Hairud the Bowyer

[grandmistressofbows]

mildryd-gabha‌:

Mildryd chuckled. Hairud really was young, when it came down to it; in a way she envied her innocence, and wished sneaking into a masquerade was the most frightening situation she had ever been in herself. “Of course. In fact, if I hear of you doing anything dangerous and you haven’t asked me along, I’ll be very angry.”

Hairud laughed. “Now that is something I don’t want to risk, you being angry with me. That would be worse than any danger of the world,” she said, only partially joking. In fact, she’s always looked up to Mildryd and admired her skill and bravery. Although Hairud’s been through enough in her life, sometimes she still felt like the scared little girl from the village. 

She reached out and grabbed onto one of the lower branches which snapped under her touch. She observed the wood before discarding it. “Do you ever wish for things to be different?” she asked absent-mindedly.

[grandmistressofbows]

siegeperilleux‌:

“Good.” Galahad tightened his grip around her waist to make sure he was supporting her, and then slowly started in the direction of his horse. At her suggestion, he frowned. “I think you should see a physician,” he started, not keen on the idea of just leaving her somewhere, hurt and alone in the middle of a storm. “But I suppose we can at least wait the rain out somewhere.”

Hairud leaned into him, sighing in relief when all her weight was off her hurt leg. “I can wait the rain out somewhere,” she corrected him. “You don’t need to stay, gods know I’m bothering you enough as is.” There were healers that could help her in their camp but she couldn’t tell him that, of course. “Seriously, I will be just fine, no need for physicians or anything like that.” She tried to sound as convincing as possible.

[grandmistressofbows]

mildryd-gabha‌:

“You don’t need to be part of the fighting, but in this world it’s no bad thing to know how to defend yourself,” Mildryd said absently, looking up at the tree. Hairud was a sweet girl and as much as she would like to thing no one would wish to harm her, Mildryd was too familiar wtih the cruel and dark underside of the world to believe it. “Well. Just make sure you don’t do anything dangerous by yourself, eh?”

“Of course. Me and danger? That doesn’t go together at all,“ she chuckled. “The masquerade was probably the most dangerous thing I have ever done and I haven’t recovered from the stress yet, so I think I’ll pass, thank you very much.“ It wasn’t all unpleasant and some might even call it thrilling, but for Hairud it was a bit too much thrill for one night. “And, well, I can always ask someone stronger and more capable to come with me if I ever decide to do something even remotely dangerous, right? Like you, for example.“

[grandmistressofbows]

siegeperilleux‌:

“It’s alright, no bother at all,” Galahad assured her. Aware she was still upset and not wishing to frighten her further he kept his words soft and made sure to move slowly as he encouraged her to put one arm around his neck while his wrapped his around her waist and lifted her up to stand on her unhurt foot. “My horse isn’t far,” he said, nodding in the direction. “Do you think you can hop with me supporting you?”

“I think so,“ Hairud nodded, gripping onto his shoulder for better support. “If you could just help me find a shelter under some tree or in a cave until the rain stops, I can take care of myself from there.“ She didn’t want to bother him and she was terrified of the idea of him taking her to the city. What if someone recognises her?

[grandmistressofbows]

mildryd-gabha‌:

“I’m glad he did. I’ve met men who would have supported him without even knowing what he was talking about,” Mildryd said with a roll of her eyes, smiling at the story. When she had been just starting out the number of men who were contemptous or tried to walk all over her had been staggering. Now, having built a reputation under Aelle’s command, they were more respectful. “That was one of the reasons I learned to fight. Men complaining about the quality of my blades tended to shut up after I’d beaten them with one fair and square.”

“I’ve been told I should learn to fight, too, but I can’t even think about it,” she shivered. “Too bad they have to be used to kill, I don’t need to be part of it.” Hairud promised herself long ago she would not actively be part of the fighting even though she provided the Saxons with weapons. In a way, it made her feel partially responsible for any deaths the bows and arrows would cause but at least she didn’t have to witness them first hand. “Beating people us is not my thing,” she chuckled.

[grandmistressofbows]

siegeperilleux‌:

“If you cannot get up, I’m not sure you can reasonably say you’re fine,” Galahad pointed out with a smile in his voice, though he was still concerned for her that she had hurt herself all the way out here, alone and in the rain. “Let me at least help you up and somewhere dry, where we can take a look at your ankle.”

Hairud wanted to protest but realised it was pointless. She couldn’t run even if she wanted to and trying to convince him she was fine would be stupid. “Alright,” she nodded, sniffling as she moved the hair from her eyes, wiping some water off of her face as well. “Thank you. I’m sorry to be a bother.”

[grandmistressofbows]

mildryd-gabha‌:

“Of course.” The corner of Mildryd’s mouth curled up a slow, satisfied grin. She put her blood, sweat and soul into crafting her blades, there was certainly no way that she would ever hand one over to someone she deemed less than worthy. “There are people who think they can just pay more for better quality, but all it takes is a little gilt here and there and they’re happy. They don’t know the difference between a truly fine blade and an acceptable one.” She snorted with derision. People were so easily distracted by a little glitter and gold, they couldn’t look beyond it to the quality of the sword. “The people who can tell, they get my finest work.”

Hairud thought back to the times she would add gilded decorations to the part of the bow that was making it difficult to use just because the buyer asked for it. “One time I was asked to make so many carvings into the bow that it fell apart the moment the string was pulled. He wouldn’t listen when I told him it wouldn’t hold up and then shouted at me and refused to pay. Another soldier who just came in to pick up his repaired weapon punched his soul out of him,” she giggled.

[grandmistressofbows]

siegeperilleux‌:

Patrolling in adverse weather was never fun. Galahad hunched his shoulders, trying to bring his cloak up and stop the rain from running down the back of his neck into his collar but it was a futile fight; his hair was already plastered to his head and his clothes were soaked through. A little more icy water creeping down his neck would hardly make any difference at this point. 

His horse wasn’t happy either, tossing its head and whickering to let him know that it did not appreciate being forced out into the cold and wet. Rain or not, however, they had a duty that had to been seen to - even if it was difficult to see anything in this.

It was not difficult to hear, though, and Galahad’s head immediately snapped round when he heard the cry echoing through the trees. Dismounting, he pushed his way through the branches in the direction it seemed to have come from, his horse following at his shoulder, finally emerging into a large clearing near the lake. A half-destroyed tree spread its twisted branches in the centre, and underneath it was a huddled, crumpled figure.

“Are you hurt? What happened?” He hurried to their side, bending down to see how badly they were injured, and found himself looking at a girl who was vaguely familiar - though he could not quite place her. There was both fear and pain in her eyes, so he added gently, “Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you.”

Hairud closed her eyes as the noise approached but when she heard the voice, she opened one eye, looking up. It sounded familiar but really wasn’t sure at all where she could know him from. Her hair was obstructing her view and the rain wasn’t helping either but she was fairly certain she couldn’t recognise the face. “I don’t know. I slipped and can’t get up. I- I think it’s my ankle,” she replied, gasping. “I’m fine. I think.” Though she was fairly certain she wasn’t.

[grandmistressofbows]

She knew she shouldn’t have come to the forest when the sky was torn to pieces. It’s been raining for two days straight and the ground was soaked so much she was worried she might lose a boot in the mud. But she couldn’t stay away for that long; there was still so much to salvage from the tree and she was beginning to worry that the water may damage the rest of the good parts. So she went.

And it served her right. When she actually slipped on a tree root, she could feel something twisting in her ankle in a way it shouldn’t. Dropping to the ground, Hairud cried out and swore in a voice that almost wasn’t hers. 

She thought she knew where she was but as she was sitting there in the mud, soaked with rain with sharp pain throbbing in her leg, Hairud found herself questioning her navigation skills as much as every decision she ever made in life. Then she heard a branch breaking under something heavy - perhaps a foot or a hoof - and she gasped, holding her breath. She would surely die here now.

[grandmistressofbows]

mildryd-gabha‌:

“So long as you are careful - this a way from camp,” Mildryd pointed out. She understood the drive to work, having spent days, sometimes, without sleep at her forge turnedwhen she got caught up in a particular creation. But they always had to be mindful of the city that sat not far away, and its knights that patrolled these woods. “Of course not. You must make them for people who will treat them well and do them justice with their skill, no one lesser.”

“I’ll be careful,” she promised. That was all she’d been doing since she became an adult - being careful. This war was keeping her on her toes at all times, sometimes she even felt like she was sleeping with one eye open. She didn’t like it; even though she didn’t actively participate in the fighting, it was affecting her life in more ways than she’d find comfortable. On the other hand, however, it meant she had a steady clientele and what more could a craftswoman want? “Do you do the same with your weapons?” she asked curiously, glancing back to the other woman. “Making more exquisite weapons for people who deserve them?”

[grandmistressofbows]

mildryd-gabha‌:

Circling the tree to examine the extent of the damage, Mildryd did a few calculations in her head and then suggested, “You might not need to cut it. The lightning’s all but split it, and the roots are almost certainly dead. If we can find a large enough branch and get a good angle, we can probably just lever the whole thing out. You’ll still need to cut it up to move it, but it might be easier.”

Hairud thought about what she was saying. “You may be right,” she nodded, touching the bark as if it was sacred. “Oh I’m so excited I might build a tent right here so I can work for as long as possible,” she laughed shortly. “I feel like I need to only use the wood when it feels right, you know? Not everyone deserves a bow made out of this beauty.”

[grandmistressofbows]

cadeyrnmacaodha‌:

“I think that’s a very loaded set of questions” Cadeyrn responded as he eyes scanned the skyline he had been drawing and contemplated them each in turn, “It’s land and we want more of it. I’m not close enough to our rulers to know if it was ever more than that. And what do you believe?”

“I believe that men always want more than what they have and some would do anything to get it. And, for some reason, they believe they’re entitled to it, just because they want it.” Hairud shrugged. “I’m not saying this is what’s happening here,” she added quickly. “It’s just... does anybody even remember the beginning of this conflict?”

[grandmistressofbows]

mildryd-gabha‌:

Even Mildryd could see how impressive the tree was blackened and twisted by the lightning, so she could only imagine how it must have looked stood whole and straight. It seemed more than just the way it looked though; something about the atmosphere around it made her shiver, as if the air was still charged with static. “It’ll probably do the forest good to clear as much as you can,” she commented, looking at it. “Make way for new seeds to grow.”

“This will take days to clear,” she pointed out. Not that she had so much to do but the winter was approaching and spending her days processing an old broken tree in order to salvage as much material as possible would be challenging at least. The excitement was making her feel warm inside, though, so - at least for now - she didn’t really mind. “I think I should get someone to cut it down first otherwise it might take three times as long.”

[grandmistressofbows]

eadwigtrodai‌:

A smile curved across Eadwig’s face as he listened to; for all she had grown up, she still sounded exactly like the little girl he remembered. He wondered how long it would take her to notices the differences in him - for he knew, even if she didn’t yet, that he wasn’t the same. “Better for seeing you. Come inside,” he said, gesturing at the door. “We can talk in there.”

Hairud followed after her brother, looking around as she did. “I heard you were living in the village but I found it hard to believe... Aren’t you worried you’d be discovered?” she asked, glancing from her brother to the interior of the house. “Every time I go to the city for just a moment, I feel as if everyone was watching me.”

[grandmistressofbows]

mildryd-gabha‌:

Mildryd hoped, for Hairud’s sake, that she would not have to; but their lives were terribly precarious at the moment and she could not promise the girl that it wouldn’t happen. She did make a promise to herself, however, to look out for her as much as she could.

“I can’t imagine it would be much use for anything else,” she remarked with a smile as they broke through into the clearing where she remembered seeing the hawthorn tree, not far from the lake’s edge.

“I hope not! I’d hate it if somebody beat me to it,” Hairud chuckled. Though it was unlikely, she knew, and once they reached the clearing she gasped upon seeing the tree. So obviously aged and broken, probably struck by lightning during the recent storm - it was split right down in the middle. With a little bit of imagination, it might seem as if someone could’ve stepped out of the tree trunk, that’s how perfectly split it was. “It’s beautiful...” she breathed, stepping closer to the tree, carefully, as if she was paying respect to it. “A lot of it is burned but what isn’t could be salvaged... Oh, the weapons will be gorgeous.”

[grandmistressofbows]

eadwigtrodai‌:

Eadwig was surprised into stillness for a moment, then slowly, still not quite believing she was there, wrapped his arms around her and held tightly. “Nor I you,” he said, dazed. “I can’t believe how much you’ve grown.”

“You haven’t changed a bit. Or, I mean, you have, of course, but you know. You’re just as I remember you, or how I imagined remembering you,” she rambled. “You’re a healer! Of course you are. But a warrior too, I heard! I’m... I’m sorry I’m a bit overwhelmed. How- how are you?”

[grandmistressofbows]

mildryd-gabha‌:

“You may find you’re surprised at what you’re capable of when your life is on the line.” Mildryd spoke lightly, but there was an undercurrent of seriousness to her words. Although not much had happened for months, at some point it seemed inevitable that they would have to face Camelot again. And then it would either be fight or die. 

Turning up a path to the left, she spotted the clearing where she thought she had seen the tree ahead. “It’s just up here.”

Hairud decided not to ask about the times Mildryd’s life was on the line. “I’d rather not get into that situation,” she chuckled nervously. 

She beamed with excitement when the other said they were getting near. “Ah, imagine what a wonderful source this may be!” she said, walking faster as if the tree could walk away from her if she wasn’t there by a specific time.