The crisp green scent of pine mingled with the earthy aroma of rich loam and decaying leaves as Ulla galloped through the lush forest with Vill at her side. Flying high above the beech, fir, and oak trees—well beyond the reach of Ulla’s arrows— Finn hunted as the summer sun dappled through the dense Forest ofBrocéliande.
The wind whipped her long black hair, her spirit soaring freely with Finn, as Nåde galloped and Vill raced across the forested ground.
Ulla much preferred the silent company of animals over the garrulous presence of people who made the loss of her speaking voice a painful reminder of the horrific past. Once, she’d sung like a lark, her melodic voice in perfect harmony with the mellow notes of the golden harp her fingers had so lovingly strummed. She’d often regaled the entireChâteau de Landucwith sublime music, her soul unleashed like Finn now winging through the cerulean sky. But shock stole her speech and silenced her song, rendering Ulla as mute as the trees.
A shrill screech announced Finn’s predatory plummet as she dove from the sky and seized a rabbit with her sharp, extended talons. Vill raced ahead to retrieve the game while Ulla reined her mare and dismounted. The wolf returned a few moments later, dropping the prey from his shaggy maw onto the leaves at Ulla’s booted feet.
She bent down and scooped up the rabbit, securing it with the others strapped to Nåde’s saddle.I’ll cure and dry these skins. And use the fur to line a winter cloak. The perfect Yuletide gift for Laudine.
Satisfied with the quantity of game obtained from the hunt, Ulla mounted her horse and whistled for Finn to return and perch upon her gloved wrist. With a different whistle reserved for Vill, she summoned her wolf and rode back through the forest toward the castle mews.
Ulla returned her bird to the falconer, dismounted her glossy black Friesian, and motioned for Vill to stay at Nåde’s side. Retrieving one of the rabbits strapped to the horse’s saddle, she followed the falconer Gauvin into the mews where several other hawks and hunting birds roosted at different levels within the large, domed wooden building. While Gauvin set Finn upon her reserved perch, Ulla unsheathed her dagger and cut pieces of raw meat, which she fed to her ravenous raptor.
Once Finn had eaten her fill, Ulla caressed the falcon’s head as she prepared to depart.
Gauvin tucked a strand of grey hair behind his ear and smiled at Ulla. “À demain, Madame. See you tomorrow.”
Ulla smiled softly, ducked her chin in gratitude, and returned to her awaiting horse and wolf. She climbed back into the saddle, galloped across the castle grounds to the stables, and dismounted, stroking her horse’s muzzle as she handed the reins to a grinning Quentin.
He takes such good care of Nåde. I’ve prepared a skin ointment for his wife Rozenn. She’ll appreciate it as her stomach stretches during these last few weeks of her breeding.At the thought of the impending birth, Ulla’s throat clenched. Laudine would be the midwife to deliver the baby. Ulla could not bear to be around infants, nursing mothers, or small children. The pain still sliced like a knife.
She retrieved the salve from the sack strapped to Nåde’s saddle, placing the small jar inside Quentin’s palm and closing his fingers around it. As she gazed up into his inquisitive eyes, she smiled softly to convey her thankfulness. With hand gestures, she indicated that the balm was intended to soothe the stretching skin for Rozenn’s enormous stomach.
“Thank you very much, Lady Ulla. My wife will be most grateful, for her skin is indeed very itchy.” He tucked the jar into the pocket of his breeches and turned as the stable boy approached to fetch Nåde. “Argant here will take excellent care of your Friesian. He’ll water her, wash her down. Curry her coat and mane. Feed her a bucket of fresh oats, too. He mucked out the stall while you were hunting. He’s a good lad.” Quentin handed the reins to the bashful young groom, who promptly led the horse across the grassy field toward the stables where Lord Esclados—Laudine’s husband andchâtelainof Castle Landuc—kept and bred his magnificent horses.
Quentin kissed Ulla’s hand. “Thank you again. We’re most grateful to have such a capable healer. See you tomorrow, my lady.À demain.” Kind eyes sparkling in the late morning sun, the Master of Horse ofle Château de Landucsmiled as he waved goodbye and strode away.
Ulla whistled for Vill and returned with her wolf to the grey stone cottage nestled in the dense Breton woods.
Inside her home, she strode into the cozy wooden kitchen and laid the fresh game upon the counter. She peeked out the open window and spotted the hens grazing in the back meadow among the pink, mauve, and heather blossoms enclosed by abundant oaks, beech, and fruit-laden trees.
I’ll pick some plums and make a tarte aux mirabelles to bring when I visit Laudine tomorrow. She and Lord Esclados both love my wild plum tarts.Chuckling silently, Ulla returned to the open living room area and stoked the fire in the hearth where she would soon simmer a savory rabbit stew with fresh herbs from the castle garden.
But first, from the hungry look in his watchful amber eyes, Vill needed to eat several pounds of raw meat. As a skilled hunter and reliable retriever, he deserved a just reward.
Unsheathing the dagger from her ankle, Ulla scraped the meat and bones from the carcasses of eight rabbits, carefully preserving the skins to clean and cure for Laudine’s Yuletide cloak. Setting aside the meat from one rabbit which she would use in the stew, Ulla placed the remainder of the fresh game in Vill’s large wooden bowl.
At her whistle, the ravenous wolf pounced greedily on his much-anticipated meal.
While Vill noisily devoured the delicious contents in his dish, Ulla cut the remaining meat into small pieces and added it to a pot of water, pouring in a cup of red wine for full-bodied flavor and a dollop of lard as a tenderizer. She peeled and sliced carrots, potatoes, garlic, onions, and mushrooms, placing the vegetables into the cauldron. For a final touch, she chopped fresh thyme, marjoram, rosemary, and sage, sprinkling the savory herbs over the contents of the stew.
She covered the pot, set it over the hearth, and turned to see that Vill had finished eating. From the bucket she’d pumped that morning at the well, she poured fresh water into a clean bowl for Vill to drink. He slurped and sloshed it all over the wooden floor.
With another silent chuckle, Ulla wiped up the spill with a drying cloth. Then, grabbing her satchel of herbs, she whistled for Vill and left the cottage, headed across the verdant forest to check in on her recovering patient.
****
“He’s doing much better, thanks to those drops you put in his ear. Now the pain and fever are both gone.” The young mother, Enora, swept a lock of brown hair from the sleeping face of her bedridden three-year-old son.
Ulla’s palms became damp, her mouth went dry, and her heart began to race.
“And the calendula ointment quickly healed the wound on my husband’s arm. We are most grateful for your service, Ulla. Please accept these pelts as payment. I know you make lovely cloaks, hats, and gloves with the fur.” Her relieved, maternal face illuminated with a thankful smile, Enora offered Ulla an assortment of pelts in her outstretched arms.
Ulla bowed her head to convey gratitude as she accepted approximately two dozen hides of rabbit, squirrel, muskrat, and beaver.These will be perfect for lining gloves and trimming cloaks for Yuletide gifts. I’ll sew one for Quentin’s wife. And their new baby.
Unbidden images of bright blue eyes and soft brown curls floated into her mind, robbing Ulla of breath and thought. She quickly ducked her chin to hide her distress, securing the pelts into the satchel slung across her shoulder. Inhaling deeply to calm her ragged nerves, she straightened her back, shook Enora’s grateful hand with a masked smile, and escaped outside to whistle for Vill.
Tears streaming down her cheeks, she plodded blindly through the dense forest, her loyal wolf at her side, desperate for the sanctity of her silent stone cottage. Pulse pounding furiously, limbs shaky and weak, she opened the front door and followed Vill inside the solid structure. She locked the door behind her and collapsed against the hard wood for support as she struggled to catch her breath.
