Coppercurls

by an anonymous geek

disclaimer- I don't own anything, but I do suppose I own the plot, although it is probably one that has been used way to many times, but what the heck, it is a fanfic, nothing's original, so on with the story. . .

Chapter One

Tris was filled with excitement as she spotted Discipline Cottage. She had been gone for a long time now and was 17 years old. It felt good to be returning to the only place that had ever felt like home to her. She had missed her friends, Daja, Sandry, and Briar, who were closer to her than even siblings would be. This redhead was also exited to see her friends' teachers: Lark, Rosethorn, and Frostpine. She would be happy even to see Crane. As she kicked her horse to go faster, she saw Sandry run out of the cottage.

"Tris!" Sandry yelled.

Tris jumped off her horse and ran over to Sandry. The two friends hugged one another with happiness. The once-merchant-girl was surprised at herself for showing such emotion.

"Sandry, you've changed so much. You look so different." Indeed she did. Sandry looked even more beautiful than when Tris had last seen her. Her friend was wearing a dark blue dress that fit her perfectly and showed off her perfectly slim body. Tris couldn't help feeling a little jealous, but she quickly pushed that feeling away.

"So do you, Tris," her friend said. She looked around. "Where's Niko?"

"Oh he's just stopped at the Hub."

"Okay. You're the first here. Daja won't be here for an hour, and I have no idea what time Briar will arrive. Isn't it wonderful that you are all arriving here the same day? I am almost bursting with excitement! Since they won't arrive for a while, we can have some time together to catch up." Sandry put her arm around Tris as the two of them walked into the cottage together.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

For the next few hours, Sandry and Tris shared with each other their stories of the past few years. After a while, though, they began to worry about Daja.

"I wonder where Daja is," the noble girl said. "She told me she would be here in an hour."

"Did someone say my name?" asked a voice from outside the door.

"Daja!" both girls yelled as they ran to envelope their friend in a large hug. They looked behind Daja to see Frostpine and, surprisingly, Rosethorn stepping out of the wagon. They wondered why Rosethorn was with Frostpine and Daja.

"Sorry I took so long," said their Trader friend. "The wheel on the wagon broke and it took a long time to fix. While we were trying to fix it, these two came along."

Two? Sandry and Tris once again looked over at the wagon and this time they saw a boy jump out of the wagon and stretch his arms. It took a few seconds for them to recognize him.

"Briar!" Sandry ran up to Briar and gave him a big hug. Tris hung back in shock and tried to get a good look at him. It was taking her a while to comprehend that this boy was Briar. No, not boy, she thought. He's a man.

Tris walked up to Briar, shaking her head. "Wow, have you grown. It's good to see you again," she said. All four of them walked inside. They were happy to be together again.