Feeling something on my hand, I gasped, pulling my hand back quickly. It’d felt like... like a spider. Like a tiny leg had just tickled my smallest finger.
Looking down at the grass and squinting, I saw that it was a small orange caterpillar, not a spider.
“Owen!” I hissed. “Look!”
I wasn’t that enthralled with insects, but I had also never seen a single bug in all the time I’d spent in this forest. So I scooped up the little guy and placed him in the palm of my hand.
Sure enough, the fuzzy little creature was alive and well, scooting along my hand. He went blurry before me as my eyes burned with tears.
This was...everything.
I’d helped heal these trees and slowly but surely, the forest was coming back to life.
Everything okay?Krew sent me.
I wiped my eye with my free hand.Yes. I just found a caterpillar in the forest.
I felt nothing but pride down the bond. And the weight of it almost sent me to my knees.
I’m in the throne room trying to disguise the fact that I am smiling like a fool. Meanwhile the others are talking taxes. I’d rather be with you and the caterpillar.
I’ve had a great day. Wish you could’ve been a part of it.
Some day, love. Some day.
I passed the caterpillar off to Owen, the feel of the tiny legs on my palm a bit too much for me. He gladly took it over, bringing it close and examining it right in front of his face.
“Unbelievable!” Owen exclaimed. “I almost want to take it for the princes to see, but I don’t want him to die.”
I laughed. “Is it ridiculous that I’m crying over a silly caterpillar?”
“No.” Owen shook his head. “Not when your hard work is why he’s here.”
“How do you know it’s a he?”
Owen squinted even harder at the caterpillar, and I burst into giggles.
While Owen continued to play with the caterpillar, I closed my eyes and thought of a day where the forest would be green, teeming with birds and bugs. It might not be this spring, but hopefully by next spring.
“Owen?”
“Yeah?”
“Can we go train?”
His head snapped back. “Now? Why?” He paused. “Wait. Because you know I’m full of cookies and likely to be slow right now?”
I smirked. “No. Just because I feel like it.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Well this is new.”
“I want to heal this forest, but I can’t until the king is gone. So first things first.”
Owen put the caterpillar on the ground so gently it made me smile and then moved to cross his arms. “First thing first is actually the object with the queen’s magic. Or did you forget about that part?”
I shook my head. “No. But that I cannot control. My magic, I can, however.”
Owen was grinning ear to ear.
