CALION, Kingdom of the four swords

CHRISTMAS DINNER

- Mom, it's almost seven and you're not ready yet! - Daniel said, - if we want to arrive early, "as you always want", we must go now.
- I'm going son, it's just that I don't want to look so bad, it's Christmas Eve.

Daniel sat back on the couch and looked back at the shining armor, calculating that for Kevin it was small, but for him it was still a little big.

- Do you have the gifts ready? - Rose asked
- Yes mom, I have them here with me.

Daniel's mother had bought clothes for all the family's friends every year, Daniel worked a couple of weeks in a cafeteria so he could have some money, so he worked hard to choose gifts for Diane, Astrid and Kevin After much thought, he ended up spending almost all of his money on a beautiful ring that he intended to give Diane, a chill shook him when he tried to imagine giving it to him accompanied by a couple of "random" words, such as: "Do you want to marry me?"  or something like that. On the other hand, the gift for Astrid was a little teddy bear with a little silly face, but that doesn't matter, because It's the thought that counts., right? And for Kevin, all that was left was to buy him a baseball and that's it. 

While he looked with a little regret at the packages for Astrid and Kevin, Daniel played with the little box containing Diane's ring, he thought about the right time to give it to her, would it be better before, or after dinner? In front of everyone or alone ?, How would she react? ... He was obviously not sure Diane had been invited to the party, but he did have some probability.

At about seven o'clock, Daniel and his mother left for the Seaton house, they were planning to arrive early in case there was anything to help, Mr. Seaton, greeted both of them very happily, and invited them to come in, Daniel went up to the Kevin's room, he, was trying to get some kind of crazy hairstyle.

- But if you almost have no hair - Daniel laughed.
- But something can be done with it, right?
- If you say so...
- I didn't have time to prepare anything for you and Astrid, I was very busy helping my mother.
- Oh, don't bother, it's not necessary.
- But I wanted to at least have something around here to entertain you, by the way, what did you do during the day?
- Well, nothing out of the ordinary, I spent it on the couch watching TV

It was basically part of the truth, since he had been on the couch but rather had been thinking about his encounter with Diane.

- I thought Astrid wasn't going to want to come, but in the end I convinced her.
- Good, it wouldn't have been the same without her.
- And I imagine you'll know Diane is coming too.

Daniel almost faints.

- No, I didn't know, but it's good that she comes too, you know, today I talked to her in the morning.
- Wow !!! What did she said?
- She told me that she is leaving the country, not because she wants to, but because she is forced to do so, what I don't explain is why, if she almost never takes me into account, did she tell me this?
- I would say it's a very good sign
- I have a bad feeling.
- Why do you always have to be so pessimistic?
- I don't know, it's just that I feel that.

______________________________________________

At the agreed time, Mr. Lawless joined the meeting and Astrid hugged her two friends very happily, wearing a very nice black dress, Kevin and Daniel looked at each other a little blushed because they had such a beautiful friend, Mr. Lawless, quickly invited Ernest to a chess game, Daniel and Kevin sat a little intimidated next to Astrid to watch television for a while, she watched them with strangeness and a little complicity.

The Seaton family had a very nice and large Christmas tree in their living room, after a while, Astrid entertained himself by watching the Christmas ornaments hanging from it, gently stroking some turtledoves and angels. Suddenly someone knocked on the door again, George, the Twickenham driver was in front of Diane, nobody was surprised then that they would have sent her by car if they lived in front of her, because she came alone, and in truth her parents protected her a lot, she entered the room invited by Mrs. Seaton, and for Daniel it was as if the entire room was illuminated, Diane was wearing a sky-blue dress, which turned white as it wrapped her skinny figure between fold and fold until it touched the ground , two very white gloves beautifully adorned with silver threads covered her arms up above the elbows, leaving her shoulders uncovered, and around her neck, a silver collar served as a support for a heart-shaped stone of the same blue that her dress.