Homesick

| 8 | A Reunion

*BANG* * BANG*

Dapha groggily blinks awake with a start, roused from her sleep by the sound of insistent knocking. "Who's knocking so early?" She groaned, rubbing her eyes and stumbles out of bed.

"It can't be Nyssa, I doubt she'd lock herself out. And it can't be the kids from the other day because it's way too early." She tells herself as she makes her way down the stairs.

As she approaches the door she extends her hand to open it but then she stopped herself.

"Wait what if it's the guards finally here to take my head!" She shakily exclaimed, taking a step back. "This door doesn't even have a peep hole so there's no way I could tell."

The knocking becomes more insistent, like someone is trying to break it down. "Oh well if it's my time to go, at least I got to buy some strawberries." She sighs.

Finally, she opens the door, but Instead of seeing a tall angry guard she see's Ivory, looking incredibly excited.

"Good morning, Dapha! It's time to get ready for the party!" she exclaims, taking Dapha by the hand and dragging her out of the house.

"Wait the party is in the morning?" Dapha ask, stumbling as she got pulled from her house.

"No it's in the afternoon, but who knows how much time we'll need. Plus it'll be fun!" Ivory smiles.

Dapha, doesn't resist much as Ivory shoves her into a waiting carriag and they make their way to the mansion. As they travel, Dapha gradually begins to wake up and take in her surroundings.

"I've never even been in a car before, let alone a carriage." Dapha mumbles as she looks out the window.

"Did you say car?" Ivory asked tilting her head.

"Did I say car, I meant um.. a carrier! Cars short for carrier." Dapha awkwardly smiles, trying to cover up her mistake. "It's something us commoners use to carry babies around."

"You mean a stroller?" Ivory asked giving Dapha a skeptical look.

'Shit! My covers blown, I can't have her knowing I'm not from here.' Dapha thinks as she begins to sweat.

Then Ivory laughs patting Dapha's back and says. "A carrier, you commoners make up the silliest names for things."

"Yeah." Dapha agrees. 'That was too close, I need to be more careful over things I say.' She thought to herself taking a breath of relief.

            -•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-

As they approach the Marquis mansion the carriage stop. "We're here Miss Ivory." The carriage driver said, walking to the door and opening it.

"Oh good!" Ivory smiles, taking Dapha's hand as they jump out the carriage. "Come on, we have no time to waste let's get ready!" Ivory smiles racing towards the mansion.

Dapha looks up to the mansion and it's huge. No where as big as the castle she can see from town but it's still way bigger than the small town house she lives in.

"Come on before we get ready, you have to meet my father!" Ivory smiles.

Ivory leads Dapha through the elegant hallways of the mansion, past ornately decorated rooms covered in paintings. They eventually come to a stop in front of a massive set of oak doors, which Ivory kicks open to reveal a grand office.

"Father, I've returned!" Ivory calls out to the man in his mid-fifties, sitting behind the desk.

"Ivory, my dearest, your back!" he exclaims. "And who's this young lady standing beside you? A new friend? how wonderful!" He smiles clapping his hands.