About Saelbeth

Chapter 3
Nearly every night Saelbador came to Marigold. Often times, they would sat together on the meadows.The elf told her about his people, about old lore and the misunderstandings between elves and mankind. During the days, she day-dreamed about him whenever she was alone. Marigold wanted to share her happiness, but she knew that there was no understanding for her feeling, to be found among her friends and family.
The people started to forget about the elves again as the season passed from warm to cold.As soon as spring came again, Marigold walked quickly into the forest again to collect herbs; for this was the only chance for her to meet the one she loved, but she had to do it while it was daylight.
Saelbador awaited her daily and had already picked all she needed so they could spend valuable time together, meanwhile, he showed her the miracles of love.

But one day Saelbador did not smile as he held her close. He kissed her gently and stroke her hair. "In six nights I have to leave to the blessed realm. I will not be back for a long time," he said with sadness.
Marigold's heart froze as she understood the meaning of his words. "Will you leave me forever?" She asked with wide-eyes.
Saelbador pulled her even closer and lowered the two of them to the ground. "It would be forever for you, but only a blink of time for me." His eyes were filled with sorrow as he kissed away the tears that started to travel down her cheeks. "Marigold, I do not want to be without you. I will give everything up just to spend my days with you, to raise our children together. And I will be back when the leaves fall to lead you away. Please stay with me until I leave!" Saelbador begged. She had lived among the elves for six days, becoming the wife of Saelbador.

"Were have you been! We have been struck with panic and worry!" Marigold heard her father yelling in front of their house, as she approached him. The man came stomping to her, his face contorted with a scowl. Just as he stood in front of her, he realized something different about her. It was the shimmer in her eyes. He knew the shimmer all to well, for it was the same luster he had in his eyes when he first met Marigold's mother.
He grabbed the young woman on her arm and jerked her inside. "Who is it, that you ran with? Speak!" He demanded fiercely, obviously upset, Marigold noted. Prior to Marigold's secret marriage to Saelbodar, her father had come to an agreement with the elder that their children should be wed to each other at the next summer solstice.

Marigold did not answer. Her father rose his hand, threatening to strike her. "Tell me who is he! We are going to lose all our honor. You sneak out of the house to lay with someone unworthy. I will send your brothers out to find him and they shall slay him for his treacherous deeds," he spat.
The young woman jumped back as her father's hand slapped her face for the first time, but she did not speak. Again and again he hit her ruthlessly, but she remained silent. She did not even shed a tear, for in her heart she smiled, because she knew she was not going to marry anyone else. As she laid down on her bed that night, she did not know how to turn her battered body underneath the straw. The bruises on her body at the hands of her father, kept her from falling asleep. Repeatedly, she gazed over at the window, waiting and hoping that her beloved would come again.
As the weeks passed, Marigold was not allowed to go anywhere without the watchful eye of her family. One morning she went with her mother down to the river to wash again.
"Marigold, twice the moon was new since you had come home again," her mother spoke softly with calmness.
"Yes, mother I know." Marigold scrubbed her undergarments over a stone in a haste.
"Marigold, look at me!" The upset voice of her mother made her stop working but she did not look at her. "I see your garments as you wash them. They are not stained.Your flow as not come. You are with child!"
Marigold closed her eyes and said a silent prayer before answering. It had not escaped her mind since the day that Saelbador left, that she was with child. "I am with child," she finally confessed. "I know mother." Marigold said calmly, her eyes still fixed to the ground awaiting to be scolded or to be comforted.

Suddenly, she did not know her mother anymore with her wild animalistic hyseteria. "Who did this to you? Did you lay down with one like a beast? You are supposed to marry soon and you bear the child of someone else. Do you know what this means to our family?" Her mother brayed on, mouth twitching rapidly.

But Marigold did not answer. Now that her mother knew, it was only a matter of time before her father and brothers would find out. "Mother, I will not marry the son of the elder." Their eyes locked on each other, unwavering and suddenly, the older woman screamed in terror. "The beasts, they have come over you. We are cursed now!" She jumped up, lifting her skirts to be able to run faster. Crying and shrilling, Marigold was sure that her mother would alarm the whole village.
The young woman's head dropped to her chest and tears welled up in her eyes. She wished Saelbador would be here to guard her, to rescue her out of this - now. He had comforted her, and assured her that all would be well. If her family should ever cast her away, she only needed to turn to the forest where the elves would find her.
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"Drown her! Drown her!" The mob was now gathered in front of the house. They thought by drowning Marigold in the river, would keep them save. Marigold sat shaking with fear in her room. Upon hearing the news of her pregnancy, her father had been irrate and then he finally became calm, as he thought she had been raped by the pointy eared beasts. Her mother had already gone to gather the bitter herbs to brew teas that would make Marigold lose the child.

"I will not drink them!" The young woman simply stated. Her mother's eyes became wide and her father started to scream "You need to drink it. You can not bring an cursed elvish bastard into our town. You need to kill it before it can harm us all." And they had tried to force her to drink it, but she fought against them. And then they had locked her into her little room.
Now she heard her mother crying and her father taking council with her brothers. Constantly she heard the words "enchanted" or "under evil spells" and from the outside the people of the village were calling for her blood to extinguish their fear of the elves.
As the night came the villagers retreated to their houses, locking their doors and nailing their windows shut to feel save. Marigold was still sitting on her bed without ever having moved. She could hear whispering and walking downstairs, but nothing more. Then she recognized the heavy steps of her father coming up to her room. Was he going to kill her? Was he bringing her out to let the villagers have their way with her?
He pushed the door open and stared at her blankly. In the hours since he had learned that his daughter carried an elfling under her heart, he had aged. His eyes were red from crying and his face so sad. In his hand he held a pouch. "Child, you brought great disaster over us. The town is right, that you should be killed, but I can not let them ruin my own flesh and blood."
He sat down on a little chair across the room. He did not want to get close to her. The elder men worried, that he might come under the curse too. His tears flowed down his chin and onto the wooden floor.
"I have loved you so much. Even though I never showed you." He threw the pouch over to her bed. "Take this! It is filled with food and some extra clothes for you. Run Marigold. I do not want them to get you. Go to the elves. May their feelings for you be true," He gagged as more tears streamed down his pale face. "Run my child. We will make something up. Marigold, make haste!" He said urgently.
The young woman grabbed the pouch and her cloak. She stormed down the stairs and her brothers had already opened the door, looking around into the night as they quickly beckoned her to flee. And as fast as she could, Marigold left the dwelling and sought shelter in the forest amongst the elves.