Aylwen’s usual smile was turned downcast in contemplation and concentration as she stood at the registry and began a list of things needed the next time they went to the market. Delia had asked for a few supplies, and Froma had come back to Aylwen recently to ask about ingredients needed for some such food he had in mind. People bustled all around her, latecomers just waking up and coming downstairs to join the rest of the customers ordering breakfast and drinks. In the booth behind her Aylwen could hear a local muttering curses and
insults at the
engraver, who shouted flourished and seemingly rehearsed retorts back at him, but Aylwen tried her best to think over that controversy and the sounds of other guests. Aylwen hardly noticed when Mia walked up to her and tapped her shoulder for attention.
“Aylwen, do you have a moment?” Mia asked, and though her voice was wavering slightly with nerves, Mia was doing well to compose herself. Aylwen nodded kindly, looking up from her papers and putting her charcoal pencil down.
Mia continued. “The thing is...I was thinking...see, I thought it would nice if we –well, I, I suppose- maybe organized a little school here. For the village kids. It’s just...I mean it would be good for them if they knew how to spell, to count. And they’d get out of mischief. We could find teachers among the teachers, and maybe some of the staff. It wouldn’t cost, we could do it in that little room off the big hall. The one that’s not used often. We could even go outside if the weather’s good! The children would be good, I’m sure. It would work perfectly...”
Aylwen grinned, but thought before answering. The Assistant Innkeeper’s memory flashed back to just two days previous, when she had been speaking with the bard, Child. Child had asked about the children running around the Inn when they had been preparing for the celebration, and Aylwen remembered what she had said in answer.
Their parents have a hard enough time making ends meet. They might have a few spare pennies one month but the next be scrambling for food to feed their little ones. In any case, many of them see no reason why their children should spend time learning their letters or numbers. It just doesn't seem to be part of their life. Aylwen sighed, wishing that it wasn’t so. This was the chance to make her previous statement untrue.
“I see no problem with it,” Aylwen replied slowly, making sure she worded her answer correctly. “So long as work in the inn is not forgotten about, and people are not called away from necessary duties, I don’t see why we can’t make this idea work. It would be a wonderful opportunity for the children – “
“Yes, it would!” Mia interrupted excitedly. She was smiling broadly from ear to ear, and from the look on her face Aylwen could tell Mia was already planning what she would teach first and who could teach what. Mia had quite a future ahead of her, Aylwen could feel it.
Aylwen had little chance to think about that, for mere seconds after Aylwen had approved of Mia’s idea, a little boy came running through the door of the Inn, flailing his wire-thin arms about frantically and wildly. He jostled patrons walking by, and was only stopped when the hobbit Aleia grabbed him by the shoulders.
“Oh, Anwir!” Aylwen sighed to herself, politely excusing herself to Mia as she left the desk and went to see what was wrong. Aleia had asked the thief boy something, but Aylwen couldn’t quite hear it in time. It didn’t matter, since she was able to hear Anwir’s reply quite clearly, though what he said was much to her dismay and shock.
"The stable! It's on fire! Help me! You must help! The horses!" was his first cry, but before he left the inn he was able to wheeze out, “The horses,” weakly before he ran out towards the stables.
At first Aylwen didn’t believe him, and thought it was a prank made by the little trickster she recalled from after the market day. When she went outside, however, and saw the orange-red flames licking at the wood towards the back of the stables, Aylwen was filled with shock and intense worry. For just a split second she was frozen, unsure of what she should do. But she snapped out of it just as quickly as she had fallen in and ran into the inn to get help from the staff and hopefully the patrons. It was a community problem, after all.
What will Bethberry say? Aylwen asked herself frantically as she recruited the people of the inn to help with the fire.
[ October 25, 2003: Message edited by: Aylwen Dreamsong ]