Dawn gestured her lone window being boarded.
Lila laughed. “You have created a stir in the village with your courage and tongues wag as to how an angel tames the devil.”
Dawn’s eyes rounded surprised that people should think that, though she was more surprised by how wide Lila’s eyes suddenly turned. She followed Lila’s startled gaze and stopped herself from appearing as alarmed as her friend staring at the warrior sitting astride his horse that slowed when it neared them. She would not do to another what often had been done to her…stare in pity and discomfort.
Elwin stepped protectively closer to Dawn and kept his eyes on the warrior, especially since the man seemed focused intently on Dawn. And she could not help but hold his gaze, for she had never seen a facial wound so vicious. It ran from above his left eye down along his cheek to end at his chin. It was still healing, red and raw, and appeared ever so painful.
Villagers looked on whispering among themselves for without the scar the stranger would be a handsome man with dark hair and piercing blue eyes. He sat his mare with confidence that mirrored Cree’s, and though he was not possessed of the breadth and width of Cree, his lean hard frame and broad shoulders warned that he was a man of strength and not to be dismissed without thought.
Dawn wondered why he stared at her as if puzzled and she knew that Elwin would not fail to report the incident to Cree. And being he wore the same colored plaid as the troop that had just rode into the village, it seemed reasonable to assume that he was part of them. She didn’t want an unnecessary problem arising because of her and so she decided to handle the situation here and now.
She grabbed Lila’s arm and dragged her along with her as she hurried around Elwin, who was so surprised by her action that it took him a moment to rush after her. By that time the warrior had stopped, and she and Lila stood beside his horse.
Dawn gestured and Lila instinctively interpreted. “Dawn cannot speak, she has no voice but she wishes to know if she is familiar to you somehow since you stare at her?”
“Forgive my rudeness, I meant no disrespect,” the warrior said with a bow of his head to Dawn. “You look like someone I knew.”
Dawn found his response curious and wanted to know more, Elwin thought differently. He stepped in front of her. “Be gone with you; join your troop at the keep.”
The warrior gave Elwin a brief nod and without another word moved on.
Elwin turned on Dawn. “Are you a fool, lassie? You don’t go speaking to strangers especially when your life is in danger. And he appears a mean one. You don’t get a scar like that in just any fight. Now be minding yourself and behave.”
It was Lila’s turn to reprimand her. “Elwin’s right. That man does not appear afraid of anything.” She shivered. “I cannot imagine how he will fair with Cree when he learns of the stranger’s rudeness to you.”
Dawn wanted to shake her head and plead with them not to tell Cree. What good would it do? Nothing had happened. She simply resembled someone the warrior had known, nothing more. Damn if she didn’t feel like a prisoner again.
“Time to be getting back to your cottage,” Elwin ordered.
Dawn shook her head and gestured rapidly.
Lila explained. “She wants to go to the kitchen and gather some items she needs.”
“That’s good,” Elwin said with a nod more to himself than the two women. “You can keep yourself busy cooking.
Dawn held up her hand and gestured again.
Elwin looked to Lila. “She wants to stop at the healer’s cottage first and see how Neil is doing.”
“He’s having a fine time of it with Elsa fussing over him,” Elwin said with a grin.
Dawn tapped her chest several times and narrowed her eyes. Her gesture needed no interpretation.
“All right, you can see for yourself,” Elwin said.
With a quick hug to Lila, Dawn walked off with Elwin, their pace brisk as snow flurries began to fall.
Her stop at Elsa’s proved brief. Neil was sleeping, though Elsa assured Dawn that he was doing fine; rest and a healing hand was all he required. She wondered if perhaps Elsa could lend a healing hand to the scarred warrior. Though he was a stranger, he had spoken kindly to her and had not been appalled or disturbed by her not being able to speak. She would approach Elsa about it another time and with a smile and a nod Dawn bid Elsa good-bye.
The flurries were turning quickly to a heavy snow that had the villagers hurrying inside their warm cottages and Dawn intended to do the same as soon as she collected a few items from the kitchen.