It's a Long Way To Dearest Gravesfield

Chapter 16: The Golden Guard

Author's Note:  I'm fudging some details here with regards to the Golden Guard cape- for Plot Reasons, I'm running with the sigil being embroidered on the fabric, not a separate applique, for the cape he casts aside at the end of Hollow Mind.

After lunch, Eda goes to her closet and pulls a bundle of cloth down from the top shelf. She hesitates, unsure of if the timing is right to give it to Hunter. But with his sewing machine humming in the background, him whistling along with it's tempo, she thinks he is in a good enough mood to do so.

She knocks on his doorframe, "Sec – let me finish this line." She enters the room and sits at the foot of the bed, waiting.

He takes the fabric off the machine and snips the threads, "There. Hemming done." He holds up the dress – midnight blue, a gathered bust and neckline and a swishy skirt finished with a ruffle. There is a bright red cardinal embroidered on the shoulder.

"Where did you learn to embroider?"

"There was a book in the sewing basket. It's where I found the pattern for the dress, too."

Eda nods, impressed, "You might have a future as a tailor, kid. You're really good at this."

He smiles, "Well, if you ever want me to make you something, either give me your measurements or hand me clothes that fit you well and I can do something for you, too. I like making things for my family."

"Maybe," she says, "just don't make me anything too frilly. Might want to leave off any ruffles," she gently teases, "Willow's definitely a ruffle gal, but me...not so much."

"Do you think she'll like it?" he asks, carefully folding the dress.

"Has she ever not liked one of the dresses you've made her?"

He shakes his head, "No, and she's always liked the skirts, too, and the jacket I made to go with the yellow sundress she has back in the human realm."

"You're making her a wardrobe – Willow's going to be the best dressed girl in the Isles."

He blushes a little, "Yeah...maybe I'm overdoing it a little."

"Nah, you're fine. It's sweet. And I know she loves it."

He notices the bundle on her lap, "What's that? More fabric?"

She shakes her head, "No, something I've been meaning to give you, but waiting for the right time. But I'm going to tell you a story about it first. It's not just a garment. There's something really special about the weave of the fabric and the embroidery and I didn't realize it until I got a good look at it. It's old, and...well, I compared it to something I have that's made the same way. I'm almost sure it was woven and embroidered by the same person, because this is a lost art. I can't explain it very well. I'm not the one who spends a lot of time with textiles. You do."

"So...can I see it?" he asks.

"Here's the thing, Eda says, "it's already yours." She passes it to him and the minute he touches it, he knows what it is.

He unfolds it and lays it on the bed, "My Golden Guard cape. You kept it."

"Yeah. At first, I figured I could probably sell it if you didn't want it. But then after we got our stuff back and I was unpacking, I recognized the embroidery was just...different. And so is the texture of the fabric. Have you ever touched anything else that felt like that?"

Hunter shakes his head, "No. I just thought it was special because it was for the Golden Guard."

"No. It's not. This cape has memory. I don't know how to tap into it, but," she pulls a handkerchief from her hair, "This is what I compared it to." She hands it to him and he lays it on the cape beside the embroidered bird, "It's the same weave."