The old man nodded.
“She left right after the death of her mother. She blamed me; you know!” He stood wringing a cloth between his hands, as if his life depended on it.
“Emily had never forgiven me after her mother fell, and I couldn’t afford for the healer to come.”
“Emily?”
“Yes, my wife said that it’s a family name. I love my daughter, Your Highness. I loved my wife.”
They thanked him for his time, and took Rose up the hill to spend a couple of moments at her daughter’s grave.
***
“Geez, Rose, how old are you?!” Kaida asked when they took off again, and Rose laughed.
“Honestly, Kaida, I stopped counting after a while.”
“Hang on! Every place we’ve been to, people have spoken about these women as if they were there recently. Clearly, remembering them… Without the slightest hesita
