There’s so much happening! It’s like spring just wakes everyone up all at once, and suddenly folk are coming and going and there are new faces around every corner.
Miss Finchley is gone. I’m glad I were able to catch her at the Bree stable before she went, and even more glad that Master Tumunir and Miss Ryn was there, too. So she knew she were loved and she would be missed, I hope. I’ll be looking out the window until she comes back safe. Speaking of, I see Pumpkin sitting in the front window now! Maybe she’s just watching the birds in the garden, but I daresay she’s missing Miss Finchley.
With one person gone, a whole bunch of others have showed up! In just a day or two, Miss Finchley’s bed got taken, and then two more! One went to Miss Ryn. Poor thing, she seems very shy and quiet, and maybe sad. I can’t pry, of course, not my business. But hopefully some time in a quiet house with nice folk and good food will set her right. Then there were Master Kraldar. He’s a dwarf, but not like any dwarf I ever saw! Thick as a brick, with all kinds of metal in his beard, and hair shaved right down the middle of his head! Master Tumunir said it’s hair like a young dwarf would have. I could see him bristling like a rooster when Master Kraldar took a bed. I guess he enjoyed being the Dwarf of the House for a while! Bless his beard, he’s such a prickly thing sometimes, but his heart is tender underneath it all. I know because I’ve seen it. I saw it last night, even. But I’m getting ahead of myself here!
Let’s see here, where was I? Ah, yes! Lastly a nice young lad, Mister Brancot, came in asking for a bed. He didn’t stay long before he was back out the door, but he stopped long enough to offer a bit of bread in his pocket to Pumpkin. What a sweet thing to do! I’ll be curious indeed, to see how all these new faces and personalities mix together!
Oh! Master Maurr came by yesterday evening, too! My heart is always so happy to see him! He brought a little bundle of wildflowers, too, bless that braided mustache of his! I’m so glad to see him getting used to his new hand, and I know he must feel like he owes Mister Doc so much for such an amazing gift. Master Maurr walked up on me and Tairy while we was out in the front yard having a moment. Nothing out of line, I swear! We’ve done nothing but hold hands. And dance, of course, at the wedding. Gracious me, I feel another wandering ramble coming on, but I will fight it! I were talking about Master Maurr, after all.
He’s going away with the dwarves in a week. Only a week! Master Maurr, no! How will I get on without him? He were always the one to keep an eye on me, bring me a smile or a laugh, make sure I weren’t straining my leg too hard. Well, now I’m going to cry and that’s just foolish. He’ll be back again...in the autumn. All right, all right, just let it out, Taite. I think it’s just that Masters Maurr and Tumunir were part of my new life, here at the Boarding House. They were my first company, and became my first friends here. And the first dwarves I ever got to know proper. And after leaving Bree and not having any family around...they felt like family. I daresay they always will. I’m thankful to the stars that Master Tumunir is still here. I couldn’t bear losing them both. Selfish, I’m sure. They’re dwarves, they have their own people and homes and things to do. I hope they know how much I love them. Silly, sappy stuff. But it’s important! Folk should know when you love them, because you never know… when they might be snatched away.
I could tell Master Maurr didn’t mind when he saw me holding Tairy’s hand. He were smirking in a way that made my chest hurt, it were so sweet. We talked about the springtime festival in Bree, and said we might visit the hedge maze together. Then he said something about couples and chaperones, all while giving us his sly little smile! So I asked him about whether he’d gone with Mister Doc, to make things even! I haven’t been to the hedge maze since I were a little lass. Just haven’t had anyone to go with! But now I do. It’s still such a curious, new thought! That there is someone...someone I can do things with. Go places with. Share things with. Am I being too bold to think like that? Who’s to say Mister Tairy will even be here in a year? Oi, I’m torn with wanting to run away with my thoughts and reel them back in at the same time! I admit I’ve already thought about what it would be like to spend other seasons with him here. Summer, autumn, Yule. Gah! Settle down, Taite! But when Tairy (why did I even call him “Mister” just now?) asked if he could come with me to the spring festival, all I could think was “that were easy!” I didn’t have to work at it, beg for it, worry over it. I couldn’t help thinking back on the times I wished Mister Dimheim might have asked me to a party or a ball. Or when I invited him to the Yule supper and Mister Aeru just said no, he weren’t coming. It’s a strange feeling, to feel like someone wants to do things with me. Strange and nice.
But it’s not all roses and sunshine right now, either! Yesterday evening, I got up from a nap to hear Master Tumunir and Tairy out in the house, talking. At first it were sweet. Master Tumunir were asking him about his intentions towards me. But then Tairy said a particular thing and Master Tumunir just turned into an angry guard dog all at once! I hid in the bedroom. It went from sweet to awful and my head were just all fuddled, not knowing what to think or feel! I know Master Tumunir were speaking out of love and feeling protective over me, but he sounded so angry, it were like knives against my heart! And Tairy stood his ground, he stayed quiet enough, but I could hear in his voice he didn’t like being talked down to like a boy from the farm down the road. I wanted to stop them somehow, but I couldn’t just walk out, my feet wouldn’t move and I felt like I were about to burst into tears. Even Pumpkin ran into my bedroom to hide and I grabbed her and hugged her, probably tighter than she liked. Luckily, Master Kraldar walked in the front door and forced them to quiet down, and I were able to finally come out, though I couldn’t pretend I hadn’t heard any of it. I hated the look on Master Tumunir’s face. He knows when he’s made me upset, and he’ll get this look like he’s scared, scared I might snap at him or...stop loving him. I don’t know. It hurts my heart so to see it! I want to hug him to bits when he gets that look, but I couldn’t. Not only because other people were around, but because he needed to know he’d spoke wrong by snapping at Tairy like that. Tairy didn’t look scared at all, only worried, maybe, that I’d heard them.
It all turned out all right by night’s end, though. While we had tea, I sat next to Tairy and reached for his hand once, and I could see any leftover worries he had melting away in his smile. Then, after he’d gone out to see to a few outdoor chores before bed, I had a chance to talk to Master Tumunir. I expected him to grump at me, but he apologized straight away. I hugged him then as I’d wanted to before, and kissed his cheek and told him I loved him and I wouldn’t change him for all the world. Only that I hoped he’d speak nicer to Tairy, as I couldn’t bear hearing all that anger in his voice, and Tairy didn’t deserve that! I told him I wouldn’t give up him caring about me for all the fancy silver that dwarves love so much. And he said it were called "mithril", then said he wouldn’t give up me or his time at the Boarding House for mithril, either. And I know how much gems and such mean to dwarves, and that there just melted my heart all over the place. Then he called me “little doe” like he’s done before, and I were about to start crying all over again, so I hurried off to bed!
My hand is cramping after all this writing! So much to do today, I’d best put the prattling to an end and get to it.
