Lola smiled, returning the hug warmly. "You're a great girl." She said. "Whoever says otherwise will never matter, so don't let them get you down." She smiled. "Now... It's almost noon! I should really start lunch. Lucy, your clothes and book are in your room, along with an extra surprise I picked up from the bakery! Go take a look and change clothes, okay? Put these in the basket beside the door to your room and I'll wash them at the end of the week!" Lola turned and put a finger to her chin, contemplating what to make. She heard movement from upstairs, Christopher and Benjamin leaving their room to come down.

Lucy grinned "Okay!" Sprinting like the kid she is, she bounded up the stairs. Seeing the boys she waved, Hey guys, go look on the table okay! There is a surprise there!" She bounced into her room and went to look at the things Lola had laid out for her. The blue dress and green dress were laid out with their respective hair ties and pair of shoes. Her play outfit she had put together was also there. She grinned when she saw the snack and happily began munching on it as she climbed out of her old clothes. Pouring some water into the wash basin, she scrubbed her face and hands, then pulled on the blue dress. Putting her hair into two braids, she twirled in her outfit with giggles. Then picked up the dirty clothes and dropped them in the basket on her way downstairs.

Lola resigned herself to sorting through the food they’d brought home, looking for what would make a good lunch. Something clunked on the stairs in rapid succession, and when she glanced around, found Chris and Ben coming through the archway. “Lucy seems happier.” Chris observed. “Talkative all of a sudden.”

“Oh, I know, dear, isn’t it lovely?” Lola grinned happily. “She seems so much happier! Ah... Oh, Chris, would you and Benjamin appreciate a sandwich for lunch? The bread I picked up was baked just this morning!”

“That’d be great!” Ben exclaimed. “Do you want me to help?”

“Oh, I think you’ve done enough already.” Lola looked around as Lucy came back downstairs. “There you are!” She exclaimed. “Sit, dear. I’m making sandwiches for lunch, then later, if you feel up to it, you can tell me a bit more about your home village?” She glanced around while pulling a pack of salted meat from the icebox.

Lucy grinned Okay. Taking a seat, she thought for a minute. I first saw horses in my home village. Usually only the guys worked and used them though. One moonlight night I snuck out to pet one because I was curious. They were gentle with me and so I kept going back. I taught myself to interact with them and to ride them. Her smile grew That is why I am so happy you have horses. Can Fauna and I go riding after lunch?

Lola widened her eyes when she looked back to Lucy for a moment. But her hands still worked: Taking a loaf of dark bread, she picked up a knife and started cutting them in half-inch slices before going to the oven to start a fire. “Only the men worked with horses?” She asked, obviously surprised. “That’s a terrible hindrance! It would take women much longer to get to where they were going!”

She nodded, though, as she cut and quartered the beef she’d extracted from the icebox. “Of course you can go riding, that’s a wonderful idea!” She sighed. “I used to all the time after meals and work, it was so refreshing, the breeze!” She let her mind wander back to the valley she and her father had found. It was beautiful, a crystal-clear stream, slow-moving and unfrozen in the still air of early spring, and they had to be quiet to not disturb the deer who had stopped there to drink. And the beautiful Angelweed, of white and pale yellow, grew in thick tendrils and beds along the floor of the emerald-green grass and up the trunks of the trees as they came to life in the warm sunlight. And being early morning, the birds were just starting to wake, flitting through the low branches and singing to one another.

“Lucy...” She spoke at last. “Maybe I can come with you. I know of a lovely place you might enjoy.” She’d been back to the valley many times, and found that the valley was just as beautiful during winter. The warming stones were in the stream, stuck and washed along, keeping the water from freezing during the cold months.

Lucy knodded, "Okay. I can't wait to try on another outfit. It is going to be fun." She sat there beaming, then remembered Lola's thoughts on horses. "Women don't need to ride at home. They simply stay in the village. It isn't big. Those out on farms come in on wagons, but that isn't comfortable. The roads are full of ruts." She looked questioning over at what Lola was doing. "So... what kind of sandwiches are you making?"

Lola sighed. “That sounds uncomfortable.” She said, running her blade carefully over the ugly, fatty edges of the meat to get rid of them. She could use them to enrich the ground soil when thaw set in and she wanted to grow some fruit. “I’m glad you’re not there anymore.”

She glanced back and smiled. “Oh, it’s a simple sandwich made from a thick cut of beef and heavy-grained bread. I use my own special spices to make the meat much better! Would you mind putting a kettle of water on the top of the stove for me? I think tea would go so nicely with it, don’t you?” Lola took up a skillet and rooted around in the icebox for butter. It was fresh, another inclusion to the pickup she’d gotten from the bakery that morning. It was wrapped in waxy paper to preserve the freshness, and she would use a little to keep the meat from sticking to the skillet.

Lucy jumped up "Sure!" She got a kettle filled with water and carried it carefully to not spill a single drop. Placing it on the stove, she turned and beamed up at Lola. "What is the place like that we are going to go riding to this afternoon?"

Lola watched the butter melt in the pan on the stove alongside the kettle. "We're going to a special place that's beautiful all year round." She said. "So quiet, you can hear the breathing of the earth, even under the snow. Wildlife feels safe there, even with people around. There are more vines of Angelweed growing there too, up the tree trunks and under the trees. I think you'll love it there." She smiled, remembering it as she set the beef into the pan, hearing its bright sizzle to confirm the heat was at its peak. "You'll be okay alone again, won't you?" She looked to Ben and Chris.

"Sure will!" Ben nodded as his grandfather spoke. "We'll be on our way tonight, don't want to impose anymore. Your hospitality's legend." He grinned widely. "Can make it to town walking, don't think it's that far."

Lucy blinked at the guys. They were leaving? Oh yeah, this place was temporary. Even she was planning to leave someday. But that was before Lola stood up for her and had her back. She hadn't met someone like that before. Did she really want to leave such an unforgettable place? She bit her lip and looked down, absent-mindedly making circles with her toe. This was a way station and Lola was a legend. Legends didn't have anything stick around long except some super villian. At least that is what the boys always said. Of course, legends also had sidekicks. But she was a guest here, not a close family or friend. She sighed. Well, life was life and she needed to accept it.

Lola, as the strips of meat sizzled brightly, looked through a cabinet for tea leaf bags she made herself. Many of the floral, fruity teas she put together had the tendency to calm, to brighten, to chase sadness away. It was the scent, her mother had told her, only followed by the taste and warming sensation that spread through the body, that made the teas special. They would dry their own fruits and flower petals, put them in thin cheesecloth, and there they would wait in their own cabinet, the scent filling the space until the door was open.

She pulled several bags out, smelling them. She could feel black tea leaves mixed with green tea, a few blood orange pieces and snowberries, and a few Angelweed petals. Angelweed, while their scent was deep and sweet, lent their taste as well. She set them in the tea kettle, steeping them with the lid on. Turning back to the skillet, she found the meat browned very well and scooped them out. “Finished!” She exclaimed. She took up the bread and set up the sandwiches, presenting them to Chris, Ben, and Lucy. “The tea will be ready soon,” she added. “When it is, help yourselves!” She glanced at Lucy, smiling warmly at her. “It’ll give you energy for the ride to the valley.”

Lucy knodded and watched Lola work. The only times her mom had made tea was when someone was sick. Using it for other things, that was quite neat. She asked, Do you know how to play any games? I was just thinking, tonight, we could all play something.

“Games?” Lola thought for a moment while she gathered a few glasses for the tea. “Well, my mother used to play a game with me, a guessing game, where you have to ask questions to find out what the other person is thinking.” She poured the finished tea into each cup and passed them around. “But you only get a limited number of guesses. And my father and I used to toss a leather ball back and forth outside, or climb trees.” Passing the cups out, she sighed in remembrance. “It was lovely.”

Taking her place at the table, she looked to Lucy. “I’m sorry I don’t know more. We never really looked for board games or anything, so we just made a few up to pass the time when we weren’t busy.”

Lucy shrugged and reached for some of the food. That is okay. I was just curious. Maybe we can play the guessing game later. She grinned up at her and wondered if Lola would have liked to have siblings as she had had. She wished she could have saved them. Oh well. The past was the past and there wasn't anything she could do about that. They had a lovely ride this afternoon to look forward to and she was excited to get to ride again. Lola was so nice about her being able to borrow Fauna.

“The guessing game was very nice.” Lola said, pulling her own sandwich in half. “A way of passing the time on long nights when we couldn’t sleep. We would sit up with grape juice by the fire and... sometimes play all night.” She glanced out the window, where she could see Fauna and Millie near the barn door, grazing in the snow. She tried not to think about the end of their time together. Ben and Chris would be leaving come nightfall, and Lucy couldn’t stay forever. She was a free spirit, Lola could tell she wouldn’t want to stay. Besides, perhaps she had the confidence to go back home and prove she wasn’t a killer, that what took her family was no more than a terrible accident she couldn’t have foreseen, that no one could have.

As Lucy finished eating, she cleaned up her area and then dashed to her room. She carefully changed into her riding outfit and made sure her two braids were snug. She smiled at her reflection and then headed back downstairs. She wondered what Lola did when no one was around. That seemed lonely. But it was the life she had chosen so she probably was content. She smiled and made her way back to the fireplace. The flames were pretty despite her past and she enjoyed watching them.

As the others finished their sandwiches, Lola took up the plates, giving them a quick rinse because they weren’t terribly dirty, save a few crumbs. The other dishes, the kettle, cups, and skillet, would be taken care of later. Going upstairs with a word of departure to the boys, she changed into a pair of long, fur-lined pants, thick stockings to cover her feet, and fur boots, then slipped on a heavy long-sleeved shirt, a tattered old jacket, and wound her hair up, stuffing it into a hat with a low brim that was very useful in keeping wind out of the eyes of whoever wore it. The gloves she wore were thin, but warm.

When she entered the living room, Lola found Lucy standing before the fire in different clothes. “Lucy, dearie, you seem to be ready for the ride.” She said, putting her gloved hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Millie and Fauna are waiting for us, they’ve rested up a bit and are ready to go.”

Lucy grinned up at Lola excitedly. Race you! She bounded out of the house and dashed to the barn. Picking up the tack she had taken off Fauna earlier, she went to the horse and set them by her. She grabbed some brushes and quickly worked out the horse's hair so that nothing would irritate her. Then she saddled and bridled Fauna up and lightly leaped into the saddle. She giggled and they did some quickly circles.

Lola was about to run after Lucy, but she had to stop and add one more log to the fireplace so it wouldn’t go out. Then she made sure it was safe, and ran out after Lucy. Millie meandered toward her with a huff, her breath making clouds in the air in front of her. Lola patted her, running a hand down her deeply toned coat, smooth from her morning brushing. She grinned at Lucy as she and Fauna circled the small area behind the house, and she was quick to saddle Millie to join them.

“Come now, Lucy, we’re headed down the clearing this time.” She called, pointing beyond the barn and to a bit of a narrow path shaded by trees laden with snow and glittering with a thin layer of ice. “It’s not a long ride from here.” Giving a signal, she started off, Millie’s gait easy and smooth.

Lucy whooped and sent Fauna into a canter, easily catching up and passing Lola and Millie. Pivoting and looking at Lola, she grinned and off Fauna took again. Crashing into the underbrush, racing about, then returning. It was quite fun learning to strengthen her balancing skills and to be more aware of the terrain around her horse. Walking parallel to the path, she called over to Lola, You should have gotten married and had kids Lola. These horses should have many of us to play with. Lucy grinned at the thought of a group of kids all offering grass and apples to the two horses. It was an idea that could spoil a horse.

Lola glanced down at Millie. Lucy’s words were full of truth. Without replying immediately, she patted the horse’s neck lovingly and blinked hard. “I know, Lucy.” She said, just loud enough for the girl to hear. “It would have been nice... to marry. I wouldn’t be alone so much, or so sad when my guests have to leave to move on. And I’m sure Millie and Fauna would be delighted to have children around that didn’t eventually go.” She willed Millie into a trot, staring toward the open area beyond the trees that would eventually dip into the valley. “I just never... did. I won’t try to reason, I just never looked for love. My life was for people in general, the people and animals that came to me for shelter, to regain their strength before continuing their journeys.” She laughed quietly, but it didn’t seem cheerful as much as remorseful.

Lucy shook her head. If you want to get married, then keep your eyes open for someone and marry him when he comes along. Seems simple enough to me. She looked at the horses and hugged the one she was on. Horses are great and all. But someday I want to get married. I'm sure there are plenty to choose from. I just have to go find one.