ELERIE

The fireplace was crackling and the candles were glowing as Elerie was sitting at her desk, reading the Book of the Mother.

As water rounds the stone, smoothing off what was jagged, so does a woman's love calm a man's brute nature, a wife salves her husband's wounds, a mother sings her son to sleep.

Elerie found the Seven Pointed Star calming in those stressful times. She had been at Runestone for a moon now, but all the joy she had hoped living in her father's home would bring had yet to come.

For all women, all mothers are granted by the gods the power to create life, and with that power comes their duty: caring and giving themselves to the life they've created.

Lady Jeyne and Lady Elyse had talked for days about all that had happened since they parted ways, and now all their conversations painfully led to their loved ones, so far away, in the dangers of war. One morning, a raven arrived at the castle; when Jeyne and Elerie came down the breakfast table, Lady Elyse was already there, her eyes red, as if she had wept for hours. Lord Roland had been wounded and had lost an eye. Elerie didn't know what was worse: the real pain those men had to suffer in the battlefield, or the silent one the ladies had to endure at home, with their husbands, brothers and fathers away, fighting for their lives and for their honour. Elerie had almost finished the chapter when Someone knocked at her door. It was her aunt Jeyne, smiling. "My dear" she said "I finally have some good news. Elyse is sparing four guards to escort you to Gulltown on the morrow" "Gulltown?" the girl asked, surprised "Yes, Elerie. You told me you wished to see your old Septa." Elerie was about to open her mouth when she preceded her "I can dispense of your services for a day, don't worry. Have fun." she kissed her on her cheek and left the room.

Elerie woke up at dawn, impatient, and skipped down her bed. She pulled back her black, flowing hair and wore a long woollen green dress rimmed with myrish lace with the seven pointed star necklace Septa Corenna gave her before she left; she couldn't wait to see the woman she once thought of as a mother. She took a look in the mirror, pleased with the result; it couldn't hurt to catch the guards' attention as well.

The carriage was waiting for her in the courtyard, and they were ready to leave when they heard a loud voice. "Oi! Wait for me!" he shouted. Elerie pulled her curtain. He was a tall boy, roughly her age, with red hair, big red ears and many little red freckles. He was lowborn, judging from his accent, and dirty clothes, and he was carrying a walking cane. One look and Elerie understood why: his left leg was a few inches shorter than the right one. The boy was talking to the guards, carrying a piece of parchment. "Lady Jeyne asked the cook to send me to Gulltown: I need to buy spices and salt for the kitchens" "sure, Red" said one of the guards, annoyed "you'll have to get in the carriage with the lady ". everytime the smallfolk adressed Elerie as Lady they said it with a mocking voice, but Elerie was beginning not to mind anymore. Elerie's position in the household was peculiar: she wasn't part of the family, but she wasn't a part of the household staff either and the servants often resented her for that. The boy entered the carriage, his red freckles now covered by his embarrassed red face. "Hope you don't mind me, m'lady" he said, as he took his place. "Not at all" replied Elerie, kindly, but blushing nonetheless. "Me name's Derrek, by the way, but everyone just calls me Red" he was smiling, he missed a few teeth, but was comely enough for a hallboy. "I haven't seen you often, who are you?" Elerie was bemused. He's blunt, I'll give him that. "My name is Elerie, I'm... Lord Roland's niece." she didn't want to tell him she was a highborn bastard as to make the journey, uncomfortable as it already was, as pleasant as possible, but he was determined. "Well, I know the Royce's family tree by heart" he said, a hint of pride in his voice "never saw nor heard of you!". Elerie sighed "No, you wouldn't... I'm Robar Royce's natural daughter" she said, ready to be snubbed for the entire trip, instead Derrek just looked at her with a puzzled face. "I'm a bastard." she added, hoping to be clear this time. But Derrek didn't turn cold as she expected, instead, he laughed. "You could have told earlier, m'lady! natural born" he said mocking her "what a fancy word". Elerie was surprised, but she found herself giggling, and, after a what seemed like moments, they had been talking for hours. "so... this Septa of yours" Red said "what was she like?" "Well..." Elerie was smiling, remembering her serene childhood " She was kind, and charitable and sweet. I remember she gave me honeyed milk if I recited the verses of the Book of the Maiden by heart, and often, when I was too afraid to sleep alone, I would crawl in her warm bed and she would hug me tight. She was like a mother to me" "I never met me mother" said Red, nonchalantly "I'm sorry about that, Derrek." "Oh, don't worry m'lady, I was raised at Runestone, I had plenty of other children to play with and women to care for me". What an ironic thing. A peasants' orphan was raised at Runestone while Robar Royce's daughter wasn't. Elerie sighed, looking outdside the window.

Once they finally Arrived in Gulltown, Elerie found the city as beautiful and crowded as she remembered it. The Navy of the Vale was docked at the port, ready to carry other brave, young men to war, The fishwives screamed and sung beautiful songs, the gulls waved like kites in the sky. In the square, though, there were many beggars, maimed soldiers, widows and old men. One in particular was weeping, on his knees. "My son" he cried "He's gone to war and never came back! What will an old man do now, please!" Elerie felt his pain, and gave him five coppers. "Seven Bless you my Lady" said the boney man, with a toothless smile. That's what Septa Corenna would have done thought Elerie, proud of herself. Old Mychas still sold flowers at the western corner of the market square, only he was even older now."Flowers for the lady?" he asked, not recognising the girl he used to give daisies to when she was a child. Elerie bought some lillies to give to sweet Septa Corenna and Red bought the spices lady Jeyne asked for, giving them to a very annoyed guard to hold, blaming leg pains, but quietly snickering as soon as he turned around. Elerie was finally near the street where she lived, the bakeries still oozing the same scent, the people chattering and the horses making their way through the crowd. They took a turn on the alley that led to the Septa's cottage. Once in front of the house she dropped the flowers meant for Corenna. The once charming building was much smaller than she remembered, the grass in the front yard was tall and unkempt and the door... barred. A few windows lacked their glass panes and others were shattered. Vines and Ivy were slowly devouring its facade. "Are you sure it's this one, m'lady?" said the guard holding the spice bag. Her mother was gone now, who knows where she was, how far away, if she was even alive at all. The woman she called mother wasn't there for her any more. A tear streamed down Elerie's face. "It was."