Disclaimer: I am not pretending this is mine. All characters, places, etc. belong to Tamora Pierce.
Author's Note: This was written for and with thanks to May. hug
- Sarralyn first traveled to the Copper Isles as a girl of five. Mama had wanted to investigate something involving crows and a disease of some type. Sarralyn was never quite sure of the details; all she knew was that despite cries of, "I don't want to go, Mama," she had found herself on a boat to the Copper Isles, certain that she would be eaten by tropical bugs carrying fatal diseases. As she followed Mama down the gangplank, Sarralyn was met by a world of bright colors, new smells, and exciting sounds.
It was then that Sarralyn fell in love for the first time and decided that this was where she wanted to live some day.
- Sarralyn would go back to the Copper Isles twice times during her adolescence. During her first visit, Mama had become good friends with a number of Islanders, whom she enjoyed visiting every so often, and Sarralyn was willing to take any opportunity available to return to her beloved Isles. Therefore, it was only natural that when the chance to study for a year in the Copper Isles arose, Sarralyn was among the first students to apply for entrance into the program.
- Independence from her family suited Sarralyn. When not studying, she was free to roam Rajmauat, taking in every detail of the city and immersing herself in the culture of Isles as much as was humanly possible. All this would have worked marvelously had it not been for her difficulty at mastering Kyprish. After only three weeks, though, even this became somewhat of a moot point. The son of one of Mama's friends soon commected with her, and, upon hearing of her difficulty with the language, Junim offered to tutor her in exchange for stories about life in Tortall and Sarralyn's friends back home. Naturally, Sarralyn agreed.
- Four months into their lessons, Sarralyn arrived late. Her eyes were red, and Junim could tell that she had been crying. Being in a foreign land and without any close girlfriends, Sarralyn allows Junim to take her mother's place, comforting her after her first heartbreak.
- Five days before Sarralyn is to return to Tortall, having finished her year if study, Junim approaches her shyly with a box of Kyprish chocolates, as "a congratulatory gift for having learned so well." It is then, listening to Junim talk awkwardly about how much he has learned from her as well and how much he will miss her, that Sarralyn falls in love for the second time.
Before her boat sails, she presses a letter into Junim's hand, confessing her feelings for him and expressing her sincerest hopes that he returns her affections even slightly and will write and visit as soon as possible. It's cliché, but Sarralyn figures it's better than having said nothing at all.