December 29th, Third Year of Raszagal

Dummy!

I had such a laugh at your letter, thank you for that! I'm worried now, though, be careful with alcohol, it won't do to have too much! I'd flip if you were a drunkard when I meet you next time!

This year, welp, it really didn't start out well. The only reason we're even still talking is because you are the best person in the whole world and I will literally glue my lips to yours when I get out of here, you won't have to pull me by the horns! Please don't, actually, that'd be kinda uncomfortable, bleh.

Nothing is gonna happen to me now. I still keep to the people I know, Konar and Zala. No more shifty newbies. You were a jerk in your note, but even then, you still kept it as short as possible and told me you loved me. Might I remind you they didn't even lock me up for that? The warden's a big softy. Don't worry too much about it, now. It really helped, in the end. I was worried about Claudia, especially when you told me about her insane reaction about you doing sky magic without a primal stone.

About Opeli; You did tell me. I don't care if she was impressed. I'm sorry I hurt you. I wasted a year's worth of water when I got your answer to my letter for April. I wasn't exactly sure I'd get one. That was the only time you didn't send yours first at the end of the month and I just sat there, in May, expecting that I was never going to see you again.

I just went and re-read those. I was so scared I had lost you over the Onni thing, meanwhile you've moved on from that crisis and are actually losing it over the armistice and Lessa. My world's really small compared to yours. About the negotiations; I can tell you where they would've led you without the Queen. Why is the Senate at Korhal being so stupid? Just settle already, you boneheads!

I could've done without the reminder about the birthday thing. They still laugh at me for falling into the river. Sore point. But also getting to the point where it's funny to remember, especially since Konar fell in not a month later, same spot. There's a wooden platform there, now! They are calling it 'Raylas Plank'. Nice! Immortalized for being clumsy and scared of water. In a prison colony. Just what I've always wanted!

I'm really looking forward to the beach. I'll have to find some way to cover up against the sun without looking like I'm off to war. I wonder if my sunburn could be coaxed into a tan? I don't think I've ever seen a moonshadow with a tan that wasn't at least part sunburn. Probably something about sun and moon being opposed sources?

Okay so, about the naked buff guy. I really thought that was you for the entire month. You didn't draw his face, so I was like oh no, I can't draw from this! I'm not supposed to see that, yet! Nobody here knew what life-drawing meant, and I couldn't exactly show the picture around! Every time I even just thought about looking at it again, I just, blah! One time, Zala was there when it came to mind and asked if she could fry an egg on my head!

That effect was kinda gone when you explained it was an art thing. I'm not sure even sun elf artists do this sort of thing! It's definitely not something that'd be allowed in moonshadow Regios with the Lucid around, yikes! I don't know how you managed to look at the guy long enough to draw him! In real life, no less! I can't get myself to sketch him. I know you said to look at the shapes, not the person, but the shapes are the person! And the person is naked! And that's secret and awkward and junk! Maybe that's just moonshadow me speaking.

On that point, I'm still not comfortable with you going to those things. I get that you're doing it to be a better artist and all and it's one of the only things they will let you do, but I feel a scared pang whenever I think about you looking at other people without their cloth-

Never mind! You've been so much happier since you started this whole art therapy-school-thing with Doc Cardwell and I should really not be the one talking about getting too intimate and whatnot. I trust you, it's fine. Go do your naked people stuff! The SHAPES, though, Callum. NOT THE PERSON!

Sorry! I just can't stop worrying! I'll scratch it out, at least...

Solstice celebrations here were kind of sad. People miss their families when there's a big holiday like that, and I do miss mine. Well, I miss you. I'm also sorta kinda the last of my line, o Lord Upon Twin Towers! Unless my loser parents have another kid that can be ashamed of them. I really hope not. I'm still really curious about where they might have ended up. Maybe they've been found by now and nobody told me?

Glad to hear you had a good time, though. I was worried they'd have you do banquets and all that song and dance from last year again. Hooray for putting your foot down, dummy! You're right, forget the fancy dans!

That was a really thoughtful gift from Yasra, wow. Those scrolls aren't easy to get. She might actually have done something illegal, gifting that to you. I doubt the Assembly wants that sort of stuff crossing the border. Oops?

The fact that you can't read it is really funny to me. I should have taught you some Rune. I'm sorry! Helmond is right, though, stuff does get lost in translation, remember the slogan above the entrance to the Assembly. Rune depends a bit on you knowing the culture, too, since it uses a lot of metaphor and partial sentences and all that. Good luck!

Speaking of, the guards are laughing outside about the snobs in Veltis-Tiram, right now. Is it true they're thinking of minting money?! Xadian coins!? I'd rather stick to my Invertim barter pouch! I remember making fun of humans for using money all the time! It's just weird that you can swap something that's not really worth as much as people take it for? If the coins were solid gold or whatnot, I'd get it. Gold's rare! But copper? Weh!

As for your stress levels - I have a surprise! The warden said they're going to allow a week-long visit! It's not an official rule or anything, the warden's just happy with my behaviour! Come see me! Soonish! If you can? Please? I'm excited, now! I hope you can!

The news about the ring have me excited, too, but, you're saying this entire time they wanted you to find someone else?! You stopped telling me about the proposals, dummy! I didn't know there were so many! Once I'm out, we can address their concerns, I guess.

I'm so excited! "Meet your new queen-to-be"?! I'm so nervous about that stuff! How is that gonna go?! Details! I need details!

I know what you mean, about the age stuff? When I turned 18 (and had stopped dripping with river water!), Zala was like, 'Never gonna read any of your letters to you, again', and I just lost it. As though my entire personality would just flip from boulder to volcano at midnight! It's one of those lies people tell themselves to be comfortable, I guess. Kinda like me not looking at the NAKED RANDO MY FIANCE SENT ME?! AUGH, CALLUM! I had forgotten about that whole thing, mostly, and now It's back! Whyyyy?! I don't wanna know what random people's butts look like! That's why we all wear clothes!

You need a queen for a lot of things, apparently. I don't know how good I'll be at any of it. I'm actually really worried about that. Is there anything I can do to prepare and fit in? I mean, other than trimming my ears and growing another finger? I'm good at maths. I can speak and write Rune, Common and a wee bit of Draconic. That's pretty well it for my snob-worthy knowledge. Sorry, I'm a bush-living, berry-gobbling commoner, haha!

Zala brought up something interesting that I can't stop mulling over. She pointed out that the tribes might be working together, but we don't mix much. Think about the elven couples you know and tell me if there's a single pair that isn't from the same tribe.

I know exactly one, and that one makes me sad. Runaan and his summand Akande. Maybe I should use next month's arrow to send him a message? I didn't wanna make his life even more complicated by getting closer with him before I was cleared, but that's coming up. I wonder if he even still lives in Cardow?

Before I went on that tangent, I wanted to say this; Mixing tribes isn't unheard of and not strange or anything, just not super common. Maybe that's why when people saw us, they were surprised and all but it was more like an `Oh. I guess a chyooman is fine too`? We really didn't get much racism on this side. From what you've been telling me, I'm getting prepared to have my already kinda bad opinions on humans wrecked by coming over there with you.

Whatever, we do we. Hm, that saying doesn't really work for couples, does it? We do us? I guess that's better. Common has it's weirdnesses too, you know. How is a chair not male?

We are getting close!

Super close!

Come see me early!

Extremely excited love,

Rayla

P.S. I'm being selfish again, sorry. You probably have a lot to do. Don't feel pressured to come. Send me a note?

P.P.S. `Address their concerns`? Well. I just realized how that could be read. I didn't mean it that way, but I'd feel like a real sheep scratching it out, so... I'll go let Zala fry her egg.

P.P.P.S Since we already have that in here now; You'd be a good dad, but I'd be a terrible mum. ZALA, YOUR EGG'S ON FIRE!

P.P.P.P.S We've been over this! Don't call me `baby`!