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She understood what Roan wanted from her ... a vision that foretold the outcome. Unfortunately, one was not available to her. She had yet to see what would be.
She shook her head. “I see nothing—yet though I sense your hesitancy. I can tell you there is no need for you to worry. Things will go well for you.”
“What of you?”
“It has always been difficult to see things for myself, but since I told Willow I would see her again, I can only assume all will go well.”
Roan smiled. “That eases my worry.” He looked to Trey. “I have no doubt you will take care of your wife. You are an honorable man, and you battled death and won.”
“With Bliss’s help,” Trey reminded him.
“Then it appears you two were meant to be,” Roan said. “Now it is time for us to be on our way. “Stop at Maude and Thumble’s cottage; food and extra garments wait for you there. And be careful. Danger now lurks everywhere.”
Bliss gave Roan’s hand a squeeze. “Your journey will be a safe one.”
“Stay safe, and I will see you both soon,” Roan said, and was gone as swiftly as he had appeared.
Bliss could not help but ask, “Are you certain you wish to do this?”
“Are you certain you need to ask that question?”
“What of your family? They need you with them now.”
“They need me to find out all I can about the king’s troops that are forming in the north,” he said. “If I hadn’t stumbled upon you and wed you, we would have discovered too late what the king was planning. The best thing I can do for my family is to find out all I can about the king’s plans and return home with that information.”
It did make sense, and his duty to the true king did come first.
“And there is my wife to protect,” he said. “And a child to save.”
“Aye, we must get to Philip,” she said, and though he did not need to remind her that he would continue to protect her, it pleased her to hear it.
Maude was as short and wide as Thumble was tall and slim. To some they might appear an odd couple, but no one could doubt they were a loving pair. Their eyes glowed with happiness when they glanced at each other, and they were forever holding hands. In the fifteen years they had been married, they never had children though the menagerie of ill animals that found their way to them, and often remained after getting well, were like family to them.
“He’s a fine-looking man,” Maude said with a grin and a nod toward Trey, who stood outside the opened, cottage door talking with Thumble.
“He is a good man,” Bliss said, though she avoided referring to him as her husband. She didn’t want to hear any well-wishes for a happy, fruitful, and long life when their marriage was nothing more than...
Her thought drifted off. This was not the time to wonder about her marriage.
Maude had insisted on adding more food to an already full sack once she had learned that Trey would be taking the journey with her. She was just about done when she asked, “Could I ask a favor of you, Bliss?”
“You have an animal that does not heal, and you are worried about him,” Bliss said, having sensed Maude’s concern upon entering the cottage.
The plump woman smiled, her full cheeks blushing. “You have so much to see to that I did not want to impose, but this little fellow just will not get well.” She walked over to a basket near the hearth, a cloth partially covering it. She reached down and scooped up a bundle of fur, cradling the baby rabbit in her cupped hands.
Bliss brought her hands to her mouth, closed her eyes a moment, then opened them and rubbed her hands together before cupping them and holding them out to Maude.
The woman gently handed the tiny rabbit to Bliss.
Bliss knew as soon as she held him that he would not survive. No amount of healing would save his life; it was his time to go.
She looked to Maude, and said, “I’m sorry, but there is nothing I can do for him. He will pass before night falls.”
Maude got teary-eyed. “I was afraid of that. Thumble reminds me that I must learn that I cannot save all creatures, that some are not meant to live.”
“I can tell you that he suffers no pain and will die peacefully.”
Maude forced a smile. “I am glad to hear that.” She reached out and took the small ball of fur in her hands and cradled him close for a moment before returning him to his comfortable nest in the basket.
