A few days later, a knock sounded in the Cohen household early in the morning. It was Elizah’s birthday, and Roxanne was already up at the crack of dawn trying to make her daughter’s day a little bit special.

She frowned when she heard the knock at the door. As far as she knew, no one came around their household this early.

She slowly walked out to the door and saw a young man’s frame in the doorway. He had gentle grey eyes, and his hair was light red.

“I’m home mama,” the man at the door said. He smiled shyly.

Roxanne recognized him instantly. Despite it being eight years since she had last seen her son, to her, he hadn’t changed in the slightest.

 “Micah,” she was overwhelmed by joy as tears began to stream down her cheeks. Micah stepped forward, and Roxanne threw her arms around him. She held him tightly in an embrace until Micah smiled and wiped the tears off his mother’s cheeks. “I missed you so much,” Micahicah said.

“But, how…” Roxanne managed. She was in disbelief that any of this was happening.

“I decided only at the last minute. Where’s Elizah?” Micah asked.

“She’s still asleep. I was going to wake her a bit late because I didn’t want her doing chores on her birthday,” Roxanne said with a small smile.

“I’ll wake her,” Micah said as he walked over to the bedroom, which he had shared with Elizah when they were younger. 

There he saw a young woman with blonde hair sleeping peacefully. She was far from the Elizah that Micah had last remembered.

Micah smiled as he sat down by the side of her bed and bent down to her ear.

“Happy birthday Liz,” he whispered in Elizah’s ear.

Elizah awoke with a start and flinched when she sat up. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the smiling face in front of her. 

She didn’t understand who was in front of her for a moment, but as she looked at him, it soon started to make sense.

“Micah,” she said with a gasp, and Micah nodded, and Elizah’s eyes widened.

Micah opened his arms wide for an embrace with his sister. “You’ve grown up,” he said as he looked at her.

She still had the tan and freckles that resulted from the long and hard toiling in the fields. Her golden blonde hair was braided behind her as usual, but she was much taller and skinnier than when he’d last seen her.

“What do you think will happen in eight years? I’d stay the same when you’ve grown up so much?” Elizah asked, and Micah laughed. Elizah turned her face indignantly, and Micah was surprised by what he saw on her face.

He looked at a fading bluish-purple bruise on Elizah’s cheekbone.

“Liz, who did this to you?” he asked and reached out to gently caress the wound. He’d personally make sure the person regretted even trying to hurt his sister.

“Oh, that’s a long story I’ll save for later,” Elizah said with a smile, “Besides, I have to get ready to go watch the parade.”

“Wait, I have something for you,” Micah said, and he pulled out a large sword from his belt.

“I want you to have this, I know how you’ve always dreamed of using a sword like this,” Micah said and handed the sword over to Elizah. “My gift to you on this special day.”

“It’s beautiful,” Elizah said as she admired the blade. It was still gleaming and shiny like it had been polished only the day before. Micah smiled and gently rubbed his sister’s head.

“Elizah, we’re going to be late,” Roxanne called out from the other room.

Elizah put the blade under the straw mattress she used as a bed.

“How did you manage to come home?” Elizah asked as Micah began to walk out of the room.

“I managed to convince the leader to let me off for a few weeks,” Micah said with a grin, hiding his lies. The real reason would be too confusing to explain, so he decided not to go into the details. If he had told her that he had been forced to take days off by the Prince himself, Elizah would be concerned.

“Wait, so you’re going to be here for a while?” Elizah asked, and her eyes lit up, and Micah nodded.

“That’s great! I have so much to tell you while you’re here. But first, let’s go to the parade or mama is going to be angry, “Elizah said with a wide smile. Micah couldn’t help but smile as well, realizing that the decision he had made was correct.