Amazingly enough, the adventure with Sage counteracted the day’s fatigue and my next slip into my bed sent me directly to a deep, deep sleep, free of goats and bears and giant oafs. I awoke refreshed the next morning to the feeling of early orange sun glowing through the window. Sage was nothing more than a horrible nightmare. What a horrible dream, though. I pulled on a work dress and I made my bed. The sun had not properly risen, but sometime during the past few weeks I had fallen into the others’ habits of waking up early. It wasn’t that bad. It gave me a longer day. I brushed my hideous hair, trying to get some shine into the nasty color.

Then I opened my door into the main room.

It was my own fault for assuming Sage to be a dream. I should have known better, for I had never been prone to such crazy dreams before. And there was a splinter in my hand from the wood. I stamped my foot hard and nearly screamed—a good, hard foot stamp might have been just enough to send a tremor to disturb the sleeping bear-like form now known as Sage. He lay before the hearth, not having so much as a blanket to cover him. His face was toward me, his nose a smashed and bent ball of deep purple. At least he did not snore.

“Good morning, Celandine!” Idony sang from the opening door. She held a basket full of herbs that immediately swarmed my sensitive nose. She looked as delighted as I had ever seen her. “Did you sleep well after that little impromptu declaration? I certainly did. It’s amazing how seeing your son can work up some sleepiness. We were only awake another half hour after you went to bed, poor Sage was so tired. As was the rest of us, for that matter. I hope you don’t think us heartless that we would rather sleep than talk to our son, but that’s how it is. Voya’s milking the goats. Could you please get out the kettle?”

I nodded as if controlled and went for the kettle. It needed to be rinsed and filled with water for the tea. “I thought he was just a dream?”

“Sage?” Idony paused after that, as if expecting the punch-line of a joke. “No, he’s real enough, even if he does pick the strangest times to come barging in. It’s like him to want to sneak in unbeknownst to his own parents.

I stared at Sage. He looked, for all intents and purposes, dead. “He hasn’t awoken yet.”

“He’s had a long journey, no doubt.” She handed me some tea leaves, and I set about to preparing the tea. Everyone said I was already the best at it. No one back in Itia would believe that. Maybe when I was back with Tyderith I could impress him with tea. “The nearest town is miles away. I don’t know why I picked so late in the day to make the journey. And, oh, I hope he had the sense to put away his horse!”

Voya came in with the milk then, humming to herself. “Ah, Celandine! My hero!” She set the milk down with a huff and hugged me. “I have always wanted to hit Sage upside the head with a piece of wood. Lord knows he deserves it.”

“It was an accident,” I defended.

She laughed and winked at me. “Sure it was. Trust me, once you get to know him, the next time you hit him will certainly not be an accident, the idiot.”

I glanced at her and then at Sage. I knew that some people flirted in rather teasing ways. “Are you and Sage…?”

Idony nearly choked laughing and Voya made a face. “Ick, no! Sage and I? He’s much too young for me and he’s an idiot besides. I would never be involved with him and I am insulted you would make such a suggestion. I do not want to hear another word about it. Let’s get to making breakfast.”

It was not until we had steaming oatmeal poured into those giant bowls that Sage awoke. I had the oddest impression that he had been awake for a little while longer, because his eyes opened with the sound of bowls striking the table. And he was clearly alert.

“Mm. Oatmeal!” He shoved off his cloak-turned-blanket and hopped to his feet. “Now that is the reason I came home.”

“You haven’t eaten a good breakfast since you last saw me?” Idony asked worriedly. “Now that is not all right. I always assumed they had actual food in the towns but apparently I am wrong. Or at least you are a terrible shopper and have absolutely no idea how to take care of yourself. This horrifies me, so get up here and eat it. I have a long list of chores for you today and as long as you will be staying and trust me when I say that you are going to need your energy.”

I set out some silverware and watched Sage. He did not even glance at me, the strange girl who had butchered his nose. It was insulting. “Sorry about your nose,” I said again.

His eyes quickly went over me before returning to the food before him. “It’s broken, by the way.”

I felt my face grow hot. “I didn’t mean to…”

“It’s not broken, Celandine,” Idony said. “Sage will tough it up.”

I thought about what Voya had said, wanting to beat him with a wooden board, and I considered making a pale joke about hitting him again, but he had already set to eating. He ate fast, silently taking down the oatmeal before I could even make myself sit down. I don’t know if it were just me, but I felt strangely awkward. No, the other three were just chattering away as if I did not exist. It was an odd feeling. Idony and Voya had always made a point of talking to me, but it seemed as if they only cared about Sage’s adventures at his silly job of selling things or whatever he did. I sat and ate, barely tasting the food.

“Oh, and Celandine has taken over your room, dear,” Idony said. “I hope you don’t mind.”

They had said my name. I had been in the process of leaving the table, but I quickly sat back down. I was surely blushing again. I had been sleeping Sage’s room all this time? And what did he have to say about that?”

All Sage did was take more oatmeal. “I assumed as much when she walked in there. That’s fine, I can sleep in the floor.”

What a gentleman, I thought bitterly. Perhaps I should say something. Say what? Compliment him for the bed? Tell him his nose was looking better? “I’ll start the dishes!” I said.

“I told you she was a divine helper,” Idony cooed.

My teeth were clenched throughout the entire dishwashing procedure, though I tried to keep my face calm. It seemed to be working, as neither Idony nor Voya said anything—and I was certain Idony would show some concern for my feelings. I was furious and I could not figure out for the life of me why. But I scrubbed the dishes and puffed up the bubbles until it was nearly a soapy mess all over the floor. Maybe Sage would slip in it. Then maybe he would be forced to say something to me that was longer than two measly sentences.

Voya soon joined me at the tub, still humming that ridiculous tune from the milking. “Well, this little appearance of his has officially made my day all the more exciting.”

She had to be kidding me. “Do you mean besides me nearly breaking his nose?”

She shrugged. “Maybe. I’m sure that’s part of it. But as you have probably noticed we have pretty much the same routine around here. It’s like when you arrived. Believe it or not, that was very exciting. We haven’t seen Sage in months.”

I wanted to ask her why Sage was so intent on ignoring me, but I was not sure how to form the words. It was a rather silly question, besides. He had spoken to me, acknowledged me… and why in heaven’s name did I care so much? It was not like he was anywhere near as handsome as Tyderith. And I wasn’t at the epitome of my beauty right now. But still, he could at least fawn over me like everyone else did. I gave a small laugh. Who was I kidding? I knew what I looked like.

“What’s so funny?” Voya asked without looking away from the bowls she was drying. “I have said nothing witty.”

“Nothing,” I replied. She wouldn’t understand it. She was plenty gorgeous herself and I highly doubted she would be able to interpret my crazy, crazy mind. I glanced over my shoulder to see if Sage was still present. Somehow he had slipped out the door. “Did I really take his room?” I asked.

“Sage’s?” Voya flipped her hair from her face and set to putting the dishes away. “Of course you took his room. Or more appropriately to make it fair for you, we gave you his room. It wasn’t like there was anywhere else to put you, unless you would prefer to sleep on the floor.”

The very idea sent shivers down my spine. “So Sage doesn’t mind it?”

“You amaze me, Celandine. There is nothing wrong with sleeping on the floor every now and then. It can actually be quite comfortable and Eberon says it’s good for your back. Though I don’t understand how lying on a hard floor can be good for that, but I’m not Eberon.” That last sentence dripped with sarcasm.

“You’re very close with them,” I said. It was something I had observed since coming here. “With all of them.” Including this Sage.

“’Course I am,” Voya replied. “They’re like my other family, except for the fact that they pay me. They and my parents are very good friends.”

“I thought your parents worked for Eberon and Idony.”

“They did. But it’s not like they’re royalty, exactly. I’m just a maid who helps out Idony, though I’m sure they could fend for themselves if they wanted to. At least right now.”

“What do you mean?” Though the answers came readily enough. They would be getting old someday.

But the answer did not come readily enough to Voya. She nearly dropped the cup she was putting away. But then she had it again steady and in its proper place. “Well, when I was younger and my parents were working for them, they needed a lot more help than they need now, and my parents were perfectly capable of doing what they needed. Me, I’m just the maid.”

“And your mother wasn’t?”

“Of course she was a maid. It’s just… well… Sage was only a child and there were some things… but they always had Niola.” She beamed at me, making that the answer to my question. A very bizarre answer.

I shrugged it away. “Niola is the Beech-Wood Fairy, correct?”

“Correct. This is her domain, and she and Eberon and Idony quickly became friends with her the moment they came. I think one has to befriend her, or she would probably kill you or turn you into a fish. I would not be surprised if half the fish Eberon catches were once humans.”

It was the most disturbing idea I had ever heard and I could not be sure if Voya were joking or not. I finally decided to laugh and see how she reacted. To my luck, she laughed as well.

“Dishes are done,” she said then. “And there is still work. Let’s hit the carpets.”

Idony had several rugs throughout the cottage that would get as dusty as dusty could be. Tragically, they were heavy, and it took Voya and I together to move them outside to beat them. There was a stretch of rope between two trees, and that is where we would heft up the rugs before hitting large sticks against them. It was strangely fun.

It was while we were beating the rugs that Sage made another choice to appear, carrying with him an arm load of firewood, freshly chopped. I could smell it. I was so sick of smelling every little thing.

“That’s all you can carry?” Voya teased as she took a whirling swing at the current rug. “I thought you were supposed to be the big strong man around here.”

Sage laughed. “Perhaps you would like to carry it?”

“I could not deny you the exercise.”

I weakly hit my stick against the rug, drawing forth only a small puff of dust. Why was no one speaking to me? But then again I did not care. Oh, I was not used to this lack of attention!

“Voya, Voya,” he sang. He stopped before us, holding his humongous armload of wood over his head—just to show off. “Where would I be without you nagging me?”

“The towns,” she replied. “With all your various favorites there.”

Favorites?

“You are cruel, Voya.” And yet he said it without blinking from his smile.

“I am, I am. I just want to know who your latest lady friend is.”

Latest? He wasn’t that handsome. In fact, with his purple nose he looked like an overgrown troll. I whacked my stick against the rug much harder, and dust filled my nose. I sneezed and coughed.

Sage stared at me with something akin to disgust. Voya commanded me to breathe. And then they decided I wasn’t worth their conversation.

“Her name is Lillian, if you must now,” Sage said. “She looks like an angel. Red hair, curly. She’s the seamstress’ apprentice, and she can kiss like no one else in this world. Now, while you seethe in jealousy, I shall drop this off behind the house.” And thankfully he left.

“Sage, Sage, Sage,” Voya said with a laugh after he was gone. “I swear, that boy should never be let near a pretty girl. They’re all he can think about it. I’m just glad I’m off-limits.”

“What about me?” I almost screamed in horror. I had not meant to say it aloud.

“You? Well, I don’t know. You’re plenty cute, but Sage is, how should I put this, a complete pig. He only wants the most beautiful, and I’m sorry to say that dream likes beyond the likes of you and me, as lovely as we are. What can I say? Sage plans on marrying the world’s most beautiful woman. I don’t know why. I love him like my own brother, but he’s certainly not the world’s most handsome man. Why did you ask? Are you interested?” she finished slyly.

“No,” I said, and continued beating the rug. Boy, I hope I was not.