*All characters except the servants and family of Highridge are sole
property of Tamora Pierce, and the author of this story makes no attempt to
claim them as her own.*
The next morning, Jocelyn rose at dawn, to say a final farewell to Sir Prize. She quickly pulled on her favorite outfit – a traditional Yamani kimono her grandmama brought her from her most recent trip to the Isles and crept out of her room. The soft Yamani slippers made her steps nearly inaudible. She stopped by the kitchen, snatched an apple, stuffed it in her pocket, and headed for the stables.
She cut through the perfectly-kept gardens and reached the stables in no time. Sir Prize nickered happily to see her and sniffed her pockets, finding the apple in no time. Jocelyn smiled and rubbed the back of his ears – his favorite spot to be rubbed. Her smile faded when she remembered that this would be the last time she saw him for the next three months. Sir Prize, as if sensing her sadness, nudged her hand encouragingly. Jocelyn scratched his head, then dropped her hand to her side and dragged her feet back to the castle. As she neared the main courtyard, she could her the chatter of the servants as they loaded her bags onto the carriage her parents had arranged to take her to the convent.
"It's truly going to happen. I'm actually leaving," she thought. Jocelyn had never ventured farther than a mile outside the castle walls and suddenly realized how far away she was going. "I'd best say good-bye to Teresina and Gwenlyan." She slipped through the castle doorway, avoiding her mother, who was supervising the loading of her trunks, and made her way to the nursery.
"Lusana, are my sisters up yet?" Jocelyn asked the servant in charge of the younger children.
"No, my lady. I would wake them, but they were up late last night with your farewell banquet. They'd be fair cranky."
"That's all right. When they wake, could you tell them I'd said goodbye and that I'll miss them?"
"Of course, my lady."
Jocelyn turned to leave, when Lusana called out to her, "Your mother was looking for you. I think she had something to give you."
"Thank you, Lusana. I'll find her before I leave."
Jocelyn returned to her room, trying to fix the way it looked in her mind. Even though she would be taking most of her belongings with her, she would have to leave most of her books, and many of her watercolors she'd made over the years. Her eyes fell on the one of the ones she had painted on a trip to the Yamani Isles with her grandmama. The yellow, red, and orange sunset glowed against the dark purple sky. She sighed, and went to find her mother.
Jocelyn found her mother in her dressing room, brushing her long, black, Yamani hair.
"Mama? Lusana said you wished to see me?"
"Ah, Jocelyn, my darling. Yes," Baroness Jessamine said, reaching into her jewelry box and pulling out a string of jade. "This was given to me by my mother when I first left home to go to the Emperor's palace to be trained as a lady."
"You mean Grandmama? Or your actual mother?" Jocelyn asked.
"I mean my mother. I adore Keikokami dearly, for she has been a wonderful step-mother and loving grandmother. But I left for the palace just before my mother…before she passed on. She was already gone by the time I got word that she was ill."
Jocelyn looked at the necklace with new appreciation. Her mother had only a few things that were from her biological mother, and she loved them all dearly.
"Thank you, Mama. I'll never take it off," Jocelyn said, slipping it over her head.
"Jade has healing properties alone, but this necklace has been magically enhanced. It should aide in protecting you from disease."
"I'll treasure it always." Just then, a servant knocked on the door, announcing the carriage was ready and that if Jocelyn wished to reach the convent before nightfall, they should leave within the hour. Jocelyn leaned in to give her mother a hug, which her mother stiffly returned. Jocelyn grinned, despite spending the last 25 years in the Eastern Lands, her mother still clung to Yamani traditions.
"Well, daughter, are you ready to leave?" the baroness asked.
"No. But I'm willing," Jocelyn said, grinning. "I'll miss you and Papa and Teresina and Gwen, but you'll visit me, won't you?"
"Of course we will, Jocelyn. Now, I believe you have a carriage waiting."
The next morning, Jocelyn rose at dawn, to say a final farewell to Sir Prize. She quickly pulled on her favorite outfit – a traditional Yamani kimono her grandmama brought her from her most recent trip to the Isles and crept out of her room. The soft Yamani slippers made her steps nearly inaudible. She stopped by the kitchen, snatched an apple, stuffed it in her pocket, and headed for the stables.
She cut through the perfectly-kept gardens and reached the stables in no time. Sir Prize nickered happily to see her and sniffed her pockets, finding the apple in no time. Jocelyn smiled and rubbed the back of his ears – his favorite spot to be rubbed. Her smile faded when she remembered that this would be the last time she saw him for the next three months. Sir Prize, as if sensing her sadness, nudged her hand encouragingly. Jocelyn scratched his head, then dropped her hand to her side and dragged her feet back to the castle. As she neared the main courtyard, she could her the chatter of the servants as they loaded her bags onto the carriage her parents had arranged to take her to the convent.
"It's truly going to happen. I'm actually leaving," she thought. Jocelyn had never ventured farther than a mile outside the castle walls and suddenly realized how far away she was going. "I'd best say good-bye to Teresina and Gwenlyan." She slipped through the castle doorway, avoiding her mother, who was supervising the loading of her trunks, and made her way to the nursery.
"Lusana, are my sisters up yet?" Jocelyn asked the servant in charge of the younger children.
"No, my lady. I would wake them, but they were up late last night with your farewell banquet. They'd be fair cranky."
"That's all right. When they wake, could you tell them I'd said goodbye and that I'll miss them?"
"Of course, my lady."
Jocelyn turned to leave, when Lusana called out to her, "Your mother was looking for you. I think she had something to give you."
"Thank you, Lusana. I'll find her before I leave."
Jocelyn returned to her room, trying to fix the way it looked in her mind. Even though she would be taking most of her belongings with her, she would have to leave most of her books, and many of her watercolors she'd made over the years. Her eyes fell on the one of the ones she had painted on a trip to the Yamani Isles with her grandmama. The yellow, red, and orange sunset glowed against the dark purple sky. She sighed, and went to find her mother.
Jocelyn found her mother in her dressing room, brushing her long, black, Yamani hair.
"Mama? Lusana said you wished to see me?"
"Ah, Jocelyn, my darling. Yes," Baroness Jessamine said, reaching into her jewelry box and pulling out a string of jade. "This was given to me by my mother when I first left home to go to the Emperor's palace to be trained as a lady."
"You mean Grandmama? Or your actual mother?" Jocelyn asked.
"I mean my mother. I adore Keikokami dearly, for she has been a wonderful step-mother and loving grandmother. But I left for the palace just before my mother…before she passed on. She was already gone by the time I got word that she was ill."
Jocelyn looked at the necklace with new appreciation. Her mother had only a few things that were from her biological mother, and she loved them all dearly.
"Thank you, Mama. I'll never take it off," Jocelyn said, slipping it over her head.
"Jade has healing properties alone, but this necklace has been magically enhanced. It should aide in protecting you from disease."
"I'll treasure it always." Just then, a servant knocked on the door, announcing the carriage was ready and that if Jocelyn wished to reach the convent before nightfall, they should leave within the hour. Jocelyn leaned in to give her mother a hug, which her mother stiffly returned. Jocelyn grinned, despite spending the last 25 years in the Eastern Lands, her mother still clung to Yamani traditions.
"Well, daughter, are you ready to leave?" the baroness asked.
"No. But I'm willing," Jocelyn said, grinning. "I'll miss you and Papa and Teresina and Gwen, but you'll visit me, won't you?"
"Of course we will, Jocelyn. Now, I believe you have a carriage waiting."