ELRETH
By the time she finished with the Security Council she felt like a wet towel that had been twisted until all its water had splattered to the dirt. She took all the back trails to go around the Tree City so she wouldn't run into anyone. By the time she reached the meadow she was seriously considering a nap.
But she was only halfway across it when her name rose in the air behind her. She turned to find her mother walking towards her in one of the long dresses she preferred, her hair swept up into a braid, but small pieces falling out of it around her face.
She looked beautiful and natural and… and Elreth wondered if anyone would ever look at her the way her father looked at her mother.
"How did it go? Your father always had some battle or another with the Security Council."
