The Dryad 16 Side Story Gram

I just could not grasp people. I would rather spend my time with horses. They were so much easier to understand that humans. Luckily my family owned a few and after I reached the age of twelve the care of the horses was given to me. This was the first time in my life that I really felt like I had a place. I did everything I could for the horses. Through my care the number of horses and their strength increased. Our family began to be known for having some of the best horses in the area. One thing that was different was that I knew that these horses largely lived off the land in the warmer months. So I worked hard caring for the plants in their pastures and making sure those that were not good for the horses were promptly removed. You could not have healthy horses if you did not have healthy pastures.

After a few years of taking care of the horses, I notice that one of the village girls would often come by and watch the animals. I was too shy to say anything to her so I just let her be and concentrated on my work.

One time she was there when I was trying to train a young horse to wear a saddle and harness. This particular horse was very stubborn and did not want to submit. We were both working up a heavy sweat and he would try to run away in fear and would cry out in distress every time I managed to get ahold of him.

The girl must have thought that I was torturing the ornery colt. She said that I was being cruel to the horse and asked me to stop. To this day I do not know what drove me to explain it, but I told her. "If I do not teach him to submit to the harness now he will never be able to be trained later and he'll become a useless animal. My family can't afford to take care of an animal that doesn't do any work and can't be sold. It would be more cruel to let him be free now because it will just lead to his death."

"But why does it have to be so hard on him?" she asked slightly pleadingly.

"The more pride he has the harder it will be to submit."

"I know you often give the horses a treat when they do a good job. I think if you give him some now it might help him calm down." This was not a bad idea. I had been so frustrated with this animal that I had not stepped back to think things through.

The treat worked well and I was able to get the harness on while he was eating. When I saw that the colt was willing to accept the harness I turned to the girl. "Thanks."

"Tikkah" she responded.

"What's that?"

"Tikkah. Thats my name," she said with a smile

"Oh. I am Gram," I said, for some reason feeling rather reserved.

"I know," she responded cheerfully.

Somehow that conversation opened up an invisible door between us. She started to ask me more questions about the horses. Over time she started helping me take care of them. She was a few years younger than me but was smart and a good worker. It was fun having her around.

Things continued on like this for several years. The size of the herd we managed and the quality of the horses continued to improve. Nothing changed between us until I was about 18 years old and she was just about to be 16. It would be time for her to start thinking about marriage. I myself had never put much thought into marriage. One day out of the blue she told me that one of the boys in the village had asked for her hand. I had never really looked at her that way, but the proposal caused me to realize she had become quite attractive over the years. In fact, she was beautiful. It was not a surprise that there were boys that were interested in her. But for some reason part of me did not want to accept it.

"What did you tell him?" I asked her.

"I told him I would need to think about it."

We worked in silence for a while. I wondered why my heart was pounding. I hope I'm not getting sick. Maybe I need to get to bed early tonight.

Tikkah then asked, "What do you think about it, Gram? My marriage proposal. Should I accept?"

This question came as a shock to me and nearly put me back in my mute state from years before. But somehow I managed to ask, "I guess you wouldn't come around?"

"I don't think I would. I would have to start taking care of the home. And it would not be good for me to be spending time with another man."

"I don't like it." Those honest words from my mouth shocked me. But what shocked me even more was that a big smile appeared on her face when I said that. I thought she would be mad at me.

"Well then. If I am going to say no, you will have to take responsibility for it."

"Responsibility? What? How?" It was obvious from the smile on her face that she was enjoying my clueless state.

"Well, I don't know if I would ever get another marriage proposal. Even if I did, that would still mean that I would have to leave to be with my new family. The only way around it is if you were to propose to me. Then I could stay with you taking care of the horses. There would be nothing left to worry about."

It was not until years later that I realized how much she had played me. I think I even heard her telling one of the neighbors that there was no marriage proposal from any other man. But she was smart enough to realize I would never think of this on my own. And honestly, I had never been happier than when I was with her. I have no complaints about being 'forced' into this.

More years pa.s.sed. My parents had helped us build a house near theirs, close to the pastures. Eventually, Tikkah managed to get pregnant. It took us a lot longer than her friends. The pregnancy was hard, and the delivery was even more difficult. The midwife was there all night, and into the next day. At last a girl was born. We were so happy holding her. We named her Misala. But we were told that she was not healthy and we would be lucky if she lived a few years. This was not all the bad news. We were told that my wife's uterus was injured during the birth and we would not be able to have any more children. I was told that I should consider it a miracle that my wife and daughter managed to live through the night.

For the first time in many years I left the care of the horses to my parents. I gave all my care to my wife and daughter. I had worked with the horses for 15 years now. I had helped many foals into the world and I had helped many mothers recover. I knew I would be able to help my family.

***

Five years have pa.s.sed. My wife had taken a few months to recover her health. But the emotional toll was high. Tikkah now spent most of her time taking care of our daughter. Misala's health was very frail. We have been scared many times that we would lose her. And I was worried about Tikkah, too. I know part of her heart broke when she learned that we would not be able to have any more children. I knew she was afraid that if we lost our daughter we would be all alone. To be honest, I was afraid too.

A great blessing has happened recently that has eased our struggles. A young herbalist has moved into our village. It is good that the herbalist got married to someone from the village. That way she should stay for a long time. The medicine she makes has helped Misala much more than anything we had been able to get from the village before then. Our daughter has been able to leave the house for the first time in her life. We took her to look at the horses.

Misala was very excited about everything, and was trying to see everything. I showed her to the paddock where a few younger horses were being kept. Then Misala asked, "Daddy, will I be able to take care of the horses too someday?" This question pierced my heart. She was so frail. My throat was tight. I did not know if she would be able to.

"I hope so," was all I could say.

"I hope so, too," she said with a smile. "Mommy always tells about how much she loves watching you take care of the horses and how that was how she fell in love with you." I still remember the feeling of my face turning red at Misala's innocent statement.

Three more years have pa.s.sed. My daughter's condition is still holding steady. She is eight years old now. She is so smart. She must have gotten that from her mother. She really likes the days when she is able to leave the house. But we can only do that when the weather is perfect and she is 'healthy'. I wish she could get out of the house more to see the world. It hurt me so much to have to have her cooped up all the time. But even on the best days taking her out left her weak and shaking before long.

It was late afternoon one day when a large group of men came to the house led by Gray, the husband of the herbalist. He said that they were looking for 5 horses. The people behind him did not seem happy with that number but I would leave that to them to figure out. After some questioning it seemed like they were looking for horses that would be good mounts for people with little experience.

We settled on which horses to pick surprisingly quickly. All that was left was the hardest part for me, the negotiation. But before I could even calculate the first price to offer they presented me with a small wooden vial and some elven made crafts. "The vial contains the nectar of the forest G.o.ddess and will heal any ailments. I can promise you that it will be effective. We also offer you this elven bow and this wooden puzzle box. I know they are not the money your kind usually use, but we are in a hurry and do not have sufficient. Please accept them."

It was the first time I gave the man next to Gray a good look. It turned out that he was an elf. I gave the bow and the box a quick look. I could tell the workmanship of both was extraordinary. Either piece would catch a great price. But I was more interested in the contents of the vial. I gave Gray an inquisitive look.

"My wife promises that the nectar in this vial is many times stronger than anything she can make. I also heard that these effects will be curative and not temporary like most medicine."

I am not sure I managed to hide my excitement. If what Gray said was correct, I would happily give up all my horses for Misala to be healthy. Plus they wanted to give me the bow and the box? A weight settled on my chest. There was no way five horses were worth that much. Even the medicine alone was worth much more than the horses. As much as it hurt I could not lie to them like this. "I would be glad to accept this offer. But are you sure? This feels like too much."

The elf was the one to respond, "To those who made these items, the worth is less than the service we are receiving. You are helping us in our time of great need. Please, take them with our grat.i.tude."

I was not foolish enough to argue with him. Tikkah and I would finally be able to start giving her the life she deserves, I thought, trying to fight the tears falling down my face. I finished the deal and closed up the pasture.

Then I ran home as fast as I could.