I nervously awaited Naylin’s arrival. At my request, the breakfast was laid out where I had spent most of the night. The morning sun glinted off flecks of quartz in the rocks and boulders beside the Silken Wood. They reflected sparkling motes of light into the air and gave the atmosphere a magical feel so close to the greenery of the forest. It was a perfect place for breakfast.
“There they are,” the guard named Shoa said.
I turned my head to see three figures rounding the corner of the open gates of Tarrowanne. One, of course, was the other guard, Coran. There was that maid—I never could remember her name—but when my eyes settled upon Naylin, I was immediately enchanted. There was an innocence about her; her modesty was intriguing, but at the same time, infuriating. Her face was fresh, although closed at the moment, and her hair was pulled back, reflecting the morning sun like buried magma fire. Where there was no sun, her hair was black as midnight. The green dress perfectly complimented her personality and coloring.
“That dress suits her,” I said out loud before I could stop myself.
“It does, doesn’t it,” Shoa said, simply acknowledging my statement with his eyes trained on the procession.
I sneered a bit. I felt strange next to this old coot; like he was scrutinizing my every word and action or like he thought he was better than I was. That didn’t settle well in my stomach and almost ruined my morning before it had really begun.
As Naylin came closer, I noticed her watching me with a bit of a curious spark in her eye. I carefully composed my face into a welcoming expression and smiled. When she stopped, I bowed a little and lowered my eyes in respect. When I stood again, I saw that I had surprised her. Good…
Picking up one of the two blankets that were laid on the ground at our feet, I fluffed it out and came close to her, laying it beside her so she could recline. I brought a large pillow to her, as well, laying it where I thought it would do the most good. Returning to my side of the breakfast spread, I prepared my own spot.
Everyone was silent.
As I positioned my own pillow, though, I heard the rustlings of the guards and maid preparing their own area where their breakfast was waiting for them. Their layout was far enough away to offer a bit of privacy but close enough to be of assistance if they were needed.
Straightening up, I noticed that Naylin still hadn’t sat down.
“Is something wrong?” I asked her, a bit flustered for words.
She looked at me oddly.
“Just being respectful and waiting for you to finish, Garak.”
At that, she sat and folded her legs underneath herself.
“You know you don’t have to do that, Nay,” I said as I took a seat on my own blanket, using my childhood nickname for her. I kept my eyes averted from her. I knew she was sticking to custom because she was being formal and impersonal about the situation. Strangely, this caused a pang inside of me. I had hoped the setting from our childhood would have opened up the atmosphere a little.
I watched her for a few seconds as she sat there, looking to the side into the grass. The way the light curved around her cheekbones and bathed her skin was almost mind-numbing for me, bringing out the copper and gold shine in her skin. I looked down at the cloth spread before us and cleared my throat a bit.
“Naylin, I know things haven’t been right between us for a few years, and I am sorry for that.” I cleared my throat again and kneaded my palms into my pants. Looking up at her, I saw her guarded expression trained on my eyes. For a moment, I was a little lost but regained my composure quickly.
I gestured toward the spread in front of us.
“Can I at least interest you in some breakfast?”
As she looked down at the food, I saw a longing come into her eyes. I’d noticed that she hadn’t eaten but a couple of bites last night. This morning, I had asked the elders for many treats I knew she’d loved. There were boiled eggs, bacon lumps covered in maple syrup, strawberries with white chocolate drizzle, cinnamon rolls, potato yeast rolls, and a choice of cool milk or orange juice to drink.
From across the cloth, I heard her stomach growl alarmingly.
Looking up at me, we smiled at each other, and she giggled a little.
Everything relaxed a bit as we began to eat. Naylin closed her eyes slowly as she bit into a cinnamon roll. Her eyes remained closed as she chewed, the sugar glaze sparkling on her full lips.
Mine, I thought to myself. She has always been mine.
“Do you get to see your parents soon?” I asked after a few minutes of silent chewing.
She nodded and waited until she swallowed her mouthful of cinnamon roll. “I get to see them for dinner. I’m excited, and I want to make sure mom is preparing well for the rush.”
I smiled. “I’m sure she is. I saw their smoke stack burning early this morning, so I’m sure your dad is making sure that everything’s running smoothly.”
“He’s always been so efficient. You know that.”
She licked the last of the sweets off of her fingers before moving on to the bacon. I handed her a wet cloth, and she nodded her thanks to me.
There was another long silence while we ate. Naylin had a far-off look in her eyes, making me curious about what she was thinking. Was it her parents? Or was it Julius? Could I dare believe it was me?
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