The Seasons According to Gerle Linel
by Capella Morningside
(a study for The Chains of Destiny)

Part I: Spring, "Careful Steps"

It was spring when Gerle ran at full speed toward the dilapidated cottage on the nearly abandoned western end of Isolde, her arms full of the biggest bounty she had seen in several weeks. "Brother, brother," she called out as soon as she could clearly make out the shape perched by the fire just outside their home, idly stirring a large pot with a long metal spoon. "Brother, look!" The blonde came to a near-skidding halt, dropping to her knees next to her older sibling. Opening her arms just slightly, the vegetables tumbled from her hands in a carefully controlled motion, all rolling safely onto her long, dingy apron.

Farkas let go of his spoon and leaned forward on his haunches, trying to get a closer look before losing his already precarious balance and falling forward onto his hands and knees. Undaunted, however, he continued to stare with wide emerald eyes at the pile, running a hand over the vegetables as if trying to confirm their mere existence. "Well done, well done, Gerle... these are perfect for the supper, and it's more than we'll need. There should be even enough for tomorrow..." The gaze shifted upward to meet his little sister's bright, joyous expression. "But how? Who gave you these?"

"Miss Muirenn," came the answer, coupled with an ear-to-ear grin. "She gave me extra leftovers from their winter store for all the candles I made today."

The elder sibling reached out, extracting two of the carrots and several of the long green onions from the pile and sitting back. "That's unusually kind of her," he said, a twinge of unpleasantness twisting his wording. Gerle frowned, casting him a warning sidelong look in reply. "Alright, alright, I suppose it is actually rather nice of the old shrew," Farkas confessed. "After all, this is exactly what I need to make that stew Karval is so fond of."

"Where is Karval?" Gerle wondered aloud at the mention of the missing oldest sibling, extending her hand to grab at a basket sitting along the side of the cottage and beginning to deposit her bounty of vegetables into it.

"Come to think of it, I don't know." A shrug, as he produced a long knife from a sheath on his belt and began slicing up the onions, looking thoughtful while continuing his talk. "He brought down a hare for supper, but I haven't seen him since I put it on the boil." A heavy sigh. "How like him, he doesn't mind killing and skinning the meat but he vanishes until the cooking's finished."

"I could go and look for him," she volunteered, setting the basket of food aside and coming to a stand.

"Oh no, you don't, little sister," Farkas laughed softly. "I need your help with the cooking. I can't have both of you being useless."

After an over-dramatized expression of defeat, Gerle grabbed her skirts and danced energetically in a small circle around the basket. "What do I have to do?"

"I need some flavoring for the stew. Could you go into the forest and fetch me some?"

A nod. "Of course. I will be back soon," she said, dusting off the front of her skirts and turning to the woods behind the house, starting to head toward them when she startled, nearly falling to the ground when a figure much taller than herself appeared in her way as if from nowhere. Stumbling backwards a few uneasy steps, Gerle quickly found herself held up by strong arms that were immediately familiar, and she smiled. "Karval!"

"Karval?" Farkas echoed, turning as much as he could to face them while throwing his handfuls of chopped onions into the boiling water.

"Evening, little sister," the eldest Linel said, his voice cool and collected. "Off into the woods?"

"Yes," she replied. "I've got to get spices for the supper."

"Try to be back before nightfall, alright? See you at supper." With a pat to the shoulders, he gently ushered her towards the trees, and with newfound enthusiasm, she took off down the thin, but visible trail into the forest. She had only, however, been walking for about a minute when a pat of her hip came up empty and she realized with great frustration that she'd left behind her knife for cutting the herbs, and turned back.

"--really wish you wouldn't run off like that when there's something to be done!"

Gerle stopped along the edge of the forest, her heart skipping a beat. It was a lesson she had learned long ago not to interfere in conversations that weren't her own, and she decided to politely wait this one out. She could see them both clearly, Farkas still methodically cutting vegetables next to the fire and Karval pacing back and forth with something clutched in a hand he was trying to keep hidden constantly either at his side or behind his back. The voice that had spoken previously had been the younger of the two, now there was a pregnant silence while Gerle held her breath and waited for Karval to respond.

"Come off it," he finally said, flipping his lengthy wheat-colored hair over one shoulder. "You sound like an old woman. Besides, it looks like you have the entire situation under control."

"It's your meal too," was the reply. "You could at least put some work into it..."

"I seem to remember that it was I who trapped that hare!"

"Then what were you off doing the rest of the time? Shooting at larks?"

The entire combination of amusement and irritation vanished from Karval's voice all at once, replaced by an air of complete seriousness as he produced his hand from behind his back, in it a neatly folded piece of parchment. "Writing this."

Farkas' entire body seemed to freeze for a split second, then with no other hesitations he reached out and took the letter solemnly from his brother's hand and hastily unfolded it. Several long moments passed and at length, the younger sibling lay the letter down in his lap as if it were heavy as lead. "Karval..." he bit his lip. "This is..."

"I had a feeling you wouldn't be that angry at me after I gave you that." His smirk was a victorious one, as he watched the other lower his head in an unreadable expression.

"E-excuse me."

The brothers reacted with alarm to the voice that belonged to neither of them, Farkas getting to his feet so quickly that knife, carrots and letter fell to the ground at his feet. Scrambling, he knelt back down, scooping up the letter first and beginning to fold it with shaking hands. "Gerle," he said softly, breathing a heavy sigh of relief as their sister stepped out of the forest. "It's just you."

"Is something wrong? You're back very soon." Karval queried, tilting his head slightly in concern.

"No,. no," she said, forcing a smile and guiding herself forward. Step. One foot in front of the other. Step, step. "I just seem to have forgotten my knife... in the cottage." Step, step, step...

"I could get it for you," Farkas offered.

She was passing between them now, lowering her head ever-so-slightly in a submissive gesture. Step, step, step, step. She was almost there. "It's alright. I can get it." Step, step, step, step, step. Silence reigned, no one dared to ask any more, and she had finally reached it... the cottage door. Pulling it open, she finally raised her head, her usual bright expression having returned to her face.

"You two should really be more careful, yes?" was all she said.

Step, step, step, step, SLAM.