After taking the rest of the tour, signing in the children and taking care of legal paperwork, the group flew back home.

Grandma Byra was waiting for them with refreshments and snacks. Like a typical fussy grandmother, she hovered over the children, asking if they had a hard day at school, even though they had not taken any classes!

But the children indulged her, whining about this and that.

Sienna took Ali away before the little girl could munch on anything. She carried her to the private study upstairs. The room had no desk, just a soft furry red rag and cushions. She sat her daughter down on a cushion and sat across from the little one.

To sell the image of sternness, Sienna crossed her arms on her chest and narrowed her eyes. In response, Ali sprawled on the rug in a dramatic posture, one hand pressed to her forehead and the other thrown upwards. She sighed tiredly, like a dramatic heroine in a beast-world movie.

"Mama," she turned her head towards Sienna, "I get scared when you look at me like that. I feel weak--"

Sienna’s eyes narrowed. "Your grandmother Cadelaria’s visits lately seem to have overturned all the good I had instilled in you. Don’t you dare pretend to faint like her again. Sit up."

Ali pouted, the flopped sideways with a cheeky grin. "Maaaaa....." she said coquettishly, "But grandma said fainting makes people listen when they are being stubborn. I have done it before. It works!"

Sienna snatched up a pillow and tossed it at her daughter’s butt. "It works because people get scared and rush to you frantically because they think you need help. It works because your grandmother is shameless and her husband indulges her to a point of almost destruction. Your grandmother is old and already married. She already had children. There is no reputation left for her to build. You on the other hand are different because your life is just starting out. Right now you are five, so it’s cute. But when you are fifteen or twenty five, people will just go out of their way to avoid you because they will consider you a schemer and bad person. Your reputation will be one of unreasonableness."

The girl sat up, clutching a pillow like a shield. "But grandma said as long as you make it convincing, nobody will ever know that you are pretending. Like yesterday, when I fainted, Uncle Geo carried me all the way from the bitch."

Sienna’s lips twitched, but she forced them into a straight line. "That’s because he was in a hurry to return home, not because your fainting was convincing."

Ali pouted, cheeks puffing like steamed buns. "But grandma says every clever lady should practice the skill of fainting charmingly."

Sienna leaned forward, her voice low and dangerous. "You grandma also says that I should leave you and your father. Do you think I should do what she says?"

The girl’s eyes widened. "No!" She hugged the pillow tighter, her bottom lip trembling. "Mama, you can’t leave. Grandma is wrong. Grandma is very wrong."

"Good." Sienna said, satisfied. "Then stop following everything your grandmother says because sometimes she is wrong. I am not saying pretending to faint cannot get you out of trouble a time or two, but too much of it is a nuisance. Next time you fall over, I will leave you wherever we are until your papa picks you up."

The girl gasped. "Papa will scold me. He will pick me up by the neck and toss me in the air."

Sienna smirked. "A great way to wake you up. He disciplines you way better than I can. Maybe I should start tossing you in the air too."

The girl giggled, despite herself. When her father tossed her, it was dreadful. If her mother did it, Honey Thunder would probably catch her. They could turn it into a game.

Sienna softened slightly, but only slightly. "Now, let’s talk about your habit of sharing things I say at home with people outside. People that are not family. How many times must I remind you not to tell people about our private life."

The girl froze, guilty. "I didn’t mean to!"

Sienna raised an eyebrow. "You told the queen that I said her smile is like an overripe fruit basket!" The girl had spilled it on the journey back. Sienna was just glad that the little one had no idea what it meant, and neither did the queen.

The girl squirmed. "But it does! And you said it first! It sounds nice, I also want a smile like an overripe fruit basket."

Sienna groaned, covering her face. "I said it to your father in private, in our room, while combing my hair. You were supposed to be taking your afternoon nap, not eavesdropping. And after eavesdropping, you were not supposed to reveal it to everyone."

The girl tilted her head. "But everyone laughed. Isn’t laughter good? You told me you want my life to be filled with laughter."

Sienna dropped her hands and said seriously, "There is something called planned laughter. Know when to laugh and when not to laugh. Know when to say something and when not to say anything. Most importantly, know when not to betray me."

Ali’s lip trembled. "I didn’t betray you. I just...shared."

Sienna jabbed a finger at her lightly. "Sharing is for toys and food, not secrets. If you share my words again, I will make you take classes with Mrs. Abernathy all day and take notes one hundred times."

The girl’s eyes widened in horror.

"In ancient beast language." Sienna added.

Ali gasped. "But the ancient beast language is hard."

Sienna nodded grimly. "Exactly. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut."

The girl flopped back on the floor again, clutching her chest. "Ahhh, I feel faint!"

Sienna kicked out the pillow from under her. "Nice try. Get up before I grab a shoe and use it to spank you." She lifted a pillow, "I can use this too. Trust me, it is soft but hard enough when necessary. If it won’t work, you are in for your first taste of my pan. I will be the first human woman to spank a fox cub and live to tell the tale."