4. Lila #3
“Not always, but usually,” Noec replied. “Her father and mine were close friends, so we've always been friends. She gets bored at home, so she comes down here.”
Flora again noticed the glamorously out-of-place dress she held up as she ran. “She’s rich, right?”
“Oh, yeah,” Noec chuckled.
“Hello, my friends!” she said in her polite voice as she landed with a breathless curtsey.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Noec said with a deep exhale. “I was so worried… and, boy, do we have a story to tell you.” He opened his arms, as if requesting a hug.
Aonia halted him with her hand, flicking away whatever particles of him had landed on her dress.
“Right, not lady-like.” Noec rolled his eyes, his arms flopping at his side.
Elia’s voice arose from a nearby house. “Noec! I need you to grab me some more water so I can finish cooking!”
“Be right back. Elia needs help.” Without hesitation, he took off and jogged to a small, plain hut where his aunt stood in the doorway.
“Did you find any cool rocks today?” Flora inquired curiously.
Aonia’s eyes gleamed. “Well, there is one..." She pulled out a delicate necklace, gold wire wrapping fluidly around a blue gem with gold flecks.
“You found that?” Flora gasped.
“No, no.” Aonia explained, “My mother gave it to me as a gift for behaving so ‘proper’ and impressing our guests.” She held her head up and beamed. “I wanted something pink, but whatever.” In a whisper, she added, “It’s from the secret royal collection.”
“Royal... collection?”
“Yes, like the king and queen’s special vault of jewelry.”
Flora froze, as still as the desert breeze, eyes widening to the size of the moon. Her polished manners, her fancy clothes...
“You’re... you’re a…”
“Princess Aonia,” a familiar voice bellowed, “I better not hear that you came all this way without an escort again.” Heron approached from the direction of the little house where Noec had vanished.
With tired eyes and a slight smile, he wiped the sweat from his brow and added, “She almost caught our house on fire.”
Elia stood in the doorway of their home, waving one hand and resting the other on her belly. The girls chuckled as smoke rolled out into the open air from behind Elia, whose smile remained unperturbed.
Heron chuckled. “I love that woman.”
His gaze fell back to Aonia, and he raised a brow.
“I... um…” Aonia looked down at her pointed shoes. Her meek stutter paused as she pretended to hear a voice from the direction of the house. “Oh! Did I hear my name? I think I heard my name. Coming, Elia!”
Heron sighed as the princess dashed off to where Noec peeked out from behind his aunt, giggling.
“Goddess help me,” Heron muttered as they disappeared into the house, with Elia offering a brief wink and a smile before she followed.
Heron beckoned Flora to follow as he headed home.
“Lunch will be ready in just a minute,” he said to her.
Heron waited for the little girl to catch up, and as he met her wonder-filled eyes, a gentle smile returned to his face.
Lightly, he placed a hand on her back. “You’ll always have a plate at our table,” he assured her quietly.
“You might be a stranger in this world, but you’ll never be a stranger in the Eldon home. ”
The sun began to set behind the trees, casting long shadows across the village as the air filled with the warm, golden glow of dusk. Flora felt the familiar tug of drowsiness as the sky darkened. It was time to leave, to let this magical dream fade away for now.
She took in every welcoming detail of the village and her friends as Noec and Aonia walked her back to the spring. Even with the dangers she had faced, she wished she could stay just a little longer. The laughter, the warmth—something different from the cold world she would wake up to.
“No. No no no,” Heron called, breathless as he caught up to them. He had a bow slung over his back and a few arrows looped to his belt. “Okay,” he said, stopping to rest with his hands on his knees. “Carry on,” he shooed. “I’m not here.”
Heron continued to follow protectively as they walked toward the spring, at right about the distance where it would be awkward to hold the door for someone.
The trees ahead opened up, and Flora saw the glimmer of the spring just beyond.
She felt a gentle dampness in the air, a tingling anticipation as they neared the water’s edge.
It wouldn’t be so bad if this dream picked back up tomorrow.
She would miss her new friends. Kneeling down, she dipped her hands beneath the twinkling surface.
“Goodbye!” they said as they waved to Flora, their warm smiles already growing familiar.
Her hands slipped deeper into the shimmering water, which sparkled like a fractured mirror catching rays of sunlight.
She felt the little magic seeping into her veins, a familiar warmth spreading through her.
Slowly, Flora closed her eyes, allowing herself to drift to sleep in one world, knowing she would wake in another.
Like a quiet wish, Flora whispered, “I hope I see you tomorrow.”
And then, she did.