Kilynn, part 12

I didn't get any writing done today - Mondays are always busy and I'm still struggling with this blasted cough I have. S and I did skip soccer today because she came home with a scratchy voice and a cough. I figured it was better to let her rest than send her out to run for an hour. She had fun using watercolours and writing stories. It seems that S, at just shy of 6 years old, is a budding author. She wrote and illustrated a book today about a trip to the aquarium. I'll have to take pictures of it and share it because she was very proud of it. She loves writing little stories and adding pictures to them. Like mother, like daughter, eh? I'll need to get her some more loose paper and a stapler to make more books.

Because I had a couple of awesome writing sessions last week I have some more of my story to share with you today. Kilynn and her brothers were discussing things with their grandmother, Helene, about how to rescue their mother.

Kilynn, Part 12

“How are we going to rescue her, Grandmother? How are we even going to get there? From what you told us before, sailing there would be a very long journey. I don’t want Mother to have to wait for months, possibly years, for us to rescue her.” Ryl looked up at his grandmother, wondering what she had planned for them.

“No, you won’t be sailing to Tyrconia.” At her grandchildren’s puzzled looks she explained, “That is the name of the island my mother is from. You are correct, Ryl. It would take too long to sail there and the waters off the island are treacherous. No, you will get there by going through The Hunt’s tunnel.”

At this the three children gasped in astonishment.

“But Grandmother, how? Are we going to let ourselves be taken prisoner in hopes that we can escape and then rescue Mother? I know Herry and I have had some training as soldiers, but not enough to defeat The Hunt!” Ryl’s voice had begun to take on the angry tone Kilynn recognized as his way of hiding his fear. Helene reached out and patted the boy’s arm.

“No, Teryl. I don’t want you to be taken prisoner. That wouldn't do anyone any good. Do you remember the story I told you last night, about how Captain Willam, Larya, and Mikeal made it through the tunnel but the Lady Syranne did not?” The children nodded but kept quiet, allowing their grandmother to speak uninterrupted.

“From the time he arrived in this land through the tunnel, Mikeal began planning a way to get back to Tyrconia to rescue his beloved Syranne. My mother tried month after month on the night of the new moon to reopen the tunnel so that Mikeal could go back to the island. But month after month she failed for her abilities were gone. But then one night, the tunnel opened from the island side – Dyani had obtained the spell from Syranne and came searching for my mother. After this happened three months in a row, Mikeal had his plan ready.

“Mikeal hid in the trees near where the tunnel opened every month. As soon as The Hunt exited the tunnel, Mikeal ran through it back to the island. He had made many friends in his time on Tyrconia and these friends were willing to hide him from Dyani and her forces. He learned from his friends that Dyani hadn’t killed Syranne but still held her prisoner. Mikeal, with the help of some of his friends who had become guards for Dyani so they could act as spies, managed to sneak into the castle’s dungeon and free Syranne.

“The lovers were well hidden by loyal friends and on the next new moon, tried hard to get them back through the tunnel to our land here. But a large troop of Hunters guarded the tunnel, making it impossible for Mikeal and Syranne to enter. Disguising themselves, they fled to a small town on the far side of the island. They married and had many children, all who were raised to by loyal to my mother’s bloodline. When the children were old enough, they were sent back to the capital city where they became members of The Hunt, able to help pass messages between their parents and my parents.

“One of Mikeal and Syranne’s children would always come to visit my parents when The Hunt would be running through the land. They would bring news of the happenings of the island and messages of support from islanders who missed my mother and her kind ways. As a child, I paid no attention to these visits. But when I was around 15 years old, Syranne’s youngest child, Connyr, came to visit. We immediately took a liking to each other. Every month after that, Con would be the one to come visit. Even though our visits were only minutes long, I grew to love him.

“After months of his visits, I professed my love and was excited when he said he felt the same. In those few stolen minutes we began to plan how we might be together. I wanted him to leave The Hunt and come live with us in this land but his loyalty to his parents was strong and he wanted me to come to Tyrconia. I knew this would be too dangerous since I was the heir to the throne. In the end, we realized it would never work out for us. On his last visit, Con left me with a special gem that I could use to talk to him if I should ever be in danger.

“It has been many years since I have spoken to any of Mikeal and Syranne’s family but I have always held on to the gem Con gave me all those years. Last night after your mother was taken, I pulled out that gem and used it to call to my old love and amazingly he answered. He is still alive although now it is his grandchildren who are members of The Hunt. Con said they have been raised to be loyal to my bloodline and that he would contact them. I have hope that with Con’s help we will be able to rescue your mother.”

Helene stopped speaking and stared off into the woods. Kilynn had heard the sadness creeping into her grandmother’s voice as she spoke of her lost love. Kilynn thought she saw a tear or two sparkling in her grandmother’s eyes and she looked away. Her brothers, feeling a bit uncomfortable, jumped up. Herry hurried off to fetch a drink of water from the pond while Ryl filled a plate with food and handed it to his grandmother. Kilynn started to scoot away from her grandmother but a quick arm around her kept her in place.

“Ah, stay by me, little cat. Soon I will have to send you back to your father, but for now I want you here by me.” Kilynn moved back next to her grandmother while Helene nibbled on the food Ryl had brought her. When she was done, she spoke to the children.

“We must wait to hear from Con before we know when you will travel through the tunnel. But there are many other things we can work on so we can be ready as soon as I hear from him. All three of you must work on strengthening your fighting skills, for you want to be prepared as possible. I can’t imagine you will return from this adventure without having to fight."

Productive Monday!

So far, today has been a good day. It started out with a giggle because I, like many other parents I'm sure, checked the school board's webpage to confirm school was open. The school board kindly posted a message saying that yes, school was open. It just made me giggle that they actually did that.

Once I managed to pry the kids out of bed, they started getting ready for school. S was a little nervous about going back to school after being off for a week but as soon as she saw her buddies at the bus stop things got better. I then enjoyed a quiet breakfast by myself! It was very nice and quiet.

I could have just sat around the house enjoying the peace and quiet but I had things I needed to do. With the weather looking iffy for later this week, I wanted to make today as productive as possible. And I think I've succeeded so far. I found a pair of warm boots since my snow boots just weren't getting the job done. They were more expensive than I wanted, but when I tried on the cheaper boots I could tell they just weren't going to be good for my feet. I have trouble with plantar fasciitis so I have to make sure anything that goes on my feet is supportive or has room for insoles to provide support.

After buying boots, I had a good trip to the grocery store. I managed to get there early enough that it wasn't crowded but late enough that they had finished stocked the shelves so the aisles were nice and clear. We have food for the week, which is always a good thing.

When I got home I got supper started since tonight is hockey and soccer night which makes dinner time crazy. We're having beef vegetable soup made in the slow-cooker. I love my slow-cooker, especially on Monday nights. And the soup recipe is so simple - I'll stick the recipe down at the bottom if you are looking for a good, easy meal. After I started the soup I decided to use up the older bananas by making a loaf of banana-chocolate chip bread. I don't like bananas and won't eat the bread, but everyone else in the house will. I like to make special treats for them from time to time.

Once I got some laundry going and the dishwasher loaded and running I sat down and did some writing. I got a good solid hour of writing done and it felt good! I have more I want to write before I share it but time is growing short today. The bus will be here soon and then it's off to our Monday activities. I don't have anything on the schedule for Tuesday, so I plan on spending more time writing tomorrow while I finish up the laundry.

All in all it has been a productive Monday so far. It feels really good to be back to our regularly scheduled days. I'm afraid to look at the weather because I don't really want to know when we'll have another interruption in our days. Let's hope it's later rather than sooner!

Beef Vegetable Soup for the Slow-cooker:

1 lb of ground beef

2 14 oz cans of mixed veggies, undrained

1 8 oz can of tomato sauce

1 can of whole potatoes*

1 carton of beef broth (about 4 cups).**

Season ground beef with salt and pepper; brown, drain and dump into slow-cooker.

Add undrained veggies, tomato sauce, and potatoes, cut into small pieces. Stir to combine.

Cover with entire carton of beef broth.

Cover slow-cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 4-5.

*You can use fresh potatoes but parboil them first. I have a hard time getting potatoes cooked properly in my slow-cooker, so I tried using the canned ones this time. We'll see what happens!

**Use more beef broth if necessary to cover everything and have enough broth. 

Kilynn, part 9

Today has been a good writing day. I scrapped just about everything I had written since I posted part 8. What I had written just didn't feel right. Every time I read it I felt cranky, which made me realize it just wasn't what I wanted to say. Yesterday I came up with a new idea but it wasn't until today that I was able to get time to write it down. I've read through it a few times now and made some minor changes, All in all, I'm happy with the way it turned out. So, here you go. Sorry it's long, but I don't feel like there's a good place to cut it into two posts. Enjoy!

Kilynn climbed out of bed shortly before the sun came up. After her father had left the room, she had crawled into bed still fully clothed. She had slept fitfully, dreams of the potentially horrible things being done to her mother flitting through her head. She eventually gave up trying to sleep and lay there thinking of her mother and wondering how in the world she would reach an island halfway around the world. She hoped her grandmother had an idea.

With her head aching from lack of sleep, Kilynn got up and tiptoed downstairs. She wanted to get out of the house before anyone else was awake so she could slip back out into the woods and search for her grandmother. When she entered the kitchen she was surprised to see Herry standing at the stove, attempting to cook eggs and bacon. She stood in the doorway for a few minutes, watching him rush about, cursing under his breath. When he threw the spatula into the sink with a loud curse, she couldn't keep her laughter in any longer.

Surprised, Herry spun quickly about to glare at his sister. Then he glanced around the room and broke into a sheepish grin. “Give me a hand here, sis?” he asked. Kilynn laughed as she walked over to the stove and took over cooking breakfast. Laughing with her brother seemed to soothe the ache in her head.

“Mother always did say you were hopeless in the kitchen, Herry,” Kilynn told him as she flipped the bacon out of the pan and onto the plate. “You were always too busy reading her cookbook to actually learn how to cook.”

“I know,” Herry replied. “I just thought I could figure it out this morning. With Mother gone someone had to feed this hungry crew.” Kilynn heard the catch in his voice when he mentioned their mother. He was trying very hard to be brave. Kilynn gave him a smile and turned back to the stove, hiding the tears that had formed in her eyes. She felt a hand touch her shoulder and looked up into her brother’s bright green eyes. “It’s going to be okay, Kilynn. We’ll get her back. I believe Grandmother.”

“So do I, Herry. It’s just hard to believe that she’s actually gone.” Kilynn planned to say more but her older brothers clomped into the room. Kilynn put the eggs and bacon on the table while Herry, who had managed to correctly brew the coffee, placed the carafe on the table. Her brothers dug into the food, ignoring their youngest sibling. Kilynn could feel the hostility coming off them and she couldn’t blame them. No matter what anyone said, Kilynn knew she was reason their mother had been outside at the wrong time. Kilynn grabbed a bit of food and then went to sit quietly in the corner, away from her brothers.

The room was silent except for the sound of everyone eating until Robbert walked into the room. Everyone stopped eating to look up at him except for Kilynn. She looked down at the floor, refusing to look at her father and see the hurt in his eyes. Robbert picked up a plate and filled it from the various dishes on the table then sat down and began to eat, listing out the things that needed to be done in the store today. His sons resumed eating but Kilynn had suddenly lost her appetite. She slid down from the stool in the corner and attempted to slip out of the room when her father’s voice stopped her.

“Kilynn, please stay here. I’d like to speak with you.” Kilynn gulped nervously while her brothers quickly stuffed the rest of their food into their mouths. One by one they dropped their plates in the sink and then headed downstairs to the family store. Ryl was the last to leave the room, stopping to give Kilynn a look of sympathy before he left the kitchen and closed the door behind him.

When the door was closed, Robbert patted the chair next to him. “Come sit, little cat.” She walked over and cautiously sat down next to her father. She did smile a tiny smile at his nickname for her. He had called her his little cat since she was young because she would hiss and spit like a little cat when angered. It felt good to have him call her that but she was still nervous about what he was going to say. She glanced at the door and wished Herry and Ryl had stayed. She often felt stronger when her brothers were close by and she knew she would need a great deal of strength for the conversation that was about to start.

Even though they had both apologized last night, Kilynn still expected her father to be angry. But instead of scolding her, Robbert said, “Your grandmother sent me a message this morning. She said she talked with you and your brothers in the woods last night. Is that correct?”

Kilynn looked up at her father and nodded. He sighed and took a bite of eggs. Kilynn, unsure of what to say, just waited for her father to speak again. “So now you know. Your mother always wanted to tell you, and all your brothers, about her family history but I asked her not to. I wanted you and your brothers to have as normal a life as possible. But my reluctance to acknowledge your mother’s ancestors has put us in this situation. I was wrong to blame you, little cat. It isn't your fault your mother was taken; the fault is mine.”

Kilynn stared at her father in surprise. This was not what she was expecting. She expected him to yell at her, or at least give her a good lecture for her stupidity of running away after their argument the day before but instead he was taking the blame on himself. Her father ignored her shocked expression and continued speaking.

“Yesterday you came to us, asking about attending the Academy like your older brothers had. Your mother and I had discussed this not long ago, when Ryl and Herry began thinking about going to the Academy. We should have told you then about your ancestors and The Hunt. If you had known the truth then you probably wouldn't have run away. Your brothers did follow you, by the way. They made sure you were safe in the woods then came back to wait at the town walls for your return. They had sent word to us that they would be there. When the second to last bell sounded, your mother left to go to the wall to retrieve you all. But for some reason, she didn't make it to the safety of the wall and was taken by The Hunt.

“Your mother wasn't happy with me for my decision yesterday. She has always wanted you to have and do whatever your brothers did, regardless of the fact that it may not be ‘proper’ for you. She saw nothing wrong with you going provided we talked with you first about The Hunt and the island before you went. But I didn't want to tell you. I wanted to keep you here, where I could keep you safe. If I let you go away to the Academy, there would be no way for me to ensure that you would be safe. I know it was hard for you to hear my decision yesterday. I’m sorry I made the wrong one but I did it for the best of reasons, truly.

Robbert took a sip of coffee then continued speaking. “Currently, you are the last female of your mother’s line. The island people are a matriarchal society, so you are the heir to the throne.  Technically, little cat, you are a princess.”

At that statement, that she was a princess, Kilynn couldn't help but giggle. She had slopped eggs on her pants, coffee on her shirt, her hands were rough and banged up, and she had forgotten to brush her hair that morning. She felt like the complete opposite of a princess. At her giggle, Robbert smiled. Kilynn stood up and attempted a curtsey but promptly tripped over her own feet and flopped back down into the chair. Robbert let out a chuckle and Kilynn smiled at him.

“Ah, little cat, you can always put a smile on my face.” He reached over and attempted to smooth her hair down. “But seriously, Kilynn, do you understand now why we had to say no to you? It wasn’t because we didn't think you could handle it as you so politely told us.” Kilynn had the decency to blush at that. She had not been very polite to her parents when she was told no. “On the contrary I think you would be an exceptional student at the Academy. We had to say no to protect you and others. If The Hunt discovered your ‘scent’ as it were, they would stop at nothing to track you down. You and those attending the Academy would be in grave danger.”

Kilynn sighed and nodded. “Yes, Father, I understand. But going to the Academy is moot at this point. I cannot even begin to think about going away to school when Mother is missing. I have things to do here.” Kilynn stopped suddenly, thinking it might not be a good idea to tell her father about their planning to rescue Vanyssa.

“Ah yes,” her father replied. “Your grandmother included an interesting tidbit in her message to me. Something about going to rescue your mother. Do you really think you can do this, Kilynn? So many people before you have tried to rescue loved ones and only ended up getting taken by The Hunt in the process. I don’t know if I can allow you to do this, little cat.”

Kilynn looked at her father. She wished her grandmother hadn't told her father about the rescue attempt. Kilynn herself wasn't sure she could do this, but she had to convince her father that she could.

“Yes, Father, I think I can do this. You said it yourself – I am my mother’s heir. If anyone has a chance at rescuing Mother, it is me. Grandmother said they are probably doing horrible things to Mother, and they will probably do the same to me if they catch me. But I can’t let that stop me. I cannot sit back, wishing and hoping that Mother will magically be returned. Grandmother believes that I am the one to save Mother and I believe her.” Kilynn hoped she sounded confident when she said that because she was truly feeling scared.

Her father leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table then buried his face in his hands. Kilynn sat patiently, waiting to see what he would say. She was planning on doing this with or without his blessing, but with would be better. She saw his shoulders shake for a bit but when he finally looked up his face was calm and composed even if his eyes were a bit red.

“I don’t know if I can do this, Kilynn. I've just lost your mother and now I face the possibility of losing you, and your brothers. Oh, I know that they won’t let you go without them so don’t even try to convince me otherwise. Your grandmother seems to believe you can do this. I have known her a very long time and she doesn't put her trust in people easily, even family. But she seems to trust you. So go, Kilynn. Go to your grandmother. She will be waiting for you, and your brothers, at the pond at midday. I just hope I am not sending you three to your deaths.”

Kilynn jumped up and hugged her father tightly. He returned the hug as he whispered, “I love you, my brave daughter.” Then he let her go and returned his face to his hands. Kilynn quietly left the room, shutting the door behind her.

Monday, Monday

Today is another bright and sunny day - the calm before the storm. Tomorrow we're expecting a blizzard, which means the kids and the hubby will all be home tomorrow. So I took advantage of the quiet today and worked more on the section of Kilynn that I'm writing. I'm still not ready to put it up here yet - it needs some editing and some of the people need names. I need to do some searching online on some baby name websites to help me.

Even though everyone will most likely be home tomorrow I am going to try to grab an hour or so to revise/edit the section I've been working on lately so I can get it up. It is long so I will have to break it up over two days for publishing it. I'm eager to keep writing because I know what's going to happen next and want to get it down on paper but I really do need to finish polishing up the current section first.

Mondays are always a crazy day. I probably should have spent more time writing today but I was so close to finishing a hat that I wanted to get that done. It's for my friend and I hope she likes it. It's very similar to a hat worn by her favorite character in the first season on her favorite show. I saw it and thought of her. I like how it turned out so I may have to make myself one. She and I can be all cutesy and have matching hats. :-)

Okay, it's soon time for the kids to be home and then we're off to hockey and soccer. Like I said, Mondays are a bit crazy for us. Maybe I will try to do my editing while I'm waiting so I can have more time to write tomorrow during the blizzard.

And did you watch Galavant last night? If you didn't, shame on you. Once again it was damn funny! And they left us with a cliffhanger for season two! I can't wait for season two. :-)