Fire Kingdom:
A light breeze passes through the backyard garden as Rosaline knells down to water the vegetables. The leaves of the tomatoes get sprinkled on them as the ground darkens with water. Rosaline tightened her tight ponytail, which is her preferred hairstyle when busy. After watering the garden, she hangs the washed clothes on the clothesline. The breeze should dry the clothes fast. The sun comes out in a few minutes. Rosaline heads inside for breakfast.
"Any cheese?" asks Mrs. Pinecrest.
"Just a piece," says Rosaline, accepting the slice her mother cuts for her from the wedge.
"See you later, dears," says Mr. Pinecrest, heading into his fieldwork.
"Have a good day," says Rosaline.
Mrs. Pinecrest gave Mr. Pinecrest a kiss on the cheek, handing him a packed lunch.
Rosaline steps inside the stone steps of the Healer building, pushing the wooden door with all her upper body strength. The door falls back in its place behind her with a loud thud.
"Good day, Rosie," says Wizard Haze.
"Good morning, Wizard Haze. What will we work on today?" asks Rosaline.
"A fertility drink in tea form," says Wizard Haze.
Rosaline begins to gather and ground the herbs into tea bags by following the recipe written by her magic teacher. After a dozen tea bags are prepared, she cleans up the loose herbs off the table with a cloth.
Placing the tea bags in her leather bag, Rosaline heads out into the street. She walks toward the patient's house. Mrs. Serenity, to be exact- a woman who wants to be a mother. Reaching the house in the west part of the town, Ruby hangs many flowers in pots. Rosaline admires the flowers before knocking on the door.
An older woman opens the door.
"Come in, my daughter is waiting," says the older lady.
Rosaline sits next to Mrs. Serenity, who is in her thirties.
"The teas are to be taken once every three days until results. Come by for more if needed," says Rosaline, handing over the tea bags to Mrs. Serenity.
"Is this what your mother tried before receiving you?" says the older lady.
"Umm I don't think I understand?" says Rosaline.
"Your mother had a hard time conceiving," says the older lady.
Mrs. Serenity changed the topic while Rosaline thought about the words said about her mother and herself. Rosaline excused herself to go back to the workshop. At work, she finished the day in a blur.
On her walk to her house, thoughts danced through her mind and would not come to a halt. She walked at a quick pace, reaching home early, unlike most days when she enjoys her walks.
Upon stepping into her home, she waits for the right time to ask both her parents the burning questions boiling inside her.
"Hello dears," says Mr. Pinecrest, leaving the empty lunch pack on the kitchen top. He sits down for dinner.
As Mrs. Pinecrest serves the three of them a soup, Rosaline clears her throat.
"Mother, I heard you can't conceive children," says Rosaline.
Mrs. Pinecrest looks at Mr. Pinecrest with her eyebrows raised high.
The silence is like a nail in a coffin to Rosaline's worse thoughts. "Mother, that can't be right- I mean, you had me?" asks Rosaline.
Mrs. Pinecrest took a deep breath, saying, "We found you at our doorstep twenty-three years ago as a newborn baby."
"No, that can't be," says Rosaline.
"It's true, my dear, we raised you as our own," says Mr. Pinecrest.
Rosaline stands up from the table and rushes into her room. Mrs. Pinecrest is about to call for Rosaline, but Mr. Pincrest nudges Mrs. Pincrest to the table.
Rosaline sits on her thin bed and holds her pillow to her body. The life she thought she had had now bed flung from under her. Hot tears streamed down her face and onto the pillowcase.
Taking the flour in her small hands, Rosaline adds the salt and baking soda; After adding the wet ingredients to the bowl, she kneads the mixture with her hands. The ladies around her talk in cheerful voices. Rosaline's mother takes the mixture and shapes it into balls. In the oven, women put the buns; they only wait a few minutes until the buns are golden.
"Why don't you go home and change into a new dress? I prepared one for you," says Mrs. Pinecrest.
"Yes, I'll be back," says Rosaline.
A blue plaid cotton dress lay on her bed with a matching flower pin beside it. Her mother rarely lets her borrow her jewelry, but she has chosen one for Rosaline. Rosaline changes into the new dress as there is no full-length mirror in the house, so she looks down at her body. The dress hugs her slim curves but is modest enough to be appropriate for wear.
Lights from the torches sit every few meters in the town square. Colorful ribbons line the outside of the central homes. Rosaline helps pass out the traditional sweet bread. She weaves through the crowd; she holds up a basket.
"Would you like a roll?" asks Rosaline to each person she sees.
"I'd like one, thanks," says a voice from behind.
Rosaline turns to offer her basket, and standing in front of her is Henry Garland, the Marquees of Rubies.
"My pleasure, your grace," says Rosaline.
"The pleasure is mine," says Henry, blushing as he looks at Rosaline.
If her world is not upside down, Rosaline might reciprocate flirtatious advances, but she slips back into the crowd, her basket empty. Standing by the other women, she tries to ignore the feeling of Henry's gaze on her.
Musicians play upbeat music with string instruments. People bring chairs from inside their homes sitting on the edges. Other people enter the center of the square: groups of two or more people dance together.
The Duchess Garland of Rubies stands by the musicians, waving a hand to stop them from playing. Clearing her throat, she announces, "it is time for the mother and daughter to dance."
Mrs. Pinecrest, the woman Rosaline once thought was her mother, looks over at Rosaline, extending her hand. Rosaline cautiously took her hand, feeling the warmth of her mother's figure. This was the only woman who had raised her. They twirl and two step on the stones of the courtyard amongst other pairs of mother and daughters.
As the dance slows, Rosaline looks into the lights to stop tears from falling. Wondering who is her birth family? Why did they leave her to strangers?