"King Goode dead, King Jupiter rising! Read all about it!" The small, tan buck waved the paper over his head, shouting the headlines for all in the busy square to hear. He had no notion of pain this news brought to everyone's hearts. King Goode had reigned for all of my youth and the people of the United Warrens loved him. Now, he was gone, his young son left in his place. No one knew what was to become of the not yet steady warren alliance.

I sighed and moved on as the buck continued to call out his wares. The basket on my arm grew no lighter as I waded through the afternoon crowd. It was only when I reached the long, winding path toward Mrs. Dann's farmhouse that my loads lightened.

The path was my favourite in all of Natalia, though I had little to compare it to. The white gravel stretched in front of me for miles, bright green forest on my left and rolling hills to my right. It was this path and the friends that were family to me that made my life happy.

I turned off and up the path to Mrs. Dann's, humming as I swung the basket of food I'd been sent to fetch. Little Emery, now hardly an infant, ran out to meet me and accompany the food safely into the house.

"Did you get the yams?" Mrs. Dann called from the kitchen as I placed the basket on the dining table.

"Yes, Mrs. Dann!" I scooped up the sack of yams and carried them into the kitchen.

Mrs. Dann was leaning over a blazing fireplace, stirring a pot of stew and wiping her brow. "Oh, your a lifesaver, Sween! Please, chop those up for me?"

I scattered the yams onto the kitchen table and picked up a knife, enjoying the savoury scent of the stew as it wafted from the pot. "What's the stew for, Mrs. Dann? It smells amazing!"

Mrs. Dann looked up, her brows raised. "Don't you know? The Longtreaders are hosting a village-wide potluck in honour of the last days of winter! I'm sure I meant to tell you but, oh, I would forget." She shook her head. "What with my Theodore dead in battle and the bills piling up, I feel as though I've aged seventy years since you've come, instead of four!"

Sween, who could barely contain her happiness at the notion of a night with the Longtreaders, managed a solemn expression. "Things will improve, Mrs. Dann. There will be a mending of all the brokenness. I'm sure of it."

Mrs. Dann settled onto a chair, a small smile on her face. "You're a wise and hopeful doe, Sween, especially when I need those things the most!"

I shrugged. "I consider myself a simple rabbit, contemptuous of evil and the world's broken ways." I went on slicing the yams, thinking hard. Finally, I looked up again. "I can't take all the credit, though. A friend of mine taught me nearly all I know about a 'mending'. He's the wise one."

Mrs. Dann's smile turned to a grin, then a chuckle. "Garten's a good buck. You'll make a fine couple, just like me and Theo."

I dropped the knife, piercing my finger. "Mrs. Dann!"

Mrs. Dann got to her feet and attended the stew once more. "I just call it like I see it, Sween. There's no denying you'll end up with one of them Longtreaders, and anyone'll admit that Garten's the best of the three." She swept past, winking at Sween. "I'd go for him if I were you."

Sween wiped her cut on her apron. "Now, don't you go spreading rumours about Garten and me, Mrs. Dann. I promise you, there's nothing between us. Nothing at all. In the least bit."

Mrs. Dann raised an eyebrow.

"Mrs. Dann!"

"Alright, alright, keep your ears on! Mum's the word, as they say." She shook her head, muttering under her breath.

We continued working in silence until Mrs. Dann glanced at the clock and let out a shriek. I dropped the knife again, cutting my other finger.

"What is it?" I asked, wincing as I grabbed a rag to wrap the cut.

Mrs. Dann grabbed my shoulders and began shoving me from the kitchen. "I told Natrynn Longtreader I'd send you their way at half-past. It's nearly 4:00!"

"But Mrs. Dann, what about the yams?"

She shoved my coat into my arms. "I'll finish up the stew and join you in an hour or two. Just get over there and have fun with-"

I frowned. "Mrs. Dann..."

"The Longtreaders."

I relaxed. "Good. Thank you!"

"Oh, and say hello to Garten for me," she called over her shoulder as she hurried off into the kitchen.

I sighed, shaking my head, and pulled on my coat, stifling my smile until I was rushing up the road toward the Longtreaders's.

#SwartenLongAgo #TheTraitorsLove #IllProbablyPostMoreLaterToday #WHOLOVESMRSDANN?!