When they finally got home to their huge but decaying estate, she uncurled herself out from her coat and hopped out of the carriage, stretching. She'd be glad for a warm bath and a snack, too. She wouldn't be able to relax, though, until her grandmother had said her piece. She shuffled into the house, behind her grandmother, hoping that maybe if she was quiet and didn't say anything, she'd go easy on her.
With the huge doors sealed tight behind them, they unravelled from their outerwear, Eydva huffing softly, pushing her copper hair from her eyes. She pushed it behind her ears and turned to face her grandmother, biting her lip, but squaring her shoulders. She could be strong! "You will have to take care of all your things yourself. Your latest escapade has cost us our remaining servants. I had to let them go." This was a bit of shock to Eydva, but not unsurprising. Not that anyone her grandmother had hired had ever been nice to her, but there were at least other people in their immense home. Now it would be just two of them alone in its shadowy halls. She was suddenly chilled all over again.
"Eydva..." her grandmother started. It was surprisingly gentle sounding, quite soft-spoken for her grandmother. Eydva looked at her curiously, watching her with a discerning eye. This was new. "I'm sending you away," she said finally, after looking at Eydva watching her. "To Morthal. There is a teacher there that I think will be able to help you," she continued. She sat down with a soft groan at the large table in the dining area of the main room. "Her name his Lami, and she teaches alchemy," she finished.
Eydva's face cracked into a wide, toothy grin. "Grandmama!" she said excitedly, her face blushing with excitement. The freckles across her cheeks and nose popped with color. "Oh, thank you!" she sat down next to her grandmother, leaning into her gently. This was quite unexpected, certainly after how she'd been booted from the last school. "Are you honest?" she asked her, making sure it wasn't some cruel joke. But even her grandmother wasn't that heartless, was she?
"Don't be ridiculous, child," her grandmother scoffed. "I want you to wash all your things, repack, and be ready to head out in the morning," she finished. And with that, she got up, making her way to sit by the hearth. She bent to rekindle the fire, and nothing more was said.
"Thank you!" Eydva repeated again, dashing back outside to get her bags from the carriage. She slung the heaviest bag over her shoulder and hooked the rest around her arms, and ran back inside, shivering slightly.
"You'll be needing this," her grandmother called softly to her over the crackling of the fire that had finally been stoked. She had set a book on the edge of the table, the golden words on the cover glimmering softly in the dancing flames.
Eydva dropped her bags and come over to the table, looking down at the book. She reached for it, eyes wide. " Herbalist's Guide to Skyrim ..." she read aloud, her fingers running lightly across the embossed lettering. She took the book and hugged it to her chest. "Thank you!' she said, once more. She went back over to her grandmother and bent to kiss her on the forehead.
Her grandmother made a face and gently pulled away. "And make dinner when you've got your things soaking," her grandmother directed. Clearly the discussion was over.
"Of course," Eydva said, tucking the book under her arm. She gathered her things up and disappeared into the small laundry room off the side of the kitchen. With one hand doing laundry, and the other holding to the book up so she could read, she probably started her washing more quickly than she'd ever done before. With everything soaking, she wandered back into the kitchen, where she prepared dinner, of course, one-handedly. It was an enthralling read. She'd read about alchemy before, had even practised it many times. But there was nothing quite like reading the words directly from a book penned by someone in the field.
"Grandmama, did you know potions of invisibility can be made with the wings of a luna moth?" Eydva asked her grandmother, looking back at her with a smudge of flour on her cheek.
Her grandmother simply grunted in response, and Eydva was too happy to even care.
She couldn't wait to finish dinner so she could go see Staanovaar, to tell him her exciting news. He would be so happy to hear it. He was always supportive of her, even being her test subject when she came to him with questionable potions or tinctures. One time she had even turned all his hair white! Thankfully, that had been a short-lived potion.
She set the book down only to eat dinner, even though they shared their meal in silence. And even though she kept worrying her grandmother would turn to her and say she'd changed her mind, she never did. When dinner had finished, Eydva promptly set to clearing the dishes away and getting them washed. When that had been done, she went back to the laundry to finish her washing. The soaking was done, now all she needed done was a good scrubbing, a rinsing, a wringing, and to hang them up to finish drying. All of this she did with lightening speed. She had never been a fan of doing laundry, but with the speed she was doing them now, you would have never guessed.
"Suppose I should have sent you off for alchemy lessons sooner?" Her grandmother asked from the doorway, gingerly holding a steaming cup between her hands. "If that's what it takes to get you moving," she added, somewhat bemused. She sipped her tea carefully. "When you're finished here, you're going to see that boy, aren't you?"
Eydva, blushing, looked at her, and nodded nearly imperceptibly. "He's my best friend, grandmother..." she said softly. "He always-"
Her grandmother cut her off with a hand. "Don't get into any trouble," she said simply, and with that, she shuffled off back toward the hearth again to continue warming herself.
Eydva bit her lip, looking down at the sopping wet shirt in her hands. She wouldn't get into trouble, not this time, anyway. She hadn't been able to prepare any potions for him to test, but... she shook her head. Why did grandmother care? She wondered to herself as she quickly finished the wash.
When she had gotten everything squared away, she went back into the main room of the house, reaching for her coat. She slipped it on, bundling up to her chin. The cream colored fur surrounded her face, a shade similar to her own pale skin. Her cheeks were tinged a light pink, a mix of the cold and thinking about Staanovaar...
"Grandmama... I'm going out now," she said, bending to make sure her boots were laced tightly. It was a bit of a trek getting to his house, but it was one she was familiar with, she could probably make the trip blindfolded. Her grandmother simply grunted from the chair she'd nestled herself into. Most likely she'd be fast asleep when Eydva returned.
Eyvda pulled her hood on tighter and stepped outside. It was a particularly bitter day today, and she was was hoping that the wind would die down before her trip home, so she wouldn't have to face it head on. She put a hand up to her eyes, shielding them as she looked up at the sun. She should be able to make it there and back before it got too dark.
About a half and hour later, or so, she arrived at Staanovaar's residence, where he lived with his father, mother, and three older sisters. Their house was about the same size and Eydva's, but much livelier and far more welcoming. She kicked the excess snow off her boots and approached the door, pushing it open. She jumped back suddenly as a furry blur flew passed her and out the gap in the doorway.
"Oh, you've done it now, Eydva!" a voice called. It was one of Staanovaar's sisters, looking at her from the kitchen. "We've just got him inside, too..." she continued, clucking her tongue.
"I'm sorry, Viggy..." Eydva said, looking back behind her. The cat was gone.
She made a face. "You know I hate when you call me that!" she said, rolling her eyes. "It's Vigrine, you pile of scrib jelly," she teased, grinning now. "If you're after Staan, he's out back," she continued.
Eydva grinned. "Thanks," she said. "And I'll get Sala back inside, don't worry," she added, turning back to go through the door. She pulled her hood back up and headed back outside, around the side of the house, then towards the back.
As she rounded the corner, she could hear the methodical, rhythmic clunk of wood being chopped. Eydva stopped at the edge of the house and watched Staanovaar, leaning casually against the side of it, her lip subconsciously finding its way into her mouth to be bitten. His bulky coat had been discarded next to the pile of chopped wood, and he was wearing nothing but a thin white undershirt and his pants, held up with suspenders, crossing over his brawny shoulders and sinewy back. She could see his clothes were soaked through with sweat, and he practically glistened in the sparkling winter sun.
She watched him this way for some time, marvelling at his efficiency, at how simple and easy he made this task seem. Although she chopped the wood for herself and her grandmother, and she was no weakling by any means, it was still an impressive feat. She idly wondered if he'd always been so strong, of it was a trait that she had just recently discovered...
