Serenity Valley (22 page)

“This, my wife, she good wife, but
excited, she is best wife!” Giselia looked at Ivan,
smiling.

I decided to introduce myself. “My
name is Gamel. These fines horses are Demon and
Mildred.”

“Gamel, Demon, and Mildred I think
make good family, yes?” Giselia said.

“Yes, we are like family. I have been
with Demon since birth, and Mildred is his stepmother for
nursing.”

“Demon mother not live; she
dead?”

“Yes, Giselia. Demon’s mother died
giving birth. Mildred and I are raising him.”

“Oh, so sad, Demon mother
die!”

“I cut Demon from his mother after she
died, and we are bound to one another.”

Giselia looked very serious now. “You
save horse; now horse think you he mother!”

I said, “Yes, I think so. We are very
close.”

“Demon, he knows understand words you
say?”

“Yes, he can tell my mood and
understands most of what I say if he wants to.”

Giselia got very excited and jabbered
back and forth with Ivan for some time. They both got huge smiles
on their faces, and Ivan said, “Gamel, my wife say you and horse
very special bond; you are of one mind, very rare. In our country,
they call horse magic man.”

“Oh, I don’t think it’s magic. We just
know each other’s moods and can react to each other.”

Ivan and Giselia talked some more, and
Giselia said, “No, not magic, but people think magic when see horse
you together; very special! Mildred horse very special also!”
Giselia ran over to Mildred and began rubbing her neck. She said,
“She, Mildred horse, become Demon more like; she smart,
yes?”

“Yes, Mildred is very smart,” I
agreed. “She has started to imitate Demon also.”

“She become special with bond Demon
you, she learn.” These were the first people I had met who
understand my situation. We sat down on some stools Ivan produced
and spent the next two hours talking about my bond with
Demon.

Giselia could explain all that was
going on between Demon and me, and how Mildred was changing and
why. She also told me what could develop in the future with our
relationship and how Mildred would be affected. While we talked,
Ivan sat with an old worn-out harness, trying to patch it back
together. It looked to be older than any of us sitting there.
Finally, I spoke up.

“I say, Ivan, you need a new harness
there.”

“No this one okay still. Maybe we buy
next year.”

Giselia said, “My husband good man. He
send money family to home country, not money harness to
buy.”

After our long talk, I asked them if I
could visit them and talk more. Perhaps they could come to my house
for an evening meal. Although they acted very excited for the
invitation, I got the feeling that they didn’t believe it would
ever happen. I put the two additional packages in the pack and
said, “Well, Demon, who is going to carry the pack, you or me?”
Demon bent down and picked up the pack, then turned and waited for
me. I waved to Ivan and Giselia. They were both smiling and nodding
as we departed.

Giselia said, “You talking Demon, he
understand!”

Off we went. I now had a better
understanding of my relationship with Demon and had a little better
idea of what to expect as he matured. Although I wished I could
stay longer, more important business was at hand.

On the way back to Sirates House, I
ran into Lord Goodwin and Lord Hamond returning from the stable
area. Hamond called, “Oye, Master Gamel. Been doing some shopping
there?”

I stopped to talk to them in front of
the main house entrance. I said, “My lords, yes indeed I have been
picking up a few items of necessity.” Lord Hamond started rubbing
Demon behind the ear. Demon dropped the pack and leaned to get a
better scratch.

Hamond said, “Lord Goodwin has told me
the tale of you and Demon. You are to be commended. What a fine
stud colt has resulted. I would like to have one of his offspring
when the time comes!”

“We can probably work that out,
Hamond,” Goodwin said.

I could already see the lord sizing up
how much coin he could extort from Lord Hamond. The more he wanted
it, the more it would cost him. After all, my lord is a horse
trader above all else.

Hamond noticed my boots. “Master
Gamel, what sort of boot is that?”

“My lord, this is the new forest boot
that Master Forwin has finished designing after many years. It is
light, supple, and designed for running while being both durable
and waterproof. He can dye them any color, but this color is best
for hunters, runners, and forest soldiers.”

He asked, “Are they
expensive?”

“Not at all, my lord. When you think
about the quality and craftsmanship, they are a bargain. I believe
he would give discounts for multiple pair orders as
well.”

“Very well, then. I must meet this
master tanner and have me a pair of those.”

“He is set up in the festival grounds
on the left as you go in, my lord.”

Goodwin said, “I’ll go with you,
Hamond. I must also see about a pair for myself.” Lord Goodwin gave
me a quick look and a wink. We were thinking along similar lines.
Lord Hamond was impressed and wanted anything he could obtain that
was hold related. I hoped Master Forwin was able to sell him a
hundred pair!

On to the house we traveled. It was
getting close to evening meal, and I wanted everything to be just
right.

I fed and watered the horses for the
night, picked up my pack, and made haste to the rear door. As soon
as I opened the door, the aroma of fresh-baked black bread
assaulted me, leaving my mouth watering. It was safe to say Basilea
was already home. “Oye, princess of the castle. What heavenly food
fare are you preparing this evening?”

“Ah, it is Sir Rogue. This evening we
will dine on roast lamb with carrots, bread, and cider. Do you know
how many guards there will be tonight?”

“Just make the normal amount of bread.
The guard will not be increased because they will want to avoid
drawing attention to us. Goodwin has let the rumor seed that the
Sirates colt is being guarded in case of mischief with all the
strangers about the hold.”

Basilea replied, “That’s a smart idea,
a good cover story for deception.”

“Oh, beautiful one, I think you like
deception perhaps too much.”

“It’s fun, especially when Bells and I
send you two men all over the countryside chasing false
trails.”

“How can someone so beautiful be so
devious?”

“Just lucky, I guess!” I placed my
pack in the corner. It did not go unnoticed. Basilea asked, “What
do you have in the pack? It was empty when I saw you at festival.
You must have shopped.”

“I got these boots.”

Basilea came over and inspected them
closely. “These are great boots. I have never seen these colors
before. They will blend right into the forest.”

“Yes, I call them the forest boot.” I
told Basilea about Lord Hamond and how Lord Goodwin and I plotted
to get him to buy boots.

Basilea thought it was hilarious. “I
hope Master Forwin doesn’t stroke out when he writes up the order.
What else did you get? The pack is way too full to just hold your
old boots.”

I said, “You know, you are way too
observant. The rest is a surprise for when everyone gets here
tonight.”

“Um, a surprise? You can go ahead and
tell me, you know.”

“No, actually, I can’t.”

“Aha! So you got me something, didn’t
you, Gamel?”

“Maybe, hard to tell.”

She pouted. “That’s not very nice,
sir, to torment a poor girl with secrets.”

“I am assured you will
live!”

Basilea was frowning now. The skin
above her nose pinched together. It always does that when she’s
upset.

She walked over to me and put her arms
around me. I just stood there, so she grabbed my arms and wrapped
them around her. She pressed against me and put her face on my
chest. I could feel the heat of her body sink into me. Her golden
hair smelled of honey and wheat—this was going to be hard. She
asked, “Don’t you want to tell me what my surprise is? Your poor,
sweet, beautiful Basilea, does she really need to
suffer?”

“Oh, you’re making this very
difficult. I want to tell you, but if I did, it could set in motion
a chain of events that could topple the world.”

“What is the world compared to a
moment of happiness for your amazing Basilea?”

We both started to laugh as the rear
door opened and Fulk came in. I called out, “Oye, Fulk, what news
have you?”

Fulk went straight to the cabinet and
poured himself a mug of wine and sat at the table. As soon as he
sat, he took a long drink from the mug without pause. I asked, “So,
Fulk, did Nesta like her gift?”

Basilea gasped. “You got Nesta a
gift?”

“Oh, yea, she liked it okay—too much,
I think!”

“Tell me about the gift, Fulk?” Fulk
was too upset to talk at the moment, so I told the tale of the
mirror and brush set, proudly pointing out my fantastic negotiating
skills. Basilea’s eyes got huge with interest.

“So what happened, Fulk? What did she
say?” Basilea asked.

“Well, at first, she didn’t say
anything. Her lips started quivering, and tears just ran down her
face. It was horrible. She didn’t even blink.”

Basilea’s eyes were almost popping out
of her head. “So, what happened then? Did she kiss you?”

“No, she came over and sat in my lap.
I held her, and she just kept crying. Look, my shirt is all
wet.”

Basilea and I looked at each other but
refrained from laughing. Basilea said, “Go on, Fulk. What happened
then?”

“We sat there for a long time, Nesta
on my lap, soaking my shirt, me scared to death I did something
wrong.”

“Yes, yes, then, then?” Basilea asked
in an encouraging voice.

Fulk said, “Well, the kitchen staff
started coming out to see what was wrong with her, and they got
their hands on the mirror set. They made a heck of a spectacle out
of the affair, and embarrassed me to death!”

Basilea asked, “And Nesta is still
soaking your shirt and clutching on for her life?”

Fulk said, “Yea, and I’m trapped
there. I can’t get away, don’t know what to do; I almost
died!”

Basilea and I looked at each other and
couldn’t hold it in any longer. We burst out laughing.

Fulk barked out, “It’s not funny, you
know. Worst day in my life, I think!”

Basilea pulled herself together.
“Sorry, sorry, tell me what happened next.”

“Well, she finally got off me so I
could stand. She pulled my head down—she is really strong, you
know! Then she pulled me into her and kissed me really hard; it
actually hurt! She picked up the mirror set, covered it with her
smock, and ran away. I don’t know what to make of all this. Can you
help me out here, Basilea? She is your friend.”

“First of all, let me tell you that
Nesta is a good girl. She has one of the most tender hearts you
will ever find. Her father is a drunken brute without a kind word
for Trina or Nesta. As tough as Trina acts, she is a dear soul. I
have seen the bruises no matter how she tries to hide them. Nesta
has never seen a man show anything but cruelty to a woman, and she
didn’t know how to react. She probably went into some kind of
shock. Do you like her, Fulk?”

“I think the sun rises with her!” he
exclaimed.

“Then you need to be patient with her.
Show her compassion and a better way to live. This is all new to
her.”

“Why do you think she ran away like
that?”

“She was probably running to hide her
present. If her father finds out about it, he will sell it for
drink money.”

“I had no idea things were that bad
for her. Now I feel stupid,” he said drearily.

“You’re not stupid. You are one of the
smartest people I know. If you want her, just show her a different
way to live.”

“Well, that explains a lot of
questions I have had. Thank you. Now I have some things to think
about.”

“Don’t wait too long before you see
her again. She is probably more scared and confused than you are.
Go talk to her,” Basilea advised.

Fulk got up and said, “I’ll be back
after a while.”

He left out the back door, and Basilea
and I looked at each other. “You are so wise, as wise as the hoot
owl on a moonlit night!” I said.

Basilea responded, “Why, thank you,
kind sir. Let’s eat. We have our lord and lady coming
soon.”

Basilea and I were huddled up on the
wide chair in front of the hearth when Fulk came in the back door a
while later. Basilea said, “Fulk, if you’re hungry, there is food
in the kitchen.”

“Thanks, but I took food with Nesta
and Trina,” he said.

“So things are good then?” she
asked.