The sea breeze drifted up in eddies from the ocean, carrying with it the scent of salt and seaweed. Orn seemed to delight in the flowers that he found everywhere around him, though Sanria picked him up as she spun in a slow circle. "Where do we go from here?" she thought, and almost on cue, a stately buck lifted its head. With sudden purpose, it bounded back into the forests on the mountain, using a well worn path as its mode of escape. Sanria cautiously walked over to it and looked into the small boy's eyes. "Well, it looks like down."
"Down mama! Lets get Papa, go down!"
They followed the path until it ended at a well at the edge of a small village. The people hesistated, looking at Sanria as an outsider, parting the way until at last, a man dressed in the long robes of a healer stepped forward. "Welcome, traveler. We weren't expecting visitors."
"I'm sorry," Sanria said quietly. "I've come to see if my husband has been here."
"Husband?" the man asked, his eyebrows arching. "Does he have a name or description?"
"Yes, his name is Colin. He's... well... rather large and -"
"Yes," Banion replied. "He is here, but we were under the impression that he was no longer your husband. He is here with his fiancee."
Sanria felt as though she had been punched in the gut and Orn looked at Banion with toddler frustration. "Where Papa?"
"This is his son?" Banion asked.
"Yes, this is Orn. We both miss him very much and would just like to talk to him. That's all."
"I was not aware he had a child..."
"And another on the way," Sanria replied, revealing a four-month swell.
She knew that the man had a change of heart as Banion's face looked to the ground with a frown. "Come, you deserve to speak with Colin. I will allow you both to say in a hut nearby.
"Thank you," Sanria said breathlessly.
The man led the way and showed her to a small hut. "You will be guarded, for your own safety, you understand."
"I understand. I appreciate you letting me speak to him."
"We will see," Banion said, leaving Sanria alone with Orn to wonder how this would play out.
