Anelle lifted the last violin case up to Kae. The boxes were heavier with the instruments safely tucked inside. She stepped back catching her breath and rubbing her sore arms, as Kae added it to the pile on the back of the wagon.
The morning was bright and the street filled with people moving about their business. During mornmeal Klin had explained today was going to be busy. The first official day of spring was upon them and that meant there was lots of work to be done before the festivities that evening.
The doors to the workshop had been flung open and the old wagon brought up to meet them. Anelle and Tiione brought the instruments to the wagon for Kae to stack.
Anelle walked round the wagon and held out her hand to greet Lile. The creature sniffed her hand with her snout huffing warm air into her fingers. Lile was small for even a female tilk with thinner limbs than most. Anelle scratched under her ears, curling her fingers through Lile's dense shaggy coat. Lile tilted her head up, huffed and happily stomped her feet.
Anelle walked back to the side of the wagon. Kae leaned down and offered her a hand. She took it and made the high step onto the wagon bed. She stumbled as the wagon jolted. Kae held her elbows to steady her. She looked up at him, her breath coming fast. His eyes held her gaze; dark pools of ink she longed to sink deeper into.
"Thank you." She whispered, tearing her eyes away from his.
"Here." He said, gesturing to the low bench on the side of the wagon. She sat and Kae took the seat opposite. With all the boxes and supplies on the wagon there was only a small section of bench for the two of them.
She looked up at him through her lashes, studying him. His long hair was tied loosely at the nape of his neck with a red ribbon. His clean shaven face accentuated his strong jawline. He was dressed in a black frock coat with red embroidery along the collar and pockets. She imagined him walking through the entrance to Sutton manor. Would Kae have been able to charm her father into allowing them to marry? Anelle felt her cheeks warming. She turned away embarrassed. What was she thinking? Kae let a mischievous smile grace his lips. Anelle opened her mouth trying to think of something to say.
"You're wondering why I'm dressed like this?" He said breaking the silence between them. His smile bloomed into a cheeky grin.
She nodded.
"Well in order to sell instruments to wealthy merchants and nobles, you need to look the part." He stood and turned with arms out, letting her marvel at his jacket.
"I see, wh-"
"Kae!" Emera shouted as she walked over from the house, her voice travelling over the hustle and bustle of the street beyond. "Kae, make sure to be back before midday, I'll have luncheon ready. I need Anelle this afternoon," she turned towards Anelle, "make sure not to work too hard, alright. It's going to be a long day, save some energy for tonight." Amera winked.
"But it will be easier to stay by the shop. The food stalls will be up and running by midday so we can eat there." Kae replied.
"I should think you need to save your coin for tonight, especially considering you recently had to buy a very expensive bottle of wine."
The blood drained from his face, he looked between his mother and Anelle for a moment before nodding agreement. Anelle did all she could to hide her amusement. His confidence didn't allow many moments when he was taken by surprise.
"Alright we will be back at noon." He responded quietly.
With a satisfied smile on her face, Emera walked back into the workshop.
Klin jumped up into the driver's seat. The wagon shook and Anelle grabbed hold of the seat.
"We got everything?" Klin shouted over his shoulder.
"NO!" A muffled shout came from inside. Tiione came running out from the workshop, with one arm in his brown jacket as he fought to get his other arm in. His hat stuffed into his mouth. He jumped into the front and placed his hat on. "All here now."
Klin whipped the reins and Lile began her steady walk down the street.
The wagon lurched forward and Anelle kept a firm grip on the seat, all too aware that there was very little to keep her from falling off the back. The wagon kept a steady pace and Anelle was able to relax, she kept her hands on the seat just in case.
The streets became more and more crowded as they moved towards the mareket district. The crowds moved with urgency; everyone with somewhere else to be. Other wagons moving in the same direction as them, moved slowly through the throngs of people.
A group of children ran past singing:
"It all burned down,
it burned to the ground.
Athon was on fire till the sun went down.
The White Witch's final act,
turning white stone black."
Once at the main street the crowds became thicker and the wagon slowed to a crawl. Young boys on ladders were hanging bunting across the street. Some climbed over rooftops to the residents' chagrin. The strips of fabric were attached to strings on opposite edges making the fabric hang horizontally. The swatches of fabric dangled over head creating a canopy of bright colours. The sun shone through them to create shadows of bright reds, oranges and blues over the people and the street below. Anelle looked up, her mouth agape in wonder at all the bright colours overhead, she had never seen anything like it before.
"Get comfortable. This may take some time." Klin shouted over his shoulder.
Anelle looked down the street and saw a massive queue of people. Mostly couples and families holding new babies and young children.
"Where are they all going?" Anelle asked.
"They're going to church to have their children blessed." Kae responded.
"But why now?"
"After a child survives its first winter they are dedicated to the gods and blessed by a priest. It will bring good luck to the family and with the gods blessing the child will make it to adulthood.
"Do you remember when we first met? I introduced myself as Giien-Kae. Giien is the name of the god of angels. He is a protector and said to repay his faithful followers. I was dedicated to him and named after him too."
"But you don't use the name Giien, you prefer to be called Kae." She pointed out.
"Well it's quite common for people to name their first born sons after him. Plus it's disrespectful to go round with the same name as a god so I use the second half of my name."
The wagon lurched forward. Anelle grabbed hold of the bench and looked towards the driver's seat. Klin had given Tiione the reins. He jerked the reins and the wagon came to a violent stop. Anelle slowly released her grip.
"Does that mean Tiione has another name as well?" She said.
"No," Kae smiled with a slight shake of his head, "Tiione was born in winter during a snowstorm. The word 'tione' means snow but mother insisted on adding the extra 'I' because of the trouble he caused." He looked around and leaned towards her, lowering his voice slightly. "He is unofficially dedicated to the god of mischief, Jiian. On top of being a large babe, he caused mother to go into false labour two times before he was born. It was another three panthones before he was born and mother was at her wits end."
Anelle looked up at Tiione, "Does he know?"
Kae laughed leaning back in his seat.
"Of course he knows. Sometimes I think he plays into it. Mother's always scolding him and saying, 'I named you right'."
Anelle smiled at the thought. She'd heard Emera say those very words many times over the winter.
The wagon limped on slowly moving with the crowd of families, bobbing like a ship with no sails, letting the current move them along. The streets began to widen as they approached the centre of the commercial district and the wagon was able to glide its way through the people. The distance sent of grilled meats wafted past on a warm breeze. Rows of houses turned to shop windows. Cobbled stone streets into smooth stone slabs. The canopy came and went overhead, different streets favouring different colours. The fabric turned to shades of bright blue as the wagon pulled into a small layby between two shops.
Kae jumps down and offers a hand to Anelle. She took it with a thank you and jumped down. He steadied her before stepping aside and picked up the closest boxes off the back of the wagon.
"I'll see you two tonight. Travel safe," Klin shouts over his shoulder towards Kae and Anelle, "walk on." Tiione, still holding the reins, brought the cart out of the alley and continued down the road into the crowd.
"Follow me." Kae said, with a flourish of his empty hand. He pulled out a set of keys from his pocket and proceeded up the steps to the shop's door.
The shop was painted a deep blue with a large white door in the centre. It had two bay windows that jutted out, letting people see in from different angles. The displays had different string instruments, violins, lutes and mandolins. Above the windows was a large sign with Ealrian letters across it. Anelle began to sound out the letter, remembering the countless evenings Kae spent teaching her.
"K…le no…li…n…n…e no…o, Klinno?" Anelle remembered seeing that same set of letters inscribed in black cursive on each of the instruments.
"That's right." Kae replied waiting by the door. He had put down the boxes and came back to find her. "It's father's full name. Well, he's technically Klinno the third but everyone knows him as Klin. My great grandfather started this shop almost sixty years ago."
"Is that how long your family has been luthiers?" She asked.
"God's no, according to father, the family used to be wandering traders and lumber jacks before that. Making and selling instruments all over the continent and returning to Athon only once every few years. In my great grandfather's day he decided to buy this shop and let the people come to us."
Kae held open the door, beckoning her inside.
"I hope that one day the Klinno name will be known all over the continent and beyond for its craftsmanship." Kae said, smiling ear to ear with pride.
The shop was larger than the Klinnon house, with a lavish carpet and seating areas. The walls were painted the same white as the door. The floors were hardwood. A counter in a U shape sat at the back of the room. A door leading to a storage room behind it was ajar. An archway to the left led to a round stage for performing. The walls were filled with an array of violins, lutes and mandolins in different colours and shades of varnish. All beautifully crafted.
Kae brought out some rags and a broom from the storage room.
"I'm afraid the main job we have to do is clean before we can open up shop." He said apologetically.
"I don't mind." She replied. Anelle picked up a rag and began dusting the shelves.
They cleaned all morning, with a brief interruption. A travelling performer who had broken her bow and desperately needed a new one before the festival got into full swing. She had bronzed skin and dark matted hair in braids, with bells and metal rings woven through. She wore an interesting dress with a skirt made of layered fabrics, all ending at points towards the ground. When Kae brought out the new bow she nearly kissed him and paid an extra silver for it.
"And I think we are done." He said as he finished mopping the floor and checked the clock on the wall. "We should be getting home if we don't want to induce mothers wrath." Kae said.
They stepped outside and Kae locked the shop. The street was packed with people, many had already started the celebrations and in a drunken stupor. The heads of children bobbed through the crowd as they explored the different stalls and entertainment.
Kae offered his arm and dove into the throng of people holding her arm on his. He leaned in to make sure she could hear over the crowd.
"This way!"
He dragged her out of the busyness and into a side street with less people.
Anelle marveled at how Kae knew his way around the maze-like streets. Athary, where she grew up, was a single lane street with one grocers, one butcher and one book shop. Athon had such a variety of shops she discovered something new every time she went out.
A group of boys dashed past them. She imagined a young Kae running after his friends, dodging people as they tried to tag each other.
They weaved through smaller streets and across busy ones, mostly avoiding people. Small alleys and through side gates only locals would know existed. Seemingly dead ends with small passages out to other streets and back to the familiar cobbles and houses.
The front door was opened. Emera's singing drifted down the street. The smell of fresh bread greeted them.
"We're back." Kae announced as they entered the living room.
"Perfect." Emera said, emerging from the kitchen with a plate of sliced dried meat. Anelle and Kae grabbed the rest of the dishes and they sat down for their meal. The meal was brief. Both Anelle and Kae had worked up an appetite and barely breathed between bites.
"I should be returning to the shop." Kae announced. "We should make a decent profit today," he turned to Anelle, "I'll come find you later and show you around the festival." Kae said.
"I look forward to it." She smiled.
Emera looked between them without saying a word. She watched out the window as Kae walked down the street until he ducked into the alley. To Anelle's surprise Emera took off her apron and began waving it outside the door before putting it back on. A few moments later Silei and her daughter in law Betil came over from across the street. Silei was holding a cloth bag with something in it.
"Phy-Los, Anelle." They said one after the other.
"Phy-Dae, Silei, Betil." Anelle replied, confusion written across her face. She turned to Emera looking for answers but Emera was at the table opening the bag Silei had previously been holding. Emera held up a light blue dress in front of Anelle. She nodded and handed it to Anelle. The dress was made of a soft light cotton.
"Go put this on." Emera instructed.
Anelle came back downstairs moments later wearing the dress. It has a slight bell shape to the skirt and a comfortable neckline that danced the line of modesty. Capped sleeves with a slight puff to them. The dress had two lines of frills around the skirt and the same around the neck. The bodice was too wide and sagged, the hem was too long as well. She had to walk holding the skirt in one hand.
"The colour is perfect on her." Emera said, looking her up and down.
All three women stood looking at her for a moment.
"Well the hem needs shortening as well as the bodice." Silei stated.
"As we will need to adjust the bodice, let's shorten it from the middle, add some pleats to save the frills along the bottom of the skirt." Emera proposed.
They all nodded in agreement and sent Anelle to change.
The skirt and bodice were separated and the four women divided up the work and began sewing. A few hours and a couple try-ons later Anelle was standing in the living room wearing the blue dress. The bodice fit snug over her corset and the hem tickled the top of her feet. Emera, Silei and Betil stood back to admire their work.
Anelle grinned from ear to ear, a warm sensation rolled through her stomach. The dress was simple. Had life treated her differently she would have been mortified to wear something so common. But she cherished the last couple of hours working with these kind people to make her a dress. Her eyes began to well as she stood there, threatening to spill tears.
"What's wrong, child?" Emera held her hand, concerned.
"Thank you." She whispered, shaking her head. "I'm so grateful, thank you." She took a deep breath and blinked away the tears.
Silei turned to Betil and quietly asked, "Do you think Kae will like it?"
Anelle felt heat rising to her cheeks at the thought of seeing Kae.
"Oh, he'll love it." Emera answered.
"How can you be so certain?"
Emera smiled. "It's not the dress he's fond of."