Chapter 1: Part 4.
When Rosie returned to the kitchen, Reine looked up from her books and asked, "Hard night?"
The young lass nodded mirthlessly. "He's always kept his pain inside. I think it just proved too much. The last few years have been really hard on both of us."
The two settled in to talk more. They spoke for the better part of the evening, and into the night. Finally, Rosie said that she was too tired to talk any more, and Reine excused herself. They made plans to meet the next day to talk more, and the wizard left.
Rosie put out the candles in the kitchen and went back into her grandfather's room. She leaned over his bed to check on him, as she always did before going to bed herself. She was about to leave when he shifted in his sleep. As he turned, a piece of paper fell out of his hand and landed on the floor. Rosie bent down to pick it up and carried it back into the sitting room.
She planned to give it back to him the next morning, but as she glanced at it, she saw something that intrigued her. It was a map of Nadoto, the entire continent, showing many places of which she had never heard. The only reason she recognised it was because the Stagling Forest and the city of Alya Clia, which lay north of Eddleton, were marked. What interested her, though, was the writing. It wasn't in her native tongue of Anglishian, but what looked to her like Castalunian. She didn't speak Castalunian; she was only guessing at the language based on what little she's heard of the language from Reine. There was a series of angry looking sentences written in red ink in the lower right, pointing to a mark near the marshes in the southeast area of the eastern peninsula.
Rosie gazed at the map a little more, and resolved to ask Reine about it the next day before returning it to her grandfather. It was very unlikely that he would remember that he even had it, though, so she was not worried about being quick about it.
And with that, she prepared herself for sleep, blew out the remaining candles in the cottage, and went to bed.
The young lass nodded mirthlessly. "He's always kept his pain inside. I think it just proved too much. The last few years have been really hard on both of us."
The two settled in to talk more. They spoke for the better part of the evening, and into the night. Finally, Rosie said that she was too tired to talk any more, and Reine excused herself. They made plans to meet the next day to talk more, and the wizard left.
Rosie put out the candles in the kitchen and went back into her grandfather's room. She leaned over his bed to check on him, as she always did before going to bed herself. She was about to leave when he shifted in his sleep. As he turned, a piece of paper fell out of his hand and landed on the floor. Rosie bent down to pick it up and carried it back into the sitting room.
She planned to give it back to him the next morning, but as she glanced at it, she saw something that intrigued her. It was a map of Nadoto, the entire continent, showing many places of which she had never heard. The only reason she recognised it was because the Stagling Forest and the city of Alya Clia, which lay north of Eddleton, were marked. What interested her, though, was the writing. It wasn't in her native tongue of Anglishian, but what looked to her like Castalunian. She didn't speak Castalunian; she was only guessing at the language based on what little she's heard of the language from Reine. There was a series of angry looking sentences written in red ink in the lower right, pointing to a mark near the marshes in the southeast area of the eastern peninsula.
Rosie gazed at the map a little more, and resolved to ask Reine about it the next day before returning it to her grandfather. It was very unlikely that he would remember that he even had it, though, so she was not worried about being quick about it.
And with that, she prepared herself for sleep, blew out the remaining candles in the cottage, and went to bed.