“So he told you about them,” Snow said, having wanted to do so herself and get her sister’s perspective on the situation.

“You better tell your sister before she explodes with curiosity,” Slatter warned with a smile.

Tarass detailed the myth and the pools of blood that had been found, starting with the first one they had come across when returning home after the wedding, to the last small one found as if cradled in a goblet.

“So you have no idea why these pools of blood have appeared?” Willow asked.

“It could be to cast doubt on Tarass as a leader and his ability to protect his clan,” Slatter said.

Snow nodded. “We’ve thought of that.”

“Or it could have more of a meaning,” Willow said. “From what you’ve explained the first pool of blood was large, the second smaller than the first but not as small as the last one. Doesn’t it strike you as odd that each one is a different size?” She didn’t give anyone a chance to respond, she continued, “You say the pools of blood represent knowledge gained. If that is so then with such a large pool of blood how many would have died for the knowledge gained there? The second pool is not as large and could very well represent the knowledge gained from Finn and the marked man. The last pool of blood is a puzzle.” Willow shook her head. “It would represent something small and since there are no deaths associated with it, it greatly puzzles me. But there is one more thing you should consider. Your people believe the myth is about the dwarfs gaining knowledge, but it’s more about jealousy, about the knowledge the man has that the dwarfs don’t have. So you might want to ask yourself, what do you have that this person is jealous of or thinks he deserves to have more than you?”

Snow and Willow sat in Snow’s solar, blankets tucked around them and their feet stretched out to the heat of the hearth. Thaw had gone with Tarass and Slatter for a walk through the village, Slatter interested in seeing the improvements made since Tarass’s return home.

“I believe I’m with child,” Snow said, unable to hold it in any longer.

Willow jumped out of her chair and hugged her sister. “That’s wonderful. We will have our bairns close together. They will grow to be like sisters and brothers.”

Tears threatened Snow’s eyes. “You don’t know how happy that makes me.”

“How are you feeling?” Willow asked, returning to her seat and tucking the blanket around her.

“Like Mum did when she carried me, queasy and hungry.”

“It will pass as it did with Mum,” Willow assured her. “I so look forward to delivering my niece or nephew. If you’re like Mum when she delivered you, you’ll spit the bairn out with ease.”