Upholding Vows: A Medieval Love Story

When I first met Lucinda, she was bewitching. She had come to the village to help a local woman with her child. I was there, tending to the crowd that gathered near the house.

"Can you heal this young one, witch?" a man called out as he pointed at the bundle in her arms. His eyes were filled with fear. He would have been ready to run if she said yes. Lucinda looked up and smiled at him.

"I am not a witch," she said and walked on through the crowd. The man shook his head, "Witches are all alike," he muttered under his breath and followed her into the house.

Lucinda had arrived early in that spring morning, so there were few people around the house when she knocked on the door and asked for the owner's help. None of them knew who she was or what she wanted, but they all came to watch her talking to the woman while helping her child cough up some phlegm. She stayed only a few moments before leaving with a smile and a wave of her hand. The woman bowed and blessed herself before closing the door behind her guest and heading back home with her child held securely in her arms.

Before long everyone was talking about how much better the boy was getting by the day. He was back playing outside like any other healthy child his age. That night after supper, I found myself in front of their house wanting to thank Lucinda for what she did for that family and for giving me hope that my own son might get well one day. I knocked on their door and waited patiently for someone to answer my knock. A young girl opened it and let me in after seeing my face light up with excitement when I saw Lucinda sitting by the fire inside, drying dishes with a towel between her fingers.

When I finally got my bearings back, I realized that Lucinda had not just helped me but also saved me from embarrassing myself in front of her again as I had done earlier that day in front of everyone else while describing my dreams of having a healthy son one day like other fathers in our village have children running around everywhere among them happily ever after with their wives...