~~~~~~~~~~Sandry, 15
A knock sounded at the door of Sandry's guest room, now permanently her personal chambers. Running to the door, she threw it open. "Daja!" she cried, jumping up and down with excitement.
The dark girl smiled sedately. "It's raining," she said, irrelevantly, though her braids were plastered with the downpour. Throwing her bag on the floor, she sighed happily. "Can't wait to be back in my ol' red room. Or 'crimson sunrise', as that dork would say."
"But you're back!" Sandry sighed, contented. "Just in time for Midwinter! Where's Frostpine?"
Daja grinned. "Hiding in the cart. He said he'd be damned if he stepped out in the rain, so he's in exile. He said he preferred living and dying in that cart rather than being soaked." Sandry fought back a laugh. "What are you up to, friend? I mean, what happened?"
The noble tried to maintain a blank expression. "What?"
"I mean, we've all heard about your Princess-dom in some way or another, though I think the thief-boy had the most violent experience-"
Sandry made a protesting sound. "Violent experience?"
"Well, from his letter, he had a panic attack, and judging from his handwriting (which looks like catscratch anyway) he was desperate."
"Well, he never told me." Slight jealousy pricked in her mind, but she shoved it away fiercely. It's not as if he likes me back, she thought furiously.
A Emelan guard appeared at the door. "Milady, there's a messenger for you in the hall. A merchant named Samer of the Aschulin clan, Silk Guild."
Daja looked blank but Sandry smiled. "Samer! All right, thank you. I shall be there in a moment." The guard bowed and left. Sandry grabbed her silk shawl and ran out the door. "Samer!"
The man bowed, mustache twitching. "Your Highness," he teased. "But I have some packages to deliver to you and the Kisubo smith. From the boy Briar, whom I've met up with in my travels. I hate to run, but-" he lifted the box- "I have to catch up with my caravan."
"Thank you," Sandry told him, taking the light box, and he quickly was out the door, an oiled robe over his dark clothes as he disappeared trhrough the gardens. "What a nice man."
~~~~~~~~~
Tearing into the pasteboard box, the two came up with wrapped packages for Lark, Rosethorn, Gorse, Niko, Vedris, Daja, and Sandry. "How did he know you were going to be here?" Sandry asked.
Daja shrugged. "Maybe Niko told him?"
"Yeah. Well, it's basically Midwinter's day right now-" the clock ticked one o'clock- "so I can open it!" Sandry grinned. "I love being childish, it's so much fun."
Daja pulled out a stitched silken cloth. "Oh, this is great! I can cover my Kisubo box with it, last week I accidentally scratched the top with a incense holder." Holding up the brilliant cloth, she smiled. "I think it'll fit perfectly. I think-" she paused, touching the corner of the cloth. "There's some kind of magic here. Don't know what it is..." She shrugged. "Protection, most likely."
"It must be Samer's guild's make, they have some mages to do that," the noble replied. She opened the smallish box, pulling off the plain brown paper to expose the lid. Fingers agile, she opened it and gasped.
The trader perked up. "What happened?"
"It's nice," she choked out. Turning the box in the light, the metal rose gleamed and the emerald, small but clear, shimmered. The facets winked at her, like a green eye that belonged to...
Turning her hand, Daja peered in. "Oh, I just knew it!" she cried aloud, grinning her face off. Staring at the rose, then the gemstone, she continued: "This must have cost him."
"Just knew what?" Sandry's heart was in her mouth, but she kept it firmly shut as she watched her friend anxiously.
Daja looked at her funny. "I think he has a crush on you. Actually, more like in love. He was going nuts when Samer or something told him the Nemornese were pushing suitors at you."
Sandry, remembering the greasy young men, grimaced. "I went nuts too, when they did that. Daja..."
"D'you like him, too?"
She blushed. "Um, yeah, but it's hard. I haven't seen him for forever, and letters are so slow. I miss him, and sometimes I wonder...what if he met someone else, and-"
"Oh, you two. We knew it was going to happen, though I think Tris is in denial. After all, he kept following you around, and you comforted him the most, and he comforted you the most, and, oh yeah, that time in the mountains when he tried to feed you berries...? Must I go on?!"
Sandry hit her with a small pillow. "All right. Stop. I get it, and I also admit...things," she said diplomatically. "However...what do you mean, Tris is in denial?!"
Daja flinched slightly. "She likes him, too."
"What a party. What about you?"
"Nah," the trader laughed. "No thieves for me, I only accept metalmakers."
"Good, otherwise we would have a really weird circle of friendship..." Sandry slipped the ring on her index finger. "I think I'm going to go insane. But one thing...Uncle made the Nemornese promise to let me live here, and also to not marry me off. They have five other princesses to do that to."
"Yet they're still trying to set you up with stupid guys...?"
"Unfortunately. Briar better come to visit soon, or there will be a dead suitor in the courtyard as a warning to others." Daja laughed, before handing Sandry her own Midwinter gift. "He gave you something nice, if i must say so myself. Are you ever going to tell him?"
"I don't know," she said, remembering the letter and charm she had slipped into the pocket of her gift to the plant-mage. Dear Briar. I miss you so much...Love Sandry. And the charm itself, a small silver and gold pendant on a black silk cord, the deep green stone imbedded into the silver circle etched with protection and love. "Perhaps he knows?" She slid the golden circle onto her first finger, which it fit perfectly. "Perhaps..."
~~~~~~~