[VanimaEdhel]

Giedd felt all eyes fall upon her as Gudryn too insisted that she relate her history.

“Well,” she faltered at first, “There is not much to tell about myself. But I will tell what little there is.”

When she started speaking, Giedd found herself halting every few moments, as though afraid she would spoil the tale. A few minutes into her tale, however, she found her voice growing stronger – the rest of the table seemed to melt away. She found that her voice came louder if she looked at Gudryn and, to her surprise, at Eodwine during the fairly unexciting recount of her life until this point.

“I’ve lived my entire life here,” Giedd started, “I do have an older brother – Rynan. He is five years older than I. He has a wife and two children. I do not see him as much as I did years ago – he is busy with his new life. He lives in a town not too far from Edoras, but far enough that it is a hassle to visit regularly. The two of us were raised within the walls of this city. My father worked at odd jobs all his life. We weren’t rich, but I guess you could say we were comfortable enough – we certainly were never in want of food or shelter. My mother took good enough care of us, and we played with the other children in the town.

“Fifteen years ago, when I was only twenty-three, Rynan met his wife. She was the daughter of a neighbor of ours. After her parents died, she and Rynan decided to move out of the city. That left me alone with my parents. They started growing older, and they looked to me to take care of them. My father had a little put away, so I did not have to struggle to find serious work while I cared for them.

“I spent most of my time caring for my parents – up until five years ago. Hyldo, my mother, died then – it was of old age, and she went gracefully. However, that killed what was left of the spark in Frécne, my father. He lived for his wife. Three years ago, he too passed away. It was not particularly traumatizing,” she paused and scratched her nose absently, then resumed her story, “I had been expecting their deaths for a while. To me, they were, in fact, rather like corpses to care for. Though they avoided illness in old age, it did not treat them well.

“We buried Frécne next to Hyldo – Rynan came back into town with his wife and children. He stayed with me for a bit, but then he had to return to his own business. That was when I realized I would have to start caring for myself. I was able to stay in my parents’ house, so I did not have to look for an abode of my own.

“I suppose I kind of fell into sewing. I know I am no master at it, but it supplements what little I make caring for children while their mothers are away.”

“You care for children?” Garreth interrupted. He received a sharp look from Eodwine, and he quickly fell quiet.

“Yes – mothers pay me to watch their children while they go to market and the like,” Giedd smiled at Gudryn. The girl returned the smile brightly. “I guess I just spent so much of my life caring for others, that it’s kind of what I know how to do. It is nice, though, caring for children rather than the aged and dying. Watching people in the spring of their lives is far preferable to watching autumn move to winter. Both ages have their glory, but death still always has a melancholy ring to it.”

Giedd paused for a moment, frowning now. Her life really did seem like a pattern, caring for others.

“But you never married?” Giedd found herself shaken out of her reverie.

“No, I did not,” she said, still frowning slightly.

“Was it by choice?” Garreth obviously did not intend any rudeness in his curiosity – rather like a child in his frankness, Giedd thought. This led her to smile at him as well.

“Well, I always intended on marrying when I was younger. When my brother got married, I figured it would soon be my turn. I problem was that – I don’t know. I suppose I assumed that a husband would find me. Now I know it does not work that way. Not only because of my own experience, but because I have seen young ladies that have offered their services, helping care for children with me to make an extra bit of money for their families. They never really just ‘fell into marriage,’ the way I always assumed it would be. They actually went out looking – searching for a husband, and trying until they found one. I was just never that aggressive. Now, I suppose, it’s too late.

“The thought of being alone does not depress me, necessarily,” Giedd found herself continuing, “It would be nice to have someone, but, if that is not what is to be, then there are worse things in life. Though I may come home to an empty house at night, I am not strictly alone during the day. I enjoy caring for children, and I have friends in the mothers that leave their young ones with me. Many of the women,” she mused, “Were playmates of mine when we were younger.”

Giedd trailed off again, thinking about the women she knew that had families – sometimes children preparing to be married themselves – and the times they had when they were children. The table fell silent. Garreth looked like he might want to say something again, but seemed to be wary in pushing his luck with Eodwine.

“Well,” Giedd said, smiling. The silence had become unbearable to her. “That is my story. There is far less mystery to it than many – there are no portions of my life I am ashamed of, I regret to say, so I have no need to hide any part of it. Does that sate your curiosity, Gudryn, or is there more you desire to know? And I do not mean that as any sort of reprimand: I suppose, now that I am finished with my tale, I leave myself open to further questioning from anyone.” Giedd looked around the table at the men and especially Garreth, who still looked as though he was struggling with himself – wondering whether it was safe to comment.