“Ethel, are you awake?”
There was no reply, though the corn-haired girl muttered slightly and hugged the blanket around herself.
“Ethel?” Bronaa continued, still soft of voice and torn between disturbing her friend and her need to talk.
“Eh… wha.. oh aye. I am awake. What’s the matter?” Ethel stretched her arms slightly into the cold. Enough to help her regain consciousness, but not enough to awaken her fully. The girl had been just getting cosy after what had been a very long day. She turned on her side so she could see Bronaa as well as possible in the darkened room. She also noted the smooth, rhythmical breathing of the two dogs sleeping at the foot of the bed. Herne and Toothless would give alarm if there was any danger.
Bronaa pulled her side of the blanket up over her head, making a small cave from which she could peer at her stalwart friend in what was becoming an unfriendly world.
“I need to ask you something.”
“Ask away,” Ethel propped herself up on one elbow, and suppressed a yawn.
“Do you really not mind sharing your room with me and Toothy for a few more nights?”
Ethel broke into a soft chuckle and tapped her friend on the head.
“You know I don’t. It’s sort of fun having you stay, and your mama too. I just wish the reasons were different. You have both had a hard time these past months.”
Bronaa grinned. Aye, she had her papa betray her and her mama to a gang of malcontents, and they’d been kidnaped, and then again taken at knife point as a hostage. Life had not been that kind recently. Ethel had spent much of the attack on Bancross in the Mead Hall, comforting folk like Agnes. But after, she had helped her mama and other healers with the wounded. That thought made Bronaa shiver. She wondered if she could cope with seeing others in such states. But then Ethel was brave, while she was…. Bronaa?
“But that’s not what you wanted to ask, is it?” Ethel spoke perceptively, knowing her friend rather well.
Bronaa shook her head, moving to scratch Toothless behind the ear, as the hound rolled on his back knocking into the snoring Herne.
“Oh, oh. That’s done it,” Ethel moved to scratch her companion’s ears as well, as the dogs took up all the attention for a few minutes.
“I want you to teach me to fight, Ethel. And to ask your mama if she will teach me at least a little about healing.”
And that was the truth of what was keeping Bronaa awake that night. Others helped out. Why, she had even seen Brinin running towards the main gate earlier that evening. He was rather bloodied, but obviously with no serious injury. He was one of the guards. He was defending them. Even the fell goat had helped in the end, by killing Criba! It was time, she felt, to put away childhood and childish dreams. It was time she grew up.
Ethel leant back, thinking of her reply.
Herne returned to sleeping.
“I’m not really the best to help there,” she eventually said. “Not that I don’t want to, but I only know what my papa has taught me.”
“My papa taught me not to trust. I would rather replace that with something useful. Ethel, I want to feel useful, not just keep getting kidnapped or attacked. I want to be someone who does her part. Like you do.”
Ethel understood quite a lot, she nodded slowly. “We can’t allow others to bully us, or put us down, my papa says. Well attacks like this are that on a big scale if you ask me. If you really want, we can spend an hour early evening, and I will start you off on archery. I have a spare bow. It’s not that great though. And we can both speak with mama in the morning about you learning a bit of treating the wounded?”
Bronaa nodded.
“I know what it’s like to feel too young. I suppose I had to grow up fast. And now it’s your turn. Though I have always thought of us as the same age.” Ethel continued.
Cuddling back into her blanket cave, Bronna said in a slightly tired voice. “I know I am older than you, but I always think of you as the elder sister. I can rely on you. And I want to be like that, if my mama will allow it.”
“Oh, she will more than allow it!”
Both girls turned to look at the half open door, in which Hild’s darker outline could be made out.
“I came to check you were both alright, before I got some sleep. But now I have listened to you two, all I can think is I am so proud of you. We can die as easily as any who hold no weapons, so let's change that Bronaa. I am fed up with being kidnapped too. It’s past time we became true women of the Mark. And, can you teach me a little with the bow too while you are about it, Ethel?”
