudged towards the well with steps of vengeance or defiance, Eric taking a deep breath, and almost shouting, "Sar-"

"Sarah! My darling!" another man then yelled, running towards her with a fretful pout and a hug as comforting as clouds. He was tall, strong, and likely very smart.

"Brian! Omigosh!!" Sarah giggled gaily, jumping into his arms. Eric raised a brow.

"The... blacksmith's son?" he muttered, taking a step back.

"I heard the news, and I don't care what my father says," Brian tearfully said to his love. "We're going to be married, you and I and no one else! I'm going to the city, Sarah. I'm gonna go to the city, and I'm gonna get a 'pprenticeship there! Someone'll have to take me in, I know it! I'm a good hammerer!"

"Brian, Brian, you don't have'ta! Look!"

Sarah opened her hands then. She showed him the coins that she'd been clutching onto so tightly, like when you clutch onto the fleeting memories of a good dream when you wake in the morn'. Brian could only shake his head in disbelief.

"Sarah... where did you get this? How?!"

"T'was an angel, Brian. An angel came to me, just o'er there by the river, an' said that we mus' be married! An' that I was to please you e'rynight, with my loins and my love!" Sarah so happily told him.

"That's... that's wonderful!" Brian laughed as his disbelief washed away.

"Right?!"

And the two souls wrapped around one another, holding on so tightly to a dream made real. Erika hadn't felt such a bliss in years. She nudged her twin's arm, grinning ear-to-ear.

"See, Eric? Sometimes, ya just have to have-"

"Faith. I know, Erika. Just let me enjoy this."

Erika glanced to her lordly companion, finding his shaky tone entirely unexpected. He was watching the lovebirds with a hopeful gaze, likely in muse if he'd ever find such happiness in his own life.

Eric didn't bother the lovebirds after that. It hadn't been his coin that had saved them.

It was an angel's coin. One of those little miracles that happen under every sun; one of those little miracles that helped roll the world along. Erika sighed and leaned on his shoulder, content enough to do the same.

-=-=-

The pair left Stow in high spirits that afternoon. They took the seldom-traveled north road out of town, a road which soon turned into a trail with nary a cart track or soul in sight. This trail meandered alongside the river, fortunately, ensuring that they were never truly left alone with such a loud natural companion nearby.