Chapter 5 Rabbit: A Talent Mark Novel

Chapter 5

After an understanding was reached, at least in Lord Tessian's mind, Harmony was called back into the room and allowed to take Rabbit away.

"I hope you understand that your skills are very important to Lord Tessian." She said to Rabbit who nodded. "And that you must always use the best of your abilities for him?" Again Rabbit nodded. Harmony seemed pleased with her compliance. "And that the conversation you had with Lord Tessian will not be passed among the other girls?" Rabbit nodded again.

"Good, " Harmony said. "Just remember that when you please Lord Tessian, everyone benefits." Harmony did not seem to require a response, so Rabbit did not bother nodding again as Harmony led her down the hall and back to the work room. Rabbit moved back to her empty work station as Harmony took stock of the other girl's progress. She made notations in a small book that she carried. Rabbit had the feeling Harmony would be making another report to Lord Tessian very shortly. Harmony worked her way around the room, ending up in front of Rabbit.

"More items will be gathered for you to work with, so tomorrow will be a busy day. I will make sure that a full, fresh pitcher of water is waiting so that you will not over heat." Rabbit nodded. Harmony was once again in stable master mode. Satisfied, Harmony summoned the girls from their spaces and led them back to their quarters.

The girls were brought into the sitting room where, to their surprise, six small baskets were waiting for them. The baskets had small lids on them and each was sitting on a pile of folded material. On the lids of each basket was a stenciled animal. A tortoise, a mouse, a badger, a rabbit and two separate birds decorated the lids. Rabbit assumed one of the birds was supposed to be a robin while the other was supposed to be a wren. Harmony smiled at them.

"Lord Tessian was so pleased by the work your have been doing that he has sent up a little gift for each of you; A new sewing basket and enough material for each of you to have a new dress." Harmony continued to smile as the girls offered their thanks. Rabbit nodded politely and smiled. She noticed that Robin's thanks were given in barely a whisper. She could not discern the accent. Harmony seemed pleased and left them to work until dinner.

"She is going to report to Lord Tessian, " Wren told her as they each went towards their assigned baskets. It was quite clear whose basket was whose.

'One of the benefits of taking animal names I suppose, ' Rabbit thought as she looked at her basket. Inside were the basics of a sewing basket. The implements were plain but serviceable. They were designed more for a seamstress than a ladies sewing basket but Rabbit had expected that. The material was of a good quality and apparently someone with taste had picked out the colors for the material as they each suited the girl to whom it was given. The material she was given was a deep green that complemented her black hair and eyes as well as her fair skin. As all of the girls looked into their baskets Rabbit noticed Badger eyeing everyone else's as well as looking at her own. She seemed satisfied with what she saw and turned back to her own basket.

'Making certain no one else got something better than she got, ' Rabbit thought. 'That is going to get old fast.' She shrugged the thought away as Mouse retrieved the box of patterns from one of the cabinets and they began to debate style. From the mix Rabbit chose a fairly simple pattern with a square neckline and wide skirt. It was similar enough to the style she had worn at home that she would have little problems.

Rabbit had learned the basics of sewing, but was more comfortable with the decorative work such as embroidery. From Badger's smug smile she had the feeling that her choice was not considered the height of fashion. Rabbit decided not to worry. After all it was better to have Badger feeling smugly superior than to have her feel threatened. Rabbit had the feeling when threatened she would react much like her namesake.

They were left to work until dinner time. When the time for dinner came near, Harmony returned and the girls were sent to take their new sewing baskets and cloth to their rooms while the kitchen staff set up for dinner. Rabbit opened the box at the foot of her bed, realizing that Harmony was right, she now had things to place inside the storage compartment. Looking inside she found her old dress, cleaned, repaired and folded. She placed the material and her new sewing basket on top of it. It would be better to blend in as long as Harmony had no problems with her retaining Badger's hand-me-down dress.

With dinner set up, the girls returned to the sitting room. The large table from breakfast had returned and dominated the room. Harmony sat facing them as they filed in. Rabbit was pleased to see that dinner included meat. It was not a large amount, but enough for a thick slice for each of them.

As the pieces had been sliced from a larger roast before being brought up she was not entirely sure what type of animal it was. She suspected boar as it had a somewhat earthy flavor. The meal also featured potatoes and fluffy biscuits. The meat was both tender and flavorful and the biscuits light as air. Lord Tessian may have a threadbare carpet, but his head cook was certainly of the elite.

After dinner, the dishes were cleared and the table put away. Servants came to retrieve the items and while they were in the room, the girls were once again sent to their room to pick up their sewing things. Rabbit wondered if they were being kept out of sight because the entire kitchen staff was afraid of them or because Lord Tessian wished to keep them sequestered. She decided it was a little of both as she began to piece the various shapes of fabric together and pin them.

While the girls worked Harmony regarded the shelves on the wall. Rabbit snuck glances as the older woman perused the shelves. Several of the titles featured the word Sheomon and she figured the collection made sense if Harmony was supposed to keep them healthy and productive. It was not one of these books that Harmony chose but one that had the word Heldan in the title. Rabbit did not see the full title and made sure to fully concentrate on her dress as Harmony turned back towards the group.

Harmony seated herself in one of the chairs and smiled down at the girls. "Shall I begin?" She asked. There was a softly murmured assent from the other girls and Rabbit lifted an eyebrow, wondering what was about to begin. "Good, " Harmony said, seemingly pleased. She opened the book she had pulled from the shelves and turned to the first page.

"The Baronies Beginning, " Harmony read the chapter's title aloud. "The lords of old came to the land currently referred to as the Baronies of Heldan from the settled lands of the east. The local barbarians referred to this new land as Drumshada." Rabbit blinked hard in surprise as Harmony continued to read about the early history of the Baronies of Heldan.

'Drumshada, ' Rabbit thought. She schooled her expression to blank as she saw Badger watching her. The other girls seemed to pay no attention to either Rabbit or Harmony's words. Rabbit looked at Badger. The girl slowly dropped her gaze to her pattern and material and continued working. Rabbit returned to her work and as she carefully pinned what would become a sleeve to what would be the dress' bodice, she let old history lessons play out in her head. The voice of her old tutor Marjan whispering like a shadow over Harmony's clear, calm voice.

"And a great plague descended over the people of the Drumshada. Those that survived were too few to defend the wide open spaces of land when the soulless ones came from the east like a second plague, swallowing land beneath the feet of their soldiers as the previous plague had swallowed lives. They were too few in number and too weakened from the long disease so they fled back to the Ghada homeland, leaving their settlements and their dead."

Rabbit allowed Marjan's voice to still inside her mind so that she could concentrate on Harmony's words. Harmony spoke of the Ghada as though they were barbarians and in no way tied to what the outlanders called the Sheomon. She wondered if they knew the two were related.

According to Harmony's book all of the barbarians died off and the people from the east turned their sad remnants into civilization. Rabbit thought of the well room where she had bathed. Harmony said the first Barons built it, but now she wondered. The way the well seemed to grow from the stones in the floor was something that a Ghada would create.

She had seen and even helped shape several such things before, when they were needed at home. It started with those marked by water finding the location of an underground source of water, and then one marked by earth would tunnel to the source, lining it with stone to keep it clear. Then someone like Rabbit would have shaped the outer housing, insuring there were no cracks in the stone, making it seamless. Someone marked by air would then have the duty to periodically check on the well, making sure the water did not stagnate and make the people ill. Rabbit smiled softly to herself. Somehow the thought that this might be one of the ancient buildings of the Ghada of Drumshada made her feel a little less alone.