Chop the cabbage, throw the cabbage in the barrel, rinse, and repeat. This was Lysander's work. Erin had an equally important task. As Lysander worked, he had to stir the pot with their dinner. It was cabbage stew once more. Erin didn't mind. It was better that it was fresh cabbage stew, and not the sauerkraut variant.
Still, he knew he couldn't argue against Lysander. Lysander might be the same age as Erin, but he was by far the wiser of the two. Erin's mind kept on going back to the snowman, Lord Snow-a-lot.
Will he be able to fight wolves, with that potbelly of his? Wait, he didn't have hands! How was he going to wield the sword?
"Ly, we left Lord Snow-a-lot defenseless," Erin said, dropping the ladle in the pot.
"No, it is ok, Rin. He is a grant warrior," Lysander wasn't even looking up from his cabbage cutting. So far, he had half the barrel full. Oh, how he wished that he had a second barrel to fill? Then they wouldn't need to forage for more food until spring.
"But he doesn't have hands, Ly!" Erin protested.
"Well, yes, he lost them in a battle," Lysander didn't want to give Erin any ideas, about him going out in the dark. The barrier was set in place, and not even their tracks, or their scent, was carried in the wind.
"He did?" Erin was blinking furiously. "Oh, poor Lord Snow-a-lot!"
"Yes, well, he is also called Lord Snow-a-lot of the Bloody Mouth. Do you know why?" Lysander asked, getting into the game. Cutting cabbage was slow work, not to mention boring. He could do it in his sleep.
"Why, Ly?" Erin asked.
"Keep on stirring the dinner, and I'll tell you. We don't want a burned pottage," Lysander said. Erin took the ladle once more, and began stirring.
"Ok, now tell me, Ly!" Erin demanded. Lysander sighed, and thought of a story, which could keep Erin entertained.
"It was a cold snowy night, much like this one," Lysander began, and Erin sucked in a breath.
"But, didn't Lord Snow-a-lot have a castle? Lords have castles, Ly," Erin asked, not pausing in his stirring.
"His castle was destroyed in an epic battle with the dragon, hm, what was the name of the dragon again?" Lysander pretended to think. The truth was, he didn't know much about dragons. He'd rather let Erin do a guessing game out of this.
"Ajax the Bold!" Erin said, naming the only dragon he knew of. Well, the only bad dragon, that is.
"Right, that was the dragon's name. So, Ajax came, and asked for the lady of the house. Lord Snow-a-lot's daughter, Lady Jayne," Lysander said, while cutting the cabbage.
"Oh, but dragons want only princesses, Ly," Erin protested. Well, Lysander didn't know that. Time to improvise.
"Yes, but Lady Jayne was the prettiest in the land. And the princess was turned into a toad because she was mean," Lysander said, and Erin nodded sagely.
"Yeah, dragons don't want toads, I suppose. So, Ajax came, and demanded Jayne's hand in marriage?" Erin asked, getting a wistful look on his face.
"No, he wanted to eat her," Lysander hadn't been able to help himself. The gasp of the blonde princeling was worth the turn of events.
"Oh, no," Erin said, and Lysander resisted the urge to chuckle.
"Yeah, he wanted to eat her. He said: Oh, I will have tender virgin meat tonight! I will nom nom nom!" Lysander might be getting carried away, but this was too much fun. Erin paused in the stirring of the stew.
"Ly, I thought you'd tell me a happy story?" He asked, betrayal in his voice.
"It is a happy story, Rin. Just wait and see. So, Ajax attacked the castle of Lord Snow-a-lot during the night. He is black, you see, and so the guards didn't see him. But, do you know who saw him? It was Lord Snow-a-lot, who was walking around, to settle the food in his stomach. They had sauerkraut stew for dinner."
"I don't think lords eat that," Erin said. Lysander sighed. His subtle attempt at manipulation was on the verge of failing.
"Oh, but they do. You see, lords eat a ton of sauerkraut. Their stomachs get round if they don't. Seeing as you are a princeling, you should eat tons more of the stuff, than a lord," Lysander glanced at Erin, who was scrunching up his nose at him.
"You are pulling my leg, Ly. That is unfair," well, Lysander had to try. He was sure that, once he began to prepare the sauerkraut with meat, Erin would change his mind. Now, they only needed to get something in their traps. Preferably, no squirrels. For Erin though them too cute to eat. Lysander sighed.
"Well, do you want to learn the ending of the story or no?" Lysander's attempt at distracting Erin worked, for the boy nodded.
"Right, so Lord Snow-a-lot took off his sword. He didn't use to have a potbelly back then. He was a general. They did battle, with Ajax swooping down every so often, to rain fire on the castle. Suddenly, Lord Snow-a-lot heard a scream. It came from the tower, where Lady Jayne slept."
"Oh no," Erin said, as he dropped the ladle back in the stew. This time, it sunk in the broth. "Oh no."
Lysander chuckled at the second oh no, for it had come off as a whine. He got up, and then took some metal pliers, which he kept for just such occasions.
"Let me," Lysander said, as he began to use the pliers, to try and get the ladle out.
"Did Lady Jayne die?" Erin asked, more concerned with the story, than with the ladle.
"No, she just got scared. It was all the distraction that Lord Snow-a-lot needed, to chop off a finger nail from Ajax. For that, Ajax bit off both of the lord's arms, and then flew off. Suddenly, he was thinking that it was too much work, for a noble lady. She was no princess."
"So, Ajax went to the toad princess?" Erin asked.
"Yes, and he ate her in one bite! Which is what she deserved, for telling people that they should eat cakes like her, when there was no bread for them," Lysander finished. Erin swatted him on the nose.
"What was that for, Rin?" Lysander asked, his eyes wide.
"For telling me a bad ending story! I am going to tell you another story of Lord Snow-a-lot's life. And it will be a happy one, you'll see," Erin said. Lysander shrugged, and got the ladle out. Soon, he was washing it, as Erin was telling him the story of a much younger Lord Snow-a-lot, who was teaching Lady Jayne how to write.
That brought memories to the wanderer. Of a hut much like this one, and a kind old woman, who held his hand, as he wrote down his name again and again.
Chop the cabbage, throw the cabbage in the barrel, rinse, and repeat. This was Lysander's work. Erin had an equally important task. As Lysander worked, he had to stir the pot with their dinner. It was cabbage stew once more. Erin didn't mind. It was better that it was fresh cabbage stew, and not the sauerkraut variant.
Still, he knew he couldn't argue against Lysander. Lysander might be the same age as Erin, but he was by far the wiser of the two. Erin's mind kept on going back to the snowman, Lord Snow-a-lot.
Will he be able to fight wolves, with that potbelly of his? Wait, he didn't have hands! How was he going to wield the sword?
"Ly, we left Lord Snow-a-lot defenseless," Erin said, dropping the ladle in the pot.
"No, it is ok, Rin. He is a grant warrior," Lysander wasn't even looking up from his cabbage cutting. So far, he had half the barrel full. Oh, how he wished that he had a second barrel to fill? Then they wouldn't need to forage for more food until spring.
"But he doesn't have hands, Ly!" Erin protested.
"Well, yes, he lost them in a battle," Lysander didn't want to give Erin any ideas, about him going out in the dark. The barrier was set in place, and not even their tracks, or their scent, was carried in the wind.
"He did?" Erin was blinking furiously. "Oh, poor Lord Snow-a-lot!"
"Yes, well, he is also called Lord Snow-a-lot of the Bloody Mouth. Do you know why?" Lysander asked, getting into the game. Cutting cabbage was slow work, not to mention boring. He could do it in his sleep.
"Why, Ly?" Erin asked.
"Keep on stirring the dinner, and I'll tell you. We don't want a burned pottage," Lysander said. Erin took the ladle once more, and began stirring.
"Ok, now tell me, Ly!" Erin demanded. Lysander sighed, and thought of a story, which could keep Erin entertained.
"It was a cold snowy night, much like this one," Lysander began, and Erin sucked in a breath.
"But, didn't Lord Snow-a-lot have a castle? Lords have castles, Ly," Erin asked, not pausing in his stirring.
"His castle was destroyed in an epic battle with the dragon, hm, what was the name of the dragon again?" Lysander pretended to think. The truth was, he didn't know much about dragons. He'd rather let Erin do a guessing game out of this.
"Ajax the Bold!" Erin said, naming the only dragon he knew of. Well, the only bad dragon, that is.
"Right, that was the dragon's name. So, Ajax came, and asked for the lady of the house. Lord Snow-a-lot's daughter, Lady Jayne," Lysander said, while cutting the cabbage.
"Oh, but dragons want only princesses, Ly," Erin protested. Well, Lysander didn't know that. Time to improvise.
"Yes, but Lady Jayne was the prettiest in the land. And the princess was turned into a toad because she was mean," Lysander said, and Erin nodded sagely.
"Yeah, dragons don't want toads, I suppose. So, Ajax came, and demanded Jayne's hand in marriage?" Erin asked, getting a wistful look on his face.
"No, he wanted to eat her," Lysander hadn't been able to help himself. The gasp of the blonde princeling was worth the turn of events.
"Oh, no," Erin said, and Lysander resisted the urge to chuckle.
"Yeah, he wanted to eat her. He said: Oh, I will have tender virgin meat tonight! I will nom nom nom!" Lysander might be getting carried away, but this was too much fun. Erin paused in the stirring of the stew.
"Ly, I thought you'd tell me a happy story?" He asked, betrayal in his voice.
"It is a happy story, Rin. Just wait and see. So, Ajax attacked the castle of Lord Snow-a-lot during the night. He is black, you see, and so the guards didn't see him. But, do you know who saw him? It was Lord Snow-a-lot, who was walking around, to settle the food in his stomach. They had sauerkraut stew for dinner."
"I don't think lords eat that," Erin said. Lysander sighed. His subtle attempt at manipulation was on the verge of failing.
"Oh, but they do. You see, lords eat a ton of sauerkraut. Their stomachs get round if they don't. Seeing as you are a princeling, you should eat tons more of the stuff, than a lord," Lysander glanced at Erin, who was scrunching up his nose at him.
"You are pulling my leg, Ly. That is unfair," well, Lysander had to try. He was sure that, once he began to prepare the sauerkraut with meat, Erin would change his mind. Now, they only needed to get something in their traps. Preferably, no squirrels. For Erin though them too cute to eat. Lysander sighed.
"Well, do you want to learn the ending of the story or no?" Lysander's attempt at distracting Erin worked, for the boy nodded.
"Right, so Lord Snow-a-lot took off his sword. He didn't use to have a potbelly back then. He was a general. They did battle, with Ajax swooping down every so often, to rain fire on the castle. Suddenly, Lord Snow-a-lot heard a scream. It came from the tower, where Lady Jayne slept."
"Oh no," Erin said, as he dropped the ladle back in the stew. This time, it sunk in the broth. "Oh no."
Lysander chuckled at the second oh no, for it had come off as a whine. He got up, and then took some metal pliers, which he kept for just such occasions.
"Let me," Lysander said, as he began to use the pliers, to try and get the ladle out.
"Did Lady Jayne die?" Erin asked, more concerned with the story, than with the ladle.
"No, she just got scared. It was all the distraction that Lord Snow-a-lot needed, to chop off a finger nail from Ajax. For that, Ajax bit off both of the lord's arms, and then flew off. Suddenly, he was thinking that it was too much work, for a noble lady. She was no princess."
"So, Ajax went to the toad princess?" Erin asked.
"Yes, and he ate her in one bite! Which is what she deserved, for telling people that they should eat cakes like her, when there was no bread for them," Lysander finished. Erin swatted him on the nose.
"What was that for, Rin?" Lysander asked, his eyes wide.
"For telling me a bad ending story! I am going to tell you another story of Lord Snow-a-lot's life. And it will be a happy one, you'll see," Erin said. Lysander shrugged, and got the ladle out. Soon, he was washing it, as Erin was telling him the story of a much younger Lord Snow-a-lot, who was teaching Lady Jayne how to write.
That brought memories to the wanderer. Of a hut much like this one, and a kind old woman, who held his hand, as he wrote down his name again and again.
