Wild smiled when she understood that Rilam's wife was the same as the young girl who had looked after her when she was little. Carilyn had always been so kind to her - it was good to think of that she could to something in return - by letting her husband know about the reason for her nightmares and her anxiety. Wild had only been a small child when it happened, but as she become of age she had understood the threat towards Carilyn and her reasons for leaving the village.
"Carilyn was a very sweet and loving girl," she confirmed. I knew her from I was born until I was 3 or 4 years old, and in those years she was always so sweet and loving, caring to everyone. I believe she had a good home with loving parents, and her siblings were always so kind. But sadly it was her beauty which forced her to leave our village..."
She paused for a moment, trying to remember the exact words she had heard in whispered conversations in her early childhood. Visions started filling her mind. She was a child again, sitting under the table in where the villagers ate their common meals, hearing the women talking.
"They said that Morg had demanded to have Carilyn as his bride," she said quietly. "It was horrible - she was only 13, too young to marry. Morg was a powerful man already then, living in a fortress in the edge of the large forest surrounding our village. He thought himself too fine to live with the rest of us, even if the village was good enough for my father who was a Chieftain.
Morg was a horrible man. He was used to take what he wanted, and when he was done he threw the girls away, used and broken. But Carilyn seemed to be special for him, for he demanded to marry her. She didn't want to of course, and her parents were not willing to leave their daughter to such a brute.
So one morning we heard that Carilyn had escaped. Morg was furious, swearing to take revenge. He sent his troops to search for her, high and low, and he burned down the cottage of her family as a punishment for their disobedience. My parents took them in when they were homeless, allowing them to live with us until a new cottage could be built.
Her family was grateful for being allowed to stay with us, but they always seemed frightful of what could have become of their daughter. They had to send her away, I understood from the whispered conversations, but it was never stated where they sent her. They were afraid Morg could harm her through his Black Magic."
She looked up at Rilam with tears in her eyes. "I often cried after she left," she admitted. "I felt it was my fault that she had to leave. If I had not played on the meadows that day Morg would not have seen us - seen her... And she would have been safe... I'm sorry..."
Wiping away a tear from her eyes she looked up at Rilam again. "What happened to her after she left our village?" she asked. "I have often wondered. I know that she was your wife, but I would love to hear more about her life if it is not too painful for you to speak of..."
She smiled when she heard that Carilyn had a child. "I bet she was a wonderful mother," she smiled. "I have only happy memories from when she helped taking care of me... Did you have a boy or a girl? What was the name of the baby?"
She smiled when Rilam spoke of her being locked away for too long. It was correct, as she always had to keep hidden from Master's prying eyes - and before that she was locked up in his dungeons every time she misbehaved - which was rather often.
The innkeeper smiled friendly when his guests asked when dinner would be ready. "Ah, you are in luck, my friends," he replied. "My wife announced only 5 minutes ago that the dinner was prepared. I think we'll have roast leg of lamb with onions and thyme tonight." He stood up, leading the way to the dining room and opening the door to them. "As you can see we do not have many guests tonight," he said. "I fear the Weather Gods scare away most of our customers. Feel free to be seated where you like. My wife will serve your dinner in a moment. Would you like something to drink?"
Wild followed the innkeeper into the dining room, looking around. It was a nice and clean room, with tablecloths and vases of flowers on the tables and a nice crackling fireplace to keep the guests warm on cold days.
"Do you wish to sit near the windows so we can look at the street life?" she asked. "Or do you prefer a quiet corner of the room?"