[Thinlómien]

"Dad, I'm not a baby", Cnebba said defiantly. Modtryth cast a venomous look at Stigend.
"No one has said anything like that, dear", Modtryth replied him. "Now, you two seem to have eaten your food." Lèoðern nodded, but Cnebba seemed to sense what his mother was going to say. Before he could open his mouth, she said: "I saw two frogs on the yard near the new kitchen a while ago. The bigger one was this big." She spread her fingers at least five inches from each other.
"Let's go, Cnebba! I want to see it!" Lèoðern jumped from her seat. "Can we go to see the frogs, daddy?"
"Of course", Garstan smiled. The girl ran to the door. She turned. Cnebba was still sitting at the table.
"Cnebba, come", she urged.
The boy sighed, cast a grudging look at his mother and ran after his friend.

The adults watched them race off and Modtryth started to speak before Stigend could reply Garstan himself. "Cnebba is eight. He is only a child." She knew it was not unusual that a child started to learn the family trade at the age if eight, or even earlier. "And carpentry is dangerous work", she continued, casting a meaningful look at her husband. He maybe thought she hadn't noticed the tiny rip on his trousers, or that he was slightly favoring his other leg.

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Nogrod's post

Gah! Modryth was tough and crafty as usual. Just a moment before Stigend had been most confident that things were at last going his way but now he wasn’t so sure any more. Indeed he started to have doubts about his success. Everything Modtryth said were both true and reasonable: Cnebba was just eight, carpentry wasn’t the safest of the trades... Stigend felt his leg still aching.

“Maybe Cnebba would do better beginning something else, at least for the time being? You know how he’s interested in all things in nature. Maybe someone here would be willing to teach him those things? Or how he’s interested in all the tales of old and new, or how he likes to count and sort all kinds of things and arrange them. I admire your trade dear husband, but I do think Cnebba’s talents may lie elsewhere. We do not yet know what will he grow up to be”, Modryth said and looked at Stigend challengingly. Garstan frowned. This seemed like a topic those two had argued over quite a few times before and he had no wish to put his head in between the two.

Stigend was indeed preparing himself for defeat. When Modryth took a position this firmly there was no turning her head, at least with means known to Stigend. He swallowed the piece of bread he had been chewing and took a sip of the wine. Then he looked at both Garstan and Modtryth and said half-jokingly, trying to win time to have one more decent argument: “Maybe you should take him with you when you go to the town for your duties?” With that he nodded smilingly to Garstan.

“Yes, why not. That's a good idea indeed.” Modryth seemed happy with the idea. Stigend stiffened down to his toes. “And Leothern is surely welcome to join us, if that suits you Garstan? They could learn so many things about measures and qualities, and they would meet different people and learn about different characters. And...”

“Allright, Modryth! My son is no merchant... and will not become one!” Stigend was clearly agitated. He dropped his spoon into his bowl somewhat ostentatiously and pushed the bowl away from him like he was about make a leave immediately.

But Garstan laid his hand over Stigend’s and looked at him straight to the eye. Stigend froze back to his seat. “Let’s give her a chance, my friend? Now, she will not turn our children into fraudulent merchants by just taking them to learn a couple of new things on the market!” Stigend hesitated. He didn’t know what to say or do. They were both against him, but they were speaking sense too. Stigend was baffled.

While Stigend was speechless, Garstan continued: “I suggest the following. Modtryth takes Cnebba and Leothern with her to the town, now what is it, once or twice a week?” He turned towards Modtryth with the question. She nodded back to Garstan and immediately flashed a triumphant smile to Stigend. “So on those days I’ll take Garmund with me to learn stonework. Not one child is forced to be separated from the others as the others play and our problem is solved. Doesn’t that sound reasonable to you Stigend?” With that Garstan patted Stigends hand lightly. Stigend withdrew his hand from under Garstan’s but then, after a moment’s hesitation, took hold of it.

“Maybe you’re right my friend. Maybe you’re right my wife.” He glanced to the contendedly smiling Modtryth beside him. “It does solve our problem, and what comes to Cnebba’s future... well he has a lots of it in front of him, days and years to come. Maybe we should not decide that yet...”

So they finished their supper, mainly sharing funny incidents their children had been involved in before the time they had known each other. They were laughing a lot and slowly even Stigend started to regain his usual hearty mood.

“By the way”, Stigend said, when they were getting their empties to the kitchen, “my job of hewing the baulks is getting ready. It will be done in just a couple of days. Then I would need a few pairs of strong hands to aid me to actually put the walls together into a framework. We need to hoist those heavy logs on top of each other and secure them with dowels. The children should be away from the site then. To be sure... I guess I will need to ask lord Eodwine for a couple of men to help me there, but I would really appreciate your help there too Garstan – if your own work allows you to join in.”

“My work with the oven is getting ready, so rest assured, I will be there.” Garstan answered. “I’m looking forwards to it. Maybe I’ll learn something, as you did when you helped me with the brickwork”, with this he smiled to Stigend and he smiled back. Modtryth was smiling too, albeit for very different reasons.