Soon, my wounds were almost totally healed. I was happy to stay back with Tarissa and Megean, but I felt I needed to get out and about. I needed to gain my strength back, and get out of the house. So one night I asked Kedrik if I could go out to the fields with him and the others. His first reaction was surprise, and as it started to become amused he checked himself and looked me up and down. I could see it on his face that he remembered that I was not a usual woman. I had saved his daughter's life. I was different. I was a foreigner.

The next morning, as usual I woke up with the sun, but this time instead and helping get the kitchen started running for the day I went out and put a halter and rope on Soulfire. Vanel was startled and started to say something when his father caught his eyes. A stern reprimand was in his glance and Vanel quieted and continued to bridle and saddle his horse. The Master Farmer and his family were kind, but like the rest of the town, they were sexist, though like in the rest of the town, I was starting to change that a bit.

I rode out next to Zac on his large brown stallion. It took a little coaxing to do this feat as the stallion was a little shy of my mare, which was strange because usually it was the other way around. We finally got him to calm down and sat in contented silence most of the way there. We hadn't spent much time together since he started to spend his days in the field and I realized that I had missed him. Later, on reflection, I realized that he was part of my real reason for going out to the field.

As we reached the two far fields Kedrik pointed us to the farthest. "Zac, teach her what to do! You know the drill." Zac and I exchanged amused glances, as much at the familiar expression as at the fact he was sending us off together. Maybe he actually knew more than he was letting on.

We two dismounted and while he tied up his steed I removed Soulfire's halter. He looked at me strangely. "Look into her eyes" was all I said. He did and there was comprehension. I had explained to him all Megean had told me about Soulfire as we were getting ready for bed the night we had discovered it in ourselves. I had told him about my mare Soulfire, but he had not seen her will yet.

"Well we better get working." Zac finally said, "Take this hoe. Now hold it like this." He showed me. "Now . . . . . no here let me help you" I had tried to swing it in the way he had so masterfully, but when I struck the ground there was no suck effect. He put his hoe down and came over to me. He put his arms around me from behind and gripped my hands, placing them correctly and showing me how to use the tool properly.

I had slept in the same bed with Zac nearly every night since our arrival. I had once before even felt his arms around me when I had had the horrible feverish dream. But when he put his arms around me this time I felt a tingle in the pit of my stomach. A tightening. I was all too conscious of his closeness. I had to use every shred of my self control to concentrate only on what he was showing me. I couldn't feel like that for him. I wouldn't allow myself. I trusted him completely, and I loved him dearly, but I would not allow myself to believe in what I was feeling. I reminded myself that he was Zac Hanson, a fact I had nearly forgotten, and tried to put any thought on that sort of subject out of my head.

The days passed quickly. There was much to do helping out he the fields preparing for the fall harvest, building a new stable, helping around the house and going out for the occasional horseback ride. Zac and I both acquired a nice tan and I was more in shape than I had ever remember being. Occasionally, as I was still healing, my back hurt or itched, as did the gash above my eyes, but both were doing well and I dealt with it. It was kind of amusing actually as that healing area was the only place that didn't tan (except for the obvious places that is).

Before I knew it, the summer had flashed by, then fall with it's extra preparation workload came. Zac's 18th birthday was celebrated with a big celebration in the Kedrik household. He got gifts from each. Kedrik gave him a beautiful old knife and promised him lessons in defense. From Vanel he received a case that he had made himself out of leather that fit the knife perfectly, along with a belt to go with it. Tarissa and Megean both had worked together on a gorgeous fur lined coat for the upcoming winter. I on the other hand didn't have much to give Zac. Instead I took him out for a ride on Soulfire.

He sat behind me and I taught him a bit how to ride and gave him a little taste of cantering which he enjoyed. Then we reached our destination after about 3 hours. It was the exact area that we had first met in the fog. I remembered the exact tree, god only knows how, and there we dismounted. I turned Soulfire loose and we relaxed beneath the tree, looking up into it's boughs. I tuned to Zac.

"I don't have that much to give you. I'm not exactly skilled in many things like Kedrik and his family and I didn't really bring a whole lot that would suffice, but i would like you to have this." I reached behind my neck and unclasped the thin silver chain. I never took the necklace off. "I got this when I went to Ireland in the freshman year. It now seems like a long time ago. It's a Celtic love knot," I said indicating the intricate silver pendant. It had a simple grace about it, unlike many Celtic knots. "At the time I didn't really get it for any other reason than that I really liked it. One of the properties of a Celtic knot is that it has no start and finish. It never ends. It can show the never ending cycle of life, the never ending bonding of friendship, the never ending presence on love and a great number of other things. I would like you to have this knot Zac. I will always be your friend, no matter what, and in such a way I will always love you. This knot stands for that never ending friendship and love." I then clasped the necklace around Zac neck and then I kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you Mel." He gave me a hug. I saw hid eyes were a little misty, as were mine. We smiled at each other and no more words were spoken on the whole 3 hour trip back. No words were needed.

At times there were occasions for Kedrik, as Mater Farmer, to call a meeting. When I attended one, I realized why our initial welcome to Leena was not quite so warm. There were many a judging of crimes I would rather not mention, and others not quite so bad. It was actually a very effective method of enforcing "laws". The Farmer Council was amazingly fair in their decisions, to which I was amazed. It was perfect for the small town, and much better, I suspected, than most.

Then came the winter. That was a very difficult time of cold and much boredom. We were lucky to be able to continue our stay with Kedrik's family, and they were very well off, so had no want of food. They also supplied Zac and I with appropriate winter apparel as it was obvious we had none of our own. I spent a lot of my free time out at the barn with Soulfire and had to vanquish my alcove as it was to cold to visit there any longer. In the barn at least it was warm from the horses' body heat.

Zac often went with Kedrik and/or Vanel up to the town proper, or wandered to different places. Sometimes he was at the house, sometimes in the new barn with me and occasionally Megean too. It was a long, hard, boring winter that I didn't particularly enjoy. My only solace was the kind people around me, Zac, and Soulfire. Of course there was also the occational snowball fights and fort buiding that Zac and I initiated.