The sun had broken over the crater’s edge slightly, rising over the east and right into the main windows of the flower shop. The shop sat high up on the tiered walls of the crater, not far from riverside. It was quaint, full of color, and slightly cluttered with all sorts of plants, vines, and blooms. 

Luceria had already been up, though, well before the dawn, going through morning preparations for the shop to open. 

And to spend a moment alone, a moment to weep without her sister, Namina, knowing. 

Another fruitless date, she thought. Spinster it is, I suppose. 

A loud sound deeper in the shop crashed into the shop proper. Luceria jumped and looked around, wiping her face. Namina growled from a closed door. 

“Luci!” She called. “Did we get the water paid for?” 

“We always do.” Luceria said. “The plants won’t last long without it.” 

Namina walked out of the bathroom down a hall, frowning. 

“Well,” she said. “It isn’t working now.”

Luceria smiled. “I assume you attempted to flush?” Namina turned and closed the door.

“I wouldn’t open that door until the plumber can come.” Namina said. “Do you have Gerald’s number?” 

“Should be taped to the file cabinet in the office.” Luceria said. The office was behind a set of one-way glass that looked out over the front of the shop. Green, red, and yellow had begun to shine in on the simple, brown tile of the shop floor as light bounced off flowers from outside the shop and in.

“Did we get that order finished from yesterday?” Luceria asked. “The one for the Golanor officer celebration?”

“Yes, and–” Namina began. “Oh, wait, those vases needed some water. They were drooping a bit last night and I forgot to add some.”

Luceria sighed. “When does Gerald usually get going for the day?” 

Namina came into the room and met Luceria’s eyes. Luceria nodded, then stood. 

“I’m sorry,” Namina said. “I would go if it weren’t for my leg.” 

“As you’ve said many times.” Luceria said. 

“Hey,” Namina said. “I know I’m lazy, but you seem off. What’s up?”

Luceria stopped for a moment, then smiled. 

“Oh, that prick.” Namia said. 

Luceria held up her hand. “No, he has every right.”

Namia growled. “Still…”

Luceria walked to the shop and walked out of the door, smiling at Namina as she left. Outside the shop sat a small bike with a cart attached to it, a few buckets on the ground next to it.

Thankfully, the river wasn’t that far. 

Luceria stacked the two empty buckets on the cart, got on the bike, then started to ride. The shop was only a few switchbacks from the top of the crater edge and she fortunately didn’t have to haul water up the crater, just down, where she could coast most of the way. And it wasn’t like the ride down would be any harder than normal. 

Luceria tried to focus on the ride, pumping the pedals one after another as she rode up, putting some of her emotion into the motion, letting her anger and sadness fuel her forward. 

By the time she had wound up the crater, the sun was mostly hitting the city now, but the river on the other side of the crater’s edge was slightly below it still, sun casting a shadow across the riverbank. Riverside was also in shadow, but that was more because of the higher duct walls that forced the water away from the crater’s edge. 

Huffing, Luceria halted near a trash mound and dismounted. She picked up the buckets and hobbled over to the edge of the water. Near the water’s edge, a large rock protruded from the sand and dirt. She stood, staring at the rock for a moment, then set the buckets down next to the rock and sat.

Luceria stared at the shifting water, noticing the slow current lifting sediment off the riverbed, then setting it back down again farther down the river. She gazed into the shifting water for a while, longer than she had planned to. 

The water seems so free, she thought. Perhaps I can join it. 

A quiet peace settled on riverside briefly, then in that moment of silence, a soft cry sounded somewhere to her left. Luceria sat up straight, straining to hear the sound again.

“Is that a baby?” Luceria said. Worried that there were people around to notice her perhaps taking their family to enjoy the less trashy part of riverside, she stood and grabbed her buckets and moved to the water. 

Before she had leaned down to fill the first bucket, the cry sounded again, and she turned, seeing a basket with a small hand reaching up and out of it. The cry was very weak.

Luceria stood stunned for a moment, then inched closer to the basket. She saw the curling hands of a newborn, small, with striking surprisingly-long black hair.

Shock hit her and she ran to the basket. The child’s hands were cold, but most of her torso felt warm to Luceria’s touch. She stood and looked around. No one was in sight.

“Hello?” She called. But no one answered. She called again and again, fearing the worst for this little one.

Luceria turned and looked at the child again to see it staring at her. Then, she saw a note attached to the cloth that wrapped the baby. She knelt to read it. 

Luceria gasped, hand going to her breast. Her heart was beating furiously. The lack of other people around and the note in tandem spoke of a dark truth for this little one. In a rush, she ran with the child back to the bike, barely remembering to even grab the buckets, let alone fill them, and rushed down into the city. 

Water could be filled later. 

She tried to hold the child to her chest while she rode, careful to not go too fast since she could only guide the bike with one hand. She yelled out to people in her way to clear the path. People stared at her, confused at her urgency. A few who knew her saw her holding a child and with shock watched her fly passed. 

Luceria burst into the shop, breathing heavy over the child’s head, then searched for Namina, who was making last minute preparations for the shop to open in the next hour. She saw what Luceria held and her jaw dropped. 

“What in the–” Namina started, but couldn’t finish as Luceria ran into the rear bedroom and gently laid the child on her bed. The child fussed a bit, but otherwise was calm.

“Luceria.” Namina said. “What did you do?”

Luceria held up the note to Namina and thrust it at her. Namina read it aloud. 

“Rheya, Soleborn of the Tenth womb, Surless of the Vol.” Namina stared at the note for a long while as Luceria held the little girl, bouncing her in her arms. 

“You know who she is, then.” Luceria said. “And what this means, what likely the commotion at the palace was.” 

Namina stared at Luceria. “And? She’s important. Where did you even find her?!”

“In a basket in the river, cast away by the Imperials.” Luceria said. “They will want to kill her, if this note is correct.”

“That’s a huge if.” Namina said. “But…” She looked at the child, who was starting to cry softly. “What do we do?”

“If they don’t want her, then I do.” Luceria said. “I will protect you, Rheya.”

Namina looked at the child, conflicted, then sighed. “Fine. I suppose it’s for the best.” The smile nearly broke her face in two. 

Fate is sometimes cruel, but then again, sometimes, it is kind and merciful. 

Sometimes.