serious."
"You think maybe, just perhaps, I'm just making a guess here, a stab in the dark, you think that's because his entire village was enslaved?"
"Penny."
"Sorry. But that must have something to do with it."
"I think mainly he's lonely and kind of uncomfortable because this place is so different to his home. He came from a village of just like seventy people and he knew all of them, he's not used to being someplace where he doesn't know everyone."
"Hm. I guess it was kind of the same for me when we first moved here ... but then again maybe not."
"Can you imagine losing your entire home? And everyone you know, just taken prisoner ..."
"I can't. I can't even imagine," said Penny.
"Every time I start even trying to imagine I have to stop because it makes me feel so empty, and sad, and angry ... but, at least I made him a bit happy today."
"What'd you do? Oh, take him horse-riding?"
"That's your answer for everything! No, I showed him the library, apparently in his village there were like six books total, and he read them all about a hundred times each. He's totally nuts for books, even more than my dad maybe."
"Wow. You wouldn't think so to look at him. You'd think he'd be more into, y'know, hunting, fishing, outdoor stuff," said Penny. She popped the last morsel of cinnamon bun into her mouth, leaned over and checked the fire, then shook her head. "Not even warm yet."
"Well, he's pretty into that stuff too. I mean, he paddled all the way here from Tonfa-Tonfa just in his canoe, that's like ten days paddling."
"I didn't even think about that, pretty amazing."
"I'll say."
Miya finished the last of her cinnamon bun half. "How do they make these so good?"
"I don't know," said Penny. "But they're pretty much the only reason I let you hang around me."
"What, because I bring you cinnamon buns?"
Penny shrugged with a cheeky little smile. "Pretty much."
Miya considered this. "Well, that's fair," she said. "Oh, but you know who's, like, totally addicted to them?"
"Who?"
"Lars."
"Lars your fake uncle Lars? Lars the super-amazing sword guy Lars? No way."
"Yep!" said Miya, delighted at Penny's reaction.
"That's so weird, he seems like the type of guy that doesn't even like sweet stuff."
"He buys like a half dozen at a time and just gromps the lot. It's true! I've seen him do it!"
"What, you like followed him and hid and watched him eat six cinnamon buns in a row?" asked Penny.
"Well ... kind of. It was, like, fascinating!"
"And then what, you jumped out and said 'Surprise! The jig is up, fatty!'?"
"Huh? What? No, I just kind of crept away again."
"I would have jumped out," said Penny.
"No you wouldn't, you wouldn't even have followed him in the first place because you're a complete wuss," said Miya, laughing.
"I am not!"
"You are! You so are! Like that time we went exploring up the western side of the island? And we found that sea cave and you wouldn't go in?"
"You mean the time that we found a sea cave and I warned you about how dangerous they are, and you completely ignored me and went in and got trapped when the tide changed, and I had to go get help and you almost drowned?"
"At least I didn't wuss out!"
"Miya, Miya, Miya. Princess Miya Black. Just sometimes I'd like to know exactly how you think."
"Hey, a lot goes on in my head. My brain goes so fast sometimes I amaze myself."
Penny looked at Miya, disbelieving.
"You have a brain?"
*
The kettle did eventually boil, and after a cup of tea and another shared cinnamon bun Miya accepted Penny's invitation to dinner. She helped prepare the food and chatted with Penny's mother, who was a small, defiant woman who Miya was secretly just a tiny bit scared of, and her little brother Bradley, who was as annoying but oddly endearing as ever, and after a fun meal and some talk and some laughter, and after making a promise to visit more often, Miya left the little cottage and headed for home.
The sun was just beginning its slow descent, bathing the
"You think maybe, just perhaps, I'm just making a guess here, a stab in the dark, you think that's because his entire village was enslaved?"
"Penny."
"Sorry. But that must have something to do with it."
"I think mainly he's lonely and kind of uncomfortable because this place is so different to his home. He came from a village of just like seventy people and he knew all of them, he's not used to being someplace where he doesn't know everyone."
"Hm. I guess it was kind of the same for me when we first moved here ... but then again maybe not."
"Can you imagine losing your entire home? And everyone you know, just taken prisoner ..."
"I can't. I can't even imagine," said Penny.
"Every time I start even trying to imagine I have to stop because it makes me feel so empty, and sad, and angry ... but, at least I made him a bit happy today."
"What'd you do? Oh, take him horse-riding?"
"That's your answer for everything! No, I showed him the library, apparently in his village there were like six books total, and he read them all about a hundred times each. He's totally nuts for books, even more than my dad maybe."
"Wow. You wouldn't think so to look at him. You'd think he'd be more into, y'know, hunting, fishing, outdoor stuff," said Penny. She popped the last morsel of cinnamon bun into her mouth, leaned over and checked the fire, then shook her head. "Not even warm yet."
"Well, he's pretty into that stuff too. I mean, he paddled all the way here from Tonfa-Tonfa just in his canoe, that's like ten days paddling."
"I didn't even think about that, pretty amazing."
"I'll say."
Miya finished the last of her cinnamon bun half. "How do they make these so good?"
"I don't know," said Penny. "But they're pretty much the only reason I let you hang around me."
"What, because I bring you cinnamon buns?"
Penny shrugged with a cheeky little smile. "Pretty much."
Miya considered this. "Well, that's fair," she said. "Oh, but you know who's, like, totally addicted to them?"
"Who?"
"Lars."
"Lars your fake uncle Lars? Lars the super-amazing sword guy Lars? No way."
"Yep!" said Miya, delighted at Penny's reaction.
"That's so weird, he seems like the type of guy that doesn't even like sweet stuff."
"He buys like a half dozen at a time and just gromps the lot. It's true! I've seen him do it!"
"What, you like followed him and hid and watched him eat six cinnamon buns in a row?" asked Penny.
"Well ... kind of. It was, like, fascinating!"
"And then what, you jumped out and said 'Surprise! The jig is up, fatty!'?"
"Huh? What? No, I just kind of crept away again."
"I would have jumped out," said Penny.
"No you wouldn't, you wouldn't even have followed him in the first place because you're a complete wuss," said Miya, laughing.
"I am not!"
"You are! You so are! Like that time we went exploring up the western side of the island? And we found that sea cave and you wouldn't go in?"
"You mean the time that we found a sea cave and I warned you about how dangerous they are, and you completely ignored me and went in and got trapped when the tide changed, and I had to go get help and you almost drowned?"
"At least I didn't wuss out!"
"Miya, Miya, Miya. Princess Miya Black. Just sometimes I'd like to know exactly how you think."
"Hey, a lot goes on in my head. My brain goes so fast sometimes I amaze myself."
Penny looked at Miya, disbelieving.
"You have a brain?"
*
The kettle did eventually boil, and after a cup of tea and another shared cinnamon bun Miya accepted Penny's invitation to dinner. She helped prepare the food and chatted with Penny's mother, who was a small, defiant woman who Miya was secretly just a tiny bit scared of, and her little brother Bradley, who was as annoying but oddly endearing as ever, and after a fun meal and some talk and some laughter, and after making a promise to visit more often, Miya left the little cottage and headed for home.
The sun was just beginning its slow descent, bathing the
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