1.1: Wheels in Motion
"Mother, you were up quite early this morning. Earlier than usual even." Brother Randall looked at his Abbess across the chess board, his eyes inquisitive.
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Marian pursed her lips. "Perhaps I was. I needed to collect the honey from the bees before I went on my errands."
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"I could have done that," Randall offered.
Marian let out an undignified snicker. "You? Randall, remember what happened last time?"
He grimaced. "Hm... you have a point." It certainly hadn't gone well. While Marian could coax the bees into giving up their honey, Randall was not quite so lucky. "Even with the suit, I managed to get welts from their stings..."
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Marian nodded. "Yes, exactly. They can sense your fear."
Randall's expression would have been withering if he hadn't been struggling not to laugh. "They probably can at that." He laughed at himself. "What can I say? I love their honey. Them? Not so much."
"Everyone serves their purpose to our Watcher, including the bees," Marian reminded him. Her brow furrowed.
"Are you worried? About your- vision?" Though he was a believer, his faith tended to be more in Marian and those around him than in the Matriarch. So Marian's vision-dream had been a bit to swallow.
"I suppose I am. More in that I need to convince the King. I know him to be a reasonable man, even a man of faith, but he's also a man of the world."
"Are you going to enlist Lady Campbell's aide in convincing him?"
"I wasn't entirely sure I was. I know of her, but had never had the pleasure. But I think it is my best course of action."
"So you plan on paying a call to her now then? Which is why you were up earlier than usual."
Marian nodded. "Yes, exactly."
"Do you want me to accompany you?"
"No, with me gone, someone will have to watch over the Abbey."
"Of course."
Marian stood up. "We'll have to finish our game later on this evening."
*****
Marian stood on the street, a cold breeze sending a shiver through her. The house before her was impressive by her standards, though the Abbess knew it wasn't the grandest in Newcrest. She looked around for a moment, then let out a soft breath before she strode up the walkway.
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She rapped her knuckles gently on the door and then waited a moment. It wasn't long before she could hear the faint echoes of footfalls and then the door opened. A rather handsome man opened the door. "Ah, you must be Mother Marian. Please, come in." He stepped back to let her in, bowing a little. They stood in the tastefully decorated dining room.
"Lord Campbell. I apologize for disturbing you so early," Marian murmured. She had heard much of the new Lord Campbell. It was hard to tell what was true and what wasn't, though she could believe that he was a far better man than his father. Lord Villareal was well known to most, even here in Newcrest.
Gunner shook his head. "No apologies necessary, Mother." Though his eyes sparkled a bit, he used her title without a hitch. "To be honest, Beatrice and I are often up early because of the twins."
"Oh yes, that's right! Congratulations. Twins are a blessing."
Gunner snorted. Marian frowned. "Oh, don't misunderstand me, Chase and Zuri are a light. But two at once runs us a bit ragged. They insist on opposite schedules, it seems."
Marian's cheeks flushed. "I apologize. I can only imagine how challenging it must be."
"Gunner?"
"Your appointment is here, Triss!" he called out. Marian's estimation of him went up. The way he spoke his wife's name and the look in his eyes as she came into the room was enough to tell Marian what she needed to know.
Beatrice approached Marian and curtsied. "Welcome to our home, Mother. Your message sounded urgent. Please, follow me." She looked at Gunner, who nodded.
"Please, join me in the study. We'll be undisturbed there."
Marian followed after her hostess. Once the study door closed, Marian let out an explosion of breath. "I don't wish to keep you long. But what I have to discuss is imperative."
"So I gathered from your message. What can I help you with?"
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Marian clasped her arms in front of her, too keyed up to sit down. "I need to gain an audience with the King and I need your help in convincing him of something."
Beatrice arched a brow, and except for a slight narrowing of her eyes, her expression changed little. "Convince him of what, exactly?"
"That Newcrest- and the world- will experience a change in weather, the likes of which have never been seen in our world before."
Beatrice's eyes widened.
Marian winced. "I-I do realize that one such as yourself needs more proof-"
Beatrice waved a hand. "I've been noticing a shift in the weather for some weeks now. Tell me, how do you know?"
"The Matriarch visited me in a dream."
Beatrice was silent for a time. "It is no secret that I am not a devout follower. But I am well aware of you, Mother, and of your absolute faith. I believe you."
"Truly?"
"Yes. Truly."
Marian had to hold in the sigh of relief. There wasn't time for relief. She still wasn't sure how much time they had. The weather had already been colder than she could ever remember before. "The Matriarch showed me visions. Visions of heat and rain. But what worries me more is the visions of snow and cold."
"Snow?" Marian could see the wheels turning in the other woman's head. "That could prove disasterous. Yes, the King must be told, as well as the rest of the citizens. I will message the King now."
Marian was a bit taken aback at how quickly it was all moving. "A-are you certain?"
"Of course. The King must be told. And we must take steps while we can. Do you know how much time we have?"
"No. That I don't know."
"Well, no matter. We'll have to do what we can as quickly as possible."
*****
While Mother Marian met with Lady Campbell, Randall was up to his elbows in laundry. "This is what I get for waiting so long," he grumbled as he scrubbed a piece of clothing over the board. At least the courtyard was sheltered so the chill wasn't as bad as it could be.
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Of course, he kept eyeing the bee boxes in either corner with a hint of trepidation. He finished as quickly as he could and took the finished load of clothes out to the clotheslines.
He wiped the back of his hand over his forehead. That was one chore out of the way, at least. He knew there was a toilet that needed some fixing, too. Pushing his sleeves up, he took care of that as well.
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Intending to clean up, he stopped when he heard the dull thunk of the massive knocker that hung on the front door. Frowning, he went to answer it. The Abbey was open to all. It was unusual for anyone to knock.
"Oh, Ms. Grable." His palms went damp as he stared at the beautiful woman that stood on the threshold.
"Brother Randall." She smiled at him. "I thought I asked you to call me Makayla."
"Oh, right. Of course. My apologies. Old habits." He realized he was keeping her outside and he cleared his throat. "Please, come in." He stepped aside and Makayla followed after him. She sat down on one of the pews and looked at him expectantly. His hands still damp, he sat down next to her.
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"Is there something I can do for you?" He couldn't take the silence. Normally, Randall enjoyed the silence. It was peaceful. But he felt so awkward with Makayla. Since she had moved into the old cottage across the road, he found himself more tongue-tied than ever. And it was hard to remember sometimes that he was a man of faith. He had sworn himself in service to the Abbey. So why when he looked at her did he have other thoughts?
"Randall?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. Could you repeat that?" He could feel his cheeks heating up and had to repress the urge to get up and bang his head on the nearest wall.
She laughed. "I came over to see how you and Marian were. Or if either of you needed any help. I know it isn't easy to maintain this place all on your own."
"Oh, thank you. We're fine for now. It was kind of you to offer. How are you settling in?"
"Pretty well. It's been an adventure."
"That's good." A silence descended once more, with Randall having absolutely nothing in his head.
After a little while, Makayla stood up. Randall hurried to stand with her and almost tripped over himself. He could hear the light laugh and grimaced. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked at Makayla. "I'll see myself out. Randall, don't be a stranger." With that she walked to the door. Before she opened it, brought a hand to her lips, kissed it and then blew it toward him!
He could only stare after her, dumbfounded. When the door closed after her, he jumped and then groaned. She must think him a fool, an utter fool. It was just as well. So why couldn't he get her out of his head?
*****
Marian sat at the table, holding in a yawn. She looked down at her plate of food. She needed to eat, but it had been a long night. She heard a door open and Randall padded out, yawning. "Oh, Marian!" He frowned. "You look exhausted."
She grimaced. "Yes, I know."
Rather than feel chagrined, he grinned at her. "How did your meetings go? Did you see the King?"
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"I did. Lady Campbell was as good as her word and she sent her message. The King replied quickly and we were told he would see us." It was hard to describe, really. Castle Newcrest had always been an imposing structure.
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"When Lady Campbell and I arrived, we were shown up to the Royal Chambers, of all places!" Randall arched a brow, but said nothing. He didn't think he'd ever heard Marian sound so impressed.
When she didn't continue, he said, "Well? Did you see the King?"
"Oh!" A faint tinge of color stained her cheeks as she cleared her throat. "Yes, yes we did." She knew had known Blakely Doran for years. He and his family had always been generous to the Abbey. But she hadn't seen him in some time, not since he had returned from his training. "I was quite impressed with how well being King suits him."
Randall looked at her askance.
"I mean, he listened as Lady Campbell laid out her own observations and then listened to me with equal gravity. There was no disbelief and he knew exactly what questions to ask."
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"That's promising. What will be done?"
"He's issuing a proclamation to the Kingdom. He, too, as felt the change in the weather. He's asked that if our people should need it, if the Abbey could help with putting those up in winter time, when the snows come. I told him, of course. He will make sure the farmers have the seeds they need to plant and if they need assistance, the crown will help."
"That's good news, indeed! It seems King Bulwark knew what he was doing."
"Of course he did. And though he has handed the throne over, I do believe he is still in an advisory position."
"It makes sense."
The two sat there, contemplating it all for a moment. Then Marian stood up. "I should see to the garden. We will have to keep up if we're going to help those that may need it in the coming weeks and months."
Randall nodded. "I'll see to some of the old rooms here." It had been the two of them since the previous Abbess had passed on. Marian had her room, the room she'd inherited from Mother Sarah and Randall had his. The rest were unoccupied and hadn't seen use in many many years.
The two separated to go about their duties. Marian went to the small garden in the courtyard. As she contemplated it and watered a few of the plants, she wondered if they would have to expand it, perhaps move it to actual yard. It might be necessary to help feed others if it came to that.
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Randall did a pass through the rooms. Most were in good order, though they'd need a thorough cleaning before they could hope to have anyone inhabit them. But there were a few things that needed fixing or downright replacing. With determination, he went down to the basement where he kept his workbench. He selected some pieces from his scrap pile and got to work.
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That night, Marian approached the shrine as she did every night before she retired. "The wheels are in motion," she murmured. "I have done what you asked. And I will keep Watch, for you."
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She bowed her head. Now, it was all up to the King, to the elements, and to each of them to look out for those in their Kingdom.
*****
Other Kingdom News
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*****
Author's Note: Let me know what you think of the above way of sharing what happens in the other kingdom. I found a fun template for PowerPoint that gives a newspaper effect. If you aren't a fan, let me know that too! I will try to do an update after each week, but if nothing happens, I'll wait until the next one. On to the new King's first week!
