Interlude 10. Kraina Haps

Interlude 10. Kraina Haps

Announcement

So. This story has the first piece of fanart. It was provided by Eirenliel @ ScribbleHub Discord. Enjoy.

Enjoyed? Good. Now have an extra long Kraina-flavored interlude.

It's been a long road home. Long, but surprisingly quick. Almost like he was some sort of noble. Ivan shook his head, peering at the letter given to him by lady Gillespie one more time. He already knew by heart what was written on it. "The holder of this letter is on an errand on my behalf. Give him all the assistance a lawful traveler is due in the kingdom of Champagne. Alyssa Gillespie.". Short, simple, to the point, and apparently more than enough to be permitted through any roadcheck ahead of everyone else. It did help that he was traveling alone, he surmised. One would expect that the letter would cease to be relevant outside of Champagne, but for some reason, Kraut men-at-arms had shown almost as much deference to it as their Champagne brethren. Ivan decided not to think about it too hard. After all, if his sister has someone SO powerful watching over her, it is good, isn't it? In the Confederacy, the letter was not quite as powerful, obviously, but he had shown it to a couple guards and merchants on a lark, and their expressions and reactions DID imply they knew and respected the name on the paper. All in all, it was no little wonder that he made it back to Kraina in just under a month. Impressive, enviable, but no wonder. And now, as he was approaching the house his family lived in, Ivan smiled. As far as surprises go, his would be a good one.

As the hooves of his horse struck the stone pavement near the porch, a woman stepped outside to see who's coming. He was obviously not high on the list of likely visitors, given the expression.

", ... ... , ? ?1 [Ivan, son... How... What happened, how did you get back already? What is going on?] " - she finally managed, visibly searching Ivan for possible wounds or other signs of misfortune. Having found none only worried her more, if the expression was of any indication.

" , . , .2 [I promised to come back quickly, mom. Did as I said.] " - he retorted, slipping off the saddle. Tossing the reins onto the peg next to the porch, he turned around and hugged his mother tightly - " , . , .3 [All is fine, don't worry. Call dad, I'll tell you all about my journey.] "

In about an hour, his horse had been unladen, brushed down and given a nice hefty feedbag full of oats for her labors, and he himself had his face washed, fresh shirt on and munching down on a nice big bowl of pierogies with cherry stuffing. Something he sorely missed on the road. His father and his uncle sat across the table, mugs of kvass in their hands, while his two younger brothers sat on each side of him and pestered him with inane questions about the number of opponents he vanquished. Ivan shook his head at their nonsense. Mother was nearby, but she declined sitting at the table, instead busy preparing a second helping of perogies for the dinner.

" . , , , .4 [Alright. Tell us, son, how did you travel, what did you find.] " - his father began, his voice paced as always - " , . ?5 [It is good you came back quickly. What about the money?] "

In lieu of answering, Ivan pulled out a sack of coins and placed it in the middle of the table with a clatter. Taras tilted his head curiously, as he took the bag and hefted it in his hand. ". ?6 [Weighty. That's Champagne gold?] " - he mused, passing the bag over to Ivan's uncle - ", . , .7 [Vasil, count this please. I think there's enough in the sack to cover what was stolen and some extra, but money loves count.] "

" , , .8 [Sorry to day, father, but I was unable to catch the thief Konistan.] " - Ivan offered contritely - " , . , , , .9 [When I finally arrived to Parsee, I found out that conman was killed by highwaymen. Though, just between us, I have a hunch it was assassins, because this crook seems to have been thieving from everywhere.] "

" - .10 [Dog's death to a dog.] " - Taras summed it up - " ?11 [So who gave you the money back?] "

" - . .12 [See, here's the situation - Konistan was on the road for a reason. He pissed off count's daughter and she had him chased out of Parsee.] " - Ivan retorted - " , . . , . , , ', . .13 [I was directed to her when I was inquiring about Konistan. Her name is lady Alyssa Gillespie. Fine-looking but fearfully strong. I didn't grasp the new situation properly first, began to shout, and she grabbed me by hand and promised to tie me to the ceiling unless I cool down. And I was unable to get my hand back until she let me go.] "

He was treated to quirked brows from his father and uncle, and hushed murmurs from his brothers. It was to be expected. Ivan had been by far the burliest man in the family. To hear that he could not yank his hand free from a girl's grasp added a lot of weight to his assertion she was "fearfully strong".

He pulled out the small baggy and shook it open, letting half a dozen crystals roll across the table. Vasil blinked at those. He stretched his hand, picked one of the shards, fingered it thoughtfully... looked through it at the window. Picked up the bottle, pressed the crystal against the neck and dragged it. Everyone winced at the loud scrape, and gaped when the neck of the bottle came out cleanly marked with a groove.

"... .37 [That's diamonds.] " - he breathed incredulously - "!... ? . ?... ...38 [DIAMONDS!... From coal? That's insane. How can a coal be a diamond?... But...] " He trailed off, looking at the rough diamonds incredulously.

", . ?39 [Wait, Vasil. What diamonds?] " - Taras objected thoughtfully.

Vasil picked up the gems one by one, testing them on the bottle, slowly covering it with grooves. The rest of family watched him in bedazzled confusion. "... . .40 [...That's all diamonds. She gave you a bag of diamonds.] " - he giggled a little hysterically, unable to contain his incredulous elation - " .41 [That's enough to buy our whole village three times over and we'll still have enough for a party after.] "

"...! . , . , .42 [Damn! Cunning, too. Ivan, show all your presents. Bet you a tooth, there are more surprises in there.] " - Taras demanded, grinning. He was obviously getting warmed up to the idea, Ivan remarked to himself, as he stepped away from his seat to bring out the sabre he got delivered right before his departure. It came with a note "A little something-something in case you find trouble on the road.". He didn't, but now he was wondering if he maybe should have at the very least examined the sword instead of just shrugging and hanging it to his belt. But he was emotionally wrung after that meeting in Parsee, and so the sabre was overlooked initially, and after that he got so used to it being there, he really didn't think much about it. Traveling armed was common sense, really.

As he brought the sabre back to the table, he started pulling it out of the scabbard the first time... only to freeze and stare incredulously as the first few fingers of the blade revealed a wavy pattern he couldn't confuse with anything else. Given how every man at the table hopped to their feet in the same time, they saw and thought the same. With trembling hands, Ivan pulled the blade out, howling in his mind about the sheer injustice of the world. How could he have a sabre made out of legendary ripple steel and never even pull it out of the scabbard before now?

Taras extended his hand and touched the blade reverently. That... would be a family heirloom. There was simply no other way to handle having a legend-worthy sword other than this. He was so preoccupied with marveling at the subtle light play across the ripple that he ignored Ivan staggering back and outside. His attention was forcibly drawn, however, when his eldest stumbled back, carrying a fairly sizable pack, which was dumped on the table and the rope holding it together slit almost viciously. What appeared from under the rough fabric made his heart skip a beat. He gingerly stretched his hand, picking up the smaller package that had his name painted on it somehow. Slowly, he cut the rope, and unwrapped the fabric reverently. What he saw within was a beautiful flanged mace, again made out of ripple steel. A small note came with it. "It seemed fitting for a head of the family."

Pulling his eyes from the priceless gift, Taras looked around. Vasil was holding a sabre, much like Ivan's and stroked his fingers along the length of the blade, almost as if afraid it would suddenly melt in his hands. Boys meanwhile had found a package addressed to them both and were doing their best to pull the ropes off. Clicking his tongue, Taras assisted. This one contained two nice curved knives, yet again in ripple steel and a note "Knives for boys. We'll get you sabres once you're all grown up.". Piotr and Mykola were not some rubes, they heard plenty of stories about legendary wavy steel. And now, they were owners of very expensive and rare knives, and well cognizant of the fact. It would go without saying the two would be the envy of every boy in the village. Not that anyone would try to steal those. Rare weapons tended to be very distinct, after all.

Perhaps the oddest thing here, however, was that Alena was also holding a package with her name on it. A compact one, but seemingly pretty hefty. Taras shook his head. He just HAD to see what kind of gift the lady in question thought to be appropriate for his wife. Gently plucking the package from her hands, Taras slit the rope, and unfurled it, laying out a... huh. It was, just as he expected, made out of ripple steel. And some kind of wood, in rich brown color. The note said "I've been told you're not into fighting, so I sent a pepper mill." He translated the note for Alena, who had picked up her gift and was looking on it in befuddlement.

" ?43 [Pepper mill?] " - she repeated incredulously - " ?44 [Where am I supposed to find pepper?] " She nudged the handle, fully expecting it to just swing, and was startled when a few crumbs fell out from the mill on her hand with a grinding sound. Her eyes widening, she sniffed at it, and sneezed heartily, looking at the pepper mill with wide eyes. Taras exchanged glances with his wife. Both he and she could read the message between the lines very well. No one sent gifts so expensive as mere pleasantries. Honestly, any of the items were valuable enough to be considered a suitable bride price all by itself. Having each member of the family being gifted one... That implied SERIOUS intentions. And if Roxolane herself was in favor, well... He glanced at Vasil, who was clearly thinking along the same line, then his eye stopped on the boys.

", . . ?45 [Petro, Mykola. It seems like your sister is really serious about wanting to marry lady Gillespie. What do you think?] " - Taras had offered. Really, they were the last to give an opinion. Ivan had already accepted the situation, and upon seeing the facts, other adults were inclined to accept it as well. Which left the kids.

Boys looked at each other. " ?46 [Two sisters?] " - "!47 [Agreed!] "

Ivan cleared his throat awkwardly. "' .48 [Five sisters.] " - he corrected, swallowing - " . , .49 [I forgot something. Roxolane gave me a magic amulet, we can talk to her through it.] "

In the silence that followed, the sound of Taras smacking Ivan upside the head was especially poignant.