In her hands, Jocelynn held two small wooden jewelry boxes. There was nothing masculine about the design; they were covered with carvings of bleeding heart, glacier lily, great white trillium, and other wildflowers of the Vale. There was no latch on the boxes, but the joinery and fit of the lid was so precise that they didn't need one to stay securely shut.
When she presented them to Sir Elgon and Captain Devlin, both men looked a bit puzzled at her choice of gift.
"You both left your wives and children in Blackwell to follow me here," she explained. "A father should come home with gifts for his daughters, and for his wife," she said as she pressed the jewelry boxes into their hands. "Whatever happens to me, tell them I said thank you, for loaning me their protector."
