And the Sunlight Clasps the Earth (Chaelisa)

iv

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Somehow, the night sky had never been quite as bright, as vibrant, as it was at that moment. Alissa regarded the vast valley spreading before her, the edges of her father's kingdom just visible in the horizon. It all could've been hers, one day, since she'd been very young, Alissa had been raised to be the queen her people deserved.

Shamefully, she'd disregarded all of that.

The guilt Alissa felt grew smaller and smaller each day, though, proving that she'd made the right decision. Alissa had a destiny which did not involve prancing around in a ball gown and pretending to be happy. She leaned against the tree behind her and sighed.

A hand offering a steaming hot mug of tea came into view, and Alissa looked up, surprised. Remi was observing her, her brow slightly crooked. Alissa accepted the offered beverage, watching as the other woman gave a small nod and retreated back to their makeshift campsite. She'd come to rely on and trust Remi during the weeks they'd already trekked together, which was something she wasn't used to.

The words of her beloved grandmother suddenly sounded in her head, "Trust. Trust is a fickle thing. It can bring down kingdoms and empires. But, when aimed correctly, it can also change lives and the world for the better."

Tearing her eyes away from Remi, Alissa felt a peculiar, strangely comforting warmth spread through her. She decided to ignore the fact that it probably was not entirely due to the tea.

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For the past hour, Lisa had been glancing at the clock at two-minute intervals, her stress level rising with every new peek. It was the morning of the grand opening and, for the first time since getting the ridiculous idea of running her own bookshop, Lisa doubted her sanity. What if she failed in her attempt and was forced to close the shop after only a few months? Roseanne would look at her with pity, and Jisoo would be all 'I told you so'. But, most of all, she would be forced to admit, once again, that she was a total failure.

Tapping her fingers against the countertop, Lisa looked at the clock on the wall—again.

"Goddammit," she cursed, taking a deep breath.

She would succeed. She would, one day, have the most successful bookshop in Boston, doubts and nerves be damned! She was right where she was supposed to be; her work was to be around books all day – if that wasn't a dream come true, she didn't know what was. And, in terms of the opening, she'd done the best she could, advertising the shop wherever she was able to, telling everyone to tell everyone they knew. There was a big sign at the window, declaring the rebirth of the shop.

Lisa was fucking prepared.

The hand of the clock reached twelve, and Lisa turned the lock, her hand trembling just a smidgen. Lastly, she flipped the sign on the door that now read 'open', welcoming all passers-by to step inside. Standing behind the counter, she fidgeted, her eyes glued to the door, willing it to open, willing it to turn her life around.

It was ten past when the bell jingled for the first time, nearly making Lisa jump. Recovering fast, she smiled at her very first customer and went to offer her assistance, the earlier nervousness long forgotten.

During the course of the day, there was an even flow of people, with an occasional quiet moment when Lisa was able to just marvel at what she'd made happen all by herself. Jisoo made a short stop during her patrol, and Minnie stopped by on her lunch break.

The clock was nearing three when the bell chimed once more. Lisa was just helping an elderly woman to find the perfect children's book for her granddaughter's birthday, so she only hastily glanced at the door before returning back to the task at hand. Only then it registered with her that it was actually Roseanne who was standing in the middle of the shop, looking around cautiously. Nearly missing what the customer commented, Lisa forced herself to concentrate on hunting down the perfect book and, eventually, suggested Hippos Go Berserk.