The morning was very quiet when Ponderosa stuck her head out of the warm cloth. Nathaniel was sleeping contentedly and Hamnet was kneeling beside a winded Mȧthair.

“Are you sure you are well, Princess? We don’t need to travel today if….”

She swished her dual ended tail to get him to stop. ‘I already told you I am fine, Hamnet. Besides, we need to get into Ghrot Town before the next storm comes in. This roof over our heads will not provide sufficient cover and there is no other suitable shelter in the area.’

Hamnet pressed his lips together, but nodded. He turned to ready the horse and Ponderosa hopped over to where Mȧthair lay. She stood on her hind legs to set her paws on Mȧthair’s chest. She could feel the slight trembling in Mȧthair’s breaths.

‘I know you won’t tell Hamnet what is going on,’ she said to Mȧthair, ‘but will you tell me?’

‘...I didn’t sleep last night,’ Mȧthair replied. ‘I needed to keep my promise to Prince Kelton.’

‘Did you go to him?’

‘In a manner of speaking, we came to each other.’

Ponderosa nodded. ‘Add a few drops of Eleuthero to whatever you eat this morning.’

‘Alright.’

She brushed her head against Mȧthair’s cheek before hopping back to the warmth of the cloth covered stones. Hamnet brought Ponderosa’s satchel to Mȧthair with two glasses filled with melted snow, and a single stick of jerky.

‘Thank you, Hamnet,’ she replied.

“You are welcome, Mȧthair. Any help I can give?”

‘You will need to ask your betrothed.’

Hamnet turned to her. “Can I help you eat, Ponderosa?”

‘...Maybe later,’ she replied.

He sighed in disappointment. “Alright.”

Ponderosa nodded then lay on her side.

Nathaniel started to whimper and Hamnet was quick to pick him up. The little Prince cried just a little bit more before he settled and turned his face toward Hamnet’s chest. After Ponderosa had eaten, she hopped over to Hamnet and onto his lap. He petted her while Mȧthair ate a little bit of jerky and some meal with herbs in it, then rinsed out the cups. She packed the cups and the stones she had been using to keep Ponderosa and Nathaniel warm, then she brought the slings over to Hamnet.

Hamnet slipped them on then made sure that Nathaniel and Ponderosa were secure as Mȧthair used her magic to tie the bags to the saddle. Mȧthair led them out of the station house as Hamnet walked his horse out. He mounted the horse then followed Mȧthair Northwest toward Ghrot Town.

Hamnet paced the floor while Mȧthair fed Ponderosa and Nathaniel their evening meal then gnawed on the semi-meaty bone the innkeeper gave her. He would pause at times and rub his forehead, just to turn around and pace across the floor again.

‘You need not be that worked up, Hamnet,’ Mȧthair said, setting her meat-free bone aside.

He jerked at the sound of her voice in his head and turned to her. “What did you say?” he asked.

‘You don’t need to stress yourself out so much over our situation,’ she said. ‘We’ll be just fine.’

Hamnet shook his head. “I did not bring much with me and even if we were to find other accommodations, it isn’t enough to be able to purchase anything useful.”

Ponderosa snuggled up to Mȧthair so she could nibble on the Jet some more.

‘Be that as it may, there is nothing that can be done tonight. Thinking about weeks in the future, when tomorrow can bring fortuitous encounters, will do you no good. Nor do Ponderosa or I want you to fall ill due to lack of rest. I know you did not sleep the best last night.’

Hamnet closed his mouth and left his rebuttal unspoken. “My apologies, Prin….”

‘Mȧthair,’ she reminded him.

“...Mȧthair,” he replied.

‘You are forgiven, Hamnet. Go get something to eat then get some rest. There is nothing more you can do for Ponderosa, Nathaniel, or I tonight.’

He bowed respectfully then stepped out of the room to go eat.

‘How long will we be able to stay here, Mȧthair?’ Ponderosa asked when they were alone.

‘We will be leaving the inn in the morning. There is another place we will be able to stay that will offer better security on many levels.’

She nodded slightly then snuggled a little closer. ‘And how long will we stay there?’

Mȧthair stroked her cheek. ‘Just over a full year, provided all goes well.’

‘And if it doesn’t?’

‘We will need to wait and see what possibilities are open to us.’

‘Okay.’

When she stirred the following morning, Mȧthair was just settling Nathaniel back on the bed clean and content. She then stirred up a few tiny batches of meal before Hamnet approached where she lay to see if she would let him hold her. She stood on her hind legs and let him pick her up. He carried her close to the fire then set her on his lap. Ponderosa lay down and let him gently run his hand down her body. Mathair set the small batches of food on a chair next to Hamnet.

‘Do you want to help her eat?’ Mȧthair asked him.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Will she let me?”

Mȧthair motioned to Ponderosa with her head.

“Can I feed you this morning?” he asked Ponderosa.

‘Yes,’ she replied.

Mȧthair then gave him instructions to get the meal into the dropper and how gently to squeeze it so he could avoid making Ponderosa choke on the herb laced meal.

Hamnet pressed on the bulb end to get some meal into the dropper before giving it to Ponderosa. He was a little hesitant at first, but after a couple droppers Mȧthair purred then crossed the room to lay beside Nathaniel while she ate a little more jerky and gnawed on the bone to get at some of the bone marrow in the middle.

“Did you want more, Ponderosa?” Hamnet asked after he had fed Ponderosa everything that Mȧthair had prepared.

‘No, Hamnet,’ she replied. ‘What Mȧthair prepared was sufficient.’

“Okay.” He set the dishes aside then continued to pet Ponderosa.

Mȧthair finished her meal then used her magic to clean up the dishes. She had started to get up to stretch her legs a bit, but Nathaniel hooked his tiny fingers into her fur. Ponderosa shifted on Hamnet’s lap and prepared to hop down, when he picked her up and carried her over to where Mȧthair way laying.

“I’ll be back in a little while,” he said to Mȧthair.

She nodded.

After Hamnet left, Mȧthair stored the dishes, then she made sure that everything was packed and ready to go by the time Hamnet returned to their room. Ponderosa returned to the warmed cloth in preparation for their walk.

“Where are we walking to?” he asked, as he secured Nathaniel and Ponderosa to his chest.

‘The Northwest corner of town,’ Mȧthair smiled as she slipped Ponderosa’s satchels onto her own body.

Mȧthair followed him out to the horse and allowed him to take the bags off of her, so he could tie them to the saddle. He was still tying the last one into place when Mȧthair started walking down the street.

“Mȧthair!” he yelled as he led the horse to catch up.

Mȧthair pretended she didn’t hear him. She continued to walk at a steady pace and it was only once they reached the end of the street that Hamnet was able to catch up.

“He didn’t tell me you were foolish,” he grumbled.

‘My walking by myself is only foolish if others knew who I was. Since that is not the case then there is nothing to worry about.’

Hamnet sighed.

The two of them weaved their way through the growing crowds to a small cottage near the edge of town. Mȧthair motioned for Hamnet to knock on the door.

“I don’t think anyone is home,” Hamnet said after a couple minutes.

But Mȧthair remained where she sat.

Another minute passed before the door opened a crack. A young boy stood there. “H...Hello?” he asked timidly.

‘Hello there,’ Mȧthair prompted Hamnet. ‘Is your mother at home?’

“Hello there,” he repeated, crouching down. “Is your mother at home?”

“She… she is, but….”

‘I heard she is not feeling her best, which is why I came to see what I could do to help.’

“I heard she is not feeling her best, which is why I’ve come to see if there is anything I could do to help.”

“I…. I….”

‘Give him one of the food bags.’

Hamnet pulled the smaller food bag out of his stuff and opened it before he handed it to the little boy. “Think you can make a soup out of this for your mom while I check on her?”

Tears filled the young boy’s eyes. He covered his eyes with his arm as he wept. “I don’t know how! I… I can’t even….”

“I’m willing to show you how,” Hamnet offered.

The little boy sniffled and looked up at him. “Really?”

“Yes.”

The boy took the pouch then held it towards Hamnet. “Please, show me how to make soup!”

“Alright. Is there a place I can put my horse first?”

“Yes! Yes, right this way.”

The boy dashed out of the house, but stopped not too far to see if he was coming.

“Just one moment,” Hamnet called to him.

He removed Ponderosa’s herbal satchel from the saddle and slipped it over Mȧthair’s shoulders. Then he set Ponderosa on the ground and tied Nathaniel to Mȧthair as well. The little boy tipped his head as he looked at the strange bunch, but then ran around to the back as Hamnet brought his horse over.

While Hamnet was taking care of the horse, Mȧthair and Ponderosa entered the back bedroom where a middle aged woman lay in bed with a fever. Mȧthair set up the warming stones and set Nathaniel down. Then she followed Ponderosa’s instructions to pull out the herbs that would best treat the woman on the bed. She used cold washcloths to try and cool the fever while she tidied up the messy room. She administered several dropperfuls of Elderberry, Astragalus, and Yarrow tinctures. She was just setting the cloth into the bowl of cold water when the young boy triumphantly entered with a steaming bowl of soup for his mother.

“Mother. Mother, I brought soup,” he said, waking her.

She smiled weakly. “Did you?”

“Yes. Please have some.” He fed her several spoonfuls before she rejected more.

“It is very good,” she said. “You should eat some, too.”

“I’ve already eaten, Mother,” he replied. “Please have some more.”

“Louie….”

Louie fed her a little more. He was going to feed her another bite when her eyes widened.

“Mother?” he asked, confused.

“Who… who are you?” she stammered. “What…?”

Louie turned a little to see Hamnet standing in the doorway with Nathaniel bundled against his chest, herself and Mȧthair, who had shouldered her satchel, sitting by his feet.

“My name is Hamnet,” he said. “My master was given a vision about you and we came to help in any way we could.”

“A vision?... Your master is a seer?”

“She is,” Hamnet said, setting his hand on Mȧthair’s head.

“I have no money to pay you. I….”

‘Payment of that kind is not necessary,’ Mȧthair prompted.

“Payment of that kind is not necessary,” he replied.

‘I would like to request….’

“I would like to request a place for my master, my master’s son, my betrothed, and I to stay while we do what we can to help you and Louie get back on your feet.”

Fresh tears filled the woman’s eyes. “The four of you may stay here. Louie and I can move to the small barn.”

Mȧthair and Hamnet shook their heads at the same time.

“We would not have you leave your home to accommodate us,” Hamnet said. “We will be more than happy to stay in the small barn.’

“I couldn’t….”

Hamnet shook his head again. “You are too ill to even get out of that bed. It would not be wise to make your illness worse by moving out to the small barn.”

“...Okay,” she whispered.

“Thank you. Now eat up. Louie has made this soup with the number one ingredient to help you feel better faster,” he said at Ponderosa’s prompting.

Louie got a thoughtful look on his face. “Are you talking about the meat?” he asked.

Hamnet smiled. “No. It wasn’t an ingredient found in the bag.”

His brow furrowed. “But I didn’t add anything else.”

“You added your love.”

Young Louie still looked confused.

“Love is the best ingredient,” the woman agreed.

“But how did I add it?” Louie asked, turning back to his mother.

“Through all your care and work as you put the soup together for me,” she replied.

“Really?”

The woman smiled softly and nodded.

“Then eat some more, Mother. I want you to get better so we can play down by the river again.”

“Okay, Louie.”

She happily accepted each bite that Louie fed her.

“Rest now,” Hamnet said, gathering Ponderosa into his arms. “We’ll check on you again in a little while.”

“Thank you, Hamnet.”

“Our pleasure, Lydia,” he replied.