It was with a heavy heart beating wildly, that Lucian slowly made his way back into Coriander. His eyes were hazy with disappointment with each small step out of the woods, and the muck from the morning's rain sucked greedily at his shoes. The village was barren and deserted, but the smells of breakfast and crackling fires wafted into his nostrils, and he knew that there were many people expecting to see them, to enquire about the collective small travelers groups that had yet to return.

Shuffling onto the main road, Bri came up behind him and untied the bundle strapped to his back. "I return with a load not much lighter than the one I left with," he sighed good-naturedly, looking around.

"I'm sorry for that," Lucian said flatly, and spun around to face him.

"Don't worry my boy, I am more than well-off for a man of my age. A city alive with God and discipline hardly desires the blades I want to sell to them," he replied.

"I think you're right," the boy said and let the cloth packs strapped to his back slip down into the dirt.

"Leaving so soon?" Brian smiled, his grey hair matted down into his eyes by the dampness in the air.

"I think it's best…especially since I still feel like I need to, need to just get away from this place. But I guess that will have to come another time," Lucian sniffed, picking out his precious few items out of Brian's equipment, and slinging them over his shoulder.

"And it will!" the older man smiled.

"Be well, Lucian," Erik offered quietly, and Lucian started towards his house.

As he walked, villagers spilled out of their houses and started milling about on the streets. The fog was parting and giving way to cool, pale sunshine that made the puddles sparkle as Lucian made his way down the road. His ears pricked up instinctively as he passed Platina's house, but she was nowhere to be seen.

The latch was pushed back and he stood in the frame of the door, with a meek smile on his face.

"Lucy, Lucy, LUCY!" Maleah shrieked and jumped away from her chair to rush to him. Lucian was flooded with happiness and he eagerly caught her in his arms and picked her up, laughing.

"How many times have I told you not to call me that? It's so EMBARRASSING!" he scolded teasingly, rubbing his nose against hers and she beat at his shoulders with her little hands.

"Shut the door Lucian, you're letting the heat out," his mother sighed, up to her elbows in dishwater near the oven. Lucian set down Maleah and moved into the house, closing the door behind him.

"What have you got for us?" Father asked, a cracked teacup to his lips. He set it gently upon the table again and sat looking straight ahead.

"I, well with the amount I had I got a package of the best hot drink you can ever imagine," Lucian declared, setting it upon the table in front of Father. "All the nobles in Crell are drinking it, and it just flows like wine. I didn't get it for much,"

Mama rushed over and observed the package with her husband. "What does it say?" she asked impatiently. Father ran his finger down the side of the smooth paper covering the contents and replied, "All the nobles, eh…" Lucian noted that he was pleased.

"I also picked up a few spools of yarn, Mama. There were so many colours!" Lucian produced five bulging sticks of yarn, each colour prettier and enchanting than the last. Mama gasped in surprise and her face paled. None of the colours were visible in the house, and indeed, in most of the village. She picked them up gently, one by one, saying nothing.

"Everyone there buys their own clothes. Even the poor, the ones like us, don't pay much for delicacies like this! It's so common…"

"They don't know what they have," Mama replied with an intense fury, cradling the spools to her breast. She hurried away into the next room, carrying them.

"All this for what you had?" Father asked pointedly, focusing on his tea.

Lucian hesitated and said, "Well Brian helped me find the best prices and bickered with the merchants…"

"The hell he did," Father spat quietly, not looking at him. Lucian looked down at Maleah, feeling uncomfortable. She just stared at him with her wide eyes. After several moments of silence, Lucian slipped past the stony face of his parent and ascended the stairs to his bed. Maleal followed him and closed the door behind her.

"Did you…did you?" she whispered.

Lucian said nothing, concentrating intently on hanging up his nightgown, and the bandana he had bought himself. He angrily ripped off the one around his neck and tied the new one on.

"Lu…Lucian?"

He scrubbed his face with his hands and forced a smile into his palms. Then he turned around.

"Of course I did, Miss. Mally. How could I just forget?"

Her lips turned up into one of the widest grins Lucian had ever seen and he pulled the paper bag out of his cloths. It took no more than a second for Maleah to slip her hand inside and rip out the material. Lucian had to press his hands to her mouth when he realized she meant to scream in delight.

"Be quiet about that, okay?" he said firmly, and she nodded against his hands. He let go.

"Lucian!" she hissed in disbelief.

"It wasn't as much as you think. Actually…"

"It's so pretty!" she whispered, holding it up and looking at it from all sides.

"Big enough so you can tie it in your hair for years," Lucian insisted, sitting down on his bed.

"And it's blue too!" There were tears glistening in her eyes. Lucian noted with disdain that Maleah's current colours- a pale grey set against her straw blonde hair- did not become her. Nothing she ever wore did.

"Don't show Mama OR Father. Just…put the ribbon under your dress when you go to your reading and wear it out of sight," Lucian told her, and she nodded vigorously, holding the piece to her chest.

"I love it so much!" she giggled softly, pressing it now against her cheek, and revealing in the softness.

Lucian was still glowing with pride when she dashed behind the sheet separating their beds, to hide it for another day.