Love

Mary hadn’t really talked about growing up in the kitchen. She had given a general picture to her parents and Tariana, but never talked about it like this. It felt liberating.

“This Erik, he is the reason you are always looking for the bone items at the market?” Tenac asked.

“Yes, it’s a way to make sure that he and his family are safe,” Mary said.

“Was it him that broke your heart?” Tenac asked. There was a hint of anger in his voice.

“No, that was someone else,” Mary said with a sigh.

“You shouldn’t let that hold you back forever, Mary. There are good men as well,” Tenac said.

“I know. The problem is not that I’m protecting myself. It’s that I’m protecting them. Something is broken in me, and I don’t know if I can fix it,” Mary confided in him.

“What are you talking about Mary, there is nothing broken about you,” Tenac told her.

“That’s sweet of you, but there is. I don’t want to hurt someone like I was hurt. Until I can heal, I have no right to ask for someone to love me. I rather spend my life alone than hurt a good man,” she explained.

“You will never be alone Mary, you have your friends. We will never leave you,” Tenac sighed.

“I know, thank you for reminding me,” she smiled.

They continued talking for a long while until Tenac worried Beruda would send someone to find them. Tenac walked Mary back and got told off by his aunt for keeping Mary outside in the cold for so long. He was then sent off to where he would sleep and Beruda showed Mary to where she would be sleeping. They had hung a blanket to give her some privacy from the rest of the family, that all slept in the tent.

Mary thanked her and slipped out of her black dress, leaving the slip dress on, and crawled under the blankets. It was cosy to be sleeping on the floor in the tent. Blankets and pillows had been arranged to give her comfort and was almost like a little nest for her to sink into.

Mary awoke early the next morning. The air in the tent was chilly, but not cold. She pulled off her blankets and pulled her dress over her head. Her braid had gotten messy during the night, so she let her hair out and combed through it with her fingers, sitting on her nest.

Beruda rounded the blanket they had hung up for her and smiled at her.

“I was going to wake you, but you are already awake,” she said to Mary.

“Yes, I have slept like a baby. Thank you for letting me stay with you,” Mary said.

“It’s our pleasure. As a friend of Tenac’s, you’re a friend of the family. And a trainee is always welcome. That would make you twice welcome,” Beruda laughed. “Let me help you with that,” she said as Mary started braiding her hair.

“Thank you,” Mary said, standing up and turning around.

“You are a tall one, aren’t you?” Beruda smiled, as she wasn’t taller than Mary’s shoulder. Mary laughed and stood on her knees.

“That was much better,” Beruda said, braiding Mary’s hair. When they were done, Mary helped Beruda take down the blanket. Mary saw that the two daughters of the family were cooking breakfast.

“Can I help?” she asked.

At first, they refused, but Mary could be stubborn, and finally they let her help. She was tasked with pealing boiled eggs. It was an easy task, and it gave her the opportunity to talk to the women as they worked. She learned that there was a younger brother, but he was out with the herd. And an older sister who had married a chief’s son from another clan.

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Tenac woke up and stretched. He loved spending the night on the plains. Last night had been one of the best in his life. Getting to show Mary the plains at night had been high on his list of things he wanted to do. But to get to sit and talk to her like they had done. He had shared things with her that no one else knew about. He thought she had done the same.

It saddened him she thought of herself as broken. She had already changed so much since he met her; he was sure she could heal the last parts as well. The big question was if she was willing to do so. Tenac had already accepted that he loved Mary. He knew that there would be no one else that could take the same place in his heart as she did.

He also knew that Mary might never be open to that kind of relationship. Tenac had decided that it didn’t matter to him. She saw him as a close friend, and he could be happy with that. He wouldn’t give up hope they could be more. But this was the one thing he would never pressure her about. He had no issues giving her a push when she needed it to make progress, but not regarding this.

As he walked to his grandfather’s tent, he thought about what she had told him. She could be the next Lady. Did that change something? Of course it did, it changed a lot of things. Tenac needed to think about if he needed to change his plans. But that was something he could do later. A little boy stopped him.

“Hi Tenac, where is the pretty candy lady?” the boy asked.

“Mary? She is probably in my uncle’s tent,” Tenac smiled.

“Oh, I wanted to thank her for the candy,” the boy said.

“She would like that. We will leave in about two hours. If you come around then, I’ll make sure you can talk to her,” Tenac smiled, and the boy nodded and ran off.

“Her gift has made her popular in the clan,” Nontuf said, as he walked up to Tenac. Tenac shrugged.

“That’s Mary. She has a way to make people like her,” he said.

“Are you two…?“ Nontuf asked.

“We are friends,” Tenac told him.

“Nothing more?”

“No, Mary doesn’t want a romantic relationship at the moment. She is focusing on her training,” Tenac said.

“Or she hasn’t met the right man yet,” Tenac’s cousin said with a smile.

“Please don’t make her feel uncomfortable,” Tenac sighed.

“That maybe the effect you have on women, but not me. I know how to make a beautiful woman feel special. Are you coming for breakfast?” Nontuf asked.

“In a moment, grandfather wanted to speak with me,” Tenac said and watched as his cousin walked off to his father’s tent. Tenac walked over to his grandfather’s tent and entered. His grandfather was sitting, drinking coffee.

“Tenac, come, sit and talk for a while,” his grandfather said.

“I was thinking that we should go over to uncle’s tent. I want to make sure Mary’s okay,” Tenac said. He didn’t like the thought of his cousin trying something.

“Your aunt is looking after her. She will be fine. We can talk for a minute or two,” his grandfather told him. Tenac knew when he was defeated and took a seat opposite his grandfather.

“I like her,” his grandfather said.

“Mary?” Tenac asked.

“Yes, who else?” his grandfather chuckled.

“She has a good head, she’s polite, and she has become very popular with the clan after her gift,” he continued.

“Yeah, that sounds like Mary,” Tenac agreed.

“Should I prepare for a wedding gift?” his grandfather asked, making Tenac startle.

“No,” he answered.

“Why not? Don’t you find her attractive?” the old man asked, looking perturbed.

“Of course I find her attractive. She’s beautiful,” Tenac scoffed.

“Is there another woman? Why didn’t you bring her here?”

“No, there is no other woman. Mary isn’t interested in that kind of relationship. It’s complicated, but at least for now she thinks that isn’t in her future,” Tenac sighed.

“And still you brought her here?” his grandfather asked.

“I know she likes to experience new things, and I wanted her to meet my family and see where I come from. She is a natural with horses. I thought she would enjoy this,” Tenac said.

“Mhm, and has she?”

“Yes,” Tenac smiled. “Actually, I need your advice,” Tenac said.

“This is a rare occasion. Please tell me.”

 “I have been teaching Mary to ride, and I started her out on the mellowest horse we have in the stables, Buttercup. Things went great. Mary felt comfortable with the horse and learned quickly. But she needed to change horse, she had outgrown Buttercup,” Tenac started.

“That’s natural. Everyone outgrows their first horse,” his grandfather nodded.

“Yes, but I had a hard time getting her to take the step. She had gotten attached to Buttercup, and Mary can be quite stubborn when she wants. In the end I bribed her with this trip,” Tenac admitted. His grandfather laughed.

“You told her she couldn’t show up here on a beginner’s horse?”

“Yes, I needed something to make her take the step. And she agreed if I promised her that if Buttercup got upset, I would fix it,” Tenac sighed.

“And you agreed.”

“Yes, because horses don’t get upset,” Tenac said.

“And Buttercup is now upset?”

“Yes, how? And more importantly, what should I do about it?” Tenac said, rubbing his hands over his face.

“It’s rare, but it happens sometimes that a person forms such a strong bond with a horse that the horse will act up if it feels abandoned. Does Mary have earth magic combined with life magic?” his grandfather asked. It was an easy question to answer.

“Yes.”

“Makes sense then,” his grandfather nodded.

“So, she has to continue riding Buttercup forever?” Tenac asked, feeling helpless.

“No, just take Buttercup along with you sometimes and let Mary spend some time with her and the problem should be fixed,” his grandfather smiled.

“Now I think it’s time to head over to your uncle’s. I want to spend some more time with this intriguing woman you have brought to me,” he then chuckled.

They walked over to Tenac’s uncle’s tent and went inside. Tenac shouldn’t be surprised. He had known Mary for long enough to expect something like this. But she still made him stop and just look at the scene in the tent as his grandfather chuckled.

Mary was sitting by the fire together with his aunt and cousins, helping to prepare breakfast, chatting away like she had done this every day of her life. Nontuf was sitting with his father, not looking too happy as he watched the woman work. Mary looked up and saw Tenac and smiled at him.

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