The Lore Wain and Her Nephew Pt. 24

(I've been trying to brainstorm ways to continue MotHoRS so in the meantime I've been writing tLWaHN. Here is part 24!)

After walking about a good hour, the company came upon a lovely apple and cherry orchard. At this point, the sun was rising above the horizon, shining through the leaves of the trees.

For a moment, Celeste forgot all her troubles. The warmth of the sun and the sweet smell in the air transported her to a whole other world as they walked between the perfect lines of trees to the house in the center. However, once she saw the porch of the home they were headed to, she was brought back to the reality she needed to face.

On the porch was a middle aged woman, looking about in her late forties. She was sitting beside a teenager, which could only be assumed to be her son. She saw Celeste coming and she stood up immediately and proceeded to hurry over to her.

"Celeste!"

"Nala!"

The woman, whose name was Nala, gave Celeste a warm welcoming hug.

Celeste gave her a hug back. "It looks like you're all doing well."

Nala pulled away to look at Celeste and replied in her Hollows accent, "Oh yes. After you all came and helped, our orchards have been flourishing ever since. What brings you all here?"

"I've got a favor to ask." Celeste replied.

-

Straining his eyes to see where the Lore Wain went, Ramger kept watch from the front of the ship like a bird hunting prey.

"Ye know, over workin' yer eyes ain't goin' to do ye much good." Alagatha said, observing the uptight Torrboroian while bottle feeding Echo. "Ye would be better off just waitin' like the rest of us."

Ramger looked at Alagatha and huffed. "Miss, I have all the reason to be worried."

Alagatha shrugged, "Sure, ye got reasons to be worried. I don't doubt that. I'm sayin' that ye haven't got much to look at, they went o'er that hill a half hour ago. The Maker has a better view than ye do."

"And what do you know about the Maker?" Ramger asked with a bit of an attitude in his voice, thinking Alagatha knew nothing about the Maker besides the cultural phrases.

"Mr. Ramger, I know 'bout as much as me grand pappy told me and even more from our Lore Wain." She gave him a look that was mixed between sassy and playful, "I think ye and me both know I wouldn't be here on innocent terms if I didn't know of the Maker proper."

Ramger thought a moment and looked back at the hills. "No, I suppose you would not." He glanced back over at Echo in her arms and back at her. "Celeste must... trust you an awful lot after what just happened last night."

Alagatha nodded, "Aye, that she does. I'm like her second mum." Boisterous laughter followed after her statement upon seeing Ramger's concerned face. "Aye, I be jokin', don't let yer seaweed legs fold out from under ye!"

Ramger 'ahem'ed and smoothed the black hair on his head backward.

There was a silence between the two for a moment before Ramger spoke again.

"How did she... find you?" He asked, seeming somewhat curious now.

"Ah, she found me in a barrel." Alagatha cackled to herself. "Had a bit too much, if ye know what I'm saying?"

Ramger looked appalled, "Woman, you mean to say you were-?!"

Alagatha roared with laughter, "No, no! Ye misunderstand!" She took a moment to find composure to reply. "No, ye see, I was a bit of a glutton myself. She found me in a barrel because I was mighty sick from stuffin' meself with roasted fish and mushrooms. She helped me outta that barrel and cared for me until I was over me food sickness. It was bad fish." She paused a moment just to remember before continuing. "Ah yes, she paused her whole trip just to help a glutton of a pirate with food poisoning. That Celeste has got something magical about her. I didn't know what it was but I wanted it, so I asked if I could join her and leave me piratin' behind."

"You mean to tell me that you gave up pirating just because a woman helped you?" Ramger asked in disbelief.

"Ay, none of me crew cared like she did." Alagatha retorted. "They left me in that barrel when they docked and headed for the nearest tavern! If that weren't enough, they set sail without me! Can ye believe it!?" She shouted rather loud without realizing.

Ramger batted his eyes as his ears rang. "No, I can't imagine, madam." He replied with subtle sarcasm.

Alagatha doesn't pick up Ramger's sarcasm but even if she did, she wouldn't of cared. "So that's me story of how I know the Maker. Celeste taught me everything I know!"

"Hm." He replied in thought. Ramger couldn't help but appreciate Celeste a little bit more and started to wonder if he had been wrong to judge Alagatha and the others so strongly. "Well, it's good she told you. I suppose she went above and beyond her duties as Lore Wain."

"Aye, she did! Now yer startin' to understand, Ramger 'long johns!'" She exclaimed happily.

Ramger itched inside his ear due to them hurting from Alagatha's loud volume. "Please, don't give me a pirate name... It's just Ramger. "

"Either ye long johns or long face, pompous prim. Maybe ye trousers are too tight round ye ribcage, ey?" Alagatha teased with a loud laugh.

"Oh bother." Ramger sighed and gave into Alagatha's teasing for he had no energy to compare with her boldness.

-

"I'm terribly sorry to hear that this happened, I had no idea." Nala told Celeste with great hurt in her voice as she served her tea. "Anything you need, please take it."

Celeste shook her head, "Nala, I don't think you understand what I'm asking. You can't give us all your fruit, we would be taking way too much."

"No, you don't understand what I'm saying." Nala replied sternly. "I want you to take what you need. You've gone through more heartache in the past few years than people have in a life time. Please allow me to bless you as the Maker has blessed me. I assure you, we will be taken care of."

The teenage boy from earlier spoke up to add, "Our harvest has been way more than we've needed. Miss Celeste, let us help."

Celeste looked at the boy's pleading blue eyes and her eyes filled with tears upon saying his name. "Janner¹, it's great that you both want to help, really but-"

"None of this was your fault, you know?" The boy whose name was Janner said with a nervous smile. "Bad people do... bad things. They just don't know what they're doing when they do them. Without light... they can't know what's good."

"Wise beyond your years, aren't you?" Clef said with a smile as he looked back at Celeste. "Celeste, they're willing to help. Didn't you say you were just worried about them not being able to? Now they're able to help and you won't take it?"

Celeste looked into her tea cup in thought as tears fell down her cheeks. She didn't feel worthy of their help. She felt she was the one that caused all this.

______________________________

¹ After the events following the Jewels Era, the name Janner took to the general public all around Aerwiar. The name became a symbol of a warrior's bravery and of a loyal heart. Strangely enough, every boy ever to be given this name after the original Janner followed in his footsteps proudly and lived up to the symbol the name was made to be.