13. Tiera and Her Firebird Take Sapphira to Get a Gift
Tiera and Her Firebird Take Sapphira to Get a Gift
ISABEL
I sabel wakes feeling well-rested. She stretches slowly, yawns, and then lies back on her bed mat, thinking of Sapphira.
She’s a princess. That wasn’t just a dream.
She had actually said that. Isabel hugs her pillow, unable to help the smile that stretches across her lips.
Sapphira has an otherworldly beauty and grace, so it should be no surprise that she is royalty.
Though the woman hasn’t been in her life long, it seems that Sapphira turned Isabel’s life around quickly.
Isabel has always had Kaelen, who is her best friend and like a brother, but the way she feels about Sapphira is different.
There are parts of her that Kaelen can’t fulfill, as guilty as she feels for thinking it.
Isabel lifts her head. The light is filtering in through the window in a beam beside her pillow, the dust motes dancing in the sunlight.
She strains to listen and realizes it’s quiet.
Too quiet. A weight sinks in her gut, and she quickly jumps from bed, pulling a robe over her nightgown and hoping Sapphira and Kaelen haven’t wounded each other in her absence.
Isabel gets to the landing and hears loud laughter from elsewhere in the cottage, and her feet slow on the steps.
Her chest warms at the sound. Tying the beaded cord at her throat and gathering messy braids atop her head, she reminds herself to bathe and wash her hair today.
The trek through the deadlands was sweaty and sandy.
A few flecks of golden sand fall from her head when she shakes it.
Stepping hesitantly down the stairs, Isabel finds Sapphira leaning over the kitchen counter, snacking on a mango. She laughs at something Kaelen says, the sweet smell of ripe fruit wafting into Isabel’s nose.
The morning sun shines on Sapphira’s face, and the curve of her body as she leans across the space has Isabel’s heart beating faster. And it’s definitely not from the worrying smell of burning and smoke.
“What’s going on?” Isabel asks, and the pair immediately go silent, their eyes snapping to look at her.
“We’re making breakfast!” Sapphira says, a broad smile spreading across her face.
There’s powder on her cheek, and the kitchen has a mess of dirty dishes and ingredients everywhere.
A scary sight. But it’s nice to see her two favorite people getting along.
She thought she might never see the day, though she’d hoped.
“We knew you’d be hungry,” Kaelen says. “You’ve been out for two days. So we wanted to surprise you. Sapphira has never cooked before, so I was teaching her.”
“You were teaching her?” Isabel gasps. Kaelen does not cook. He eats her food and catches wild game, which he eats raw or throws over an open flame, but he does not mix ingredients. The only time he tried, he nearly burned down the cottage.
“Well, not just me,” he says.
Isabel raises an eyebrow, and Sapphira jumps up, her arms outstretched. “We were following your mother’s recipes.” She holds up the book Isabel handwrote. “You really do write everything. It took a few tries, but we got the hang of it. I did, at least.” She looks so proud.
Isabel’s eyes wander to the blackened ‘tries’ and the food on the hearth, which doesn’t look too inedible. Sapphira comes up behind her, and when she speaks, her breath brushing the back of Isabel’s neck, the chimera nearly jumps, a tingle zipping up her spine.
“Don’t worry,” Sapphira says. “We’ll clean up the mess after. You just go sit down and relax.”
“Hard to relax in a messy home,” Isabel singsongs cheekily as she saunters to the table, a wide grin on her face. She wonders what this is for but sits down as instructed.
Sapphira is excited, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she rushes around, setting out plates and bowls.
Kaelen sits beside Isabel as the princess spoons food onto their plates. Even Kaelen’s. Meanwhile, Isabel is still trying to process that confession. What happened while I was sleeping?
When Sapphira sits, she doesn’t move to touch her plate. Instead, she gestures for Isabel to eat and watches eagerly.
Isabel dips her hands in a bowl of cleansing water to sanitize them and brings a pinch of rice to her mouth.
It smells salty and rich as the steam fills her nose, and she is pretty surprised at how good it is—very similar to her own cooking.
It’s sticky and sweet, balancing perfectly with the salty fish and herbs.
“Wow,” Isabel says, scooping more onto her fingers. “This is amazing.”
Sapphira beams at the praise. It’s so cute. I just want to keep finding things to praise her for.
“We caught the fish ourselves!” Sapphira says. She turns to look at Kaelen. “Kaelen took me night fishing, and it was beautiful. The stars over the water were gorgeous, and I actually had fun. I did pretty well when he wasn’t splashing across the lake, scaring all the fish away.”
Kaelen grins, puffing his chest out. “I was scaring them toward you.”
Sapphira rolls her eyes. She pulls her plate closer and scoops some rice to taste it herself.
Isabel watches her fondly. “You actually got into the water and netted the fish?” she asks.
Sapphira nods, humming around the mouthful of food. “Yeah, I was drenched too. I hung your clothes over the line. Speaking of, I should probably go into town sometime and get new clothes.”
Isabel nods. The thought of Sapphira getting her own clothes is nice. It feels . . . permanent.
As Sapphira is washing down the dishes after breakfast and bickering with Kaelen, Isabel lays her cheek against her palm and watches them warmly. I could get used to this. If the princess decides to stay.
Sapphira turns to look over her shoulder, soap up her arms as she smiles at Isabel. It’s like she can hear Isabel’s thoughts and is replying, “Yes. I will stay with you forever, Isabel.”
Isabel is getting lost in that smile when she catches herself. “I should go bathe,” she says. Sapphira gives her a confused look as she rushes off.
“What are you thinking?” Isabel scolds herself as she dunks beneath the warm lake water. It’s a cute, secluded little lake with trees surrounding it. Her towels, as well as Kaelen’s and even Sapphira’s, lie over one of the tree branches. Bars of soap and a few stray clothes lie at the root.
Isabel washes herself down, scrubbing the grime and sand from her body. Then she unties the few braids in her hair and scrubs her scalp well. Her curls smell good once she’s done, and she swims around a little, trying to clear her head.
She’s been thinking of this arrangement, the three of them together, as a permanent thing.
But Sapphira will leave her one day. It’s inevitable.
It was one thing to wonder if she’d stay when she thought Sapphira was alone in the world, but now Isabel knows that she has responsibilities to her people.
A born duty. She wouldn’t leave that for Isabel.
What would a princess with everything—maids, cooks, hot baths in porcelain tubs—want with a woman who catches her own fish, makes stew on her tiny hot stone in her wooden cottage, and sews her kaftans? I don’t have pretty things or shiny crowns, or go to fancy balls. I’m just… Isabel.
Finally, Isabel has to get out of the water and face reality. Besides, her fingers are pruning.
When she returns to the cottage, Kaelen and Sapphira are fast asleep on the couch, their heads nearly touching and their legs over the sides. Isabel lays a blanket over them and quietly exits the house.
#
“Hmm, what’s going on?” Sapphira mumbles as Isabel shakes her awake. Sapphira stares up at Isabel with sleepy eyes, drooping like a willow. It’s still dark, sunrise is hours away, and Isabel feels terrible about waking her. But it’s for something important.
Isabel steps back as Sapphira rubs her eyes and stands, gripping her blanket. “What’s going on?” she repeats, whispering so she doesn’t wake Kaelen. Isabel’s eyes flicker to him, then she motions toward the door with her head.
“It’s Kaelen’s birthday today,” Isabel says as soon as they’re outside.
The pre-twilight sky is a hazy dark wine, the blue balls of light high up in the sky as the stars drift back to the heavens.
“I’ve invited a few people to join us for lunch.
I thought we could wake him with cake and presents and then celebrate with his favorite meal and games on the hill. ”
Sapphira’s brows scrunch as she tugs the blanket tighter around her shoulders. “But I didn’t get him a present,” she says.
“It’s fine. It’s my fault. Everything has been so hectic with the elven-fae and passing out for days that I didn’t get a chance to tell you or take you into town. I’ve been working on his present for months, so I already have something for him. We could give him the present together.”
Sapphira shakes her head. “No, it’s his birthday. I have to get him something,” she insists, then looks around. “There must be something.”
Isabel scratches her horn, then looks up at the dark sky. “Well . . . it’s dark, so the night market should still be open. If it’s that important to you—”
“The night market?” Sapphira says incredulously, then she grabs Isabel’s arm. “Okay, where do we go?”
Isabel laughs, slowing her down. “Whoa. Settle, Sapphira. Let us get dressed first and lose the blanket.” Her cheeks darken.
“Right.”
They tiptoe back inside and up the stairs.
Isabel wraps a shawl over her shoulders for the night breeze and turns when Sapphira finishes dressing.
Isabel hopes their guests will show up for Kaelen’s party.
She has only just come back from sending the Levu Toad, the large, dumpy amphibian with powerful hindlegs and scaly wings for gliding.
They’re trained as couriers due to their camouflage ability and spatial memory.
It carried her mail to the mailhouse, and she hopes everyone will visit in the morning and get her message in time.