Chapter 4 - Cirra
Arleia was preparing dinner, humming a bit to herself as she cut up
various meats and vegetables and put them in a pot to stew with the
correct spices. Today had been a special day, at least to her, and she
wanted to top it off with her children's favorite meal. With only part
of her mind concentrating on the actual cooking, she could spend most
of her thoughts thinking about the past two years...
After her scoundrel of a husband had been hanged for committing
murder, Arleia had moved with her two daughters to the distant town of
Cirra. They had arrived exactly two years ago, with the few dinars left
from the long trip. Being a single mother didn't stop Arleia from
getting a job as a waitress at the local inn. After two years of hard
work, scrimping and saving she almost had enough dinars to buy the inn
from the current owner, who was looking to move to a nearby city.
Cirra had only been another stopover. The small family had been
traveling for several months, going from town to town as they searched
for a place that they could really call home. But people in most towns
looked at strangers with suspicion. There were many unsavory types who
tried to take advantage of the single mother with two daughters and
Arleia was forced to keep up a constant wall to protect her family.
But in Cirra the atmosphere was refreshingly open and honest. The
townspeople accepted them as one of their own. In Cirra the small
family had found a place that they could finally call home. They had
quickly blended with the rest of the townspeople and Arleia had made
many friends.
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The young
mother had worried that her eldest daughter would have trouble making
new friends in an unfamiliar town. Arleia hadn't worried about Maya,
who at the age of four when they had arrived was too young to know any
better. But Callisto...
She had been apprehensive about how her elder daughter would
adjust to her new sorroundings. Stubborn, headstrong, angry,
independent -- those words described a girl who had grown up with an
abusive father and the scorn of the neighbors. She had been almost
uncontrollable and had to be reprimanded on numerous occassions for her
exploits. Callisto had even run away several times, but had always
returned after a period of days or weeks.
Arleia couldn't blame her wayward daughter. Her own childhood had
been rather pleasant, with loving parents who were well off. She hadn't
had to deal with the kind of things Callisto had to deal with, and
Arleia didn't know if she would have grown up to be the same woman
given the same childhood circumstances as her daughter's.
Surprisingly, Callisto had adjusted to her new sorroundings and
had calmed down. After a few initial setbacks, her daughter had
virtually dropped her hellion ways. She was still stubborn and
independent, but she didn't seem to be angry at the whole world
anymore, and that had greatly relieved her mother.
The day was somewhat
hot and windy, with the occassional dust devil meandering across the
town of Cirra. Callisto had taken Maya over to the nearby stream for a
cool and relaxing swim. While the younger sister joyfully played in the
crystal waters, the older one kept a careful watch on her smaller
sibling and enjoyed the pleasant day.
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