Refined by Fire, Part Two

“She was always under-foot, always in the way, always awkward, but Pelor shine on her, she was a good girl, just alone, scared and stuck with a body far too large for any woman. You can’t blame her for the choices she made, but…Oh I don’t know—it was perfectly natural for her to attach herself the Glas that way. They were the same age. He didn’t have any siblings.  And besides, he always had such a way with us ladies…

With his father always working, he spent all his time with that country nanny of his.I know he went a bit crazy being around that busybody all day. After his mother died, it was very good that she was around, but her superstitions—can you imagine, a human giving such devotion to Yondalla. There’s something wrong with her if you ask me.

Anyway, yes—despite Aley’s appearance, she had a huge heart and an undying devotion to Glas. There can be no question about that. And despite all of his bluster, I think he feels the same way, but he would never tell you.

After the mother’s death, Glas become an unruly terror. I was hired the month after, and at the beginning, there was just a lot of crying, but as time went on, the tantrums and fits upset my kitchen more than once. And oh my, as he got older—the pranks he pulled! So cute he was though—and so clever!

But sorry, again I’ve gotten off track—Aley. Yes, she was always big for her age. I thought she was nearing womanhood when I arrived, but she had just turned seven! I suppose it was a good match for little Glas. His father often complained to me that I wasn’t feeding him enough and that’s why he didn’t grow, but I fed him and fed him! He ate like a dragon and never seemed to get full. He loved pies—for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, I’d bake them every day just to see his eyes light up. His favorite was…

I’ve done it again haven’t I? Where were we?

Aley, 7; Glas, 6

Ah. According to the nanny, Aley had arrived with an ‘aunt’ two years prior. This ‘aunt’ had worked as cook and laundress, but one day disappeared. The nanny suspected she’d run off with some man. The master didn’t seem to know or care, and took Aley in, no questions asked. I suspect he had a soft spot for orphans

When they were younger, the two kids grew up together. She attended the same lessons as Glas, but he was so bright, I don’t think she could really keep up. He picked up reading and sums so quickly, sometimes he would come help me keep stocks of the larder or keep up on correspondence with my sweet sister back home. Oh, and his singing—you’ve never heard such a sweet voice, and it had been that way since we was just a wee one. Just like a little angel.

But anyway, Aley couldn’t keep up with any of the cultural lessons. However, when Glas set to learning how to squire for that knight, she went along as well, but was forbidden from learning since she was a girl.

Glas didn’t care of course. He was never interested in learning any of that anyway. I don’t know that I could call him a gentle soul, but no, he is too graceful and refined for such barbarism. Anyway, he began teaching her everything he learned in secret, using weapons in his father’s storerooms. I caught them once. By then he was becoming a young man, and even though it didn’t suit him, he looked so dashing swinging that sword about.

She of course took right to it. I’m sure there was far less ‘teaching’ on Glas’s part than there was simply ‘being there.’ But she was so much bigger than he. I suppose it doesn’t matter. By all counts, she was—is I suppose—an excellent swordsman, erm, woman. Just as well. Glas does have a way of making enemies. It’s good he had her at his back.

I’m drawing this out—you wanted to know what happened to her. OK, well as I said, Glas was never very good with his martial skills. He attended a small school for ‘squiring’. Most of those boys were sons of lords, or rich merchants. Glas had been admitted solely through the hard work of his father who surely had called in some very dear favors. From all I’ve heard, Glas was looked down on as lower class. His size didn’t help, nor did his aversion to such things. He never showed that it bothered him. He could always hold his own with his tongue, but that probably didn’t endear him to the others there.

One day, he was probably about 12 or so, there was a tourney of sorts, just a small practice match for the young students of that particular school. Glas didn’t do very well against the other boys, but as always seems to be his way, he let his tongue get away from him. He insulted most of the other boys even as they were beating him.

Later, on his way home, they cornered him in an alley and started to give him a beating, but Aley was there. She thrashed five boys that day. She brought him home with nothing worse than a couple bruises.

It was two days later that the father came out of his smithy and announced he’d be taking Glas to visit the Duke the next day. It was the first time he’d mentioned a day off since I had started there. But for an audience with the Duke himself, I didn’t think anything odd about it. He told me that after I’d made breakfast for him, I could take the day off myself. However, he forbade Aley from coming, saying it was inappropriate for a girl of her station—and appearance—to be seen with them.

Anyway, the next day, we all had breakfast, and we all left early in the morning. All except Aley. That had been the plan all along. She was never meant to come back.

I only found all of this out later from the nanny, who herself had only heard it from gossip around town—but those boys, with their prides injured, had blackmailed the master into giving Aley up. Threatened his livelihood in the city, threatened Glas, or at least Glas’s future, I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter. The master agreed.

Those boys hired a gang of thugs and showed up at the house. They trapped her, gagged her, and took her out to the smithy. If they had wanted their revenge, they should have just killed her and been done with it. But they tortured her. They burned her with the master’s own fires.

How Glas found out, no one seems to know, but he ran from his father.  They found him back at the smithy with Aley. Apparently the gang of thugs had turned on the group of boys and brutally murdered them. Cut them to pieces. Of course it was a huge scandal. The boys’ fathers were outraged and demanded blood.

Not wanting to reveal his part in the plot, and presumably to save his son from shame, the master suggested it was the fault of Aley, and agreed to give her up.

That’s when the house and everything went up in flames. I hate to admit it, but it must have been Glas. The two of them disappeared right after.

I’ve heard he went to Scornubel. I miss him. But I don’t dare go there alone to look for him. I suppose he wouldn’t care anymore, after all, I was just his cook. But he did love my pies. Maybe I could squirrel away enough for an escort and try in the Autumn. Do you think he’d be happy to see me?