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The morning sun filtered through the leaves of the alder tree behind the kitchen. Garstan stood under the tree with a ball of twine. Construction on the new wing of the hall had been neglected during the search for Linduial. He was glad to be back at work, and delighted that the Lady was safe in Lord Eodwine's hall once again.
A stab of pain ran up Garstan's left arm as he stretched it to tie the string to the base of the tree. The wound suffered during the rescue mission had not yet wholly healed. He would be unable to start the heavier labor of putting stone to chisel for the next few days, but there was nothing to stop the careful work of measuring and marking out the places where the new corridor and kitchen would stand. With a final grimace, he pulled the knot tight and walked to the left to bring his line flush with a straight, narrow furrow in the ground that his son was drawing between the remains of the rear wall of the old kitchen and a stake that would mark the beginning of the new one's nearer wall. With the twine in place, he called to Garmund.
"Here lad. Put the stake where the twine ends."
The boy obliged with a nod. Garstan then measured off a spot three feet nearer the new kitchen and placed a second stake there, ignoring the sharp ache in his arm. The stakes marked what would be the center window of the corridor, set carefully to match the position of the tree that would be the centerpiece of the courtyard.
Garstan walked back to the alder to retrieve his twine. The new statue caught his eye. The odd dwarf, whom he had seen silently walking the courtyard while the measurements were taking place, certainly had a gift for sculpture. He wondered if Náin would be willing to help with the construction. It was a little less artistic a task than the fine statue, but Garstan envisioned some intricate work for the borders of the windows. Perhaps a bench or two at the sills where one could rest and look at the courtyard. But he was getting ahead of himself. The work hadn't even started.
Leaving Garmund to take a rest in the courtyard, Garstan headed inside, hoping to have a chance to speak with the dwarf. Even if Náin was not interested in more mundane stonecraft, perhaps he could still provide a few ideas for the project.
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