The Frewyn Herald: Home of the Haanta Series

Today was Soledhan's birthday. He was given sensible gifts, but Kai Linaa's will to make every party a special one overpowers any desire for simplicity. Here is a small excerpt from one of the later books.   T he parcel was opened, and the family were assembled in time to see Soledhan take a small wooden crocodile from within. It was painted and smiling and ready to be played with, and before the first question of “Whatcha got there, small one?” from Calleen could be answered, Soledhan was off with his gift in his hand, showing it to his cousins and entreating them to play with it. The value of a gift at his age could only be apprehended in how many of Soledhan’s friends should with to share it, and as all the children of the party were delighted with the smiling crocodile, Soledhan declared himself rather fortunate indeed.                 There were other items within the small wooden box, but these were pr...

An awesome picture from The Rat story that Twisk just finished A nxious that the cake had never arrived, Kai Linaa paced the length of the main hall, ever spying the entrance with a vexed look and a craned neck while keeping within sight of her door in the guest quarter. She wished to remain tolerably close to keep Unghaahi’s suspicions from impeding the delivery, but when two hours had gone and no delivery was made, she began to agonize in a frantic fit, proclaiming her ill-luck, reproaching herself for having ordered from the same bakery that had so slighted her before. Why had she done it when she knew she ought to have asked Martje to bake and dress the cake for her? He would have eaten it if she had made a point of its being a gift, and now he would have nothing for his birthday. Surely the commander had something planned, but that was always a private celebration between them, and here she wanted to do something more for him. She was growing too nervous and aggrieved, she wou...

Rautu’s Birthday                  While the Great Hall was being cleared of the day’s festive remnants, Kai Linaa was secretly conniving at continuing the celebration later in the evening. Though the Haanta did not celebrate birthdays with all the gaiety, the gifts, and the bustle that such a commemoration usually required, she, with all her powers of merriment, decided that Rautu must have a cake. He might deny an acknowledgement of his birthday in the ways of supernumerary knitted socks and sweaters, might dislike a public feast though he could not decline a handsomely roasted boar, but cake and certainly chocolate cake, one carefully tailored to his tastes with dark chocolate icing and teeming fondant within, could never be refused. Here would be Kai Linaa’s triumph: a fresh cake from Diras Delights, all made for Rautu’s delectation, delivered personally and done in quiet manner, to secure his approbation...

Someone, I won't say whom, was declaring all day that she is not special. Well, Alasdair has something to say about that. So, there. Special                  The celebration cleared away, the remainder of the cake placed in the larder, the chief of the celebrants prepared for a most needed rest, and the visitors from the islands enjoying their training together in the yard, Kai Linaa was at liberty to enjoy a small cup of tea, watch her mate and his brothers flip one another about, and think. She had reveled in the day and all the sanguine feelings her involvement in it could afford, but when he was alone, her sentiments altered to a more sobering hue. With her fingers coiled around the handle, she stared at the remnants of tea leaves swilling about the bottom of the teacup and began to wonder at whether she should be accepted on the islands now that a return thither was soon approaching. It was true that h...

It was the first snow today. Twisk therefore made some cute stick pictures of everyone enjoying themselves- or not- and I had to make a story. Winter Discomforts                 The preparatory signs of a heavy Frewyn winter were everywhere when the party returned to Diras: the first light snows blanketed the capital, the streets that had been used to the bustle and gaieties of the autumn harvest and holidays were now subdued, a frost began to gain power over the air and what was once a delicate tinge of cold was now a frozen gale; denizens shuffled about and huddled together for warmth, wearing clothing that was hardly warm enough for such a sinking climate; the skies churned a foreboding grey, cider carts were being wheeled round the square, a early fires glowed amber in the windows of every home, chimneys billowed with grey-black smoke, the scent of hickory and mulled spices lingered, and the ca...

The Seamhair Cake Twisk make a Leraa pumpkin. I had to post it.                 Autumn soon came and with it came all the gaieties of Seamhair. The Frewyn holiday commemorating and immortalizing the dead was celebrated by the kingdom through the usual avenues of brewing mulled apple cider, of guising and carousing about the town in quest of treats, of attending Church services if only to enjoy the feast of spiced bread and sugared apple dumplings, and of ornamenting the square and homes with all the supernumerary decorations that would require more exertion to take down than had been employed in putting them up. Though all of these traditions promised merriment for the day, the one that many enjoyed best was the baking and eating of the large spiced cake usually prepared and consumed on the morning of the holiday. By the time Seamhair morning had arrived in all its festive triumph, smoke billowed from chimneys...

The Shelled Bracer                  The festivities and regalements for the first evening of Ailineighdaeth were drawing to a close with the increasing brilliancy of the moon in the star-ridden sky. All was well and tranquil in the keep and in the capital: Diras had celebrated, revelrous raillery had prevailed, the traditional food and drink were shared, and now came the lull and hem of quietness. Gifts had been given, the last blessings and benedictions of the evening had been accorded, and with closing eyes and drowsy aspects did everyone say the requisite goodevenings and return to the respective corners of the keep.                 Though everyone had received something for the day, as everyone must for the purpose of the occasion to be considered fulfilled, one amongst the party who hailed from the islands felt obliged to give hi...

Kai Linaa's Morning                 The following morning, Kai Linaa set out to perform her tasks along the shore, but it would be a difficult office to fulfill; her mind was aflutter with what had passed the night before. As she went to the garden well and filled her waterskin, his face was everywhere. She saw him in the trees, perceived his voice on the wind, turned about once or twice in hopes of catching him sneaking upon her, could not wait to be thrown over by him in surprise, looked down into the well waters to see if he were standing behind her from above, but all this was fancy. He could not be there now, for his training and his teaching had called him away. He had even told her so, but she would not believe it. She would rather have him forever hovering near her, waiting to thrill her with a hunt and a capture, but she must own that work must be done, and she therefore left the garden with the since...

The Importance of Breakfast                 Though in Frewyn breakfast was widely believed to be the most important meal of the day, there were those who were determined to feel otherwise. While the various farmers in Tyferrim, the yeoman in Castle Diras and peasantry all about the Frewyn countryside  enjoyed their hearty morning meals of oat porridge, cold sausage pies, smoked bacon and coddles eggs, there were few who declared themselves sated by only having a bite of toast and a sip of tea. These, however, were usually those of foreign ancestry, for even the Frewyn nobles were disposed to have a small basin of gruel when their delicate stomachs warranted some nourishment. Those from Livanon enjoyed their sweets in the morning, expatiating the horrid state of their teeth; those from the islands reveled in their Sindhaas and Phoraas, much to the chagrin of those who disliked them; those from Marridon delig...