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Three days. Three whole days and not a word. After Mia cried herself out the night she’d leapt from the balcony, Destiny had called the healers herself and waited for what seemed an eternity to see her face again. With an impatient grunt, she stood and, in her haste and foul mood, knocked over a silver tray of stale food. She spared the mess on the immaculate carpet one glance and tripped over the leg of the sofa on her way to the hidden panel separating the outer apartment from Mia’s chambers. She cursed as a numbing pain throbbed in her toe but managed to place her hands on the loose panel of wood. A tall figured in deep green robes materialized before her eyes.
“She needs to rest, Your Grace,” he said firmly. He slid the panel closed even as she tried to go around him.
“It’s been three days and she hasn’t moved!” said Destiny in defiance. “I want to see her!”
He moved to block her again and she threw up her fists in frustration prepared to punch him if he didn’t get out of her way. “Your Grace, please.” He raised his hands, palm up, and respectfully maneuvered her back towards the sofa.
“What’s wrong with her?” she demanded.
“She sleeps that is all,” he answered soothingly. “I believe a memory overpowered her that night and she’s having difficulty coming to terms with its meaning. She needs to rest for now. There is nothing physically wrong with her except the strain of trying to remember what she can’t. She will be well, Your Grace, you have my word.”
“But she was fine before,” Destiny countered, she tried again to step around him but he was agile for an old man.
“As I have been told,” he answered as he blocked her way. “Please, your Grace, listen to me and then if you still insist, I will let you see for yourself that she is well.”
Destiny huffed a sigh and sat down in a chair opposite the sofa. She gestured impatiently for him to take either seat. As he settled into the chair beside her, his robes fluffed out around his legs. A maid scampered hurriedly between them and cleaned up the mess of food. She darted back into the shadows as Destiny crossed her legs, fixing the healer with a firm glare. He had blocked her each time she had tried to see Mia, insisting that she needed rest and mustn’t be disturbed.
“Well?” she watched as he rubbed his weathered hands tiredly.
“She does not remember falling from the balcony. She says she wanted to visit her friend in the kitchens and must have fallen asleep because she had a most peculiar dream.”
“A dream?” Destiny asked.
“Yes,” he answered. “Of a woman in a black dress offering her an apple.”
“Just as the story of the girl with white skin and red lips...”
“You know it?”
Destiny flushed and nodded. “My mother enjoyed reading me to sleep as a child.”
“Well then, I don’t have to explain it to you,” he answered. “I’ve heard of the story but the apple in Amia’s dream was blue.”
“A blue apple...” Destiny wondered. It was the same impossible thing the girl had said before, under the tree by the road. But what it could it mean?
“She took this apple and bit into it,” the healer was saying. “She says she was consumed by shadows. There was another woman struck down by a bolt of blue lightning and a man decapitated. It’s that piece of the fragment that frightens her most... She remembers nothing else of that night except you saving her life.”
“But she was walking, she...jumped,” Destiny shuddered.
“If Mia was asleep, she very well could have been under the influence of those dreams. I’ve given her a potion for dreamless sleeping. It should help.”
“What does the dream mean?”
“Honestly, Your Grace, I don’t begin to know. I’m a healer, not a mystic.” He removed his spectacles and moped at his shining forehead before replacing the thin wire frames. “I have told no one what she’s said for that very fact. Since you called on me, I’ve tried to gather information about her but there isn’t much to find.”
“People have said she came from the rampion garden that burned down at the end of summer past, that’s why she came here.”
“I’ve heard those rumors as well but no one can tell me where this farm is or who her parents were. The girl had to be told her own name, I doubt I can rely on her testimony alone. I must speak with this friend of hers, Minda. She may have the answers I need.”
“So, then,” Destiny breathed, “the man in her dream, was he her father?”
“Perhaps,” he agreed, “but her mind is so very fragile, I saw the collection of fable books by her bed. It’s no wonder to me she’s envisioned this bloody scene.”
“Then they’re only nightmares?”
He shook his head. “No,” he paused. “No, I don’t think that’s entirely accurate. I think something terrible happened on that farm and she witnessed it. Whatever it was, whatever she saw has clearly been tainted by those fanciful tales she fills her head with.”
Staring into the fire, Destiny shook her head. That couldn’t be it. She banished the picture of Mia’s confused and fearful face as she dangled over the courtyard saved only by Destiny’s strength.
“Has she spoken to you of someone named Rhüne?”
“Rhüne, Your Grace?”
She nodded singly as she gazed into the fire. “I know when Amia has a nightmare for she calls that name before she screams. I’ve never asked her about it because she is always so upset by her nightmares.”
“She has not mentioned anyone by that name and it does not surprise me, Your Grace,” he answered. “She remembers nothing of her past save the dream she had before she saw your face. If I may offer a warning...”
“Yes?” she encouraged.
“There is no doubt of the bond between you,” he began. She felt her face tightening as her body tensed. “She thinks very highly of you, but I fear she may come to care for you a great deal because you are the first acute memory she has.”
“What do you mean?”
“Based on my own logical reasoning, she went to sleep in the fields by the road and somehow lost all of her memories as such, the first person she saw upon waking would have undoubtedly made an impression on her.”
“And...?” Destiny pressed as her heart pounded rapidly.
“And being so...captivated by you, she may have pushed back on what her mind naturally seeks to do—remember her life. Do you understand, Your Grace?”
“You’re trying to say I caused this to happen...” She’d already known but for a different reason she could not share. If she hadn’t rejected Mia, or rather if she hadn’t tried to express her growing affection with an opulently furnished bedchamber, Mia might not have run off and almost died.
“Inadvertently, Your Grace,” he pressed. “Your relationship with her is a distraction.”
“She is my attendant, beyond that...” He held up his hand.
“There is a deep kinship between you, Your Grace, you need not explain. I mean only to say, if she would get better...”
“Then I must send her away?” she blanched.
“The choice is hers, of course, but to block this may cause these...episodes, if you will, to become more frequent.”
“I see.”
“I would recommend you not press her about Rhüne or her other memories.”
“Very well, I won’t bother her,” Destiny relented. “I will let her rest.” He relaxed in his chair.
“Her memory will return, I think. We can only wait until she tells the tale.”
“Thank you...” Destiny realized she didn’t know his name. He bowed deeply at the waist.
“Hibblt, Your Grace, Healer Hibblt. I will be back in two days’ time to check on her.”
Later, when Mia emerged from her room at the end of the week, she looked ill. While mending, she hadn’t eaten much of anything having refused her meals or even the mention of going out onto the grounds. As promised, Healer Hibblt returned to check on her and gave his permission for her to return to her normal activities. True to her word, Destiny let Mia alone, giving her all the time she needed to be well again. She could hear her stirring about in her room and resisted the temptation to pull open the door that separated them.
Destiny immediately rose at the sight of her as she appeared at the doorway. She’d lost her pallor, all the vibrancy that radiated from her like light. Her skin was the color of a golden pearl, her raven curls limp, and the plain morning gown seemed to swallow her. Destiny held her breath as an aching hurt spread through her chest. She shoved her hands into her pockets to do something with them for she wanted nothing more than to throw them around Mia’s shoulders and hold her.
“I,” her voice broke roughly and she swallowed and tried again. “I know I must have frightened you. I’m so very sorry to have worried you.”
“Worried me?” Destiny choked out. Mia winced a little as she stared at the floor. She immediately regretted the words and sighed as she moved forward. “How fare you?”
“I don’t know,” Mia answered weakly, “I can’t stop seeing the axe strike and his head...his eyes staring up at me. Every time I close my eyes, I see it. Even now, I can feel them coming for me.” She looked up with panic naked in her warm brown eyes as her arms wound around herself. Her own breathing hitching, Destiny compromised with her desires by placing her hands tenderly on Mia’s shoulders, but the girl leaned forward until her forehead touched Destiny’s chest.
“It’ll be all right,” she managed to whisper, drawing Mia into her arms. She hesitated for the briefest moment before she enclosed Mia in her embrace and soothingly stroked her back. She could provide comfort without losing control. She could be Mia’s friend and still hold her. Their friendship was more important than Destiny’s desire. For Mia’s own sake she would not cause more harm.
But, Gods, what am I to do with myself?
“Then why am I so afraid?”
“I’ll keep you safe,” she promised, “forget your nightmares for they are only that.”
Mia sighed and slipped her own arms around Destiny’s waist. She continued to stroke Mia’s back, pulled her closer, brushed her face against her hair, one breath at a time, moment to moment until she felt her grip slipping. Mia was so close, so warm and trembling. She could sweep back that mane of lustrous hair, tilt back her head and kiss her fears away. She could do it.
She should do it.
No! Friends, Destiny. Friends and nothing more, she ordered herself. Drawing in a stifling breath, she said, “I’ve thought long about your punishment.” Mia flinched and darted a look up into Destiny’s eyes. The Princess smiled. “For scaring the wits out of me,” she explained, “I thought...thought I’d lost you. I didn’t think I was going to get a hold of you in time. Don’t you ever do that again, do you hear me?” Mia gazed on her, big brown eyes wet with tears clinging to her ebony lashes.
“Why are you so kind to me?” she whispered. Destiny was so taken by Mia’s beauty that she hardly heard the question, but it was more than her beauty, more than her spirit.
“The truth, please, Destiny.”
Destiny. She would never get used to the melody of Mia’s voice saying her name. She felt as if she were a harp, the strings vibrating with sound each and every time Mia spoke her name, every time her brown eyes looked on Destiny.
“Because...” she answered in a voice barely above a whisper. She placed her fingers under Mia’s chin and tilted her face up. She had to stop. She had to think, but there was no choice—there had never been a choice since she’d laid eyes on Mia sleeping under a tree.
“Because?” Mia’s eyes slid closed. Destiny felt her head tipping forward, their lips just a hare’s breath a part.
“Because I belong to you,” Destiny whispered. Mia sighed and then she felt Mia’s warm lips on her own, felt her small sweet mouth open like a blooming rose. The world and all its worries were irrelevant; like a painter had taken a brush and blotted out her thoughts with one stroke of red paint. One moment tender and serene—a harmony of two pieces finally fitting together as they were meant and then it was desire and desire and desire. But, before Destiny could command her limbs not to press Mia’s body into the wall behind them, not to ravage her small mouth, there was a knock on the door. The peace shattered as Mia jumped away from Destiny, her beautiful eyes wide with fright. “A moment, please,” Destiny called. She turned to Mia who’d covered her face with her hands.
She opened her mouth to speak but Mia was already gone. Destiny sighed, more exasperated and furious with herself than the interruption, and opened the door. Darling stood at the threshold, one hand held two dozen white roses while the other hovered in the air ready to knock again. Disappointment colored the look on his face but he half-smiled and tried to look past her into the room.
“I heard Amia would be feeling better today. I thought I might bring these as a little... get well soon present.” Destiny set her jaw and pushed Darling into the hall, closing the door behind her.
“Didn’t you hear what I said?”
He smiled his stupid grin and feigned ignorance. “What do you mean?”
“You know exactly what I mean, Darling,” she snarled. “I told you to forget about Amia. She is mine and you will leave her to me.”
“I want a fair chance at her and if she is a virgin then I want her maidenhead.” He sneered derisively, “you’re a woman; your fingers can’t do what my cock can, cousin.”
Destiny pulled back her fist and punched him with all the force she could manage. He flew into the wall and slid to the floor jaw slack and eyes dazed. His flowers lay discarded, white petals scattered over the plus red carpets. She hadn’t meant to put so much power behind the blow but her rage got the better of her. Blood trickled down the corner of his mouth as her fingers and knuckles stung with pain. So she’d hit his jaw.
“You will not think of her ever again, you will not touch her, or breathe her name whilst you are in my kingdom or so help me, Darling, you’ll be sorry. You won’t do to her what you’ve done to your other whores. Do we have an understanding?”
“As you wish, cousin,” he said staring up at her with open rage. She glared down at him.
“Say it.”
“Yes, Destiny, I understand.” She held out her hand for him but he rose on his own and stalked down the hall.
“Who was it?” Mia whispered as Destiny returned. She peeked through the open panel with wide eyes.
“No one important,” Destiny answered, “it was only Darling.”
“Do you think...?” she asked. Destiny sat down in her chair and ran a hand down her face.
“No.” Mia put her hands over her heart and took several deep breaths. She sagged against the wall.
“I thought... Dear Stars, I don’t know what I thought!” she panted.
“Mia, I’m sorry.” said Destiny quickly, anxious to repair the damage, “I didn’t mean to touch you in that manner. It was inappropriate.”
She opened her mouth to speak, confusion plainly visible on her lovely face but she closed her mouth. Her eyes sank to the floor, her face now void of all emotion.
“Mia...” She didn’t know what to say or if there was anything she could say. She had no right to convince Mia of her feelings—no it would do more harm than good. The emotions crashed down on her. A numbing pain churned in the pit of Destiny’s stomach. She had to get out of the room, out of the castle. She was suffocating in a prison of skirts and perfumed skin, bony hands clawing at a crown that didn’t yet rest on her head and then there was this one; this beautiful, unexpected, exciting, fascinating, maddeningly lovely young woman—the one she couldn’t have.
“I’m going out, I’ll be back later.” She didn’t look back as she left.
She walked mindlessly through the castle and it didn’t take long to find herself outside, walking through the fields. She blundered through the frosty air at a slow pace, staring at the white all around her and the sliver of dark gray sea far away in the distance. The grounds were blanketed in snow and her fingers were stiff already. Silent except for the grunts of her labor along the trail, she thought of Mia.
The laws of the land did not permit marriage between the royal family and commoners and it was one of the four conditions of her succession to the crown that she marry a highborn woman.
Different solutions to the obvious problem quickly formed and all were impossible. She couldn’t risk the Council’s ire for they held the lives of her people in their hands. She shuddered to think of what Caunica would become if she let Darling take the throne. There was no hope; she and Mia could only be friends. The pain lanced through her heart as if she had been stabbed. Sagging against a garden wall, she allowed herself to moan helplessly. Destiny stopped in surprise, her fingers brushing at the warm tear that slid down her cheek.
* * *
TAP. TAP. TAP.
I turned away from the noise and pulled the coverlet over my head with a groan. I was enveloped still in a dream of Destiny and I didn’t want it to end. We sat on the shores of Taia Lake watching the moon rise. She had said something funny and as I laughed, she leaned over and kissed me. Her hot lips crushed mine; her tongue, a velvet rose petal, danced exquisitely with my own.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
“Wake up, will you!” I fumbled around in the dark and ended up flat on the floor beside my bed. Minda was sitting above me, grinning down at me. “Bad dream?” she asked. I gasped and sprang to my feet. I threw my arms around her neck and squeezed as she patted my back. Then I jumped back in shock knowing she would be in great trouble for coming to my room. I glanced nervously at the door to Destiny’s chambers.
“What are you doing here!” I hissed. Her face was smug as she pointed to my pillow.
Beside the impression of my face was a single red rose and a folded note. I snatched it up immediately and sat down to read it.
I lifted the rose and sniffed it. I could smell her on it, faintly, but she was there. I crumpled the note with a sigh. Minda chewed on her bottom lip. I looked over at her and shook my head slowly in defeat. “Let’s go for a walk.”
I had to confess my gratitude to Minda for following me silently as I, literally, ripped a dress from the wardrobe and threw it on. I huffed and fussed as she worked to close the lacings along the back and grumbled as I pulled on my boots. She didn’t say a word to me and her face was, thankfully, expressionless. I pulled Minda’s arm through mine when we finally emerged outside in the bright whiteness of winter. We walked steadily around the grounds in a long oval, not going to any specific destination. I didn’t know how to tell her what I needed to and, though I was glad Minda didn’t press me, the more I thought about how to tell her about the Princess, the more agitated I became.
“Oh, for goodness’ sake! What is it?” Minda exclaimed finally, unable to stand my silence any longer. “What has you so upset?”
“We kissed,” I said quietly. Minda stared at me for a full moment before she exploded into squeals of delight. I shook my head sadly and continued walking. She caught up to me and put her arms around my shoulders.
“What is it, sweet?” she asked.
“I’m in love with her.”
She stopped walking and pulled me to a stop in front of her. I felt my face crumpling with despair and she hugged me as I cried against her shoulder.
“There, there,” she soothed as all the grief poured from my eyes. It felt good to release my anguish, to finally have another soul to speak to.
Sometime later, I quieted down enough to wipe my face on the edge of my cloak. Minda ran her hands soothingly through my hair and crumpled me against her side. “How?” was all she asked and so I told her everything.
I told her everything. From the first kiss when I’d mistaken Destiny for a knight. I told Minda about the garden and every single time in her chambers we were alone struggling not to be consumed by the desire we felt for each other. I told her of the night we’d spent in the cottage in the woods and about Solstice Night when Destiny saved my life. At last I came to the kiss and told her of Destiny’s flight. Minda didn’t say many words, just let me complete the story and urged me to go on when I faltered.
“Is there something wrong with me, Minda?” I asked when I finished.
“No! I think she is afraid of her feelings for you,” she answered thoughtfully. “She knows nothing can come of it.”
“I do too!” I exclaimed. “I’ve known it all along. Maybe I could be her mistress.”
“Then tell her now.” I stared at her in shock. “I didn’t think so. I know you can’t do that. You wouldn’t cry for her otherwise.”
“But—”
“There is nothing that can be done for it, Mia,” she went on. “You are her maid and she is the Heir. It’s clear to me she wishes to keep you the only way she can: as her attendant and her friend.” I thought of Destiny’s every gesture, her incessant need to make me smile or laugh, her need to have me close and though I felt the same there was a pain behind it for me.
“I don’t know if it’s enough, Minnie,” I said finally, “I don’t know if my heart is strong enough to feel both love and anguish at the same time.”
She smiled sympathetically and hugged me again. “Only time will tell,” she offered. “I know you’ll do the right thing, but I hope you’ll do what’s best for you.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I mean...if she loves you and wants you then let her gain the courage to do so, but if she doesn’t then... I hope when you have to make a choice, you’ll do what’s best for you.”
I frowned at her words, confused by them and dreading them but she didn’t allow me to think on it any further. She flung her arm across my shoulders and kissed my cheek.
“Come, I never got the chance to get you anything for Solstice or your birthday. I adore my gloves and the barrettes!”
“It’s all right,” I sniffed and brushed a stray tear from my cheek. “You don’t have to.” She grinned in response and led me away from the castle.
A candle mark after found us outside Frank’s book shop. I smiled when the bells rang overhead as we pushed open the door.
“Frank!” I called out when I spotted his skinny body behind the counter. He beamed at me and nodded to Minda. “Did you have a good Solstice?”
“Oh, aye,” he grinned, “packed the wife and little ones up to the castle to hear Queen Suzette speak. Touched us all, it did. And you?”
“As well as can be expected,” I answered vaguely. “This is my friend, Minda. She works in the castle with me.”
“Nice to meet you, m’dear.”
“And you,” Minda nodded. “Maybe you could help me, Frank.”
“I’ll try my best, ma’am.” I leaned against the counter and stared around the shop at all the different volumes as Minda described to him exactly what she was looking for. I wandered over to a pile of brightly colored tomes with strange symbols on their covers. Out of curiosity I flipped one open. There was a picture of a woman with straight black hair standing in front of mirror. The drawing was colorless but something told me her eyes would be green. As I looked at her face, it seemed as though her lips were curling. I wanted to look away from her but her penetrating gaze refused to release me. I felt myself leaning forward until my nose was pressed against the page. Before my very eyes her gray irises bled emerald.
“Mia?”
I gasped and jumped back. When I looked back at the book, the woman’s eyes were gray, her face blank. Shaking, I turned to look for Minda. She was standing at a doorway at the back of the shop.
“Mr. Loslyn has what I’m looking for back here. Come on, I want to make sure you like it.” I nodded and followed her into the back of the shop. “I had the wonderful idea to get you a journal for your dreams.”
“Oh?”
“Maybe writing them down is a good way to remember more,” she nodded. As we rounded the corner she turned on me and covered my face.
“Minda?!”
“Oh, stop fighting. I want it to be a surprise.”
“Minda, this is rather silly for a journal,” I laughed, “besides, there are plenty to choose from in the front.”
“No, no,” she tsked, “this one is special, I promise. All right, here we are. I know you’ll love it.” I sighed in exasperation, waiting for her to release me. She pulled back her hand and I had to blink several times to adjust my eyes to the light. In front of me was a long rectangular cake covered in tiny candles. I looked up and saw Destiny’s face on the other side of the little flames grinning triumphantly at me. My eyes flickered around the room and I spotted Frank, his wife and their children, Minda, and Sebastien. The cake misted in front of my eyes.
“Family tradition,” Destiny explained. “The candles are special but if you cry, you’ll put them out.”
“Special?” I sniffled.
She grinned. “Make a wish.”
“I... I don’t know what to wish for,” I whispered as I stared at her.
“Wish for anything, I have a feeling it might come true,” she answered. Minda nodded and the children urged me to blow out the candles. I closed my eyes and swallowed. If there was anything I really wanted, I would want to be with Destiny for the rest of my life. I blew out the candles and everyone clapped.
“Presents!” Frank clapped, “ours first.” I smiled gratefully at him as he handed me a small box wrapped in saffron paper. “Her Grace told me you have a passion for fables, I thought you might like this one.” I pulled off the paper and revealed a small green book with words gilded in gold on the cover.
“A Fairy’s Tale and Other Fables by D. Levante,” I looked at Destiny. “You wrote this?”
“I did.” She was very serious.
“Why didn’t you tell me you wrote books?” I asked her, disbelief colored my voice. She chuckled as she shook her head.
“Books imply more than one, and I did tell you the book you borrowed was mine,” she teased.
“And now you have your own,” Frank interrupted. His children were gazing at Destiny and I in open speculation. Minda tried very hard not to laugh.
“It’s wonderful!” I kissed his cheek and then kissed the tops of the heads of his five children. His wife scooped me into her arms as I kissed her cheek. “Thank you all!”
“Me, next,” Minda murmured in my ear. I turned and she handed me a box, a little bigger than Frank’s had been. “Bastien bought the book but I got the journal.”
“My money bought both.” He coughed when Minda poked him in the side. The journal was wrapped in painted paper and but Sebastien hadn’t bothered to wrap the book. It was bound in rawhide dyed blue. I flipped it open to see War of the Suns written in sprawling script. I looked up at them with a smile.
“What’s it about?”
“You’ll have to read it,” Sebastien grinned. “Minda tells me you like to do that.”
With a laugh, I found myself in front of Destiny next. I smiled in anticipation, suppressing the memory of her lips on mine. She didn’t say anything, only gave me a large box painted red and tied closed with a velvet ribbon.
“Dear Stars,” I whispered as I pulled off the ribbon and the lid. Destiny peaked into the box, a grin widening her face. She already knew what lay inside. I pulled it out so everyone else could see. It was a red gown made for a princess, not a servant. The satin folds of the skirt fell in ripples to the floor, the bodice was lined in velvet and crimson lace trimmed the panels. Rubies glittered like candle flames in the tiny roses around the swooped neckline.
“That’s quite a gown,” Frank whistled. Minda and I shared a look.
“I thought it would suit you. When I saw the fabric, I thought of you,” Destiny said softly. Touched, I fanned the gown out holding it in front of myself. It was magnificent but I would never be able to wear it. I heard Minda clear her throat.
“Why don’t we cut the cake?” she said. “Sam, are there glasses for the wine?” Everyone left the little chamber except Destiny and I.
“It’s so beautiful,” I said to break the silence. I suppressed my despair and turned back to Destiny with a teasing smile. “If I didn’t know any better I’d say you were spoiling me.”
“l am,” she grinned. “You have your own proper gown now.”
“As if I have somewhere to wear it,” I chuckled. I gently folded the dress and put it back in its box. When I turned around, Destiny was looking away from me, her hand outstretched toward me with a small box balanced on her palm. It reminded me of a dream I’d had before, of a witch and an apple.
“Another gift?” I took it and opened it. It was a small oval brooch shaped like a rose and studded with dozens if not hundreds of pin sized gold jewels. It had to be worth more than a prince’s ransom.
“I thought it complimented the gown well,” she said after too long a silence, “at least that’s what the seamstress told me... I’ve no head for ladies’ fashion. Mia? Please say something. Do you like it?”
I answered quietly. “I... It’s beautiful... You bought a brooch for me.”
“A rose,” she corrected, “a permanent rose for you to wear always. I didn’t get to give you your gift at Solstice and I knew your birthday was coming up so....” I half-smiled in spite of a sudden jolt of pain and set it back in the box. After Destiny’s walk the day we kissed, I had shut myself up in my room. We pretended it didn’t happen but I had changed. I couldn’t pretend and be her friend any longer. I wanted more and she could give me nothing more. Since, that I would never be good enough haunted me.
“I’m sorry,” she said bringing me out of my trance. “I know how this must seem.” Destiny gave a short, mirthless chuckle. “You ask me why I do such things for you. You’re my friend and I’ve really only had two people to give presents to during the season. I guess the gown was excessive or the brooch. I thought you...” I leaned over and kissed her cheek.
“I do like the gifts, Destiny,” I said and, thinking better of the kiss, continued, “I’m sorry about the...” She touched the side of her face where I’d kissed her and blushed. When she caught me staring, she quickly made a dismissive gesture and smiled.
“It’s all right,” she replied with a nervous laugh, “if that’s your way of thanking me, I’ll accept it as a gift.”
“Oh,” I gasped. I had completely forgotten about the journal. “I have something for you too but I’ll have to give it to you later.” Her blushed deepened and a thrill shot through me. We were joined shortly afterward by my party guests and trays of cake and wine.
We made merry well into the evening but eventually we had to leave Frank to his work. Minda and I parted ways at the gate, she wanted to see Bastien back to the stables. We waved to each other as Bastien took her hand and kissed it tenderly. A pang of envy echoed in my chest.
Destiny and I were quiet as we ambled back to her apartments. When she opened the door, I bade her sit on the sofa while I went to retrieve her present from under my wardrobe.
“Happy Winter,” I said as I dropped the package in her lap.
“No,” she protested, “you didn’t have to get me anything.”
“Don’t say that.” I said, “open it. I hope you like it.” Excitement briefly chased away my forlorn thoughts as she tore away the paper and I understood what she’d meant about the season’s celebration. She stopped when she caught the first sight of the journal. She gently peeled back the frayed paper and saw the gilded, yet worn, brown leather.
“Oh, Mia,” she started, her voice catching, “it’s beautiful.” She ran her fingers over the smooth leather and removed the rest of the paper.
“I thought you’d like a place to keep your poetry and the pages are big enough for you to sketch on.”
“Aye,” Destiny said. It greatly pleased me that she treasured it.
“It doesn’t compare to a new room, a bookshelf full of books, or a gown and jewelry for that matter,” I laughed.
“Oh, I disagree,” Destiny said, holding the book to her breast. “You don’t know how much this means to me.”
“It’s only a journal. I’m sure you’ve had hundreds.”
“No,” Destiny shook her head, “this is my first one.” I smiled and she took my hand.
“Don’t tell me you’ve got another gift to give?” I chuckled.
“Not one that I can give now,” she answered. “I wasn’t completely honest about the gown or the rose.”
“You didn’t pick them out yourself?” I asked, my eyebrows uplifted in mock surprise. She scoffed and scowled at me as I hid my giggles behind my free hand.
“Cute,” she retorted though her lips twitched. “Every Spring we host the Festival of Roses and like every other season, there’s a ball. This one is a masque–”
“I know,” I interrupted, “Minda told me.”
She narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips, “I see but did she also tell you I’ve asked my mother to allow the house staff to attend as guests?” She grinned at the look on my face. “That is where you will wear the gown, silly girl. Did you think I was going to spend enough money to garrison a small army for a month just so you could look at it?”
“I... that is, servants are allowed to dance at the Ball this Spring?”
“This dress is too extravagant to sit at my feet all night,” she laughed. “Mother was pleased with the idea; she’s always said Brianne would make a splendid Lady.”
“You really mean it?” I asked her. “This isn’t a trick or anything?”
“Dear lady, you have my word as a gentleman this is no trick. You are to be a guest at the Rose Masque and you will wear that gown and dance as much as you like, with whomever you like.” My face burned at the thought of dancing with her all night.
“How can I show my gratitude?” I asked her. “You have given me so much.”
“Your smile is all I need, Mia,” she answered. “You don’t have to give me anything. I’m happy because you’re happy, your joy is my joy. It pleases me to be able to make you smile.”
“I want to give you something,” I disagreed, “but I have no means to give you what you deserve for your kindness to me.”
“Don’t.” She held up her hand and shook her head. “I meant what I said. Enjoy my gifts to you, that is how to repay me.” She stood up, her journal in her hands, and kissed my forehead. “Good night, Mia.” She held out the journal and shook her head with a wondrous laugh as she retreated to her room.