Chapter 72 - 73
Anice was currently in very high spirits. She had been hucking potatoes at some of the farmhands—who had brought it upon themselves by leaving so many sacks of the recently-harvested vegetables out in the open for any bored child to throw at them—when she had decided to take off her mother’s earrings. There had been a torrential downpour the night before last and the fields were still wet and pocked with puddles, so she hadn’t wanted to risk dirtying the treasured keepsakes that her mother had left to her.
The moment she removed the two pieces of jewelry, a strange yet invigorating situation occurred. Almost as if she had lifted the lid from a pot of boiling water, the area around her began to warm so rapidly that it was easily noticeable in the cool, post-rain air. At first, she had been confused. Why would taking her earrings off cause the area around her to heat? Realization dawned on her, however, as she sensed Alistar hurrying out of the western entrance to the manor house, his practice sword in hand as he picked a perfect path through the fields that left as little muck on him as possible. She was quite far out off from the manor at the moment and normally wouldn’t have been able to notice somebody approaching from such a distance, though after removing her earrings she had become much more aware of her surroundings.
"Anne!" called Alistar as he hurried over, wearing nothing but a thick pair of trousers and a new pair of leather boots. "What did you do?"
"I—where are your clothes?"
"I was training."
Now that he mentioned it, his body was covered in sweat. This made Anice uncomfortable for some reason or other, as he had become quite muscular in the year since his Name Day.
"Why did you take your earrings off? Uncle told you not to do that without his permission."
"What, do I need his permission to use the privy, too? They’re just earrings, Alie."
"They’re not just earrings." He glanced down at the tiny pile of potatoes that she’d gathered at her feet, rolling his brilliant, silver-gold eyes in an exasperated manner. "Will you stop bothering the field hands, already? It must be incredibly annoying to have things thrown at you while you’re working."