First image: watercolor on parchment. Gold-tinted by sunset over the ocean and childhood memory. Two young girls fight on the beach with wooden swords. One smaller, dark-haired, the other with hair of gold, and a Northman's build. We are too far away to see their expressions, but somehow the artist shows their friendship in the tranquility of the setting.

Her name was Maura, and maman didn't approve of her. Of course, there were many things that displeased maman, so it never occurred to me that there was anything particularly wrong with having a friend from the barbarian enclave.

She had come to stay with relatives after her parents were killed in one of the many skirmishes between her people and ours. Our nations were never enemies, as such; we traded with each other, and even lived in each other's cities, but there was usually some trouble on our borders. As maman would have it, because barbarians were so aggressive, and not able to understand our ways.

Maura told a different story, of human encroachment on Northern territory, and dishonorable dealing. Honor was important to her. I thought I believed her, but I kept her version of events from maman, who would probably forbid our friendship if she knew Maura's thoughts.

She would one day be a great warrior. She practiced swordsmanship with her uncles and aunts, many of whom were highly sought-after fighters. What she learned from them, she taught to me. I was never her equal in strength, but she understood the arts of fighting, not merely use of her strength, and was able to teach me skills better suited to my speed and smaller size.

So she would usually best me, but not always, and not easily.

From her relatives she did not only learn to fight; she learned too of her heritage, and this also she taught to me. Of her people's descent from the Marr twins, whom many humans also worshipped. I asked if she was named for the Mother, Erollisi Marr.

"It may be," she said. "I do not know what my parents intended. I can not ask them."

She rarely mentioned her parents' death, and I regretted my question.

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