Soapmaker Audrey

"This is not cookery! 'Tis some awful punishment and I know not what cwime I have committed," Audrey wailed as she stirred the lye water with a large wooden spoon.  Her nose wrinkled over the smell of the ash drippings dissolving in the tallow water laced with olive oil. Teetering on a milking stool, the gnome did her best to stay clean, but the stench of the mixture would get over everything close by, even her hair. This made it necessary to work outside with another kitchen worker by the name of Karyn Beeker. Like the others that lived in the convent, she was also a druid priestess who served the goddess.

"Well, did ye not say ye had no trainin' in cookery? 'Tis what I was told when Head Cook told me about ye," answered Karyn. The young woman slowly added more wood to the cauldron's fire. Her face and arms were dirty and sweaty. She put the ax back on the rack with the other tools she used. Though it was customary to make the novice soapmaker chop wood, Karyn worried that Audrey wasn't going to be strong enough to do the job. Instead, she instructed her new charge over the process of making soap, a tedious, smelly but otherwise necessary task. This was hard enough for the three foot gnome that had been sent to help her. Stretching up with one hand while rubbing the ache in her lower back, Karyn surveyed the cloudy sky.  "Is the soap thickenin' up yet, Audrey? I fear the clouds are goin' to pour upon us soon."

"My poe hands ah soe and me ahms ache," Audrey stopped stirring and scrunched her nose again. She checked the thickness of the simmering mixture in the cauldron. "Methinks 'tis almost wedy."

Karyn leaned close, careful that her veil did not get soiled, and nodded her approval. "Once this is done, we shan't need to do this again for at least a fortnight."

"Only a fotenight?" wailed the gnomette, her eyes grew with disbelief at the notion. She groaned and muttered to herself, angry over the way the priestess had tricked her into becoming a member of the kitchen staff. She made it sound so easy and fun for Audrey. "I am famished and tired. Can I not just sweep the floes or wipe down tables? Will I evah get to bake and woast anything whilst I am heo? Pwiestess Dolayne pwomised me I would cook!"

"Everyone starts here, Audrey," answered Karyn. She took a rag, wiped her sweaty brow and tried to smile. "After we are done with the soapmakin', we can wash ourselves and make ready for evening prayers afore we sup with the other sisters. On the morrow, I shall then teach ye how to use goat tallow for makin' candles. 'Tis not all that bad and it shall help ye later on when ye are ready to work in the kitchen. Mayhap ye might even enjoy going to the woods with me to find herbs and other things for cookin'. I shall teach ye much about how to tend the garden. Ye will like that, will ye not, sister?"

Audrey didn't know what to think. Using both hands, she focused on pouring the ladled mixture into the metallic molds. These special molds were only used for making soap, never for baking. Audrey saw that Karyn was pleased with her work. This was very gratifying for the little gnomette.When the molds were all filled, Audrey sat down at the table with Karyn to drink some ale.

"Whence do we get this ale, Sister Karyn? Do we make that also?"

"Nay, that ale is bartered for some of our baked breads, Audrey. Our druid brothers up the coast brew it along with some of the wine we enjoy."

Audrey smiled, licking her rosy lips. "My bwuddoe Carlyn is one of those dwuids. I bet he is doing that. He knows about bwewing. 'Tis why his surname is Bwewstah."

"Bwewstah?"

"Nay! Bwu... Brrrewstah! Brrrewst...steer!"

"Brewster?"

"Aye!" Audrey sigh, frustrated over the difficulty to speak in Common at times.

Karyn nodded, glad she was able to figure out what Audrey was trying to say. "If he made this, then he must be very skilled and we are most fortunate to have him and his sister."

Audrey blushed, "Thank you, Sisteo Kewyn. Mayhap this woak heo shall not be so bad afteo all." It was apparent to the gnomette that Karyn was going to be a good friend and she needed such a friend now more than ever.

Once the soap had hardened, Karyn showed Audrey how to remove it from the molds and slice it into hand-size pieces. Karyn showed her how to waste nothing. Scraping the cauldron carefully with the large spoon, she scooped the last of the soap into a separate wooden bowl. The young woman then took a bag of sweet smelling herbs and stirred them into the cooling soap. When some of the soap was cool enough to handle barehanded, the two soapmakers took small globs into their hands and formed it into shapes. Audrey watched Karyn make balls, stars and seashells. Smiling eagerly, the gnomette followed suit and made soaps shaped like discs, leaves and a small duck. Audrey enjoyed this, temporarily forgetting about the toil and smells that led up to this moment.

"These fragrant soaps shall be used for face washin' and baths whilst the other pieces will be used for cleanin' dishes and clothes," said Karyn, grinning as she tried to make a bell shape.

Once finished, Audrey and Karyn carefully set out the pieces on wooden trays and brought all the trays into the kitchen where they were stored until needed. It was at that moment everyone heard thunder crackle ominously as the sky darkened. The grey clouds loomed over the convent. The kitchen workers paused and a few of them stopped their preparations and headed for the door to the back garden.

"The laundry," explained Karyn. "Come, Audrey. Let us go help our sisters bring it in afore it rains."

Audrey nodded, but paused on her way out. She looked over at the stoves and took in the smell of soup and baked bread. She watched a sister slicing cheese while another was chopping turnips. She eyed the head cook calmly going from table to table to make sure everything was being prepared correctly. Head Cook Meritha would be her next teacher once she was done learning all she needed to from Sister Karyn.

"Head Cook Audwey," the gnomette softly said to herself, her mind drifting with visions of running her own kitchen and making magically delicious gastronomic delicacies. Her imagination went wild as she saw herself become famous and one day serve the queen at court. She could see Queen Viola clapping in praise of her talent before the courtiers and nobles at a lavish banquet. And she, Head Chef Audrey Brewster, would have a chair that was gilded in gold and a silver crown chef's hat to wear. Audrey sighed deeply.

"Make haste, Chef Audrey! Be not lost in reverie now. We are needed and quickly, I daresay." Karyn giggled then she suddenly hooked elbows with the little gnome and yanked her out the door to help save the laundry.

Audrey's future would wait.

The Lecture

Audrey was bored. The humidity inside the chamber where she and the other druids sat was mild, but her robe was nonetheless damp and sticky. She wore her lightest shift that the convent allowed, but the veil was still required. The gnomette fidgetted in her seat, using her slate board to fan herself as she tried to pay attention to her elder.

She missed her brother, Carlyn, who was away at the Monastery of the Shining Sea, a day's horseback ride up the coast. They couldn't be together now that they no longer lived in the mining town of Chardonvale. She reflected on how they lost their parents in a mining accident. Her mind drifted, recalling relatives taking the orphans in after the memorial ceremony, but Carlyn had other plans. When their aunt and uncle spoke of him being old enough to begin work at the family mine, her brother packed his things and left the town. He wasn't going to go down the same shaft for which his family worked and died. He wanted another life, a better, cleaner and exciting one.

"Audrey!" Priestess Dolayne barked. The tall and slender high elf rapped her pointing stick on the podium with a loud snap.

"Huh? What?" Audrey jumped in her seat. Her brown eyes flung open as she turned her attention to the angry elder.

"Sister Audrey, where does thy mind go when it should be here learning about sprites?"

"I plead foe thy pahdon, pweestess," Audrey nodded humbly.

"Since you seem to not need any instruction about the vile and wild creatures we are covering this morrow, mayhap you can tell us what you know?" Dolayne put down her stick and sat down. Her lovely sky blue eyes were almost slits as she glared at Audrey. "And stand up whilst you speak."

 Audrey slowly stood up and looked at all the other druids watching her. This was the price she had to pay for following her brother out of Chardonvale. She didn't want him to go alone so she ran away with him.  Unable to support her himself, he brought her here to the Convent of the Sisters of the Sacred Tree. At least here she was fed, clothed, educated and sheltered until she would one day be old enough to work in a trade that had nothing to with mining.

"Well? Cat got thy tongue, child?" Dolayne asked, trying to hide a smile.

"Spwites," Audrey began with a frown as she concentrated. "Long long ago, when the Mothoe Goddess kweated ah wold, she also kweated beautiful faes. Most of the faes live in the countwee of Naelos, as you all know. The faes have a king and queen theo just like in the otheo countwees."

"We know. Tarry not and get to the topic of my lecture, Audrey," interrupted the priestess. "What know you of sprites?"

"Aye, spwites. Well, those kweechoes ah naught but an abom...abomamaichuns kweeated by the dahk elves of Sangweah. 'Tis told that though dahk elves are loved and blessed just like the west of us on Tiaera, they gwew jealous oh envious of us. We know not the twuth. In time, as the yeaos went by the wizoeds and soesowuhs dahk elves took faes and did magic that changed them to what we now call spwites."

The fellow druids in the room winced slightly as they listened to the way Audrey spoke. They didn't want to hurt her feelings, but at times it was hard to follow. The priestess nodded as if to encourage the little gnomish sister to continue.

"No one knows foe shoa why they did this tewible thing to one of the goddess' childwen, but they did not stop at faes," said Audrey. "Otheo kweecheos wuh changed also oh conjued as if to mock what the goddess had made."

"But stay on the topic, sister Audrey," the priestess interjected.

"Aye, spwites," Audrey continued with a timid nod. "Spwites look a lot like faes but theo haeo and wings ah diffowent colows, not pwetty or noemal. They live as outlaws in Naelos neah the capital of the faes, Velanth. They dwess like thieves and jestuhs. They smell and nebah take baths. They steal and wob twaveluhs and... and...they bwake into abodes and eat babies!"

"Audrey!"

The gnomette jumped and looked back at Dolayne, "Aye... pweestess?"

"They do not eat babies! They might kidnap and sell them, but to this day, no child has ever been," Dolayne paused for an appropriate word, "cannibalized."

Giggles around the chamber commenced. The little druid blushed and pouted.

"Quiet, sisters. It appears our Audrey here has a vivid imagination. Let us hope that we can find good use for it afore she takes up gossiping or worse yet, storytelling. 'Tis a sin to waste one's life in such activities and it shan't be tolerated here."

Some of the student druids feigned shock while others softly giggled. Audrey's robe felt heavier as the heat of her embarrassment added to her discomfort. She wanted to run out of the chamber and hide, but that could only lead to further chastisement accompanied by a punishment like cleaning the pig styes. Sweat dripped down the side of her face as she remained motionless, retreating to her thoughts as her only means of escape at the moment.

"Quiet now. 'Tis not kind to treat our young sister thus," Dolayne looked down at the slate board Audrey was holding and saw there was a chalk drawing of a pie. The priestess suddenly remembered how much Audrey liked pies, fresh baked bread and savory meats.

This gave the priestess an idea.

More Archaic Words

Greetings! It's been awhile since I shared a few more of my favorite archaic words I try to use in my writing. Tonight I would like to cover some archaic samples of greeting others. As usual, I used the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary and an (online) glossary book written by Shakespeare. Enjoy!
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Good morrow = Good morning 
(13th cent. noun)

Good day = Good day (said before noon)
(12th cent noun)

Hail or Greetings = Hello or Salutations
(13th cent noun)

God ye good den or Good den =  Good evening or good day (said after noon)
(according to The Works of William Shakespeare it means "God give you good e'en")

Good e'entide = Good evening or good night 
e'en = evening + tide = A time or season. Often used in combination: eventide; Christmastide; Shrovetide. (13th cent. noun)
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Next post will be samples of saying good-bye.