At Last

Within the house two slightly raised beds, one with a palate underneath, stood neatly made and empty. A table that was once made for six--or maybe just five-- was set with only one plate.

The fireplace had only ash, though with the unusually warm day before the coming winter, it was not necessary to have one. Eira walked over and knelt by the hearth. Digging her fingers lightly in to the grey soot, she shook her head.

"No warmth to the ashes, Your Highness." The soldier stood and returned to her mistress's side.

"I guess we didn't scare her off. She wasn't here to begin with. How long do you think she will be gone?" Mairwen ran a finger along the table. No dust had accumulated, and the carefully placed plate on the table suggested that the owner of the home had not left in a hurry.

"It is getting late. If Eliana still lives here, she will have to return soon or else not today. I cannot imagine a peasant woman traveling alone at night." Eira answered.

"Well!" a voice came from the door. "Looks like you were worried for nothing. She's not even here."

Mairwen and Eira jumped in surprise as Alaron's shadow filled the doorway.

"We tied off the horses just up the hill. It's starting to get chilly out there." Renat pulled his cloak around him. The previous night had gotten quite cold by the end, and with the setting sun, it seemed like this one would follow suit.

"Maybe for you." Alaron held his shoulders high. With his Guardian's cloak, he never felt the warmth or the chill. It was always just comfortable. "But I do think Dania's sister might be in trouble if she remains out much longer."

"Dania's sister is never in trouble. She may live alone but she can certainly take care of herself."

A woman with beautiful long golden wavy hair pushed past Alaron to enter the room with an armful of firewood. She looked very much like Dania, though a little taller, but with the same mood ring eyes.

Alaron was slightly stunned. He hadn't felt her approach nor saw her. 'She must have expertly used the growing shadows,' he mused. Though why he still didn't feel her presence even though he could see her was still somewhat of a mystery.

"In fact," the lady went on, "I would say that Eliana is probably the most self-sufficient of her family. Yet four strangers in her house does seem to prove quite a problem."

Eliana did not even look at the visitors. In the absence of the sunlight, there really wasn't much point, though her lack of effort was quite curious. She dumped some of the wood into the fireplace and took the flint and steel from the mantle, striking until sparks ate at the tinder's splinters. She blew at the tender flame.

"If you strangers are going to rob or murder me, you better get it over with. If you are here for dinner, then you are far too early, and if you are here for Dania, you are far too late." Eliana said casually.

The rest, who had been too stunned to speak, all began to talk at once.

"We aren't here to kill you!"

"You've seen Dania recently?"

"Why do I feel like you were expecting us?"

"Did you say you were going to make food?"

Eliana still did not turn around. As quickly as the visitors began to speak, their chatter died down.

"I'm glad to hear it. Relatively recently. I have been, and yes I will feed you." Somehow Eliana had heard their overlapping words.

Mairwen took a step towards the woman. "You must be Eliana. The family resemblance is uncanny." She was not talking about the woman's appearance, but the manner with which she entered undisturbed. It was like looking at Dania's twin.

At last, the golden-haired woman turned around. Her smile in the growing firelight was dazzling, if not a tad too carefree considering the circumstances. Four strangers invading one's home would be a cause of concern for most people, yet the woman regarded them as if their presence there was as natural as breathing.

"And you must be Princess Mairwen. I have heard a lot about you. Though I did not think it would take you so long to arrive. I had nearly given up."

"Yes, I'm Mairwen, this is my husband Renat and my personal guard Eira. And this is a Guardian." The princess paused as her mouth parted slightly. "Might I ask, how did you know I would come?"

Eliana looked so innocent that it somehow made her look guilty. "Dania told me, well not verbally." The woman sighed, "Come, please help me with the food, and I will explain."

Tying her hair back with a ribbon, Dania's elder sister walked over to an unassuming box in the corner of the room. She opened it and a wave of cold air filtered into the room despite the fire.

"What is that?" Renat asked, intrigued. He had seen boxes that kept things cool but never one that generated its own frost.

From it, Eliana brought out some salted meat and milk. "I call it an iced box. It is well-made and has just a hint of magic to it. Quite a useful item."

She threw the meat in a pan and set it over the fire before beggining to pour the milk into cups.

"Where did you get it?" The scientist could not let the matter drop so easily.

"It was a gift, or more accurately a payment. I get a lot of interesting 'thank yous'." Eliana passed out the cups and ushered her guests to the table.

Around the room, there were other items that did not seem to fit with the simplicity of the home. Included in the decor was a painting of a lovely blonde woman that resembled the owner of the home.

"What exactly do you do to get such unique items?" Alaron picked up what he assumed was a salt shaker shaped like a snowy angel.

"I am what I like to call an analyzer. I help people find creative solutions or use the law to help them out of difficulty."

"You fix problems," Eira furrowed her brow as she mulled over the statement. "I did not know that was a job."

"It is more of a hobby. But an enjoyable one. And one that gets me some strange gifts because I try not to accept payment." Eliana wrapped her hand in a cloth and used a strange six-tined fork to flip the strips of meat. She removed the sizzling strips and served the sumptuous slivers along with some fruit to those at the table.

Her mind working quickly, Mairwen made a leap. "Is that how Sir Taran came into Dania's life?"

Another brilliant smile flashed across the blonde's face. "You are as clever as Dania said in her letters. Sir Taran was sent by his father after another nobleman recommended me. Unfortunately, he needed a solution that I could not supply. There was some confusion on what I do."

"What do you mean?" The Guardian could see there was more behind her words.

"Sir Taran wanted something beyond my scope, something akin to magic, I'm afraid. I am just a human whose brain works slightly differently. I don't like disappointing people, but it was inevitable." Eliana sighed through her nose.

"That isn't the end of the story, though..." the princess prodded. The blonde had a way of telling her story that was quite engaging, but Mairwen was becoming impatient. Her stomach was becoming full of food even as her mind was filled with questions.

Sensing the princess's angst, Eliana dipped her chin. "Forgive me. I have been waiting so long to tell you this tale that I am not getting to the point. Sir Taran was only here a short time before discovering his error. He apologized for wasting my time and prepared to leave. That is when he spotted Dania and Jaymes by the river. Sir Taran asked a few questions about them, and I told him they were both as gifted as I am, just in different ways. At once, he went down by the water to meet them. That was the beginning of everything, I suppose.

About a month passed before Sir Taran secured himself and Dania places at the University. He seemed infatuated with my sister, and who was I to stand in their way? He also sent young Jaymes off to a school to be educated. I love my siblings dearly, but they were not being challenged here as they should have been. I am afraid I was a poor mother figure in that regard."

"Older sisters should not be put in the position to have to mother," Alaron said. "I am sure you did what you could."

Mairwen nodded. "Have you seen Dania since she left for the University?"

Eliana's expression turned very sad. "A little over a month and a half ago--closer to two months now that I think about it--our strapping young nobleman came with my Dania and a handful of guards. He seemed as protective of her as ever, insisting they were going to be married. Yet the joy on Dania's face was clearly false..."

"What did you do?" Renat asked, his voice filled with anxiety.

"We were two women against six strong men. We did the only thing we could. We played along..." Eliana's eyes filled with tears. "I'm very glad you have come at last."