One After Another

By Courtney Timmons

Prologue

“Wait! Wait for me—Ow!” The girl shouted after she had tripped over her gown. She fell forward to the ground, clumsily.

“Saffron, are you okay!” One of the boys asked with much concern.

“Geez, Saffron! You sure are clumsy!” Scoffed the other boy.

Both boys hurried back to her.

Saffron looked up at them and whined in embarrassment. Both boys reached down and began to wipe the dirt from her face. She gave them a small smile. “T-Thank you.”

“Don’t worry about it,” smiled the gentler boy.

“Do worry about it. We won’t be around to take care of you forever, you know?” said the more rude boy.

Saffron grew embarrassed again. She managed to use her small arms to push herself up and sit on her knees. She looked down at how dirty her gown had gotten from the fall. “Oh no! Mother is going to be upset with me for dirtying another gown!”

The ruder boy laughed. “You do it on a daily basis! She should be used to it!”

Saffron pouted at him. “You wouldn’t understand, Sin! You’re a prince! Not a princess!” she scolded him.

Sin reached down and flicked her lightly on the nose. Saffron shrieked and covered her nose. Both boys laughed at her. “I understand perfectly!” Sin told her, teasingly.

“Okay, no more fun.” The other boy told them when he had composed himself. “We better hurry before it’s time for us to return home.”

Saffron nodded. Both boys reached their hands down to help her to her feet. She smiled and took both with either of her hands. When they pulled her to her feet, they both gripped her hands in theirs. “This way, you shouldn’t trip again!” They said simultaneously, as if they were twins. Saffron laughed as they hurried off.

The sun was setting when the children had arrived at their destination. It was an elongated grassy hilltop with a near steep slope. Saffron gasped excitedly when she saw the magnificent view of the city and the three kingdoms emitting the glow from the sunset.

“This is mine and Angel’s spot,” Sin told Saffron.

Angel, the other boy, nodded. “That’s right. We come here all the time.”

“And now, we want to share it with you, Saffron.”

Saffron looked happily from one boy to the other. They both gave her wide smiles. Saffron giggled and clung to the arms of both boys. “You two are so nice to me!” She squealed.

Angel laughed. “I’m glad we made you happy. Especially, since one day I’m going to marry you.”

Sin shook his head with a small smirk. “In your dreams, Angel. I’m going to marry Saffron.”

Saffron laughed again. “No! I’ll marry both of you! That way, we can be together forever!”

The boys laughed with her. “Be realistic, Saffron!” Sin told her.

“I like the idea though.” Said Angel.

The three of them continued to laugh and play for the rest of the evening as they enjoyed the sunset together.