The girl squinted her eyes at the peice before letting a grin take over her face. It was really quite sweet of Lizzie, and she seemed really proud of her tiny Sand blob Sage, so the girl turned a small laugh into an even bigger grin. "It's looking great!" Anya chirped. What right did she have to laugh? It wasn't like she could do any better. The girl glanced up before letting out a soft breath. She would need to be off - she still had a few hours or so left, but she wanted to shake of any suspions from her maids and even from their little guests.

Sage laughed at Anya, sharing a glance with the girl that they both knew Lizzie had done her best at the little sand person. "Well why don't we walk Anya back down to the tavern so she can get back and then we can make more sand people if you want?" Lizzie nodded and grabbed Anya's hand so she was holding a hand of each of the bigger kids and started skipping back to the tavern

As they walked, Anya found herself wondering how things had gotten so... good. Of course, she hired Sage, but she didn't think they would actually get along. She didn't think she would get on with Lizzie either, but she felt like they had a good time that night. Anya felt her cheeks rise in a grin, a stupidly large one, suddenly less than grateful for the sun that shon threw the path. Soon, they had finally arrived at the taven, where the girl quietly let go of Lizzies hand. She gave a soft smile, "Thank you for walking with me tonight, Lizzie." She noted brightly, offering a soft nod. She glanced to Sage, "I do hope to see you more tomorrow, though." She shrugged lightly.

Sage chuckled. "You should. I don't work overnight often now thanks to you." He did hope to see her, and he wished he could spend every night with the girl, although he knew that was a wild fantasy. His life wasn't a dream, unless you considered nightmares dreams too. Lizzie giggled and gave Anya a big bear hug around the waist. "I'll see you tomorrow," she chirped before running off again. Sage grinned and waved bye to Anya as he was towed away by his little sister.

Anya grinned as she watched the two scoot off for a moment before turning heel and wandering down the little dirt path. Suddenly, the air around her felt quiet... a little empty. She supposed it was because she had gone from being in company to being alone. She hadn't felt like this while she was out before - so it was an odd feeling. After a little while, she had made it back to her chamber, which seemed oddly small. It wasn't exactly a little room... Although, that was most likely because it was so open

by the lake.

Sage went back to the lake and played with Lizzie until she fell asleep. He picked her up gently, making sure not to wake her up before starting down the path toward their house. He didn't really want to go there, but he knew she needed her bed. Well, it was more a pile of ragged blankets in the corner of the house, but it was pretty comfortable. He glanced inside the house cautiously, and when he saw it was empty he stepped inside. Their dad was probably off drunk somewhere. Easier for him to get alizzie settled at least.

Anya sat in her room for a few minuets, unable to go back to sleep. While the last few night had visibly taken a bit out of her, she still found that sleep had become a bit of an issue. Not in a bad way - she was more... exited for life, in a way. As the sun came up, the girl heard a timid knock at the do. "Who is it?" She murmured groggily, a slight hint of annoyance on her face. A small voice replied, simply staiting that they were one if the servant girls, and were told to fetch her for the Queen. Anya thought she was done with preparations for this ball, though clearly her mother had other ideas. Anya took a look down at herself... she was a mess. She had dirt all over her dress and her hair was next best thing to a birds nest. She shook her head before jumping up and grabbing another dressy gown. "Tell her I'll be a few minuets." She called through the door before swiftly getting changed and wandering out the door, towards a little throne room where her mother without a doubt would be sat. The girl gave her mother dearest a glare, "What is it today? Oh, no, don't tell me! Has one of our esteemed guests cancelled on us? Are we going to be the laughing stock of the kingdom?" She murmured sarcastically. While it didn't seem like a big deal, such a thing could cause quite the issue for the Queen, making her look a fool, especially if said guest was a royal. The Queen shook her head and placed her head in her hands. "You need to take your place more seriously." Her mother grunbled. Her place? Is that what sitting still and looking pretty was? Anya rolled her eyes at the thought. She had always accepted that to ber her role, but there were so many more important things going on. "Your gown is here. I've had one of your maids put in your room. You'll need to try that on. We have another flood of guests arriving this evening and then final touches to the dining hall." The woman noted before going back to looking at some paper. Was that all she wanted? Anya nodded slowly before turning heel and walking back to her room. Is that really all she needed? She had a whole schedule for that. Either way, that was how her day would go. Dress, guests, dining hall. Though, this time, she managed to get out of the last one a little early; using the feeble excuse of wanting to be well rested for the day after.

(Again this got really babbly lol)

(lol no worries)

Sage watched Lizzie sleep for a few minutes before slipping out of the cabin and walking down the path through the woods. He might as well get a few hours of rest while he could. He went back to the lake and curled up under a tree, closing his eyes. He was woken up a few hours later by a nightmare, and the tavern would open soon. He went to the tavern and got ready for the day. It was a slow day, since most of the customers the day before we're getting ready for the ball or whatever was going on. Once the day was over, he locked up the tavern and decided to go look for Lizzie. He checked the cabin first, but it was empty so he decided to go back to the lake. He was close to the tavern, however, when someone grabbed him by the arm. He yanked away and spun around, only to get hit in the side by his father. The bottle his father had hit him with left a huge tear in his side and he heard a rib snap, and felt the jagged edge come out of the open wound in his side. He staggered and his father grabbed him again, dragging him to the cabin. Sage tried to get away, only to have his hands tied to the table and something hitting his head, knocking him out. He collapsed onto the floor, a puddle of blood spreading around him.

The girl found herself walking down a little dirt path, relived that what would normally be a boring day had finally come to an end. Tomorrow would be the last day she would have a day as such - then she could go back to her normal 'duties' of doing absolutely nothing. The girl passed the tavern, giving a quiet few knocks. It looked empty; but Sage had said he didn't sleep in house too often, so she figured there was a chance he would be there. When she got no answer, she wandered off to the lake, then reluctantly towards the little shack of a cottage. She was reluctant to visit, mainly due to Sage's father, but if there was a chance Sage or Lizzie was there then she could give the hut a chance. The girl bit her lip cutiously before giving a soft knock on the door. "Sage, you in there..?" She murmured. When she got no answer she tried the door handle and quietly pushed it open, peeking through the door, only to see a rather mangled looking Sage on the ground, tied up to a table. Her eyes widened as she glanced around the hut. She hadn't a clue what to do. It was the doing of his father no doubt, and if he was still around... well, she didn't want to get in his way. Still, the need to help the boy was somehow stronger than the need to look after herself. If his father showed up... she would try and deal with it when it happened.

Lizzie appeared behind Anya, looking worried. "Is Sage here? Dad's stomping around town drunk complaining about him fighting back or something and I'm worried dad did something to him..." She trailed off when she looked inside and saw Sage and gulped visibly before making her way to her brother's side and trying to untie his hands. "See if you can find his dagger," she called over to Anya. "The ropes are too tight for me to get off." She busied herself picking bits of broken glass out of Sage's hair and moving them from around him so no one would get hurt. She was worried, but knew she had to help. Although, she wasn't sure what to do...Sage was out cold, and had lost a lot of blood. He was still bleeding, too, and his breathing was rapid and shallow.