None of the children told any of the adults about what had happened between Girselle and Solveis. Seemingly unnoticed by the grown ups, the childrens’ dynamic shifted. Girselle seemed to have a greater interest in and a greater dislike for Solveis than she’d ever had before. Arlendr temporarily developed an interested awe towards his sister, but when he realized that she did not plan on becoming a violent warrior, he lost his interest again. En, who had never seemed to want to participate in teasing in the first place, grew even more uncomfortable with the practice of bullying Solveis. Livia was just unsure and a little sad.
Girselle wore sleeveless clothes for as long as there was a visible mark on her arm where Solveis had grabbed her. She intentionally rubbed it to keep it looking a little rough, too. She hid the real cause of the injury from her parents and told them that it was a rope burn. She didn’t want their help punishing Solveis. Besides, who would have believed her if she had accused the most docile girl around?
Meals and communal times were spent teasing and playing, and feeling out the new dynamic. Solveis decided that her place in the new dynamic was not at the center. She would have to be a peripheral person on her own mountain. Even so, it was her mountain, they would not break her.
She spent more one-on-one time with Livia or with her brother, and even occasionally with En. When she was in a group setting with all of them, she stayed peripheral, and was always careful not to let herself be led to any bad behavior. She watched out for their tricks.
She learned to value the old man’s company more than ever.
Very early one morning, while working in the garden, the old man stated factually, “I can sense the tension, ya know.”
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How could he know? All the other grown ups were totally oblivious.
“I can see from your face you know what I mean,” he continued. “Are you open to advice?”
She wasn’t really. What she really wanted was to not deal with it, and to not have to think about it anymore. She wanted to play swords with Arlendr, and skipping with Livia, and just leave the rest behind. It was impolite not to listen to adults though. A wises person should always listen to advice, you never know when you’ll be given a pearl of wisdom. Besides, only ignorant people refuse kindly advice.
The old man smiled knowingly at Solveis. “You’re a good girl, you know? You’re a listener. I promise, in the long run, that’ll benefit you. Unfortunately, youth is not really when you see those benefits. It’s like the story of the tortoise and the hare. You know that one? – Anyway, that wasn’t my advice. I just wanted to give you a little compliment. – The advice: You live here too. In the long run, you all will have to get along. You’ll have to find a way eventually. Choosing to leave yourself out isn’t a permanent solution. I’m not sure of the cost of joining in – because I haven’t experienced those moments first hand like you have. – But I have faith in you. You can figure out a right balance.”
His sincerity and seeming understanding of the situation made Solveis feel seen. It touched an unhealed wound in her little soul. She couldn’t believe it was happening, but her eyes felt like they did before she started to cry – and in front of a grown up who wasn’t her father. Getting a hold of herself, she only let a few tears stream down, but still.
He responded by looking almost like he was going to cry himself. The look of sympathetic pain in his eyes broke some personal barriers in their relationship. Solveis thought that her own eyes must look something like the expression that was reflecting back from his. He put his large arm around her shoulders and pulled her toward him. She cried a few more tears, but wiped them on her shoulder, so that there would be no evidence of them.
He released her from the hug and they returned to conversation about the garden and the seasons.