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It was cool under the shade of the linden tree by the stream just north of Skalitz's walls, the late morning sun not yet warm enough to reach Theresa where she sat. She leaned back against one hand while the other lazily played with a strand of brown hair shorter than her own. Bianca had her head in Theresa's lap and was chattering about Henry with a pretty pink flush to her round cheeks, as had become typical in recent weeks.
"So, will you come with me?"
The question caught Theresa off guard, she'd been more focused on watching Bianca's soft rosy lips move as she spoke than the actual words she was saying, and her fingers stilled in Bianca's hair. "Sorry?"
"To see him!" Bianca exclaimed with a roll of her eyes. "He's going to practice with that traveller that arrived in town yesterday. I'm going to bring him some schnapps for courage."
"Is that wise?" Theresa asked with a raised brow.
"Henry always performs better with a little liquid encouragement," Bianca said with a teasing wink.
"Ugh." It was Theresa's turn to roll her eyes as she sat up straighter, forcing Bianca to raise her head off her lap. "I don't want to know these things, B."
The laughter that arose from next to her made a warmth touch her own cheeks. Theresa did her best to ignore it, though she was unable to fight back a small, fond smile. The spring air carried the scent of freshly bloomed petals that peeked through the long, green grass in a bright array of red, purple, and orange. Theresa wiped her hands together to remove some of that very same grass that had stuck to her palm and left marks on her skin.
"I thought you said that it wasn't worth his time," Theresa said.
"Aye," Bianca agreed as her laughter calmed, "Aye, I did. Why would he need to use a sword? I wouldn't be surprised if we were wed before the year is out, after all."
Theresa said nothing but her smile faltered.
"He'll apprentice for his Pa until he takes over, so there will be no need for him to know how to fight. But he gets this gleam in his eye when he holds a sword, you know? It's like he's a knight," Bianca said while pulling her knees up to her chest.
"Does he agree? About settling down and the forge?"
Bianca hesitated, chewing on the corner of her lip in thought before she answered. "He wants to get out and see the world, but aren't all men that way?"
Theresa eyed her friend carefully then turned her gaze over to the stream at the bottom of the small slope, watching water sparkle when it left the shade of the tree and caught the sun further down. She wasn't sure if Henry would be content with the life his parents had, the life Bianca wanted. Ever since they were children he seemed to want something more for himself. But there was also little choice. Not many people were able to leave their lives in Skalitz. The roads outside were growing more dangerous with each passing day and it took coin to make a name for oneself. Coin that Henry didn't have.
"I suppose," she replied finally, neither agreeing or disagreeing.
"So, will you come with me, Tess?" Bianca dropped her knees and turned to face Theresa, placing her hand over hers.
Bianca's hand felt heavy on her own and it gave Theresa pause. It wasn't the first time she'd held it, there had been many times over the years where they had reached for each other in moments of joy or sadness. Theresa couldn't say for certain when her heartbeat began to stutter at her friend's touch, as it did now, but she knew it was a feeling that was not shared. Still, she turned her hand under Bianca's until they were palm to palm and gave her hand a gentle squeeze in consideration. "I don't know…"
The wind picked up and tousled Bianca's shoulder length hair. Theresa could smell the soap she'd used earlier that morning in preparation to meet with Henry. The scent of dandelions and thistles made Theresa press her lips together momentarily. She didn't want to sit with Bianca as she fawned over him. It wasn't that Henry wasn't deserving of it, or that she disliked him… she simply wished that things could go back to the way they had been in summers past. When it had just been the two of them.
She could still remember the days spent playing in the stream or laying in the grass among the wildflowers. The sun would warm her skin and Bianca's laughter would warm her heart. Theresa had been foolish to hope that it would last, she knew that. So she had let go of that hope the night Bianca had pulled her aside in the tavern to tell her of her blooming courtship with Henry. It was only a matter of time before they would have to marry, after all, and their responsibilities would shift and grow past what they were now. It was only a matter of time before moments like the one they shared now would come to an end.
"I have some errands to run for Pa," she continued. "Then I'll need to take lunch up to the mines for my brothers, and —"
"Oh, all right," Bianca sighed. Out of the corner of her eye, Theresa caught the way Bianca's lips formed into a slight pout. It made Theresa's heart ache. She didn't want to refuse Bianca. Not truly. But…
Theresa lifted her free hand and hesitated. It hovered in the air between the two of them for a moment before she reached forward and tucked a strand of hair behind Bianca's ear. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay," Bianca said, keeping her eyes down and hidden beneath long dark lashes. Theresa's fingers lingered against Bianca's hair for a beat, then she pressed her palm gently to the side of her face. Bianca smiled a little as she continued. "I just miss you. I feel like we never get to spend enough time together anymore."
Theresa was silent. The fluttering in her chest was harder to disregard than her blushing had been as Bianca tilted her head into her touch. She wanted to brush her thumb against Bianca's cheek but she kept her hand still a moment longer before pulling it away. "You better go. You shouldn't keep Henry waiting."
She could feel Bianca's eyes on her but she could not meet her gaze. "You're right. I still need to swing by the tavern to grab the schnapps without being seen, or Pa will make me work instead."
"You should be helping him," Theresa scolded gently as Bianca stood and she followed.
"Pa can handle the tavern for another hour. Adam's there, too," Bianca said with a wave of her hand. "I won't be long."
Theresa huffed a little but smiled. As she began to turn away, she felt slender fingers gently curl around her wrist and she stopped to look back at Bianca.
"Meet me here again tomorrow?" Bianca asked. Theresa's eyes searched her friend's face, noticing that something had changed, shifted, just slightly. She couldn't make out what, but it seemed as if Bianca was almost… timid, though that definition didn't quite fit either.
"Alright," Theresa agreed with a nod. Then, without a word, Bianca rose to her toes to press a quick, soft kiss to Theresa's cheek before leaving.
The small, simple act of love done likely out of friendship more than anything else still made her heart nearly burst. She was certain her mouth was open lamely, yet no words came. She raised her hand to where Bianca had pressed the kiss to her cheek, her fingertips brushing softly over the skin there in a weak attempt to recreate the sensation. The warmth that had burst in her chest began to fade as she watched Bianca walk up the hill towards Skaltiz's gate — fade but not disappear completely. Something lingered, flickering within her like a candle in the dark. It was a feeling she found familiar, one that she had tried to let go of.
Hope.