The Healer's Wife Part 2 of 7

They had known each other since childhood, he the son of a stonecutter, she the daughter of a local merchant. She had always known they would marry, but had been forced to wait many years before he finally came to the same conclusion. During that time, he struggled as a stonecutter's apprentice, showing little aptitude for the shaping of stone, for the cutting of cornices or the splitting of rock. She feared they would starve, or worse, be forced to live on her father's dowry, until one day he discovered his talent. Much to her father's dissatisfaction, her husband proved to be a wizard, one adept in the healing arts.

They were married, and moved into a house on the poorer side of town. As word spread, people brought their sick and he healed them. He never set a price, choosing rather to accept whatever was offered. They made enough to feed themselves and their newborn son, but they were never in danger of growing wealthy. It made her angry. The established wizards uptown lived comfortable lives in expensive homes. Why could they not live as those wizards? One day she asked him.

"These people cannot afford to pay the other wizards," he explained. "They have nowhere else to turn but to us." It was the end of the argument. She never brought it up again.

Though they were poor, they were happy, and would have gladly lived their lives in that place had not word of mouth brought the attention of the established wizards. Although her husband only served those who could not afford to pay their fees, they saw him as a danger to their monopoly, and so the threats began. When it became apparent that threats wouldn't suffice, their son fell ill to a mysterious affliction and the message was understood. They moved to the coast, away from the city and the corruption it fostered. The boy recovered, and world spread throughout the coastal towns of the healer moved into their midst. They settled and raised a family. Their child grew into a young man, married, and moved away to start a family of his own. Life fell into a pattern. They grew old together.