I couldn’t shake the look in that imperious eye as I returned to my home with my prized sketch in hand. Arian greeted me with a smile but one look at my face made her good humor falter.

“Is something the matter?” she asked me.

I shook my head. “Not really. I just couldn’t find anything god-I mean, good to draw.”

Her eyes twinkled with a knowing light but she nodded. “What a pity.”

I leaned back and looked her over. “Why don’t I try drawing you?”

Her eyes widened and she blinked at me. “Me? Why would you want to do that?”

I smiled and shrugged. “Why not? You’re very pretty. Even better looking than Lady Bidao.”

Arian blushed and lowered her face. “You praise me too highly, Lady-”

“Un-huh,” I playfully warned her.

“Anna,” she finished.

I set a hand on her shoulder and grinned. “For that mistake, I demand you pose for me.”

I led her toward the house where I seated her on the porch steps. She was as pliable as a wood board as I tried to position her in the most becoming way.

“Relax,” I told her as I twined her hands together in her lap. “I’m drawing your picture not forcing you to listen to my singing.”

Her ears perked up. “Do you sing?”

I laughed and shook my head. “Not really.” I scooted back and plopped my butt on the ground a few feet in front of her. I opened my sketchbook, leaned it against my bent knees, and focused on my subject. I was so focused on my work that I didn’t notice the little pitter-patter of feet behind me.

“Lady Anna!”

That was the only warning I had before a pair of tiny arms wrapped around my neck and a small body draped over my back. I twisted my head around and found myself staring into Lia’s adorable face. Prince Kean stood behind her trying to appear imperious with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Hey, guys,” I greeted them as I patted Lia’s arms. “What are you doing here?”

Kean nodded at Lia as she slid off my back. “She wanted to come see you.”

“That’s very sweet of you to do that,” I thanked her as she sat beside me.

Her eyes grew big when she noticed my sketch. “Did you make that?” Even Kean stepped up to my back to take a peek.

I nodded. “I did. Do you like it?”

She bobbed her head. “Oh yes! It looks just like her!”

Arian stretched her neck to catch a view. “Does it?”

I laughed and turned the book around so she could see. “How’s that?”

She studied the picture and her mouth fell open. “That’s wonderful!”

“Lemme try!” Lia pleaded as she hopped up and down.

“Alright, but what do you want to draw?” I asked her as I attempted to flip the page. The oil on my hand had made the page a little sticky and it stuck to its predecessor. I ended up flipping both pages and revealing my previous sketch.

Lia’s eyes widened and she stabbed a finger at the picture. “I like that one even better!”

Kean leaned forward and squinted at the sketch. “Isn’t that Lord Eastwei?”

“Is it?” Arian spoke up as she stood.

“It’s nothing!” I stuttered as I tried to peel the pages apart.

Arian scurried over and got a look at my sketch before it succeeded in hiding it. Her eyes twinkled and a smile slipped onto her face. “Is that drawn from life?”

I blushed and bowed my head. “Y-yeah.”

“You must have had to stare at him a long time to draw him so nicely!” Lia complimented me.

“Well, not too long,” I assured her as I handed her my pencil. “Now it’s your turn to draw. What do you want to try drawing?”

She pointed the tip of the pencil at Kean. “I want to draw Kean!”

He rolled his eyes but the corners of his lips twitched up. “I guess you can draw me, but I don’t want to sit here all day.”

His step was quite eager as he took Arian’s spot on the steps. I let Lia use her artistic skills and was surprised when it turned out much better than a stick figure. However, she couldn’t satisfy Kean’s demand about the time and it was a half hour later before she looked up at me.

She held up the picture. “Is this good?”

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I smiled and nodded.. “Very good. In fact, we should frame it.” A bright smile stretched across her face.

“Let me see,” Kean requested as he hurried over. He studied the picture for a moment and nodded. “Not bad.” Lia’s face was so downcast that he whipped up his hands in front of him and shook his head. “That is, I meant to say it looks great! You did a wonderful job!”

She sniffled a little. “You really mean it?”

He bobbed his head. “Of course I do! It is much better than what I could draw!”

Lia beamed and puffed out her tiny chest a little. “Thank you!”

“Anna, it’s almost time for lunch,” Arian spoke up as she smiled at our two little visitors. “Perhaps His Highness and Lady Lia would like to stay?”

“Would you?” I chimed in as I looked between them.

Lia clapped her hands. “Yes!”

Kean furrowed his brow and puffed himself up to his full short height. “I will dine with you only on one condition.”

I lifted an eyebrow. “What’s that?”

“You will make those nice treats for us.”

I burst into laughter before I nodded. “Alright, but you’ll have to wait until tomorrow. Arian said the kitchen was being cleaned today.”

She nodded. “There will only be simple meals for most of us until the chore is done.”

“Can we eat right now?” Lia pleaded.

“Not on the ground,” I replied as I took the sketchbook and pencil from her and grasped her hand to help her up.

“Then I will fetch the food,” Arian offered.

“I will help you,” Kean offered in his most stiff tone and the pair set off together.

“Why don’t we wait inside for them?” I suggested as I looked down at our dusty attire. “It’s a little cleaner in there than on the path.”

She bobbed her head and together we slipped inside. The cool, shaded interior was a great relief to me and I plopped down with a sigh.

Lia took a seat on the cushion beside me and stared at me with a curious look. “Are you well?”

I set our art supplies on the table and nodded. “Yeah, I’m just not used to the sun being up all the time. Where I’m from we have something called night when we go to rest.”

She nodded. “I know what night is. Lord Eastwei makes it.”

I blinked at her. “He does what?”

She stabbed a finger upward. “He makes the night. That’s what my mama said. He even made the night on one of the islands. She said it’s one of the prettiest things in all of heaven.”

“Maybe we’re thinking of different things,” I told her. “Where I come from nobody makes the night. It’s just there.”

She puckered her lips in a pout and tears pooled in her eyes. “But that’s what my mama said!”

I smiled and nodded. “And I believe you, but why don’t we get your picture ready to be framed?”

Her face lit up. “Yeah!”

We managed to pull the page from the notebook without loosening Arian’s tight binding. Lia admired her work of art while I studied the room around us. “I don’t see a frame around here we could use, do you?”

She perked her head up and looked around. “No, but maybe Grandpa could make one for me.”

“Grandpa?” I repeated.

She nodded. “He’s the best at crafting things! That’s why he’s in charge of fixing all the houses when the mean lady tells him to.”

“Mean lady? You mean Lady Shian?” I guessed.

She wrinkled her nose. “She isn’t very nice to me. Whenever I’m at Grandpa’s house and she comes there she never looks at me.”

I patted her on the shoulder. “It’s alright. Maybe she just doesn’t know what to do around kids. Anyway, I think we’ll have to let your grandpa make the frame because there isn’t anything around here to use.”

Her shoulders slumped. “But he’s going to be so busy soon, at least that’s what he said to Mama yesterday.”

“I’m sure whatever your grandpa makes will be worth the wait,” I assured her as I took her hand and helped her up. “But why don’t we search around and see if we can’t find a frame just in case, okay? Maybe your grandpa won’t need to make one after all if we just look really well.”

She smiled and nodded. “Alright!”