Lewy watched her cross the snowy plaza.
The soldier wasn't sure what it was that attracted him to the young woman. For one, Jaromira didn't look young. Her face was in an almost permanent scowl, black hair pulled back so much in her braid it seemed to add a decade to her appearance. Not that he had anything against mature women. Widows could be the most fun, freed from having to find a man to latch their claws into. The King's new policy called pensions seemed to see to that. Jaromira, though, was still quite a few years from spinsterhood. She was just... mature for her age.
Maybe that was it. It was a change from the giggling girls who hung around the soldiers. He hated giggling.
The teen vanished into one of the temporary communal homes. Lewy straightened. Once again he had not gone over. Not introduced himself. Not started the process that would lead to anything productive. Somehow, he knew it would be wrong. Drive her away, instead of drawing her to him. Jaromira was different.
He saw the flakes coming down harder. Time to get back to the fort, see if the Commander was back yet. If there was finally news of their new mission. Spring was almost here, and with spring, came change. Shoving himself away from the wooden storehouse, he began to walk.
****
Spring. Spring in a new city. His eyes took it in. Ugly. Winter had taken its toll. The streets were mud. Most of the buildings had that "good enough" feel to them, many patched after that storm. He pitied those holed up in Fredrick. If things had gotten this bad with the new island capital surrounded by hills and mountains, he couldn't imagine what it had been like in the open on the coast like that. The storm just before Christmas had been horrific. Made you miss the solid grey stone of Nowy Kiev.
Still, rebuilding was already ongoing, even if he thought it added to the ugliness. Sturdy wooden frames and brick walls rose all around him. His path took him past the new Hussar barracks. Damn, that was going to be nice when it was finished. He almost wished he was still a regular, and not with The Dark Hussar's 1st Cavalry.
Almost.
****
The gate was open when he arrived. Empty supply wagons were leaving, oxen not having much of a problem with the snow and mud mixture where the road used to be. Lewy frowned. Today wasn't a supply day. Did ships make it into Visvang harbor already? He knew the Kikker fishing boats were already at sea, but cargo captains tended to be more cautious. It would still be a few weeks before the lock connecting the city to the ocean was finished.
The parade ground was busy, three wagons still waiting to be unloaded. That... was a lot of supplies. Something was up. Something he probably shouldn't poke his head into while on leave. But, he was the curious type. He caught the attention of Czcibor as the soldier climbed into a wagon.
"What the hell's going on?"
"No idea. Lady Shanna's not back yet. These guys just showed up." The blond soldier pounded a fist onto a wooden barrel. There was a solid thud. "Spikes and nails. We'd better not be going on construction detail."
Lewy shrugged.
"Every unit rotates through it." He ignored the cursing reply as he headed for the main building. Czcibor was right, though. One of the perks of this unit was they avoided some of the worst duties. Not all. They'd find out what was up soon enough.
****
He sat in the common room, dinner a memory, contemplating the sounds emanating from the Koziol in his arms. He inflated the bag again, changing his fingering on the wooden tube leading to the brass horn. He kept it low, not that the sound would be noticed much among the general noise. Off duty soldiers were not the quietest of groups.
"Can I have your attention?"
Except when Shanna spoke. The room was instantly silenced as Lady Shanna entered, Piotr at her side. Lewy's eyes as always went to the stub that was his left arm. It wasn't that noticeable, the Royal Guard uniform tailored quite well to hide it. Lewy's gaze migrated to his face. He could still see some of the young man there, the boy who seemed to have captured their leader's heart.�
Mostly, though, he saw the man the last year had made him.
"You all probably want news," Lady Shanna said. The brown skinned woman pulled out an empty chair, spinning it around so she could sit straddling the back. He felt those around him lean forward. "Well, there's two things. First, the King and I talked it over, and we're moving the fort." Moving the fort? It would take more than nails to do that! "Specifically, we're going to build a stronghold up the Orlan river, next to that six building village with the dock and crossroad. I'm sure you remember it from the Exodus. That's going to be our northern most outpost, and it'll be our job to keep the fucking Elves away."
There were rumbles of approval, Lewy adding to them. Being safe and comfortable was all well and good, but he longed for patrols that mattered. Shanna nodded.
"Me too. The villagers have agreed to help. We'll need more men, naturally, soldiers and hussars. Recruiting will start after Easter. Which brings me to the second thing." She gave a wicked smile. "Dyngus Day."
Lewy looked around. A few of his companions seemed to at least have heard of this. Most had expressions as blank as his. Lady Shanna laughed.
"Ah, and you call yourself Poles! Dyngus Day is an old, old Polish celebration resurrected in our old home, and James wants to bring it here." He cringed a bit at her use of the familiar name for the King. SHE might be able to get away with it, but the rest of them... "It's the day after Easter, which is coming damned early this year." He agreed with that. It did not look like Spring out there. "Basically, a big party celebrating the end of Lent and the renewal of life, of fun. An excuse to drink and dance. More importantly," she added, her voice almost sounding obscene, "a time for young men and women to hook up and get to work popping out the next batch of kids."
A cheer went up among the single soldiers, which was most of them. Lewy was silent. His mind went to Jaromira. Would she be agreeable? Would the mood of the day have some influence on the silent girl? Piotr held up his right hand.
"We want stable bonds, not a sea of bastards."
"Right," Shanna agreed. "You mate, you marry. It can come after the kid, but it will come. And I hear of any rape, and you hang."
Lewy believed her.
****
These weren't Easter decorations.
Lewy could only marvel at the industry and ingenuity of Polish women as he wandered the city. Where did all those flowers come from, with snow still on the ground in many places? Hell, how did they come up with so much red and white fabric for flags and banners? He saw one group of women wrapping a garland around a tree. Young girls, barely old enough to get a second look from him, giggled as they assisted, the eyes of some flicking towards him. Lewy gave them a smile as the mothers seemed to consciously ignore the exchange. The whole Dingus thing still bemused him, but he had no complaints so far.
Up ahead, he saw a figure in white and green move out from behind a half build concert riser. Her. Again he held back. Watched her move away.
He wondered if his music could win her...
****
Easter was wet.
Few could attend the main service in the cathedral, naturally. That was reserved for Royalty and others much more important than common soldiers. Monks had been sent out to celebrate mass for the masses, however, so all could worship. Not that worship was mandatory anymore. Lewy thanked His Grace for that. You did get looks from peers if you didn't go, and that was enough to have Lewy crowded under a tarp this fine misty morning singing hymns. There was promise of food afterwards, but seemingly nothing special. Almost as if tomorrow was the big celebration...
****
Naturally, Lady Shanna hadn't told them about the Dyngus Day parade.
The people were crowding the sides of the street, waving either hands or flags as the Hussars marched by. Lewy, mounted on his beloved Patch, wasn't sure the proper etiquette. Should he stare ahead, looking the proper soldier? Should he smile, wave back? And where had they gotten the flags? Sure most were the size of cloth scraps, but there were a lot. Behind them, musicians marched, his steed seeming to keep time with the players. In front, Lady Shanna rode proudly, black armor seeming to glow in the sun. And sun there was, shinning down through clear skies. Jesus seemed to prefer this day to Easter itself.
A young girl, maybe eight, ran up to him. Matching his speed, she held up a kotaczek. He took it, smiling, as an older girl went up to Bach behind him and whacked the hussar with a pussy willow. Lewy saw many of the young women were armed with such weapons. Had they saved them from last week? He had always wondered if there was some way to reuse the ones from Palm Sunday.
A playful scuffle erupted in the crowd, teen boys tossing cups of water on girls as the females fought back with pussy willows. Lewy shook his head.
It was a strange way to start Spring.
****
The entire world seemed to be dancing.
Music filled the air as Lewy walked through the large plaza. He really should take his turn on a stage, giving some poor player a break, but it was still too early for him to feel too much guilt. Later. After he'd filled himself with food and drink. He always played better drunk.
A series of tables were set up on the right, food piled high. Lovely maidens were also there to refill mugs, leaning forward to show off their own goods to certain customers. A good place for a visit. Lewy dodged the dancers, many of which had hands where they probably shouldn't be out here in the open where God and elders could see. He saw no complaints on either side.
As he exited the crowd in front of a booth, he stopped, shocked.
Jaromira.
The teen wore a white dress with red trim and flowers. Her hair, for once, wasn't pulled back as severely, her face almost soft in its features. Her nose was still somewhat sharp, expression hard. The dark haired girl give Lewy a look that couldn't be helping sales.
"What can I get for you?"
A woman behind her gave a disapproving look, but Lewy ignored it. He kept his expression serious.
"Which of these were prepared by you?"
"Why?" Her eyes narrowed. The older woman rushed forward, taking hold of Jaromira's shoulders as she stood behind her.
"She made all of them! My Jaromira is an incredible cook!"
Ah. A mother trying to marry off her daughter. Well, he didn't care about HER approval. Lewy gave a small nod.
"Well, given that, her work here is obviously done. Would you like to go for a walk, Jaromira?" Ignoring her startled expression, Lewy took her hand and pulled her over and around the table. Ignoring the dancers, he led her away from the crowd.
"Let go of me." Her voice was just loud enough to be heard by him. He took the lack of screams as consent. They passed one young couple kissing, the girl's hand down his trousers. There was no question who had led who there. Jaromira let out a snort. "Is that what you have in mind?"
"Nope." Around another corner, and they were alone. He let go of her. "I just want to talk."
She stared at him.
"Why haven't you before?" His expression must have given something away. She laughed. "I've seen you staring at me. Afraid of females?"
"Nope. You just seemed the type to not want men trying to woo you."
She stepped back, pressing herself against the wooden wall, eyes quizzical.
"You saw that?"
"I also saw someone I wanted to know." He positioned himself next to her against the wall. "Who, I now know, knows how to cook."
"What do YOU know?"
"I'm a soldier. I play the Koziol somewhat well. My father farmed."
"I saw you with the Dark Hussar." He glanced over at her. Her gaze was off in the distance. She looked her age. He nodded.
"Lady Shanna runs a tough unit. We're to be stationed back along the road we took here, farthest outpost from our new home. A rough, demanding post, in a new fort." Her gaze went to him, speculatively.
"Not a lot of women out there."
"Soldier's wives, mostly, I suspect. Some widows to help work."
"You'll need cooks."
"Oh, we have those, although better ones would help. I, personally, want more, though."
There was silence. Her eyes were pretty. He saw that now. Music started, a fast, exuberant number. Her hand came up, calloused fingers wrapping around his bicep.
"Would you like to dance?"
"I would love to."