Chapter 7
Ishild, Meinrad, and the dwarfs had walked through the thick forest and the sun was in the middle of the sky.
Meinrad had carried Adalhard all the way through the woods and Ishild had to balance Willahelm as he limped on his bad leg. Ishild then sees the trees thinning out and up ahead was a waterfall, but it was covered in ice. "What is this place?" she asks Meinrad.
"This is where Eydis, the healing dwarf lives," he answers and points to a hut. It looked to be made of ice instead of wood.
"Eydis! Are you in there?" Hartwig shouts at the front door.
There was no answer and Hartwig yells, "Hello?!"
"Not so loud!" a feminine voice answers, "I am here." Then, a dwarf with gray hair appeared. She wore many beads and bells around her neck. "Ah, Meinrad, good to see you."
Ishild steps forward and Eydis notices her. "So this is the girl you mentioned. My, my, she's beautiful," the dwarf said. Ishild takes a deep breath and comes down to the dwarf's level.
"Please, I need your help," Ishild pleads and shows Eydis the horse and Adalhard.
"Dear, oh dear," Eydis said, examining the wounds on Willahelm and Adalhard. "Was it a wild boar?" she asks them.
"Yes, how do you know?" Ishild asks and Eydis points to the dead boar that the other dwarfs were dragging.
"And I believe that boar is payment," Eydis said and Meinrad nods. "Let me see what I have," she adds and returns to her hut. There was the sound of clattering items and Eydis shouts, "Girl, get in here please!"
Ishild looks at Meinrad, who insists that she go into the hut. Ishild obeys and enters in the tiny hut where there were many herbs and plants as well as many knick-knacks.
"Come here child, I need your help," Eydia said to her and points to something on a high shelf. "Can you reach that?" she asks and Ishild looks up to see some birch branches.
Ishild takes them down and Eydis takes a branch and strips it of its skin. She puts it into a cauldron where it boils and Eydis adds some herbs to it. "You might want to shut your eyes," she warns and Ishild obeys.
Just then, there was an explosion and outside, Meinrad falls onto his back and snorts. Eydis pours the contents into a vial and hands it over to Ishild. "Pour this over your horse's wounds and they'll heal quite nicely," the dwarf commands.
"But what about Adalhard?" Ishild asks.
"I rather not waste my magic on a human. Besides, your friend would be very suspicious of how his wounds healed up. I think your village will tend to him," Eydis replies.
Ishild takes the vial and walks over to Willahelm. The horse began to panic when he saw the strange vial and Ishild turns to Meinrad, "Can you gently hold him?" she asks.
Meinrad nods and embraces the horse with his arms and claws. Ishild pours some of the potion on the wounds and Willahelm begins to neigh as if in pain. Ishild watches as the bite wounds began to close up, but Willahelm screams.
"What's the matter with him?" Hartwig asks.
"The healing process is a bit of a painful one," Eydis replies and then the horse begins to calm down. The wound heals completely and Willahelm stands on his four feet.
Ishild checks out her horse and sees that he is in good spirits. "Thank you Eydis," Ishild said to the dwarf and she nods.
"I think we need to take Ishild back to the village, it will be dark by the time we get there," Runa said to everyone and Ishild looks up at sky. It was indeed the afternoon and it would take them half the day to get back.
"Let's not waste time," Meinrad replies to the group. Ishild has him place Adalhard, who was still unconscious on Willahelm's back and they start the journey back.
"Take care Ishild, I hope to see you, again," Eydis said from afar.
Meinrad took the front and occasionally looks back at Ishild. "Is something wrong, Meinrad?" she asks him.
"Nothing is wrong," he answers, but Ishild does not believe him. Runa and Hartwig insist that he talk to her. "Ishild, why do you come back to see me?" Meinrad finally asks.
"You saved my life and I am forever grateful for that. Therefore, I wanted to repay you," Ishild answers, but Meinrad stops and shows her his demonic face.
"But are you afraid of this?" he asks and Ishild shakes her head.
"My mother told me that everyone is born with a beautiful soul, but some are not beautiful in appearance. I honestly think some beautiful people are born with arrogance," Ishild explains and adds, "You, Meinrad have one."
Runa and Hartwig nod in agreement. "See Meinrad, there are some people in this world who don't judge others by their appearance," Runa said to the goat-like creature.
Meinrad stops and Ishild notices his eyes were full of fury. "I wish my mother did not judge me! Or my father!" he shouts, angrily. He then tears through the snow and the grass underneath it.
He roars and scratches the bark of some trees. Ishild could not take it anymore and she jumps on him, embracing him. "Don't! Don't let the hatred consume you!" she pleads.
Meinrad stops raging, but his breathing was still labored. "I don't think you are a monster," Ishild said to him, "But when you unleash your fury like that, then others will say you are."
Ishild holds him tight and gently caresses his cheek, calming him down. "Thank you Ishild," he said and stands up to his feet. They resume their journey back and they finally made it to the edge of the forest.
The sun was setting and Adalhard began to moan. "He's waking up, I better get some help for his injuries. Thank you for everything today," Ishild said to Meinrad and the three dwarfs.
She turns to go, but Meinrad speaks, "You can come back whenever you like."
"I will Meinrad," Ishild replies and hurries out of the forest, taking Willahelm by the rein.
Meinrad watches her go and he hears her shout, "Help! Someone help! Adalhard's been injured!" The village guards see her and their captain. Adalhard was taken off of Willahelm and someone examines his arm.
"How did this happen?" a guard asks.
"A wild boar, I chased it away," Ishild answers and the guards take their captain to a hut where he received medical attention.
Ishild sees her father and brother, they looked angry. She knew that she was going to receive an angry lecture from her father and she decides to be brave. Ishild takes Willahelm to the sable, where she unsaddles him and feeds him.
The horse neighs at her and Ishild replies, "I have to Willahelm, but I hope father will not punish me too severely."
Ishild leaves the stable and goes to her hut, where she was surprised to see the chief. "Chief Randulf, what are you doing here?" Ishild asks, although she suspected that her father brought him.
"Ishild, your father tells me that something is amiss with you," the chief replies and Ishild's stomach drops. She had to think of something to protect Meinrad.
"Come, we wish to speak with you," her father, Lord Gerhard commands and she enters the hut.
From the author: Uh-oh, what could this mean? Find out in the next chapter coming up!