Novel, Day 9

Once Devon and Ivy were ready to go, the group went to find some lunch in the midway. Meredith and Adina giggled to each other about Elliot and Ivy. She was still twitchy nervous from her presentation, constantly second guessing if the tea had seeped properly or if she had said anything wrong. The group would be talking about something completely different, like how much of the salad was left, and she would blurt out “LEFT! I served them left to right, not right to left!” Elliot was obviously finding this hilarious, but doing a fairly good job of keeping the laughter out of his voice. He had taken it upon himself to become her caretaker. She would blurt out about the direction of her serving in the presentation, and he would put his hand on her shoulder and offer her a bite of his sandwich. Adina found their obvious rapport especially entertaining. As they left the midway to head toward her archery competition, Adina tugged the cuff of Meredith’s sleeve, and the two of them fell to the back, then behind the group, so they could speak in private.

“Meredith, are you seeing what I’m Seeing?”

“I’m not sure, what is your Sight telling you?”

“You know how Ivy is all crackling violet energy after a contest like that? Well, she still is, that’s not the thing. The thing is that whenever Elliot touches her, it steeps to more pinks and orange, and the crackles are dissipating much faster than usual. His presence is totally grounding her.”

Meredith beamed. “What else?”

“Well, it’s too early to be sure, but their auras seem to be syncing. I’m not 100 on that, mind you. But his aura is getting the orange and reds when he is around her.”

Meredith squeezed her friend’s hand. “I can’t See with my gift, but I can see with my eyes. I’m so pleased. They seem perfect for each other.”

Adina smiled and nodded. “Their auras haven’t linked, not a thread, but their souls are reaching for each other. It’s just a matter of time.”

Meredith gave her friend an awkward, sideways glance. “Linked, huh? So what do Samuel’s and mine look like?”

Adina laughed loud enough to catch the attention of the group, who noticed how they had fallen behind and waited for them to catch up. “Oh, my dear, you’re not exactly one yet, but you’re so tangled together there’s no separating you.”

Adina’s archery contest was to be held in the main arena. There was a practice area behind the arenas where the contestants could warm up. As Adina stood in line to pick up a bow and quiver, she challenged Elliot to a target match. “After all, we’ve only seen you fling frogs and cards. I want to see how good you are on a range.” He agreed after a bit of coercing from the group, and admitted that it wouldn’t hurt to get some practice in before his competition the following day.

At the target range, Adina and Elliot were able to get neighboring targets, since the Archery and Ax ranges were next to each other. There were benches behind the ranges, where groups of people were catching their breath or relaxing in the relatively warm autumn day. Samuel and Devon sat with Meredith and Ivy, laughing and relaxing while their friends prepared themselves with their own personal rituals. In order to get targets next to each other, Elliot would have to throw on a target further away than his target would be in his competition, and Adina would have to shoot a target closer than hers would be in a few hours. Once in the preparation area, both competitors were all business. They both were aware of the deadliness of their weapons, and treated them with the proper respect. They both toed the line at the same time, Adina setting her nock, Elliot planting his grip. Without an external signal, they began at the same time. Adina drew and released her five arrows in rapid succession, all but the first crowded in the bulls eye. Elliot’s five axes were thrown with similar speed, each hitting and sticking in their own small, separate target, all touching the center ring.

Whoops and hollers erupted from the viewing gallery as the contestants waited for the line to be called all clear before retrieving their opponent’s projectiles. Adina had scored 24 points, and Elliot 23, as the blades of two of his axes had cut the line, placing their score in the ring just outside of center. They came back to the bench to get some water and let other people have their targets, as it was crowded and many people needed to rotate through.

“It’s not a speed competition.” Meredith laughed.

“It isn’t? I couldn’t tell.” Ivy was honestly just naive on the subject.

Elliot ran his hand through his hair. “Usually, in practice, you start as fast as possible. It shows where your weaknesses are so you can work on them during the rest of the practice.”

Adina smiled. “It’s also a macho thing. A way of sizing up your opponent’s raw abilities.”

Elliot laughed. “Yeah, it’s that, too.”

The all clear was called again, and Adina and Elliot left to get in the preparation area for another round. As they prepared themselves for the signal to toe the line, a group of young men approached the bench. Elliot watched as the men struck up a conversation with everyone, watched as Ivy smiled and talked with them. He suddenly wanted to be over there, to hear what they were talking about; to be able to put his arm protectively around Ivy’s shoulder, as Samuel was instinctively doing to Meredith at that exact moment. Adina’s movement forward caught his attention, for he had missed the call, and that the person in front of him had finished and was clearing the targets. He mentally chastised himself for not having his head in the game as he went to the line.

Novel, day 8

So, instead of writing last night, my body decided to sleep instead. =/
Therefore I did not write a thousand words, only around 800. So here are the 800ish from yesterday...

= = = = = = = = =

Ivy squeezed his arm, and he looked down to meet her eyes. “I can feel your sadness and frustration. I’m sorry for your loss.”

Elliot put his hand over hers. “It’s ok. I honestly barely remember my mother. I was young when I went off to school, and I didn’t come back very often once I was there. It did make me close with my brothers, and the friends I made at school. When father sent for us, I told my friends the truth about me. We kept in touch. They came to visit on holidays and such.”

Ivy squeezed Elliot’s arm again, her hand absent mindedly tracing spirals. “When Scions turn 6, we’re sent to the Sisterhood to learn how to use our powers, along with everything else a princess needs to know. I knew Meredith before then, because her mother and mine were friends, but I met so many wonderful, strong women. I made life long friends there, as well as grew closer to my older sister. But we were only there every other month. The Sisterhood wanted us to benefit from their training, but also have a strong connection to the non Scions in our lives. I feel it helped me be able to see better the points of view of others. I’m glad you had a similar experience.”

They walked on in silence for a moment. “Is there anything else you want to know about me?”

Ivy gave him a wry smile. “Yes, but I’m willing to find them out in their own due time.”

Elliot didn’t bother to hide his surprise, or how good her statement made him feel. It was the insinuations in that statement, of a friendship that would last beyond this one week, which raised his heart rate. She was kind, compassionate, yet so strong and seemingly sure of herself. She had a vulnerability to her that drew him, yet had a sharp tongue and wit when the situation demanded it. Her hand felt right against his arm, like they had walked like this for years, and that sensation didn’t frighten him.

Ivy looked up at him as they entered the Midway, to get to the competition ring for the gauntlet. His face was calm, focused on his task, but she could feel through their touch a torment of emotion regarding his inner thoughts. She found him fascinating. He was strong of will, as well as physically. She could easily feel the strength in the muscles of his arm, hidden beneath his shirtsleeve. But he didn’t use his strength to impose power over others, he cultivated power from within. She felt safe with him. She wanted to lean her head against his chest and listen to his heart, feel his arms around her. And the fact that she wanted that, when she hadn’t wanted that ever before, not even from Jereth, did not frighten her at all.

The day passed quickly for all of them. Samuel’s horse turned out to be a beautiful Grey Percheron stallion, easily 18 hands high. Though he still had some difficulty with the tight turns of the course, he handled the jumps beautifully, easily clearing even the highest jumps with plenty of room to spare. Samuel made it into the top 25, earning him a spot in the semi finals.

Ivy and Devon’s craft beverage judging was just before lunch. Though the judging of crafts is not exciting to watch as sport competitions, the whole group of friends was gathered behind the ropes, watching as the competitors served their beverages to the judges. Some did it with props and flourish. Some of the tea presenters made an entire ceremony out of it. Devon poured his sour into cordial glasses and explained what it was in detail. The judges asked a few questions, including why it wasn’t being judged with the beer, made their tallies and moved on. Ivy seeped her tea as the judges approached. She explained in a very quiet voice the type of tea and its medicinal properties. The tea was done by end of her explanation; she poured the tea into tiny cups and stood statue still while the judges sampled it. She answered a few questions as well, and the judges moved on. When the judges were done, they thanked the participants, and exited.

Elliot looked to Meredith as the competitors cleaned their stations. “Wait, that’s it?”

She nodded. “That’s it. The judges confer in private, and the ribbons are posted on the samples when the area is closed. They won’t know how they did till tomorrow morning.”

Elliot’s eyes widened. “No wonder Ivy gets so nervous!”

Meredith scoffed. “If you think that’s bad, wait till tomorrow, for the textiles judging. We don’t even get to stand by our pieces or explain them or anything. They say that it helps protect from bias – each piece has to stand on its own merits, with nothing on them that will designate their creator except the level of talent or artistic style. The area is corded off, like this is, and the judges wander around and around, poking and prodding the pieces; they confer in the middle and then walk around again, pinning on the ribbons. Having to stand out here, watching, in silence, is just torture!”

Novel, day 7

I have a 4 page outline of where I want the novel to go. I realized today that I'm about half way done with the first page. =)
Now, for your regularly scheduled writings:

She squealed in surprise. Elliot sat, leaning back against the table, and watched her eat. She took several bites before deciding she needed to start conversation.

“This is delicious. I do have one suggestion.” She looked up for a moment, then back at her toast. “You don’t have to be so distaining. Never mind.”

“What?”

Ivy gestured with her fork. “You aren’t interested in my suggestion.”

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. “And you are sure you can’t read minds.?”

Ivy sighed. “No, I can’t. But, I can sense emotions. It’s part of my healer’s gift. And, I can read facial expressions really, really well. It’s a natural talent, not part of my gifts at all.” Ivy focused on her toast. “It came in really handy with my mother. She’s, well, she has been ill. My whole life. Sometimes she is better than others, but you never can tell. I needed all the forewarning I could get when around her.” She looked back up, holding his gaze. “That’s how I knew what was going on with the boy in the Midway. That’s how I win at bluffing games. Between reading tiny expressions and sensing emotions, it’s about as good as being a mind reader.” His expression was all curiosity and intrigue. There was no fear coming from him, either by emotion or on his face. “You’re not afraid, not even a little bit.”

“Why should I be afraid?”

“Meredith says the only people who are afraid when they learn of my gift are those with something to hide. But I’ve never seen someone who was not even a tiny bit afraid.”

“I’m not afraid, but your talent is a bit off. It’s not that I’m not interested in your suggestion. Many people have given me advice on how to improve my cinnamon roll toast, but every suggestion I have tried has not been an improvement.”

Ivy smiled. “Then you misunderstood my offer. I was only going to suggest, from a healer’s perspective, ways to improve its ability to fight nausea. You did say that is why you served this to me.” He smiled, and performed a slight bow of apology. “I would suggest you could add some ginger to the spice mixture. It shouldn’t change the flavor, but it’s medicinal properties in regards to nausea are well documented.” She took another bite. “You might also want to replace any water in the bread with a weak green tea. I doubt that would change the flavor, either, but it could also help calm my stomach.” She starred at the nearly completed meal, smiled, and set about finishing it. “It is very delicious, but, speaking of green tea, I need to be getting on. My teas are being judged today, and I wanted to see Samuel ride.”

Elliot stood, brushing his hands against his flour powdered tunic. “Give me one moment to get changed. I’ll walk with you.” He walked into his bedroom, but didn’t shut the door. Startled, she went to the wall between the rooms and leaned her back against it, assuring herself she wouldn’t see anything she shouldn’t see. Elliot laughed. “I’m just changing my over shirt and cleaning up a bit, come on in.”

She turned, and stood in the doorway, leaning against the jam as Samuel had done the night before. His simple tunic was in a heap on the floor, along with most of the laundry for the boys. Elliot was in his shirtsleeves and breeches, running a brush through his hair. Their eyes met in the reflection in the looking glass. “So, all you girls are Scions, and, from your description of observations last night, I can tell you are all nobility, of one kind or another. I know that you said Scions aren’t as rare as we’ve been led to believe. But that, that has got to be really, really rare.”

Ivy laughed. “Not as much as you would think. There are very, very few Scions born to commoners these days. Way back, the Sisterhood realized that the blessing of the Magdala was only given to females of her line. Whenever a woman of the lineage was found, she would be married to a royal. Back then, it was usually within days. It was said this was to assure that the kingdoms and royal lines would have her blessing. Of course, it was also a strategically sound move. With the women of the royal lines being Scions, well, it gives the nobility advantages. As a whole, we try to keep our abilities from being exploited, but when our families are involved… well, you understand.”

Elliot looked up from lacing up his doublet. “Yes, I understand.” He ran his fingers through his hair one last time and called it good. Ivy stood aside and let him out of the bedroom, and gifted Elliot with a curtsey. He straightened his posture and offered his arm, which she accepted with a flourish. They laughed as they exited the cabin, Ivy locking it behind them.

“I feel like I’ve done all the talking this morning. Tell me more about yourself.”

“What do you want to know?”

“How did you really meet Samuel and Devon? Princes are usually taught by tutors, not in schools.”

Elliot laughed. “This is true. My father wanted my siblings and I to have as normal of a childhood as we could. He said it would be good for our social skills. So my older brother, my younger brother, and I all went to a boarding school. Samuel and Devon were eventually my best friends, and we were rooming together. They didn’t know I was a prince. No one there did. Then… then my mother died shortly after giving birth to my youngest brother. My father was devastated. More importantly, he refused to believe it was an accident, and became very paranoid. He sent for us immediately; had us brought back to the kingdom & the castle, to be sure that we were safe.”

Novel, Day 6

I surpassed 10k words today! I'm wanting to scream from the towers - I'm doing it! I'm making it happen!  Below is another thousand words, including number 10k, which I have bolded for your information.  =)

Elliot placed a hand on hers, and she realized she had been babbling to her skirt, not looking at him. He was smiling softly, his eyes warm. “I believe you. Out of everyone here, you are the last person I would expect to lie about that.”

Ivy returned his smile. “I try to tout the joys of equality, while at the same time I’m unable to truly escape my station. I didn’t know you or Devon’s positions, but I know Samuel’s, because he is courting Meredith, and I know hers. I knew you both were of some breeding, from the fact that you had gone to a school together, and the cut & quality of your clothing.” Ivy looked down at their hands, still touching. She turned his hand over in hers, slowly tracing his calluses. “I had actually assumed on first impression that Devon was of a higher station, because of the detail in his doublet, and the calluses on your hands. His hands are soft, but yours, you could possibly work for a living.” She raised her gaze, to hold his eyes. “Now that I know you both, I know that isn’t true. He’s a show off. His sense of honor is borrowed, not ingrained. You hold yourself different, more confident. Your clothes are well made, but simple, like mine. Are you wearing your traveling clothes? Is that how your hands got this way? While traveling?”

He nodded, tucking some of his wavy hair behind his ear with his free hand. His eyes were a piercing blue, like the ocean in autumn. They held the gaze for a moment, then it was his turn to look at their hands, gently touching her back. “I was working as a kind of diplomat, traveling trade routes. I insisted, if I was going to spend 3 years traveling, that I travel with a trader’s caravan. Lived their life.” He laughed softly to himself. “I think most of them thought I was just another one of the mercenary guards. I liked doing my fair share, being just another person in the caravan, seeing the world with only what my horse could carry. It felt right.”

“No wonder you like it here.”

He smiled. “You can tell?” He looked up, and found her face so close to his that he nearly startled. Her eyes were an impossible green- a deep jewel tone that was close to the color of the plant that shared her name. Her long dark lashes framed her eyes, making them stand out in sharp contrast to her skin, as smooth and pale as an egg shell. He raised his free hand to her cheek, stroking the softness under his thumb, and took a moment to marvel in the contrast between the roughened, tanned skin of his hand, and her face. She didn’t take her eyes off of his, not even to blink.

“Ahem”

The two of them nearly leapt out of their chairs, quickly pulling away from each other. Ivy instantly started blushing, which Elliot had decided was endearing. Samuel was leaning against the door jamb, arms crossed, looking for the entire world very casual, and like he had been standing there a long time. Ivy stood, curtsied in silence to both of them, and retreated to her room, resisting the urge to run. Elliot went to go to his room as well, but Samuel blocked his way, grinning like the trickster of old.

“What is so funny?”

“You”

“What about me?”

“You’ve fallen for her hard, haven’t you?” Samuel stood back, letting Elliot into the bedroom. Elliot could not meet his eyes as he passed.

“How can you tell?”

Samuel kept his eyes on the door to the girls’ room as he closed their own. “Because I never thought, in my life, I would see you even hold a woman’s hand without your father’s written permission.”

~~~~~~~~~~

The lights were out in the girls’ room, though Ivy knew her friends would still be awake. She untied the laces on her dress, draped it across a rung on the bunk, untied the drawstring on her overskirt, and draped it as well, all in silence. She stood there in just her chemise, staring at the windows. The ivy growing over the glass was backlit from the nearly full moon, and the lights of the festival grounds to the south. They seemed to glow from within, green and silver. She sat on the edge of her bunk, waiting.

“Did you tell him?” Meredith’s voice was barely a whisper from above, easily missed if Ivy wanted to ignore it.

“About me, yes. Somewhat, anyway.” She tried to keep her response just as quiet, in an attempt to keep emotion out of it, but doubted she succeeded.

“You’ve fallen hard for him, haven’t you?” Adina shifted above her. Ivy knew she would be leaning over the edge, looking down, but could not see them in the dark.

“Possibly. Yes. Maybe. I’m not sure.”

“Well, this makes things easier, yes?”

“How?”

Meredith shifted on her bunk. Ivy could hear the creaking of the ropes and wood, louder than their conversation. “Your father will let you make a love match. You’re not the oldest, you have more options. He told you he would give you time to make your own choice.”

“I’ve known the man less than two days, and you are already talking marriage. I knew…”

Adina finished for her. “You knew Jareth for months, and he hurt you. We know, dearest. He is scum, but he is a long, long time ago.”

Meredith’s voice was soft, but stronger than before. “I know your father is giving you time, but he cannot wait forever. Someday you will have to choose.”

Ivy wiped the tears from her face with her sleeve. She pulled her knees to her chest and pulled the blanket around her like a shawl, as she did as a child when she wanted to hide. “I know, Meredith. I know.”

Novel, day 5

Sorry, but life apparently got in my way, and I didn't post my first thousand words for Tuesday. I will remedy that right now!

With their coin purses full of tokens, the group entered the line at the large, circular tent in the center of the midway that was surrounded by people. This was the token redemption tent. Inside, a wide variety of items were displayed, each with a tag pinned to it, listing the number of tokens needed to get it. The smaller items were in cases that created a ring of counter inside around the center of the tent, where the large token items were on display Most of these items were donations from the festival participants. The majority of items were one token candy pieces and two token small wooden games, but there was a vast variety of items available. There were blankets and quilts in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. There were fancy bits of tatted lace, and salted meat, tiny fruit pastries and huge loaves of bread. A small boy, not much older than 6, was in line in front of them. He was hopping back and forth between his feet, either in excitement or a need to find a bathroom, it was unclear as to which. Ivy was fascinated by him, by his energy and excitement. When they finally got to the counter, Ivy was more interested in watching this boy look at everything intently than spending her own few tokens. The child purchased the first piece of candy he saw, an ounce or so of candied ginger. He sucked loudly on his ginger as he studied intently, of all things, the quilts. Meredith and Elliot both noticed Ivy’s observation of the child, around the same time the child did.

“Hawo.” His mouth was too full of candy to talk. Ivy found it endearing.

“Hello. Those are a lot of tokens. You win those all yourself?” The child nodded his head enthusiastically, eyes full of pride. “What game did you win them in?”

“Cups. And darts, but mostly cups.”

Ivy’s eyebrows raised in surprise. She knew the cups game was a wagering game, which was usually rigged, so the boy had to be quite good, or very, very lucky. She didn’t see Elliot’s face match her own, because he was thinking the same thing about darts. Meredith didn’t miss any of it, her eyes unfocused as she watched the moment unfurl.

“Well, I see you have a lot of tokens there, and you seem to want a quilt, is that right?” The boy nodded, a little less excitedly this time. “Can you see them ok over the counter?”

“Yeah. I want the one that looks like pinwheels.” He looked down at the pile of tokens in his hand, then back at Ivy. “I’m not sure if I have enough. Can you help me count?” Ivy beamed as she knelt down, and helped the boy count out his tokens. Though he had a lot, he didn’t have enough for the quilt. Meredith stepped forward, placing her hand on Ivy’s shoulder. Ivy jumped as though shocked, turned and looked at her friend. They shared a long look, Meredith took her hand away, and Ivy turned her attention back to the boy. Elliot glanced back and forth between them, unsure what had just happened, though knowing that it was important. When the child wasn’t looking, Ivy added her own tokens to his collection, giving him just enough. She then helped the child get the worker’s attention. The boy proudly requested the blanket, turned in his tokens, thanked Ivy profusely, and ran off into the crowd, carrying the large folded quilt on his head. Elliot watched Meredith and Ivy as the child disappeared. The women brushed hands together, absentmindedly, shared another look, then went back to looking at the displays.

“What was that all about?”

“Huh?”

“The thing, with you and Meredith and the boy. Something happened, what was that all about?”

“Oh, that. Well, children are so easy, they wear their emotions out for the world to see. The boy was in so much pain and worry, wasn’t he?” Elliot looked totally confused. “Right here.” Ivy rubbed her thumb nail between her eyebrows. “The boy had a white crease between his eyebrows, like a worry wrinkle on someone too young to, well, wrinkle. He was upset, worried, probably thought he had wasted a token on the candy and it would keep him from getting the quilt, which was very, very important to him, but he didn’t have enough money to win any more tokens. He wasn’t afraid, just concerned. I hate seeing such adult emotions plastered on the faces of children.”

“It’s his grandmother.” Meredith piped in. She wasn’t looking at them, engrossed in some fine spun lambs wool. “He’s raised by his grandparents, and his grandmother is arthritic. Complains of the cold all the time. He saved his money to try and buy her a quilt, and when he couldn’t buy one, decided to win her one.” She gestured to the attendant, counting out the tokens in her hand.

“How did you know?”

“Huh?”

Elliot looked confused, but not angry. Ivy smiled at him. “How did you know?”

“Oh.” Meredith looked a little surprised, and embarrassed. “I knew her. Him. I knew them.”

Before Elliot could question further, Devon demanded Elliot’s attention. He had to show off the new pack of cards he had received, since his other deck had “peach juice all over it”.

~~~~~~

That evening’s post dinner game was Primero. Devon had chosen the game of the evening, since he had won the game the night before, and because he wanted to break in his new deck. The betting portion of the game proved to be difficult, partially due to the amount of alcohol that had already been consumed with dinner. No one was willing to admit an excess of money, and a token for exchange could not be agreed upon. Meredith, in exasperation, left the cabin entirely. The men of the group were concerned, till she returned a moment later, a bowl of wildflowers in her hand. So it was agreed they would play for blossoms. However, as Meredith handed out flowers and Devon dealt cards, Adina bowed out of the game.

Novel, Day 4

And now, for some fun at the midway...

“Now, this can not actually be a game.”

Ivy was looking dubiously at a game called Spang-Hewing. Granted, her friends were giving it similar doubtful looks. It wasn’t the rings slowly rotating over a tub of water that had them confused. It was the frogs.

Elliot was giving the man running the game a hard look. “So, you mean to tell me, if I can throw a frog through one of the rings, into the water tub, I get FIVE tokens?”

The man nodded. “Yes, sir. Underhand only, and you cannot kill or maim the frogs, either before or during the throw.”

Ivy looked horrified. “I should hope not!”

Elliot ignored her comment. “And I get three frogs per try?”

The man nodded in agreement.

“So if I make all three frogs, I would get fifteen tokens?”

The man raised one eyebrow. “Yes sir.”

“I’ll take you up on that then.”

The man turned around, to round three frogs out of the tub. Ivy looked horrified, though the rest of the group was all laughing. “Elliot, you cannot be serious. The poor frogs!”

He smiled at her. “I promise to be gentle with them. You know I’m a good throw. This should be a lot easier than a card in a peach.”

The man gave Elliot a bucket with a lid, containing the three frogs. He took one out and studied it. It was a general, every day frog, about the size of a peach. It would be oddly balanced, that was certain, and it was slimy, but the rings were bigger around than a crown, and rotating slowly enough they wouldn’t present a huge challenge. He held the frog up to Ivy’s face. “Kiss it for luck?”

She turned a bit green around the edges, not even dignifying his request with a reply. He smiled at her, gave the frog a few light practice tosses, getting the feel of the frog, then gave it a gentle underhand toss at the lowest ring.

The frog sailed beautifully, straight toward its goal. However, Elliot quickly learned that when you throw a frog for any real distance, its limbs spread out as far as possible. One of the frog’s hind feet caught the ring, and the frog swung around using that grip, missing the tub entirely and flying toward the exit. The man’s assistant instantly scooped up the frog, dropping it in another bucket. This was, apparently, a common occurrence.

“No fair!” Shouted Devon. “Interference!”

“Is it ok?!” Ivy instinctually reached out for the frog that just a moment ago she wouldn’t have dreamt of touching, which brought another bout of laughter from the group.

“I assure you ma’am, the frog is fine. They do this all day long.”

Ivy noticed Elliot’s smile didn’t leave his face, but his eyes hardened slightly. He was still having fun, but now he was taking this much more seriously. He took out the second frog, studied it more intently, including staring the creature in the eyes.

“Can I hold it for a moment?”

Elliot was shocked at Ivy’s request, but he handed the small creature to her. She cupped her hands around it, being sure that it wouldn’t hop away. She closed her eyes, as if in concentration, then handed the frog back.

The man seemed concerned. “No spell casting on the frogs, ma’am.”

It was Ivy’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “Are you serious, sir? Spellcasting?? I am a healer, and well known as such at this festival. I wanted to assure myself that the frog is actually healthy. I don’t know much about amphibian biology, but it feels fine enough. That was all I was doing.”

Elliot stopped and stared at Ivy, a slight smile on his face. She turned toward him, saw the look on his face, and smiled back, blushing slightly. The moment was broken by the frog squirming, attempting escape. Elliot shook his head, as though to clear his mind, or perhaps get the hair out of his eyes, and took his time aiming his second shot. This one was slightly harder than the prior one, but this time the frog had a bit of a spin to its flight. The legs barely cleared the ring, and the group was met with a satisfying “Blurp” as the frog landed in the tub. The group burst into cheers, for which Elliot took a bow. He looked up from the bow to hold eyes with Ivy, causing her to blush even deeper.

“Now, let’s see if I can do that again.”

novel, Day 3

Meredith answered. “That is easy. I met Samuel at the last festival, two years ago. I was volunteering in the stables. I actually met Samuel’s horse before I met him. But I fell in love with the beast, so of course I fell in love with the rider.” The two of them shared a long look, to which Adina made gaging noises.

Devon seemed confused. “But you all were in the last competitions, but you didn’t know Samuel.”

Adina piped in. “I was busy winning the blue in two different archery contests, and Ivy… well.. Ivy wasn’t there.”

Ivy sighed. “My mother was, is… ill. I had to be with her, so I sent my competition pieces with Meredith, but I didn’t get to be here.”

Elliot took her hand. “I’m sorry. Is she doing better?”

Ivy smiled at his hand on hers. “She’s… stable. Comfortable. She’s not gravely ill or anything like that, or I wouldn’t be here again this year, but she will never be… I would rather not talk about it. Look, we’re bringing the group down. Different subject!”

Devon helped out. “This is both my and Elliot’s first festival.”

“First? Why haven’t you come before?”

Elliot sighed. “Well, I’ve been abroad on business for the last three years. It is nothing really exciting or anything, just a lot of traveling. Though I do have to say, I’ve been to many countries. Seen a lot of beautiful scenery. Don’t know why for Devon, though.”

“I’ve been busy, honestly. This thing happens in the late fall – and I’m really, really busy this time of year. As I am sure you can guess from this lovely alcohol, I have access to a cherry orchard, and this is harvest time. When Samuel asked me, I found some people to take over the harvest for me.” He stopped and took a long drink before playing another card. “Last Jack! Did I break the rules?”

Ivy thought about it fairly hard. “I’ll give you a pass. There is no way you could make this great sour without access to the ingredients, and you didn’t reveal a last name or if you are landed or titled or anything like that, so I say we’re ok. Everyone agree?”

Everyone raised their glasses in agreement, and enjoyed a long drink of Devon’s cherries.”

“So, you have eyes for Elliot, huh?” Meredith was sitting on her bunk, brushing out her hair. The ladies had said their good evenings to the gentlemen, but finding it hard to turn in, even with the alcohol in their systems. Adina was helping Ivy hang up her dress high above them.

Ivy’s green eyes flashed in surprise, but her cheeks turned bright red. “What? Whatever are you talking about? That is ridiculous.”

Adina gave her an incredulous look. “You offered to help him in the kitchen. You hate kitchen work.”

Meredith joined in. “You made sure you sat next to each other at dinner.”

“And at cards”

Meredith grinned. “And there was no question in the room when I asked, who I was talking to.”

Ivy sighed. “Is it that obvious?”

Adina smiled. “Only to people who know you really well. Your secret is safe with us.”

“For now.”

Ivy face planted in her pillow. “Yes, he is incredibly attractive. Yes, I find myself drawn to him, but you know this won’t work out.” She rolled over, imploring her friends. “These kinds of things never work out. Not with me.”

Adina sighed and sat on Ivy’s bunk. “I know you have had a hard time in the past. I know you, well, don’t want to get hurt again. But he’s a nice guy.”

Meredith called down from her bunk. “Just let things happen. Don’t try or anything, just be yourself this week. If he likes you, too... It’s only one week. It can’t hurt you.”

“So, Elliot, what do you think of Ivy?” Samuel was stretched out on his bottom bunk, looking up at his friend across the room. Devon was already snoring loudly above him.

He glared at his friend, raising an eyebrow. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, she is very pretty. She seems to be a wonderful person. And she made you smile. At least twice. And laugh. It has been a long time since I’ve heard you laugh like that, my friend.”

Elliot laid down his dagger, sighing. “It’s been a long time since I’ve felt I could, honestly. Traveling the last three years helped, I suppose.”

“So you haven’t seen your father since you got back?”

“Once. I had been sending my formal reports back during my travels, so the debriefing was quick. Since you had convinced him that allowing me to the festival was a good political move, I didn’t really need to ask, he just informed me during the debriefing that I had been entered in the ax throwing competition. Said you had made all of the arrangements. Thank you again, for that, by the way.”

“Not a problem. Having the ears of your younger brothers helped. Once I had you convinced, I knew I could convince them, and they in turn your father.”

Elliot grinned. “You sure Devon is the intrigue one of the group? You can be quite the schemer when you want to.”

Samuel laughed. “Everyone looks at me and forgets I have a brain, as well. That doesn’t make me a schemer, I just take advantage of the situation. Devon, he is more of a rogue. That boy gets in more trouble.”

“Didn’t he win his cherry orchard gambling?”

“Well, yeah, but that’s how he has won and lost everything in his life. He mouth gets him in more trouble than he is worth. But this isn’t about him. It’s about you. And Ivy.”

Elliot sighed and raked his hand through his hair. “You know I can’t… get involved.”

Samuel smiled. “You don’t have to get involved. Just be. Let go. It’s only one week, it can’t hurt you.”