Some wounds never do. It would be foolish for Cadfael to argue this. He doesn't. His stance is always of hope. Hope for a change of heart, a change of circumstance, hope for mercy, if only from your own heart. Still, it is hope, a wish, not an expectation.
He's seen enough suffering to know it doesn't go away just because you wish it would. The truth does set one free. It can make the suffering bearable. Hardly ever does it make it go away.

"Peace. Obedience. I found the latter an especially hard exercise of will. I've always been a restless spirit. More than I ever suspected. I might have given up the sword, but I wasn't able to shut myself away from the worldly affairs completely."

There were many worldly affairs that his errant ways were greatly helpful in solving. To the benefit of both the abbey and the town surrounding it. It did not spare him the scorn, but Cadfael has never been a man fearful of other people's opinions. This might have been his most persistent vice.

"I choose to welcome them with curiosity. No amount of complaining would make them go away, so I might as well make the best of what comes my way."