Ani

Ani stood at the prow of the ship and watched the welcome being prepared on the dock. A carriage was pulling up, the wind whispered that there were three people inside, two wearing crowns.

"Isi!" she heard Enna call. "I think it's time you get ready!"

Ani went below deck to prepare herself to look the part of a queen. She bathed and brushed her yellow hair smooth and shining. She selected a dress that was deep forest green, a color that calmed Ani and reminded her of the forests of Bayern.

Enna walked through the door, a box in her arms, which she set on the tiny vanity. Ani lifted the lid and pulled a golden crown from the velvet lining where it had rested. The chilled gold gave her goosebumps as she placed the crown on her brow. Ani looked in the mirror and saw the Queen of Bayern staring back, regal as her mother had been.

"I am not my mother," Ani whispered, and she felt better saying it out loud. It was time to face the new nation. Danland.

Miri

Britta was anxiously waiting on the dock. Miri was certain that she could feel the stress coming off her friend in waves. Stefan reached out and held her hand, effectively calming her. Miri remembered when she and Peder had last held hands.

There was a flurry of activity at the edge of the dock, and Miri had the Bayern ship hidden from view. When she was able to see again, a slim girl with hair the color of rust had stepped off the boat, and was helping another girl, this one with windblown black hair.

Neither of them wore crowns, though their apparel was very fine. Miri assumed they were Bayern nobles who had come along with the Queen. A short boy was helping another girl out of the boat. A soldier and a commoner. Maybe brother and sister.

Miri felt her heart pulsing as the Bayerns who came off the boat stood in an honor guard. She nervously brushed her hair, which was only teased by the wind again.

The woman who left the boat next was obviously the Queen of Bayern: a golden crown rested on her head, nearly invisible in her waist-length yellow hair. She had a kind face, smiling openly. If Miri had thought that the queen would be pompous and rude, all those expectations left her now.

Britta and Stefan welcomed the Queen and her escort. Miri wasn't paying much attention to the formalities. Instead she fiddled with the Geode in her pocket. Another image flashed into being and she saw a trader cart's wheel roll over the mountain path. Then it was gone.

Miri felt a gentle hand on her arm, and looked to see Britta smiling at her.

"Come, Miri. The Coach is waiting."