Weeks turned into a steady flow of days at the workshop by the river. Elias found himself settling deeper into the rhythm Mara had built here. There was no rush and no sharp demand. Every piece they worked on required careful measurement slow shaping and many small checks along the way. It suited his nature perfectly. He had always believed that strength without patience was only force. Here he learned how patience itself could become a kind of strength.
Mara showed him every step of her craft from selecting the right timber to mixing the finishes that would protect and bring out the grain. She worked with the same straight focus she carried everywhere else. “Wood remembers how it grew,” she told him once while they prepared a wide board. “You cannot force it against its nature. You have
