Back at the house I face a dilemma. She needs a wash, but she is not doing anything herself, and if I leave her in shallows, she might just wander off into the deep. In her current state I can't leave her alone. Hoping I won't make matters worse I take off my clothes and bring her to the waterfall near my house. I have been using this spot as my personal shower since I got here. If anything can wake her up from her drowsy withdrawal this should.

Standing under the waterfall, all the dirt start coming off. I bring out some moss I regularly use as a sponge. It has natural oils that seem to act as a soap. I hand her one and show her how to scrub the skin clean. She still isn't responding much. I start cleaning her back carefully. As the dirt comes off, I notice all the scraps and bruises. She must be covered in them, but she does not flinch. Her pain tolerance is really high.

As she becomes cleaner I am suddenly painfully aware that I am showering with a naked young woman. My mind was aware on an intellectual level, but my body is now becoming aware. I can't allow myself to be exited now, it might just make her trauma worse. Down boy! Think of ugly old grandmas. Deciding that we are both clean enough I take her out of the waterfall, and get her dressed in some of the clothes from the goblin loot.

She looks a lot better. Her eyes seem to register me now. Cupping her cheeks in my hands I look her straight into her eyes. "Don't be afraid, I will protect and take care of you." I think I can see some emotion, but she remains still. I take her to my mud hut and inspect her injuries. I do my best with the healing salves I have made from plants I have foraged.

She doesn't seem to show any fear of men. That makes it easier. The only thing I can think of is to try and make her feel accepted and cared for. It helps that I can give her a hug without scaring her. Over the next dozen days her drowsiness and sluggishness starts to disappear. She is more responsive, but she still hasn't said a thing. Nights are regularly interrupted by nightmares, but it seems to help hugging her while she falls asleep.

I talk to her regularly to see if she responds. She reacts, but I am not sure if she understands. Why did I think that she would speak a language even close to my own? I start voicing my thoughts in her presence.

"Could you give me a hint if you understand what I am saying? I don't know if you understand my language, or if all I say is gobbledygook to you. I am not from around here, and you hare the first person I have met. In fact I have been on my own for a long time know so I have a tendency to speak to myself, though I would love to hear a response for once." I stop as I realize my monologue has been going on for a bit. The girl just looks at me curiously.

"Okay, so you don't understand me." My comment is mostly to myself as I ponder my next move. "I do". The response takes me completely by surprise. "You speak my language?" My excitement must be very visible to her, she actually looks amused. Is that a smile. So cute. "Yes". Again she respond. "Why do we speak the same language?" The question is actually directed at me, but I say it out loud. I get a response; "You speak the common tongue like most humans."

"Amazing! I got so many questions!" As I start to formulate my questions I notice that I have probably put too much strain on her too soon, as she looks reluctant. "Sorry, I got a bit excited meeting someone I can talk to after so long. I don't expect you to answer. Just let me know when you like to talk. We have plenty of time." She nodes and it goes quiet again. "Just one question; what is your name?" "Mari." Her response is short and simple. Up until now I had just thought of her as the blond farm girl due to her farming skill and her hair. Mari the blond farm girl it is.

The unpleasant day finally comes when Mari need to give birth to the mini goblin. Baby is still not a word I wish to use for goblins. The pregnancy seems to last for only a few weeks based on what little I can glean from Mari. We step into the shallows of the lake to assist with the birth. "Don't worry about the goblin, I will get rid of it." It might seem heartless to say, but it has a clear positive effect on Mari. As soon as the little critter is out, I carry it to shore, kill it and feed it to the dryad tree. Mari is markedly calmer the following night.

After a few more days, I have learned a few more things from her. She isn't the talkative type, and she seem very insecure and shy. She also seem to have a very low self esteem. I can't blame her considering what she has been through. Two to three years ago she was with her family near a farming community east of the mountains when the goblins came and killed her whole family except Mari and her mother. Her mother soon died from the treatment of the goblins, but she survived. She didn't know how long it had been, but asking what her age was when she get taken, I worked out how long she had been a captive.

There is a human settlement to the east. That is about as much as I know for now, but that is enough. As I ponder my future my alert marker goes off. Checking the map I see the goblin raiding party at the edge of the radar like a circle surrounding the marker. I step towards the house. Outside Mari is sitting on the ground making some kind of craft from small branches.

"Mari, I need to go and take care of the remaining goblins. I will be back as soon as I can, but it could take a few days." Mari looks at me clearly worried about me leaving. I have gotten used to reading her expression, since she doesn't say much. As I am about to leave she stops me. Standing right next to me looking up into my eyes she starts to talk. Excited I anticipate an expression of affection or love, but all I get is a worried look and the statement: "Please make me your slave."