Mary's Path

She turned around and saw the Lady walking towards her. Mary thought she looked sad. Before the Lady sat next to her in the window, Mary knew what was going on. She had been dreading this day since she and The Lady had had their conversation on the first day. Her safe life would soon be no more.

“Mary, it’s almost time for me to leave,” the Lady began after she had taken Mary’s hand in hers. Mary nodded, she knew it. “The king won’t let me help the people of the city, so I can’t stay any longer.”

“Why can’t you help them?” asked Mary. She could not understand why the king did not want to help all those who were sick.

“Because the archbishop doesn’t like me and my people. He’s afraid of the aari and of what we can do,” Lady replied.

“But he’s supposed to help the people, he’s a good man. If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t serve God,” Mary said desperately.

“You would think that all those who serve God are good men and women,” lady said. “But sometimes it’s not like that, sometimes they’re just people.” Mary didn’t know what she meant. The only thing she understood was that the archbishop had somehow prevented the Lady from helping the people of the city. Because of that, more people would die just like her parents, and Mary would lose the little bit of security that she had.

“I’ve talked to the king, he’s going to take care of you. You will have your own room and you will be allowed to stay here in the castle. You are safe here my friend, you can feel safe here,” Ladyn continued. Mary nodded. “We will leave early tomorrow. The chatelaine will help you get ready in your new room once we have left. Is there anything you’re wondering about?” asked The Lady.

Mary shook her head but couldn’t look the Lady in the eye. She felt the Lady gently put her hand on Mary’s cheek before getting up to walk out of the room. Mary was left with her head bowed down for a while.

When she looked up and out over the room, she saw that everyone seemed to have something to do. Apparently, they had found out they were leaving, and now everyone was getting ready to go. Everyone except Kopa.

As usual, he sat on the couch by the fireplace and seemed to read a piece of parchment. Kopa always had a parchment to read, or a knife to grind or something else to put in his hands.

Mary went over and sat next to him. None of them said anything, it wasn’t necessary. They sat there on the couch in their own thoughts while everyone else around them got ready.

They sat on the couch all night. When Mary fell asleep against his shoulder, he sat and looked at her for a while before carrying her to her bed. Leana and Mildy put on Mary’s nightwear and when they were finished, he went back into the room and sat down at her bedside.

---

Kopa looked at the girl sleeping in bed. In just a few days, she had won his heart in a way he never thought possible. He had tried to convince Tariana to let Mary go with them. He really thought she would be much better off with them, she was safe when she was with them.

But Tariana had been determined. It would be too much for Mary, all the new customs, all the new things. He had even offered to take responsibility for the girl, she could live with him. He was going to make sure she was well adjusted and made the transition on her terms.

Tariana had leant in towards him, quietly asking if the girl didn’t need a mother and how he would have time to care for a child alone when he was constantly expected to travel by Tariana’s side. Kopa had thought about it, what she had said was true. He had therefor decided to take a wife, he told this to Tariana. She had laughed so hard her eyes had begun to tear up and her laughter had echoed in the corridors.

“Your great, wonderful man, you can’t take a wife just to make Mary happy. It wouldn’t make her, your future wife or you happy,” she said. She was probably right, he thought.

So now he sat there at Mary’s bedside and realized that he had to leave her tomorrow. He had thought about staying here and taking care of her.

But he knew it was doomed to fail. He wouldn’t be able to break the oath he had given to the Lady. He wouldn’t be able to live in this country. Instead, he sat there and looked at the sleeping girl and mourned the future they wouldn’t have together.

Not until the morning light slowly trickled through the window, he reached out and gently touched her. She woke up and opened her eyes and looked straight at him. He saw that she understood, and she nodded quietly. He left the room to get ready for the trip.

---

Mary walked up to the chest that stood by her bedside. It was her father’s chest. She took out the key she had around her neck and opened it. There in were still her father’s silver items wrapped in cloth and straw. There was also a small bag of the money that Mr. Sansi had received from the sale of her parents’ estate.

She searched the items until she found what she was looking for. She picked up a small parcel and un-wrapped the fabric that protected the silver object. It wasn’t big but the little rose was so cleverly made that you’d think it had been a real rose that someone dipped in liquid silver.

Mary knew that her father had made it for her mother. He would have given it to her for her birthday. Mary was annoyed by a tear that ran down her cheek and wiped it away. She didn’t think her father would be offended if he knew what she was planning to do with it.

She wrapped the rose back up and put it on the bed. Then she picked up a new parcel. She un-wrapped it and saw a heavy silver buckle. It depicted a dragon biting its tail. Mary had always thought that the buckle was beautiful and had often fantasized about who would buy it.

She had noticed that although those who were part of the Lady’s entourage wore the same gray robes, they all had different buckles that held the robe together. The buckle represented their personality, but Kopa had a plain wooden buckle.

Mary thought it was wrong, he wasn’t nearly as boring or grim as everyone thought. She remembered a story that her mother used to tell her. It was about a boy who was searching for a treasure and the princess. Along the way, he met a wise dragon who helped him.

Kopa reminded her of the dragon, the buckle would suit him perfectly. As she wrapped it up and lay it next to the other parcel on her bed, she turned around and took out the clothes she had been given by the Lady.

She packed all the dresses except the one she was supposed to be wearing. At the top of the chest, she put the green dress and grey coat. She would have liked to wear it today, but she didn’t know where in the castle she would be living, and it might not be appropriate to walk around in foreign clothes.

Then she closed the chest and locked it. Then she changed into her dress and took the two parcels and walked out of the room.