Nimue heard the young woman’s stammering greeting and realized that she was a bit shy and certainly shocked at their wanton display of love making in the dooryard. With a gentle smile, Nimue approached the young woman, hands outstretched in a gesture of peace and goodwill.<br/><br/>“Welcome, Samantha, I am Nimue, wife of the great knight, Maric. When he told me that Faren would bring his lady to our home, I wanted to make a special place for you two. Come inside and let me fix you some refreshment. You can inspect your little chamber and see if there is anything that you and Faren would need.” Nimue chattered away, taking the young woman by the arm, leading her away to the cottage.<br/><br/>The girl looked back over her shoulder at the two men who stood regarding her with some amusement.<br/><br/>“Have you traveled far?” Nimue asked. “Is Faren far behind you? How long can you stay? I’m so glad another woman is here to visit. Don’t get me wrong, I love being with Maric and with Faren, but being in an all male households has its drawbacks as well as its benefits. Have you known Faren long? How did you meet him? He will be a great knight some day. Faren is a loyal friend as well as a faithful squire. You must be proud of him.”<br/><br/>Nimue chattered away, as fast as a crow’s wing in flight, never giving the poor girl a chance to answer. Nimmie poured fresh water into the kettle to make fresh tea.<br/><br/>“I have made a dried apple pie and it is still warm. We have been busy so there was not time to cut it.”<br/><br/>At Nimue’s reference to busy, the girl blushed again. Nimue grinned,<br/><br/>“Well that too. But we wanted this place to be nice for our guests. I wish I had known Maric’s mentor had traveled here as well. I need to find a suitable bed for him for tonight. I might have to go to the Tor and see if they have an extra tick for stuffing or if they could accommodate him there.”<br/><br/>Samantha was trying to see everything at once and listen to Nimue’s running monologue. Her head managed to nod up and down and back and forth, giving her head a disjointed bobbling motion to it. Nimue’s merry laughter filled the room.<br/><br/>“Okay, I will be still and let you talk.”