Mourning Comes
by D.K. Anderson
From beyond the door came the sudden but welcome sound of heavy footsteps, the familiar tread of boots upon the planking, and the ring and clatter of riding gear as it was hung on the ornate bracket in the narrow passageway as a sign to all unbonded Khlan sons that this house and the woman who tended its hearth had been duly claimed. Elaena scrambled to her feet and, as she turned from her mother and sister, smoothed the skirt of her child's tunic over her trembling knees. The door opened, moaning softly upon its enameled hinges. Bright light, bearing with it the welcome scent of fresh air, sliced across the smooth, sanded floor as Elaena's father stepped inside.
Elaena could see by the redness of her father's dark eyes and the second day's growth of beard upon his chin that he had not taken well the news of his newly born daughter's death. An ominous silence fell upon the room. None of the women dared speak. Elaena felt a sudden compulsion to flee and then a desperate need to throw herself into her father's arms. She did neither. Instead, she took a small, reluctant step away from Yadirah's chair.
The bulging satchel upon Brennon's left shoulder slid down his arm and landed with a thud upon the floor. His eyes met Yadirah's, and in their silent exchange, there passed an almost tangible declaration of love and devotion as well as shared sorrow. With obvious effort, Brennon turned and let slip a ragged breath as he looked upon the midwife.
"You may go," he told her. His usually resonant voice was rough with fatigue.
"But...but the child," the woman sputtered with an appalled stare at Yadirah in whose arms lay a tiny, blanket-wrapped bundle.
"The child has a name," Brennon growled. His shining eyes burning across the midwife's suddenly pale face. "She is called Corinne, and she has, in her tiny body, more sweetness than a summer's day. That she was chosen at her birth to leave us so that she might bless the heavens with her presence is our loss, and you will honor her with her given name in all tellings of this tragedy. Now, go!"
Hastily, the woman gathered her belongings, waved her companion out of the room, and, with a curt nod, she departed.
Alone now with his family, Brennon strode towards his hearth mate and fell onto one knee beside her. He buried his dark head in her lap, the thick twist of his hair rolling onto the woven shawl draped across Yadirah's thighs. Without looking up, he reached out and pulled Elaena to him. She wrapped her arms as far about his waist as she could manage and squeezed. After a moment, Brennon raised his head to look down at his infant daughter. His huge hand shook as he smoothed back the blanket.
"Surrounded by love you are and always will be, Corinne," he whispered in a choked voice as Yadirah gently stroked his head. "you will be missed every day that I draw breath."
Yadirah, tears glistening upon the roundness of her cheeks, met Elaena's gaze above Brennon's bowed head. She nodded her approval. Elaena, understanding her mother's silent instruction, drew in a deep breath and, recalling all the lessons she had taken at her Old-Mother's knee, cleared her mind and sent her thoughts in search of her father's. Clenching her hands into little fists, she wrapped her mind about his and gently eased from him some of the burden of his grief. Brennon, possessing not the soother gifting, failed to notice his daughter's intrusion, but he was grateful nevertheless for the loosening of the agonizing grip the loss of his newly born child had placed upon his soul.
To be continued...
The Doll
OOAK 1/6 Scale Doll Art
by
D. K. Anderson
Brennon began life as an action figure, namely Chow Yun Fat. It was an amazing transformation that seemed "meant to be". Everything came together with remarkable ease. That doesn't happen all that frequently with my designs. Often, my mental image of a doll refuses to translate to the tangible. As with my other 1/6 scale EverRealm doll art, the base and stand play an integral part in the design. I do not like highly visible stands. Nor do I like dolls standing stiffly at attention for the duration of their lives. EverRealm and its people are as real to me as if they truly live and breathe. Therefore, it is imperative that their 1/6 scale representations create the illusion of lifelikeness. Brennon's wooden base and sculpture hint at the meadow and forest where Brennon spends most of his time as a weaver of hedges. The fallen log was sculpted of polymer clay. Each "nub" of the bark was painstakingly applied one by one. The moss was gathered from dead pine trees near my home. Brennon can be posed in a variety of ways - seated on the log, one foot upon the log, or standing in front of the log with the aid of an unobtrusive and removable wire.
Action figures yield a multitude of posing possibilities. That is the main reason I like them. However, most have molded on hair. Chow Yun Fat's hair was molded, short, and black. None of those characteristics fit with my image of Brennon. His molded hair was cut, sanded, painted and then augmented with gorgeous locks of mohair which was then pulled back into a heavy twist. His face was completely stripped and repainted. With those two tasks completed, Brennon was born!
If you are at all familiar with me and/or my doll art, you know that the details are extremely important to me. Even if certain details might never see the light of day once the doll is completed, the details are still a part of the design. Brennon's garments are detailed with embroidery, tiny tassels, miniature buttons, and metal brads! I usually do not use embroidery floss straight from the skein. I take the time to separate the strands and then braid them back together. This lends itself to more realistic looking laces and fasteners. I try imagine myself wearing the garments I am making. What would they look like in human scale? I don't cut corners unless it's absolutely necessary. Look closely at Brennon. Even the tiniest buttons are sewn on! I used soft, forest green suede leather for Brennon's jerkin, gauntlets, boot uppers, and belt. No raw edges allowed! I hand stitched around each piece before they were assembled. I invented my own pattern for Brennon's unbleached muslin shirt which can be worn out or tucked into the drawstring trousers. As with the other EverRealm characters, familial braids adorn Brennon's clothing. The Spring green braid represents his father who was also a weaver of hedges. The burnt orange braid is the color of dried rosehips and represents Brennon's mother who had been a renowned practitioner of the healing arts.
Accessories:
Brennon wears at his waist is a belt of leather and hand assembled chain mail. Protective leather gauntlets studded with tiny metal brads rest upon his forearms above embroidered cuffs. The leather jerkin has beautiful detailing in gold and can be worn open or tied closed. The hand stitched hat shields Brennon's face from the brutal sun while he works. It can be worn, carried, or posed on the stand. Brennon's satchel is stitched with the same fiber as his hat. In it are branches to be grafted and woven, leather cording, hand clippers, a shovel, and a canteen. I designed the notched blade, and my dear husband created it. I then sculpted the hilt of polymer clay. The scabbard is stitched green leather and is accented with gold. It can be worn on the belt or removed. The knife can easily be held by Brennon as well. The heels, soles, and lowers of the boots were hand sculpted of polymer clay. The uppers are green leather.
SOLD Thank you.
There are always two sides to every story...
The EverRealm
~ Brennon ~
A Gentleman of First Light
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None of it may be copied, reproduced, or used anywhere without the expressed written consent of D.K. Anderson. Thank you. Inquiries can be emailed to TERinfo@theeverrealm.com.
