This story seriously needs a title. Right now I'm calling it "Nothing" But that can't go on much longer. If you've got an idea for a title, please leave a comment.
This is a work in progress, so please don't critize too harshly. I don't know where its gonna go, but I'll be working on and off on it for as long as I can. Thanks to my friends for inspiring me to write again, and maybe finish this tale.

This is pretty long, so I divided it by chapters. The parts in red are sections I didn't feel like I could do justice to at the time, and plan on filling in later on. The blank spots will get filled in someday too.
Enjoy!


Chatter, Charms, and Rejection

Sarah woke up before dawn. It was earlier than usual for her and she should have a few free hours before breakfast. Now there was time for her to think this whole thing through one more time. Had it really only been six weeks since that day at the Market?
* * * * *
The weather was still warm, and the last flowers of the year were blooming. Sarah had spent most of the morning selling her wares to one customer after another, with no free time. Finally around noon, the stem of customers stopped, and she closed the booth for lunch. Then she put up her protection charm to keep her better wares safe. And who came and pounced on her as soon as the “Closed” sign was up?
“SARAH! Good morning!” sang criminally cheerful Francesca, Sarah’s best friend.
“Mornin’…Ann.” The poor flower girl managed to get out while practically getting squeezed to death. Ann let her go and sat down with her basket, giving Sarah some time to recover. After a few seconds of deep breathing:
“Can’t you just wave or try something….a little less violent?!” Sarah glared at her so-called best friend. “And where’s your loyal keeper, Luke? Doesn’t he usually follow you around like a puppy?”
“If I even slightly thought that you really meant that about my dear Luke, I’d be insulted.” Ann sighed lovely. “He’s so wonderful, not to mention the handsomest man in town. Don’t you just love him? I hope you don’t, because you can’t have him. Anyways, he’s gone to buy some wood that just came in with that trader’s caravan. One of his new customers wants a cedar desk made, and he’s clean out of cedar.” Here Ann sighed prettily. “My fiancé is the best haggler in town, and he is sure to get the best bargain.”
Finally Ann noticed that Sarah wasn’t even listening anymore, and glared at her lunch-eating friend. Sarah swallowed her mouthful, and smiled.
“Ann, you must have some of this pie. I made it last night, with Hannah’s special recipe and brought a slice just for you.” When Ann shook her head, Sarah just smiled wider. “I don’t want to hear anything about how fat it will make you; this is too good to waste.” With that, a bite of pie was stuffed into Ann’s mouth.
This ploy had worked before. With food in her mouth, Ann had no choice but to chew prettily until all the food was gone and therefore refrain from speaking. Sarah just hoped that Luke would arrive soon. For some reason, when he told her, “That’s enough, Ann.” She would magically stop talking and smile at him. Sarah was considered an adept at stopping the flow of chatter, but he was the best.
“Ann, you are the best friend a girl could have, but I do wish you wouldn’t talk quite so much. Why don’t you chatter like this around Luke? Ever since your engagement a fortnight ago, you still don’t speak half as much around him as me.”
Quickly swallowing, Ann said,
“The answer to that is simple: Luke knows half of the things I’m going to say before I say them. The rest is mostly about how wonderful he is, and I can’t go inflating his ego by repeating that all the time. Last week he got ever so cocky because I…
“Well, speak of the devil, here Luke comes right now!” Leaving the rest of the pie piece on the bench, Ann ran over to give him an embrace. She didn’t care that most of the townsfolk frowned on public embraces like hugs.
“Hello, Luke.” Sarah said between bites. If she didn’t eat while she had the chance, she wouldn’t have enough time to finish.
“Has my Ann been filling your ears again as much as Hannah’s pies do, Sarah?” Luke smiled a teasing smile at her and sat on a stool by the bench. He noticed the half-eaten slice of pie, and took a nonchalant bite.
“How’d the wood buying go? Did you get a good bargain?” Sarah asked.
“Yes, wonderful. The trader was an honest man, and since he had been donated that wood, he only charged me half the usual price for that amount of cedar boards. He even kindly offered his own men’s service in delivering the wood to my shop.”
“Why, that’s a wonderful deal! Today must be your day.” Sarah said.
“I suppose so.” Luke just smiled.
“Stop smiling so smugly, Luke. What did you do to bring out the truth? Nothing illegal I hope. You promised to stay on the good side of the law.”
Here Luke rolled his eyes.
“Can’t let a guy keep a secret can you?”
“Not when you’re smiling so smugly.”
Luke raised his hands in surrender.
“Alright, alright, I’ll spill. The trader had let it slip to one of his young guards yesterday that he’d been given the boards by his late mother in her will, and was hoping to sell them for much more then their real worth. He even wanted to claim that they were blessed by elves. He couldn’t get that kind of quality in his dreams. Anyway, his guard lives in the next town over and he told his lady friend, Emily, who happens to be a cousin of mine and she kindly let me know this morning when she came to visit the market. Needless to say, I mentioned this to the trader, and he kindly lowered the price.”
“Maybe you were blessed by the elves. That might explain your wonderful luck…”
Ann was standing in front of them, looking upset, and on the edge of tears.
“You two are ignoring me. I thought you loved me, and now you’re having an entire conversation with out me, when you know that I HATE THAT!!” Ann had steadily been getting louder, and was now crying. Sarah and Luke quickly gave her hugs, saying how sorry they were, and that they hadn’t meant to ignore her.
It took a few minutes, but finally Ann stopped crying. Luke gave her a hug, and soon she was smiling again. Sarah shook her head at the couple. She had her share of beaus and admirers. But unlike Ann, she had never found someone she loved enough to marry or even to stay with for more than a month.
Well, there had been that one trader who had visited the cottage several times during his stay. He had been charming and handsome, and she had really liked him. He had taken her on a wonderful ride over to the next big town for their famous Spring Festival, and that day had ended with a magical kiss.
But right after that Mark went for his monthly visit to his mother. He soon came back with a lovely young woman who nearly killed the trader on sight and screamed that he had just left one night after having said that he loved her. At that point Sarah turned to the man and punched him.
According to the women’s brother, he’d found out that the trader had left dozens of other broken hearts in previous towns. Mark and Luke literally threw the trader out of town. Sarah had spent the entire next night in front of the spell book. Luke forbad her to make it a life threatening curse, so she just cast a spell to bring his inner evil to the outside. Awhile later they heard about a poor man who was hideously ugly scary, traveling the country claiming that a kiss would end his enchantment.
“We’ve lost her again, dear Luke. Mayhap I should call James over here; his gifts would wake any girl from her day dreams.”
Sarah was so consumed by her thoughts that she didn’t really hear this comment.
“How would you know the effects of that man’s gifts, my dear? He hasn’t been after you, has he? I’ll beat him up if he is …”
“No, no, calm down. I’ve seen the necklace he gave Sarah for her last birthday. So beautiful, it would make weak girls beg to marry him on the spot. I sometimes wonder if he put a charm on it for that purpose. Our Sarah is a strange one; she barely looked at it when she thanked him. She hasn’t worn it at all.”
“Why didn’t this charm work on you? I don’t want my wife to be strange...”
“You’re always so mean to me, Luke. The necklace didn’t work on me, because I’ve already as good as married. Sarah however has either not met her knight yet, or is stubbornly refusing to acknowledge his existence. I vote for the former. James doesn’t have a chance with her. I’d feel bad for him, if I didn’t despise him so much already.”
Sarah had started half listening (she extremely disliked the topic) when she realized her lunch was only half finished, and it was almost time to reopen the booth. So, as Ann’s chatter turned to describing her dress for the ball (for the third time), Sarah worked on eating her lunch. Luke was already lost; Ann’s voice was carrying him far away.
Shortly, when the town clock struck the first hour after noon, Luke and Ann left to finish their shopping. Sarah gave the last of her lunch to the poor stray dog, Eric, and walked to the front of her booth.
As she was getting ready to reopen, Sarah heard cheerful whistling. Rolling her eyes, she ignored the handsome young man, who had stopped next to her, in front of the booth. The man was tall, handsome and blue eyed with rich brown hair and a girlish face. His fine clothes showed that he was at least a low-ranking noble. The splendid sapphire bracelet and rare red rose in his hands showed that he was very wealthy. In fact, this young man was the richest man in this and all the neighboring towns. For James had inherited a large sum from his noble mother at her death, and had shared none of it with his father or sister. That made James one of the most eligible bachelor’s in town.
Most girls in Sarah’s positions would be doing all in their power to attract his attentions. But she knew the rose and bracelet (which matched the sapphire necklace he had given her for her last birthday) were enchanted, and a way to buy her affections. She had decided long ago never to marry him. And this time, she would not even accept his gifts. That would only lead him on.
“Lovely, Sarah.” James said with a cheerful smile, “I have brought his beautiful red rose, and sparkling sapphire bracelet to you, in hopes that you will wear them at the ball that I am asking you to attend with me.”
Here he went on one knee in front of her and held forward the gifts. If she took the gifts and invitation they would be an official pair. Accepting them would also lead to an unavoidable engagement later. She would much rather have him mad at her, than be his wife.
“I’m sorry, James. But I can’t accept these gifts or your invitation. No, I’m not being the shy maiden or playing hard to get and I wish you would stop courting me. If you would like the matching necklace returned to you too, I will gladly have it sent back to you. I can’t stand men like you. You treat your servants and animals cruelly, and I’ve heard those rumors about what happened to that poor maid. You are probably the last man I’d ever want to marry.” At this she tucked some loose hairs behind her ears, and ended with, “I hope that I’ve made my feelings clear to you. Now, please excuse me, I need to get back to my booth.” With that, Sarah walked to her booth and took off the charm.
It took him a moment, but the stunned James recovered and hid behind his fake, perfect noble’s face. Then slowly, a smug and understanding smile appeared. The unbelievable things he said next took her several moments to process.
“Ah, I completely understand. You’re attempting to drive me away so that you don’t have to decide between Mark and me. I will back off for a while, but I will have you as my wife someday. You need not return the necklace to me. It’s part of a larger set including an engagement ring. Until we meet again, milady.”
And with a small bow, he strutted off with the bracelet, leaving the rose and his outrageous words behind. Anger filled Sarah as his words sunk in.
How dare he?! How dare he think that she would someday accept him, or that she was trying to choose between him and Mark?! Mark wasn’t even courting her. Sarah had been telling James for weeks to leave her alone. Well, she would definitely never marry him, not even under pain of death. She didn’t need Mark or Luke to protect her if James got violent; she could take care of herself. She had been for the past six years, and except for James, wasn’t her life going well? Maybe this was the time to actually use the curse she’d been saving? It caused a man to be unloved by all women he met…
“A flower for your thoughts, milady?”
Sarah looked up startled to see Fred the postmaster grinning at her and smiled back. Fred was the infamous town flirt who didn’t stick to just one lady like all the other men. He flirted with women of all ages gave any women in town a rose and a kiss on their birthday. He never said why, but there were several rumors about the reason.
“I’m sorry Fred, I just completely rejected James again, and he interpreted it wrong and plans to ask me again. I’m so mad I can’t stay focused.”
Fred handed Sarah her mail with a sympathetic smile and a small daisy that he had obviously just picked up from the counter. This was a daily tradition. Fred was a good friend, and also one of her best customers in roses. He was constantly giving out roses for every occasion. Sarah supplied the flowers, and Fred paid a monthly fee. He had been her first and best customer and when it was her birthday, he personally picked the rose he gave her.
“And the pretty young lady once again sank deep in her own thoughts after talking to her handsome prince for only a moment.” Fred laughed when she realized she’d drifted off again. She smiled and apologized. Picking up the letters from the counter, Sarah looked at the handwriting on the envelopes.
“Two letters from gentlemen I refuse to go to the ball with, and one from my dear friend in Canterville. Now, how can I help you, sir? This morning’s caravan brought a few roses if you can’t wait until tomorrow. I’ve already put the freshness charm on them, charmed a few to look like red roses and enchanted two with weak love spells. Otherwise I have herbs and remedies in plenty for any minor ailment you might have, except heartache and over-flirting. What will it be?”
“Little Piper’s birthday is tomorrow and she really wanted something for her garden. Do you have some lily seeds? Maybe with a growing charm on them?” he asked in a hushed voice. He was always embarrassed to show that he favored his younger sister above his other siblings. Many women found him all the sweeter for this shyness.
“Hmmm, I do believe that I have at least one packet somewhere...” She rummaged around the small baskets of seeds behind the booth, finally finding several types of lily seeds.
“Here they are. I think I still remember the growing spell. It’s pretty simple.”
Sarah had been casting charms and small enchantments for years now, saving curses and healings for important occasions. Taking the packet of seeds in her hands, she concentrated on taking a small vine of magical energy from a potted plant nearby, into the seeds. Then she murmured the short incantation to lock the power in the seeds and lay it dormant for a few days.
“Make sure Piper plants these seeds within four days; otherwise you’ll have to pay me to renew the spell.”
After Fred had made his purchases, the day ran the same as any day. Sarah kept her flower, herb, and charm booth every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday on Market day, except on stormy days and in the winter. She saved some of her profits for the winter months when nature slept. For those months she lived in town next door to Ann, and sold charms and dried herbs out of her rented house. The rest of the year, when snow didn’t make it impossible to get to town, Sarah and her cat Sam lived in the cottage her grandmother had left her.
It was on a big piece of land, with fields of flowers on all sides. Her old mare, Sandy, spent her days grazing in the more weedy field, so that she wouldn’t eat the plants that Sarah needed. In the morning the mare would slowly pull the cart of merchandise to town, and then she would walk back slowly on her own to the fields. The things Sarah didn’t sell during the day, she took back home with the help of one of her beaus or friends, depending on who was available. It was a cycle, repeated from day to day.
Sarah loved this life; it was simple, but fulfilling and fun. So to have that life stolen from her only a few weeks later, and replaced with the one she lived now, was almost unbearable.
* * * * *
“Good morning, Mistress Sarah. The master ordered me to tell you that he has something important to discuss with you, and it can’t wait till dinner. Should I tell him to expect you after breakfast?”
When Sarah nodded, the maid, Anna, curtsied and left.
Since she had bathed and dressed much earlier that morning, she had time to walk down to the breakfast hall. One of the many portraits in the hallway by her door reminded her greatly of Mark. Oh, how she missed him.
* * * * *
On the Sunday after James’ big visit to Sarah’s booth, Mark came back from visiting his mother in the neighboring town. To celebrate his return, Luke bought the five of them, including Luke’s younger brother, Robert, good dinners and beers at the local pub. Luke liked to use any excuse to invite them all to the pub now that Ann thought that he fancied one of the serving girls and wouldn’t let him go there without her.
Any stranger passing through would think this a weird group.
Ann, the small, pretty assistant dressmaker; Sarah, the best herbalist and hedge witch in the area; Luke, the good-looking, talented, well to do, tall carpenter; and Mark, the town’s handsome, apprentice blacksmith.
“A toast, to the best and hardest working blacksmith apprentice in the region!” Luke practically shouted, which meant he was already half-drunk (they had only been there for an hour). Mark knew this, and had no hard time getting his friend drunk enough to have to leave early, with Robert helping him home. Ann had been asked earlier to go chat with the pub keeper’s wife about her new dress, so she excused herself shortly after.
“Sarah….” Mark started hesitantly once Ann left smiling. “Luke told me about what James said this week. And honestly, I’m really worried about you. He is very rich, and has many connections. You need to watch yourself when a man like that puts it into his head to have something.”
“You don’t need to worry, Mark. I’ve told everyone countless times, I can handle James by myself, but I’m flattered by your concern.”
“I’m not quite done yet.” He cleared his throat. “I’d like to ask if you’ll let me take you to the ball.”
A short pause followed this.
“Maybe as a guard for you, just in case.”
“Mark, you are a genius! James wouldn’t dare try anything if you’re around. You could punch him through the wall if he did try. Not that I couldn’t handle him, but having your strength around would help a great deal.”
“Mhmmmm.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Mark. I didn’t mean to imply strength is your only strength, no pun intended there. I’ll also have one of the most popular men in town dancing with me. I’ll get the satisfaction of bragging to Jen and Martha. I’ll let you pick out my crown of flowers, as long as it’s white or blue blossoms. Bring pink, orange, or black flowers and your master will have to find a new apprentice.”
Chuckling a little at that, Mark stopped really listening. His plan had worked, and during or after the ball, he’d have plenty of alone time with Sarah to find the perfect moment to talk to her. He could get flowers from one of the fields at his mother’s house, and his master was giving him a new formal tunic as thanks for all the hard work.
“I guess I’m not the only one drifting off this week.” Sarah commented Ann as she returned.
“Huh? I’m sorry ladies; I had an early start this morning, and apparently need my sleep.” Mark said after he had snapped out of his thoughts. He stood up slowly. “Sarah, I’ll let you know before the ball what time I’ll pick you up.”
“Sounds good, now off you go to that smelly apartment of yours over the smith. You need your sleep if you’re to ward off her angry suitors.” Ann answered for Sarah. With that, the girls got up and started pushing Mark towards the door, grinning.
“Is this how you treat all men? Pushing me out the door is very unladylike...” When the two women mockingly glared at him, he pretended to cringe and held up his hands in helplessness. “Alright, alright, I’m leaving. I’ll see you two tomorrow.” Mark bowed, and smiled, and walked out the door, back to his “smelly” loft, over the smith.
His master had a house next door, but someone had to keep an eye on the forge during the night, so the apprentice was stuck there. Sarah and Ann always worried that if the forge caught on fire, that he’d be trapped. Especially since his master had broken his leg a few weeks ago. But Mark had a ladder propped up by his window in the loft, for exactly that reason, and wasn’t very worried.
Back in the pub, the girls were laughing and chattering about the ball. Sarah was relieved that she didn’t have to choose between one of her beaus, but could just go with Mark. She would have a bodyguard, and would never lack a dancing partner, since Mark loved to dance. He couldn’t sing or play any instruments, nor draw well, but he sure could dance. Sarah couldn’t wait for the next two weeks to pass.



Blue's story 2