Alone with Theora
"When we found I could not bear a child, he withdrew and became
sarcastic and violent--and drunk most of the time. When he left for
the wars, he said he would not return. He was found dead in the woods
three days later--with a knife in his hand. I was glad to be free of
that monster, but I was concerned about my future. Tarryn came to
me--my twenty-years-younger brother--and said he would do the chores
if I would let him live with me. How could I refuse? So I took him
in, and we have been happy alone together for seven years. Then you
came, bearing with you an orphaned foal and a protective dog. And you
take my dear brother into a realm of happiness greater than ours was.
So I resented you for a long time."
You see Theora standing in the doorway. You take a deep breath
and walk toward the house.
"I'm sorry if I appear standoffish,"she apologizes
awkwardly. "I suppose--to see you and Tarryn so happy--it's just
too much. I never told you about my husband, did I?" You shake
your head wordlessly. "Well, my parents arranged the union. He
was nineteen years older than me. I was fourteen when I married him.
My face was streaked with bitter tears as I walked down the aisle.
