Caro and Cat

Caro and Cat had been putting in very long days lately. With all of the battles from foreign enemies and the Army of Apocalypse, their blacksmith business was very busy and profitable. The Castle Angels were asking daily for their weapons to be sharpened and at the ready. It was good for business but, because of their attention to details in fixing nicks and loose handles, was long and arduous. Grandfather Kewel had always told them that a blacksmith’s job was never done and was hot and back-breaking. But they obviously enjoyed the work since they were still putting in full days.

The twins had always enjoyed their summers spent at the Angels’ Keep. They would help their Grandfather design and maintain the weapons for the warriors, sharpen farming implements so they could turn the earth easier, and build metal fencing and anything else that could be made with molded metal. He would always tell the girls of life in the early days of the Keep when he was learning the blacksmith trade at his father’s knee; when things and times seemed simpler and peaceful; when there were stories of deeds long forgotten and lands long since conquered.

Busy days like this kept them from remembering his last few days with them, before he left them to join his ancestors on his last journey. He was a good and decent man with a heart of gold for those he cared about. The fact that he was willing to show the girls what was needed to be done to be a good and effective blacksmith told of his patience and the fact that he didn’t always follow the rules of the times. In fact, the twins were met with some resistance at first until they could prove to the warriors that they were more than capable of handling the blacksmith’s duties.

They took off their leather aprons, rolled down their sleeves, washed the sweat from their faces, and unbound their long hair before walking over to the tavern for their evening meal. They had not spent much time at the Diova Gruss the last few days and they were missing Carl’s baked goods and Earnest’s wit as he served the grog. They walked to the door, picked up the small satchel that was hanging there, and stepped out into the night.

The walk to the tavern only took a few minutes. It felt good to stretch their legs and backs, and the cool breeze felt good on their hot skin. They waved to the villagers who were out and about. Some called out that they would be bringing their weapons over the next morning from that day’s use. The tavern was about in the middle of the Keep’s grounds, easy access from the local shops. Even though there was a major battle raging with the “ladies”, there were quite a number of people in the tavern, eating and drinking and telling their tales of bravery from the recent battles.

Cat went up to the bar, “Hi, there, Earnest! I see you’re busy tonight!”

“Warring makes people thirsty!”

“So I see!” she replied with a chuckle in her voice. “It’s been good for us, too!”

“You two ladies want your usual?”

“Yes, if you don’t mind. I think we’ll also get a plate of mutton and spuds with Carl’s melt-in-your-mouth biscuits to go with the grog.” Cat’s eyes followed Caro as she was already heading towards the back of the tavern.

Earnest saw where she was looking and replied, “Sure no problem. Food is pretty fresh tonight with the extras coming in here. Hey, Caro. Going to go feed the hepzabilas?”

“You don’t mind, do you?” Caro replied. “We like to bring it seeds and things when we come to the tavern. It seems to like it. Hope you don’t mind.”

“Naw! It never eats for me so if you can get it to eat, be my guest. I still don’t know why it came to this place. How often does a bird show up on your door step anyway? But, boy does it look pretty sitting there by the window. Almost like a bit of sunshine on the inside. If you hadn’t told me that it was a hepzabilas, I would never have known. It adds some color to this old tavern and doesn’t eat us out of house and home!” Earnest let loose with a chuckle. “It never touches my cookies, so that makes me happy!”

Shaking his head at his own humor, he left Cat to go refill another patron’s glass.

Since Earnest was occupied, that left Cat to reflect on the bird that she and Caro fed. A hepzabilas was about the size of a large eagle. It had bright yellow and gold plumage around the neck, back, and wings; a red breast; orange tufts of feathers framing its head; and a purple tail with the feathers tipped in white. But it was the tail feathers that made it the most unique. They were twin tail feathers that formed an amazing train about two feet long. The old stories from Grandfather were that the bird was thought to be extinct. However, one had flown into the Tavern several years ago and had become a fixture at the Diova Gruss. It sat on its perch looking out the windows or sat watching the comings and goings of the tavern, never once squawking or making any annoying noises. As Cat continued to sit and watch Caro with the bird, there was a disturbance. Everyone turned to see who was making the ruckus. Two men burst through the doors.

Jovan entered first shouting, “Hey, my friends!!! Matthew, son of Toueur, has slain Azriel!!”

There was much cheering and clinking of mugs at the news. That means that now two of the ladies had been defeated along with all of their minions. Only two more remained!! This has been a good day on the battlefield for the Castle Angels.

originally created 29 May 2011