A Normal Morning

A little girl was sleeping in a luxurious bed with a peaceful expression. Her crimson hair splayed across the cushion.

The door to the room opened quietly, and two servants entered the room, a middle-aged woman and a sixteen-year-old girl.

The younger carried a tray with a glass and a pitcher of water to the bedside table while the older went to the window to open the blinds and let the sunlight in.

As soon as the younger girl set the tray down the girl on the bed shot upright startling the girl and almost leading to her pushing the pitcher over. She hurriedly bowed and apologized but when no response came she looked up and was surprised to see the young lady still had her eyes closed and appeared to not have heard her.

The older woman, already used to the young lady's quirks simply smirked softly, trying to hide her amusement.

The sunlight shining on her face finally managed to wake the young lady up fully. She slowly blinked her eyes and looked around the room. When she noticed the pitcher she shifted to the edge of the bed and poured herself a glass.

The older servant bowed, "Lady Sana, Lord Andrus wishes for you to have breakfast in his courtyard with Lady Aria."

"Tell my father I'm coming as soon as possible." Sana said in response and dismissed the servants who bowed once again and quickly left.

Sana stood up and quickly dressed herself in loose white robes with red accents. The robes closed at the front with interloping strings. She examined herself in a mirror, tied her hair back, and, with a smile on her face, opened the door to her room and started towards her parent's courtyard.

As she walked through the hallways, she would occasionally encounter a servant or guard who would quickly step aside and bow, waiting for her to pass.

As she got closer to her destination she started hearing what seemed like wood striking on wood. Her face lit up in excitement and she quickened her pace.

Sana entered the courtyard through the open gate and finally saw her parents in the center; they were sparring.

Her mother swung a wooden replica spear even longer than she was tall while her father simply used his hands to block and redirect her strikes.

Despite her entrance being ignored she didn't care and simply took a seat at the table set up in a corner of the courtyard, never taking her eyes, sparkling in excitement, off of her parents.

In contrast to her father's concentrated expression, her mother had a slight smirk on her face and temporarily fell on the defensive. Yet, every advance by her father was quickly slapped aside with seeming ease.

A step forward by her father was stopped by a thrust of his opponent's spear, which led to an unsteady stance. Her mother immediately exploited this by sweeping his legs, making him collapse to the ground.

Any attempt he could make at righting himself was quickly stopped by the tip of the spear against his throat. He simply let himself lay back on the ground with a sigh.

After a small breather, Aria helped her husband stand up and, after patting himself down, they joined their daughter at the table.

"Couldn't you take it a little easier when Sana is watching? Otherwise, she'll completely lose her respect for me," Andrus started with a teasing tone. He smiled at his wife after winking at Sana, who tried hiding her giggles behind her hand.

Aria simply smiled back, "If I held back you would become even weaker and then where would that lead." She grabbed his hand and turned to Sana. "Are you exited for today?"

When she heard her mother, Sana's smile wavered, and she couldn't help but grow nervous and glance away. Her parents shared a look, and her father put a hand on her shoulder, making her turn towards him.

"I'm not going to say not to worry since it obviously hasn't helped so far, but you know that nothing is going to stop us from loving you, and nothing that is beyond your power could ever make us disappointed in you," he ended, ruffling her hair with a beaming smile. Aria meanwhile took her daughters hand in her own hand.

Seeing her parents trying to help made Sana tear up but she quickly tried to compose herself, she smiled back and nodded her head quickly not trusting herself to open her mouth.

Her mother eventually began, "Why don't you go out to the city and come back in a few hours? The ceremony isn't until shortly before the Closing so you still have plenty of time. Why don't you go visit that librarian kid, Kenta?"

Sana quickly agreed, always wanting more time to play instead of sitting through boring lessons.

The small family continued to enjoy their time together, even through the breakfast that was brought out later.