A Light After Endless Darkness

Chapter 7

Elizabeth and Aynna managed to survive the venture into town, and Elizabeth quickly decided she would never go into town without her little friend again. The shop owners were far more interested in trying to put shoes on Aynna than harass Elizabeth, which meant that she was able to look at stuff while Aynna climbed up in the rafters, or kicking people across the room... plus, she would scream at children that had the nerve to harass her friend while she was shopping, and would keep screaming until they went away.

        Miss Aggie, as it turned out, happened to be an old lady who designed ball gowns. She was also, coincidentally, the only person who was happy to see Aynna, giving her a piece of candy that she spent twenty minutes trying to open. She was kind enough, promising Elizabeth that she would find her a dress "worthy of a queen."

        Unfortunately, the first thing she wanted to do was fit Elizabeth for a corset, so she told her that she didn't think she had enough money for a gown, and with that, she dragged Aynna off as she still fought with the candy

       When they returned, Sydney was still locked in the one room he'd asked Elizabeth not to go into. But a quick listen let them know he was asleep, or he just loved snoring while he was awake.

       "It's too bad we couldn't find a dress, Lizzy." Aynna sighed, flopping down in a wood chair around the dining table.

       "Oh I'm sure there is one out there Aynna," Elizabeth told her, then added, "But chicken chasing was cool," privately hoping she didn't sound ungrateful.

      "Is that you, girls?" Asked Master Sydney's tired, sluggish voice, and Elizabeth winced; she hadn't realized they were loud enough to wake the old man.

       "It sure is, Master Person" Aynna said cheerfully, either not caring that she had disturbed the master, or simply not knowing. "We were shopping. And we didn't find a dress for Elizabeth, but I bit the shoe man!"

      "Oh, is that so?" Master Sydney replied, with a small, light-hearted chuckle.

      The two girls nodded.

"Then I assume you girls already know about the ball the queen and I were planning?"

       The girls froze, Elizabeth feeling her chest tighten. Crap, that was right, she wasn't supposed to know about that. "I'm sorry, master-"

"It wasn't her fault, master," said Aynna. "I told her."

"Girls, girls, please. It's quite alright. I was certain you would find out anyway.

         "... really?"

       "Truly.

      "Alright. I believe you," Elizabeth said, forcing her heartbeat to slow down.

     "Very good. Now, there is one thing I do need to ask you..."

     "It had better not be 'Elizabeth are you okay with going to the ball' again, I will scream so loud."

       ".... are you sure you're okay wi-"

~~~

     Ten miles away, a farmer feeding his pigs was startled into dropping the slop bucket, by what sounded like screaming. "... what was that?" He asked no one in particular as the pigs licked the slop off his clothes.

~~~

      "Owwww," whined Aynna.

     "Should I take that as a yes?" Asked Sydney, hands tight over his ears.

       "Yes," said Elizabeth, throat throbbing. "Honestly, I don't get why everyone is so fussy about it. It's a party, I can handle some stupid party, I'm not, like, trying to battle monsters in a corset." That, and I just wanna get the stupid thing over with so people will stop asking me. Maybe once this ball ends, everyone will leave me in peace.

        "Very good," said Sydney. "I am proud of your progress, really. However, do you think we can find less... exuberant ways of telling me I'm stretching my concern too far?"

        "Of course, master," Elizabeth said calmly, as if she hadn't been screaming like a banshee just moments before. "Now, Aynna, I'm sorry to cut things short, but I was hoping to write a letter to some friends."

       "'Kay," said Aynna, giving her big friend a tight hug. "Bye, Elizabeth-Person."

       "Yes, I have letters to write myself," said the old man, who had given up on trying to argue on this. "If the ball is going to take place, I should alert Master Dabir his apprentices will need time to prepare, after all."

         Elizabeth froze, halfway up the stairs. "You... you mean Harold, Hagen and Ana?"

        "I am sure you have missed Annalysa," he said with a mischievous smile. "And my assumptions are usually correct."

        "Thank you Master, thank you so much." Elizabeth gushed, a smile slicing its way onto her face. She calmly walked up the stairs, suppressing her desire to start giggling madly like a schoolgirl. She would see them soon. Ana, Harold, and... Hagen. She would see Hagen very soon.

         She quickly rushed into her room and dug out a notepad, a present from one of the shop keeps that insisted upon giving her free things. She had tried to deny his gifts, but they always somehow ended up in her room, though the window remained unopened. With that pleasant thought, she tore out a  sheet and started writing to Annalysa.

         Dear Ana,

Sorry I haven't written to you, I've been super busy training. I'm up to 76 reps in under two minutes, can you believe that? Sydney says I'm learning fast, but that I need to remember to hydrate.

Listen, Ana, I just got the best news; Sydney says the queen is planning a ball in my honor. I know, I know. But that's not the good part, this is- you, Hagen, Harold and Master Dabir are going to be invited! , It's going to be so great to see you again, Ana. I've wanted to see you so badly, I've started having dreams about you!

When you get here, I'll try to introduce you to Aynna, a little girl I've made friends with. She's a very hard person to describe- just be prepared to get up close and personal with some chickens.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth

      Elizabeth looked over her letter to Annalysa, frowning slightly. She quickly scribbled, P.S., tell Hagen that I remember him, and that I feel like an absolute idiot for not saying anything to him when I first got here.

      With that, she folded the letter into a paper airplane and threw it as hard as she could into the sky, where it vanished into a portal into the Twilight Nexus.