Wren faces more trials (or at least, sports a bad attitude), this time in the form of her sister's fiancé. The poor dear. And I'm sorry I've been so slow to update. Writing two novels at once is hard work. Though, laziness is the main culprit. Darn you, laziness!

Chapter 7: The Glass Bird

Wren left the valley to return to the safety and monotony of ordinary life, an event which was delayed when she decided to stop just before reaching town and gather up some firewood to give herself the appearance of having a legitimate reason for being out here, a task which she was only half-focused on when she was too busy musing over the most bizarre spring in her step that contradicted the fact that she was actually nearing the end of a one hour hike. While she couldn't put a finger on exactly why she felt strangely invigorated, she had to put a stop to the tune she was humming once she broke through the tree line to emerge back in the clearing where stood the dull and forgotten little town of Dromer.

The smile she didn't know she had vanished when she caught sight of Lilli, her expression becoming known only when her elder sister responded to it with a smile of her own as she swung a basket (one of Lilli's designs, not Wren's, thus the actual carrying capacity) filled with purple and yellow wild flowers. Lilli caught up with her without delay, even if she didn't recall asking her elder sister over, and they walked back home together with an apparent unspoken knowledge of where the other was going. Wren refrained from stating she hadn't gone anywhere when Lilli failed to ask, for her sister appeared to have other things on her mind when she got to explaining that she and Glain had just been picking flowers together for tonight's dinner. And he would be joining them.

Despite Wren's protests, she somehow got wrangled up into helping with the preparations, her idea to drop the firewood and run coming too late when she found herself inside (where no one could hear her scream, but not really, but she was doomed just the same). Tasked with finding a proper vase for the floral arrangement, she set upon the dining room table several objects for consideration, including a bucket, a drinking glass, and a thimble (which garnered a chuckle from herself only, even though she thought that one was pretty good) before Lilli insisted that she be serious as she went about her own role of chopping up various vegetables and crushing herbs to set around the leg of a deer Father had already caught and skinned. It seemed he was in on the whole thing, too. She proceeded to fumble about in the hopes that her older sister would dub her as incompetent (Father was always quick to oblige) and let her leave, but Lilli was too busy fretting over the edible part of dinner (the only part that actually mattered) to step away and assist in Wren's appointed slavery.

Wren eventually settled for a blue-tinted vase with ruffled edges that Glain himself had made. Well, to be honest, she was actually just pushing it aside to reach for the plain, dusty one behind it, before Lilli caught sight of it and praised her for her ingenuity. The container for their centerpiece decided upon, her older sister took it upon herself to work next on arranging the flowers as Wren set the table with the "good" plates (it seemed rather odd to her to have "bad" ones, really), which had delicate, pink roses painted around the edges and were suspiciously devoid of chips. As she placed these upon the table, along with the utensils and the napkins Lilli had embroidered with flowers of her own, all to her sister's exacting specifications, Wren couldn't help but snort as she paused to watch her infuriatingly dainty sister stress over the flowers, pushing them about, splitting up bunches of the same kind, and bringing some to the front, some to the back, and then back again to their original locations, clearly flustered over such an inane matter. Girls.

As expected, Wren was also made to wash up (as if she hadn't done enough already) and change into a slightly nicer tunic, after which Lilli nitpicked over her hair until giving up when Wren slapped her hands away before ruffling it more than ever. It couldn't be certain which of these acts was the cause of her elder sister's exasperated sigh. Their bickering ended, however, just as soon as Father stomped inside, only to disappear into his room for his own cleanup effort, which Wren knew would be a fruitless affair for one so hairy, as he always managed to look like a bear in clothes on the best of days. With quarreling no longer an option, they waited in silence, and with varying levels of trepidation and excitement, depending on whom you asked, for their guest's arrival.

There was a knock at the door not long later, and Lilli was sent into such a tizzy, it was as if she hadn't just seen the one responsible just mere hours earlier. Wren turned away as her sister ran to the door with barely suppressed squeals, and she cringed when Lilli burst out with an amazingly shrill greeting before the door had even fully opened.

As her sister chattered away about such nonsense as her joy at seeing him (as if it wasn't already more than apparent) and what they were having for dinner (which he would see for himself soon enough), Wren thrust her fingers under her sleeve to scratch at her injury. It had become rather itchy as of late, and she winced when her nails caught on the ridge of a developing scar. She directed a frown next at her Father as he emerged from his room and extended a hand the size of a bear claw for a handshake as he expressed his own pleasure at Glain's arrival, even if his statement would have benefited if it was actually paired with a smile. It wouldn't kill them to say such nice things to her every once in a while. Not that she cared.

And now it was her turn, and she had no choice but to turn around to find the man with the smiling mustache (please, just cut it off already; must all men have facial hair?), his black hair tied in a ponytail, already approaching her with arms outstretched and a huge grin on his face. (She glared over at the feathered cap already hanging from the coat hook. Not that it was always wrong for guys to wear such goofy clothing. The man in the woods…well, his clothing was equally as flamboyant, really…on second thought, his was even worse than Glain's, but he could just pull it off better than this buffoon could, okay?)

"Little sister…" he began, his words rising at the end in a way that always made her queasy. And she was not, and never would be, his little sister!

She took a step back. "Uh, hey, Glain…not a long time, no see."

With escape impossible with people about that would no doubt scold her if she succeeded, she had no choice but to be snatched up, her feet hanging a good foot off the ground.

"How wonderful to see you, Wrendale! Just as feisty as ever, I see!"

"Sure, okay," she said, but expended no effort into returning the unwelcome hug.

He set her down, and she wanted to shiver under his much-too-friendly gaze (it was also no surprise that her sister had chosen someone who actually bothered to brush his teeth on a regular basis; they were unnaturally white). And though their greeting really should've been complete by now, it was prolonged when he stooped down and held up one hand beside his mouth, as if to share a secret that was much too obvious with two people standing a short distance away.

"I brought you a present." One hand disappeared into his pocket, and he pulled out, with great embellishment, a small, glass bird resting in the palm of his hand.

"Thanks…" She took it, and he patted her on the head. This was the fifth one he had given her thus far. Did he have a bad memory, or was he coming on to her?"

"Glain, your cloak…" Lilli said. That was enough to lure his attention away, and Wren's gaze darted to the floor when she caught her father's eyes upon her.

With such silly pleasantries out of the way at last, Wren took everyone's lead and headed over to the table. As he had done every time prior, and which was getting quite old at this point, Glain refused to sit until Lilli had served them and he could be awarded the opportunity to pull out her chair for her, and the meal began. As they ate, Wren focused on her food while everyone else talked, and by everyone, that mainly included Lilli and Glain, plus anything the two could force out of Father. The bird she placed next to her plate, turned in such a manner so that it could direct, what she hoped was, an admonishing gaze at her sister, who was to blame for all of this.

Wren only half-listened as Lilli ranted on about the progress of their wedding preparations with an enthusiasm that made her wonder and hope that her sister would fall out of her chair with the intensity of her gestures, her main focus a chunk of meat she had crammed into her mouth, the chewing of which was far more interesting than anything her elder sister could ever think to say. Meanwhile, the vegetables had been pushed far enough aside that they were no longer touching the agreeable part of the meal, lest they dared impart any more of their flavor to her slice of venison.

After a time, her gaze lifted off her plate long enough to sweep across the table and find her sister to still be securely planted in her seat, and still grinning like a buffoon. In the process, her eyes had brushed over Glain, as well, who had, for some reason, seated himself right next to her. Though, at a round table, perhaps it was a bit too much to ask that she not be placed beside someone she didn't wish to be near, especially when none of the other options were much better. At least there was a decent gap between her father and herself.

For a moment, her gaze lingered on Glain's face, the notion darting through her mind for just a second that Ghirahim could put this man's looks to shame, and her eyes again returned to her meal both in response to such a thought and because Glain's attention had turned to her, no doubt due to the staring she had just been caught in.

"So, Wren," Glain began as she caught him, out of the corner of her vision, folding his arms and resting them on the table, "anyone special in your life?"

Wren's head jerked over as her back stiffened and her eyes grew to twice their previous size. "No! Why would you ask that?"

Lilli laughed. "Don't mind her. She's still in the phase where she thinks boys are horrible. Even if she should've outgrown it years ago."

"No, I'm not!" Wren pounded her fist on the table, the sudden act causing her plate and the glass bird to jump. "I'm in the 'me' phase, and I'm not going to outgrow who I am!"

"Wrendale…" was all her father needed to say for her to shrink back, her outrage already draining from her as he fixed a stern gaze upon her from beneath his dark eyebrows.

But, when Glain spoke up again, none of his earlier humor had left his voice. "I understand completely. I'd never expect you to be anyone but yourself."

She frowned over at him, a more general frown than anything, and he merely winked at her with a knowing grin on his face. She turned away to stab at her remaining food with a fork, her appetite diminished while she waited for dinner to be over.

Eventually, everyone had their fill, and Lilli and she cleared the table and got to work on dishes Wren was less than cooperative with (it wasn't her fault if her sister's feet kept getting in the way, or if she wore boots inside and Lilli didn't). As she worked on wiping dry the plates Lilli had scrubbed clean, she listened to a one-sided conversation where the two men seated behind them took turns attempting to discuss something the other knew nothing about.

Nighttime approached at last, and Glain rose from his seat to point out the waning hour (Wren was sure that his true reason for leaving was thanks to Father's knack for causing discomfort in all living things), though the farewells took place behind her as she focused on wiping dry a plate that hadn't even been used that day. Her hardworking demeanor was not enough, however, to prevent Lilli from giving her a whack on the arm once Glain had left.

"You could have at least said good bye," she said.

"I could've, but I didn't."

Wren set the plate atop the pile she had already finished drying and tossed the towel onto the counter before turning away with the intent of escaping a sister that had already caused her enough grief for one day, only to jerk back when her gaze met Father's, his usual frown looking less than happy. It mattered little that the armchair he had settled into was all the way across the room, for the extra distance was not enough to lessen the effect of a gaze that was akin to being stared down by a moblin. She already got in trouble once for not being friendly. It wouldn't be fair if a second person joined in.

She focused on not looking at him as she headed for the stairs, but her attempt at retreat ended when he spoke.

"Wrendale," he began, pausing when he lit his pipe with a match, "you haven't worked in the smithy for a week now."

She pulled her eyes off the stairs once she realized her ascent would have to be delayed, and her gaze darted across her father to rest instead on the glowing embers in the fireplace, newly lit, and the weak flames that were just beginning to grow into something better suited to providing warmth. The heat of nearly a week ago had been a mere fluke. The cold they expected at this time of year had already returned, but this time, with the sudden drop in temperature the last few nights had brought, the days to follow suit before long. It was clear that autumn would soon be coming to a close, with winter already eager to take its place.

"I…I wanted to…" she began and turned to look behind her to where her sister was busy wiping the table, "I wanted to spend more time with Lilli…before she got married."

That wasn't a terrible excuse, as long as Lilli didn't decide to ruin it. Her hands clenched into fists, the thumb and forefinger of one hand fidgeting with each other, and their eyes met as her sister looked up at the sound of her name.

"So we've been making baskets together," Wren continued as her eyebrows jumped nearly to her hairline in an unspoken request for a confirmation of her story.

Lilli's eyes darted behind Wren and then back to her little sister before settling again upon their father. She remained hunched over the table with one hand gripping the sodden rag she had been using to wipe it clean as she said with a jerky nod, "Ah, yes, that's right. And Wren's been getting better, too. …Um…"

Wren's gaze swiveled back to her father, and she nodded with enough vigor to cause some of her hair to slip into her face. "Yeah…"

"Hmm." Father stuck the end of the pipe in his mouth and said no more.

With one final glance back at Lilli, who had returned to wiping the table, Wren dashed upstairs, uncaring of the racket she was making, and returned to her room. Lilli wasn't the most convincing liar, but as long as Father didn't push the issue any further, that's all that mattered, really. She was surprised, though, that he hadn't brought it up sooner. Almost as much as she was surprised he had made no mention of their last fight. Not that she had a problem with his silence. She didn't question things that worked out in her favor, even if such good luck was rare.

She was changed and in bed before Lilli arrived upstairs, though her wish for no further drama was not granted (now that was more like she was accustomed to) when her sister had the audacity to ask, "Why don't you like Glain?"

Wren grumbled at the wall as her elder sister continued, "And you left this behind."

"My right to sleep in peace?"

"The bird! You left the glass bird behind! He made this for you, and—"

Wren twisted about to meet a glare that she responded to with an even more intense gaze of her own, which wasn't hard when her adversary currently had a small bird in the midst of motionless flight in her hands. "I'm not doing this with you right now, Lilli! I've had a lot of stuff on my mind lately, and I'd like to…brood about it in peace!" She slammed her head back down onto her pillow, the hapless wall the next victim of her leering.

Her sister's response was not as immediate as she expected it to be, and her voice was soft and unsure when she asked, "What…what kinds of things have you been thinking about?"

Wren wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm not talking to you anymore."

"You know, you've been acting really strange lately. You've been even worse than…Wren?"

She made no response, and her sister continued, "Wren, are you still upset about Eriboar? You…you didn't even show up for dinner on his birthday, and…"

Wren looked back, a crease marring Lilli's brow, all her frustrations, unjustified frustrations, at her younger sister seemingly forgotten. If she continued to fret over things that were not her business, she'd surely get premature wrinkles.

"Can I go to sleep already?"

"Wren, it'll get easier, I promise."

She turned away. "Then you go to sleep, okay? Leave me alone."

"And you know I don't like lying to Father. If you're going to tell him we're making baskets together, then we need to actually do it. Okay?"

"All right. Just go away!"

Wren listened to the soft patter of Lilli's feet, followed by the eventual rustle of someone getting changed and into bed. Wren sniffed, her earlier tension leaving her now that peace had been restored to the room and no one was left to bother her over things they didn't even understand. They couldn't possibly. Not when even Wren herself didn't.

Ah, I've been so lazy about this story lately, so it was really nice working on it again. And I had fun writing Glain. Do try to be nicer to him, Wren.

Please review, my dearies.