There may be a price to pay for brain jitterbugging. I woke up this morning with a terrible migraine (although is there a such thing as a "good migraine?") For me the best cure is 2 or 3 hours of sleep in a dark, cold, quiet room. But since that's not usually possible, Advil Migraine kills the pain within half an hour. But I'm still sensitive to light and sound and it leaves me feeling spacey (more so than usual *sticks out tongue*). I still haven't figured out my migraine trigger or if I even have one. Luckily I only get them once every couple of months.
As promised the excerpt with the Gift Giving. I guess I should have set up the request better, I forgot to mention Kierana is a warrior and doesn't like girly girl stuff (I have some great scenes with her being fitted for *gasp* a dress!). LostInNY puts up with my story line a lot so he knew that already. So as much I as I personally would a pretty bauble or two, Kier wouldn't. As usual, ignore grammar errors, it still needs some tweaking and run on sentence chopping.
Kierana paced her room nervously, impatience was always one of her worst traits. She had given Caiden a pointed look earlier when she had left the great hall after dinner. He had winked at her but continued his conversation with Minolan. The pair laughed together at something and Kierana had tried not to stomp out of the room frustrated. She had forgotten to tell him not to sit next to the talkative bard.
As she walked around her small room for the hundredth time, she wondered what he would give her. And why, was there a meaning behind the gift? He had already said no long term commitments other than friendship. So what could it be?
With a sigh, she sat on her bed and tried to remember the last gift that she had received from anyone. She had never been fully aware of how lonely her life had been in Ter'fer before joining Lord Gitter's warriors. Most inhabitants of the castle had family and old friends. A history with this place and the people. Something she was beginning to have. And might be about to lose.
She stood up suddenly when she remembered her last gift. And it had even been from Caiden! She grinned widely, he had made her another bow, she was sure of it. It wouldn't have quite the same meaning as the one he had given her so many months ago at the tournament in Ganasburg but his craftsmanship was always superb. She began to pace the room again, happy at the thought of having her own bow again. Especially one made by Caiden's skilled hands.
The knock on the door almost made her jump out of her skin. "Come in," she said, her voice a bit shaky with excitement.
Caiden stepped in with a smile on his face. Kierana tried to look around him, where was her bow?
"What are you looking for?" he asked and glanced behind him at the closing door.
Kierana wrinkled her nose. "Nothing," she answered, trying not to sound disappointed. It wasn't possible to hide a bow and she didn't see it. Darn, she thought, she really wanted a new one.
"Is everything okay?" he asked. He moved forward and took her in his arms. She rested her chin on his shoulder and sighed softly, enjoying his warmth. She was being silly, just having him as a friend was more than she had a year ago.
"I'm fine," she answered, pulling away enough to show him her smile.
"Good. And here I thought you would be upset with me for making you wait."
She chuckled. "Maybe just a little," she admitted.
Caiden lightly kissed her forehead. "Silly girl," he said playfully. "Here, I'll put you out of your misery." His hand slipped into hers and he led her over to the bed to sit. She tucked her feet underneath her and bit her lip to keep from demanding her present this second.
"Megina sent me some things from home. I'd thought you like this." He pulled an object covered in a piece of leather from his pocket. Kierana leaned forward as he unwrapped it. "Ashmire made this, he's an elder in our village." He placed a small piece of carved wood in her hand.
Curious she examined it closer, the figure stirring vague memories in the back of her mind. The confusion showed on her face as she gently traced the minute details of a woman's face and flowing robes.
"It's the Goddess of the Forest," Caiden said softly. "It's good luck to carry Her image."
Tears sprung to her eyes as she turned the figure slightly to see the tiny pointed ears. She remembered where she had seen this before. "My mother had one," she sobbed, choking on the lump in her throat. "She kept it on a length of silver around her neck. I used to…" The memories overwhelmed her and she cried openly, the tears falling down her face. Caiden put his arms around her and held her tightly to his chest. She wept against his cotton shirt as she clutched the idol in her fist.
"I used to climb into her lap," she mumbled against his chest. She sniffed back more tears. Caiden lightly rubbed her back as she tried to regain her composure. "And look at Her while Momma told me stories." She closed her eyes tightly, a few more tears slid down her cheek. She hadn't thought of her mother in so long, the yearning ache was still there in her heart. With her eyes closed, she could see her mother's loving face and almost smell the lilac fragranced soap she had used on her soft light brown hair. It had been so long ago and yet the memories were as fresh as if it had been yesterday.
A small sigh escaped her lips as she felt oddly at peace in Caiden's arms. She opened her eyes and snuggled closer to him, resting her head under his chin. Opening her hand, she studied the Goddess's features again. The tiny details were so perfect, from the curved mouth to the long wisps of hair framing her face. The wood felt alive in her hand, the oak this piece had been carved from must have been very old. It was the best gift anyone had ever given her.
"Thank you, Caiden," she adjusted so that she could look up into his face, "you have no idea how much this means to me."
His warm nut brown eyes were so full of love, it made her heart skip a beat. "You're very welcome."
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