A/N: Please enjoy!


Chapter 3: Sparkling Tears, Sparkling Jewels

Winnie awoke the next morning to the sensation of sharp needling points pressing into her collarbone. A low rumbling sound met her ears, and she slowly opened sleep-blurred eyes, coming face to face with an insistent Cate.

Noticing the warm sunlight that had come sneaking through a gap in the curtains, Winnie pushed the cat off her chest, stroking the feline's back as she did so. Cate bumped her head against the young woman's chin, but she moved off her mistress' chest and leaped off the bed, padding over to the closed door and meowing pitifully.

Swinging her legs out of bed, Winnie stood, yawning and wondering what she was doing in her grandmother's guest bedroom. Her parents should have come to find her—

Her parents.

The events of the horrible day before came rushing back, and Winnie resisted the strong urge to sink down on the rug and sob. Her parents had been killed, and she was living with her grandmother. Biting back tears, Winnie shook her head and squared her shoulders, reaching forward and twisting the knob, opening the door and slipping out into the hallway.

The scent of The Black Sheep's strawberry pastries reaching her was almost enough to send her fleeing back to the safety of her room, where she could allow the tears to escape in privacy. However, Winifred knew that if she did not move down the hallway and into the kitchen, she would never be able to leave her room again, too paralyzed by her grief and pain to go on living.

Head held high, Winnie marched into the kitchen as if nothing was wrong. To her surprise, the only one to witness her entrance was a sleepy-eyed Wolf, glancing up at her before turning his bleary gaze back to his bowl of oatmeal and fresh strawberries. The low thump from outside informed Winnie as to the whereabouts of Rudy, but her grandmother was strangely absent.

"Where is my grandmother?" She asked as she slid into a seat across from Wolf, ignoring the warm platter of strawberry pastries.

Silence greeted her, and for a moment, Winnie thought perhaps the man had not heard her. Clearly, Wolf was not a morning person. Finally, the man raised his gaze to hers and nodded towards the door.

"She left a few minutes ago, for town. She had to speak to the officials about your parents…" Wolf trailed off, looking uncomfortable. "I'm sorry."

"Oh." Winnie digested this information and bit her lip again, sure that it would be bloody by the time the day was over in her attempts to keep from crying.

Wolf's amber eyes sharpened as he watched her, and before she could stop him, he reached across the table to brush the rough pad of his thumb against her lips as he smirked at her. "Don't do that, Red," he told her in a rough whisper that sounded reminiscent of a growl, "or you'll ruin those enticing lips of yours."

"Stop it." Winnie told him sharply, leaning away from his gentle touch.

Wolf's smile did nothing to decrease from his charming looks, and Winnie looked away, irritated. "I can't help myself around you, Red," he told her pleasantly, plucking a strawberry from the bowl in the middle of the table and offering it to her.

Taking it from him, Winnie gave him a curt nod and tried to disregard the way their fingers brushed together. Trying to ignore the way he watched her, Winnie quickly ate the fresh fruit, closing her eyes to relish the sweet taste. Looking up, she found Wolf watching her with an odd look on his face. Abandoning his now-cold oatmeal, the man leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms and fixing her with a disarming smile.

"What are your plans for the day, Red?" He asked pleasantly, and Winnie stared at him, bewildered. Why did he care what she did all day? He would be here with her grandmother working on his acting skills, wouldn't he?

"None of that is your business!" Winnie found herself snapping, shoving her chair back and stalking from the table, eager to get back to her room. A small tub of warm water she had not seen when she left the room waited for her, and she quickly undressed—after checking the door was locked—before sinking into the water with a sigh. Washing her hair and using soap made her feel cleaner and more alive than before, and when the water had finally grown cold, she rose reluctantly from the tub and wrapped a towel around herself.

When she was fully dressed in her black pants, boots, and a black shirt—after all, she was in mourning—she quickly tamed her wavy red hair back into a braid with the ease of years of practice. She was meeting Roselyn at Elsa's Jewels, and even if her friend had heard the news, Winnie knew that she couldn't keep the other young woman waiting.

A gust of wind from her newly opened window told her that it was colder outside than the day before, and she pulled her black cloak on after securing her belt. Taking a deep breath and wondering how she would tell Roselyn if her friend had not heard the news, Winnie stepped out into the hallway…

…and promptly ran into Wolf, who was on his way to his own room farther down the hall.

Winnie collided firmly with his chest, stumbling back a few steps. Before she could stumble farther and lose her balance, hands gently grasped her forearms and held her upright. Mortified, Winnie could feel the blush that was quickly heating her cheeks as she looked up into the mirth-filled eyes of the man she had bumped into.

"Miss me, Red?" He growled in a husky whisper that involuntarily made her shiver. Winnie attempted to pull away, annoyed by the close proximity and desperately trying to ignore the enticing, musky scent she could smell rolling off him, freshly washed and shaved. It was almost spicy, an earthy scent with something sharper mixed in, a scent that was comfortable and intriguing at the same time.

"I'm sorry." She found herself apologizing. "I wasn't watching where I was going." Although she was annoyed by his comment, she found that she could not move from her current position, no matter how much she wanted to.

Wolf's amber eyes seemed to glow in the dimly lit hallway, and the air seemed to warm around them, but whether it was from the warmth in his gaze or the fingers he skated across her cheek, his thumb stroking her jaw, Winnie couldn't tell. She found that her gaze was drawn inexplicably to his, and she also found she could not look away.

His hand was warm as he cupped her cheek, gently lifting her chin as his fingertips left small imprints of heat against her skin as he cradled her face in his hand. Winnie found herself trembling, but she could not understand why. She only knew she was trapped by his gaze, full of heat and something predatory that she thrilled at and inwardly shied from at the same time.

Winnie watched, mesmerized, as Wolf lowered his head fractionally. His eyes explored her face, seeming to memorize every feature, every shadow and freckle. In the back of her mind, Winnie acknowledged what he was about to do, but her consciousness seemed frozen, as if she was unable to feel or understand anything other than what was happening in that moment.

Winnie watched as he wet his lips, dropping his head even lower, so close that his breath was ghosting over her face, the faint scent of strawberries and cinnamon reaching her nose. His hand was still warm against her face, every in of her skin alive with fire as he touched her, but for the first time, Winnie realized that his other arm had come to wrap around her waist, his other hand against her hip, radiating heat against her back. They were pressed flush together, and for a moment, Winnie was light-headed, her senses full of Wolf, every inch of her body feeling as it were aflame.

"Red…" Wolf growled, and Winnie found herself pressing closer, instinctively responding to his possessive tone without realizing it. Her flattened palms found his racing heartbeat, and she could feel it pounding under her skin.

So close…Something within her whispered, and she obeyed the unconscious command to be closer, her arms wrapping around his neck, her hands playing with the ends of his black hair on their own accord.

Almost…

The call of "Winnie!" followed by the slam of the front door was like a bucket of cold water over both, and Wolf recoiled before the young woman in his arms could react. Dropping his arms, he pulled away, forcing Winnie to lower her own. Her mind finally came back to her, and she found herself wondering what she had almost done.

"Winnie! Are you awake?" Her grandmother's calls could wake the dead—or at least the heaviest of sleepers—and Winnie shook her head, blushing and unable to look at Wolf. What had happened?

The gentle brush of a thumb against her lips made her glance up sharply to find Wolf smiling lazily at her. "Next time, Red," he whispered, low enough that only she could hear. Before Winnie could slap his hand away or react, he sauntered nonchalantly past her, down the hallway towards his room, as if nothing had happened.

Shaking her head, Winnie resisted the urge to watch him leave. Reminding herself of her original intent—what was it again? Her mind was strangely muddled—she quickly strode out of the dim hallway, startling her grandmother.

"There you are, dear!" Abigail's warm greeting was followed by an even warmer hug, and Winnie grateful accepted her grandmother's embrace, welcoming anything that would help her erase the memories of what had happened moments ago in the hallway.

Abigail pulled away first, smoothing away the stray red locks from her granddaughter's face and attempting to put on a smile. "I have news, dear."

"What?" Winnie wasn't sure she wanted to hear anything else about her parents—she missed them, and although the news had not truly sunk in entirely yet, there was a heavy ache in her chest that seemed permanent.

Abigail's green eyes were solemn. "I have been told by the officials that your parents were killed because thugs wanted their purses, not because of Nimble Candlesticks."

Winnie frowned, trying to remember if her parents had taken their belts and purses with them to town. "They didn't take purses."

Abigail nodded sadly, tears trailing down her cheeks unbidden. "That's why they were killed, dear. They didn't give the men what they wanted."

Winnie nodded, too numbed by this most recent news to do anything else. "I understand," she said in answer to her grandmother's concerned look.

"Do you want to stay here today and help me with my acting exercises for Wolf?" Abigail asked quietly, wondering how her granddaughter was going to cope with the news.

Suddenly, the last thing Winnie wanted to do was sit in her grandmother's house and mope, mourning her parents. The walls seemed to close around her, and Winnie shook her head. After what had just happened, the last thing she wanted to do was sit in this house and be near Wolf.

"I promised Roselyn I'd meet her in town," Winnie mumbled, slipping past her grandmother and nearly running to the door.

"All right, dear." Abigail answered, watching in concern as Winnie disappeared outside. "Be back by sunset!" She called, receiving a wave from Winnie in acknowledgement.

Turning away, Abigail found her newest student watching her granddaughter leave with a strange look on his face.

"What is it, Wolfgang?"

The young man turned his gaze to Abigail's and answered bluntly. "Should she be out in the town by herself after everything that has happened?"

"Do you think she'll be safe?" Abigail returned, wondering if she was becoming forgetful in her old age. Her granddaughter's safety was the most important thing to her, and she did not want Winnie to be harmed in any way.

Wolfgang shrugged in response, his eyes once again on the open doorway. "It may be that the men who attacked her parents were not after money. They might have really wanted to kill Jack and Jill, and they might have targeted Winnie next."

"Follow her," Abigail found herself commanding. "We'll suspend your lessons for the day. My granddaughter is more important."

Wolfgang gave her a short bow, surprising the older woman. "My pleasure," he told her, a smile flitting across his face. Abigail watched as he moved eagerly out the door, his amber eyes gleaming—he was on the hunt.

Watching him disappear after her granddaughter, Abigail smiled.


"Winnie! Are you all right?"

Winifred had been prepared for sympathy, but she was not prepared for the hysteric cries of Roselyn Lanton, who threw herself into her best friend's arms, her blue eyes misting with tears.

"I'm fine." Winnie found herself mumbling, extracting herself quickly from Roselyn's tight grip and blushing, wishing that her friend was not so dramatic.

"You poor thing!" Roselyn cooed sympathetically, her skirts swishing against the dirt as she pulled Winnie into her arms again.

Wriggling away from the other's cloying grasp, Winnie quickly diverted the conversation to a topic she knew would distract her friend. She didn't want to talk about her parents. The longer it took for the news to sink in, the more she could go on pretending her life was still normal. She didn't mind feeling numb if it meant that she could pretend that nothing was wrong.

"I came to help you pick out a new set of jewelry." She told Roselyn pointedly. "Don't you need them for the ball?"

"Of course I need new jewelry!" Roselyn gasped indignantly, brushing a brown curl out of her face. In a blue dress that accentuated every curve and offset her blue eyes and sable hair perfectly, Roselyn was the opposite of Winnie. Always fashionably dressed with her hair styled differently every day, Roselyn always dreamed of one day leaving Satuton to live somewhere else, preferably as a princess. Her parents owned The Bluebird Inn, and Roselyn loved to listen to the travelers' stories of far-off places.

"How did you come to be invited to a ball in Ibbot?" Winnie asked, more than willing to keep Roselyn's well-meaning but dramatic sentiments away from her parents. Roselyn had a good heart, but her favorite topic was herself, and she was easily distracted.

Roselyn gave her a smug smile. "My mother's cousin is a lady at court, and she extended an invitation. She told my mother that I should come, since I was of eligible age and should be presented to the prince. Imagine!" She gave a delighted shiver and a giggle at the idea. "Presented to Prince Gregory himself!"

Winnie nodded, knowing that she had to say very little once her friend began talking about fashion and the imperial court. However, Roselyn's next words stopped her cold.

"Although," Roselyn mused quietly, paying little attention to her companion, "if I can't marry Prince Gregory, I could always accept the hand of a lord or count. Or perhaps someone here at home," she continued, her face falling, "if I must. What do you think of Wolfgang Lothar? Have you seen him lately?" She suddenly demanded, turning to Winnie with a searching look. "We've known him since we were children, but he's been gone so long at the capital for schooling that I might not know him any more."

Winnie choked back a quick retort and blushed, thinking of that morning. "No," she coughed, "I have not seen him."

Roselyn frowned, two small creases in her forehead marring her perfect complexion. "I know that he is only three years older than you and I, but my momma thinks that he is a good match for me. She thinks my dreams of marrying a prince are silly," she confided to Winnie, who nodded, her mind racing, trying to keep herself from dwelling on Wolf for too long.

"Would Wolfgang make a good match?" Roselyn inquired, but Winifred was saved from answering by their arrival at Elsa's Jewels. Eager to get away from questions she didn't want to answer, Winnie hurried into the store, the bell tinkling in welcome, Roselyn right behind her, frowning at her friend's reticence.

The sweet and tangy smell of cinnamon and metal was the first thing to greet them as they stepped into the small shop, but the bustling owner was not far behind.

"Roselyn! Winifred!" Elsa Lothar hurried forward, her arms outstretched in greeting. Her eyes welled up as she spotted Winnie—as Jillian Nimble's oldest friend, the news of the Nimbles' death had hit her almost as hard as it had Winnie. Winnie returned the hug she was given gratefully, resting against Elsa for a moment before pulling away and allowing the older woman to hug Roselyn.

Elsa Lothar pushed her auburn hair away from her face and propped her hands on her hips, surveying the two young women before her. She had known Winnie almost since birth, and she had known Roselyn since the girl was only two years old—in fact, it was Elsa who was responsible for the two meeting.

Winnie, at the age of two, hiding from her mother in a delightful game of tag, darted into Elsa's shop, looking for a place to hide. With a mischievous smile, Elsa led Winnie behind a shelf of jewelry. To young Winnie's surprise, the space was already occupied by a wide-eyed little girl in a green dress, her ribbons askew.

Roselyn and Winnie had worked together to sneak past their mothers and burst into the street, giggling madly and not truly minding when their mothers finally found them, too pleased with themselves at having seemingly outwitted their parents. With that, a lasting friendship was born between two girls who might not have had any reason to acknowledge each other at all.

"You girls need jewels," Elsa announced, whirling away to the shelves and cases where she kept her hand-crafted jewelry. Elsa's husband was the town blacksmith and silversmith, and if she listened carefully, Winnie could always make out the ringing report of a hammer striking against metal from the forge behind the shop.

"Elsa, I'm going to a ball in Ibbot!" Roselyn could no longer keep the splendid news to herself, and Winnie watched as Elsa raised a hand to her cheek, gasping in surprise.

"That is an occasion!" Elsa told her young friend, looking up at Roselyn as her gray eyes sparkled with mirth. Elsa had already heard the news from Aleinah, Roselyn's mother, but the young woman was so ecstatic at the news that Elsa could not bear to spoil her fun.

"Is Winifred going with you?" At the sound of her name, Winnie looked up from where she had been examining a set of earrings crafted to look like the sun and moon.

"No," she responded quietly. "The invitation is for Roselyn only."

Elsa scrutinized Winnie for a moment, frowning slightly before turning back to Roselyn. "Well," she said brightly, drawing Roselyn's attention, "if you're going to have a new set of jewels, you must be receiving a new dress! Tell me all about it, and we'll find the perfect jewels to match!"

Winnie was only half listening as the two moved away, Roselyn's eager chatter quickly filled up the store, while Elsa's lower tones allowed the noise to rise and drop in a musical way. Winnie took no notice of the tinkling of the bell until she sensed a presence behind her. Before she could turn around, a familiar voice spoke, sending a shiver down her spine.

"Seems like I found you, Red."

"You were looking for me?" Winnie demanded, turning to glare up at Wolf. The taller man merely shrugged, reaching past her to examine a silver necklace adorned with red roses.

Holding it out to her, he told her with a smirk, "You should wear this. It matches your hair perfectly." Winnie continued to glare, backing away and bumping into the display.

"Go away." She hissed, darting around him to the other side of the store, suddenly feeling as if she couldn't breathe. He was too close. Even now he followed her across the shop, placing a hand on her arm.

"What's wrong, Red?" he teased. "You didn't mind when I was close to you this morning…" He trailed off suggestively, and Winnie felt her face burn red as she desperately tried to forget what he was alluding to. Unfortunately, she could remember all too clearly.

"Wolfgang!" Elsa's call rang out across the store, and Winnie watched with amusement and fascination as panic crossed the man's face.

Elsa approached her only son, looking reproachful. "Did you think you could come in here and not say 'good morning' to your mother?"

Wolf saw Winnie's brown eyes gleam as she grinned, and he smirked in response, but unfortunately, his mother took it as an insolent answer to her question, and she cuffed him. Wolf winced at the blow, resisting the urge to rub at the now-tender spot like a scolded child.

Wolf turned to Winnie after pacifying his mother with the assurance that he had missed her and had come to see her. Smirking, he tugged on a strand of red hair that had escaped the woman's braid.

Lifting her head away from his soft touch, Winnie continued to glare. She was distracted from giving a sharp retort by Roselyn, who approached quickly at Wolf's appearance, a silver and sapphire necklace gleaming at her throat.

"What do you think, Wolfgang?" She purred coyly, fluttering a hand to her throat and drawing the man's attention. "Do you think it matches my eyes?"

Wolf did not seem to hear her; indeed, he barely spared a glance as he continued to watch Winnie, his eyes dancing as a wicked smile curved his mouth.

Seeing her son's inattention, Elsa tapped her forefinger against his cheek, drawing his attention away from the black-clad woman he seemed so enraptured by. "Wolfie," she scolded, resorting to childhood nicknames only because he was acting like a rude child, "I have taught you better. Answer the young lady."

Wolf nearly groaned as he watched Winnie's eyes light up. "Wolfie?" She repeated, looking amused and delighted.

Unabashed, Wolfgang turned to Roselyn. While she certainly was beautiful, he had little interest in her. She was too obsessed with her looks and clothes for his taste, and he had never truly had an eye for fashion.

"They do compliment your eyes," he told her, knowing that was the sentiment she wanted to hear. Just as he suspected, she giggled in what he supposed was meant to be a pretty manner, but sounded shrill to his ears.

"Thank you, Wolfgang," she cooed, gliding away to examine her reflection in the mirror. "What do you think, Winnie?" She asked, her gaze not on the reflection of her friend but on the man that stood next to the red-head.

Winnie frowned in concentration. "They're too dark," she told Roselyn seriously, "they should be a lighter blue cut, or you should try a stone with more green tints in the blue in order to match your dress perfectly."

"An artist's daughter indeed!" Elsa laughed at Winnie's perfect evaluation of Roselyn's choice, leading the dark-haired girl back to try on a different set of stones.

"You have an eye for color, Red," Wolf commented, slipping an arm casually around her waist.

Wiggling away, Winnie fixed him with a glare, glad she finally had ammunition against his constant teases and taunts. "I am an artist's daughter, Wolfie," she informed him loftily, her eyes darkening at the mention of her mother, "and color is in my blood."

In answer, Wolf cupped her cheek in his hand, stroking his thumb against her cheek. His actions summoned a blush, and Winnie found her breath catching as she met the man's gaze, his eyes darkening for an entirely different reason.

"You may be an artist's daughter," he growled in a low voice, moving closer and dropping his head towards her so he was breathing the words against her lips, "but I don't have to be an artist to see that this color makes you beautiful."

"Winifred!" Elsa's call from across the shop gave Winnie a welcome excuse to escape Wolf's presence, wondering why she felt breathless. She felt Wolf's gaze following her across the room. She looked up to find Elsa watching her closely and Roselyn looking offended, as if Winnie had done something to purposefully invite Wolf's attentions.

"What do you think?" Elsa gestured to the quick sketch she had made of Roselyn's dress, filled with quick bursts of color from a hurried pencil. The dress appeared to be a blue-green color, more blue than green, with a fitted bodice and a full skirt. Next to the sketch, Elsa had laid out two necklace and earrings sets. One was a set of opals, speckled with blue and green flecks that shone against a midnight blue bed. The other was a stone that Winnie had never seen before, but the color was much better.

They shone against the sketch, perfectly reflecting the dress and making it seems as it glowed in the sunlit store, the facets of the jewels catching the sunbeams and glowing with soft shades of blue and green. The earrings were rounded blue-green stones, while the blue-green stone pendant lay on the counter, a simple piece that completed the picture.

"This one." Winnie nodded in affirmation and tapped the blue-green stones. Roselyn glanced at her friend and suddenly beamed.

"I knew you could help me!" She squealed, hugging Winnie and smiling at Elsa. "I don't have the money now," she told the shop owner, "but I can come back tomorrow if I tell Momma I found the perfect set."

"I'll hold it for you," Elsa promised generously, her auburn hair glowing in the sunlight as she smiled happily at the two young women.

"Come on, Winnie!" Roselyn's excitement was obvious as she tugged her red-headed friend towards the door. When Winnie was hesitant to follow, Roselyn turned back, looking suddenly apologetic.

"It's been a long day, Winnie," she said softly, "do you want to go home?"

Winnie shook her head, not ready to return to her grandmother's house and face the truth of what had happened the day before. If she could hold it at bay for a little while longer…

"I miss your mother," she told Roselyn, forcing a smile onto her face. "Has she had the baby yet?"

Satisfied that she had her friend's company for a little while longer, Roselyn turned back towards the door without answer, halting when she once again crossed paths with Wolf.

"Good-bye, Wolfgang." She said sweetly, laying a hand on his arm and smiling up at him.

Wolf barely spared her a curt nod. "Roselyn." Barely refraining from expressing her annoyance at his cool response, Roselyn wrapped her dark blue cloak around herself, letting herself out of the store in a huff.

Winnie began to follow, but Wolf stepped into her path. Wearily, Winnie lifted her face to his, allowing him to read in her open expression how tired she was of his interference.

"Red," he spoke unasked-for nickname softly, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to keep running."

"I'm not running from anything," Winnie told him sharply, alarmed how perceptive he had been.

With a crooked smile, he stood aside, allowing her to pass. "Of course," he told her softly as she passed. "You're not running, you're hiding."

As his statement reached her ears, Winnie froze, anger once again boiling. The need to defend herself rose, but she would not give him the satisfaction of seeing her anger.

"Good-bye, Elsa," she called over her shoulder, pulling on her cloak. Opening the door, she added, "Good day, Wolfgang."

Wolf watched as she strode out the door and over to Roselyn's side. Remembering the acid in her voice as she bid him good day moments ago, he chuckled.

"If that's your attempt at wooing her," his mother observed from where she stood next to him, watching her customers depart, "you're not doing a very good job."

"It's all right," Wolf murmured, watching as Winifred and Roselyn disappeared down the street. "I'm not going to give up, just when I have made progress."

Elsa shook her head, unable to keep from smiling affectionately. "How do you know she returns your feelings?" Her son had been smitten with her friend's daughter for years. When he had returned from the capital's university with a passion for acting, and Elsa had sent him to Abigail for training, she had privately hoped that he might meet Winnie there, and the childhood friendship they had once had could possibly be rekindled into something more. Nothing would please her more than to have her son with the daughter of her best friend.

At his mother's question, Wolf smiled secretively, remembering the way Winnie had looked at him that morning, when he had nearly kissed her. She had been unable to move, and she had reached for him. "She'll come around," he told his mother complacently. "I've waited nine years; I can wait a little longer until I can convince her that she loves me as well."

"Well, then," Elsa murmured, her hand going to her throat where a broad, silver wolf's head pendant rested in the hollow of her throat, "perhaps I have jewelry to make."

The man's gaze followed his mother's hand, and he dared to glare at her. "No," he growled. "I will not allow you to sway her decision with that piece. I want her to return my affections without your prodding."

His amber eyes were full of yearning and years of wistful dreams as he stared at his mother. "I want her to love me as I am, not because you alerted her to my intentions."

The longing in his eyes, and Elsa's heart softened. He was her only son, and he only wanted to woo the woman he loved in a proper fashion, without any outside influence. "All right," she promised softly, pressing a maternal hand to his cheek. "I won't tell her, and," Elsa sighed, knowing that he needed this promise the most, "I swear by Fate that I will not interfere."

Her son's gaze cleared, and he smiled, his black hair shining like a raven's wing in the sunlight. He kissed her on the cheek, murmuring a quick "thank you" before bounding out the door, immediately following the path that Winnie and Roselyn had taken, returning to his original task set to him by Abigail.

Elsa smiled and shook her head, laughing softly to herself. Winifred and Wolf would make a beautiful couple if her son succeeded in winning the stubborn girl over. If he did—and Elsa hoped with all her heart that he did—she would be prepared. Pulling out one of the many scraps of paper that she always kept on hand, the shopkeeper made a quick sketch in broad, easy strokes that betrayed the fact that she had made this particular design many times before.

Holding the finished drawing before her eyes, the woman smiled, pleased with her work, her gray eyes gleaming with fond memories. Leaving a sign in the window that informed her customers that she had stepped out for a moment, Elsa hurriedly wrapped her shawl around herself and stepped out the back door, striding purposefully towards her husband's forge.

There was jewelry to be made.


A/N: Reviews are appreciated!