"If there had been more time," Ashlynn said apologetically as she held up the knotted piece of wood from the box. "I would have asked Juni or Milo to carve this into something more elaborate. This is a cypress knee, part of the barrier the cypress tree builds around itself to keep floods from washing it away," she explained as she turned the gnarled piece of wood over to reveal a carefully carved shield.
"I know you haven't chosen a crest yet," Ashlynn said. "But I hope that you'll stand as a shield at my side, helping me to protect the people who need a guardian the most. When Juni presented me with the hairpin," she said, touching the pinecone-shaped carving on the pin that had found its home in her hatband. "I asked her to carve this for you. Seeing your village, though," she added with a faint smile. "Perhaps she should have carved it into a strong wall that could protect an entire town instead."
