“Thank you, Ark,” Lille said. She moved to look up at him, but his booming voice swiftly interrupted her.
“You silly girl!” he yelled. “I told you not to move! When there are so many people out, some of them are bound to be bad guys. What if something had happened to you?!”
“I’m sorry…”
Although he chastised her severely, her sheer relief at being reunited with Ark won out over any negative feelings. It reminded her of a time when, after she’d gotten lost as a little girl, her father had found her safe and sound.
“I’m just glad you’re okay,” he sighed. “It looks like the protection charm Master Charlie cast on you worked.”
“Huh? A charm?”
“Yup. Right here.” Ark stepped into the shadow of the alleyway and bent down to pick up something. It was the jade-green ribbon that had been tied around the end of her braid. She hadn’t realized until then that it had come undone at some point.
“Yesterday’s magic…?”
The ribbon was scorched around the edges and falling to pieces. She remembered how Charles had enchanted the bow with some sort of magic after Leo finished braiding her hair.
“To think it’d come in handy so quickly…” Ark furrowed his eyebrows. “When Master Charlie comes back, let’s keep this to ourselves. He’s a worrier,” he said, putting a hand to his neck and twisting it with a crack.
“Ark, could I possibly have that ribbon back?” she asked.
“Sure…but you know you can’t use it anymore, right?”
“Yes, I realize that.” Lille nodded, reaching out for the tattered piece of fabric. It was a reminder of how Charles had protected her. She placed it neatly in the palm of her hand, holding it gently. She could’ve sworn it was still warm.
✦ ✦ ✦
❁❁❁
THEY tried to stay quiet about the ordeal, but there was no hiding Lille’s unraveled braid from Charles, and they found themselves on the receiving end of a serious lecture when they returned to the house. Lille almost cried when she saw how deathly white Charles’s face turned in response to their summary of what had happened. She was so, so grateful to have a family that worried for her, and even scolded her, if necessary. She vowed to herself that she would never do anything so dangerous ever again.
✦ ✦ ✦
❁❁❁
ONE week later, Charles went to pick up Lille’s new clothes from The Three Needles. Lille was to stay behind to reflect on her actions, so she had to ask Charles to deliver the seamstress’s magic items. She helped Charles prepare some Sleepy Tea and a batch of Sweet Dreams Potpourri, working together to improve the formulas, which made them the first products designed in part by Lille. They were proof that she could still be of help to someone, despite how small she was. She was looking forward to discovering more and more ways she could contribute.
When Lille told Charles about the seamstress ordering some items from his shop, his entire face had lit up.
“I can’t believe you found us a new customer already. That’s amazing. Now you can get started on your first job.” He beamed.
To celebrate the occasion, Charles gifted Lille one of the potpourri bags. It had a sweet, calming aroma. Later, Lille opened up the bag, and placed the tattered ribbon inside before tying it up again. It was her first ever secret.
Whenever she went to bed with the bag placed next to her pillow, she had a mysterious notion that she would meet Charles in her dreams. After a few days, she started a nightly routine of offering a prayer up to the stars:
I pray that all the people I love will have wonderful dreams tonight.