The Love That Bonds Us

Chapter 24 : So This Is Love

IDUNA

The morning of my real Birthday dawned bright and warm.

I twisted over in my bed, a drowsy and vague smile stretching across my lips.

Everything from the previous day slowly came back to me, replaying in my mind. The adrenaline and excitement coursed through my veins again until I bolted upright, remembering it was my actual Birthday and I was finally sixteen!

I had been waiting for this moment for so long now, and it had finally come!

Halima had left me a few presents to open so I had that to look forward to. Plus, being sixteen meant I'd be able to find work.

Not many people would be happy about that, but spending most of my time around Royals who never got to live a normal life made me feel incredibly lucky that I did have one. I felt like it would be disrespectful to not take advantage of my peasant blood.

I had a few places in mind for employment and I couldn't wait to start looking through them with Halima; she'd promised she'd have a look with me that afternoon.

It may only be the two of us and it may turn into a rather quiet day, but I couldn't have pictured it going any differently. Of course, I hadn't seen that surprise party coming, but my sixteenth Birthday was either going to be quiet and pleasant or wild and exciting. And now it was both!

I threw off my blankets and slid down the banister to find Halima working hard in the kitchen.

"Good morning Halima. What are you doing?" I asked her, resting my chin on her shoulder.

"Just making you the best Birthday breakfast in the world." she answered.

I blinked in surprise and looked about the kitchen, only then realising that it was filled with all my favourite breakfasts; marmalade toast, bacon, hash browns, boiled egg and soldiers ...

My mouth began to water and I could hardly wait for the meal to be on the table.

When, at long last, it was placed there, I tucked in as soon as I could, eating a little bit of everything. Well, admittedly, a lot of everything.

"What?" I asked, when Halima gave me a strange look, "You present me with so much of my favourite food; I'm bound to eat a lot of it."

"It'll be lunchtime by the time you've finished." she chortled, leaning back in her chair and pushing away her own, empty plate.

I gave a shrug and stuffed my mouth with a spoonful of beans, "What can I say? Brunch?"

"I think we better make it that." she began to clear the table then, dropping a few of the leftovers into Crickets' bowel on her way to the wash bowel. (Cricket much preferred human food to dog food; it was extremely unhelpful.)

When I'd finally admitted that I was full, we retired to the living room for an hour or so of games - both Northuldran and Arendellian. It was very nice and I was really enjoying my quiet Birthday after the riotous party of the previous day.

As we'd both had such a large breakfast, we decided to pass lunch and instead discussed my employment options earlier than I'd expected.

"Where would you like to work then?" Halima asked, settling herself back in her armchair with a cup of tea, ready for the potentially long discussion that was about to take place.

"I've narrowed it down to a florist, a dressmaker or a carpenter." I answered with a grin, counting the three potential jobs on my fingers.

Halima pursed her lips thoughtfully and drummed her fingers against the mug, "Well. There's a Florists right across the street, that would be quite easy for you to walk to each day and your love for nature would probably make you very good at that job."