Free Christmas Healing by Jasmine Bowen, Morris Fenris Page A

wrap around her, and then wheeled her down the hall. She was gazing at the lists and then closing her eyes, trying to think of places where she had seen these items.
    When they got to the elevator, she pressed the button and then pressed ground floor, letting the doors close. Arthur glanced around, and for the first time, she didn’t see fear in his eyes at a new invention.
    “Well, this would have been very convenient, in my time.”
    “Modernity does have some good ideas,” she replied, with a smirk and the doors opened onto the ground floor.
    There were even more vendors than there had been before. She had grabbed her wallet, and still had the money Gregory had given her that day in the mall. She craned her neck up to Arthur, reading a few common items off the list.
    “Got it?”
    “And then we just … purchase these things and save them until Christmas?”
    “Correct. It’s all about giving other people stuff, and not getting the stuff you want in return,” she smirked at her own joke.
    “What’s on your list, Annalise?” he asked, as he slowly pushed her wheelchair through the row of tables. There were so many items, he felt overwhelmed. In his day, a market carried things that were needed, things that people had to go to market for. Nowadays, it seemed everything that could be dreamed up was sold. He still didn’t understand prices in terms of what was a good price or bad, but he found a few of the items on his brother’s list right away. He was so caught up in looking he forgot to wait for her answer, which she was grateful for.
    Once, this question would have been easy to answer. But now, Annalise had no idea what she wanted. She had come here wanting to go home, and wanting to be as far away from these Princes as possible. Now, with the threat of going home looking over her, she realized she didn’t want to leave.
    She wanted to stay, to see Arthur on his first modern Christmas, to celebrate the holidays with the people in this town she had come to know well. And love. She didn’t want to admit that word to herself, but there was something when she looked at Arthur that she was frightened of, frightened because of how strong it was. Was she falling in love with this broad shouldered tall Prince, or was it simply being around him all the time that she had grown fond of him?
    They got several bags of stuff before she declared that this was probably all they were going to find. Arthur had paused at a jewelry stand done in an ancient style, that she wondered if he recognized. He picked up a ring, a large turquoise piece with a silver band, turning it over in his hand.
    “The Queen used to wear something like this,” he said, and Annalise knew he wasn’t talking about England’s Elizabeth the second. “She always had it on. I think it was a family … thing.” He couldn’t think of the word and she smiled.
    “ Heirloom. Like a family treasure.”
    “Yes,” he nodded, putting it back down and picking up another piece, an amber necklace. “And in Egyp t.” The amber caught the light as he held it. It was magnificent, a black choker with beautiful jewels.
    “I guess jewelry will never really leave society,” Annalise replied. “Although there are some things that are different now. Men wear wedding rings too, for example, not just women.”
    “That’s odd,” he turned to her. “Why?”
    “I don’t know why it started, but it started about 100 years ago, I think. When you are getting married, you shop for 2 bands, not one.”
    “At the gold smith?” he asked and she shrugged.
    “Sure. Or the mall.”
    “But having something mass produced is not as special, I think, as a one of a kind piece?”
    “That’s true,” she yawned, leaning her head back in her wheel chair. “I agree with you on that.”
    “Are you tired, love?” he let the word slip out before he could catch himself, and looked startled by it.
    “Sort of,” she gave him an apologetic smile. “If you wouldn’t