Dagger (Loki)

Chapter 7

Ada let go of Hollis' hand, running up to her father to get a list of chores for the day, other than their daily care for the animals.

Her father eyed Hollis, who looked toward the ground to avoid eye contact. She knew that he had his suspicions.

He handed Ada the list and tapped her chin up so she looked at him.

"Don't work too hard, we want them to be impressed by you, tonight," He hummed. Ada frowned, a little confused, but shrugged it off and ran back to Hollis with the list.

He stared at them, before walking back into the house.

The girls turned and made their way to the barn.

They pulled open the doors, greeting the animals with the bright light of the sun.

"Good morning!" Ada called, throwing her arms in the air, spinning around. She pranced you to the stalls with the goats, unlatching it to let them out. She greeted them one by one as they made their way out.

Hollis counted them, also greeting them as they walked passed.

"Let's keep it together today, alright, ladies?" She called to them. They hadn't a care in the world.

"Darla, remember to keep your thoughts to yourself!" Ada added in. She bounced over to the horses, each having their own stall.

Hollis pulled over the bag of feed, helping Ada fill up their buckets as the horses huffed and knocked at the doors with their hooves.

"Augustus, what's our motto?" Ada asked one of the Horses as she grabbed his feed bucket. The horse stared blankly back.

"That's right! Make every day count! You're so inspiring," she cooed. Hollis shook her head with a smile on her face.

They made their rounds to the pigs, who were still laying down, one of them even snoring.

Hollis grabbed their feed bucket, filled it up, and shook it, springing all three pigs awake and waddling over to the door.

"You guys just keep growing," Ada laughed, helping Hollis put the feed back in.

They fed the goats out in the yard, too many of them to feed in the stall.

Next was the coops, where the they checked for eggs, successfully scooping up two dozens. After their feed was refreshed, their door was open and they ran out, stumbling over each other.

The bulk of their morning work had been accomplished by breakfast time. They would take a break and relax under their tree. Each would pack a bag for their breakfast, typically some fruit and biscuits.

"What do you think my father meant by impress them?" Ada hummed, the words having been on her mind all morning.

Hollis frowned, looking up in contemplation.

"Maybe, just the people in general? Who's throwing this ball anyway?" She asked.

"No clue," Ada shrugged, "How many people do you think will be there?" She looked up at Hollis.

"Well, if our families were invited, surely plenty of others have also been," Hollis said. She looked over toward Ada.

"You're not going to flake on me when you see a dashing prince, are you?" She joked, but maybe she wasn't.

"Of course not, I don't think that's what I really want," Ada shook her head. Hollis paused, her breath catching. She swallowed.

"What is it that you want?" She asked.