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Elves didn’t give promises lightly. He was a man of his word. If he said we weren’t being invaded, then we weren’t being invaded. But that still didn’t explain what was going on. Izmir and Qarath bordered Carthem. If a conflict started up with Izmir, that news couldn’t be contained.
His gold eyes burned into mine as he waited for my response.
I nodded and swallowed hard. “Thank you, Prince Maedras.”
His hand dropped away, and he turned back to the map. His body was tense, and his jaw clenched.
I wanted to ask him more, but I saw he was done talking. For now.
“This is not why you visited me. How can I help you?”
I leaned against the table. My blue dress pooled around me like water. “I had an idea for the Royal funds and I wanted to hear your opinion on it.”
Prince Maedras gestured for me to continue. His gold skin glittered in the light, and his hair shone. Lights danced in his eyes as he waited for me to speak.
I took a deep breath and straightened my spine. I had been thinking about this for weeks, and I was ready to present my case. “I was thinking of using some of the money to celebrate Bread day.”
His lips quirked up into a small smile. “Bread day?”
I nodded eagerly. “Harvest feast. In Midar, we made bread for each other and spent the day talking and catching up. It’s a day of peace. What do Elves do for their harvest feast?”
Harvest feast was the perfect way to bring everyone together.
“The same thing.” His smile widened. “But we use the term ‘Blessing of the First Fruits’.”
“Blessing of the First Fruits,” I repeated. “I like that. What do you think about using some of my portion of the funds to have feasts all over Manzimor in honor of it? We could even have a competition for the best-baked bread.”
He chuckled. “I think that’s an excellent idea, princess.”
I beamed at him, and he shook his head. “You’re going to be the death of me, woman.”
I blinked in surprise. That was decidedly not an Elvish way of saying things.
“Probably,” I agreed. “But it’ll be a fun death.”
His eyebrow raised, and he looked at me for a long moment. I couldn’t decipher the look on his face. It was a mix of amusement and something else that I couldn’t quite place.
Finally, he shook his head and turned back to the map. “You’re always full of surprises,” he said. “You realize you can use the money to support any cause you want. You don’t need my permission.”
The political games. Always political games. I almost forgot about that. I was just a means to an end for him. But I knew how to play this game as well.
“I know,” I said, keeping my voice light. “But I wanted to make sure that you approved of my idea before I took it any further.” I smiled at him before looking away.
Your opinion mattered to me, Prince Maedras. Your plan was working. You were slowly but surely winning me over.
Not.
His lips quirked up into a small smile, as if he knew what I was thinking. “And now you have.”
I neared him. “The Blessing of the First Fruits taught us that helping each other during our biggest need meant a stronger community. Survival for us all. A reminder of that would do us good.”
He looked at the map. “And a reminder that even in the darkest of times, there is still light.”
During the Age of the Diamond Eternals, Manzimor experienced 10 years of harsh winter. It was a time known as the Great Freeze. The weather was so cold that crops failed, and people starved. Elves, Humans, Naga, Dryads, and Halflings alike all suffered.
But one Halfling woman, Rahila, had an idea. She started baking bread and giving it away to her neighbors. The act of kindness quickly caught on, and soon people all over the kingdom did the same.
Bread day became a day of peace, where people set aside their differences and came together to break bread with each other and help each other through the winter.
