Cassandra was beyond angry at her mother and father. How could her parents do this to her? The people of the Dark Kingdom were their enemies! How could they arrange a marriage for her, without her consent, to a total stranger from enemy grounds...
Cassandra followed Varian into the building. There were more kids inside. "Hey, V." An Asian girl said.
"Hey, Kiera. Hi, Catalina," he said as he set a couple cakes on the table. "Where's Anette?"
"She's in the other room. Catalina just made her a paper airplane," Kiera answered.
He went into the room where a little girl was sitting on a rug. Cassandra tilted her head. She looked to be about four or five. She watched as Varian snuck up behind her and then tickle her sides. She laughed and stood up, putting her arms around his neck.
"Hei!" She exclaimed.
"Hei, Ani," Varian chuckled.
The little began to bubble with excitement as she began to chatter about something. Cassandra didn't understand a word she said because she was speaking in a different language. It surprised her more when Varian effortlessly answered back in the girl's language.
The little girl looked at Cassandra with her round blue eye. "Forlovede?" She pointed.
Varian nodded. "Ja."
The little girl ran up to Cassandra and wrapped her arms around her legs. Anette exclaimed something in her foreign language.
"What did she say?"
"You're a part of the family. Anyone who's a friend of mine is a friend to the orphans, so you're now their big sister," Varian explained.
"Oh."
The girl said something else.
Varian clapped a hand over his mouth as he burst into a fit of laughter. "Ja!"
"What did she say?"
"Nothing!"
"Varian!"
"Cassie!" He mocked.
The girl giggled and made another comment. It sent Varian into another laughing fit. Cassandra put her hand on her hips.
"She asked is we fought, so I told her yes. Now that she heard us argue, she said we argue like an old couple. Obviously, she doesn't know how old couples fight!"
Cassandra's cheeks grew red as she looked down at the little girl. Anette just beamed at her. She bounced back over to Varian and her chin length, straight blond hair bounced with her. He was sitting on the floor with her. "Here, got you something," he said, then repeated it in her language.
The girl tilted her head as a small present was set in the palm of her hand. She opened it and pulled out a locket. Anette asked him something, eyes wide. Varian nodded solemnly. The girl wrapped her arms around him.
"Takk skal du ha!" She said.
"Velkommen," he whispered. Anette ran off to show the other kids.
"It was her mother's locket," Varian explained. "It was the last thing she had of her family, but it had been broken, so I fixed it."
"What happened to her family? She's not from around here, is she?"
"No. She's from a country up north. Her parents and her were traveling by here on their way to somewhere. We aren't certain. There was a wagon accident and Anette was the only one to survive it. Everyone and everything else went up in flames. Even though there is a language barrier, we were able to teach her some signs to tell us what she needed. We're trying to teach her our language to help her too, but it's taking some time."
"How do you know her language?" Cassandra asked.
"Oh, I'm fluent in three other languages as well. My mom liked to learn about other cultures, so I kinda picked it up from her. Also, it's nice to have someone who can translate to the king when we're trying to do business with another kingdom."
"What you're doing here is really special. I like it," Cassandra smiled. Varian blushed, looking away.
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O
k, so not too sure if the language is correct, but I was using a Norwegian language. And the little girl's design is based off the little girl in Kluas.
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