The man looked up and greeted, “Oh hiya, darlin’. What can I do fer ya?”
“I would like a blue ribbon,” she said as she held out her red-ribboned wrist.
“Oh, I see,” the man said. He shifted the papers aside and fetched a small spool of thinly cut fabric. Cutting just enough to tie around the girl’s wrist, he announced, “That’ll be two coppers, sweetie.”
Maren froze. She had no money with her and none at home that she knew of. Her shoulders sank and she massaged her ear. “I don’t have any coppers,” she said.
“I’m sorry, honey. It’s two coppers to be a part of the festivities today,” the man explained.
The young girl glanced back toward the desserts, and all the people dancing and laughing. She felt pulled toward the food and revelry. Thinking fast, she asked, “Will you be here tomorrow?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said.
“Can I pay you tomorrow?”
The man wrinkled his forehead. “I have to take something today. Is there anything you can give me now?”
Maren thought for a moment as she fixed her eyes on the papers strewn across the table. Then she had an idea. “I can draw you a picture,” she declared. She loved to draw and was very good at it.
The man rubbed his chin and pushed his whiskery lips to the side. “Hmmm. I’ll have to ask Sevuss if that’s okay. Stay put,” he said. He then disappeared through the door behind him and into the inn.
Moments later, the man returned with an expensively dressed gent with wiry, ginger-and-white hair. His skin looked thin and leathery, and his teeth were tobacco-stained and crooked. Maren didn’t like the look of the man, but she remained polite and composed anyway. “So, you don’t have any money at all?” Sevuss asked with a perturbed expression smeared across his face.
“No,” said the girl. “But I can draw you a picture.”
“Pictures don’t pay for all of this,” the man in charge said as he gestured toward the festivities happening in the square. He then squinted and looked into the distance for a bit. Scratching his cheek, he offered, “I’ll tell you what. Today I’ll let you draw me a picture, but tomorrow you’ll have to bring some money, or something more valuable than a few charcoal scratches on paper.” He then nodded to the gray man behind the table and disappeared back into the inn.
“Yessir,” Maren replied, even though Sevuss was already out of earshot.
“Well then,” the man behind the table said as he handed Maren a few sheets of paper and a pencil. “It’s your lucky day. You can stand at the edge of the table to make your drawings and bring them to me when they’re ready.”
“Okay,” the girl said as she took the paper and found a clear spot to draw on.
She spent several minutes sketching a recreation of the town square with all of its party-goers, musicians, and spectators. It was difficult for her to be patient with the process because she was eager to join in the celebrating. When she was satisfied with the drawing, she walked over and handed it to the man.
“Well, that was quick,” he said, sweeping his long, gray hair out of his eyes. He studied the image, looking up at the subject of the drawing and then back toward the paper. “This is very impressive,” he said with an amused smile.
“I know,” Maren replied. Her mouth was already watering for more blackberry pie.
The man looked over to the edge of the table, then back to the square, then at the drawing again. “You weren’t even lookin’ at the square. How’d ye draw it so well?”
“I remembered,” she answered confidently.
“I’ll say ye did,” he said as he took a final peek at the sketch. He then picked up the blue ribbon he had cut for Maren earlier. “Well, let’s tie this around yer arm. Would you like me to cut off the one from yesterday?”
“No, thank you,” she said, and she held out her wrist, ready for an endless number of sweets and amusements. Once the fabric was secured, she ran off gleefully to take it all in.
CHAPTER FOUR
A Dearer Price
“The road is up ahead,” Dulnear mentioned to Faymia. The elk they had hunted was stretched across a makeshift cart that was tied to both of their horses.
“It’s about time,” his wife responded. “I think we’ll hunt closer to home next time. Dragging this carcass hasn’t been easy.”
The man from the north smiled. He had thoroughly enjoyed every part of their excursion together, even the challenge of hauling the game back home. “It has been wonderful to toil alongside of you, my love.”
Faymia chuckled and her expression lightened. “Then perhaps we can toil a little harder together and finish building our cottage when we get back.”
The large man’s smile turned into a laugh. He had been working on a dwelling for the two of them for quite some time. It sat on the southern edge of Gale Hill Farm with a view of the distant sea on one side and kept Son and Maren’s house within sight on the other. “It will make a fine place to grow old together,” he said.
“Well, let’s make sure we don’t grow old before we can move in,” she joked.
Around midday, the two hunters came upon a small village that was situated on either side of the easterly road. It was unique in that the northern half was partly built into a rocky hill, and the southern half was built on stilts to keep it level with the road. It was unusually quiet for the hour, and the street was littered with discarded papers, eating utensils, and the bones of various fowl.
Dulnear halted their horses and smelled the air as he looked around. The hair on the back of his neck felt like needles of ice. “This is not right,”
