It is now the Thanksgiving holiday. Thanksgiving Day is of the great American feast called Thanksgiving. In review of what Thanksgiving is now, the simplest explanation would be: 7Thanksgiving is one of the few truly secular, nondenominational holidays on the US calendar; the Fourth of July is another. Americans celebrate with a long weekend, a big meal with family and friends – on the menu: foods that reflect the tastes and colors of the autumn harvest, such as roast turkey, pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce and candied yams – and football.
Tobie had previously told the queen all about Thanksgiving, including the pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians. The story, in itself, was not that interesting, rather boring, really, but he was amused, as he was shown interest in the telling of the tale. The feast would consist of roast turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing, a baked vegetable dish, fresh greens, hearty bread, and a cranberry relish. Clarissant could not wait to enjoy them. Then as a special treat after the feast, there is a choice of an apple brown betty or pumpkin pie. Both sound absolutely delicious to the queen. The queen’s gowns will probably not fit her any longer with all of that delicious food; but then, there will be opportunities to work it all off, with both the sovereign and her consors.
The family of Avalon will be in attendance as well, a tit for tat opportunity, as the House of Andromeda was invited to join a celebration not long ago, now it was time for the House of Avalon to join in on the celebration. Sovereign Cyan Alarica and her family will be dining with them, so in all, there will be thirteen people in attendance, a small crowd, really.
The boys have the entire week off, though there is a parent/teacher conference during the week. Tristan’s appointment is scheduled for this afternoon, while Tobie’s is scheduled for the middle of the week, the day before Thanksgiving.
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Tristan’s teacher gives the royal couple a breakdown of his average test scores. Overall, they are very good scores, and no written notices from the school monitors, which is a good thing. He has good classroom participation as well as making the principal’s honor roll. The meeting went very well, and they celebrated that night with a movie and pizza.
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The day to see Tobias’ teacher arrives. Overall, his grades are good, and Bellona and Clarissant are assured that, yes, his grades have improved, as well as his classroom performance. It also seems as though he has been a little more outgoing than in the past, which raises the question, has anything changed? The other interesting question is if something has been done about his home life? Neither the sovereign nor the queen deems it necessary to answer either question. No notices from the school monitor either, and although he did not make the honor roll, they are still proud of their little boy. He has come a long way, and has nothing to prove to the proud royal couple.
Now, I probably know what you are thinking, and yes, at the very beginning, I did not think it was a good idea to bring the “hooligan” into our household. I admit I was wrong. As it stands right here and now, this is my family, and I am proud of each and every one of them.
Tobie wants to go to some place called the Piccadilly Circus, a children’s place filled with games with various choices of fun foods to eat, everything from something called Buffalo wings to pizza. The queen has to admit, it is quite different from what she had imagined, and may the deity help her to get that awful tune out of her head. Sovereign Bellona of Andromeda is on top of a pretend motorcycle, driving down this imaginary road toward what is supposed to be the finish line. Queen Clarissant would not have believed it if she had not seen it for herself. Did the sovereign win? As a matter of fact she did, she beat Tristan by a tenth of a second. This truly has been an experience to remember. As in all things, however, all good things must come to an end, and so must this night. Overall, the queen would say this has been a very good week, and she believes the deity would agree on this.
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Thanksgiving Day finally arrives, and it starts off with the kitchen staff preparing the feast, making sure it is ready by mid-afternoon, and the sovereign preparing a prayer to be recited at the beginning of the feast. The queen assists Carissa and the boys in preparing themselves for the visitors, as well as the special banquet. Andromeda has a similar celebration called The Primogenitor’s Epulum, otherwise known as the ancestor’s feast. It is a grand time. Re-enactments of days of old and the retelling of old stories fill the time. A large gathering of family, friends, and villagers gather around for a roasted wild boar feast to be had with good spirits. A large celebration for all, a good day it is.
A decision has been made to mix a little of Andromeda’s tradition with the American tradition, to make this holiday not just an American tradition, but the Andromedan’s tradition. With so many warriors on the premises, a sort of warrior contest is created. The winner goes home with a basket full of goodies, as well as the knowledge of a victory well earned. The events that are to take place are an archery competition, as well as a match with clubs and long staves, and Queen Clarissant smiles, knowing who will win this competition.
It is midday when the guests arrive, and everyone sits down for a snack before the feast is served. When everyone has finished, that is when the fun begins.
“Timor, are you ready for the competition?”
“I am always ready for competition, Mugio.”
“Let the games begin,” Sergasa declares.
It is a close match all the way through, with a tie at the end. To break the tie, it is decided to have the consorses fight each other, the Consors of Avalon versus the Consors of Andromeda. The winner of the match will be the determining factor of which team will be declared the winner. Both teams are confident, but only one will win.
“Well, my name’s Carissa or Cari, whichever you prefer. You..?”
My name is Breanne. I am the Consors of Sovereign Cyan Alarica of Avalon. Shall we begin the battle? Breanne signed not knowing the reaction her speech would cause, as Alarica had interpreted.
“A woman who doesn’t like to waist time, I like that. Ready when you are.”
They are to fight hand-to-hand combat style, because each being a consors, they were not taught how to use weapons. Breanne and Carissa enter the fighting circle, each looking at the other discretely from top to bottom. Carissa thinks Breanne will be easy to beat, not only because of Breanne’s small frame, but also because her teacher happened to be Andromeda’s best warrior. Carissa, however, does not realize that mistake would cost her the fight, as she was repeatedly reminded to never underestimate your opponent. Carissa and Breanne are very similar in height. However, because of Carissa’s daily conditioning, her frame is much larger.
Breanne was taught by Avalon’s best warrior instructor, Lady Leonessa. Leonessa taught her how to use her size, or lack of size, to her advantage. The first thing that your opponent will do is to believe that they will win the fight because you are so small. That will be their downfall, because I will teach you how to use your size to your advantage so that you will win. Avalon’s best warriors were not big or tall, they were your size, and they won the battle because their enemy underestimated them. Breanne smiles as she remembers the lesson.
The first round finishes as soon as it began. Carissa used the techniques that Bellona taught her. Where to look, how to watch for the next move, when to look for an opening, this was a test on all the skills and techniques that Carissa had learned from Bellona. The fight finishes when Carissa brings Breanne down with a punch to the midsection followed a hard hit to the back forcing Breanne to the ground, causing further insult as Breanne landed on her stomach.
Alarica rushes to Breanne to assess the injuries. In the meanwhile, Bellona feels the need to remind her consors of the basic rule of fighting, never underestimate your opponent. The first round win has clouded Carissa’s judgment however, because now she believes the fight will be hers to win. Bellona only shakes her head as she leaves Carissa, silently praying that the deity will intervene, and tells Carissa to pay attention and do not forget. After a reassurance that all is well, the fight begins again.
During the second round, it does seem as though Carissa will win the fight. Carissa’s over confidence makes her cocky, however, and does not see Breanne’s next move. Breanne uses her right elbow to pound Carissa’s forehead, causing Carissa to lose her awareness just long enough for Breanne to turn around with a roundhouse kick to Carissa’s head, knocking Carissa to the ground long enough for Breanne to be declared the winner.
Bellona approaches Carissa with medical supplies, a wrap, and a cup of tea.
“Is this where you tell me, I told you so.” The injuries that Carissa has suffered are showing themselves, as her speech is a just little slurred. A bruise has appeared on her forehead from the blow that she suffered due to Breanne’s elbow. A gash on the right side of her head by the ear is the other concern, because the roundhouse kick that Breanne delivered was with her boots on. The bleeding has slowed to a trickle as Bellona administers first aid to the area.
“This is where I tell you to drink your tea and to hold still. Because of the location of the injury, stitching, I feel, would be too risky. Instead, a binding salve will be applied. It acts as a glue to bind the skin together. However, it does sting, and you need to remain completely still.”
The application of the salve seems to take an eternity, either due to the pain from the injury or from the healing technique of the injury, Carissa is not sure, either way, it does not matter. There was pain.
“Are you done yet? Can I get a beer?”
“Yes, I am done, and drink your tea.”
“I wanna beer.”
“Just drink your tea, Carissa. It will help with the pain.”
“I drank the tea. It still hurts like a motherfucker.”
“8The injuries we do and the injuries we suffer are seldom weighed on the same scales.” Internally, Bellona is praying the tea will act quickly to take care of the pain. Logic and experience tell Bellona however, that this mixture takes time to work because of the weak properties of the herb she used to create the tea. If a stronger herb were used to make the tea, it would place Carissa into a deep sleep. Bellona needs to monitor the head injury; therefore, a deep sleep would not be possible.
“In English..?”
“Your injuries feel worse than they truly are because you are realizing the mistake that you have made.”
“Oh.” Carissa nods her head to acknowledge she heard the statement, however, she regrets that action. “Owww, stupid . . . stupid . . . stupid . . .”
Holding her head with both hands, afraid to move it again, she states, “This feels worse than the time my client gave me that clear liquid stuff that came in a clear bottle with those birds on it. I remember the morning after . . . at least I remember the pain in my head.” Carissa looks up to see Breanne approaching. “Hi, great fight, wasn’t it?”
Breanne signs. . . Are you all right, Cari?
“Yeah, I’ll be fine. I hope. It was my own stupid fault anyway.”
“What has Bellona given you? Do you know?” Alarica assessed Breanne’s injuries, believing that she was not badly injured. However, after witnessing the care that Bellona took in caring for Carissa, it causes Alarica to worry as both a healer and friend.
“No, I only know it tasted something like a mixture between cinnamon and chamomile tea. I know I’m not describing it well. I think my taste buds died a long time ago.”
“I am familiar with what you are describing.”
“Is she okay?”
“Breanne..? Yes, she is well. She worries about you, however.” Alarica leaves Carissa and Breanne sitting together under the canopy so she can go speak with Bellona. After a lengthy discussion, both return to gather their respective families to enjoy the feast.
After a brief clean-up to remove all the debris from their bodies, they gather together to start the feast. Traditionally, a fire arrow is shot, marking the beginning of the celebration. Bellona readies the arrow, aims for the target, and everyone watches as the arrow passes through and lights one, two, three hoops to hit the final target. The target is a torch that magically lights up the surrounding torches, forming a circle around the foras kitchen, or the outdoor kitchen area.
All have gathered to enter the formal dining area furnished with comfortable sitting cushions placed around a long, oval, wooden table. Being close to the outdoor kitchen means the food does not have far to travel. Everyone stands around the table. “Let us clasp our hands together to form a union, a union to join family and friends. Close your eyes as you listen to the prayer.
9We gather today, deity of abundant life, as grateful children. Delighted and humbled by our bounty, we celebrate gifts of food and shelter, of colors that dance at dawn and dusk; we relish the scent of cooking foods, of burning leaves, and summer's wet grass, of snowflake, of animal fur. We marvel at the intricacy of spiders' webs and fish bones, newborn babies and lines etched on faces of grandparents come for a visit today. All gifts from Your hand. When our meal is completed, leftovers stashed, and naps taken, we will leave replete, energized, and eager to go generously into the world and share our good fortune. Amen.
Let us be seated and enjoy our feast.” After everyone is seated, Bellona declares, “Let the feast begin.”
The food is served to everyone in attendance. Carissa, however, is in a bit of a dilemma. She needs both hands to eat with, but if she let go of her head, then her head would fall off . . . would it not? Bellona notices the hesitation in Carissa’s mannerisms and wonders if the injury is even more serious than she thought.
“Carissa, are you not hungry? The cook explored many recipes to prepare this meal, and had several taste tests from various members in the house. I was assured that this meal will be very good.”
“Yeah, I’m hungry, but . . . um . . . there’s sort of a . . . um . . . problem.” This got everybody’s attention, as they stopped eating, fully aware of the blow to the head that Carissa suffered. Breanne is feeling bad enough that she inflicted such injury to somebody else.
“And just for the record . . . it’s no one’s fault . . . but mine.”
Melisent has been observing everything, and is growing curious at this strange behavior. So in true Melisent fashion, she blurts out, “So then what’s the problem?”
“Um . . . you see . . . if I let go of my head, my head will fall off.”
Normally, this would be a funny statement, which would mean that Bellona would be laughing silently. She is still concerned about the head injury, so instead of laughing, she immediately gets up to find a remedy to the problem. Bellona brings another cushion, except this time it has a back just high enough so Carissa’s head will be able to rest against it. Helping Carissa to stand up, Clarissant removes the cushion, to place the replacement cushion in its place. With Bellona’s help, Carissa sits back down on the cushion, grateful for the headrest. She slowly lets go of her head, and stares straight ahead into Queen Clarissant’s eyes. No matter how much prodding Bellona does, there is no response.
Just as Bellona bends down to carry Carissa to the laboratory, Carissa states, “No, don’t do that. I can honestly now say that you have one queen and the room isn’t moving. Reminds me of the time I had that stuff with the black label. Never drank that stuff again. It made me see three of everything . . . for days.”
Alarica and Bellona exchange concerned glances. Alarica is the one to speak up. “Consors, would you feel more comfortable in the laboratory recovering from your injuries?”
“No, it’s okay. I’m sure it’ll stop. It’s stopped before, there’s no reason for it not to stop now. Besides, without me here, Tristan will inhale everything.” There is a moment of silence before everyone starts laughing, which, of course, causes Tristan to turn red.
“What . . . what did I do?” Tristan asks, looking at Carissa.
The meal is finally eaten and all have very full bellies when it comes to an end. After a short discussion, Avalon does, indeed, go home with the well-earned prize. After the guests leave the manor, Bellona brings Carissa into the laboratory for a thorough examination. Bellona feels better after the examination, as she sees signs that Carissa is healing from her injuries. Just to be on the safe side, though, Bellona creates a tea to speed the natural healing process of the human body, knowing that it will place Carissa into a much-needed healing sleep.