Shiara's Presents

 

Raynor gave her the box.  She opened it with great excitement.  Inside was a pair of dark brown boots, made of the softest leather she had ever felt, and lined with fur. Though there was no decoration on them at all, it only made these boots seem richer and more splendid.

 

“How beautiful!” She said, and she could not resist feeling the soft leather against her cheek.  She hugged them to herself with happiness.

 

Raynor produced a second box.  She opened it.  It was something of shimmering green material.  “What is this?” she asked, as she pulled more and more of the garment out of the box.

 

“Don’t you just hate getting underwear as a present?” He said.

 

“Oh!” She said, “Well it’s beautiful… just fantastic”

 

“They’re just skivvies for the earth goddess… no doubt the…ah… tattered things you are wearing are pretty much the same.”

 

“Yeah…” she said, “but these are so… It is like they have their own light shining from them.”

 

“Ah, they pale in comparison to you,” he said.

 

Now it was her turn to turn away a bit in embarrassment.  Does Raynor have special feelings for me, she wondered, or is he like this with all the girls?

 

She saw the third box.  She knew what it was going to be.

 

But instead of giving it to her, he called to the servant girl. "Dauphina, keep this for my lady, but don't let her see it.  See that she has her eyes closed when you dress her, and they put a robe over it before you send her back to me"

 

"Yes, Lord Raynor," Dauphina said.

 

Shiara stood there with a puzzled look.

 

"I just want to be with you when you see it for the first time."

 

“Alright,” she said.  Two of the servants then lead her off, and as she went she looked back one more time at Raynor, the red bird turned handsome god.

 

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