Having sufficiently composed herself, Sienna called out with a cheerful voice as she entered. "Papa, I'm home."
Her father's bearded face looked up from his book. He occupied his usual chair in front of the hearth, which danced with the flames of a bright, crackling fire. Her chair, smaller and covered in a light, floral pattern, sat across from his. A basket full of mending sat near its feet, and a small table beside it was covered with her sketching and watercolor supplies. The floor was blanketed in a thick woven rug of variegated blues and greens. A third chair stood to the left of hers, an empty reminder of the mother she had barely known.
"You were out late today," Daland commented as he marked his place with a ribbon and set the book aside. He rested his elbows on the arms of his chair and leaned forward. "Is something amiss?"
Sienna slipped off her wet boots and padded to the opposite side of the house. Rather than a proper wall, a small rectangular table and chairs divided the sitting room from the kitchen, and Sienna could maintain a clear view of her father over her shoulder as she rinsed her hands in the washbasin and stoked the cooking fire back to life.
"Not particularly. I saw Devri." It was better to start with a safe, neutral topic before admitting that she had ventured back to the caves.
"Oh? How is she?"
"She seemed in good health. She wants me to join her for the Midwinter Festival next week." She put a kettle of water onto the fire and pulled out a loaf of bread and cheese.
Daland perked up at this. "Are you going to go?"
"I told her I'd think about it. I don't want to leave you alone."
He waved her concerns away. "I'll be fine, Senta." The old nickname brought a fond smile to her lips as she sliced the bread into thick pieces and held them over the fire to toast. "I might be an old man, but I'm perfectly capable of handling this place by myself for one night."
Sienna hummed noncommittally. "I'll think about it," she repeated. She kept her movements slow and nonchalant as she continued. "I visited the caves today."
She could feel her father's sharp, narrowed gaze from across the room. "What? Why?"
She shrugged. "I was over by the tide pools and just decided to go in. But, Papa, I saw something strange while I was in there."
"What was it? What did you find, Senta?"
Sienna jumped at the sound of Daland's voice just in front of her. She had been so focused on keeping her hands and voice measured that she had missed him crossing the room. She looked up into the sea green eyes that were a mirror image of her own. Her red hair, fair, freckled skin, and short stature were all thanks to her mother, but her eyes proved her as her father's daughter. Daland's gaze was intense, and a crease formed between his blonde brows. "What was in the caves?"
Sienna's eyes widened. She had not expected this level of response. "Jus—just a bunch of crates. They were all stacked together in the middle of one of the dry caverns. It looked like they were all from the same place—Hollander's Emporium, though I can't think of anywhere with that name close by. Maybe it's from one of the other Courts? Autumn is close enough."
Daland's face had gone noticeably hard. She could see the place near his temples where the muscle twitched as he clenched his jaw. His next words were clipped. "Leave it be."
"But, Papa—"
"I mean it, Sienna. Promise me that you won't meddle with this. In fact, it would be best if you didn’t go near the caves at all."
Sienna frowned, twisting her mouth in confusion. The smell of burnt bread hit her nostrils, and she quickly pulled the toast from the fire. "Papa, what is going on?"
Daland sighed. His face cleared, and he pulled her by the shoulder to press a kiss to the side of her head. "Don't worry about it, Senta. It's nothing."
"It certainly doesn't seem like nothing. Wait. You're leaving now?" She knew that it was one of his regular fishing nights, but their current conversation felt far from finished.
He was already beside the front door, shoving his arms through jacket sleeves and pulling heavy boots onto his feet. "You saw the storm coming in; if we leave now, we’ll be able to grab a catch before the weather turns. You're alright taking care of the light?"
"Of course." She blinked, still trying to make sense of everything that had transpired since she walked in the door.
Daland gave her a sharp nod. "I'll see you in the morning. I love you, Senta."
"Love you, Papa. Stay safe." The door was closed behind him before the words had finished leaving her lips. Sienna sighed and looked down at the burned toast in her hands. It was a sad dinner for an evening home alone.
"Maybe Devri is right.”
Chapter three
Rescue in the Night
Casper
