Chenate-

I wrote. It wasn't… anything emotional or endearing of the sort, however it was straight to the point. Something I'm usually not.

How have you been in Cavereta? I'm well, here and I've traveled to Havyne.

I looked at my letter and frustrated, crumpled it up. It was the next day, and I had a peaceful sleep, waking up to a rushed note on my pillow.

Snow,

Went to find the market. Kids are working. Be back by mid-day.

Aster.

Kids? Must be Jessica and Trinity, I shrugged and really took a look at the cottage. I gagged at all of the dust and dirty … junk…

And the smell! It was stale, yet a putrid kind of stale. Why hadn't I noticed it last night?

Immediately, I opened all the windows, (which weren't boarded up) and the door. Pinning up my hair in a ribbon, I looked for a broom, a cloth, an anything that would be of use.

And for the first time since I left Tantua, I began to clean like I've never cleaned before. The house was mostly cleaned up by the time Aster came back. She was alone, but had bundles of food bunched in her arms.

I glared at her murderously. She was still partially in the doorway, the door open where she was, but kind of closed, like leaning on her. Oh, I can't explain it. It was like the door was closing on her but she was a wedge there so that the door stayed open.

A wedge. Oh, if she could have turned into one right then. She would have been a lot luckier if she were.

"Why didn't you tell me you were the princess of Tantua? You know how much Chenate misses you? God knows. And Ciella. Ciella is turning fifteen next month. Fifteen! Oh but it wouldn't matter much, she was only nine, ten years old when you left. If she's lucky, she won't remember you!" I raged.

Aster opened her eyes wide. "How did you know?"

"I'm not as stupid as you like to think I am, Aster." I scuttled off to my carpetbag and snatched Cerdames' the mirror. Quickly, but with care, I hastily laid the mirror on the table that I had seen Trinity first at. "Mirror, mirror on the wall, Show me Chenate."

The vision inside the mirror waved like a reflection in the water distorted by a ripple in the glassy surface.

The glass cleared to a picture of Chenate, in what seemed to be Penepia again. He was talking to an elf, about a house, which I remembered he wanted to get Ciella for her birthday. He was so, so handsome…

"I believe a conch shell will do wonders for Ciella," The prince said to the green, aging elf. He pointed to an elfin house, a purple shell that looked like a vertical sand dollar.

I looked at Aster, whose dark eyes were wide with nostalgia. I knew, that whatever she had built up within the last five and a half years had been destroyed within those two minutes.

As she gaped at Cerdames', watching her brother and then her sister, I peeked into the pile of food she had brought home.

"Aster" I spoke out, breaking her from her prison.

"Yes?"

"Where did you get all of this food? You don't have money." I sniffed and scratched my cheek.

"Uh… I got a job down at the market. They pay well." Aster replied, a faraway sound in her voice. She was still watching Cerdames.

 "I'm making dinner." I croaked bluntly.

"The kids will be home soon," Aster cut in. "Trinity, Jessica, Aiphen, Bayard, Norbio and Dracon." She listed.

"Who…are Aiphen, Bayard, Norbio and Dracon…?" I raised my eyebrow.

She peeked her heard around the corner to the kitchen to face me. "You'll see. Just make lots and lots of dinner."

I grimaced and made a face at her. "You just help me then. You…you just. Augh. Aster!"

"Okay! Okay…" Aster finally left Cerdames and came to join me at the now clean-ish kitchen. I sorted through the sacks of food.

"So… How many people are we cooking for?" I asked Aster, handing her a few oranges. Aster took them and went to the sink. "Hold on, I just need to pump some water from the well. Why don't you come with me? We can tan a little." She invited.

I laughed. "No, I can't tan"

Aster reached up to grab a wooden bucket from a shelf. "What do you mean, you can't tan? My dear, you are allowed to tan."

"My skin never changes color," I elaborated. "Ever. Always white, white, white. Or else I burn like nobody's business."

Aster snorted. "Okay, good to know, good to know. At least now I know why you look like you've never seen the light."

"Hey!" I took in offense. That was offensive. I was offended. Hence, I took in offence. Ah… anyways…

"Well? I was just wondering" Aster smiled, walking out the doorway. I followed her, still offended.

"Might I remind you, the lighter the skin, the seemingly higher the rank." I snapped, miffed.

Aster stopped walking, and turned around, slowly. "Annabelle, might I remind you, even though they think I'm dead, I'm still of higher rank than you."  She said in a low, quiet voice, though I could hear every word perfectly.

I looked down and blushed. I was mildly humiliated. This is because:

A) I forgot this little fact

B) She used my real name

C) She talked to me like I was a peasant child

D) She's younger than me

E) She was so, totally, completely, brutally, right.

"So her skin color does change! As the cheeks do burn as promised." Aster said sarcastically, referring to my blushing.

"My apologies, your highness" I mumbled, my face burning even more.

Aster suddenly smiled and with a wave of her hand, started to walk gaily again. "Yes, 'tis all right. The well is there now!" She pointed to a well next to a water pump. Which of course is extremely useless; because the well is for well, water. And the pump is too. Aster grinned wildly. "Wheeee!" She squealed, and ran (slightly in a moronic fashion, though it looked like fun) to the well/pump contraption thing.

I grinned like Aster and looked around incase there was anyone around us.

Nothing.

I ran to catch up with Aster, flailing my arms maniacally and made funny noises, which sounded like, "Eebee, Eebee! All the way to Aster. When we got to the well, we collapsed with laughter (and to catch our breath, well, my breath).

"You should loosen up more, Snow." Aster panted. "Look how much fun you're having. Doesn't it feel good to be unbound by social status?" Aster pointed out, still breathing heavily.

"Aye." I wheezed.

Aster dragged herself to the pump, not the well, the pump, and practically had to sit on the rusty lever to make it go down. When the lever finally descended, nothing came out of the spout. Aster frowned at it. I looked up the spout to see what might have been clogging it.

"I don't see anything wrong…" I mumbled to Aster. The lever went up. I peeked into the spout again. Aster sat on the lever. The lever descended.

Sploosh.

"Oooh Aster I'm going to kill you!"

Wet clothes are not ideal for running, but it sure was a quick way to get them dry.

HA! IN YOUR FACE! I ACTUALLY GOT A CHAPTER UP! Small and short, mind you, but hey! I'm not dead. Grins OH YEAH! IT'S MY ONE-YEAR FP.COM ANNIVERSARY THIS MOTHERS DAY! WHOOOOO!

Alright, thank you all very much! BrokenIce