sugar berry

[imeanforever]

Near a stream that pours off a high cliff and then snakes away is a garden, carefully tended, and a house, built of wood and stone and transmuted pearl. Fairies weed the plants. One is fixing the roof. A berrybush, hair atangle with spidery branches, is painting gold stripes onto her purple arms.

Comments

[infinitely_stranger]

"Not wanting to come to the Queen's attention is a very reasonable preference."

[imeanforever]

"I mean. She's probably better than Thorn."

[infinitely_stranger]

"She is better than Thorn in many ways. But not wanting to belong to anyone's court is a very reasonable preference."

[imeanforever]

Nod, nod.

[infinitely_stranger]

Flying continues.

[imeanforever]

"Do you like being in the Queenscourt?"

[infinitely_stranger]

"Yes. There are plenty of advantages. I might also like being in no one's court, but if I had been in no one's court to start with I would currently be having much more trouble with Thorn. I appreciate the security of being the Queen's best sorcerer, and of expecting to continue being the Queen's best sorcerer for the forseeable future."

[imeanforever]

"Mm."

[infinitely_stranger]

"Mm?"

[imeanforever]

"I can probably avoid getting caught again. But I can - imagine the appeal in having somebody who can definitely retrieve me in case that probably falls through. But I don't think I can have all the things I want."

[infinitely_stranger]

"I could visit you once in a while on leave, and look for you if I don't see you in the forest," Arcane suggests. "Less definite than being a prominent member of the Queenscourt, but also doesn't involve coming to the Queen's attention unless she has to send someone to rescue me from someone I tried to rescue you from."

[imeanforever]

"I'd like that."

[infinitely_stranger]

"It won't be going far out of my way. I like overflying the Sapphire and Emerald Seas."

[imeanforever]

"Even though it takes fifteen days at high speed?"

[infinitely_stranger]

"They're very pretty. And it's only five days' fast-flight across them the way we're going. Much of the trip will be spent getting there and about a day of it will be spent crossing the desert afterward."

[imeanforever]

"Fair enough."

[infinitely_stranger]

[imeanforever]

"Is it hard to cross the desert if it doesn't rain there?"

[infinitely_stranger]

"I don't need rain every day. I do prefer to fast-fly over deserts even when I am otherwise taking my time. If it took more than a week to fast-fly over it I would rather go around."

[imeanforever]

Nod, nod.

[infinitely_stranger]

Fly, fly.

[imeanforever]

Nibble, nibble.

Eventually Promise sleeps again. "Harmonics. Sapphire."

[infinitely_stranger]

Arcane finds himself charmed by the stream of nouns. He is smiling when she wakes up.

[imeanforever]

Yawn. Much less startlement this time. "You look like you're in a good mood."

[infinitely_stranger]

"The stream of nouns is oddly soothing."