Apples as omens
Gifts and their consequences
All newly wed couples in the village receive an apple tree from the hearth for their garden. With instructions to plant it near their front door, and to nurture it as their marriage. It then acts as a outward sign of the unity, or discord within.
Because of that I know not to trust the papered on smiles and tense hand holding my new neighbours present to the world. Not when their apple tree has only produced two fruit, both of which were left to fall to the ground a foot away from their marital tree. There they lay, untended, forgotten, ignored, as their skin turned brown and they rotted.
Something is wrong within the house, too. The laughter is jagged, mocking, not the free enjoyment you'd expect. We rarely see the wife alone, not even over the garden wall. She is locked up inside, far from the windows.
The other hearth keepers hesitate, uncertain. It's the first time we've been needed to intervene for centuries. Yet I feel we must.
At the door, I hesitate. But I knock. I am the heart of the hearth, second only to the head. I have every right to visit with my neighbour, and to ensure the safety and care of everyone within the village.
The door creaked open a crack. Angry eyes stared at me. "We don't want anything." The husband's gruff voice was firm against me. "Leave us alone."
I straightened, my robes deep with power. "Whether this visit is from a friendly neighbour, or the concerned heart of the hearth, is your choice. But either way, you cannot keep me out of a house within my purview."
"Please, Deriff." A quiet voice inside pleaded. "We don't want trouble. Let me talk to her."
The gleaming eyes turned away to something behind the door. Shuffled sounds and gasps followed. Then he stepped forward. "The house isn't suitable for company. We can talk on the porch."
A pale lady, bowed down with care followed him. His hand tight round her wrist. When she met my gaze, her loose hair slid to either side revealing the bruises round her left eye.
I forced my smile to remain unchanged. "Thank you for your hospitality. Although I'm the heart of the hearth here in Little Hollow, I'm also your closest neightbour." Waving towards my cottage, hidden behind the wild roses which covered the hedge at the border of my property, I flexed my fingers. The mini flickers of flame which dropped from my wrist would do no harm, but act as an early warning if the situation within the house escalated. "Please think of me as a friend more than my role within the hearth. I hoped to visit earlier after your celebration, but I've missed seeing you out and about."
Deriff's gaze hardened even further. "So you admit to spying on us? I figured as much. There's nothing here for you, or your like." He twisted his wrist in between us to ward himself from evil.
Superstitious outlander. "This is a small village. Like all others, you should assume there's always someone watching. Us old ladies like nothing more than to gossip about everyone else's business, after all." I pointed at the forlorn apple tree. "As a member of the hearth, all I need to do is look at your apple tree to see more than I could spot over your hedge. That tells more than enough."
"I told you it needed more water." Kaltie murmured.
He rounded on her, hand raised. "Don't ever question me like that again. I'm not wasting water on some stupid tree, whatever folk tales there are about it."
I held out a package. "The gift of an apple tree is only the first half. Once the tree has fruited, the gift of sugar follows."
He tried to snatch the sugar from my hand. "What for?"
"The sugar, and the company alongside it, are to teach you how to make those apples, the fruit of your marriage, into jam. So you can continue to enjoy the bounty of your union for long after its fruiting." I stared at the apple tree. "But without fruit, there is no jam to make, so no need for the sugar." Tucking the sugar back into my robes, I stared at them.
Mounting frustration on his face grew into rage. "So your stupid tree was a test?"
Kaltie shuffled as far away as she could from him, while still held by his hand. She curled into herself, hugging her stomach as her hair fell back over her face.
I'd seen enough, and suspected more. "There is no place in Little Hollow for those who disregard our ways. The head of the hearth explained it to you before agreeing to officiate at your union. As such, with the evidence provided by your tree, along with your treatment of me today, I dissolve all bonds between you. Deriff, you are no longer welcome within our hearth. You must vacate this property by nightfall."
He towered over me. "This isn't the last you'll hear of me. Throw us out now and we'll be back with others to oust your stupid hearth. Enough soldiers and nothing can stop us."
The wisps of power I'd dropped earlier looped round his ankles, climbing up to circle his torso.
He paused, terror spreading through his body. "What have you done, you witch? Release me this instant."
I ignored him, turning to Kaltie. "All bonds tying you to Deriff are now dissolved. If you wish to leave with him, we won't stop you. But know you are welcome to stay and we'll find a place for you within our hearth."
Hope rose in her eyes as she studied me.
"You belong with me, I own you, Kaltie." His voice thundered.
She faced him. "My name is Jennifret. And from this moment I am free."
We left Deriff standing, held by my flames, while the two of us collected her things from the house. There weren't many.
When we returned to the door, he shouted at us again.
"My flames will release you once we cross the boundary into my property." I wasn't taking any chances with her safety. "Gather your things and leave. If you're still within the boundary of Little Hollow when the night falls, they will do more than hold you still."
I took Jennifret's arm, ignoring his continued shouts and curses as I led her away to the start of her new life.