Armaran chapter 10

Amina spent as much time as possible out of the house or in her own room during the time she was waiting for the reply from her kin. The reply welcomed her with such complex words that she couldn't quite understand them all. Kros helped her and explained that the relatives were arranging things for her, and she'd be travelling with an acquaintance of theirs, who had some business in the west in a few weeks time. They were also preparing a room for her and making inquiries at the local school if she could attend there.

Amina went to the graveyard on a near daily basis. Snow hadn't melted away and wildlife had taken over her path. The prints of squirrels, deer, rabbits, and an occasional predator went their own separate ways at the edge of the graveyard. Fansi had returned and it told her that Finko would be coming back soon. Amina told the Gahim one story every day. In her mind, she was counting the days until her departure. She cried sometimes. Praie kept to itself – even when Amina was holding Kragu. The days felt long.

Amina packed everything she needed two days before she was leaving. On the last night, Kros gave her some money, so she could indulge herself every now and then, and pay for a safe and trustworthy inn on her way every night. As the acquaintance of her relatives arrived before noon, Amina walked out of the house with the air of determination, and Kros carried her small trunk to the carriage. Amina waved at Emma who was watching in the window, holding Kragu. Then she turned to face Kros.

His eyes were filled with tears and he was biting his lip.

Amina's lower lip began to shake and she hugged him tightly. ”I'll come back soon. Latest to see the summer fair,” she promised.

Kros held her tight for a moment. ”We'll be waiting for you. You're always welcome here,” he said and helped her climb onto the carriage.

The acquaintance was a pleasent sort of man, who had never heard the stories of any Fatil as far as he could remember, though he was familiar with many of the events described in the stories through his studies of history at an academy, and his knowledge of history was based on the official documents instead of folklore. Amina was very interested to hear what had been written in the books of history and taught to people, he was interested in the words used in the stories and sometimes more detailed information on the events even though some things were described in such a poetic manner that it left much room for interpretation.

The village where Amina's kin lived was called Tenera. It was a little smaller than Groshna but more people lived in the surrounding area. The streets and roads were in better condition and every house along the main street had some store in it. Amina was curious about the buildings. In Groshna, there were very few stone buildings, but in Tenera about half of the houses along the main street were made of stone. Part of the village's prosperity was thanks to a road that passed it. The road was in no comparison to the Great Roundabout, but it was the only way through the mountains to west and north-west. The mountains were several days journey away from Tenera but it was one of the biggest towns along the way, as it was still fairly close to the Great Roundabout and its western main road to the centre.

A middle-aged, tall and slender man approached the carriage and greeted Amina's travelling companion. He then turned to her. ”Hello, darling. You are Amina, correct?”

Amina nodded. ”G'day,” she said shyly.

The man smiled at her. ”I'll write to Kros right away today to tell him you arrived safely. Come. We'll go talk to the teacher at the school now,” he said and held out his hand to help Amina climb down from the carriage. He waved his hand leisurely at a boy perhaps three years older than Amina, who immediately came over and picked up Amina's trunk. ”He is our servant-in-training. His father is certain he has what it takes to become a true gentleman.”

Amina was slightly puzzled so she just smiled.

They walked over to the next street to a wooden house that had been painted mud red. There were some inscriptions above the door, but Amina didn't have time to read them as they entered the building straight away. The servant boy placed her trunk carefully on the floor and stood next to the door in waiting. The narrow corridor had one door on both sides and it opened to a larger space at the end. Amina was curious to see what was in there, but she didn't dare to move.

After a moment, the door to their left opened and a stern-looking woman stepped out. ”Good day to you, Mr. Streckke. I apologize for the wait.”

”It is quite alright, Ms. Slava. We waited barely two minutes,” Amina's kinsman replied in a friendly tone and turned to Amina. ”This is Ms. Slava. She is the teacher at this school,” he turned back to the woman. ”This is Amina. She is a relation of ours who most unfortunately lost her parents. She will be staying with us for a while and it is my wish that she could learn under your supervision and guidance.”

Ms. Slava turned her cold, analyzing gaze to Amina. She didn't seem angry, or arrogant, but she wasn't friendly, either.

Amina curtsied.

Ms. Slava pursed her lips tightly and tiny wrinkles appeared on her forehead as she was evaluating the situation. ”Have you ever been taught anything by anyone?” she asked.

Amina nodded. ”I can read and write a little. And a little calculus but I know I have a lot to learn.”

Ms. Slava's face softened a little bit and she seemed perhaps slightly curious. ”Come to my office, please. I would like to test how much you know in order to be able to help you continue where you are at,” she said and directed them through the door.

Amina gave Mr. Streckke a quick look for confirmation, and he nodded. Amina walked into the teacher's office.

”Please, seat yourselves,” Ms. Slava said as she closed the door.

Amina had to get up on her toes to get onto the chair.

Mr. Streckke sat down beside her.

Ms. Slava walked around the table and seated herself opposite them. ”Could you tell me a little bit more about everyone who has taught you so far?”

Amina's palms were getting sweaty. Something about the woman was a bit frightening, and on the other hand, Amina felt a little sorry for her. She couldn't quite explain it, but it wasn't anything Praie was doing or feeling. ”After my family died, I lived with my Daddy's cousin and his wife. At first, there was Emma's aunt and her family, too. Auntie and Emma taught me,” Amina explained.

Ms. Slava was nodding along. ”Right. Homeschooling. Well, that was obvious from the behaviour,” she was muttering and took out a small book from a desk drawer. ”Would you read something from this book, please? And then you can write here-” she took a piece of paper and a thin piece of coal from a pile on the desk ”-your name and a little something else, please.”

Amina was getting very nervous as she took the book from the woman. She managed to read a couple of pages even though her voice was very shaky.

Ms. Slava nodded towards the paper, and Amina scribbled her name. After that she wrote ”Today is a beautiful day”. Ms. Slava watched every move of her hands on the paper, pouting slightly.

”She is a sweet and hard-working girl. I trust my grandnephew's word on it,” Mr. Streckke assured.

Ms. Slava smiled at him. ”Of course. I believe that a couple of weeks of more intense instructions she will receive all the skills she needs for more independent and free studies.” She turned to Amina. ”At my school the studies are divided into periods of four days and one day of commonweal activities. In between, there are two days off. Depending on the weather and the need in town, we help with cleaning up the streets, acquiring and distributing goods to the townspeople, such as perhaps firewood, and sometimes we have even been helping with cattle in the nearby farms. How does that sound to you?”

Amina was perplexed but excited. ”It sounds like fun. I want to learn more.”

Ms. Slava smiled but with her facial muscles only. In her eyes Amina saw a cold and calculating gaze and her body didn't relax one bit. ”Good. I am sure Mr. Streckke will explain to you the issue of your schooling fees.” Ms. Slava stood up. ”Today is the first of the two days off. We shall meet again the day after tomorrow,” she said to Amina and held out her hand.

Amina was confused but held out her hand aswell. She had never shaken hands with anyone before. It was something that only grown-ups do.

Ms. Slava shook hands with Mr. Streckke who was kindly assuring his gratefulness and complimenting her talent as a teacher. He then guided Amina out of the room.

The servant boy picked up Amina's trunk as he saw them leave the office.

The way to the Streckke family house wasn't very long even though they lived outside the village. The road was in good condition and the other houses along it looked well-kept aswell.

At the gate, they were greeted by a man who was significantly younger than Mr. Streckke. He was introduced as a man servant. In addition, they also had a housemaid whom Amina would meet later. As they entered the house, Mr. Streckke instructed the servant boy to show Amina to her room.

Amina followed the boy upstairs. The room reserved in her use wasn't very big but it had all she needed in it. Amina was especially happy about the small table that she could use to write her letters.

The servant boy placed the trunk gently on the floor and asked her if she needed anything.

Amina was perplexed. No one had ever tended to her like this before. She said no, but enquired the location of the bathroom.

The servant boy told her and encouraged her to be ready for afternoon tea in a couple of hours.

Amina explored the room. Besides the small bed, chair and table, there were no other furniture, but two closets had been built into the wall. The other closet had shelves and the other had little hooks to hang clothes. Amina placed her trunk at the bottom of the other closet and started to pile her clothes on the shelves. She placed her stationary on one corner of the table and hid her letters from Jared under the matress. She was beginning to feel that the revalation of having a friend in such a menial industry as metal working might not be quite so welcome in this house. Maybe she was better suited for a servant than the boy who had good manners and was very polite.

***

The housemaid came to her room to invite her to tea and introduced herself.

Amina's first impression of the woman was very positive and she dared to smile in her company.

Downstairs in the dining room Amina met some other members of the family – Mr. Streckke seemed high-spirited and his wife was almost as slender as he, though she was shorter. A young man who was introduced as their son was also very tall but almost skeletal in his appearence. Amina was shocked to see him and asked Praie what was wrong with him. Praie didn't reply.

Mr. Streckke noticed her stare and asked about it.

Amina bit her lip. ”I have never seen anyone so thin,” she answered.

”That is understanable. You are used to seeing people who work hard with their bodies and have the kind of body that has been shaped by that work. My son has worked his mind hard, but you can't see that on the outside. He is nonetheless a healthy and strong young man,” Mr. Streckke explained.

Amina nodded. To her, he didn't look healthy, but he was alive and didn't seem sick or weak.

Mrs. Streckke seemed to be a nervous and suffering type of a person, though she was very kind to Amina. She promised to show Amina the neighbourhood the next day as she didn't have to go to school.

Amina was grateful and smiled. This family seemed very different from Kros and Emma, but they were all kind to her and that gave her peace of mind. Before she fell asleep that night, Amina tried to call Praie out. The spirit refused to communicate with her, so she let it be.

***

The first day in Tenera went by fast and Amina had very few memories of it later on. Mrs. Streckke kept her promise and showed her around the neighbourhood and most of the village. Amina met some children who were studying under the supervision of Ms. Slava, but she didn't have enough time to get to know anyone. Amina tried to learn all the stores in one day and a few stuck to her mind immediately – especially the smithy even though she didn't have enough time to visit it. It was located at the edge of the village so the smoke wouldn't bother the villagers so much. Amina made a mental note to visit the smithy the first chance she had. Even though Jared hadn't yet finished his apprenticeship and might never have been to Tenera before, Amina wanted to meet the local blacksmith or apprentice. The warmth of the smithy soothed her mind.

Amina wrote a short letter to Kros herself and she intended to send it the next day. She assured him she was content with the Streckke family and everything they had done for her. She was anxiously waiting for the next day, the first day of school, and was hopeful she'd make friends soon. She also revealed her intention to visit the smithy, though she hadn't yet said anything of it to anyone else.

In the evening before she fell asleep, Amina tried to talk to Praie again. She was genuinely worried about Mr. Streckke's son but didn't know what was wrong with him. Praie hadn't paid him any attention. In fact, it hadn't paid attention to anything and was uninterested in everything. All it wanted was to mope and pout in hiding.

Amina left Praie to itself and thought about her situation. Mr. Streckke had explained to her how her schooling fees should be paid. He had never mentioned who would pay them and Amina was a little disappointed when she realized she'd have to pay them herself, even though Ms. Slava had promised her a significant discount due to her situation in life. Amina wanted to learn more. She was a little wistful in her thoughts as she was certain that Kros would never have let her pay for her education, and he'd gone to extreme lengths to pay it all for her – there would have been no talk of using the money from the story leather. Amina fought back tears. Longing home was crushing her chest for the first time so hard. Praie didn't react at all.

Amina thought how different it was now that she didn't have to watch for Praie every minute. She hadn't been able to imagine anything like this. She felt a little bit lonely in this new life where she knew no one and hadn't met any Gahim yet. Her sole and eternal companion wasn't available. She was almost as lonely as she had thought she was after surviving from the ruins.

Amina decided to make friends with at least one person on the very next day at school. She felt so very insignificant in the house of a family so much wealthier than herself but she was still Amina. It would be stupid if the family's riches were to determine her success in making friends. Besides, Mrs. Streckke had introduced her to some children so all she had to do was to go talk to them. It couldn't be that hard.

Amina fell asleep on her own. Praie was still moping.