The houses lining the so-called weaver's lane were humbler than those constructed in the main part of the village. The old maid's dwelling was snugly tucked away at the far end, framed by willows that hung low and heavy.
It hadn't taken them long to find it. Everyone they'd encountered had been happy to direct them, with some even managing to somehow secure their business along the way.
Arin hesitated on the doorstep, hands occupied with holding the few bags of assorted produce they'd gathered. Siel, meanwhile, swallowed the last of the tomato he'd been eating, and wiped his hand clean before raising it to knock politely.
A moment later, a voice came from within. 'You needn't knock that hard. I'm not yet deaf.'
The door then creaked open to reveal an elderly woman with a narrow face and shrewd, pale eyes. She was bent nearly double with age, but her gaze carried a certain sharpness.
'Good afternoon,' Siel said cheerfully, bowing his head in greeting. 'Pardon the intrusion. I am called Siel, and this is my senior brother, Arin. We're tower magicians, seeking knowledge on the village of Silvershade. We were told you might be able to aid us.'
The woman frowned, gaze flicking over their faces. 'It's been many years since I was last there. I doubt I'll have much more to say than the scribes, or even the traders who pass through there more frequently these days.'
'Well, what we want to learn has to do with the family of Silvershade's headman. We believe there's something there that'll help us save all the sleeping villagers…' Siel paused. 'Are you… aware of what has befallen Silvershade?'
The woman was looking downwards, her face hidden. After a moment, she straightened up to say, 'I was… informed. Sorrowful. If there's anything you can do… well, come in.' She motioned to them, stepping aside to make way. She walked with a heavy limp. 'I shall answer any questions you have.'
The interior of her house smelled faintly of herbs and old books. A small fire crackled in the hearth, lending a soft, amber glow to the modest room. The woman gestured for them to sit at a round table near the window.
Siel darted over energetically. Arin, however, remained standing to one side, arms crossed and eyes darting across the walls. Faded portraits of smiling faces gazed back at him from another time. Pushed away into a corner stood an old, slanted easel.
'So,' the woman began, easing herself into a chair with a sigh, 'you wish to know about the family I once served.'
'Yes, ma'am,' said Siel. 'You see, whatever has befallen the village seems to have begun with the daughter of the village head.'
'Elara,' the woman said softly. She seemed to not have heard the rest of what Siel had said. The steely look in her eyes softened as she spoke the name, and her tone was filled with an old affection.
'Right. Forgive me for being so direct, but I was wondering if she… suffered from some illness? Or bore, perhaps... a curse? Something that would make her more susceptible, that would cause her to fall asleep earlier than the others.' Siel asked.
The old woman smiled faintly, shaking her head. 'I was her father's nursemaid. Watched the boy grow, and build a family of his own. Then, she was born. She was… different. Sweet as a flower, and kind to a fault, from the day she arrived. Never before, and never after, have I met someone as easily beloved by all who met her.'
'I never had a family of my own, you see. I saw her as my own granddaughter. It is my life's greatest regret that I could not be there for her when…' the woman sighed, looking downward. Her eyes gleamed with a layer of unshed tears.
'…Her mother's death hurt her deeply. Her heart was weakened greatly by the pain. These past few years, I heard that that poor child doesn't leave her room anymore. She refuses company, and simply lays there, unable to smile, unable to…' The tears spilled down her deeply-lined cheeks.
Siel offered her a handkerchief. It was different from the one he'd handed the man in Silvershade. Arin raised an eyebrow.
…Just how many of those did he have on him?
Dabbing at her face, the woman said, 'I was only with her until the age of ten; near to half-a-decade in the past. She was still so bright and sweet when I last saw her, before I returned to Willowshade. The old woman gestured to her legs. 'After being injured by a runaway horse, I was offered a room at the headman's estate. They saw me as family. And yet, I foolishly hoped to rest in my birthplace. I left. I...'
The old maid took a deep breath to compose herself. In the flickering firelight, Arin saw Siel's wide eyes glistening, and wondered if the boy, too, was about to start weeping.
Part of him was glad he was playing the role of the taciturn Rin. This way, he could just stand aloofly in his corner.
As himself, he really wouldn't have known what to do.
After a moment, the woman continued. 'Since I returned, I haven't made any journey outside of Willowshade. No healers capable of treating this old injury have come by, and my body continues to weaken with age. All I have known of Elara and the head family's affairs since, have been through the occasional correspondence from their end. That is how I learned of Elina's death, and… of Elara's pain. Pain that I can now do nothing about.'
She finally looked back up at them - well, mainly at Siel, who was sitting before her. 'When she first fell into that unbreaking sleep, her father sought help from all those whom he knew. He even sent me a letter, asking after any knowledge that might help.'
'The way I see it, she was not the first one to sleep; merely the first one that people knew of. There might have been others in Silvershade, similarly weakened by afflictions of the mind and heart, who slept when she did. And perhaps, those around them - affected by their worries - similarly followed suit before the rest of the village did.'
'Truly, I do not of what blight, or curse, is being suffered by those people. I also do not know why you are curious of the affairs of that family. But I have told you all I know. It is my hope that you, esteemed tower magicians, might swiftly find a cure, and save that village. Save my Elara.'
'Any more questions you have, shall be gladly answered.'