Leanne loved a lot of things about Queen Elincia.

She loved her kindness, her compassion even towards her enemies. She loved her loyalty to her dearest friends. She loved the strength to defend her country that she, herself, would never have.

She also loved her hair.

It was gorgeous. The perfect shade of green, wrapped up around her hair seemingly effortlessly. It was absolutely flawless.

In contrast, Leanne hated her own hair. There was nothing even remotely practical about having knee-length hair, and if her father hadn't liked it so much she would have cut it short long ago. It took forever to brush and braid, and if she for some reason did not want to spend the effort one morning, she looked like a hurricane had passed by.

So when Elincia entered the court looking completely bedraggled, Leanne readily volunteered to help fix up her hair. Really, it wasn't any trouble. They were friends, weren't they? So could she? Pretty please?

Elincia relented, and Leanne found herself in the queen's room, combing through her long locks. She winced every time Leanne struggled with a knot, and even as Leanne apologized she inwardly felt a small sense of satisfaction at discovering that her hair was not alone in its unruliness.

When that was done, the heron smiled and showed Elincia her handiwork in the mirror. "It… very pretty," she chirped, still struggling to find the right words. "Should wear long more often."

"I would, but it only gets in the way," Elincia replied thoughtfully.

"Oh," Leanne said as she examined a few strands between her fingers. "If you… don't fight anymore," she asked slowly and deliberately, "could you?"

Elincia laughed softly, melodiously. "I don't think it'll be that simple, but… I'll try," she offered.

Leanne loved that Elincia always tried.