For King and Country

Presents and Presentations

Chapter 2

After a tiring meeting with the Lady where she wanted to make sure that she showed me off to her son, a scrawny fair haired boy, I exited the house, holding my dress up to avoid the dust that settled over the cobblestoned streets. The street was busy with people conducting their daily business, and I heard a crowd of boys yell towards me as I exited, the eldest, the son of the Cobbler, yelled for me to marry him. I waved him off, turning down the path toward the gate.

"Cora," I turned to see my best friend, Micah, running up the street. He was handsome, my Micah, with big brown eyes that smiled all the time and hair that curled around his ears and neck. His big smile was always warm and welcoming under his long straight nose. He had been my playmate when I was little and had always got us out of the trouble I had created. "Happy birthday." I let him hug me and laughed loudly when he spun me around. I'd never quite mastered giggling, all I could do was scoff or laugh. He never seemed to mind.

"Thanks Micah," I said. "What did you get me?" I immediately asked, looking down at his tan face as my hands wrapped around his neck. I knew we were getting looks from how close we were, but that was Micah and me, too good of friends to be proper.

"You greedy little slimeball." I laughed as he sat me down digging through his pockets. "Father got this straight from the Capital and carried it through miles of war torn country to make sure the love of my life could have a happy seventeenth birthday." Micah's family was as wealthy as the viceroy, his father a merchant. I ignored the love of his life part. He was my friend, but his intentions were getting harder to ignore. I adjusted my braid as he shuffled through his pockets dramatically.

"Oh stop your teasing." I laughed again. He smiled but pulled out a little velvet pouch. I opened it quickly, making eye contact with him before I dumped its contents into my hand. My heart stopped as I looked at the pretty teardrop pendant almost the exact color of my eyes. "Oh Micah this is too much."

"Nothing too much for you, Cor." He whispered. I stared at him for a moment and smiled. I hugged him again, slightly uncomfortable with the look in his eye. I knew that Micah loved me, and that he would be a great match for me, but I couldn't marry someone I didn't love. "May I escort you home?" He asked and I immediately nodded.

"We'll tell the guard to give a message to Morris." I said, "I was supposed to meet him." Micah nodded offering a smile.

"He'll be fine," Micah assured me, "Now tell me more about your brave adventures delivering dresses to her worship." I took his arm laughing.

"Well, first the woman fawned over my mother's hurried stitching saying she'd be the finest lady in the kingdom." I said, mimicking the lady's tinkering voice.

"Your mother's stitching flawed?" He feigned shock. "Blasphemy."

I looked up laughing as he looked down at me, his brown eyes swirling with happiness. "Well when you're sewing a dress large enough to cover a whale, not all stitching can be perfect." He scoffed, shaking his head at my rashness.

"Well that is true, I suppose, not that I know much about sewing."

"And then she made sure that Johnathan was in range, so that I could envision myself as a plump, happy Viceroy's wife." I said, "Do you now how hard it is to keep your composure when you've got a pair of dead cold eyes scraping down your body like you're something for sale at the market?" I asked as we settled in the line of people waiting to exit the village.

"I'll kill him," Micah growled, his face angry as redness climbed up his neck.

"Oh no, I was talking about the Lady." Micah looked confused for a moment and then erupted in laughter, me laughing with him. He shook his head, before turning to face me, his face fond.