Making Things Right

"DELTA. GET IN HERE." Rychester bellows from his bedroom, calling for the young brute. Delta gets up from her cleaning and rushes to her king's bedroom, not daring to anger him. She opens the door to her master laying in his bed, staring at his ceiling. "Delta. I'm bored." He announces. "Uhm..Ok? I'm not sure what you want me to do, Master." Delta responds with confusion. Rychester sighs deeply and rolls his eyes, "Find something for me to do. Mona isn't home and I don't have anything to do." Delta stands there in pure frustration for a moment before attempting to formulate a response. "Master, you are an adult toskal. A king of these lands. I am sure you can find something for yourself to do. I mean no disrespect, but I do not often leave this castle. When I do it is with you. Whatever you do, I also do." Rychester huffs in compliance. "Your insolence has not gone unnoticed, but it is forgiven. Do not let it happen it again. But perhaps you are correct. I do not let you out of this castle often. Humor me, Delta. Where is it that you have gone? Is there anywhere you'd like to be?"

Delta is surprised by his sudden interest in her life, but answers, "Well, Master, I have not been outside of the walls of the kingdom. I have mostly been to the center kingdom and the marketplace with you, but since Toe Snatcher has arrived you do not take me with you much more..." she trails off. Rychester takes notice of her tone. It is laced with melancholy and pain but has an uncaring overtone to it; an attempt to hide what she is feeling. "I can hear that you are bothered by this. Where would you care to venture today?" Rychester asks in an attempt to cheer her up. Delta looks away from her king, embarrassed that she has let her facade slip, even if slightly. "I am not, Master! I am grateful for the life you have given me as your servant, and I am happy for you that you now have Toe Snatcher." Rychester sits up to look at her face, able to see the true expressions behind her smiling skin mask. "Lying to your superior is a lapse of judgment, Delta. Now speak your mind, tell me what is under your skin. What is bothering you with your life here? I am sure you understand that I try to offer everything you may need and want when you are under my rule. If you are dissatisfied with what I give you I would like to know."

Delta squirms and hesitates, unsure if Rychester is being sincere or is tricking her for some sick form of entertainment. She fears the repercussions of what she may admit, but also the repercussions if she disobeys him further. After what feels like an eternity of going back and forth in her head, she speaks. "I am bored here, Master. Your accommodations are quite generous, but I feel as if I may live in a prison instead of a home. I am not allowed to go outside without you accompanying me. I wish to go outside the walls. I often look out the great windows of this castle in my free time and ponder what may be out there. I do not wish to go far. I often hear tales from the other servants of great seas of woodlands as far as you can see, so expanse that you may be swallowed inside of them and left to be forgotten. I do not want to go there, but I wish to see if the rumors are true. Toe Snatcher has mentioned life beyond the walls before you found him. I do not understand him well, but from what I do understand there is a grand ocean not from here. He speaks of going there with you, even. He tells me you swim amongst the coral and in the tidepools. He has shown me trinkets and souvenirs that you have brought back from your trips out together." Delta pauses once more to collect her thoughts before continuing, "That is not all either, Master. I miss when you used to take me out to accompany you. I now feel as though I do not mean much to you. You only call upon me when you need me, but you do not call for me when you want me. I feel unwanted, Master. I feel as though I am just a servant now. I used to mean something. I do not anymore."

Rychester sits there flabbergasted and unsure as to how to respond. The tension in the air is suffocating. It feels as though time stands still in this moment. Delta stands in her place rigid, fearful of what may come. Her indiscretion may be met with severe punishment, something she did not consider carefully enough before letting out her feelings for her current situation. At first, she was restrictive with what she was saying, but as her words flowed out of her she could not stop them. Her cheeks flush red and she could feel the heat in her face. She felt as though her blood was lava and she was scorching from the inside out. Her eyes have not left the floor since she looked away from her king. She slowly builds up the courage to look at Rychester, and there is pain and sorrow written on his face. He hides it well, but Delta knows him too well for him to hide things from her anymore. Tears well up in her eyes after confessing her deepest troubles to him and seeing him have any reaction to it. She is still unsure what is to come if these feelings that he has bode well for her or not. Rychester notices Delta looking at him, and softens his expressions. He lets go of his stoic exterior. Delta's tears start to stream down her face seeing Rychester let his guard down.

Rychester finally breaks the silence between them, "...I see. I am deeply saddened by what you have had to say, Delta. I did not have knowledge that this is how you feel working for me. I did not realize I wasn't giving you the attention you deserve. I am sorry," Rychester looks away from her, ashamed of himself for how he has been acting regardless of him not having known about it, "I do wish you had brought this up earlier. I do care quite deeply about you. You may be a servant in this castle but that is not all you are. You are a great friend to me and I do not wish any malice towards you." Delta's tears become more pronounced, and she starts to sob lightly. She did not expect this kind of feedback from her king. "Do not cry, dear. It is ok. We will make this ok, I will treat you better, how you deserve. I have never meant to do this to you. I am sorry." Rychester pauses for a moment, thinking about what to say to her. "You mentioned the beach near here. Would you like to go there today? It could be our first step to making things right. You are needed in my life and I want to make sure you feel that way, Delta."

Delta smiles and wipes the tears from her eyes, "I'd like that very much, Master." Rychester cuts in, "You don't have to call me Master. You may be my servant, but you are also my friend, and from now on you shall be treated as a friend." Delta smiles once more, already feeling more like a valued part of Rychester's life. "Thank you, Rychester. You have made me feel much better about my residency here. Would it be ok to ask you of things in the future? I do not wish to overstep, you may call me a friend but I am still a servant here after all, and still have boundaries that a true friend may not have." Rychester stops to ponder the question for a moment before responding, "You may ask of those things when they come up. I will not punish you for asking of things anymore." "Thank you, friend," Delta says with a large grin coming over her face. She feels as if she is worth something now, a feeling she has not had in a long time. "Shall we head off to the beach now?" Delta inquires. "Give me a minute to get ready, Delta. I suggest you get ready as well." Delta looks a little puzzled by what he said, "I do not know what to bring. I have never been there, remember? Do you have any suggestions?" Rychester nods in agreement, forgetting that she has never been outside of the walls. "The ocean may be cold, so I suggest you bring some towels to dry off after you get out of the water. And maybe a basket or two to bring back anything you may find of interest. The beach has beautiful stones and shells that you may like to adorn your chamber with." Delta finds it hard to contain her joy for the day's newly planned activities and jumps around excitedly. "Yes, Master! I mean, yes, friend!" She exclaims before running back to her room to pack some things for the trip. Rychester shakes his head at her with a smile, looking like a father laughing at their excited child.

Delta packs a couple of towels into a basket and makes sure to leave enough room for anything of interest she may find out on her expedition. She skips out of her room excitedly, much to the surprise of the other servants of the castle cleaning and preparing food. She spots Toe Snatcher and waves to him with a smile. It's like she is suddenly a whole new toskal. Toe Snatcher looks at her with a confused look but doesn't dare question her. He is busy with his work and doesn't concern himself with her. Maybe she got a good fucking or something, either way, he doesn't really care and goes on about his day. Delta sits out in the main room of the castle next to Rychester's throne, waiting for him to be ready. A few minutes pass without a sign of Rychester, and Delta is worried that maybe he was just playing with her feelings the whole time. She looks around as she waits, and can't help but start to feel like a fool. She thinks to herself, "I am such an idiot to let him get the better of me. I should have known better. It's RYCHESTER. He would never allow himself to be so caring. What punishment awaits me once he has had his fun? I hope I don't spend a night in the dehorning room...I have never seen anyone down there to clean it, I can't imagine it smells very pleasant." Her worries are cut short when she hears Rychester emerge from his bedroom and make his way down the hall.

"Delta?" He calls out for her, "I am ready to depart now. Where may you be?" "I'm by your throne!" She responds gleefully. Her thoughts and concerns from before still very much present and in the forefront of her mind, but she's not going to let her anxiety possibly ruin the best day of her life. She gets up to wait for her friend, her hands clasped together in a failing attempt to contain herself. Rychester emerges into the room with two baskets, one in each hand. His fur is well groomed and slick, but still messy under his own standards. He doesn't seem bothered by this though, instead just happy to be doing something today. "We're going to have great fun today!" Delta exclaims. "I certainly do hope so at least," Rychester responds. "We shall make our way now then," Rychester announces while making his way towards the castle door. Delta quickly follows him, not risking potentially getting left behind.

The pair make their way through the winding paths of the kingdom. Delta admires the architecture around her, earning a sorrowful and guilty reaction from Rychester. "Delta, I'm sorry I stopped taking you with me out of the castle. If I had known how much you enjoyed going out I would have taken you with me a lot more often. I hope this does not cause you upset, but it hurts me seeing how much you enjoy being out here. I feel ever so saddened that you have suffered for so long without speaking up. I know I am a harsh ruler, but I do not wish for my subjects to suffer." Delta looks up at him with surprise, "I did not realize we meant so much to you. The things you said earlier, I wasn't sure how much I believed them, if I'm allowed to be honest. But seeing you now, I can tell that you are genuine with your words." Rychester smiles at her, trying to feel less guilty about what he has done to her. "I am sorry that I did not say anything before today, Rychester. I was scared of what you may do to me for speaking my mind, as are many other of the castle's servants. I am sure this comes as no surprise to you. You rule us with an iron fist and often punish us for the most minor of mistakes. I hope this is not out of line." He looks away and continues walking without saying anything. He purposely shields his face from Delta's view, making it impossible for her to make out his reaction. They walk in silence, often stopping to look at different buildings and small wildlife running amongst the kingdom. When they make it to the kingdom's gates Rychester answers her earlier outburst.

"It was not out of line, Delta. You speak the truth and it took me a while to think about how to respond. I was not aware that all of the servants felt like this. Although I will not change everything about how I treat you guys, I shall start treating you and them more appropriately. I am aware I can have rather violent tendencies, and I have outbursts of anger at times. I have never cared to change this honestly. I never cared how it affected the toskals around me. But I understand now. I understand that my actions do have consequences, whether the consequences affect me or not, they are there." Delta elects to stay silent in response to Rychester's admission. She is not entirely sure how to respond to it, and does not wish to upset him further. Self growth is important, but this just feels cruel. Rychester doesn't question her silence and continues on his way. They slip out of the slightly ajar gates, "Whoever is in charge of keeping these closed is just asking for a world of pain..." Delta chuckles nervously at the remark. He may be growing but it is certainly going to be a long and arduous process.

They make their way around the kingdom, following a well used path. Delta watches all of the things around her with great interest. She makes note of the grass and the insects crawling amongst it. Her eyes light up as a butterfly flutters in front of her and lands on a flower. Every little thing is so lovely to her. Rychester rolls his eyes at her, "Have you never seen grass before?" She scowls at his remark, but gives him the satisfaction of an answer, "I have, of course. There is some in the kingdom after all. It just..I don't know. It's never seemed as lovely as out here." Rychester chooses not to argue with her, "Grass is grass, but whatever makes you happy, Delta." The way to the beach is a long one, but it all just gives her more time to admire the beautiful nature that surrounds her. Not too far from the kingdom walls, she can see the sprawling forests that the other servants have rumored about. She shudders at the thought of the cold lonely nights that lost toskals spend in the maze of woods. "Are the rumors true about the forest?" She asks. "What rumors, exactly?" "The rumors of toskals never coming back! Of getting lost in there forever, becoming trapped!" Rychester thinks for a moment before answering her question, "Do you want to find out?" She scoffs and hits his arm playfully. She quickly sucks back into herself before apologizing. Rychester just laughs and dismisses her actions, causing her to smile joyfully. "But to actually answer your question, I have never heard of toskals getting lost out there. I have heard rumors of a giant woman roaming the forests though. Some say she was excited from her old tribe due to her mutation, others say that she was lost as a pup and was attacked by a sick animal, causing her to become sick with gigantism. I don't think any of it is true though." "I think it might be true," Delta responds, "Have you ever been in there?" "Maybe. I can't say from personal experience, no. That much is true." "See! You can't say it's not true until you have been there yourself!" Delta scolds. Rychester just nods and rolls his eyes again, dismissing the young brute's gullible personality.

Delta starts jumping excitedly, "Look!! I can see the water! I can see the sand!" She exclaims, pointing at the beach. Rychester simply chuckles at her outburst. He takes one of the baskets he was holding with his tail and grabs Delta's hand with his. She looks up at him, eyes sparkling and gleaming. He smiles at her, making her feel warm and fuzzy inside. They make their way down to the beach, hand in hand, Delta not daring to let go. She squeals in delight when she touches the warm grainy sand. Rychester laughs again at her excitement, delighted to see her so happy. "I like seeing you happy, Delta." Delta looks up to see Rychester blushing softly. It's difficult to see through his fur, but the light white color of his cheeks makes it possible to just make out the reddening skin underneath. Delta blushes as well, but due to her colored fur Rychester is unable to see it. Delta lets go of Rychester's hand and drops to the ground. She runs her hands through the sand, playing with it. She watches as it dribbles down and in between her fingers. The sand doesn't keep her attention for long, as she soon spots something shiny in the sand and can't help but run to it. She picks it up and examines it, turning it around in her hands over and over again trying to figure out what it is. "Rychester!! Look what I found! What is it?" "Huh?" Rychester takes the item from her and examines it for himself. "Oh, it's an abalone! They're kind of rare around these parts. Quite a nice find, Delta! Good job." He smiles warmly, radiating affection towards her. He hands it back to her and she promptly packs it tightly in her basket, making sure it won't fall out. "I'm going to go sit by the tide pool. I'll be watching you though, don't worry." Rychester informs Delta before heading off to the gentle baby pools of the ocean. Delta watches him walk away and sit down on the rocks not too far away. He smiles and waves before turning around and fishing in the tide pools. She watches him for a moment as he pulls up and throws back little sea creatures, a lot of them she doesn't recognize.

She decides not to bother him while he searches for whatever he is searching for, and she goes back to playing in the sand. She notices that sand clumps when it is wet and gets to work on making a sandcastle to replicate her home. She works diligently to try to make it as accurate as possible. She pays great attention to every detail that goes into it. She sticks little stones and shells into it to decorate it. Once she is done she steps back and looks at her creation. She carefully gets up, scared of destroying the delicate structure somehow. "Rychester!!" She calls for her new friend with childlike energy. "Come here! Look what I made!" Rychester stops what he is doing happily to come to look at what she called him for. He leaves his baskets tucked in by the rocks, making sure they won't go anywhere. "What is it you'd like me to see?" He asks enthusiastically. "Look! I made the castle out of sand!" She exclaims and points to her work. "Awe, Delta. That is very cute! And very well made. Good job! You did great, especially for your first one." Rychester praises her. "I'm having a great day already, Rychester!" She exclaims gleefully. "I'm glad, Delta. We shall do this a lot more often." He replies.

"I'm going back to the tide pools, Delta. If you decide to go in the ocean please come get me first! The waves can be really strong, and I don't want you getting swept out to sea." Rychester commands her. "I'm coming with you to the tide pools!" Delta replies. She picks up her basket and follows Rychester to the tide pools. The rocks prove to be a challenge for her to get over so Rychester picks her up and lifts her over them. "Can I get in, Rychester?" She inquires, nervous to get in without his approval. "If you know how to swim," he answers. She nods and slips into the calm water, relishing in the cool water splashing against her body. The water goes up to her chest when standing, making her confident where she is. "What were you looking for here earlier?" She asks Rychester, who is once more staring intently into the water, clearly looking for something. "Mona loves clams and oysters. I think she would appreciate it if I brought some home for her. They make my hands stink for a while, but her happiness is important to me and a little bit of stench in exchange for her happiness is worth it." Delta feels a pang in her heart hearing how much Rychester cares for his bond mate. Her heart aches for a bond of her own, but for now, she is content with living with Rychester. He is being a great friend today, and if he continues to show this side of himself she could live a very happy life with him in the kingdom.

Delta plays in the calm tide for a while, finding all sorts of little creatures in the water. Her favorite creature being the little starfish that scuttle along the bottom. She enjoys touching them and watching them scurry away from her. She looks up to Rychester, who is crouched down on the rocks, hovering over the water. He sifts through the sand in the water in search of the seafood that his dearest loves. Delta starts sifting through the sand as well in an attempt to aid her king in his ambitions. She pulls up all manors of shellfish, not entirely sure exactly the differences between them. She has an idea of what clams and oysters look like, but she can't really tell them from other shellfish. She just gathers anything that looks even remotely like what Rychester is looking for. It doesn't take her long to get a good amount of them, and she brings them to him for approval. "I don't know which ones are clams or oysters, but I brought you some shellfish for Mona! Sorry if none of these are what you're looking for, I'm trying my best." She says as she presents the animals to Rychester. He examines them carefully, setting the shellfish into separate piles. "You have a lot clams in here, and a few oysters. Not bad at all. This is what a clam looks like," Rychester says as he picks up a clam and shows it to her. "They have a very specific shape to them and ridged shells," he explains. He puts the clams into his basket and grabs an oyster and explains to her how to identify them as well before putting them in the basket.

"I think we have gotten enough for Mona, the basket is full, she will be very happy. You were a great help in getting them for me, Delta. Thank you. I will be sure to inform Mona that you had helped me find many of the clams." Delta looks at Rychester, puzzled. "You have another basket though? I can surely find more for you to fill that basket as well." "Ah, but that basket is not for treats for Mona. You will see what it is for in due time." Delta is even more confused now but shrugs it off, not too concerned with it. "Toe Snatcher used to tell me about how you would swim amongst the shallow coral reefs in the ocean. Would you take me to do that?" Delta begs. Rychester gazes over the ocean, determining the state of the water. He nods, "The water seems calm enough today." He grabs her hand and leads her to the reef shore. He stops and looks over the ocean once more, seemingly savoring the moment. Delta does the same, ensuring that this scene is burned into her memory. This is a day she doesn't want to forget.

After making sure to take a mental snapshot of the beautiful scenery in front of her, Delta tugs on Rychester's hand, notifying him that she's ready to get in the water. He happily complies and starts walking into the water slowly, making sure that Delta isn't getting too deep before they start swimming. Once Delta is up to her neck she lets go of Rychester's hand and starts floating in the water, kicking slightly and waving her arms out to keep herself afloat. Rychester lets his legs out from underneath him in an attempt to get down to Delta's level. He isn't able to get quite that low but it's the thought that counts and Delta appreciates it. They swim out further into the ocean, both of them now nearly completely submerged and working to keep themselves afloat. Rychester gives Delta a sly glance before diving down and disappearing into the water. She gasps at the unexpected action of his but then dives under herself. Her eyes sting from the salty water. She can't help but wonder how Rychester stands it. Through burning eyes she watches him glide gracefully through the water. He looks so peaceful and happy.

Delta, not being accustomed to being underwater, comes up to breathe quite often. She is impressed with Rychester's ability to hold his breath. He must do this quite often. Her eyes sting less with every dip back into the water, and she is quickly learning how to optimally hold her breath for longer trips beneath the surface. It doesn't take long for her to gain the confidence to join Rychester in the reef. She swims amongst the coral, admiring the beautiful colors and shapes that they take. Colorful fish dart in between the coral, taking shelter from the toskals and looking for food. Delta watches them, entranced by their movements and shimmering iridescent scales. She swims to Rychester in an attempt to get his attention. He looks at her and she gestures him to go to the surface with her. They swim up to the surface and Rychester asks what she wants. "Do you think if I could catch one of those fish I could keep it in the castle?" Delta pleads, desire clear in her eyes. "I don't know, Delta. These fish wouldn't be happy away from here. We could get something from a pond though? I could ask Lysander to keep one of his catches alive for you next time he comes to the market?" Delta looks at him disappointed but nods in agreement anyways. Rychester notices her disappointment and feels bad that he's dampened the mood somewhat. He thinks for a moment before adding on to what he's already said, "I will look into making a nice pond outside of the castle. I will see if I can bring some of this coral there and keep it alive. Maybe then we can keep a few of these beautiful animals." Delta is delighted with his reconsideration and quickly dives back down to practice catching her favorite fish.

She glides through the water, mimicking Rychester's movements well. She works towards grabbing the fish but she isn't very successful. They are faster and more alert than her. Although she is becoming graceful in her new underwater world, she will never swim as well as the current inhabitants. One fish does catch her eye though. It is rather small and looks a little deformed. it swims a bit slower than the other fish and Delta reckons she may have a chance at catching it. She swims after it reaching out to try to grab it. She gets infuriatingly close multiple times but it is just out of her grasp every time. The little fish shoots into a crevice in the coral, just large enough for Delta to fit her arm into. She reaches into the crevice in an attempt to grab the fish. She feels around but doesn't feel the fish anywhere. She spots it on the other side of the coral and realizes it wasn't a cave, but rather a tunnel instead. She swears to herself, frustrated that she got so close to her goal. She attempts to pull out her arm only to find that it is stuck. Some of the coral must have fallen around her when she rammed her arm into the cavern. She wriggles her arm around in an attempt to free it, but it is to no avail. She can feel her lungs start to ache and she begins to panic, violently contorting her arm trying to get away from the coral prison. Her panicking only accelerates her oxygen loss. Her vision starts to go blurry and black and white spots begin to appear. Rychester spots her struggle and rushes to help her. The last thing she feels is Rychester tugging on her arm trying to save her. She soon blacks out.

"Delta?" Rychester calls with a broken voice. He sounds to be on the verge of tears, something Delta has never heard from the ruler. She opens her eyes to Rychester standing over her with the sun beaming bright behind him. The light burns her eyes and she closes them and looks away. "Delta?!" Rychester calls again, this time with obvious concern and fear in his voice, but there is also a hint of hope to be found. Delta grumbles at him, almost too tired to make out words. "DELTA!" He screams and grabs her pulling her close to his chest and squeezing her tight. "I was so scared I lost you." Delta coughs lightly before responding, "I'm ok, I think. What happened?" Rychester smiles with tears now streaming down his face. "I'm so glad you're ok." He says with his voice cracking as he tries to hold back sobs. She looks up at him and reaches to caress his cheek, "Don't cry, Rychester," she is interrupted with another cough before continuing, "If something happens to me you'll be alright. You have Mona and the other servants." Rychester shakes his head disagreeing with her statement. "I love Mona greatly and the other servants do hold a place in my heart, but none of them do as much as you, Delta. Remember when you said you feel like you don't mean anything to me earlier today? You don't know how wrong that statement was. You mean so much to me. I could live without you, but it would be a miserable existence. An existence I don't want to have."

Delta smiles at him weakly. "I think I truly believe you now." "You asked what happened earlier. You were chasing a fish and got stuck in the coral. You almost drowned." Rychester explains briefly. Delta rolls her head to the side and looks around, starting to regain full consciousness. "Rychester? What is in that second basket?" She asks, trying to bring back the happy vibes they've had throughout the day until now. Rychester blushes before responding, "I had the servants prepare us a lunch. It's not much, but I thought it would be nice for us to have at the beach." Delta smiles at him again, "That was very thoughtful of you, Rychester. I am getting rather hungry after all that swimming. It's a bit late for lunch now, but we could have it for dinner instead." "I agree." Rychester sets her down on the warm sand and retrieves the baskets, still nestled in by the tide pool rocks from earlier. Rychester sits across from Delta and opens the basket, letting out a heavenly aroma. Delta takes a deep breath. The salty scent of the ocean and the sweet and savory smells from the food come together in magnificent harmony. Rychester reaches into the basket and pulls out some fruit and meat, both being something Delta doesn't get to have that often. "I know you really like meat, so I brought you some extra," Rychester mentions as he thrusts a roasted haunch in her direction. She can't quite tell what animal it once belongs to, but she happily takes it anyways. "This is amazing, Rychester! Thank you!" She says through a mouthful of food. "Of course." Rychester replies, "It was time for a change, and it was time to make things right."  

The duo finishes their meal, Delta mostly eating the meat, but dabbling in a little bit of the fruit. Rychester looks to the sky, noticing the waning sunlight. The world above them turns to a beautiful purple and orange as the day comes to a close. "We should start heading home soon, Delta. I want to be home before nightfall." Delta agrees and grabs her stuff, ready to go. She pouts slightly noticing her distinct lack of souvenirs from her day trip. Rychester notices her disappointment and offers a solution, "Why don't you take some of the shells you used to decorate your sandcastle? The castle will be washed away in the high tide more than likely, but the shells from it can stay with you forever." Delta perks up quickly, "That's a great idea!" she exclaims as she rushes over to it to pluck the shells off of the sculpture. As she crouches down and starts removing the adornments, Rychester gets another idea for her to remember her trip out of the kingdom, "We should plant a fruit tree with one of these seeds from our lunch." Delta jumps straight up and squeals out of excitement for the idea. "Are you serious Rychester?? I would love that so much! That would make me so happy!" He nods to reaffirm the idea and packs a few pits and seeds away back into the basket, making sure to have extra in case it takes a few tries for one of the plants to survive.

When Delta finishes collecting the shells and packs them tightly into the basket, using the towels to cushion them, ensuring they won't break on the way back home. Rychester grabs her basket for her and hoists her onto his shoulders. "Whether you feel it or not, your body is quite tired from what happened earlier. You can ride on my shoulders on the way back. You can hold onto my mane for balance, but please don't touch my horns. If one snaps then I may have to snap you." His tone suddenly turns very serious, reminding Delta that he is still Rychester. He may have felt like a different toskal today, but inside he is still himself. He can't change in one day. Delta agrees and grabs onto his mane for stability and to make sure she doesn't fall off. He holds the basket containing the seeds with his tail, and the baskets with Delta's trinkets and Mona's surprise in his hands, making sure that the goods inside won't be damaged.

The journey back is quiet and peaceful. Delta becomes very sleepy and elects not to say anything on the way back. She uses all her energy to refrain from falling asleep on Rychester's shoulders, but her effort is in vain. About halfway back to the castle, she quietly drifts off to sleep. She dreams of their day on the beach, storing the memory deep in her brain. She wakes up to Rychester laying her down in her bed. She smiles at him and he smiles back. She wearily watches him as he unpacks her things for her, putting her shells on the shelf she has hung across from her door. He sets the abalone down on the table next to her bed, understanding that it is special to her. He strokes her mane briefly before turning to leave. He looks at her affectionately one last time before leaving and shutting the door behind him. Delta rolls over in her bed to get ready for sleep when she overhears something that piques her interest.

"Oh, welcome home my love!" Rychester greets Mona, who has come home earlier than expected. "I heard from some of the residents that you've spent the day with Delta? Quite unusual that is, Rychester." "Delta was feeling unappreciated around here, and I wanted to reassure her that that is most certainly not the case. We were at the beach today. It was a great time. She even helped me collect some treats for you, dear." Mona doesn't respond for a moment, most likely weighing her options as to what to say. "Rychester. Be honest with me. Do you have feelings for her?" "I absolutely do not, and I am <i>honestly</i> offended by the accusation, Mona. My heart belongs to you and the children we shall one day bear. You should know this." "I'm sorry, hon. It is just unlike you to treat the servants so well." "Well, Delta is special to me. She always has been." Mona doesn't respond, or at least not that Delta can hear anyways. She closes her eyes to try to clear her thoughts. "My heart belongs to you and the children," she repeats that sentence again in her head. "I don't like Rychester like that but...No. I don't like him," she thinks to herself, "I shall ask him tomorrow for permission to leave the castle alone. I think it is time I find a dear of my own." That is the last thought she has before she finds herself once more in a deep slumber, exhausted from the excitement of the day they have had.