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“They look a lot like the gems I have seen on Earth but brighter and larger,” Solon told her. “Some look like diamonds, others like sapphires, others like rubies and emeralds. I even see a few purple and pink stones.”
“Oh, could I see a purple one up close?” Abbey asked eagerly. Right now all the gems were running together into one big shiny blur but she thought if she had one of them closer to her face she might be able to at least see the color.
“Certainly, my Lady,” the shop keeper said eagerly. “Let me get you one of our shining, singing amethysts.”
He bustled around for a moment and then came back.
“Here you are,” he said, bringing the gem. “This is a fifteen choprack gem which can retain and repeat quite a long phrase set in a white-gold band. Would you like to hold it?”
“Yes, please!” Abbey said.
The jeweler placed the ring in her hand and she held it up close to her face, almost touching her nose. Even with her limited vision she could see how special it was—it was a brilliant purple which glittered and glimmered as she moved the ring this way and that. Abbey could feel its many facets when she ran her fingertips over it.
“Oh, it’s beautiful!” she exclaimed.
“Oh, it’s beautiful!” the ring echoed back to her. It spoke in her own voice but higher and more musical, Abbey thought. Without thinking about it, she slipped it on her finger. To her surprise, it fit perfectly.
“Do you like it?” Solon asked her.
“Well yes—it’s beautiful. But I’m sure it’s also expensive,” Abbey remarked, looking in the direction of the shop owner.
“It is one of our pricier items,” the owner agreed regretfully. “Fifty thousand klopecks, I’m afraid.”
“Fifty thousand? Oh my—you’d better take it back.” Abbey slipped the ring off her finger hurriedly and handed it to him. “Thank you so much for showing it to me, though.”
“But of course! Anything for a Royal,” the shop keeper declared.
Abbey and Solon looked at a few other items and then left and continued shopping. Abbey didn’t think any more about the ring. It was clearly out of their price range so there was no sense dreaming of it.
Then, on their last night on Tengula Five as she was packing to go, Solon came to her and asked if they could talk.
“Of course we can talk,” Abbey told him, frowning. “Why? Is something wrong?”
“No, lelka—something is right,” he rumbled. Then, to Abbey’s surprise, he sank to his knees before her. She knew this because the big golden blur in her field of vision suddenly got much shorter.
“Oh—what are you doing down there?” she asked, frowning.
“Making this official,” Solon said. Taking her hand in his, he pressed something into it—a small, square box, she realized after a moment.
“What’s this?” Abbey asked, frowning.
“Open it and find out,” Solon suggested.
“Okay.” She found the seam of the box and, after a moment of fumbling, was able to open it up.
At once, a glimmer of bright, pure purple met her eyes.
“Oh!” Abbey exclaimed. “What in the world?”
“It’s the ring we saw in the singing gem shop,” he explained. “Bring it close to your ear.”
Abbey did as he said and heard a voice murmuring to her. After a moment, she was to understand what it was saying.
“I will love you forever, lelka. You are my heart,” the ring said in what was unmistakably Solon’s voice. It was higher and more musical, but it still had his rumbling tone.
“Well? Do you like it?” Solon asked after a moment, sounding anxious and Abbey realized she’d just been standing there, listening to his message over and over.
“Do I like it? I love it!” she exclaimed. “But, Solon—it’s so expensive.”
