As Owen felt sleep call to him, it was as if the mattress were clouds, and he was just floating with no control over where he went or who he saw. He was in the nothingness of after.

Whenever Owen laid with a woman, either in restfulness or restlessness, his mind drifted back to a different time, a different day, no matter who it was with him in the current moment…

A different woman.

One with bright green eyes that seemed to pierce his soul and consume his mind, all in an instant. A smile he wanted to protect, a laugh he’d never tire of hearing. He would’ve never tired of seeing that joyful laughter bubble up out of her, or glint to her eyes when she was about to do something mischievous. Even her quiet observation, with sharp eyes that seemed to see everything far beyond the surface... there was something enchanting about that too. And the warmth he’d felt, just holding her hand, wasn’t something that was replaceable.

He could see it all, feel it all, his eyes closed, his body tired. It was like she was there in front of him again.

‘Nox.’

She smiled, the sun lighting up her hair, giving her a halo in the glow, giving her an almost ethereal presence. Was this… real? Was she… here?

It felt too real.

It felt too good to be true.

‘Come on…’

She’d pulled him by the hand and they ran. Her hair was tied up on the back of her head, and frizzy curls that started popping up along her hairline as sweat beaded on her brow.

‘Slowpoke!’

She stuck her tongue out at him and just as he sped up, reaching to snag her in a full-body embrace, she vanished.

Ah… he thought wearily, like a fleeting memory. It was that of a different time. She wasn’t really here.

“Saph…” he murmured as he floated in that half-sleep, imagining that the bed wasn’t a soft large one in the palace, but a small and rigid one within an old inn on the outer part of the capital. Imagining that the woman weighing down the other part of the mattress wasn’t a lady, but a commoner he’d just met. He clutched the pillow in one hand, the other reaching out on the bed, as if in search of something, whether it was present or long gone.

And it was, long gone, that is.

Saph.

Jizelle glanced over at Owen, having heard the name a number of times in moments like this, and whether he realized he was saying it aloud or not, she never knew. If she’d have the courage to ask about who this ‘Saph’ was, that was a mystery as well. Maybe, he wouldn’t even tell her. It had to be a long-guarded secret if the name rang no bells in the palace after all this time. There was no ‘Saph’, and no names resembling it in any way.

It had to be something – someone – from long ago.

Someone nobody knew.

As she closed her eyes too, she made a silent wish, that if Saph was living, that Owen would get to see her again. Maybe she could cure the loneliness he never seemed to shed, despite the smiles and kindness he showed them all.

Owen was her good friend, not just her king, and she wanted him to be happy for once. He deserved it. He was owed something nice for himself, something that would last his whole life long.

Maybe Saph missed Owen just as much as he missed her…

May their next meeting be blessed.

As they soaked and cleaned the blankets with a few items of clothing in the large tubs full of water and bubbles, Delilah gushed about the book she’d read the day before. She spoke excitedly of the historical events that she read of.

Though Emeria already knew many of them, she took the guise of a curious learner, asking her daughter all sorts of questions. It only made the young girl appear brighter and happier, putting a smile on her mother’s face.

“Oh! And did you know that the capital is built upon an old series of tunnels the old bandits made before this place was a kingdom?! And then they were actually used a number of times since the capital was built, during various battles?!”

“Really? How so?”

“So, the King, uh, I think it was the third King…”

Delilah continued to speak of the Kingdom’s history while they worked and as her mother listened, recalling the history classes she once took. When she’d give a small statement, a fact that correlated to one of the events, her daughter gazed up at her with wide eyes.

“Mother, you know of it too?!”

Emeria merely chuckled to herself and steered back to the topic, which Delilah was more than happy to speak of. Before long, the blankets were rinsed and hung up on a line. Emeria brushed her slightly damp hands on her skirt and then held one out to her daughter. Delilah latched onto it with her own, a smile blooming on her face.

“Come on. Mary is waiting.”

They left their house and wandered down the path, all the way to the apple tree in front of another house. Mary stood in the doorway with a small smile on her face and a baby in her arms. She gave a friendly wave to Emeria as they neared. Her kids, the ones Emeria had helped to reach a few apples just the day before, came running down the few steps and across the grass to them.

“Miss Emeria!”

“Hi, Miss Emeria! Hi, Delilah!”

She hugged them warmly and then moved aside, letting them bombard Delilah with affectionate hugs and exclamations. Emeria watched for a moment and then strode to the front door.

Mary, allowing Emeria to take the baby, Annabel, into her arms, stepped back into the house to the small dresser. Though she looked exhausted, a weight seemed to lift off of her shoulders as she turned back around and took in the sight of her little one trying to reach up and grab the loose strand of Emeria’s hair, giggling happily.

“Emeria, thank you so much.”

“Oh, Mary, it’s nothing,” she replied with a kind smile and shake of her head.

“No, no.” Mary shook her head right back at her, adamant, and pressed a small pouch containing a few copper coins, into the hidden pocket in Emeria’s dress, right as Emeria was ready to protest any payment. “Emeria. Please. It eases my mind and heart.”

Emeria sighed, giving in, knowing that Mary wouldn’t take no for an answer when it came to the care of her children.

“Alright.”

As Mary grabbed her satchel and draped the strap over her head, preparing to go. She’d already outlined what she needed done for this particular day, several days ago. Since Emeria had spent more time with her kids than anyone else, and as she had Delilah, who was at a similar age, Mary felt she could entrust her kids to Emeria for as long as necessary. Today was the day Mary had decided to take the carriage over to Rivedge to see her husband, who’d been hospitalized from a recent injury. As there were no facility for such injuries in their small village, he’d needed to receive treatment elsewhere. They’d been able to save up more due to the apple tree in their yard and Mary’s needlework so they wouldn’t have a problem with money if anything were to occur.

But, now, as she couldn’t leave her young kids on their own and get her work done while she travelled over to see her husband, that’s where Emeria came in.

Mary waved to them all as she finished crossing the road, over to where the carriage headed to Rivedge waited. Emeria and all of the kids waved back in response as they sat down with Delilah on the grass under the tall tree.

Today, picking apples was on the agenda and they’d two big buckets to fill with apples to take to the market while Mary was gone. Setting little Annabel into Delilah’s careful and waiting arms, Emeria had the young girl, Anita, climb up onto her shoulders to pick as high up as she could on the tree. She’d pick one and toss it gently down to her brother to catch and place with care in the waiting buckets.

They carried on like that, Arnold and Anita switching out who picked apples when their arms grew tired, until both buckets were full. Emeria allowed them a brief rest before they took the apples to the market nearby.

Some people, as they passed by, offered to buy a few apples right away, handing over coins in exchange for a few of the fruits on the top. The three kids, Anita aged six, Arnold aged eight, and Delilah nearing ten, traded arms and buckets when they felt too heavy to carry any longer, and eventually, they reached the market.

All went well, as when Delilah was on her best behavior, the two young kids who looked up to her behaved just as well. They exchanged the apples for coin in a pouch and after looking it over, Emeria put the pouch in her pocket for their trip back to the house.

Once back and allowed to play, the three turned into a chaotic mess of giggles and playing pretend. Delilah, fascinated by stories and books, used her bright imagination to lure the other two into playing villain and hero. Always careful and watching, Emeria stayed with the baby, but kept each one of them in her sight at all times. It wasn’t likely that someone would come and steal them away, but any one of them could be easily hurt and she wanted to make sure she was able to rush to their side if she needed.

It wasn’t needed this time, as the kids played carefully. Before long, the carriage returned from Rivedge and Mary stepped out with her husband. He had his arm in a sling, a bandage sticking out from under his collar, but he was smiling and didn’t look to be in pain. It was a relief to Emeria, to see him this well under the circumstances, and the kids seemed to think so as well. His young children rushed to him and hugged him while Mary walked right to Emeria, taking her free hand.

“Thank you, Emeria.”

“Of course, Mary.” And then she grinned. “Ah. Your apples were selling before we even got them to the market.”

Mary beamed, laughing lightly as she took the pouch of coin from Emeria, setting it down inside the house, only to return and take Annabel out of her arms.

Mary’s husband came over as well, trailed by his children and Delilah who was also smiling happily at the wonderful reunion of the kids and their father.

“Thank you for the help. Truly.”

“Your family is a joy to be around. It was my pleasure.”

As Emeria and Delilah headed home, hand-in-hand, it was nearly dusk. After a long day, it was easy for both of them to fall asleep after eating a quick meal for supper and pulling the blankets off the line.