The carriage with the Mother and two children of the Alk family almost reached their final destination. They were in their home province, Alahia, located in the northern part of Saradia Kingdom. 

The climate there was rather cold and harsh for half of the year. The land is vast and flat with small coniferous forests now and then. Since it was spring there were only a few signs of snow left from the cold winter.

“Mama! Look!” The girl jumped on her seat out of excitement as she pointed at the window, waiting for the mother’s response.

“What is it, Kloe?” Asked the curious mother before even looking through the window, she first looked at her daughter and then realized where she was pointing.

“The flowers! The flowers are blooming!” She continued tapping the window and jumping in place, a wide joyful smile on her face.

Outside the carriage, there was a vast field of small blue flowers spread through the whole field. They grew even in places where snow was still frozen.

“Do you remember what they are called?” The mother asked playfully as she looked at her daughter.

“Blue… Blue something…” She stuttered, trying to find the right name.

“It’s Blue Snowdrop, my dear. They are the sign that spring is coming near and they are the same color as our House flag. The same as most of your clothes.” Mother showed the symbol of the house on the son’s coat and pointed at the daughter's blue dress.

“And why do we have a deer as the symbol of our house?” Asked the son as he stopped looking through the window, interested in the conversation they were having.

“It’s because it's the biggest animal in our land!” Kloe answered with pride behind her answer but that pride was shattered with Mother’s giggle.

“There are bigger animals in our land. Sien. What kind of food do we often eat while we are at home?”

“Meat, potatoes, carrots, and onions…” The boy had trouble counting more food after potatoes. 

“And do you know what kind of meat that was?” She asked playfully, hoping that the boy would find the right answer.

“Ukhm… Fresh?” Said Sien, not sure about his answer.

“It was fresh but it was a deer meat. We honored the animal that fed us through the whole year by making it our symbol. Since it is the beginning of spring… You know what that means?” The mother asked, waiting for the children's answer, taping her fingers against each other.

“It’s our birthday!” Both children gladly shouted with a smile and laughter.

“Kloe you’ll turn ten and Sien, thirteen.” The mother said as she tapped the children on the nose when she was mentioning them. “Kloe… you will get your own horse.”

“My own horse?! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” Kloe hugged her mother to thank her for the gift she hadn’t received yet, the mother then began to tickle Kloe while she was lying on her knees.

“And for you, Sien. There is a present waiting from your father. He told me it would be a surprise for you.” Said the mother as she stopped tickling Kloe for a second and then continued.

“Surprise for me? How long till we get home?! I can’t wait!” Sien looked out the window to see any familiar landmarks to know where they were. 

“We’re almost home. But I must warn you that we are stopping at the village for a moment. It is important for a ruler of the land to check on their people.” She said as she grabbed Sien’s cheek.

“Will we stop by the bakery?” Asked the daughter.

“I guess you want a bun with plums? How about it, Sien?” The mother patted the daughter on the head and looked at her son to see his reaction.

“If I eat a bun with plums I might be a little bit more patient…” Said Sien with a pouty face, while looking outside.

The moment the carriage entered the settlement the villagers surrounded it. They greeted the royal family with a smile and joy in their hearts. Lady waved her hand toward her subordinates with a smile. Sien joined his mother while Kloe hid under the window. 

She is a good child but very shy toward the people she doesn’t personally know. Even when visiting far family she tends to hide behind her mother. Once they left the carriage, Kloe didn’t leave mother’s side for a second. Firmly grasping her hand all the time.

They visited a few farms to check how the cultivation was going. All of them offered a seat by the table. They often got small gifts like cheese, fruits, and eggs. Lady Panma tried to reject the gifts saying that the farmers needed them more than she did. But she was unable to reject their offerings twice. 

The last, a small farm, was by an old man and his teenage son. The man sat on the fence, taking a break after hard work. Once he saw Lady he jumped off the fence to greet her. She saw the man struggling to take a knee. She stopped him, concerned for his health.

“Lady Panma, it’s a pleasure to see you on this fine day.” The man said as he slightly bowed.

“How’s the cultivation going?” Asked Lady Panma, turning toward the field.

“I’m ashamed to say it… Not well. Our donkey unexpectedly died and that made more work for us. We can only handle half of the land we have without a donkey.” The old man explained with his head low, ashamed of his situation.

“Do you have money to get a new one?” The lady asked.

“Not exactly…” The old man said with his head down, ashamed to say the truth.

“I’ll give you one of my horses so your work will go smoothly until you get yourself a donkey.” What she said almost brought the old man to tears.

“No. I can’t accept-” He insisted but the lady stopped him.

“Your farm is feeding us. So of course we are going to help however we can. We’ll bring one tomorrow.” Lady Panma said with a serious tone so the man wouldn’t reject her offer.

“Thank you, my lady.” The man didn’t take a knee as he was unable to but he bowed as low as his back allowed him to show gratitude.