Gabs kept her head lowered and stared at a patch of the stone floor for a couple of minutes. It was an old stone floor, Gabs reasoned, but it was clean. That particular brick looked well-kept and sturdy although there was some wear around the edges. They were smooth and the brick did not fit cleanly with the others.

But, still, it was sturdy. It did its job and the flaws made it unique among the others. It was worth the attention.

Gabs was used to being ignored.

She was appointed to be a companion and handmaiden to Lady Saddy by Lord Aldren. He feared that his wife would be lonely and her appointment seemed to be an act of nobility. Aldren was a servant, then a page, and moved upward through the ranks. Maybe, Gabs, wondered, that Aldren felt that her appointment was just part of his duty.

Gabs preferred to think that it was because he wanted his wife to have a friend. Gabs wanted to be that friend.

Lady Saddy radiated strength. Her eyes bespoke intelligence and Gabs also thought she saw humanity. She saw sadness and a soul refined by the striking of steel. But, most of all, she saw hope. It was that hope that Gabs needed in her own life.

A hope that had been fading since the shadow’s invasion.
A hope that had flared when Lady Saddy raced past her and down the hall.

Maybe, it wasn’t quite gone.

She made a decision.
Giving the brick one last long stare, Gabs hurried down the hall after her Lady.
It was her duty, after all her mind reasoned, to support Lady Saddy and she would do so, even if unasked or unneeded.

She had to nurture that hope and keep it alive.