Freya returned from the washroom with a fresh face and a new set of questions about her heritage that she probably should have asked a long time ago. She found her father behind the counter, catching her mother up to speed.

“Freya helped a lot, what with all the arrows and bolts, I’ll be good for a while. So... Freya has been telling me about how she wants to start a business, so I went over the basics of goods… and I placed my first order.”

“Do you want me to draw up a formal contract?” Freya asked.

“Please do, so I can put it on my wall,” he said with a wide grin.

“I supposed I could go over how services work as that is generally what I find myself doing,” her mother said.

Her mother wore an official-looking yellow robe with green trim and it looked to the world as if she’d been in important meetings all morning. She had a single knapsack crossed over her shoulder that she was unslinging.

“And after we go to the dress shop, we may have the time to go for a stroll on top of Yellowrock, should you like that.”

Freya nodded.

Mother grabbed something, rummaging in her pouch. “But first, I brought lunch for all of us. Sweetbread to celebrate Freya’s graduation from school and becoming an adult, as well as this pre-made tea that is all the rage. I can’t see myself getting into it personally, but it’s always nice to try a new thing.”

“Mother, you never try the new things I want to try, though!” Freya ribbed.

“Nice new things,” her mother said.

The family passed a good meal with minimal commentary on the state of the pre-made tea that her mother had finally come around to, saying that it would save her so much time. Right before her father remarked that the ten minutes of boiling and steeping was time well spent.

A short while later, Freya and her mother arrived at Madame Leng’s dress shop, a favorite of the gentry as far as mother was concerned. It was the most prestigious dress shop owned by a mouse, at least according to the signage, painted gold over the green. Freya wasn’t sure about the veracity of painted statements, but she was certain that she would leave the shop knowing the truth.

A bell rang as they stepped into the shop. A young fox in a fashionable black romper addressed them. The last time, Freya recalled he had been wearing an elaborate soft suit.

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“Madame,” she said. “Young lady?”

“Miss Minhee Uki, and her daughter Freya,” her mother said. She stepped in to begin some sort of negotiations.

To Freya, it appeared that her mother was stepping into her element. Her mind drifted off, thinking about her grandfather giving away everything to be with Old Gran.

“Ah, yes!” The tailor exclaimed, grabbing his measuring tapes and pulling Freya into the center of three mirrors. “The mole dress, black with a brown trim?”

He directed her mother to sit at one of the bench seats overlooking the three mirrors. She sat down as if she owned the establishment.

“Why, yes, you remember it?” Freya asked.

“My dear,” he said flourishing arms to show fluttering sleeves, “when one queen takes notice, all queens do. You made quite a splash at the ball and you didn’t think it would come back to us? Madame Leng was ecstatic that one of her dresses got noticed. ”

Freya bit her lip and looked back at her mother.

“All… queens?” she said.

“Freya, don’t be dense,” her mother said. “Marcel is referring to himself.”

Freya hadn’t realized the obvious flaw in her statement

“Ah, pardon me, I had no idea,” Freya said.

“Naturally,” Marcel said, taking a measurement of her waist and writing down his findings. He covered that three times then turned to look at her.

“Would you turn around? Slowly, mind you, I’ve been here for a long day and I want to make quite certain that I’ve got this right.”

Freya complied and then faced the mirrors again.

“Now I believe,” he said placing the measuring tape just under her arms and then dropping a little, “ that we could do a high-waisted dress, placing the waist here or a bit lower? What would you prefer?”

Freya had him go over three positions till she found the one that made her feel the best. It was a little lower than her black dress, but it would give her arms more room to maneuver.

“Ah, wonderful,” he said, moving back to get a better look. He’d draped a few swatches of fabric over her. One, in particular, was a deep woody brown with leaflike lines along the seams.

“I believe,” he said gesturing to her headband, “that you are wearing an initiates headband?”

Freya turned to her mother, as it originally belonged to her.

Her mother looked up sharply, “Ah, that was my headband when I was young and attempted to join the druids. I did not fare well, but I kept the headband. Freya wears it to honor me. But, Marcel if I may ask, how did you know that? It’s only worn… well it’s only worn by the newest of initiates, and the druids almost never send them out.”

Freya grabbed the headband and took it off, feeling it in her hands.

“This whole time, you could have told me that, mother,” Freya said. What else haven’t you told me?

“Well, you weren’t born when they let me leave, neither was your brother, but yes I did wear it for the six months when I attempted to be a druid. The only thing, the only lasting effect was my ability to learn to speak languages, which I think you may have as well.”

Freya turned to look at the mirror.

“Marcel,” she addressed him, continuing to stare between the headband and the mirror as she gingerly placed it back, “Do you think that we could add a cape to this particular dress?”

Marcel appeared taken aback as she leaned against his counter. Freya’s mother smiled broadly. Marcel exchanged a glance with Minhee and she nodded for them to continue.

“Allow me to grab a few of my favorites from the back and we can take a look-see,” he said.

The fox disappeared behind a red curtain. He started humming and singing loudly as he walked around what must have been a large storeroom.

“I guess I should have known… about this,” Freya said once he was out of earshot, “I think it would have been nice to hear it from you though.”

“Everything I’ve done has been for this family, Freya. At least since I left the circle. But I left when I was young and they let me keep this, as I was circle trained.”

“Were you ever going to tell me about it?”

“Honestly?” Her mother sat up. “There are a lot of secrets that we don’t tell outsiders, and what I can tell you isn’t much. You are probably gifted enough to take their training, and if they call you, you must go.”

"Just like the dates I must attend with these suitors?” Freya said.

“I cannot make you date them, but… Freya, I know that you’ll be happier with a good husband.”