It was the day after the night that Mrs. Flaxfield had come home late. She now lay in bed, sick and miserable. Cendra had cleaned up her two brothers as best she could, and they now were on an outing to the market to get the necessities for the days ahead.536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRRMVpfNkGO
“James! Put the orange back now!” Cendra shouted wearily at her five year old brother. She apologized to the man who had been selling them, and scolded her brother thoroughly. “You should know better than to steal.” She said, scowling.536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdvemxpDEF0
“But Ceeeendra,” he said, pouting, “I was going to pay for it.”536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL9XdcZun19
A smile tugged at her lips. “Oh, really? And how were you going to do that?”536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGuIvCftuWg
“Tom gave me some money,” he said, smiling mischievously at his older brother, “I was going to use that.”536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡulNuSZTwut
“Can you show it to me?” Cendra asked. James looked from side to side as though to make sure no one was watching, and pulled a wallet out of his pocket. Not a moment later, Cendra had snatched the wallet and Tom was howling as she held his ear.536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT2SfKMNaEc
“Where did you find this?” she gasped.536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2EDK2BfKO7
“I -- I, well, s-someone lost it!” Tom said, pulling out of her grasp and crossing his arms over his chest. He stared at the ground and repeated, “Someone lost it. I found it.”536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiPdlHBpcfu
“In a man’s pocket.” James supplied, beaming. Tom glared at his younger brother, who was oblivious to what he had said, as Cendra grabbed Tom once again.536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2GN5W4hbQB
“You, young man,” she said firmly, “are going to show me whose pocket you took it from. You will apologize to him sincerely for stealing his wallet. And you will be grounded from dessert for the rest of your life if you do not.”536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8XpBVtVHCD
Surprisingly, it was easy to convince the boys to point out the unfortunate victim of their theft. Normally their stubbornness would have made the process slower. But perhaps it was the threat of no dessert that made Tom instantly point to a figure across the market place. Angry and embarrassed, Cendra marched the boys to the stall where the man currently stood. Apparently he was making a purchase, as he reached into his pocket, presumably to pull out his wallet. His hand stopped the instant he realized his wallet was gone. Rather than look confused or upset, he instantly began to scan the marketplace, scowling. It was not hard for him to miss the sight Cendra and her brothers made as she dragged them by their ears towards him, her face flushed with annoyance and embarrassment.536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUrNcOXbjbR
Cendra looked up at the scowling man before her. He was tall -- taller than her. This made her even more annoyed, as she had worked hard to attain her five foot eleven inches, and still was forced to look up to most men. His curly brown hair framed his face, and his grey eyes pierced right through her, or at least it seemed to her that they did. In an angry sort of way, he was handsome, but of course most men were, and Cendra cared not a bit at the moment. She glanced down at her brothers and shoved them forward.536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU1eHqqx5JB
Tom and James stared sheepishly up at the man, two identical images of shame. If not for their difference in height, one could have mistaken them for twins. They both had round faces, blonde hair, and the same big, adorable eyes. Cendra, with her dark hair and eyes, looked nothing like them. As she glared at them, waiting for them to explain themselves to the man, she looked more like a disapproving mother than a sister of theirs.536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhL3pLm7TV7
Tom was the first to move, smiling innocently and holding the wallet out. “I found your wallet, your highness,” he said, making a ridiculously deep bow.536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPMcSLdnLgn
“Yeah,” said James, trying to imitate his brother, and outdo him in the bow he made, “We’re sorry for stealing your money, your eminence.” He stumbled over the last word, making it sound more like “em-in-em-in-mence” than anything else.536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzBqzoqCf7y
“Jamie!” Tom whispered fiercely, elbowing him in the ribs. “You weren’t supposed to tell him!”536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd7ipuabqjm
“What?” protested James, “That’s what Cendra told us to say, wasn’t it?” he looked up to Cendra for affirmation.536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmnuQSKkpGw
“I said to tell the truth.” She reminded Tom disapprovingly.536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoafDzx51hU
“Oh,” said Tom, turning back to the unimpressed man in front of them. “If you must know the truth, oh royal kingy-man, my brother stole your wallet, and I’ve come to return it.” Ignoring the protests made by James against the lie, he continued, “I’m happy to do a good deed, but of course, I wouldn’t mind being rewarded for my goodness.” He looked up with very convincing sincerity, though he still fiddled with the wallet, which was still in his hands.536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP4CsRWUl9L
“Thomas.” Cendra bit out, “Give. Him. The wallet.”536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡctybw7lkzI
Tom held it up, and the man received it wordlessly, still staring coldly at the trio. The stall owner, as well as a few other people nearby, were watching them as well. The silence was extremely awkward for Cendra, and she rushed to get the whole thing over with.536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHO5EJcLZsO
“Er -- we’re deeply sorry for troubling you, m’lord,” she said, bowing her head, “and pray you accept our apologies.” She waited hopefully for the words of forgiveness, but he remained silent, so she quickly added, “We had better, um, leave and stop bothering you. Have a nice day!”536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1jB7RfRaxS
She turned quickly to leave, eager to forget about the whole thing.536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCOELLLAsTn
“Wait,” he said, reaching out his hand as though to stop them. Cendra spun back around, forcing an emotionless, or at least what she hoped to be emotionless, mask upon her face.536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsfE5QzRdyv
“Can I help you, m’lord?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. We returned the wallet; what can he want now, she thought irritably.536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡocMcm0tSp3
“As a matter of fact, yes, you can,” he snapped, crossing his arms. “You can teach your sons not to act like buffoons around a Lord, or anyone of high rank, for that matter."536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtk80LicGnK
Cendra's eyes widened at his rudeness. Why, the abominable, odious-- Wait! Sons? Did he just call them my sons? The nerve of this bastard!536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmMICEdHxO6
"You can teach them basic courtesy," he continued, "such as when or not to steal from someone else. Perhaps give them a lecture on the results of a lack of morality. And you can explain to them the order of rank in this country, and the difference between ‘your highness’, ‘my lord’, and ‘kingy-man’.”536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv4kAvMqhCa
That's it!
“Well, my lord,” spat out Cendra, losing her temper under the pressure of being scolded like a child, “I fully intend to teach my sons proper behaviour, if or when I have any. But as any man not too caught up in his own bloated opinion of himself could plainly see, I am not nearly old enough to be the mother of these two boys. What’s more, I can’t find that I am too angry with their lack of courtesy, when a nobleman such as yourself cannot control himself well enough to use it. And I don’t care much for the use of the titles of King, Duke, or Lord, when “buffoon” works just as well.”536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGXjQZKLje2
She paused for just a moment to catch her breath, as she had spoken too quickly and angrily to do so. “And so, my lord, if attempting to shame us is all you wished to do, we will take our leave, and return to more important business.”536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVmD9SJ7kms
She refrained from poking him in the chest, though she was almost angry enough to do it. But though she had temporarily lost her head, she did not want to risk being around the haughty man any longer, and neither did she think it would the wisest decision to get any closer to him. So instead, she turned once more and started to storm away.536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIcnCWWKX3O
Only to walk right into someone’s chest.536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW5U9L0o4d3
Blast. Murmuring an apology, face flushed once more, she looked up what seemed miles of chest and neck to make eye contact with the man she had walked into. Of course he had to be tall, Cendra thought, eyes widening, He’s at least six feet five!536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7wHoJbLryL
The man regarded her with thoughtful green eyes, his lips curled upward in amusement. “It was entirely my fault, ma’am,” he said, bowing slightly, “If I had been paying attention to my surroundings, no doubt I would have seen you storming through the crowd.”536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGel2BY686m
Cendra had already yelled enough for one day, so she suppressed her annoyance at the man before her.536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUq8NtifoEB
“You are too kind,” she said curtly, and as he had made no movement to step aside, she went to walk around him. She was surprised, however, when he boldly took her hand.536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqxcQLYG61A
“I’m Sir Drake, by the way,” he said, shaking it.536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLOhGRqMsFr
“Err -- pleased to meet you,” she replied, but did not give her own name, though it would have been the polite thing to do.536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ63lyFhHtaG
“If you don’t mind, ma’am,” Sir Drake said, tucking her hand in his arm, “I couldn’t help but overhear the argument you had with my friend. I’d hate to see a lovely lady such as yourself leave on such ill terms with him. He really is a good man, when you overlook a few traits of his.”536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6g84n19Q6q
“Oh, I’m sure.” she said stiffly, but when he pulled her forward she went along, not wanting to cause any greater a scene than she already might have. The boys followed along behind, for which she was grateful; she wouldn’t have to search for them after -- after -- well, whatever it was the man leading her was going to do.536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY7XDbxgvHd
“Glass,” Drake addressed the other man, “I’d like you to meet a pretty acquaintance of mine. Glass, this is -- well, ma’am, I don’t quite recall you giving me your name. Would you mind repeating it for my friend’s benefit?”
Cendra glared at Glass; he glared back just as viciously. 536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa5PBbZkLyn
“Drake, and… Glass,” she said, raising an eyebrow at the names, “it is an honor to meet you,” she said with obviously fake sincerity, while giving a mocking curtsey, which was rendered somewhat difficult by the fact that Drake still had her hand. She frowned at him and tugged it out of his grasp. “You can call me Spitfire. Have a nice day.” She smiled sweetly and moved to leave.536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiBzRUFnQJn
For what felt like the billionth time to Cendra, she was stopped.536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTD8ymNeODf
“Well, little Spitfire,” Drake said, “I believe my friend has something he’d like to say to you. Don’t you, Glass?”536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuxh82bdB0T
“You aren’t expecting me to apologize to her!” Glass exclaimed, much offended. Cendra stood shocked. Did Drake just call her “little”? Oh, that odious man!536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHhUby2uNIn
“No, I’m asking you to marry her.” Drake said with a sarcastic smile. “Of course I want you to apologize.”536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxA8tJQ90bM
“Fine.” the other bit out, then turned to Cendra. “I am deeply sorry, my dear Spitfire, for being righteously angry at those who stole my property and treated me with disrespect. I should have let the thieving brats get away with it; I’m sure it would have taught them a lesson in morals and chivalry.”536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSDYCzGCOED
“Good boy,” said Drake approvingly, “Now you can marry her.”536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnBoL6iFSm4
“Not that I don’t appreciate the offer,” Cendra said, not appreciating his humor, “but I have enough problems in my life already without worrying about living up to expectations of a buff- that is, of a noble gentleman. I really must leave now. Goodbye.”536Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ0ipuNpmmv
She marched away from the two men and returned to her tedious, but infinitely preferable, task of shopping.
