Alina Nivar: The Moonstone

III: Dreams And Meetings

After a long day of work, Alina could finally go to sleep. She was really tired, but happy at the same time, like after running through a meadow or fulling yourself with a good meal. And the next day, she would go home. Alina couldn't wait to meet her father and tell him the good news.

Once a month, the assistants were allowed to have a free day to visit their family and friends. Of course, the date changed within every assistant, or the kitchen would have no helping hands at all. Alina had only one person who she could call "family", and it was her father. Every month she would walk back to her home and spend the day there, and she knew that her visit always made her father happy, wich made her happy too. She would cook for him and tell him about her life in the castle.

While thinking about this, Alina slowly closed her eyes, and fell asleep with a peaceful look in her face.

Alina had a dream. In the dream, she was at the castle's kitchen, but when she arrived to her place there was another girl there. Alina couldn't see her face, but she knew she was doing her dessert's presentation. She told the girl she was the one in charge of it and not her, but the girl simply answered "I'm in charge now. You're just too pretty to do a work like this".

Alina wanted to say that it wasn't fair, that her looks had nothing to do with her skills, but she couldn't because every time she opened her mouth someone said "You're too pretty to say something like that". Someone handed her a mirror, and her face was the same: silvery grey eyes, chocolate brown hair with princess curls, fine lips with a pinkish shade, clear soft skin; but something in it was unnaturally beautiful. That wasn't her. She went straight up to the girl and they both started cooking. It was a contest, and quickly the opponents finished their plates. Alina's dessert was perfect, delicious, and the girl's was burnt and tasted horrible. Dolint was the judge. She said "Alina is the one in charge now" and left. Alina was really happy, and ran to the door to tell her father. Only that when she went through, she was now in front of a forest, and it was night. The moonlight was bright and lighted up the whole place.

There was also a woman. She had Alina's face and hair, but her eyes were deep brown. She was wearing a purple cape, just like Alina's. Smiling warmly, she handed her a book. It was her book. Alina opened it, but it was blank. When she looked up to ask the woman why, she was gone.

Alina woke up. That surely was one of the weirdest dreams she'd had. She dressed up, grabbed one of her ready-to-go baskets (which she kept for this kind of situations and emergencies) and went downstairs.

No one asked her anything as she headed to the service door. It led to some kind of courtyard, from wich emerged a bunch of roads. Alina took the leftmost one and started walking.

It didn't last much until she reached the small forest. Alina remembered how she used to come here as a little girl to play. It was one of her favourite places in the town. The birds' voices, the smell of wood and fresh flowers, the sound of the wind on the leaves...

Wait. There was no wind.

Alina stopped on her feet. A second later, she heard a crack and a flash of green, brown and blue fell from the sky. Alina stepped backwards, too surprised to react. A boy around her age was lying on the ground surrounded by leaves and branches. When he tried to get up, he collapsed with an "Ow!" and fell again.

When she regained her speech, she said:

"What in hell were you doing up there?"

"An 'Are you okay?' would've been good, thanks," the boy mumbled as he stood up, this time succesfully. Alina raised an eyebrow at him, hands on her hips.

"Next time you try to spy on someone, try to be a little more sneaky. And careful. Avoid dead trees and thin branches. And, for Suro's sake, hold tight," the girl said, and walked past him.

"Wha- I wasn't spying on you!"

"Oh, you weren't?" Alina said as she turned around to face the boy, her grey eyes staring at him sharply like storm clouds. "Then what exactly were you doing up there, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I was... Uhhh..." Alina took the time to inspect him better. His eyes were light brown and his sand blonde hair was messy and just a bit too long. He was a bit taller than her, kind of tan, and was dressed in ash-blue cotton clothes, with leather boots, wristbands and belt. A dagger sheath, also made of leather, hung from the belt. "I was waiting for someone."

"At the top of a tree."

Alina noticed the boy was grabbing his right arm with his left one and his hand was hanging still like a lifeless puppet.

"You're injured."

She walked straight up to him, grabbed his obviously injured arm and looked at it closely, ignoring the fact that his freckled cheeks were turning bright red.

"A twisted wrist," she stated after examinating it. "Probably you instinctively leaned on your arm when you fell and your body weight did the rest. You really suck at spying."

"I said I'm not a spy!"

"Yeah, sure."

Alina grabbed a branch from the ground and a piece of cloth from her basket. She turned to the boy.

"Give me your arm."

"What!?"

"I'm going to splint your wrist. Stay still."

"To what!? No, thank you, I'm fine. It's not my good arm. I'll survive."

"You didn't even survive in a tree, spy boy."

"It was just once. And don't call me spy boy."

"Tell me your name then."

"My..." He hesitated. "Arien. Arien Dwan."

"Very well, Arien Dwan," Alina said slowly. "I have to splint your wrist because, although it isn't a serious injury, any sudden move could make it worse. And recalling the recent events..."

"Stop," Arien grumbled. "Please."

Alina grinned.

"Then don't move."

Alina grabbed his arm firmly but softly. She positioned the branch along his wrist and wrapped it with the cloth. She then took her scarf out and put it under his arm, tying it around the shoulder.

"That should make it. With some luck, you should be fine in two or three days."

Arien stepped back. He looked at his arm, then back at Alina, then to the side.

"Thank you," he mumbled.

"What did you just say? I think I didn't hear you." Alina grinned.

"I said thank you," he repeated bitterly.

"You're welcome. I'm Alina, by the way. Are you going to the town or are you gonna stay in your spy spot?"

"Oh for Suro's sake, I'll just head to the town," Arien said, exasperated.

So they started walking.