As We Go Along
Eighteenth Day of Olweje-eza (Olweje Ascendant), 1349 A. L. (After Landfall)
"Tam would have known what to do with this lot," Luc watched the pair of boys trying and mostly failing to work sailors knots, make-work of course, but one you could put youngsters on a ship in a quiet place without getting in the way. A ship was not like a farm where there was never alack for slow borring labor to while away the hours. There was always getting ready for winter if nothing else, but out here, well the fish bit just as well winter or summer and the merchants would sell you lots of sausage, hardtack and salt meat year-round too as long as you had the coin to buy it.
"Ayup," John agreed, much to Luc's relief. It did feel strange to be told to work with the taciturn Lordson. He had a lot of brothers and sisters by any measure, six in all and every one made it past their second year, but John had grandchildren back home... even one of them wasn't got under wedlock.
"He was better with the little 'uns than I was. D'you ever wonder..." he cut himself off. "Never you mind lad, I know you ain't yer pa."
"Say what you will, I don't think God will hold a grudge over honest words. I know I won't."
"If he can find his way back proper-like and be in heaven by Judgement Day. They say it could be any day now, that the Empire of the Franks would be the last one before the Day of Reckoning comes..."
***
Seven Days past, a Sunday by Zaia's Reckoning
Luc shaded his eyes against the sun, the dappled leaves of the Laurel trees poor cover from its golden gaze as it peered down at the cairn then had left for Tam, nothing had touched the mark of name or cross, but then they were humble things and unlikely to be a draw to any thief. He had been half afraid that something else might have meddled, some ghost or gremlin, some hag or spirit. All of them knew witches had their own use for the bodies of the dead, though most of the time it would have been for those who died unbaptized or a suicide and Tam wasn't any of those.
They all prayed, as best they knew in hope of Resurrection and that Tam was already with Christ in heaven and that he would find there those of his kin who had passed before.
"We saved two kingdoms this season, hell of a tale to tell over ale," Pete had quipped once they had all lifted their heads.
"Ain't much ale around here, nor wine either," Nico had said, sort of glancing at the lord, finding the smile his jape had been after. Sir Roland was an easy lord to serve when it came to everything but charging into battle like a madman to save the shaggy one horns or some shit, having never met anyone or anything he didn't want to give a helping hand to... which is how they had gotten talking otters around the ship and Luc had to admit those were dead useful and fine folks.
They had been sitting off to the side looking on at the remembrance of Tam. They had never known him and they weren't too clear on talk of God, but they wanted to come and offer a hand... or a paw as it may be in silence.
They had talked about what Tam might have thought of this mad journey, or how he would have taken to this fight, the which careered into stories about how others would take their stories of they were to sail into Verley on the morrow.
Things had gone quiet then and it almost looked like Sir Roland would be wroth with them, but it had been Luc himself who broke the silence with a laugh. "Well my pa would't greed me with a fat lamb like a prodigal son on account of we don't have any of those. Probably say I'm doing God's work"
***
Sixteenth Day of Olweje-eza (Olweje Ascendant), 1349 A. L. (After Landfall)
"Tam did God's work at least as much as the rest of us," Luc said, more sure of himself than he had been a moment ago. "He knows his own."
"You don't know that," John sort of grunted and he was about ready to put an end to all this talking here and now from what Luc had heard of him, but he wouldn't have any of it this time.
"You know those skull tossing things that killed him, I asked Mog about their sort... they're bad, real bad what they do to other spirits just going about their way in the world. I figure any man who might die fighting their lot's gotta count more to good grain than weeds."
For a long moment there was quiet other than the boys talking to each other, then the older man turned to him with a smile: "You watch that wisdom lad or we might try to make you a priest like your pa anyway."
"Just as soon as you find a bishop hiding under a rock," Luc quipped back, a little surprised at his daring...
A pair of little voices broke in then: "We are done, we are done! Tell us which of us made the best one!"
The look the two men shared then was one that overcame generations and experience in the ways of war.
Do you know shit about knots?
OOC: Closing this here without a vote, this was tricky enough to get through even without trying to jam one in here. They are alluding to a Bible Parable in there even though neither of them had read it because village priests often used those as part of what would be counseling and community building, especially the ones that would relate to the everyday life of the village. 
