William sat pensively in front of his mother's grave. After he had prayed, Master Kanlon the village headmaster, and some neighbors came over, touched William's shoulder, and said various expressions of condolences, but he remained silent. From morning until noon when finally his mother's body was covered with earth he hardly said a word.
Perhaps it was only this morning that he could speak when he finally managed to steel himself to leave his mother and go to the village headmaster's house and tell him that his mother was dead. After that, it was Master Kanlon who took care of the whole funeral.
Remembering that, William looked up and said slowly to the village headmaster, "Thank you…" He wanted to say more, but only those two words he could say.
"If you still need anything, don't hesitate to tell me," said Master Kanlon. "We will all help you."
"Yes, sir."
After that, they all left, and William returned alone again. He sat wiping the ground in front of him, then looked up. His attention was drawn to a tiny bird that flew and then perched on a branch of a tree not far behind his mother's grave, among the white and golden yellow flowers. Another bird came along, and the two birds seemed to be talking up there.
William took a deep breath. Two months have passed since the snow melted. In mid-spring, everyone in the village, as well as every other creature, was usually filled with renewed vigor. There was so much to be done, there was so much to achieve. So did William actually, two days ago. At that moment all his desires were overflowing, and he was so sure of himself. He felt capable of conquering the world. Now, is all that desire still there?
His mother's death was unexpected. It came so fast, as if it happened and then just passed. It made William realize that in the end there was something far more powerful than him. Something that seemed indifferent to the desires that everyone had, and which would take anything whenever it wants.
William knew his mother was in pain. Yet he still found it hard to believe and never imagined that she would die at such a relatively young age. And imagining that his mother's illness might be made worse by him asking about his father filled his heart with regret. Maybe he shouldn't have asked that night, and his mother could live quietly forever.
William was sad again, but no longer crying. All his tears had spilled from night to morning. Or maybe, because he could understand at last, that his mother left him in peace. William tried to recall his mother's message from last night, and more than that, her last smile.
He finally smiled. "Mother, take good care of yourself there too. You don't have to worry, I'm fine here."
He stood up, looked at his mother's grave one more time, then turned around. Muriel was still standing waiting for him. The curly-haired girl's eyes were still red and wet. William didn't know how much she cried. When William looked at her, the girl was silent, speechless.
"Your father isn't home yet?" William asked the girl, though of course he already knew the answer himself.
"Not yet," answered Muriel quietly. "He doesn't know about this yet …. I'll tell him later."
William nodded, trying to smile. "Come on, let's go back to the smithy."
Muriel's eyes widened. "Do you still want to work today?"
"I still have work to do. After all, I'd rather do something ..."
"Brother, you don't have to force yourself. You can rest today."
"I'm fine," said William.
Muriel nodded slightly. The two of them walked side by side towards the workshop located in the side yard of Bortez and Muriel's house. From the tomb to the side of the fields, several of the villagers they encountered nodded at William and offered their condolences once more. William only smiled briefly and thanked them in return.
In the workshop he worked silently, trying to let go of his sadness. He took out his tools, then gathered some of the pieces or plates of iron that he had to forge, the remnants of yesterday's work. This was the last order of a merchant from the east. Some of them had become semi-finished goods, only later they would be ground and finished by Bortez. Some still had to be forged.
While he was working Muriel accompanied and helped him heat the stove. Seeing that the girl looked enthusiastic and happy, William then allowed her to join the forging.
Muriel smiled broadly as she removed the plugs from her ears. "Can I try it? But … my father …"
"He wouldn't know," William said. "And if he does, I don't think he'd be mad, as long as you do it right. Can you do it?"
"Yes," said Muriel, tugging at her sleeve.
William smiled. From the outside, the girl's body looked weak, but when she was working her muscles seemed to stick out like a man's. It didn't matter that she was only fifteen years old, maybe when she was angry Muriel could knock out a grown man with her raw fist.
After putting on a face mask and tarpaulin to cover her body, and putting back the earplugs, Muriel began to forge. Her hammer swung and hit the metal in front of her. The rhythm of clashing metal clanged. Beside her, William heated the stove by raising and lowering a lever to blow the wind and adding firewood.
In a short time, the temperature of the furnace and the room was getting hotter. Smoke billowed out through the chimney. William and Muriel's sweat dripped even more heavily, but both of them smiled broadly.
Yes, William was sure the girl must be smiling behind her mask. She was such a lovely girl, and at times like these William was happy to be with her. Muriel's presence made him able to forget his sadness.
A loud knock from behind suddenly sounded through the metal clang.
William turned toward the door. He noticed the figure of a well-built, broad-shouldered man standing with a grin on his face in front of the door.
The age of the man was not clear, but probably about ten years older than William. His hair and beard were the color of corn. His eyes were witty. But when the man exchanged glances with William for a few moments, his grin subsided and he cleared his throat.
William walked up to him and said, "Rogas."
The man nodded. "William!" His sound was loud, to rival the metal slamming sound made by Muriel. "Sorry! I just heard what happened. Please accept my condolences!"
"Thank you."
"I heard yesterday you were looking for me? Do you want to practice?"
"No." William glanced briefly at Muriel who was still working.
The girl glared at him.
William wasn't sure what the girl had in mind when she saw him talking to Rogas. He got the feeling that Muriel didn't like the man's presence. Muriel probably kept working on purpose and didn't stop the noise she was making, so that Rogas wouldn't feel at home and left quickly.