The Heir of King Meldh, Chapter III, Reading 1

As usual, Dakra was the first one in the house to awaken.  She had always liked to greet her family in the morning with a hot breakfast.  Today it was even more important to her for this would be the last hot meal Flindra would have for many days.  It was also the last meal the family would share together for Leudh and his family would be coming over for breakfast to see Flindra on her way.

The little cottage soon was filled with the rich aromas of fried ham and eggs, bread warming by the fire, and hot spiced cider.  Dakra wanted Flindra to have a filling meal so she cooked half again as much as she usually did.  It would be much easier for her to spend a long day in the saddle if she started off with a full belly.

Flindra awoke with the delicious aromas seeping up from below.  She got up and splashed cold water on her face to finish the process of waking up.  After drying off, she started the mundane job of getting dressed.  Her movements were slow and unenthusiastic for she wanted to delay the moment of her departure for as long as she could.

After she was dressed, she sat on her bed for a while and watched the morning stars slowly fade as the sun neared the horizon.  It would be a cool day but the chill would help her stay alert.  Her journeys into the crystal made her feel uneasy and she knew that there was danger approaching her.  She would have to keep her wits intact if she wanted to reach Kewero safely.  That meant she couldn't allow herself to dull her focus with grief.  She would have to watch herself closely.

She left the bed when she heard Brehwan arrive downstairs and looked once more around the room.  The things she was taking were packed and ready to be stowed behind her saddle.  There was nothing to bring her back here once she went below.  She turned around slowly and tried to memorize every feature of the room so she would never forget her life here.  It was important to her to remember.  Her memories were her anchors, which would always stabilize her in the storms of her future.

When she was finished, she walked through her brother's old room and down the narrow staircase.

"Good morning," she said in greeting, trying to keep as much cheerfulness in her tone as she could manage.

"Morning Flindra," Brehwan answered with a forced smile of her own.  "Leudh and the boys are in the barn."

Flindra nodded in understanding as she went to give her mother a hand with the cooking.  "Morning, Momma."

"Morning, dear.  Did you sleep well?"

She smiled, this time with genuine feeling.  Her mother's question spoke volumes of concern and love.  "I did.  The sprig of lavender you put next to my pillow made me sleep well and brought me pleasant dreams."

The Heir of King Meldh, Chapter II, Reading 2

Leudh followed Flindra’s tracks into the forest.  He was a skilled hunter so it was easy for him to see where she’d traveled.  Her path rambled about aimlessly.  He knew in his heart that she was troubled and wasn’t paying much attention to where she was going.  After several miles of meandering, her tracks finally led him to a quiet grove of aspen.

The aspen leaves had long since turned gold and were falling to the ground to form a soft carpet.  The afternoon sun filtered through the branches, giving the forest floor a patchwork appearance.  It was a charming scene and he knew his sister would enjoy it.  It came as no surprise to him when he caught of glimpse of her sitting on a fallen log.

Flindra smiled when she heard him and rose to greet him.  "Looking for me, Leudh," she called before he came into view.

He chuckled in a pleased manner.  "How did you know it was me?"

"I know you and know your step," she explained with a small smile.  "You’re my brother."  She looked at him and tears welled up in her eyes.  She quickly turned away to hide her feelings.

Leudh closed the distance to her and touched her gently on the shoulder.  "I’ll always be your brother.  No one can take that away from us."  His tone was gentle and sympathetic.  He pulled her into an embrace.  "Your fate and your duty may separate us but we’re family."

She sobbed in answer but could say nothing more for several minutes.  Tears ran down her cheeks as she pressed her face against his chest.

"Momma asked me to find you," he continued in a low voice.  "She's worried about you, little sister.  You've been in the forest most of the day.  Please, don't turn away from us.  We’re here to help and listen.  Will you share your feelings with me?  I think you'll find it'll help just by sharing your pain with a sympathetic ear."

Flindra gave a small snort of impatience.  "At this point, I don't even know what to think!"

"Well, why don’t you just start by emptying your heart.  I can listen for as long as it takes and talking might help you focus your thoughts."

"All right," she agreed hesitantly.

Leudh kept an arm about her shoulders and guided her to a seat on a fallen tree.  He selected the spot so they rested under a patch of the afternoon sun.  He kept one of her hands between both of his after they sat.  He wanted to give as much comfort as possible.

"So tell me now, what do you feel?"

She took a deep breath.  "I feel like a stranger to myself.  I feel like a tree with no roots."

"Flindra, let me ask you a question," Leudh interrupted.

"Of course."

"Do you feel any less loved today than you did before you were told about your true heritage?"

She shook her head.  "No, I feel very loved."

"Then don't feel rootless.  Your destiny may take you away from us, but you're not alone for the Spirit will always be with you.  And this can always be your home if you want it to be."

"Thanks Leudh."  She squeezed his hand in appreciation.  His words had given her some measure of comfort.

He smiled and laughed softly.  "Anytime, little sister," he replied in a pleased tone.  "Now go on.  Open your heart.  What do you feel?"

"There's so much pain.  There's pain from Papa's death and there is pain from having to leave my family and my home.  My whole world has been changed in such a short time."

"That's understandable."

The Heir of King Meldh, Chapter II, Reading 1

Dakra walked outside with a basket of freshly washed laundry clasped in both hands.  She glanced around the clearing to see if she could spot her daughter.  Flindra had gone for a walk shortly after breakfast and hadn’t returned.  She frowned as she glanced at the afternoon sun and started hanging the clothes out to dry on the lines stretched between a post and the south side of the cottage.

"Be with her, Spirit," she prayed.

Dakra's relationship with the Divine was simple and direct.  She'd often have prayerful conversations with Him as she worked.

"Flindra's troubled," she continued in a low voice.  "She won't say anything, but I know her too well to be deceived.  Please guide my words so that I might comfort her.  I really want to find some way to help ease her troubled heart.  Help me to help her."

Leudh's voice interrupted her prayers.  He was calling the twins into his house.  Dakra smiled at the sound and was touched by an insightful idea to send him to speak with Flindra.  They'd always been close and he might be able to soothe her troubled heart.

"Thank you, Spirit," she murmured.  "It's a good idea to send Leudh.  Thank you for helping me to see that."

Her own heart felt peaceful as she hung the rest of the laundry.  She basked in the comforting knowledge that the Spirit was with her and her family.  He would never leave them without hope.

Kriki's Gift, Chapter XXIX, Reading 2

During the first hour of the ride, she glimpsed the presence of their troops only twice and understood how Lieutenant Benlof had expressed surprise at seeing how well hidden these men were.  She knew that there were hundreds of men in position to battle the Valkea's forces.  General Ghesor was brilliant to be able to disperse his men so skillfully.  It gave her a deep sense of security to know that the general and so many soldiers were hiding beyond observation and just waiting to spring into action.

As the sun rose higher in the sky, the low hanging clouds peeled away from the peaks revealing the new snow glinting with dazzling beauty in the sunlight.  Occasionally, the weight of snow on a tree branch would bend the limb too steeply and the snow would fall in a crash of powder that sparkled in the air like a shower of rainbow dust.  She remembered that as a child she would look at a snow covered landscape and could imagine that the sparkles in the snow were in reality an infinite assortment of delicious sweets.  Once, when she was very young, she had tasted an especially beautiful icicle and had welded her tongue to the frozen treat.  She smiled at the comforting silliness of her childhood memories.  She left her mind focused on other pleasant memories of her childhood for it gave her a sense of peace and comfort.

Chapter XIV, Reading 1

Flindra's days with the Rangers turned into weeks and then months.  She had developed an easy rapport with the men during her first few days with them.  Her quiet confidence and unusual abilities had quickly won her the respect and friendship of her comrades.  Her skills made their tasks easier and safer to accomplish and thus made their lives better.  It was relatively easy to be accepted by a group when one added something to the collected talents of the whole.

She was content with the situation for she truly felt that she was making a worthy contribution to the cause of Prince Storos.  She was fulfilling her destiny and this added meaning to her life.  She had taken another step on the journey to the final confrontation with the Nameless Ones.  She was content to allow the Spirit to control her actions.

The discipline and regimentation of a soldier's life agreed with her as well.  Her duties kept her busy so she never had the time to feel overwhelmed by her destiny or to be touched by the sorrow in her life.  The friendship she had been granted by her comrades helped to fill the aching void in her heart.  They could never replace her family, but they kept her from missing them too much.

At night, in the privacy of her tent, she routinely contacted her mother and Leudh as well as Kewero.  They worried about her, certainly, but they also were pleased that she had found a situation where she could begin her destiny.  Leudh was a source of information she frequently called upon when her own skills of woodcraft seemed lacking.  More than anything, he just bolstered her confidence in her own knowledge.  She knew what she needed to perform her duties she just had to believe in herself.

Once her skills were fully appreciated by the Rangers and the beginning of friendships had started, the men began to ask questions of her, hungry to learn the wisdom of the forest.  They were in a perfect situation to learn and to use this wealth of knowledge to successfully carry out their orders.  They began to apply their newfound wisdom and their success was greatly enhanced.

During the next few months, the success of Kalmyk's troop of Rangers caught the attention of the High Command.  They needed to rely on skilled and competent commanders so he and his troop were given increasingly important and critical assignments.  Flindra was a part of his success but she never tried to steal the credit from her officers and comrades.  She was a silent member of the team and needed no praise to continue with her job.