He rescued her the first time when she was three years old in a killing storm.  Years later, he was still occasionally rescuing her.  ‘Twas in him to be a hero, and she had a pure intrepid way of getting into the kinds of scrapes that took rescuing.  With such a brawny, masculine guardian around, ‘twould have been a fair pity to waste the gallantry anyway.

Their childhood friendship between two young peasants had grown into a devotion few are ever blessed to experience.  It was strong enough to withstand all their dark age held – danger, feudalism, disease, and unfair oppression.

Or was it strong enough?  They truly loved each other desperately.