Dearest Evelyn

-chapter 3-

(to the right is Joanna)

–Age 13-

I had found myself quickly befriending the new girl, Joanna. She was a small, petite beauty, with raven black hair and fair blue eyes. She was quiet and meek, and wouldn’t hurt a soul in the world.

She was my age, and had just moved here a few months ago. Sure, she did all those girly things (which I had finally broken down and done a bit more of recently), but she liked exploring with Hector, Terrin, Gwindire and I. Although she didn’t ever get dirty like we did, she still enjoyed being around us.

That made me happy. I finally had a female companion, since Mother never did the things I did. Mother was happy for me once I told her about Joanna. I was elated myself.

Father had begun to speak more and more about suitors now that I was becoming a young woman. I hadn’t turned my nose so much at it now, for I figured that if I behaved, maybe he’d let me have some opinion on the suitors. I had told Mother this, and she just winked at me.

My fourteenth birthday was in a month.

Hector had let it slip that Terrin, he and Gwindire were planning something special for me. He wouldn’t tell me anything else, but that was okay, I trusted my friends.

~

Joanna and I were sewing one day, sitting under the large and beautiful ash tree just outside the courtyard. The boys were busy today, so I decided to catch up on my sewing. My gracious Joanna offered to help me, and so we set out.

“My father says he’s picking out suitors for me soon.” I told my new friend.

“I hope he isn’t picky. My father hasn’t made up his mind yet. Mother thinks he’s waiting til suitors come to him first.”

I sighed. “Lucky you. I don’t want to get married.”

“You’ll change your mind. I used to say the same thing.”

“Oh?” I didn’t want to bash my friend’s words.

“Yes. Just be patient.”

I smiled, but didn’t respond. I felt as if when I got married, things would change, and I would lose my friends, I would move away from them and that I would never see them again. I didn’t want to lose them. They were everything I had. They meant everything to me. In fact, we made several plans together to always stick together, no matter what.

I even made secret plans myself to follow them in battle, should they need to go, and protect them. I had even focused more on my herbs, especially ones for healing, in case my brothers should need them.

That’s how I referred to them now, my brothers. They had even begun calling me ‘sis’.

I smiled at the thought.

-Age 14-

Their surprise was a wonderful one. They took me to a secluded spot in the forest just behind the western turret of King Harold’s castle. They showed me a small din of baby foxes, just born. The mother hissed at first, but then she seemed to recognize the boys- who warned Joanna and me to stand back so the mother wouldn’t get frightened.

They told us about helping the frail mother and feeding her when she couldn’t leave the nest. They had obviously built a strong trust with the mother.

Then the mother did something that shocked me the most. The smallest kit of the litter- the runt, she picked up by the nape of the neck and placed it in front of the boys. The mother had obviously spared this one from starvation for the boys. It was a part of nature. I knew that otherwise, she would’ve let the poor kit starve and die.

Hector leaned down, tied a ribbon into a bow upon its neck, picked it gingerly up and handed it to me.

“Happy birthday!” He smiled.

“Yeah, happy birthday!” Terrin and Gwindire chimed.

The mother fox went back to nursing her other babies.

I held my new little pet happily in my hands.

“It’s a girl, we already checked.” Terrin said.

Joanna and I petted the fox.

I smiled again, and placed a kiss upon my new fox’s head.

“I’ll name her Geraldine.”