The Ballad of the Brenerit Curfew - Chapter 1

The queue for the washing stations hummed with conversation as the city of Brenerit's poorest waited their turns to do their laundry. Geda had a love hate relationship with the washing stations. In a city under curfew, you didn't get many opportunities to chat with your friends for so long, but boy did the washers stink.

"So how's married life?" Dania asked. 

Pyrenna, Geda's best friend, grinned and said, "It is the closest to paradise I've come since the time my brother fell in that swamp when he was out hunting. I've never felt as close to anyone as I feel to Rokil."

Dania smiled but didn't say anything and seemed to look through Pyrenna. Geda was surprised she'd even brought up the subject. Ever since her own husband had died, barely anyone had even mentioned marriage around her.

"What does Weder think about you marrying outside Solihir blood?" Geda asked. She'd heard the answer before, but complaining about Pyrenna's brother was fun even when you didn't have an awkward silence to fill.

"He hates it. It's hilarious. I'm just like, 'Hey, you wanted me to get married, didn't you? Nineteen and single so I'm an embarassment to the family, right?" Pyrenna put her hand over her mouth and her sides shook with giggles. "He goes so purple I think he's going to explode. I can't help but thinking he's glad to have me out the house though."

"Wait, Rokil didn't move int-- are you living in that sweatbox?"

A tap on the shoulder reminded Geda that it was her turn to use the washer. She turned round to face the soldier who’d prodded her and mumbled her apologies, then rushed forward to the nearest available station.

“I’ll explain later!” Pyrenna shouted up to her. The queue stopped literally three stone steps before the washing stations so there was no need to shout, but Pyrenna’s glare at the soldier made it obvious to everyone involved she was just unhappy at having her conversation interrupted.

Geda suppressed a grin and started loading her skirts and blouses into the huge circular container. But as the smell from the water hit her, the smirk was wiped right off her face. She couldn’t believe how easily she forgot the stench of the water they washed their clothes in and how it mixed with the foresty pureness of the soap. Once a week was not often enough to make the unbelievable normal. As soon as everyone’s clothes were crammed in, she squeezed the lid on and started to turn the handle.

She looked back down at the queue over the rotating sphere but Pyrenna was gone. With a quick glance about, she spotted her at the station two to her left. Her brow was furrowed and she didn’t even pause to wipe her jet black hair from her light brown cheek as she worked away. A moment later Dania stepped up to the station between them and for the next few minutes the three of them worked in total silence.

“Listen up!” boomed a voice from near the back of the queue.

A soldier in a decorative bright red uniform strode along the squeaky town hall floorboards, which screeched at every thudding impact of his enormous black boots. He had a waxy blonde moustache but some of the whiskers were just slipping slightly out of place. In fact, Geda noticed, he had a rather large stain on the front of his coat and actually… was one of his boots’ soles coming off?

He clapped his hands together to get everyone’s attention and glared at those who hadn’t quieted at his original entrance.

“I’ve been informed that you have not been made aware of the change in pricing for your loads,” he said, his voice far, far louder than it had to be. “The old piece of silver for every litre of water used - with of course the additional copper for refill of the washers - has been increased to two pieces of silver per litre with three coppers for refills. Any of you who have already paid the wrong amount, please see Korek to balance the books.”

Geda could almost feel Pyrenna preparing to pounce down the stairs and attack him, but the general groans that rang out from the patrons in the queue seemed to get a similar point across.

“I know, I know, you’re unhappy,” he said. He raised his hands and widened his eyes with the least sincere innocence Geda had ever seen. “We’re unhappy too, you know. You think we enjoy being defeated on the Pendan border? Or not being able to afford to replace our uniforms when we spill tea on them? Times are tough folks, get used to it.”

Geda felt her knuckles go white as she gripped the handle of the washer. She pictured she was squeezing the soldier’s neck and that made her feel a little better. If there was one man who could always be relied on to make washing day worse, it was Sergeant Renyck.

And with that he was off, back to whatever action figure military planning he wasted his days away with.

Dania and Geda finished their washing at the same time - Dania’s load was always much smaller than the others’ - and slouched over to the drying racks together.

“Did he say he would have normally replaced his jacket because he spilt tea on it?” Dania said in a voice so quiet it was almost a whisper.

Geda chuckled and wrung out a particularly sodden child’s shirt. “Does that surprise you?”

Dania shuddered. “Not even slightly.”

“Oh, that reminds me!” Geda exclaimed. She reached into her pocket and produced one silver piece and one copper piece. “Exi said she got an enormous tip from an absolutely hammered soldier yesterday.”

Dania smiled slightly as she took the coin but her brow was furrowed deep. “Thank you. I wouldn’t have been able to pay for the new prices otherwise. Christ, I probably have to go down to once a fortnight.”

“Ask Pyrenna if you can put some in with her load sometime,” Geda said. She took a seat beside Dania on the lumpy wooden bench and began the wait for the clothes to dry. “I’d give you some space in mine but you know, the whole five siblings thing.”

Dania giggled and shoved some ginger hair that had sprung from its ponytail back in. “Totally didn’t just picture you cramming your brothers and sisters in there. But yeah, I’m impressed you manage to get it in at all. Is there any space for the water?”

Geda sighed. “The less of that water the better.”

“Oh, look,” Dania said, “Pyrenna’s done.”

Pyrenna had begun jogging down the steps carrying the new basket that Ritel had made for her last week. Her eyes were just about visible over the top of it and Geda and Dania giggled manically as they waved their arms about to get their attention. Eventually her eyebrows shot up and she started running over to them.

The door of the hall flew open and was immediately slammed shut. Sergeant Renyck sprang back into the centre of the dark, cold room.

“As I say, these are tough times,” he said, calmly gripping his lapel as if he’d never left. “Not only is everyone going to have to pull their weight financially, but we need military might too. We have been lenient until now, but if you or any of your family are even the slightest bit Sparky, please report to the major. If you are too nervous, worry not. We’ll find you anyway.”

This time he tipped his hat as he left, as if the last time hadn’t really counted and he hadn’t just forgotten the more life-changing part of his message. Geda locked eyes with Pyrenna, who had put her basket down at her feet as he talked. Pyrenna gulped and bit her lip, but didn’t say anything as she picked her basket back up and paced evenly over to their bench.

“So as I was saying before Renyck burst in and made a right mess of his bulletin delivery,” Pyrenna muttered as she started slamming her underwear onto the lower down bars of the rack, “I moved to Rokil’s when we got married because my brother is almost a bigger arse than Renyck himself.”

Geda chuckled. “I bet Rokil was eager to add a third person to his one and a half room apartment.”

Pyrenna shrugged. “He’s essentially an angel.”

Dania sighed but didn’t say anything. She flipped the coin Geda had given her between the middle three fingers on her left hand.

“You okay, Dania?” Geda asked.

Dania looked up and took a deep breath as if she was breaking the surface of a river. “Yeah, sorry. I always think about Peter when I hold money. Sometimes it’s the time I miss him most. But he was an angel too. I try not to think about that side of missing him too much.”

Pyrenna patted Dania on the shoulder and said, “Having him is really putting your life into perspective for me. Honestly, if there’s ever anything I can do for you and the boys…”

Dania rolled her eyes. “If you did any more for me you’d be making me breakfast in bed!”

Geda grinned. “Well, at least your sense of humour’s alive and well. Who would Dania Welsap be without that?”

Dania lay back against the bench and put her hands behind her head. “Jealous, Hendor?”

“Hey, I’m plenty funny!” Geda shouted, brandishing a sock at Dania.

Dania shrugged. “I guess underwear weapons are vaguely slapstick. I prefer a more subtle irony myself.”

Geda grinned, but couldn’t think of a retort in the jumble of thoughts whirling round in her mind. She needed to get alone with Pyrenna, but what sort of excuse was there to leave Dania? You didn’t have secrets from best friends, or if you did you didn’t admit it. Not even if you were possibly the Sparkiest two citizens in all of Brenerit City.

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A/N: Hey everyone, this is the first story I've taken propery seriously in a while. I so hope that comes across. If you see anything remotely gimmicky please, please yell at me.