Chapter 3: Tea For Two

Quarter of the way back to the palace, big raindrops were dropping onto his cloak. He slowed Skylark and turned to Nari, who was riding pillion and asked, "Is this because of what you did?"

She shook her head. "This is entirely natural. I had nothing to do with it."

"It doesn't look like we'll reach the palace though," He frowned. I'd prefer not to be stuck outside in a downpour. He turned Skylark back towards the way they came.

"And now? I thought we were going to the palace."

He shook his head. "We'll never reach it before it starts pouring. There's a cottage a little way back that's got a fireplace and a shelter for Sky. Hold tight." He pushed the mare into a canter and felt Nari tighten her arms around his middle. He loved the sweetness of her nearness. He didn't know what it was that she did to him, but it was like he was another person with her.

Just as they reached the cottage it began to rain in earnest. Inside the barn as he was untacking Sky, he saw her shiver. She looked like a wet puppy. "Here, take my coat." He draped it around her shoulders. "I thought you didn't get cold easily."

"I don't, not in the snow. Or around ice. But put me in rain, and I'm like a cold, sodden dog. I don't like it and never will." She shivered as she spoke.

He laughed. She really had a way of raising his mood, making him feel more like the prince he was than anybody else.

"Why don't you go inside so long? I'll come as soon as I'm done."

When he was done he went inside the cottage and stoked the fire. He stripped his tunic so that it could dry. He looked at Nari and saw that she had located a pot and some tea leaves.

"Some tea is just what we need right now, to keep the cold and the sickness away. Or at least, that's what my grandmother used to say," she said quietly.

"That would be nice thank you. It's at times like these that I wish I had received the Gift from my mother. But unfortunately, I didn't. Apparently, I received my father's hard-headedness and his ability to strive for justice. "

"Sometimes those qualities are all the gift you need. Usually the people who are most Gifted cannot control their emotions and let it influence their work. That is usually when things get messy and they start becoming crazy."

"Wow. That's good to know…" That sounded like an exact description of his mother. He didn't know exactly what Gift she had, but it looked like a mixture between craziness and talent.

Suddenly a gold necklace on his neck heated and glowed. "What the…?"

Nari bolted upright. "Take it off, NOW!" He ripped the thing off his neck as it glowed.

"What is it? Why is it doing that?" He demanded.

"Sssh!" Nari quieted him. She knelt over the necklace and directed her Gift over it. "Aah!" she moaned and pulled back her hand as if she had been burned. "This is heavily spelled and protected. From what I can see it is a sort of protection charm, maybe given to you by your parents?"

He scratched his head. "Yes, my mother gave me that for me second birthday. Gosh, I never knew she was protecting me with that all the years… Can you stop it from glowing?"

She bit her lip. "I can try." She picked up the thin gold chain and started towards the door. "Wait inside, I'll be back."

A few minutes later she returned with rosy cheeks triumphantly holding a frozen chain. "That's the best I can do right now." The pot gurgled, announcing their tea was ready. She went to it, picking up a spoon and stirring it.

"Here you go." She gave him a cup of tea. He noticed that her hands were glowing light blue and she was sort of shimmering at the edges.

"What did u put into it?" He asked with a smile.

"Oh, just a little something to make you sleep well." She replied while spooning in her own tea.

"You drink first." He, in particular was distrustful of drinking and eating things that mages gave to him. She smiled knowingly and took the cup and sipped daintily from it. She handed it back to him with a smile.

"You believe me now?" She asked.

"Yes." He sipped the tea, allowing drowsiness to flow over his exhausted body. Tomorrow, he thought. Tomorrow I'll go and find some more adventures. With Nari.