Children of Another Cause
The Return of the Runaway Princess
Luna had gone to get a few things from the market that morning, and had left Tiesa and Pen hidden in Vienu and Reki’s cottage. They had agreed that neither could leave unless it was necessary, in case they were recognised.
Tiesa had taken out a sketchbook and was doodling the scenery from a bay window in the attic. After awhile, she tired of the landscape and started a drawing of Pen. She had never been bad at art, but she needed the practice, and Pen was a recurring subject.
Just then, the door swung open. Tiesa frantically flipped back to the landscape before Pen could see. “Luna’s back,” he said with mild relish. She stepped in behind him, carrying a small crate of assorted fruits and breads.
“Luna!” Tiesa said, smiling. “Wait a second. How on earth did you afford all of that? I only gave you enough money for half of it.”
Luna gave a sly smile. “Don’t worry about it, Tiesa.”
“You know I worry a whole lot more every time you you say that, right?” Pen interjected.
Tiesa glared at him. “Let her explain herself.”
“I don’t see why it’s such a big deal,” Luna said. She set the crate down on a desk near the window. “It’s food. Take it or leave it. If you leave it, that’s just more for me.”
“As long as you paid for it,” Tiesa said, shrugging. Luna fell silent.
Pen pointed at her, exclaiming, “See? I told you! She can’t even be trusted with this! Why did you do this to us, Ti?” he asked despairingly.
“Did you steal it, Luna?” Tiesa asked in an effort to clear things up.
“Not all of it,” she said. “Let’s face it. You don’t have the funds with you to keep this going for much longer. We all have to eat, so this is the only logical answer.”
Tiesa was speechless. Pen was not. “I can’t believe you! You can’t just go around stealing! It’s illegal! Not to mention obscenely amoral-”
“Pencari,” Luna answered harshly, “I am not dying because of some stupid morality code.”
“First of all, no one’s going to die. Second of all, it isn’t just morality. It’s the law.”
“First of all,” Luna mimicked, “what do you think happens when people don’t eat? Second of all, who ran away to aid an illegal rebel movement? I’ll give you a hint: it wasn’t me.”
“Calm down, both of you,” Tiesa interjected. “Luna, you’re right, we can’t starve. But it won’t happen again, alright? We’ll figure something out. We have to. Pen, you can’t freak out like this. We have to be on the same page. She’s here for a reason, and she knows what she’s doing. We’ll be back in a couple of weeks with any luck, and then we’ll have bigger issues. We just need to get there, together. Got that?”
Luna and Pen both nodded. “There’s a ship that stops here tonight. We’d better pack,” Luna said.
Tiesa set about collecting her things. She met the others at the door, and made sure that everything was just as it was when they had arrived. The house was erie and silent, and it startled Tiesa for reasons she couldn’t explain. Luna locked the door behind them.
