Reaping A Princess

MUCH TO DISCUSS

The woman's face was striking in both beauty and familiarity. Red hair cascaded over her shoulders, tumbling down in bouncy waves to the middle of her back and nearly concealing her waist entirely.

Though she was older than the last time I saw her, I would've known that shade of red anywhere. She was an unforgettable copper sunset burning with every rich hue between gold and crimson.

"Junia?" I whispered in question, just in case this was a case of mistaken identity.

Those brown eyes that I was so sure I knew from many years ago widened. Her mouth parted slightly while she slowly shifted her body to face me.

"Sarah?"

An incredulous breathy laugh escaped me as the odds of us finding each other here settled into my disbelieving mind. Junia had up and vanished when we were 15 and everyone I asked said the same thing: they didn't know where she went or how I could get in touch with her. I held onto the hope that she had simply run away, but deep down I knew she'd most likely been wed. Mama swore to me that she hadn't been—proclaiming she was too young for such a thing nowadays, but I always had my doubts. They were little kernels of skepticism that I never could part with.

"What—h-how?" I still couldn't get my thoughts straight. It was like seeing a ghost.

Junia's face broke out into a grin that would put the sun to shame and she quickly stood, rushing forward to throw her arms around my neck.

"I've missed you!" she exclaimed.

I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed tightly, afraid she'd slip away again if I let go. "I can't believe I finally found you."

She pulled back and looked into my eyes. "You were looking for me?"

"Of course!" I scoffed. "I asked everyone where you had gone and how I could find you. I talked to anyone who would listen until... until they all grew tired of listening. I'm sorry I couldn't find you sooner."

"Don't be," she smiled softly and pulled me in for one more hug before letting go and stepping back. "In the end, we both have found Eden and that's all that matters."

Her words made defense coiled up within my mind like a venomous serpent. Her words didn't sound like her own. Granted, it'd been several years since we'd last spoken and we've both grown up since then, but it still didn't sound like her. It sounded like them.

My gaze shifted to the man moving to stand behind her. He smiled while placing his hand upon her shoulder; her own moved to rest atop his. She tilted her head and pressed her cheek to their conjoined hands with an easy smile on her face.

She seemed happy, but those words...

"How do you know each other?" Elijah asked.

"We used to attend the same gatherings before... well..."

"What happened back then?" I asked. "Where did you go?"

Her face lit up and the knot in my chest, that awful ache of not knowing all these years, loosened. "I was sent to our Most Holy Father."

My head shook in confusion. "Who is—"

"How about you girls catch up later seeing how we still have others to introduce," Elijah interrupted. An obvious habit of his that was grating on my last nerve, yet this time it also shoved mistrust deeper in my gut. "Asher is our blacksmith," he went on to explain, "and Junia is our veterinarian."

Hearing that made me smile warmly at her. "You always did have a special way with animals. I'm glad to see your gift serving you so well."

She thanked me and pulled me into a hug once more before returning to sit beside her husband.