Maria watched Aolo closely as he lowered his spear in obvious confusion. Her deep blue eyes opened wide in alarm as he knelt on the ground and she tried to follow his hand motions. She heard her name as well as his. Her hand went to her mouth as she shook her head from side to side. Obviously, he thought she was going to do something terrible.<br/><br/>Her cheeks flush with embarrassment, Maria rushed forward and took his arms, gently pulling him back to a standing position and then releasing him. "No, no," she shook her head once more. "Just eat." Once more she made the motion of eating an ear of corn.<br/><br/>Tilting her head to look directly into his eyes, she gave him an encouraging look. "Aolo eat with Maria, yes?"<br/><br/>At that moment, two of Garth's children decided to make their way across the draw bridge, laughing as they went. The two, a boy and a girl, both around 7 and 8, chased each other across the bridge and along the grassy embankment. The castle was still some distance away, but the wind must have been good as it carried the laughter along the lane to the silent party. Distracted by the laughter, Maria looked back at the children fondly and smiled.