A Story Told by the Mothers in Grey House How Yarrow Got Her Name

A Story Told by the Mothers in Grey House: How Yarrow Got Her Name

This is holy and ancient knowledge.

There have been women in grey in the house for as long as the house has been, but they did not always have their names. When the First Lady of Grey Tower died, she had no name, for it had been taken, but her daughter, who ate of her flesh, became known as Madam Carrion. And the women in grey tended to her body. And when Madam Carrion died of yew-tree poison, her daughter, who ate of her flesh, became known as Yew. And the women in grey tended to her body. And so it was for years. Every Lady took a name; the name died with her.

The Lady named Yarrow lived in the Lily Era. She was a very great Lady: in her was the First seen again. For she took back the name of nameless Grey, and in it ruled well. All loved her, and she was very beautiful, and a powerful singer. But then Yarrow took sick one day. A plague had come from Red Tower, and all the palace groaned with the sorrow and pain of it. And Yarrow grew sicker and sicker.

One of her women, seeing this, determined to help her. This woman ate only honey for seven times seven days, until her excrement was honey, until her sweat was honey, until her tears were honey. Then she had the other women put her in a casket of honey, where she drowned in honey. And after seven times seven days, the flesh of her body was given to the Lady Yarrow to eat. The Lady grew strong again and her gratitude was boundless. In death, the woman was given the name Yarrow, and her apprentice took it as well, and so it has been passed down in a long chain of Yarrows through the long ages.

That is how all the women's names came to be. They are gifts for the worthy. And only the worthy may bear them.