CHAPTER 13
The next sunrise Raef attended his first sunrise homage ceremony in the Ceremonial Lodge. Raef joined other Intercessor apprentices waving fir branches at the entrance of the lodge as villagers came for their sunrise blessing and homage. The village men and greenling apprentices walked single file around the benches to the front where the Keepers stood in line. The men and greenlings passed in front of the Keepers as the Keepers chanted an incantation of protection and productivity over each. Rocecé and his father, Cint, smiled and nodded to Raef as they passed. Domik’s father came as well, smiling kindly to Raef as he passed. The sunrise ceremony was not a short one since every man and greenling had to pass through the procession on the way to labor. Every one except the Warriors, that is. The Warriors had their own rituals, and they did not speak of them with others.
Afterwards, Raef joined Dimmel in the Keep for training on matters of the spirit world. After mid sun meal Raef left his robe at home and went to the Ceremonial Lodge to find the sacrist who he was assigned to for the rest of the moon cycle. They cleaned the Intercessor kitchen that afternoon. Raef found this more unpleasant as the kitchen was full of spilled food, some rather foul looking by now, to clean up. Raef was assigned the worst things to clean up.
The suns passed, and Raef began to feel accustomed to his new role. He liked walking through the streets each sunrise in his blue robe. Adults nodded to him as he passed. He was only able to see Domik and his other friends during late sun, but his father no longer gave him extra chores around the house, so sunsets were his own.
Summer Solstice celebration arrived, marking the arrival of summer. It was one of the largest celebrations of the entire season. There was no meditation, only celebration. Raef stood beside the Keepers in his new apprentice robe as Prime Keeper Bremen led the chanting. Ceremonial chants were in an ancient tongue that only Keepers knew, but for the first time Raef knew the words and could chant along. Laborers burned small bowls of seed as the Keepers chanted a blessing over the growing season. The square filled with dancing and feasting at mid sun.
The village was alive with activity, farming and tending to calves and new lambs. Merchants were busy repairing and replacing clothing, shoes and tools from the villagers that wore out over the winter and spring. The sun was out, drying out the land after a wet spring and everyone seemed to smile. But Raef was smiling for another reason. He was ending his tenth season and was to celebrate the beginning of his eleventh that sunset.
After mid sun meal Raef did not report to his apprentice duties with the sacrists. Instead, his mother brought him to the tailor where he was measured for a new set of clothes. His old ones were nearly worn out and were too short at the arms and legs. His feet had grown as well, so after the tailor took his measurements, his mother took him to the cordwainer to have his feet measured for new shoes. He was excited that the cordwainer had some tan deer hide for the uppers of the shoes. Deer hide was softer, and Raef preferred the lighter color to the dark cowhide shoes he now wore.
After all the measuring was done Raef’s mother stopped by a baker’s booth where she bought a sugar cake for him. On the way home they passed Domik’s home, and Domik was sitting out front.
“Could I stay and play with Domik until last meal?”
“I think that would be all right,” said his mother.
Raef ran up to Domik, who was holding a large metal hoop.
“Ho, Domik, do you want to play hoops?” asked Raef.
“Sure,” said Domik, picking up a stick and starting to roll the hoop down the street.
Raef chased after Domik until the hoop fell over. Then Raef picked up the hoop and rolled it back the other direction. They took turns until Domik’s father called him in. Raef waved goodbye to his friend and returned home. Last meal was on the table when he arrived.
“I prepared your favorite,” said his mother as Raef entered the room.
“Pork? Is it pork?”
It was indeed, and the aroma of Raef’s favorite food filled the air. Raef pulled his knife from its scabbard at his side and began to cut a piece.
“Raef, where are your manners!” said Folor. “Wait until your mother and I are served.”
Raef pulled his knife back. It was okay, his celebration was this sunset, and he would not let anything ruin it. He waited for his parents to cut off some pork and even waited for his sister, just to be safe, before reaching for the meat himself. He cut a large piece and put it on his trencher. He immediately cut a piece and put it in his mouth.
“Raef, don’t shove so much in your mouth at once,” said Folor, “you are not an animal.”
“Sorry,” Raef tried to say through a full mouth. He felt grease run down his chin.
He spooned some pottage onto his trencher. It was potato and vegetables. He saw peas in it, and he didn’t like peas, but he mixed them in with the rest so it wouldn’t taste as bad. He reached his knife towards the salt cellar and dipped it in.
“Raef!” said Folor, “clean your knife before putting it in the salt! The rest of us eat from the same cellar.”
Raef pulled back his knife and wiped it on the table cloth.
“Not on the table cloth!” Folor said, “your mother just washed that.”
Raef wiped his knife on a clean edge of his trencher, then dipped it in the salt and mixed it into his pottage. He sighed, he didn’t understand why his father was in such a mood, especially on his celebration.
The rest of the meal went better, and Raef got up and washed his face and hands, for they had gotten rather greasy.
“Should I wear my apprentice robe?” Raef asked no one in particular.
“That is only for work,” said his mother, “just wear what you have on.”
When the family was ready they went outside and made their way to the village center to a tavern a few houses south of the square. The tailor and cordwainer had already delivered Raef’s new clothes and shoes, and Domik’s family was waiting. Dimmel’s family arrived next followed by Nilo and his family. Dimmel and his wife had a small s of only four seasons named Daz, who Raef had never met. Very small younglings do not attend ceremonies, so Raef had not seen the youngling before. Raef was glad Dimmel had brought him as the small youngling would hopefully keep Nilo occupied. Raef took his new clothing and went behind the bar to change. He was especially fond of his deerskin shoes. The laces went all the way up to his knees.
Raef’s father bought some small meat pies, spiced venison strips and little cakes for everyone. They sat around the largest tables, telling stories and singing silly songs. Domik’s father sang one that Raef had not heard before.
The pig, the pig, what wallows about
He spied a fig in a jug so stout
He’ll never reach inside, thinks I
But I did not know how a pig will try
To the jug it mashed ‘till its nose stretched out
That’s how the pig got a long ol’ snout!
Raef thought it a bit foolish, but the adults all laughed loudly, so he laughed with them.
As the sunset approached the families with smaller younglings left leaving only Raef and Domik’s families. Raef had never been to the tavern this late, and he noticed a group of rowdy greenlings enter and order beers. They looked to have at least sixteen seasons and were obviously Laborers from their dirty clothes and coarse language. The innkeeper tried to get them to be quiet, but they were in no mood to settle down. Folor and Domik’s father seemed to hardly notice, but Raef felt nervous.
“Why are they away from home so late and causing all this commotion?” Raef asked his mother quietly.
“They are older greenlings,” said his mother, “nearly men. They won’t be living at home any longer but live as apprentices somewhere. They are just letting off some steam, probably after a long sun’s journey working.”
One of the greenling laughed loudly, slapping one of the others very hard on the back. The one receiving the slap punched the first hard in the arm. Raef’s eyes opened
wide, expecting to see a fight, but the two greenlings only laughed and took large swigs of beer.
“I wish they would be more quiet,” said Raef.
When Raef and Domik’s familes finally left, another group of older greenlings and some young men had come into the tavern, and it was so loud Raef could barely hear his parents talking. Out in the streets he could hear laughing and cursing coming from roving bands of young villagers. As they left the square and entered the Intercessor sector it grew quieter. They passed the night watchmen in the street, who bowed slightly to Folor. Once home, Raef’s sister took his old clothes and shoes and put them in a pile by the door.
“I’ll take these to someone on the east side of the village while I’m on my rounds next sunrise,” she said.
“I thought an almoness only distributes food,” said Raef.
“You really are a new apprentice,” said Irah, “An almoness can distribute anything needed by the poor.”
Raef waited for everyone else to close their privacy curtain, then he changed out of his new clothes, folding them carefully on the floor by his bed, and put on his night robe. His night robe, he realized, was a bit old and getting too small for him. He decided it was okay because he had gotten new clothes and new shoes on his celebration. A new night robe could wait a bit.
He lay face up on his straw bed, looking at the moonlight through the open window. He liked summer because the windows were left open at night. He suddenly remembered something. He turned on his side, reached down to the floor, and stuck his hand under the straw. He pulled out a long strand and held it up in the moonlight. It was one of Rail’s hairs. He had forgotten all about it. He used to take it out at night and look at it. In the moonlight it sparkled as if it were magical. He realized he should have thrown it out in the forest when he had become an apprentice Keeper. As he watched the moonlight play off the long strand, he decided it would be okay to keep it. It wasn’t the same as going to see the dragon and no one would ever know anyway. He found himself smiling at the dragon hair.