Mum and dad have returned, I have spoken to them. They were devastated, but so happy that I was safe and unharmed (I didn’t mention the spider bite, I think it is much better now, Blake’s salve really helped!). They looked at the house, dad says it will require some amount of wood and a lot of scrubbing to get it back into a good condition. However, the most devastating news were the wooden shed that had burnt down. All our supplies are destroyed. We have nothing to work with and nothing to sell. I had only thought about how we need to make a lot of new charms to sell, but I had not thought of where we are going to get the materials from. Dad says we can’t afford to buy much, since we have to get the house fixed. Dad didn’t say it, but I could see he was very worried.
I am distraught at the thought of mum and dad having no place to live. Lizzie at least could go and stay with the Taylors if her and Tom got married. I must think of some way to help them. I can’t help them by making charms at the moment but perhaps I can help them by making sure I am not just another mouth to feed. I can feed myself, I can go hunting. I could perhaps even go to the lumber yard in Combe and ask if I could help them in return for some wood that dad could fix the house with. I’ll need to go and meet with Toby and Blake again, they are waiting for me.
I told the boys about my family and my concerns. Toby was so kind and offered he would cook some food, this will see them through for a little while. Blakes meanwhile had a suggestion, that we go to Combe and make some coin by helping get rid of the bandits that seem to be causing trouble at the Comb & Wattle, the ones that were preventing Blake from doing his job there. Admittedly, I am not quite sure that’s the kind of adventure I had pictured myself doing, it sounds way too dangerous. However, it would help me get fed and a job like that might pay a nice coin, I could really help mum and dad. Though I wonder if they’ll let me go if they find out what I am up to… I didn’t exactly give them a lot of detail about my involvement in defending Archet from bandits. I didn’t think my dad would be particularly happy to hear I had shot and killed men.
Blake had to head off for a bit, Toby and I headed back to the hunting lodge to spend the night there again. I had taken the food from Toby round to my folks first, they were very grateful, and I think that’s why they agreed that I could spend the night at the hunting lodge. They need some time to come to terms with the situation, and maybe they are happy that they can do that in peace from me. Toby and I had a nice meal that he cooked, and we had a good chat, one about fear and how to manage it. I am always impressed with how he seems to be scared of nothing, but I learnt that perhaps he is just better at managing his fear than me. I just have so much to learn still if I want to be an adventurer… though, I have been thinking about Blake’s suggestion, and whilst I am not sure about dealing with dangerous bandits, I will have both Blake and Toby there with me… and more importantly, I will get to go to Combe. Next stop Bree. Then maybe the world. I shall fall asleep thinking about this.
