Saving Faith..., Stephanie M. Colon [top novels .txt] 📗

could be a huge problem. Maybe I should mention this to the mayor. Maybe he will set up a hunting party to lower the population of bears close by. He thought to himself. He knew the mayor would be in the pub tonight so it could be beneficial to at least mention it to the mayor.

Sebastian heard it again and for a second thought about running. He was about to when he saw a woman come out of the forest appearing very frazzled. He clothing was shredded and full of grim and blood. She looked like she had been running through nature for weeks.

“Oh, thank the good Lord. Please, kind sir, can you help me?” The woman ran up to Sebastian falling just a few paces from where he was standing. “I’ve been running for days and I haven’t found anyone kind on my journey. Can you help me find a place to stay and a kind person who will feed me? I haven’t eaten anything but berries and the last ones I had left me feeling odd.”

For a few moments he was frozen. When do strangers appear out of nowhere looking the way she did. Then as he looked at her face he realized she was extremely young and innocent looking. He bent down and helped her stand. “My name is Sebastian. Come with me and I will take you to the pub. We will go through the kitchen so that Miriam can get you proper clothing. Miriam is the pub cook and baker for the whole village. She has taken many people in need so she knows what to do.” Sebastian held out his arm so this mysterious woman could hold on if she needed his assistance walking, which she did.

“Thank you. My name is Vivian.” She said softly as he allowed him to help her stand. He noticed how light she was, and how cold she felt. She could feel her shaking and could feel through his own shirt that her skin was cold as ice. When they finally arrived at the entrance to the kitchen of the pub he sat her down at the seat just inside the door nearest to the fire as Miriam was walking back into the kitchen.

Miriam noticed Sebastian placing an extremely young looking woman down on the seat just inside the door and she knew it was going to be a long night. “Sebastian, your father is in the dinning room making sure your uncle doesn’t get drunk again. I knew your mother was going to worry about him. I made her a loaf and roast for you to take back to her. How is her hand doing?”

“Better, thank you for asking and thank you for the meals you sent over. She was so worried about how we were all going to eat if she wasn’t able to cook. She has used the herb balm Harriet gave her and they are helping tremendously. If you see her in the pub tonight please tell her how thankful I am for her help. I didn’t know what to do after seeing her hand.” Sebastian started to share the story of how his mother got hurt with Miriam. Of everyone in the village she was probably the most concerned about her mother. This woman was like a grandmother to him and his siblings and they would absolutely anything for her. “You know how she’s getting along with that leg of hers. Sometimes her balance isn’t as good as it used to be. Alex was supposed to watch Joshua but he didn’t notice the mess Joshua made with the wood pile near the back door. Mother went to get more firewood so she could start dinner early and she tripped. Her hand looked so bad that it was turning green within a few hours. That balm Harriet created is amazing. Just a few days and it looks almost completely healed. Her only problem is the tightness in her hand. She will have to start stretching it, which will take a few days to help it get back to normal but we are all hopefully and helping out as much as we can.”

“Thank you for telling me. I’ve been trying to get the story but no one knew anything, and you know Harriet wont talk about the how something happened just the what she did to fix it.” Miriam exclaimed letting out a deep breath. “I’m so glad your mother is getting better. Now tell me the story of this young woman so I can send you on your way and your mother doesn’t start to worry about you as well.” Miriam knew just how Sebastian’s mothers mind worked. The woman had been her barmaid in the pub for years until she met Henry. Henry was a good man but Ruby had seen so many horrors herself that she would worry for the rest of her life, and with good reason too.

“I love how I never have to say a word but you always know what we need. As for this woman here,” he put his hand on her shoulder “her name is Vivian. I found her coming out of the bushes on the trail into the forest. She has been running in the forest and she hasn’t eaten. I also think she might have eaten something rotten.” Sebastian explained. He wanted to stay around to help but he knew Miriam was right. If he didn’t get back home soon then his mother will start sending out his older brothers to come looking for him. He hated to make his mother worry about him.

“Okay, so first I need your help. Can you get the tub in from the side room and bring it in front of the fireplace in the parlor of my living quarters? Then can you build a nice big fire for us? After that you will be free to go home. I will go talk to your father while you do all that.” Miriam pushed Sebastian out of the kitchen door leading to the side door so he could hurry with her requests.

Sebastian hurried with the tasks he was given and by the time he walked back into the kitchen Vivian had a cup of tea in her hands and Miriam was serving her a bowl of stew. He knew that stew was the cure all remedy. Some people often said it made them feel like they will live longer. He knew it worked healing from first hand experience. He had been sick and he never thought he would get better but eating the stew for just three days for lunch and dinner brought him back to feeling like himself. It had been one of his favorite meals ever since he had been sick.

“Sebastian, I talked to your father and he wants to bring your uncle home soon. You should probably head on home with the food now.” Miriam told Sebastian. “It will be okay. You can come back in the morning for breakfast to check up on Vivian. I’m going to make sure she gets cleaned up and has her belly filled. I will also let her sleep in the extra bedroom in my quarters so shes not alone in a strange village.” She smiled at Vivian as she explained her plans for the night to Sebastian.

“Yes ma’am. Will you need me to return to help empty the tub later?” He asked as Miriam handed him all the food she was sending him home with and started pushing him towards the back door. He really wanted to come back to help and to see Vivian all cleaned up and taken care of.

“Now Sebastian you know good and well how capable I am with taking care of people. Why would you even ask that. Also I empty that tub on my own every time I bathe. I only need help bringing it to and from my parlor and I always have people who want to help me. Plus with the bears coming close I want you home to watch over your mother. Who knows when your father will really be home.”

“Yes ma’am.” Sebastian finally conceded. He turned towards Vivian before he left and said “Don’t worry. Miriam will take very good care of you. I will be back to check on you in the morning.” With that he turned out the door and disappeared into the night. He really didn’t want to leave Vivian. He couldn’t understand the pull she had on him but he really didn’t want her out of his sight. He wanted to stay with her and be the one to take care of her, but he knew she would probably prefer a woman to care for her while she is in such a vulnerable state.

As he walked home he started to play with the idea his mother had put into his mind when he was young. Love at first sight. The feeling of wanting to spend the rest of your life with someone, of not wanting to be away from them for even a second. That was his mothers definition. She had told all of her children that is how she felt the moment she saw their father. The main reason she was always so worried when he was gone from her. The second reason being all the hardships she had gone through being an orphan and living on the streets as a child in a city that was not kind to the poor.

Sebastian never wanted his mother to feel so helpless again so he had dedicated his life to being the best son he could be. Reminding himself of that promise he rushed home with the food so he could start warming it all up a bit for everyone. Tomorrow will be another day and he can do what he would like after he made sure his family was okay.

The next day he hurried through his morning chores and anything extra his mother needed help with. His father had already left before the sun was up to go fishing for the village. Rose Hallow only had 2 boats and they both needed to be out on the water early to be able to stock up on all the fish they could. The winter months were difficult to fish on the lake and hunting became harder with the animals becoming scarce.

Sebastian left the home and hurried off to the pub to check on Vivian and start his job of helping Miriam make the many types of bread for the village. He hadn't told anyone of Vivian yet. He thought it best if no one started poking about just yet. He didn't know if she was in danger and he wanted to try to keep her safe. He knocked on the kitchen door when he arrived.

He entered at Miriam’s call and was immediately set to work. “Good morning Miriam. How did it go last night?”

“It was all perfectly fine. Vivian didn’t talk much but I mostly stayed out of it. If she decides to stay in Rose Hallow she will eventually talk to you or I, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. She seemed extremely scared so I wouldn’t be surprised if she runs in a few days. Now if you don’t mind I have a lot to do today and I would really like to finish the loafs so I can still make my meals for the pub in a timely manner. Don’t worry you will see her again soon. She’s still sleeping.” Miriam said with a smile. “Go on my boy, get to work. We have a scheduled to keep.”

Sebastian was put to work mixing the dough's quickly. For hours he did all the hard labor of mixing the dough by hand for Miriam to bake. He lost count after the first few dozen. After all the loafs were finished he rushed out the door with the orders for delivery. He rushed around as quickly as he could