"Hmm, Komi? Of course, have you already forgotten in the time that mommy has been and gone? I tell you about it all the time. There is a big castle that you have seen at sunset. It's black against the afternoon light. It's in the east, where the ogres come from. There's a big town from where mama goes sometimes to get medicines for grandmama. Papa when he comes home, he'll send us a letter from there, from Onem."
"Is the king an ogre then? He's sent the army because he's angry that I haven't been doing everything that grandmama has been telling me to do? I don't like it when she talks to me all cross. I don't like it when her eyebrows meet like that when it looks like that. Is that why our village is overrun with them, and I'm no longer allowed to play outside as I used to? It used to be nobody for miles. It was just the crop and the corn and things that we could eat."
Lot laughed as she dimmed the room by blowing out the candles near them. "It was nice then, too, Komi. But we should share. It's the sign that we might be blessed by god in the future. You never know when it will be useful for others to help us. It's important to not forget that kindness is more than cruelty. We never know when things could get better or worse in our small part of the world. Maybe things will settle down here soon as they're just at the tavern. They used to be prowling around the forest and be frights amongst the trees. It's almost like they're human."
Of course, with the mind of a child, these words were beyond him. Komi was already asleep blissfully. Content that he could sleep with his mother today.
Lot goes up slowly then as she didn't want to wake him. Her fear should be kept to herself, she was always afraid nowadays as she was the one who was servicing them and she could tell the smells and sounds apart now. She had just changed into her home clothes and take deep breaths until she forgot about it. Work was for her little one such that he wouldn't have to worry until he got his apprenticeship hopefully somewhere far away in a more resourceful place like Onem.
She had set aside her apron for washing. It wasn't something she looked forward to her son leaving her, or even that she had to continue to live in this house when her husband was away. But she was the daughter in law of this small family now. Naturally, she wanted to check in on her mother-in-law before she fell asleep.
She unlocked the door quietly and walked into the well heated central room. Her mother-in-law looked irritated at Father Arne, the old bishop, who had fallen asleep in the easy chair before the fire as she was clearing another stitch in her knitting. It was a sweater that Lot knew had nothing to do with her as her mother-in-law's hands were never idle unless she was holding a letter from her beloved son. "You know my son should be sleeping in that chair. I don't let anyone occupy that space. It's an insult to me to have an outsider in my house at all."
Lot nodded slowly as she took the insult without speaking. She was too tired from the tavern to even care about her own husband. Day in and day out, this was the only thought, the elder had when she was around. It had been so long since she had a body keeping her warm instead of keeping another warm, she was starting to forget that she had felt that once. The warmth of him, was rare, even when he was here. "He'll be back soon, mother. I know that it's something that both of us are looking forward to him coming back. He'll bring merit to the family and the family sword will hang over the fireplace again so we can remember everyone and be grateful that it doesn't have to be used for a time."
As her mother-in-law was about to open her mouth, there was a loud shudder as something threw itself against their front door. Lot immediately hiked up her skirt and went to the window, she could see her mother in law flinch at the flash of calf as she had taken off her woolen stockings to put them onto her son. Her eyes went to the outsider and then to her daughter in law with venom.
Lot made sure that the wooden bar over the door was secure.
Father Arne sat up and looked at the window. "What the hell was that?"
Lot was squinting as she was looking out of the window. "I'm not sure. I hope it's not what I think it is. I really hope it's not what I think it is."
Her mother's knitting continued after the pause as she seemed unaffected by the outside of the house being under attack by whatever it was outside. Lot immediately ran into the bedroom and scooped up her sleeping son. He was in and out of consciousness as he was trying to see what was going on. He grabbed Lot's neck and tried to see what was happening around him.
There was another rattle at the door, and then something was thrown in through the window. Lot looked down, and she realized that it was a burning arrow. She looked around at the two elderly folks with her. The arrow immediately started burning the wooden floorboards. Lot looked around as her mother-in-law continued knitting.
"Snuff it out." She said as the fire started spreading.
"We have to leave." Lot said as she looked from the fire to her mother-in-law.
"I'm waiting for my son." She said adamantly. "I know that he is going to come through the door any minute."
Lot looked from her mother-in-law to the door where something was slamming its entire weight against it. "You think your son would try to break the door down like that? Maybe he's not coming back at all. Maybe he's not something that you would recognize anymore after he decided not to be a farmer anymore."