Katherine walked into the courtyards carrying one of her mother's books in her hands. She found a bench under a large tree and sat down. She looked at the cover, it was the newest book in her mother's collection and had just arrived this afternoon.

"Mysteries of the Yamani Islands. This should be very interesting." she said whispering to herself. She flipped open the book and started reading.

Gwynn grinned to herself and brushed back her copper hair. She stepped up to Katherine and spoke her hazel eyes twinkling. "Hi Katherine. How are you?" Gwynn looked at the front of Katherine's book. "You interested in the Yamani Islands? Oh! That's one by your mom."

Katherine looked up as she heard Gwynn. She placed a letter from her mom into the page she had just read and closed the book. "Hi Gwynn. I'm alittle depressed these past couple of weeks. I havn't seen Falik since that day I saw him in the courtyard we were attacked in. But other then that I'm alright." She told Gwynn quietly.

She held her book out to Gwynn. "My mother just came back from the Yamani Islands. She was there for about a month I think. She wrote this while she was over there. But the thing I find the most exciting is the history about the Yamani Commander, which I hear is now the bodyguard to Princess Miya."

Gwynn nodded and brushed back her copper hair. "Yeah, I'm a bit depressed about Alexander, too. I haven't seen him in a long time." She frowned but quickly smiled again.
"I've met the Yamani Commander. She's nice. Have you ever been to the Yamani Islands?" Gwynn asked curiously.

"I've never been to the Yamani Islands before, my mother travels all over the place, leaving my father to run Blackwater, with my brother's help of course." she opened her book and took out the letter that she had used as a bookmark. "My mother says that she is coming to the palace soon. She's just passing by on her journey to the south. So I wonder what will happen with that."

Gwynn picked a blade of grass near her foot, and grinned. "That'll be great, Katherine. I hope I'll get to meet your mom." She tore the blade of grass in half and picked another absently. The page stretched her legs out in front of her and brushed off the torn-up grass.
"I also hope you get to go to the Yamani Islands soon," she commented, "I wish you could come with me to the Yamani Islands where I'll be going for mid-summer and mid-winter. Speaking of mid-summer, where will you be going?"

"I don't know, if I get lucky my mother might try to convince Lord Genlith to let me go with her. But if I don't then I think I might be just going home to Blackwater..."

She was disturbed when a small sparrow landed on her shoulder. It jumped down to the bench besides her and started peaking at her pouch on her belt. Katherine smiled. "I guess you found it." She whispered to the little bird. She pulled out a piece of bread and broke it into small pieces for him to eat. "There you go, little one."

She turned back to Gwynn. "What also surprised me in this letter was that my mother sent a copy of her new book to the Commander as well."

Gwynn blinked at the sparrow, and smiled. "I see," she murmered to Katherine. "I hope you get to go to the Yamani Islands." Gwynn turned her hazel eyes back to the bird, fluttering away in the tree-tops. "Tame little things, aren't they." The girl whispered, almost to herself. "Anyways, why does it suprise you that your mom sent a copy of the book to the commander? Does she know the commander?"

"I hope I can go to, but I really want to spend some time with my mother."

"It really doesn't surprise me much that she sent a copt to the Commander. The only reason that I think she did was because she probably learned and wrote about her past, or wrote about how well she trained the Yamani warriors."

"Well" Gwynn rested her chin on cupped palms. "If you went to the Yamani Islands wouldn't you be with your mother?" The girl looked out through the tree branches, squinting at the shafts of bright sunlight.

Kataru walked into the courtyard seeing two pages. She carried a book in her hands that she had reached from Klyn of Blackwater, about the Yamani Islands. She had scanned it through and found out that there was alot about herself.

As she walked closer she recognized one of the pages. "Gwynn nice to see you. And um...I think it Katherine of Blackwater right?" She smiled at them.

"No, my mother is passing through Corus on her way down to the south. She said that she would stop by to visit."

She turned her head to the girl who had spoken. When she realized who it was she put her book to the side of her and stood up. "Yamani Commander Kataru Minamoto, I believe?" She said holding her hand out to the older girl. "It's nice to meet you, and yes I am Katherine of Blackwater."

"I see that you have recieved my mother's book. Have you read any of it yet?" She asked waiting to her Kataru's comments.

Gwynn nodded to Katherine and stood up when she heard someone approaching. A smile spread across Gwynn's face as she recognized Kataru.

Kataru shook Katherine's hand. "I have read the book. I found it very intersting. Your mother writes very well." She said smiling.

She turned to Gwynn. "How have you been doing. I think the last time I saw you it was when we were practicing Archery I believe."

"I'm glad you liked it. You must of got it before me. I just got it this morning." She sat back down on the bench. "So what did you like the most about it?"

Gwynn nodded to Kataru, grinning. "Yeah. I remember the Archery lessons I got in the Yamani Islands. They helped alot. I do like the Archery." The page turned back to Katherine, hazel eyes flickering to the book's cover. "I'd like to read that sometime." Gwynn paused, interested in what The Yamani Commander had to say about the book.