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They say that Mother's hair is like fire and her lips are rose-red, but Merry kisses her mother's cheek and touches nothing that is her mother's without being told that it is safe.
Merry grows up without trying on Mother's clothes or dresses; she takes her archery lessons from Daddy and her firearms lessons from Uncle Steve. She does not taste Mother's food or drink her tea. She does not crawl into bed between her parents when she's scared unless one or both are wide awake.
She gives Mother a pair of burning red ballet slippers for Christmas and draws a soft, tender smile from Mother's red mouth. Both of them know it is not the color of fire or of roses, but of blood.