MacLaaran Village

[TimTheEnchanter]

Thinks to himself... hmmm... 10,000 gold sovereigns... now where's he gonna get 10,000 gold sovereigns from?  Yes he has some money collected from his travels... but it's nae 10,000 sovereigns... the travels were nae free ye know... and neither was the time he spent in the mountains with his Master... Aye he learned his craft well, but those days had cost him, cost him 8 1/2 years of his life... pushing the difficult memories from his mind... another time... another place... 

The question of the day was... where to get 10,000 gold sovereigns... aye, he had his belongings but they'd ne'er reach such a sum... he was nae o' Noble birth... he could nae rely on his "family money" for this... his mother back in Ireland was living on what he and Seamus and Eoin sent to her... A thought struck him... Seamus and Eoin... his two younger cousins... twin boys, the sons o' his mothers younger sister... no he wouldn't sell his cousins, but they just might be of use...

He sits at the bureau in his chambers and pulls a piece of parchment from the small stack that he had been writing his diary with, and dipping the quill into the inkwell, begins to write a letter to his cousins... he scribbles words onto the parchment occassionally stopping to think... Finished, he reads o'er the letter of moderate length, and is satisfied with both the content and the tone...

  The last time he knew, Seamus was living at or near Emaine... well that would be the closest, but someone visiting had told him that Seamus was nae there... who was that?... casting thought aside, he thinks o' Eoin... he knows were Eoin is... deep in the Amazon jungle, the Princess had said that the last time she visited... scratching his chin, he ponders for a moment on how the best way to get his message to his cousin may be... and if it does in fact reach his cousin Eoin, will he be able to deliver it to Seamus?... there were several things that could still go wrong with this plan... but he had to try...

  Rolling the parchment up, he walks with it to a small onyx box on the mantle o'er the fireplace... He lifts the lid o' the small box and withdraws a scarlet ribbon approximately 4 inches in length... He places the rolled parchment on the mantle and ties the scarlet ribbon around it securing it... small onyx runes can be seen embroidered on the scarlet ribbon, and he brings the rolled parchment to his lips and whispers a phrase, closing his eyes, he whispers another... kneeling in front of the grate he whispers a third phrase, and the onyx runes fade from the scarlet ribbon completely... the scarlet ribbon shines in the firelight, as if it is wet, and turns an even deeper shade, now blood red... Tossing the rolled parchment into the flames he watches as the ribbon expands o'er the roll... enveloping it... protecting it from the flames, and yet consumed by them... with a flash, the parchment and ribbon are gone, and no trace of their ash remains in the fire...

  Standing up he goes back and sits on the chair facing the fire... nothing now to do but wait for a reply... he absently licks his lips and winces as his tongue runs o'er the cut on his lower lip...

[Sir Kyle]

October 6, 1320
Tris and I had an excellent meeting with King Robert the Bruce. I went down to Edinburgh hoping to purchase the MacLaaran Castle and the surrounding lands for less than the 100,000 gold sovereigns I feel it's worth.

When We arrived I got us two rooms at the Golden Hand Inn and Tavern which is located within walking distance of the castle. After sharing a couple tankards of all from a cute little wench that had her eyes on Tris, We headed up to the castle. They were expecting Us and escorted Us back to Robert's private quarters.

He greeted Us with a warm, friendly handshake and sent His servant, ellie, off to fetch Us tankards of their best ale. King Robert congratulated Tristram on how well His guards have protected the castle  over the last few years without requiring help from the Crown. He also said He was pleased since all the taxes had been paid over the last ten years, something I had managed to do to keep the Crown from attaching the lands  and selling them off.

After a short discussion regarding the current status, we settled into serious negotiations on the price for the MacLaaran lands. My initial offer was 50,000 gold sovereigns, which garnered a response of 75,000 sovereigns, already lower than my estimated value. I countered with 60,000 sovereigns. Robert smiled and said that might just work as long as the taxes would be raised to 1000 gold sovereigns a year.

Although I was about to raise My hand to accept that, Tris spoke up asking for 500 sovereigns the first year and an increase of 100 sovereigns a year for the next five years before reaching the 1000 sovereigns the King wanted.

I sat there holding My breath, hoping this effort might not anger the King and make Him back away from the deal. Instead, He just laughed a tad and accepted Tris suggested offer. Robert also said that he'd sens some of his best soldiers down to help guard

We left there two pretty happy Knights, returned to the Golden Hand. I went straight to bed, but Tris couldn't resist the opportunity to sample the servant girls below. I knew I might have to help Him aboard his horse in the morning, but I slept soundly for the first night in weeks. Soon MacLaaran would be Ours!

With the reduced price I plan to meet with the council members and decide what each of them can afford. 10,000 sovereigns was a high price. Now they can choose to spend less.

[Eoin]

Eoin carries a heavy leather satchel slung o'er his shoulder from the camp.  The two bars in the bag easily weigh 30 pounds he figures.  With each step they hit him in the back.  In addition to the two bars of gold the Princess had given him, she also handed him a good sized leather pouch, which he had only briefly peered into inside the camp.

He was a good ways from camp now... in a quiet clearing in the jungle... the sunlight streamed through the hole in the canopy of leaves overhead.  He stopped here to rest and decided he had better have a look at the contents of that pouch more closely.  He sets his satchel down, and opens it.  Withdrawing the pouch from within, he loosens the drawstring and looks inside.  The sunlight catches facets, and colors, and causes reflections to dance back up at him.  He lays the satchel flat on the ground spreading it out as flat as it will go with two bars of pure gold still inside.  He dumps the contents of the pouch onto the satchel.  Out pours literally handfuls of precious stones.  Diamonds, saphires, rubys, amethyst, opals, garnets, emeralds, topaz.  He sits there on the ground... stunned.  What has she done?  She had insisted that he take it as a gift.  Would nae even hear of calling it a "loan"... though truth be told there would be no way that he could repay such a sum. (even with the proceeds of the video sales. (El Dorado inside joke))  And she had said that it was only a small portion of her possesions... he lets a small whistle escape from his lips.

This was certainly and intersting day.  First there was the fire at the camp, that suddenly came to life all of itself.  It had spit forth from the flames a rolled parchment with a scarlet ribbon.  The parchment was nae burned.  The scarlet ribbon emblazoned with the black markings bound the parchment that had rolled from the fire pit and come to rest near his feet.  The Princess had looked at the rolled parchment and read his name on the outside... "Eoin".  He had taken the parchment, untied it, and read the letter from his cousin TimTheEnchanter.  He hadn't met Tim but a handful of times in his life, and here was a letter from the Enchanter at a Castle MacLaaran in Scotland, delivered from the flames of a fire in the Amazon Jungle.  He slides his hand inside the satchel without dumping the precious stones from it, and withdraws the rolled parchment from it.  Unrolling it, he reads it again...

" My dear cousin Eoin.  I hope this letter finds you well and in good spirits.  I know you are reading this as it will nae be delivered until you are within 3 meters of the fire, and it can nae be opened by anyone other than you, or perhaps your brother Seamus... that's the trouble with twins, it's always difficult to tell you apart.

  I am writing the letter to both you and Seamus, but as I dinnae know where he is currently, I will leave it to you to find your brother and deliver it by your own hand.  I need the help of you both and I trust that you will come to my aid.  Circumstances have arisen at Castle MacLaaran where it becomes necessary for me to arrange a large sum of cash on relatively short notice.  I need to have in my possession 10,000 gold soverigns.  I have certain "items" of rare or unique qualities that could raise perhaps half that sum, and I will arrage to have them sold.  But as they are nae the sort of thing that you take to the local market or merchant to sell, it may take me some time to find the right purchaser for them.  I am asking both you and Seamus to help me raise the remaining sums.  I have a good idea that Seamus has access to a fair amount from the travels and services that I had him perform for me on the continent last year.  If he was half as fruitful as I was during my tenure with some of the people I sent him to he should have accounts in several locations that he can draw on.  You on the other hand I'm not so sure about.  If you can possibly put your hands on any gold at all, perhaps between you and your brother we can raise the additional 5000 gold soverigns needed. 

  I know I have nae told you what the funds are needed for, but I assure you that it is a worthwhile venture, and I will tell you everything when I see you.  Yes, I said when I see you.  You must find your brother Seamus.  When you find him, tell him to put the gold ring I gave him back on.  He will understand.

  Until I see you both, may you find health, happiness, and hopefully a little gold. 

  Your Cousin,
  TimTheEnchanter."

Letting the parchment roll back on its own, looks at the contents of the pouch laying on the satchel in front of him, the stones gleaming and glinting in the sunlight.  He pats the two solid gold bars in the satchel thinking of his cousin's request to "put his hands on any gold at all".  Well with the kind Princess' unbelieveable gift he had done that... and then some.  He smiles and carefully puts the stones back into the pouch, then the pouch and parchment back into the satchel. He lifts the satchel to his shoulder again and groans as the bars hit him in the back ... again.

Now he had to find Seamus.  What had his sissy told him, oh yes, the best way to find Seamus was to find Myelin.  She'd know where to find him.  He had seen her at the camp, what was it now, two weeks ago.  Yes, well, that was his task then.  Find Myelin, and then find Seamus.  He strides off along the path.

[~*Alexya Romani*~]

-Picking up the red crayon and start to write biting th tip of my tongue while i do it-

Dear Cousin Tim:

Even when you totally forgot that I'm family too, I'm here in case you need me... Sometimes, Family comes first too you know that, but anyway, My Princess helped you... Next time try not forget me... You hurted my feelings so deeply...

With Love:

BH....

[~lava~]

i fumble with the key at the back door of my coffee shoppe in the wee, dark hours of the morn, asking myself in low mumbles why i chose a coffee shoppe of all things, considering i am nae a morning person whatsoever.

i shuffle in, still half asleep, and light the torches on the wall as i make my way into the main area of the coffee shoppe. i pause as I feel little hard things beneath my slippers. i look down and see coffee beans scattered all over the wooden floor. “What the…?”

i look up and see that several displays have been knocked over and several coffee cups and dishes lay broken on the floor. The door to my tiny office is ajar so i peek inside and see my desk drawers wide open, papers strewn everywhere, and the small window broken out.

It does nae even occur to me that the intruder may still be inside as i make my way through the lower level of the shoppe. i move to the darkened stairs and start to ascend when a dark figure suddenly appears from above, moving quickly down the stairs. He knocks me back against the wall with such force that i bang the back of my head. By the time i steady myself and overcome the dizziness, the dark figure has made his escape out the back door.

Too shaken to move, i sit on the steps, reaching back to lightly touch the sensitive sore place on the back of my head, wincing with pain as my fingers press gently, assessing my injury. i look around at the mess and wonder what the intruder was after, and wishing Kyle were here.

[Eoin]

Sissykins BH and I found Myelin yesterday afternoon and asked her to find Seamus for us.  I asked the Princess if she was t' see m' brother in camp to tie him to a stake until I returned.  Returnin' in the evening, I found Seamus and Myelin in each others arms in the shallows of the river.  Nae exactly tied at the stake, but he was there nevertheless.  Gettin' him outa the water was easier than gettin' him outa her arms, but both o' them joined me in a quiet area o' the camp where I explained m' Cousin Tim's letter.  I then told Seamus about the gift that the Princess had given me.  He had some difficulty graspin' the concept o' "just friends" as I described the pouch full o' jewels and the two solid gold bars.

I remembered the part o' Tim's letter instructin' Seamus t' put on a gold ring, told him such and he produced a ring from his pocket.  No sooner had he put the ring on his finger, than TimTheEnchanter stood beside us three, scarin' the girl Myelin, but Seamus seemed t' take it instride.  I was a bit startled m'self I have to admit.  Tim seemed to know the Princess, and others in camp, though I'd ne'er seen him there before.  He explained that the gold ring let him find Seamus where e'er he was, but only when he had it on his finger.  He said he wanted t' give him some privacy.

Tim, Seamus, Myelin, and m'self had a quiet conversation by the fire.  Tim explained a little bit o' why he needs the money, but left more to explain later.  Then he said he was t' take Seamus and me back to MacLaaran with him.  Neither Seamus nor I could believe it.  Seamus argued a bit about nae wantin' t' go.  I think he was nae anxious t' leave the girl Myelin.  When she agreed t' go with him, he relented. 

I told Tim that I did nae have the satchel with the gold and jewels with me in the camp, but that I could retrieve it within the hour.  Tim said that he would take Seamus and Myelin with him then and return for me when I had the satchel.  He then told Seamus to give me his gold ring.  I am to put it on m' finger when I have the satchel in m' possesion and he'd come for me.  Another 30 mins of walkin' and I should arrive at my destination.  When I get there I'll see if this ring works on me as well as it does on Seamus.

Continues to walk down the path.

[Sir Kyle]

I was quite surprised when I entered the Coffee Shoppe to find kate helping lava clean up a mess.  A very shaken lava tried to explain what had happened when she entered the shoppe earlier in the morning. I hugged her until she quit shaking.

Apparently, the dark figure was looking for information. More reasons to be concerned about the missing history books. More reasons to call for a council meeting tonight and discuss Our situation and Our options. I need that gold sent off secretly as soon as possible to obtain the title for Our Maclaaran lands.

[WilliamTaillur]

Hearing rumors around the ports of a MacLaaran onteroge had gone to Edinburgh on business, alass the rumors varied widely.  Such things as an attack on MacLaaran, a shoppe being torn up-side-down, lands being purchased, and taxes being raised.   Oh my, what to believe, what to believe?

Mine heart ached being away from Mine love, Damiana, with concerns o Her shoppe... nay knowing for sure which shoppe had been ravaged, or what lands were being sold to whom.

Then as tensions would have it, a warship didst encounter the Mandrake Rogue and confronted Her with intent to claim the Mandrake for the Queen o England.  This left every crewman very busy defending the ship from its advesary throughout much of the afternoon. The crew fought gallantly and didst overtake and claim the English ship for Scotland and MacLaaran. 

Upon the claimed ship wast found gold, silver, and other items of earlier plunderings the Enghish ship planned to take to the Crown.  After setting the English crew adrift on a small boat, the Mandrake crew move their plunder to the Mandrake.  The English ship wast then scuttled and sent to the bottom as dammages made it too much trouble to repair and claim as a ship for Our purposes.

[Serenitee]

~sighing softly in the early morning hours, having not wanted to get out of bed in the first place. Seren went about her regular routine of preparing for a day at the shoppe.  She gathered a bundle of fabric scraps from her cottage, setting them inside a basket along with some new sketches she had been working on~

~making her way along the path into the main village, the folk just starting to wake and the streets not yet hectic with comings and goings.  Nearly making her way to the shoppe before being knocked down in a whirlwind as she turned the corner by the Velvet Hammer~

~gasping as her basket flew, fabric squares fluttering the ground around her as she dizzily looks around, catching only a glimpse of a figure fading into the distance. Grumbling irritably as she chalks it up to some street urchin possibly trying to pick her pocket....she gathers her thoughts as well the squares of fabric, putting them back into the basket then getting up and dusting herself off before continuing on her way to the shoppe~

~opening the shoppe door, it seems eerily quiet.  Usually Dahlia opens the store, but Seren had given her the morning off to take care of a sick grandchild.  Setting the basket down on the counter then taking out the squares of fabric...frowning as she searches for the sketches.  She knew she had put them into the basket at home...perhaps she left them on the walk where she was so rudely knocked down~

~rolling her eyes impatiently as she marches back out into the street and back over toward the Velvet Hammer...scanning the ground for the sketches.  There has been no wind this morning but she walked several feet around in search of the sketches.....furrowing her brows together as she sighs heavily.  Those were to be the beginning of her fall designs....now she would have to start over again~

~returning to the shoppe to start her day, still pondering if she had accidentally left the sketches at home or not~

[Sir Kyle]

October 9, 1320
Last night I was surprised to find what looked like a sailor talking with Dami and Tris in the great hall. He introduced himself as Captain MacPherson, the captain of the Mandrake Rogue, saying that William had taken temporary command of the Mandrake.

Tim was the next to arrive bringing his twin brother cousins, Seamus and Eoin along with His sister, BH. Lady Myelin, accompanied Seamus and from what I could gather they are a couple of sorts.

When T/they all arrived, I called Dami, Tim, Tris, Prae and lava back in the MacLaaran council room for a meeting. My main goal was to discuss the meeting that Tris and I had with King Robert the Bruce on Thursday evening. I consider the true value of the MacLaaran lands, including the village and castle, to be approximately 100,000 gold sovereigns. I opened the bidding at 50,000 sovereigns and King Robert asked for 75,000. After some point and counter point We agreed to a sum of 60,000 gold sovereigns and an initial tax rate of 500 sovereigns due April 15th 1321.

The total of 60,000 gold sovereigns must be delivered post haste to the Crown before King Robert signs the title over to us. I told him that all of the MacLaaran Council Members would share in ownership of the lands and the castle.

So, We needed to decide how many shares each member would be able to purchase and own. We were all stunned when Tim open a back pack to reveal two gold bas and a sack containing numerous jewelry. He stated that He was prepared to purchase an equal share of fifteen percent, which is 9000 sovereigns. Tris said He could cough up 6000 sovereigns, ten percent. Prae fussed and fumed over the cost He was faced with, but after considerable conversation he said he could possibly scrape together 3000 sovereigns, five percent.

Dami will need to speak with Her husband, William, before deciding on Their mutual investment. She's hoping He'll return shortly. I suggested that since Dami knows more about medieval food than anybody, She and Will should consider purchasing the Iron Lance that Aspen wants to sell. That would provide an additional source of gold each year. Dami asked Prae to share in the purchase of the Iron Lance, but He declined, saying he was already stretched by The Herald and His share of the land purchase.

I had Tim's gold bars weighed and determined that they were worth five thousand sovereigns each. I'll accept those to cover His 9000 sovereign share and give Him 1000 sovereigns in return. The jewelry remains His for future taxes and such.

I've asked lava to purchase fifteen percent at 9000 sovereigns using the gold she receives each year from the English Crown. I'll use part of the fortune I received by selling Athelhampton to purchase the remaining fifty percent at 30,000 sovereigns assuming that Will and Dami might only buy five percent if they also purchase the Iron Lance.

30,000 Kyle
  9,000 lava
  9,000 Tim
  6,000 Tris
  3,000 Dami
  3,000 Prae
=========
60,000 Total

Tim, Tris lava and I can produce Our shares right away. I'll put up the remaining 6,000 sovereigns so We can send the gold as soon as the Kings men arrive with the lockable wagon. Tris and several of His guards will accompany the wagon back to Edinburgh to make sure it arrives safely.

We were rudely interrupted at that moment by some old hag with a raven on her shoulder, demanding to speak with Me. She claimed that her name was Amrian and she had some kind of vision that warned that MacLaaran and all of Our people would suffer a terrible fate. Her timing couldn't be worse after the recent theft of the MacLaaran history books, the thief in lava's coffee shoppe and Seren being almost trampled by what We assume must have been the same thief.

We'll have to keep Our guard up, even though I laugh at people with visions like that. We control Our own fate, not some hag that dreams stuff at night. In spite of My reassurances, lava insisted that I accompany her straight to bed that night and not toddle around while she warmed up Our bed. Actually that worked out just fine, there's nothing like sex with a wild eyed female, trust me!

[Serenitee]

~returning home from a rather eventful night at the castle...Seren gently kissed Prae's cheek, warmly embracing him, pressing close before stepping back. Smiling softly as she bids him g'night. Sighing as she watches him go, a sudden chill left where his arms were around her moments ago.  Turning to go inside her cottage to rest her weary head~

~tossing off her cloak in the darkened cottage...she can't help but feel jittery after the evening's events.  Could the person who knocked her down have been the same one to ransack lava's coffee shoppe?  The very thought made her shudder as she remembers the culprit fleeing toward the East Village~

~shaking her head to try and clear the obsessive thoughts now running amuck in her mind...she makes her way into the bedroom and lights a small candle on the dresser...her eyes widening, her lips parting in attempt to scream...yet no sound emitting....her hands raise as if to fend something off.  The seconds ticked by as her heart pounded and her eyes adjusted to the dimly lit room as she starts to laugh madly.  How silly to be frightened by one's own image in shadowy mirror.  Rolling her eyes at her silliness~

~reaching about to unlace her skirt, letting it slide to the floor, then struggling with the corset fastenings...blasted eyelets.  Finally free of all but her long chemise, she sits on the edge of bed, leaning to light another candle on the table. Pulling the pins from her hair, letting the silken curls tumble free...closing her eyes as she rakes her fingers through the soft strands~

~finally ready to snuggle into the covers, she stands and goes to blow out the candle on the dresser...as she turns she notices something laying on the bedside table.  She hadn't left anything there, not that she could remember anyway.  Walking back to the bed and sitting down, reaching over to pick up what now appears to be a thick book of sorts.  Gasping slightly as she recognizes the cover immediately.....her sketches.  Furrowing her brows as she wonders how on earth they made their way back to her cottage...and in her bedroom no less.  She had packed them in her basket, having taken them from her desk in the livingroom~

~flipping through the sketches, tugging her bottom lip between her teeth as she notices slight changes to each of her designs.  Goosebumps slowly start to move up her arms as she turns to the last sketch...it was not one of hers. The lines were dark and smudged, outlining  a chemise of sorts,  shaded in to insinuate black lace.  The corset was drawn in a deep red with markings indicating intricate beading along the seams...and unlike the ones she designed, this one sat below the breasts...as if offering up the soft curved flesh for devourment.  Closing her eyes for a moment then...looking back to the foreign sketch....noting the skirt fashioned from what would be sheer, floating gauzy fabric~

~unsure of what to make of this...the little hairs on the back of her neck standing as the wind blows outside the cottage...causing the tree limbs to scrape along the rooftop, her ears suddenly keen to every little bump in the night.  Stacking up the sketches and hiding them away in a drawer on the table so she doesn't have to think about them....then taking the candle to walk back into the livingroom...the darkness taking on a new sinister feeling.  Making her way across the room to doubly secure her door then deciding a bit of tea may calm her now rattled nerves~

~taking a breath as she talks to herself about how silly she's being, perhaps Dahlia was dabbling with sketching...though surely conservative Dahlia wouldn't sketch something so bold...but stranger things have happened she convinced herself.  Setting the candle to the counter in the scullery...she squints her eyes to search for the kettle. Building the fire to warm the water, she feels herself relaxing further...the warm glow from the flames illuminating the room even more..adding to her better state of mind..."The light chases away the eerie shadows...."....she could her mother telling her~

~still searching for the kettle, she looks to the table....there....perfectly set up......a tray with the kettle, two cups and the fixings for tea....one cup is filled, still steaming with a lemon wedge balanced on the rim.  Her knees buckling, nearly sending her crumpling to the floor...she takes the candle to look more closely......seeing a note on the tray~

"You look like you could use a cup of tea M'Lady"

~candle in hand, tea forgotten....she ran to the cottage door...unbolted it and shot across the way to Prae's cottage, unable to find her voice as she pounded on the door until he opened it. Seren flung herself into his arms...able to find her voice now, she started babbling on about missing sketches, mystery drawings and tea trays~ 

[Sir Tristram]

Nay sleep'n as well as I usually do, perhaps due to the fact of invest'n most all M'savings into the Castle and surround'n lands purchase, I awake early and walk to the window to look out upon the Castle grounds.

Know'n that this investment will be well worth it in the long run, but hat'n to give up all M'money in one shot, I finally go to the trunk sitt'n by M'bed.  Open'n it and toss'n out some of the wardrobe within, I reach down and find the bags that hold M'gold.  Mak'n sure that all is accounted for, I tie the bags tight and sit them on M'bed.   Still know'n what I'm about to do is the best option for Me and for MacLaaran, I finish gett'n dressed and pick up the bags as I go to find Kyle.

Hear'n the soft giggle of lava as her and Kyle leave their chamber, I quickly catch up to them and ask them to escort Me to the Castle vault.  Having waited until the count of coins was checked, I place them inside and watch as the door is closed.

Turn'n to Kyle and lava I quietly speak of the meet'n and the strange old woman who showed up last eve.   
as we head down to the scullery, hop'n to catch Cookie in a good mood with some food ready. 

After a brief lil meal, I turn to Kyle.....  As soon as Ye get the rest of the payments together, let Me know, I have hand picked two dozen of M'guards to help make sure the payment arrives safely.  I have word that the King's guards are on their way, and would like to get started as soon as they arrive.

Then bidd'n the happy couple a g'day, I head out to practice fields to make sure M'men nay take their practice lightly. 

[Sir Kyle]

I had to smile at Tris. I've gathered the remainder of the 60,000 gold sovereigns, helped seth pack it all in two large heavily locked chests which will be stored in the MacLaaran vault awaiting the arriival of King Robert's armoured wagon.

I'm thinking Tris can plan to leave on Thursday with his selected crew of guards.

[~lava~]

After the morning coffee rush ended i left mum and abby to handle the few remaining patrons and slipped upstairs to do a quick inventory count. With the holidays fast approaching, i did nae want to worry about running out of gift items. i moved to the balcony which holds a nice selection of plants and garden art, and made note of what i would need to order. One of the gazing balls was dirty, so i began to polish it. i dropped my notepad and jumped when i noticed a distorted face in the ball.  i turned quickly and saw non other than the old lady that visited the castle Sunday night. i noticed that creepy bird was nae sitting on her shoulder, and i quickly looked up and around my shoppe for signs of it. The old lady cackled and told me not to worry, her pet was waiting for her outside.

“What do you want? i am very busy and do nae have time to listen to yer gloom and doom, old lady.” i mumbled, letting my annoyance show.

“But lava, please, can you spare a cup of tea and some crackers for a poor old hungry lady? I will nae stay long, lass.” She touched my shoulder with a shaky old hand. i shook my head and led her downstairs to prepare a tray. i then ushered her into an empty sitting room and told her to eat and be gone.

“I shall, lass…thank you.” The woman spoke before devouring the crackers and pastries i had gotten for her.

i stepped out front and questioned mum and abby about the old lady, but neither had noticed her enter the shoppe. After exchanging pleasantries with a couple of regular customers, i returned to the sitting room and found the old lady still at the table, with tarot cards laid out before her.

“What on earth are you doing?! Get those things out of here!” i said loudly, but trying nae to yell and disturb customers.

“Please lass, humor an old lady, and then I will leave you be. Just come and touch the cards, cut the deck, and let me show you your three cards. You will see that I am nae lying to you and Sir Kyle about my visions for MacLaaran!

i hate fortune telling and tarot cards and tales of spooky visions, but i was so eager to get that woman out of my shoppe that i decided to play her little game so she would leave.

My face turned white when i turned over the three cards and the old lady began to explain each one…

“The Fool! Someone is striking out on a journey, but the path chosen is a foolish one! This could be a literal journey, lass, or simply a new direction in life.” She watched my face closely for signs of belief before moving on to the next card.

“The Tower! Oh child. At the very least, this cards stands for upheaval in your life. But more often than not, it means DISASTER! DOOM! Pain and suffering, and eventually…”

Her boney fingers touched the third card and i gasped.
“DEATH!” she yelled.

Before she could offer an explanation for a card that truly needed none, i grabbed up the tarot cards, shoved them into her hands and pushed her from the shoppe, yelling for her to stay away. The few customers that were still in the shoppe watched with dropped jaws as i slammed the front door and ran upstairs, cursing and complaining about old ladies, ugly birds and tarot cards, leaving my mum and sis to explain that i recently bumped my head and was nae myself today…

[Sir Kyle]

October 11, 1320
My lava is still fuming o'er that crazy woman, Amrian. She let the old hag use Tarot cards to read her future and the death card turned up. I don't believe that stuff, and lava claims she doesn't either, but her eyes keep darting left and right as if expecting the worst at any moment.

I've tried everything to get lava to relax, but she isn't even interested in sex. I need to run that witch out of MacLaaran if I want any peace of mind. I can't even get lava in the dungeon for a little "play time".

The King's wagon arrived today along with twenty well armed soldiers. We'll load the wagon at daybreak tomorrow and send them off with Tristram and his guards.