Raneh's really worried that she has magic and it's forbidden. But she gets a slight distraction when the boy next door gives her a bouquet of weeds. A free short story prequel to The Keeper and the Rulership.

As the daughter of a landowner, Raneh lives in a world of clearly defined roles and rules. She's supposed to get married, gain status, become a landowner herself, and definitely not have magic. Seeing as it's forbidden and all. Too bad she has it anyway. On top of that, a suitable courtship does not seem to be forthcoming, her younger brother is a social embarrassment, her younger sister is better at everything than she is, and . . . And the Ruler's coming to visit.

Life hasn't suddenly become easy because Raneh's now the Keeper. Her life has been interrupted, and she struggles to pick up the pieces. The world has been interrupted, too. Magic no longer functions, and the food, travel, and health it provided have also vanished. There's nothing to help except the new system Raneh created, and nobody knows how to use it. Teaching it will be the work of a lifetime. Work that Raneh's willing to do. But the Ruler has a very different idea of what a Keeper should be doing.