Honey for a Stranger

Featuring Huisha, Lady Mór and Éliot
Autumn, Year 760 of the New Age
Glenwood, Glenmore

Éliot

The buck had long left the kingdom of Oakfern behind; this strange land where fawnlings lived below the earth and made sacrifices to their moon god. Eli had gladly left the region; and decided he found it weird at most, if not dangerous. Seeing the environment, the nature change its appearance as he wandered further into the unknown, he felt relieved. It signalised him that he had left the danger behind, it meant that he was most likely close to another kingdom.

He had followed the coastline, leaving a chain of mountains he didn’t want to cross to his right. Now he was here, and the nature he had found here was entirely different to everything he had seen before. Lush pastures with rich green grass alternated with deep forests full of plants he didn’t know and curious animals that didn’t seem to be dangerous. The trees weren’t as high as the ones he knew, the sturdy trunks and broad roots weren’t in the least reminiscent of Windborne’s eucalypts - the slim, high trees from which the bark flaked the summer, leaving behind a blank, white skin.
It was autumn, and the trees were still dark and brown, even though their leaves had changed appearance and fell to the ground in bunches. Once in a while he spotted some kind of tree he hadn’t seen before - without leaves, but all over covered by deep green spikes.

All in all, Éliot marvelled at the scenery. It was peaceful, without immediate danger, and beautiful, too. It was strange, but it was strange in a good way. The chestnut felt welcomed by the land, not outcast and hunted like in the watery, piercing green forest he had left behind.
Eli nourished himself on the fruitful meadows and gained some strength and put on weight again - finally he felt like himself again. And with his health, his wit returned.
With the arrival of autumn, though, colder nights returned, too - and the cough that had took hold of his throat got stronger and more painful again.

Slowly, he got more and more sure that he was very close to another herd. Hoofprints occasionally covered the ground, once in a while he saw bite marks on bushes - a fact that was exciting. Maybe those would be more hospitable than the people he had met.
Eli kept himself hidden most of the time, to be safe still if anything would be dangerous, but he was curious. He had been alone for so long…
And then, one day, he was sure to have heard voices.
Through the branches of a low bush, the buck saw someone. Quickly, he covered behind the foliage, trying to find out how to catch the other’s attention.

Huisha

“I’m just saying, shouldn’t she be talking by now? Little words at least? She can communicate just fine with her little chirps and bleats but aren’t most babies starting to use words by this age? I’m just wondering if…” something’s wrong with her, but he didn’t say that. Instead he said, “there’s something we should be doing for her. To help her along.”

Huisha and Lady Mor were out for a ramble, looking for herbs along the outskirts of the herd’s main grazing area. They didn’t like to leave Misha alone for too long, even in the care of a capable babysitter, but within the main grazing meadows most of the herbs had already been thoroughly picked over by other herbalists so they had to venture outwards.

They had most of the common Glenmore plants in Huisha’s garden already but there were a few with particular requirements that he hadn’t been able to find and transplant just yet. A few were highly seasonal and he hadn’t managed to catch them in the right season.

As they looked, they chatted about this and that. As with many first time parents, Huisha worried over every little detail of his newborn daughter’s life and relied on his more experienced mate to calm his fears.

“Do you think- Wait, did you hear that?” There was a rustle of dried leaves on the ground up ahead, but it didn’t sound like a fox or a hedgehog.

Lady Mor

Mór walked alongside her mate with an amused smile on her face. She knew, that she probably should not be quite as amused about Huisha’s worries, but she couldn’t quite help finding him just utterly adorable in all the thoughts and worries he had about their little daughter. Ì

“She is perfectly fine, dear.” Mór assured with a nod, “Some fawns take longer, some shorter to start talking. I know Halvar didn’t utter a word before he was about one spring old and Ylva already was talking with barely two seasons passed.” she chuckled softly, “Misha is doing just fine and she will start talking whenever it’s her time to do so.” the chestnut doe said gently, but also in a firm tone, to make sure Huisha understood there was nothing Misha needed ‘help’ with in this matter.

“She is a very clever little filly, you know how much she loves to listen to Olenna’s stories and Olenna says she takes in every word of them, she will be just fine, sweetheart, by just how much she adores listening to stories, you’ll one day wish for the time when she would only listen, once she starts telling all the stories herself.” Mór gave a soft laugh, touching her nose against Huisha’s cheek.

“Hm?” Mór’s ears twitched, when Huisha spoke up and indeed, she also cought a faint little noise, that however was too much for a fox or hedgehog. Carefully she made her magic reach forward, blinking a few times at the result.
“It’s a fawnling.” she spoke silently, looking at her mate questioningly, why would a fawnling hide away from them here?



Éliot

The chestnut could see the foreign fawnlings clearly now, still hidden in his little bush. It were two of them, walking next to each other through the knee-high grass, leaves rustling as they were shuffled aside by their feet. It was an odd couple he had found so far away from his home. A stag, way past his prime and not much taller than himself, was walking next to a slender, graceful doe.
Once in a while, a few snippets of their conversation drifted to him, calmly exchanged words about herbs they were apparently searching for. As they came closer, he could hear how their conversation changed and they were talking about… a baby, maybe?

Anyway, Eli didn’t feel like they were a threat at all. Compared to the ones that had tried to pull him into the darkness, to drown him like they had done to a innocent fawn...those two seemed to be pretty harmless. Their faces wore smiles as they were walking and talking; even when they seemed to notice him behind the bush, they didn’t change into blood-thirsty predators. Eli immediately knew that he would now truly meet two fawnlings of another kingdom. The thought was exciting.

The two strangers had stopped, and now looked around to see if anyone was there. Éliot took the chance and teetered straight out of the underbrush.
“Uh, hi!” he said. “Where am I, exactly? I’ve travelled quite a way - from Windborne to be precise - and I’ve somehow lost track along the way.”
Facing the two strangers, he craned his neck to appear taller than he actually was. But excitement had risen to his throat and had made his voice sound kind of husky. Suppressing a cough, Eli noticed how shabby he must be looking, and how sickly; with bones poking out of his fur at hips and chest. They had been talking about herbs… maybe they had something that could help him get back into shape?

Huisha

Huisha blinked when the noise turned out to be a young stag stumbling out of his hiding spot. The poor thing looked a bit ragged and perhaps half-starved from the looks of his bone-poked hide.

It occurred to Huisha that this was probably not a Glenmore stag a half-second before the poor thing volunteered that information for himself.

“You’re in the Kingdom of Glenmore, now,” Huisha informed him as he looked the stag up and down. Clearly he was no threat, though he might perhaps carry some disease. There was no need to rouse the guards, surely he meant no harm. Normally Huisha was wary of strangers, but this stag’s size and manner put him at ease.

Huisha had met a few roving Windbornes before, and had found them to be an adventurous, kind-spirited lot. He certainly didn’t see any reason not to offer to help the poor stag.

“Do you need some help? You look like you’ve spent the last season crawling through bramble bushes without stopping to eat along the way! What do you think, Momo? There’s a patch of dandelion and gentian we passed a moment ago, they’re good for recovering weight lost to illness or lack of appetite.”

Lady Mor

Mór watched the young stag crawl out from his shelter and had to admit to herself, that he really didn’t look threatening at all. Actually the sight of him made her mother instincts kick in all the way. He didn’t seem to be a very impressive buck to begin with, but he looked positively exhausted with his shaggy fur and bony frame, she even could hear his rustling breath from where she was standing, which immediately added some worry to her feelings about him, she knew fawnlings who had died from this kind of illness!

When he eventually introduced himself as a traveller from Windborne, she felt utterly assured that this buck was no threat. So far she only had met very friendly and nice people coming from the curious lands of Windborne, this one however looked little like the adventurers she had met so far. She nodded, when Huisha told him about his whereabouts, which only made her believe of him not being an adventurer by choice more firm.
“What has brought you so far away from home, darling?” she asked softly.

Nodding at again at Huisha’s suggestion, she added:
“Yes, very good idea, love. I will also grab some spearmint and eucalyptus on the way, to help with your burning breath, it sounds awful. Poor dear, you. I’ll be back shortly.”
Trotting to collect everything, she also stumbled upon some wild honey and after providing the bees some flowers to feed on, they also let her take a piece without stinging her nose, the chestnut doe then immediately heading back to where she had left Huisha and the unfortunate buck.
“Here you go, sweetie.” she said, offering the herbs and honey, “They herbs will help you breath and the honey will ease the pain in your throat.” she told with a smile, before turning to Huisha, “Have you already introduced each other?”

Éliot

The buck immediately felt welcomed by the warm-hearted words of the two strangers. The two Glenmores, to be precise, as the old stag had informed him. Éliot let his eyes wander.
So this was Glenmore? He’d heard of it, sure, but information had been sparse. After all, this one hadn’t quite been a myth- and danger-enshrouded kingdom like, for example, Blackwood. Glenmore, on the other hand, felt like a friendly, generous land; now, that he was here.

Éliot saw how the two eyed him up - it was a bit embarrassing, given he was all skin and bones. He must’ve looked terrible, he thought - with his fur shabby like that. But instead of mocking, compassion appeared on their faces, and they immediately offered help.
The chestnut squared his shoulders and lifted his head at the elder stag’s offer - he didn’t know which plants were edible in this region, and to have this kind stranger direct him to some he could eat made a broad grin appear on his face.
“Thanks, Sir! You’re right with your idea, though, I’ve spent more nights in bushes than I can count… Or caves! Oakfern wasn’t the most inviting place I’ve ever visited…” He chuckled at his own words, when the lady at the stag’s side wanted to know what had brought him here.
“Yeah…” he said, hesitating a bit as if he didn’t know which words to choose. He coughed, then he continued. “I don’t really know what happened exactly… the first thing I know is being stranded on the coast of Oakfern. The wind reminded me of the home I’ve left behind, but apart from that… my head is empty.” A sheepish laugh escaped him at the vagueness of his report - but what was there to tell? “We have a war at home, a civil war! I know its exact history - but not my own. How strange is that!”

His tale was interrupted by the doe who was leaving to fetch some herbs. He followed her with his eyes, secretly wondering why she kept calling him “sweetie” or “darling”. It felt a little embarrassing… he was no fawn anymore! But anyway, she was like a mother, nice and gentle. And concerned for his wellbeing.
When the doe had left, he turned to the stag again. “This is awfully nice of you, really! This cough just won’t leave… it got better over the summer, but now it’s getting cold, which makes it getting worse again.”
Finally, some herbs and honey were brought, and Eli took them all with visible delight. The sweet honey ran down his throat and soothed it immediately; the sensation brought a grin to the chestnut’s face. “Aaah!” he hummed. “How'd you get that? It’s perfect.”
Pensively, he licked his lips to make sure he hadn’t missed any of the honey, then he answered: “No, we haven’t - my name is Éliot. And who are you?”

Huisha

Huisha listened intently as the words poured out of the little stag about his adventures in foreign lands. Since he’d retired from charm making, fewer and fewer fawnlings from other lands- and even fewer from overseas- had come by. Though he rarely missed that era of his life, he did miss hearing news of far-off places.

He wanted to interject at several points to ask questions- he’d never heard of a stranger traveling through Oakfern and actually being small enough to fit in the tunnels, or that there was any hint of war coming in Windborne. Yet he held his tongue fearing that if he cut off the youngster he would miss some other important scrap of information that was pouring out of his mouth.

Of course it was Momo who did the sensible thing and left to fetch the herbs that would help the travel-worn stag. Huisha kicked himself for being too wrapped up in the story to think of getting the helpful herbs right away, and offered her a thankful smile when she returned.

Of course when she returned she reminded him of another nicety that he’d missed; introducing himself. “Oh! I’m sorry, I got all entangled in your story and forgot myself. I’m Huisha. I’ve met a few Windbornes in my time; I used to be a charm trader.”

He wondered if he ought to include his rank and title- commoner and Magical Advisor to the King- but realized that might only confuse the poor stag if he wasn’t familiar with Glenmore’s social system. Especially the new changes within that system. It was more likely the stag had heard of him as an old charm maker, though in truth it was unlikely he’d heard of him at all.

He turned to Lady Mor to let her introduce herself. Many Glenmore stags would have introduced their does for them, but Huisha often found that Momo could speak for herself with much more grace and certainty than he could speak for himself so it seemed silly to attempt to speak on her behalf.

Lady Mor

Upon returning with the honey and the herbs, Mór watched the young stag eat them with a smile on her lips, glad to see how especially the honey immediately seemed to relief his sore throat.
“That’s good to hear.” she said with a little nod, “You need to be very careful with such a cough, Darling, they can get very dangerous and chronic. You best should stay here for a while, the seasons are mild around Glenmore and I would very much appreciate, if you’d allow me to treat that cough a bit longer.” she spoke in a gentle, but the same time firm, motherly tone that made clear she meant what she said.

A little chuckle then escaped her,
“Why, it’s a matter of diplomacy, Love. I offered the bees some flowers and they let me have some of their honey.” she explained, just to suddenly remember, that he was a traveller from far away Windborne and might not even know about their magical abilities.
“We fawnlings of Glenmore have the gift of the earth and nature, you see. Like you command the wind, we can make nature do us a favor or two.” she added in a little explanation, making a fine little dandelion grow between Eli’s front legs as an example, accompanied by a playful wink.

“Ohmai, always forgetting your manners over exciting stories, dearest.” Mór joked, when Huisha was all bashful for a moment, once she reminded the two stags, that they all had not yet introduced each other. She gave a nod, once the young buck introduced himself as Eliot, waiting for Huisha to introduce himself, before nodding her elegant head.
“My name is Mór, it’s a pleasure to make the acquaintance of such an adventuring youth, such as yourself.” she said with a smile, leaving out her royal title of Lady on purpose, it had become more and more shallow to her and especially towards their visitor from far away Windborne it had no meaning anyway.

Éliot

The chestnut watched the stag’s expression change from being almost engrossed in his tale to a rather bashful smile as he introduced himself. It seemed as if the tall doe had reminded him of his manners like a motherly figure - just like she appeared to himself. Eli couldn’t help finding them both very, very likeable. They were kind, and seemed to be very down-to-earth - on top of that, they’d helped him. He could feel how the honey had soothed his throat, and Mór - as she’d introduced herself - even offered him to tend his cough a little more. All that sounded awesome to the buck’s ears, being so different to all he’d experienced at his last stop. Hu..Husha, or what had been his name? - even told him he already knew some Windbornes! Eli was dying to ask him about those wanderers. Maybe - maybe there had been someone who knew him?

Suddenly, he saw a little yellow flower grow between his front legs - baffled by the sudden appearance, he hopped away from it. But as soon as it had finished its rapid growth and Eli lowered his head to inspect it thoroughly, Mór lifted her voice and explained that it had, in fact, been their magic. The chestnut was stunned. He knew their own power - wind magic with all its facets - he’d seen a snippet of what Oakferns could do with water, but this… was truly beautiful. Would he get to see more of it when he stayed in Glenmore for a while? He hoped so! The young buck was already bursting with excitement for this new kingdom.

“It’s awfully nice to meet you!” he then continued upon their introduction, beamed, and took a step into the two Glenmores’ direction, turning to Mór in particular. “You mean I could stay with you for a while?” he said, raising his brow in pleased astonishment. But her firm tone proved that she was serious about what she’d said. “That would be nice… I’ve only just arrived, and it feels good to be around others again, after all those days and weeks of being alone.”

Huisha

The old stag chuckled at the young one’s excitement. He’d spent enough time living on the margins of society to understand the feeling of lingering loneliness, even if he had never been so far from home himself.

“Oh please do stay, it would just be unconscionable to send you on your way with a cough like that, especially when we can do something about it. And we’ll put some padding on those ribs while we’re at it; there’s no reason to go hungry while you’re in the land of plenty.”

He turned to look at Mor. “I can’t imagine anyone would begrudge his being here too much- he’s no fawntaker or raider, obviously, and he’s just a young thing. But perhaps it would be best if we hide him away in the hidden garden? Just until he gets his feet under him. And I’m sure the eucalypt trees Starling brought from Windborne will make him feel at home.”

By way of explanation he turned back to Eli and offered an apologetic smile. “Most Glenmores aren’t overly fond of foreigners, I’m afraid. Momo and I have met enough to know there are as many good apples as bad, but some folks would rather run you off than get to know who you are first.”

Lady Mor

Mór gave the young stag a motherly smile and nod,
“Why, of course darling, be very welcome to be our guest. It’s not often we have an adventurer staying, these days.” she smiled, “Oh, I can imagine that. It must have been awfully lonely, I couldn’t even imagine daring such a journey all by myself.” she added with a nod.
Huisha also gave his approval, soon adding about how they would help Eli with his cough and get some more meat back on his ribs and Mór very much agreed, the mother inside her already urged to grow all kinds of herbs and fruit for the skinny young buck, he really needed more than a good meal and probably also some serious grooming.
“Our daughter will be very delighted to meet you too, Eli, you see, she loves stories and I’m quite certain you have plenty to tell.” she added with a bit of a wink. She truly was impressed by the young buck and how he had travelled so far away from home. The fawnlings of Windborne were indeed free and daring as the wind, it seemed.

“Yes, I agree, we still should be a little careful though, you know the guards can be a little on edge and we don’t want them to mistake a young Windborne adventurer for a tall Oakfern fawntaker.” Mór nodded again, the last she wanted was their guest to get into trouble, “Splendid, darling, the garden sounds perfect.” she then smiled, also turning to Eli, “Sadly, yes. Your people are usually met a little more friendly as many Glenmores know you are no threat to our herd, but especially the Royals and the Guard don’t take all too kindly to visitors, it’s mostly fear of the unknown though, I believe.” she said, also looking apologetic.
“However, we hope to make you feel at least a little at home in our garden, for sure.” she added with another smile and nod.

Éliot

Just about to grin, nod and follow the two Glenmores, Eli suddenly found himself surprised about something the stag Huisha had said. Starling? He didn’t know how and why, but the name stroke a chord… It was a moment in which the young buck cursed his clouded memory; and the fact that the wind hadn’t wanted to give him back more of his own story, for the sake of finding his own. A little breeze rushed through the treetops as the buck perked his eyebrows up. As if the wind was mocking him; circling him a few times as he set about following the two elders.
... Maybe they had some herbs against memory loss as well? He’d have to ask them about that and the strangely familiar name later.

They had mentioned a hidden garden of theirs he was supposed to stay in! Eli didn’t know what Royals were, and even if he knew the concept of a guard, he was sure it would be better not to cross their paths if strangers were suspect to them. Yet, the buck was in cheerful spirits - those fawnlings were not gonna do anything to him, and he couldn’t deny the word “hidden garden” sounded exciting. It had plenty of food - and eucalyptus trees!
“Thank you very much -” he giggled with an unusual courtesy and widened his steps to catch up with the couple. “That all sounds too good to be true! And if your daughter likes stories, she’s going to meet the right stag!”
Eagerly, Éliot left the piece of shrubbery in which he’d sat behind - and followed Huisha and Mór towards the heart of Glenmore. He really looked forward to everything he’d experience here! He’d surely meet new fawnlings - his new hosts’ daughter at first - and see new things… everything was so exciting.
And the eucalyptus trees!