Author's Notes: I wrote this late at night, and for a prompt. It took me twenty-nine minutes, with a very short break. I had trouble with coming up with a title, so the title might not match up with the story. It's just a cute little standalone for the prompt in a community on livejournal I'm a member of. It's called circlefic.
I don't own the characters. Tamora Pierce does.
Sandry clutched the glowing stone around her neck and mumbled comforting sayings. No, what was keeping her awake currently was not fear of the dark. It was loneliness. Her friends had taken care of the prior, but were currently too tired from their work filled days to help her with the second. Reluctantly, she got out of bed and walked out of her room, the cloth of her nightgown sticking to her thighs. Her bare feet made muffled padding sounds as she walked through the deserted dining room and kitchen.
When the thread mage peered into her teacher's room, she saw that Lark's room was alit with a flickering lantern. The woman was sitting in bed with the blankets pulled up to her hips She was reading paper of some sort—reports from the water temple, Sandry thought. Swallowing any nervous thoughts and feelings, she knocked quietly on the doorframe with her knuckle.
Lark looked up and smiled warmly, signaling for Sandry to come in. Sandry obeyed.
"You cannot sleep, Sandry?" Lark asked softly, placing her paper aside on a nightstand. Sandry nodded and walked closer to the woman's bed. For a brief second she wished to look away from her teacher's melted chocolate eyes, but refused the urge. Instead, she kept her gaze turned directly into Lark's patient orbs.
"When I traveled with my parents, I used to sleep with them when I felt lonely. Now that they are...gone…the feeling seems to have increased tenfold. May I spend the night hours with you?" Sandry inquired, faltering when she mentioned her parents no longer being with the living. She fidgeted with her nightgown—pinching the cloth—as she spoke.
Lark didn't hesitate, answering immediately, "Of course, dear child! You should have come sooner if you felt lonely." The woman brought back the blanket and sheets on the other side of the bed, patting the clean space in an inviting manner.
Sandry waddled over, feeling much like a needy child. The mood was comforting. She sat on the bed, brushed off her feet, and climbed into bed. Lark lied back, covering herself and Sandry with the sheets and blanket. The woman then turned and leaned, blowing out the flame of the lantern.
"What about your work" Sandry whispered into the direction where Lark lay. Lark rolled over and scooted towards the young girl, wrapping an arm around her and embracing her tightly.
"Oh, yes—that. Those papers were just the reports of the 'twitter-pated fidgets' of the water temple, as Rosie would say. They can wait until the morning," Lark answered in a whisper, resting her head next to Sandry.
Sandry sighed contentedly, wilting back into the older woman. The loneliness, from both females, dispersed for the moment. The young girl yearned for those who had birthed her, while the Great mage next to her pined for an exhausted tree in the next room over.