A Timeless Morning [OPEN]

LELAGE VINIMA

It was an “early-bird-gets-the-worm” kind of morning; a morning that injected motivation from the moment ones eyes opened and were greeted with the crack of dawn. True, it was a bit too early for life in Blaikfurd to really be spritely, save only the few families that were up for similar reasons such as Lelage Vinima: to work. The lady had adorned herself in a worn, loose spring dress that flowed at her knees and was speckled with various faded stains; marks of her previous work in the mud. It was the best outfit she could muster at the moment considering the fact that all other “casual dresses” were being cleaned (for the same muddy reason), currently pinned to a line to hang dry behind the inn, so the next best thing without having to go in her under garments or risk her traditional outfit (which she would never in the first place) would be the stain-spotted dress she currently wore. After Lelage slid her petit, pale feet into her wooden flats, the thongs tickling her toes, the woman tightened the sash about her waist, reached for the wooden snath of her scythe and gently pushed the front door of her inn open. Before leaving, however, she instinctively took a glance over her shoulder. Her eyes softened at the empty sight. There was some sort of peacefulness of an empty inn just before the city awoke, knowing that it wouldn’t be empty for long. Lelage sighed lovingly, she couldn’t be happier.

The woman was out on the streets of Blaikfurd, half way to her barley fields in no time. She had passed a few regular customers on the way—a pair of old fishermen who at times would give bundles of fish as a gift to Lelage, who in return would give them a pint on the house, an old woman and her granddaughter, out to harvest their own wheat, the grandmother certainly knew how to bake wonderful bread, and finally a group of boys equipped with wooden bows and home-made daggers. Lelage spotted the youngest boy and smiled as they spotted her.

“Off to join your brothers for the morning hunt, hmm?” The woman inquired as she approached the group, despite her being nearly five years older she was quite a bit smaller than most of the males. After she had spoke she spied the eldest who tossed her a smirk.

“Yup! He’s finally big enough, if that’s what you’re asking.” He teased as the youngest reacted with a loud “Hey!”

“I’ve always been big enough!” “Oh hush I’m just teasing…don’t need to get yourself all riled up in front of a lady…” “You started it…”

A gentle laugh slipped Lelage’s smiling lips. “Haha, alright well I want to make it to my fields and back before the inn opens, so if you’ll excuse me-”

“Aye, ma’am! Save us a keg! We’re gonna’ hunt big this mornin’!” The tallest—not necessarily the eldest—brother shouted and waved as he watched the brunette escape down the Blaikfurd dirt path, that lead to the South Eastern glades.

Once Lelage stepped from the dry dirt to fresh, green grass, her ears were welcomed with the crisp snap of the grass stalks cracking from the pressure of her weight. She knew she had made it to her destination. Her eyes welcomed the sight of her barley field, a decently large patch of 25 square-feet; it was adjacent to the hops field that was also the same size, today she would be harvesting barley to allow it to set for another week or so and dry in the Domhan Tir sun. The hops wouldn’t be ready until late summer.

Just as the woman positioned herself at the first square of barley she would cut down, her scythe tight in her hands, the breeze had picked up pushing the barley in its wake, the plants dancing in the wind. Lelage watched nearly entranced, but not for long since the slither of golden light caught her peripherals and immediately made her avert her eyes to the rising sun. “Ah! Perfect timing!” Lelage giggled with delight, her hand dropped the scythe to rest on the butt of its snath. The woman leaned her weight against the tool, the tool being a few inches taller than her, and simply allowed her body to be consumed in the sunrise. The sky was a beautiful pallet of warms and cools gradient, the sky clear of any clouds. It was bound to be a beautiful day.


“Oh the simple things in life…” Lelage whispered to herself.