"I was going to see about getting Pinja outside more often." Difyr said. "She spends all her time in her room or here."

"I tried to talk her into a walk in the garden the other day. I had no luck," Millie replied sadly.

Difyr sighed and rubbed her temples. "I almost want to drag her out."

"It would just terrify her, and she would refuse to leave the room forever."

"I know." Difyr said. "I'm hoping she'll be more outgoing after her pregnancy, but she needs fresh air."

"That and I would like her to be at ease when the shop and our apartment is ready, so it will be easy to move her there."

"She's still afraid of your brother?" Difyr asked.

"Oh yes. She completely falls apart if he even pokes his head in the room."

"That's really too bad, she didn't used to be." Difyr said. "This kind of thing... it's going to take time for her to stop being so scared."

"I Know. Lek is willing to be patient. He is determined to wait, in fact."

"I don't know if they ever would have had that kind of relationship, but it was good that there was at least one man she wasn't afraid to be around." Difyr said. "Then the attack happened and even that was lost."

"I mentioned that to Lek, and he didn't care. He just wants to be with her and protect her." Millie let out a sigh. "But yes, that is lost now too."

"The tea I give her to calm down hardly works anymore." Difyr said.

"I suppose the tea can only help so much. Especially when it was such a horrid trauma."

"She could have died." Difyr said. "And for a while there she wanted to... at least she wants to live now."

"Hopefully that's a sign of good things to come," Millie agreed as she nodded.

"How is your head?" Difyr asked.

Millie shrugged her shoulders. "It's better, but still hurts. I'll probably be awake all night trying to make those dreams go away once more."

I could give you something to help you sleep." Difyr offered.

"Then I would just have to deal with it in the morning. I know she meant well, but people just have to understand that I have accepted I will always be alone, and leave me alone about it."

Difyr glanced uncomfortably at the wall separating them from the room next door. She decided to pretend she didn't hear anything for Millie's sake.

"Don't give up on your dreams. Do your best to make yourself happy by doing whatever makes you happy and pursue new dreams, but don't give up on your old ones if you still want them. You're still very young, and even if you were an ancient woman like myself that doesn't mean you can't fall in love and if it's children you want there are always little ones that need families."

Millie shrugged. "You're not ancient, Difyr." She sighed. "If it is going to happen, he will have to find me. I won't go out of my way to purposely set myself up for heartbreak. I know what the boys my age around her always said. Too plain, too dull, too quiet. Passionless. I think I heard a few mention being an ice princess."

"Then you obviously haven't met the right guy yet." Difyr said. She put a kettle of already hot water over the fire so it would whistle.

"I know everyone my age or even near my age that live here in the village."

"Maybe you need to meet someone who is not from Buckley Village." Difyr shouted over the shriek of the kettle. The kettle whistling was not working. "Do you want me to walk you to your room? I want to check on Pinja and we can talk more on the way."