"What is free?"
"What do you mean sweety?" Mother responded back
"Well, Master Hannos said that I would never be free. So what is free?" I asked back to her. As I hold the tongs so mother can work on the glowing metal she told me not to touch.
"Hm, well I believe master Hannos is talking about your freedom, the elves like Master Hannos; but humans also believe that us Dokkalfur are lesser than them, and keep us as what they refer to as slaves. We do the things that masters don't want to do. If we don't like what you've seen before you get punished." She explained as she continued hitting the glowing red metal starting to form it into what I believe is going to be a pickaxe.
"Why do they believe we are lesser than them?" I said back.
"Well little Vorna, that's a question not even I can answer." Mother said with a smile on her face but keeping focus on the pickaxe.
"Why can't you answer that Mother?" as I stare up at mother waiting for an answer
"The reason why I cant answer it, is because this started 1000s of years ago, from what I heard is the start of the 3rd age" Answering my question but making me want to ask even more questions.
"So what is the 3rd age Mother?" I ask to see if mother knows even more than what she's saying.
"The 3rd age? Well all I know was that it was super long ago even for the Elves and Dokkalfur, the only people that would know what it is the kitsune but it's very rare to see one. Even in your lifetime for the next 2000 years, you will probably never see one." She answered my questions without even losing focus of the hammering of the red metal, that is starting to warm up my hands.
"Why won't I ever see a-" Mother cuts me off before I ask my question
"Sweety, like I said I don't know much about the world, You should talk to your father when he gets back with master, he's traveled all around the world with Master Hannos" She said calmly watching me from the corner of her eye.
"Thank you Mother, but when will father be back soon with Master Hannos, I really want to ask him all my questions I have" as the tongs continue to heat up and my hands are starting to hurt.
Mother seeing me struggle garbs the tongs from my hand "Father is out getting more meat with the master. They left about 2 hours ago and should be back in about half an hour. How about you go up stairs and clean off the plates that master and his family used for breakfast this morning. When you're done with that then clean the ones we used. Can you do that for me sweety?"
"Of course mother I can get right on that." I start to run off garbing a bucket from the back room.
From what they call the Forge I can hear my mother yell "Vorna be quick to get the water from the well, make sure you don't draw any attention to yourself.
"Yes Mother" I yell back to her. Quickly running to the door before garbing a hood to cover myself like what I was taught whenever going outside
As I open the door the town seems busier than normal as there are horses all around town with the same types of things my mother has been making, worn on the people riding them like they are clothing. As I keep my head down like mother taught me I make it to the well and put the bucket onto the hook of the rope. As I start to lower the bucket down the well. I hear yelling behind me.
"DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE THE LOCAL BLACKSMITH IS" is yelled out from one of the horse people.
As I hear the bucket make a splash at the water line I keep lowering the rope a bit more for the bucket to go on its side to sink to fill it up with water well I do this one of the towns folk yells out "The Hannos Smithy is right over their" as I hear this I start to pull the rope back up out of the well to my relief no one ask me what im doing as a garb the bucket and start to carry-drag it back to Master Hannos's house. Then I hear something, and then theirs a touch on my shoulder.
"Hey, you one of Hannos's kids" as I hear a deep voice form behind me. I freeze up trying to remember what father told me to do when something like this happens.
As I start to remember what to say I set down the bucket and slowly turn around and take off my hood and drop to my knees and look down at his feet and say, "Sir I'm just a slave for Master Hannos and mean no harm to you or anyone around you." Just like father practiced with me every night when he was home for the last 5 years.
As I nervously wait until I'm good to go. I over here the horse people talk
"She's just a slave of Hannos, should we tell her to bring us to her master or should we knock on the door." The man with a deep voice talks
"Well shes looks to be under 15, so Hannos must have 2 other slaves, Tell her to bring us to her master" Another man further away starts to talk.
"Slave, bring us to your master" The man with a deep voice tells me.
I nervously start to speak "Well sir, Master Hannos isn't here right now. He will be back in about half an hour" I repeated what my mother said earlier.
"Hm the Blacksmith isn't here right now Sir, She said he will be back in around half an hour.' The deep voice man tells the other guy.
"Well then we wait, You 2 head back and inform the carriage that there is a blacksmith in this town and that they should head this way. We will check the village for any outlaws." The man further back yells out hearing the hooves of the horse start to gallop away from the town.
"Slave you can go back to what you were doing" I hear the deep voice man tell me. I immediately turn around and garb the bucket and start carrying it back to the house.
As I enter I see my mother standing at the door garbing a hood as if she is ready to head outside. "Mother where are you going"
"Oh thank goodness, you are safe" as she lunges forward to hug me.
"Mother, why where you worried about me" I asked her
"Well it's because you don't normally take that long to get water so I thought something bad happened to you and I don't want to lose you." She said in a hurry, as she started to calm down she asked me "What held you up to get the water."
"There were some people on horse that were wearing the things you make and they asked about where master Hannos is and when he will be back." I tell her
"And what did you tell them, for when Master Hannos will be back" Mother asked
"I said the same thing you said. Around half an hour." I told her.
"We better make sure everything is clean. These people may want to trade with the Master so start cleaning the dining area as quickly as you can. I will be over to help in 5 mins. I need to do one thing first." As mother heads back into the forge area, I start to drag the bucket up stairs into the dining area and garb a rag to start cleaning up the table.
Around 5 mins later mother comes in to help, taking all the old plates from the morning and replacing them with cups and bringing out 3 more chairs for the table. As I wipe down all the surfaces. Mother starts to bring up 2 glass bottles from the basement. Putting them next to where Father and Mother normally stand when Master Hannos has guest over.
After we get done with wiping down the dining area mother drags me into the bathroom and strips herself down and me down to nothing. Taking a clean rag starts scrubbing my back and the rest of my body.
"Mother, why do we need to clean up like this? Who are those people" I ask her as she turns me around to start cleaning the front of my body.
"Those people may want to buy something from Master Hannos and we must be ready to serve the Master when he needs help. Ok my sweet Vorna." She replays back moving onto my arms quickly before moving and cleaning my hair.
Mother soon starts to scrub herself and ask me to get her back. As I work on her back I start to look at long bumps that are all across mothers back when I accidentally put more pressure then what I mean to, mother takes a deep breath in. "Mother what are these marks"
"Oh honey, you don't want to know, and sadly you will have marks just like them one day." She stated in a soft yet sad tone.
As I look at it. It's a simple black dress that covers my body form shoulder to my knees before my mother puts on something just like it and puts on white socks and black shoes and helps me with mine.
"Mother, why do we have to wear these for those people?" I ask wanting to know more then what she already told me
"Well we must look very best to show them that a master is a person that is willing to help them with what they need." Master and Father should be returning any minute now we should head down stairs to inform them about these people. "Before we go Vorna can you promise to stand still no matter what and don't say a single word to anyone."
"I promise to stand completely still and to talk to no one mother" With a little smile mother leans forward and puts a kiss on my forehead.
As we head downstairs we hear the front door open. As Master Hannos and father walks in, Mother comes down stairs following me as Master Hannos addresses Mother "Jaelstree why are you wearing those I thought I told you only when important people are over."
Mother bows forward towards master "Im sorry master Hannos, there seems to be guards that want to talk to you. I got the dining area set up for a meeting and Vorna and I are ready."
"Well then, Danlas gets ready for this meeting. I will be ready in 5, if they come, bring them to the dining area and pour them a glass of wine." Master Hannos told my mother
"Will do, Master Hannos." Once Master Hannos dismisses Mother and I, My mother brings me to the dining area and tells me to stand in a corner next to where Father and Mother will stand to watch what they are doing. As she tells me there is a knock on the front door, and Mother rushes off to answer it.