Sienna was about to decide on a at dinner when Geo and Soren returned. The fox beast man was shirtless and slling of the sea. Behind him trailed her brother, grinning like a proud imp! They were followed by servants carrying baskets with fish. The haul was magnificent: fat sea bass, trout, and long-jawed fish she did not recognize. Clams, crabs, sea weed.
Sienna’s eyes lit up. "Fish, crabs, clams!" she exclaid, clapping her hands.
Ali, Mira and Suri ran around the n, clapping their hands excitedly.
"I will go and call our cousins." Soren shouted excitedly.
Sienna sighed. Soren had already accepted the Roclands the sa way her mother was already mothering the two girls left in her care. The dresses they were wearing were brand new, just like the accessories in their hair.
She didn’t let all this make her tense. Instead, she rolled up her sleeves. "Tonight, we will have a sea food festival. Co on girls, I will teach you how to grill and fry."
The outdoor kitchen transford into a lively cooking class. Even Eli ca to watch, although he pinched his nose and looked on with what could only be called royal disgust. He had never witnessed fish being gutted. Sienna showed the children how to clean the fish, her hands deft and sure.
Her movents shocked the cooks and her mother alike. Ali wrinkled her nose at the scales, but Suri splashed water everywhere. The cousins Soren had gone to fetch line up, eager to help.
Sienna skewered fish with long sticks, rubbed then with spices and herbs and set then over the fire pit. She taught the cooks and older children how to dredge fillets in flour and drop them in bubbling oil, the crackled and hiss making them jump back in delight.
Geo looked on like a supervisor, keeping the fire steady as he endured the playful howls of the children.
By 7:00 PM, the air was thick with the savory aroma of grilled fish, stead vegetables, deep fried trout and cold lemonade. Tables were laden with platters, and laughter rang our as the children tasted their first bites under the watchful eye of Mrs. Miller.
Even the Roclands joined in, bringing their own contribution: two wild hare and a deer that they had hunted. For the first ti, they felt welco on Sienna’s property.
Entertainnt was always a must have at the communal kind of dinners. Songs began--simple, playful tunes that Sienna taught the children. The little ones sang with gusto, their voices rising above the crackle of the fire.
"They should audition for a singing contest." Grandma Byra joked.
The adults laughed. They all knew the children were nowhere near competing level.
"Do you want to see the falcon dance?" Soone asked.
Sienna did not know who the question was ant for. But, she did not get to answer before two uncles and aunts spread their wings and flew up, dancing in circles while screeching.
From sowhere, a drum made an appearance! Cheers erupted from the courtyard.
Sienna thought the performance was nice...and also loud! Still, she laughed with everyone, her heart swelling with joy.
But joy was fragile.
The laughter faltered when a familiar flying ship arrived, and guards from the fox vanguard filled out. The fox lord had returned. He was tall, but sohow, tonight, he seed to be even taller.
Cloaked in midnight fur, he had the appearance of a villain that had co to destroy. His eyes were sharp as blades of ice and his presence silenced the crowd.
Without a word, he swept Sienna int his arms, carrying her towards the house. Ali and Eli wanted to follow but grandma Byra firmly held them back. The elderly woman had a twinkle in her eye. "Who wants to hear another story about the ti I went hunting and got lost in the forest? I was almost swallowed by a snake."
The children gasped.
Grandpa Corven laughed. Like the rest of the adults, he could tell that his wife wanted to give the couple private ti.
anwhile, inside he cottage, Sienna was struggling against Elias’s hold. "You damn fox, why do you always throw over your shoulder as if I am a bag of potatoes? If you want to talk, use human language."
His voice was low, dangerous. "Sienna. Do you know what you have done?" He kicked her bedroom door open and dumped her on the bed.
She blinked, confused, looking up at his towering figure. "I have done so many things today. Which of them are you referring to?"
"You fished an Amberis r prince from the sea," he hissed, crouching down that his cold breath brushed against her ear. "His tribe has reached out to , demanding your hand in marriage. Did you think that this would be over just because you kicked him back into the sea. Which by the way, is also an issue."
Sienna’s brushed his worries away, "Forced marriage is not legal, I checked with my lawyer."
Her raised his eyebrows curiously. "You have a lawyer!"
She nodded. "I plan to do more livestreams in future and beast n are very sensitive. Everything is an issue with you people! I said that I want my children to eat cooked fish and it was turned into calling bear beast n and all others who eat raw fish savages. You people are insane. I am not the problem, everyone else is."
Elias was caught off guard by her flawed logic.
The way things worked, if everyone was in the 99.9% on an idea and you were 1%, it was likely that you were wrong. In this case, Sienna was the one against many. She was the problem.
"Let’s put aside the whiny suitor you picked up and discuss the silly fox la la song you taught my daughter." He grabbed her hand. "Daddy fox won’t buy you a band!" He narrowed his eyes. "Are you trying to make people think that I am not taking good care of you financially."
Sienna’s cheeks burned. She had been putting Ali down for their midday nap in the previous week when she randomly sang the song. To her, it was a harmless lullaby. Now, under her husband’s gaze, it felt like treachery. "It doesn’t an anything Elias, I was just choosing words that rhyd. Besides, Ali made her own changes to the song so so of those lines are not mine. I an...look at my life, how can anyone possibly think you are stingy? Your generosity is the reason why I am lazy. Let sing you the song so that you gain a better understanding."
Elias groaned, looked up and then scread.
User Comments
0 comments from readers