As she rose the boy would have seen that she had clearly spent the day primping herself. Her hair had been neatly fashioned by the local barber. Pulled back and tied with a pale pink silk cord, it had been carefully curled at the ends and set. A peasant's style, off the shoulder underdress hung loosely from her slender frame. It's large sleeves dangled freely from slender arms as the tightly corded bodice of her brocade overgown complimented her pear shaped form. With a warm smile she bid the boy in.. with a gentle nod and stern look to John to stop his shooing she welcomed the boy.
" Please.. Come in.."
The young child looked a little bit different from the last time he'd visited. His normally sutty face looked very clean. His hair was half wet, neatly combed instead of one big rat’s nest, the snarls and knots gone. He wore a modest but decent outfit, and was holding a small envelope in his hand. Desrah knew immediately he was here for her, and she knew immediately whose message he carried.
The boy approached her and smiled.
“Hi again! Message for the ‘milady’ of Saul!” Proudly he held it out.
It was a letter indeed from him… but why had he sent a boy? Her mind started racing. Thoughts of him injured on patrol, or worse, plagued her thoughts for a brief moment. Had something in fact happened to the man she was falling so deeply for? Was he, perhaps not able to make it… or…?
She smiled kindly to the boy. Taking note of his much finer presentation and garb.
" You look quite handsome." She offered accepted the offered letter. Her nails were neatly painted light pink. Her wrist softly carrying the scents of cedar and lavender.
"Thank you." She said quietly as she accepted the letter.
"Yes ma'am... I mean, milady... Saul calls you that way you know..."
Desrah moved to the sofa, seated herself, and opened the envelope with care. Inside the envelope was nothing but a tiny note, a message consisting of no more than few words.
She blushed furiously at the boy's comment, but her attention had already fallen to the words within the envelope.
For his age he was quite clever... and the message said :
Follow the boy, please.
S.
The boy grinned mischievously and reached for Desrah’s hand. “This way, ma’am…”
"I mean... milady..."
She laughed softly. "Before we go, would you give me just a moment please?"
He nodded quick, his intelligent eyes taking in his surroundings and then he grinned at John. John didn't seem to share the boy's cause for smiles or grins, and just scowled at the boy.
"Thank you! Such a charming gentleman you are!" She said before she hurried downstairs.. refreshed her perfume.. pulled a few coins from the drawer for the boy.. then hurried back upstairs.
"Thank you for being kind enough to wait. I wished you to have this, b'fore we leave.." She smiled, holding out the coins in offering. The boy didn't hesitate to scoop them up and tuck them away.
Desrah moved to the door with the lad.
Once the had stepped outside, an unknown female approached them..
By the looks of her outfit , she was a somewhat older woman, and likely one of the locals. The woman who saw the boy nodding to her, nodded back to him. While holding her hands behind her back she politely addressed Desrah. “Miss Desrah?”
"Yes Ma'am. How may I help you?" She asked, her head tilting curiously.
“I am Sophia and I was asked to hand you this.” She revealed a small bouquet of roses she had been hiding behind her back, the velvet flowers spreading a heavenly fragrance.
And gave it to her..
Desrah slowly accepted the magnificent bouquet.
"Thank you, Miss. This is.. they're ..beautiful. Thank you.." It would be clear to the woman that she was a little overwhelmed, clearly looking flustered as she lifted the delicate looking gift... The ebon fringe of lash lowered slowly as she drew in a slow, deep breath.. drinking in the fragrance as it washed over her senses.. She quickly looked up as she realized she was without further tip coins. She looked to the woman.
"Forgive.. I didn't realize ..I.. if you'll wait, I'd be happy to run in to properly thank you for the delivery.."
The woman, Sophia, smiled warmly upon her before disappearing in the twilight again, not waiting for coin nor further grattitude.
As she looked down again upon the breathtaking roses, she noticed a small paper pushed in a tiny envelop that hung from the stems.
On the envelop itself was one word, a question rather.
It said : Pretty?
Desrah lifted a single painted finger to the note and lifted it, turning it slightly before a quiet, private laugh slipped almost silently from her lips. An equally near silent "Yes..very" escaped pink painted lips.
Sliding it carefully from the flowers she opened it, looking within. On the card inside was a small text.
They say roses are the diamonds among flowers,
when you plant them, the world turns sweet and rich.
And yet... they are nothing compared to you…
S.
The boy next to her was grinning and had taken her (free) hand once again.
She had already been rendered near speechless as he took her hand.. Her breath stolen once more. Saul had a way with doing so, it seemed.. With a slow step, she let herself be lead along by the boy, happy to trail on behind him.. She already half expecting to wake from this..
He slowly had started escorting, rather pulling, Desrah towards the bottom of the upward slope that lead to the high cliff. But there was something standing on that slope that didn't really belong there. It was large and thus, difficult to miss.
Desrah tagged along, gnawing on her lip as they walked.
There, at the bottom of this slope, stood a full sized mirror in the shape of a door mounted so that the angle was adjustable. The glass was encircled by a frame of bronze gold and it was almost as if it had been carried out of a princess's personal bedroom to be placed here, in front of her. A torch was standing right next to it, spreading a soft, diffused light.
Her eyes lifted as she took in the magnificent frame of the beautiful looking glass. It too, had taken her breath, though she didn't quite understand it's meaning.
She looked to the boy for answers. He motioned her closer in response.
Bidding her to step closer towards the shiny surface.
She gave a little nervous smile and nod, and took baby steps toward the towering reflective surface.
As she stepped closer she noticed some vague text at the upper corner, obviously written with a finger.
She laughed an almost awkward laugh as she lifted to the tips of her toes and tilted her head, looking over the text
Tilt me some
Her nose wrinkled and she looked over the mirror. Afraid to tip it she carefully lifted her hand and with great caution, tilted the mirror with care.
When she did, the angle was adjusted in such way that more text appeared with the change of the reflection. It was written at the bottom of the mirror, but from her current point of view... easy to read.
What you see now is what I will face every day… it is just.......
Then she noticed the tiny card just below that text, stuck in the bottom corner of the frame.
There was one word written on the back of it.
Reaching down with a very flattered , blushing smile, she tugged out the card, and read it...
It said : ......perfect
Her hand lifted over her lips, cupped over her mouth as she looked down to her hand, the roses laying across her arm ..card in hand.. she.. almost unable to move as tears welled in her eyes. No one had ever gone out of their way to make her feel anything he'd made her feel in just a few days.. This.. far more than she knew how to process. Never in her life, had she felt as though she had meant this much to anyone. Not..until that very moment.
When she looked back up in the mirror at her reflection... the boy was gone…. and she saw -he- instead, was standing behind her. Not too close, as she otherwise would have sensed his aura and it would have ruined the surprise. The moment she saw him he offered her a smile that had the right touch of his own shyness and this unexpected warmth rushed through her as he stepped up close behind her, never removing his gaze from her reflection in the mirror.
Tears began to violently rip through his bright blue eyes, well,...almost…
He managed to whisper, speaking slowly. “Do you see now what it is you are doing to me?”
She sensed his hands settling on her hips as he stood behind her. His head dropped to her shoulder and his mouth pressed into her hair briefly.
A few locks of that metallic yellow hair fell over his forehead as he looked up at her, the irises of his eyes a myriad hues of crystal-blue.
He could easily feel the tremble course through her tiny frame as his much larger frame moved behind her. Hands claiming her hips.. Holding the flowers. The card.. she looked up to him.. lips quivering as she struggled to speak.. A single tear rolled from her right eye, wending it's way slowly down the gentle rounds of her cheeks to bead at the apex of her upper lip.. Her eyes delved deeply into his.. and it was all she could do , to whisper back quietly.
"Almost 's much.. as you're.. doing t' me?"
His voice was a bit hoarse. “Look… look at you…”
And with that he clearly meant to look beyond just an appearance and to look at the very woman he was seeing through his otherworldly eyes. She saw his lips twitch in the reflection as he a liiiittle bit smugly added,
” ...and the only thing that was added were roses…”
He turned slowly turned her around, his gaze settling on her eyes.
” I really couldn’t find anything else to add… except perhaps for that smile upon your face…"
That smile lasted for hours after those words as the two spent the eve settled atop the hillside behind the Last Anchor, nestled in one another's arms as they shared whispered words and loving sentiments.
As Desrah woke in her own bed the next morning, with the rising sun, the new day was met with a small hint of disappointment as she realized it had all been a dream.
Until, that is, her eyes came to rest on the beautiful, ornate mirror now residing in her bedroom, and the just amazing roses to it's side . . .
And so began a new chapter in her life. . .
