Darius clutched the bag tight and then looked at the two of them. Clara was perched comfortably on Serena's lap, her small frame tucked into the crook of the woman's arm. Serena's hand rested securely at her waist, fingers absentmindedly tracing small circles against the fabric of her tunic.
Darius had already prepared to take some sort of gift for Clara but after racking his brain in the short time he had before setting out on this journey, he decided he would not try to fix what was not broken. In his hand was a simple burlap bag, tied tight at the top. Inside: coin. Triple what he had given her two years ago.
"This is for you," Darius said.
He thought bitterly how he could not even tell her to give this to her grandfather, the girl no longer had a guardian to care for her. He exhaled slowly and watched as Clara slowly removed herself from Serena's grip. The girl sauntered towards him and looked up at him with wide eyes.
