As the sun bore down on the gray stone of the square, the young man moved from stall to stall. His heart beat to the rhythm of his steps, each pace warranting a new sight, just one more thing he could share with the young ones back home.
Paladin Asha always spoke of places like this one, large cities with bustling markets. Markets where people could sell anything, trying to make a fortune or just enough money to support themselves for another week. Asha spoke of the markets with a smile on her face, recounting all the strange things she found or saw during her travels. That made young Dawn curious, leading the young boy to daydream about the moment he would have the chance to do as Asha once did.
He moved to and fro, talking to all the people he could. They all seemed friendly at first, up until they realised that Dawn wasn't there to pay for their services but only to be a nuisance. Still, he didn't let any of their unsavory remarks drag him down. He hadn't much time to enjoy all of this, so he decided to make the most of it.
Under the shadow of the keep, he could feel a smile crack at the absurd size of the black fortress that sat before him. It was just like Sadia said. Black. It would have been quite bland had it not been for the litany of banners that hung from its walls, its colorful windows standing out against its dark sides. It was a sight to behold, but he didn't pay much mind to it, it wasn't as interesting as the goods that were being sold.
The strangest thing he had seen all day had to be the exotic pets that one man was trying to sell. Three metal cages sat by his feet, all of them containing creatures that Dawn only knew of because of the books he grew up with. Young Dawn used to retreat to the temple's library if he grew tired of playing or if the weather became too hot or cold, choosing to spend his time amongst dusty tomes and scented candles rather than around the other kids. In the first cage, a large reptile with colorful scales gazed up at him with blood-red eyes. Its body carried hues of yellow and blue and red, the blue and red melting together into pools upon its back, the yellow becoming green around its neck. It was a skilk, no doubt about that. With a mean bite and a fiery temper, Dawn would never choose to keep one as a pet. Come to think of it, any man who wants any type of animal that calls the western ridge its home as a pet is most probably insane.
The second cage was home to a smaller beast but probably just as fearsome. It was short and stout and furry, and it liked to walk on two legs. A dwarf pricolici was looking up at him with its snout already snarling. Small ankle biters that will kill and eat anything smaller than themselves, much akin to their larger cousins that are the werewolves, they will fight anything and anyone, no matter how outmatched they are. Little bundles of fury and violence, they are quite a pest to deal with if a pack of them sets up shop anywhere near your village. Again, not something any sane man would keep as a pet, but hey, at least they can't turn you into one of them as the ordinary werewolf can.
The third cage was strange. No matter how Dawn looked at it, he couldn't tell what it was that it contained. From above, it looked akin to a puddle of oil that had solidified into a round and bouncy body. Its surface black and shiny, a pair of antennae stuck out from on top of it. It wasn't overly large nor did it occupy most of the cage. No, it was just moving back and forth at a leisurely pace, only changing directions once it made contact with the metal bars. Its body trembled and shivered with each move, waves of black forming on its surface only to disappear below, leaving behind a black stroke wherever it went.
Where did it come from? Could it see? What does it eat? How badly has it angered the gods in its past life to be born into such a vague and abstract existence? So many questions Crimson Dawn had, and no one to answer them, not unless he was willing to pay and to take the slimy creature home.
He moved away again. Amidst the masses, there wasn't much to be seen unless you clawed your way from within and close to the stalls. In between the waves of sweaty bodies, hot breath and mellow wind mixed into a drowsy storm that sapped one of all their strength and will, eroding their resolve until they could bear the crowd no longer. Forced to retreat, most people pull themselves free of the swarm, their skin shining with sweat, the call of cold booze echoing into their ears from the countless inns that littered Alderan. And thus they leave, choosing to spend the rest of their day inside, a mug of cold beer in one hand and a book in the other. Dawn is not one of those people.
The sun beams down. The wind only brings warmth and the stinging scent of sweat. Bodies collide. Shoulders bump. Elbows shove left and right. The square remains in perpetual motion. Dawn is convinced that if the punishment halls of Nevermore do in fact exist, they must be akin to what he is experiencing right about now. And yet, he cannot stop. His body moves of its own volition. His mind stopped shouting commands some time ago, too hot and too burdened to assess to situation properly.
Then he sees it. A tall figure amongst the countless bodies that dance back and forth. Akin to a lavender in a patch of yarrow, she sticks out like a sore thumb. Gray-purple skin glinted in the sunlight as if waxed, silver hair turned white under the gaze of a harsh sun. He gazed upon the tall woman with eyes full of wonder, his eyes met by a steely flash of yellow
Her eyes hid an intensity that couldn't be felt by just looking at her slender figure, Dawn found it difficult to keep himself from blinking. At first sight, his heart jumped, seeing the strange proportions of the drow that stared back at him. She was, in some ways, reminiscent of the horror he despised so much. Tall. Lanky and slender arms. A lean body and a hunched figure. A match to a certain extent. Except that the woman was not repulsive to look at. Not at all. She was just a woman, just another person moving about the square and going about her business. That's what Crimson Dawn told himself as he tried pulling his gaze away.
But he couldn't. There was something behind those two fierce dots of yellow that kept him frozen. A strange feeling of longing, that was the weight they carried. There was something behind her eyes, her gaze carrying a sorrowful invitation that beckoned the young man. His heart twitched, and yet, his mind could muster no response. The sounds of the square turned into a quiet hum, or so it seemed to the young man, his attention already spent and undivided. She blinked a few more times, slow and deliberate, before turning and stepping away. Dawn watched on as she waded through the crowd with grace unlike anything he had ever seen before.
It wasn't uncommon for people to push and bump their way through the crowd, elbows striking left and right, drops of stray sweat flying every which way. But she wasn't like that. She moved lightly on her feet, even Dawn, in his obliviousness could tell that. She moved about without as much as touching another person, bobbing and weaving through the sea of bodies with little effort, much akin to a dancer who knew the beat of a melody by heart, requiring neither their ears nor eyes to put on a show. She walked to the side and out of the square, off and into one of the multitude of alleys that surrounded the square. As soon as she was out of sight, a sigh came out of Dawn. The woman's gaze made his breath catch in his throat, he hadn't even realised it until she went away.
Still, he couldn't help but succumb to her allure. Before he even knew it, Dawn's feet moved without his consent, his eyes glued to the alley she entered, each step bringing him closer and closer to the edge of the crowd. He wasn't as graceful as the drow, carving his way out proved to be quite a hassle, his advance slow and suffocating. Reaching the edge, Dawn stopped for a moment, breathing slowly and letting the ache from his legs dissipate a bit before he continued. There, a man stood beside a table, talking with a much older gentleman with a constantly furled brow. The younger of the two stole glances toward Dawn, his eyes blue and as cold as the northern seas, silver jewelry shining harshly in the sunlight. Dawn went to step away, hoping that neither of them would say anything.
"What's the matter, boy? You looking for something?" the young one spoke, his voice coarse and unpleasant.
Crimson Dawn turned toward the pair, mustering the best smile he could, "Don't mind me, I just got confused for a second!".
The man smiled as well, his lips contorting into a somewhat crooked grin, "Confused? Aren't we all? But I think I have a little something that can help you with that.".
"What? I'm sorry but I'll be on my way now.".
The man's smile dissolved entirely, his gaze devoid of any warmth, "Come on. I'll give you a reading, free of charge and all.", he said as he sat on the chair adjacent to the table.
Reading? What type of reading? That caught Dawn's attention. He must be one of those charlatans everyone speaks of. Sadia spoke of people who claim they can see your future yet they can't even see how unconvincing their schemes are, or so she put it. Dawn was well aware that futures cannot be read by anyone except a few select deities, and yet, his curiosity forced him to humor the stranger.
Walking to the table, the man pulled out a deck of cards seemingly out of thin air. The back of the deck was sheer black with dots of white strewn about chaotically. "Let us see just how lucky you are.", he hummed, his voice garnering and even stranger pitch. The black card spun in his hand as he drew and placed it face down on the table. The cards were juggled between his fingers as he shuffled the deck again. Each movement of his thin clutches was immaculate, their dexterity unhindered by the silver rings they bore, each stroke and twitch smooth and articulate until three cards were drawn. Dawn's eyes were glued on the cards, his gaze lost in the darkness of their behinds, they seemed to burn a black hole into the pale wood.
The man turned the first card.
A man of white. A crown in hand. A short sickle in the other. A deep scar across his chest. A thin arm bursting from a bleeding sun. That was the image that stared up at Crimson Dawn and his eyes could not detach themselves from the uncanny display. "The king of Nevermore.", the man spoke before clicking his tongue, "Death. Rebirth. It's all the same, isn't it?", the sly grin returning as he spoke.
His fingers flipped the second card.
A woman of white. A decrepit well. A corpse at the bottom of a white chasm. Two streaks running down from empty sockets. A chain tied around her crooked neck, a bone peeking through skin stretched over a frail frame. Hands clawing at darkness. A pitiful and pointless existence. "The drowned bride.", the man's gaze rose from the card, his eyes locking with Dawn's, "No good deed or sin goes unpunished.".
"I think that is enough.", Dawn spoke, barely able to mask the unease that had crept into his heart at the sight of the strange cards. He turned and walked away from the table before the man could reach for the third card, "I bid you farewell.".
"Walking away from a telling will only bring you bad luck, mate.", the man with the strange voice spoke out, Dawn did not look back.
Try as he might, he couldn't help but feel a bit unnerved. It was all a bit too sudden, a bit too strange. From the reader to the cards, Dawn didn't know what to expect when it came to these types of things but never in his life would he have guessed that the cards themselves would bear such macabre visages. And what could they mean? The king of Nevermore? The drowned bride? Their meaning was lost on him and he couldn't wrap his head around the words spoken by the fortune teller either, not at the moment at least. No, his mind lay elsewhere, failing to notice that ever since leaving for the path, his life had only become stranger still.
But that mattered not. Even if he sat down and considered it for a little while, it wouldn't be long until Dawn would brush everything aside as mere coincidences on his path to fulfilling his destiny. And wasn't that the case? Isn't everything that happens in one's lifetime just obstacles meant to be overcome in pursuit of fate? Aren't all the trials along the way there to mold you into who you need to be to achieve your purpose? That had to be it, Crimson Dawn had always been sure of that.
There he was, in front of the alley, when his senses finally came to. Was he really about to walk in between these whitewashed walls after a woman he did not even know? Was he really that impulsive? His heart beat strangely, a mix of excitement and fear, the feeling characteristic of dumb and perilous ideas. Still, his heart longed for one more glimpse of her glossy skin even as his mind grew hesitant. Thus, a compromise was made between body and mind. He would advance until he could see her one last time, and then he would turn back, without her even noticing his presence. Hopefully.
With each step, his excitement grew, voices could be heard bouncing off of the surrounding buildings as he advanced. "Here...how...true...", only a few words reached his ears as he walked forward, the sentences became more and more clear the longer he advanced, however. "And what...is he...she's here?". Coming to a fork in the alley, Dawn let himself led by the voices. Peeking around a white-washed corner that was stained slightly, he saw her. There she stood, face to face with an old man who was leaning with his back against the wall of the alley. His face was strained and wrinkled, his years clearly showing, hair black with streaks of wild white in between, wearing what seemed to be a mix between light armour and a drifter's attire, a shield and a short spear by his feet alongside a bag bearing a dark stain, arms crossed and a grin across his weathered face.
"So it is true. Prince charming finally ran away.", Dawn could hear everything now, "Can't say I blame him. I would have done the same, I'm just surprised he'd ask for my help. Especially since he knows in what precarious situation I have found myself in.". The drow did not respond, she merely nodded as the man continued speaking. "That being said, the ambush was a success. No more Lord 'Fat tits", that is for sure. You should take the bag to your lord before it rots entirely.".
Ambush? Up until those words were spoken, everything seemed to go over Dawn's head. Now it was clear that he had happened to stumble upon something that was much better left off alone. Dawn pulled his head back as soon as he realised that the little staring contest they got going might end at any moment. He did not walk back however, something compelled him to keep listening in on the pair. "Is she here as well? I would expect no less, seeing how I cut down their rear-guard. I would advise Dacian to steer clear of the keep until the festivities are done.", his voice was coarse, and his tongue was slow, every word was deliberate, akin to the slow stroke of a sword that meets soft flesh.
"He will do as he pleases.", the woman cut in, her voice music to Dawn's ear. The way she spoke, smooth as butter, made him forget where he was for a moment only to be snapped back to reality by that coarse voice, "Weren't you mute?", he quipped, "I guess you finally got your tongue back. Who'd knew it would only take abandoning everything you ever knew.".
She didn't respond and yet, Dawn could feel a certain tension mounting.
"Still, try to make him see reason. Some dogs are better left lying. I would hate to see him dragged back to the west in chains. The queen is out for blood. The Matron must be watching. I would imagine that Seera will do what she must and from what I have heard, she's been getting better with the blade.".
Matron. That sounded familiar. He read something about it, he must have or else his mind wouldn't have recognized it so eagerly. Matron. What Matron? Of whom? Of what? His mind knew of two beings who bore this title, yet both were better left unmentioned. And the West? What about it? There is nothing westward of here except the ridge and whatever wasteland lies behind it. None of this was making any sense, and yet, he couldn't turn away. His interest caught, Dawn wasn't about to let this opportunity go to waste. From their words, these two seemed rather dangerous, it would be a good idea to report them to the city's watch as soon as he makes his way back to the square.
"It won't come to that. Any other questions?".
"No. Take the bag with you, I don't want flies buzzing me. We'll meet again tomorrow. I expect to see my liege at the tourney.".
Dawn peeked again as soon as he heard footsteps, seeing the pair walking down the alley. At that moment, he turned around and started heading back, quite pleased with the fact that he wasn't caught. Only then did he realise how foolish his actions had been up until that point. What would have happened if he had been found out? Would they have killed him? They might have, the old man looked like he meant business. And what was in that bag? Just thinking about it made him feel uneasy. He made a mental note to never put himself in that kind of situation ever again
As he walked back and through the alley, retracing his steps carefully, Dawn turned a corner only to collide with another person. Given the sudden shock and his unease, his heart jumped and a pathetic yelp escaped his mouth.
"I am so sorry...", he apologised, putting his hands up by his side before realising that he bumped into Sadia, "Oh, it's you.".
There she stood, a scowl plastered across her face, a bead of sweat running down her bare temple, her lips twisting and puckering slightly in visible frustration. She looked on the brink of releasing one of her curse-ridden tirades and Dawn was none too eager to listen to any of it. In the time they spent together back at the grove, he had the misfortune of bearing witness to her vile mouth once she got fired up enough. He came to dread it and thus, he spoke before she could say anything.
"I must say that your face is getting quite red. Are you not feeling well?", her expression didn't change. His honor was bound to be shredded to bits by the young woman and he prepared himself for it but it was all for naught. Sadia merely shook her head as she took a deep breath in, letting out a deep sigh afterwards.
"What are you doing here?".
"Just exploring, I guess...", a half-truth was spoken, hopefully one she wouldn't be able to see through.
"In the alley?".
"Yes, in the alley.", he nodded, his grin meeting her still scowling face.
She sighed again before letting her head fall into her hands. She stayed like that for a few moments before taking another deep breath in, looking up at Dawn with annoyance, "Let's head back to the square. That guy must be waiting for us.".
"You look a bit on edge. What happened?", Dawn noticed her expression, it was much the same as the one she had that one time they were running around the woods like two madmen. "Aren't you enjoying the city?".
"Enjoy? What is there to enjoy?".
"I think there is plenty to enjoy.", Dawn could tell a myriad of such things just off the top of his head.
"Try to keep to the square, Dawn.", she shot him a heavy glare, anger dripping outwards, "Bad things happen where eyes don't pry.".
"Remember when you told me that there are a bunch of strange people out there?", he asked, recalling their conversation from some time ago.
Her eyes met his but for a moment before she nodded slowly. Even with all of her glaring faults, the one thing that was undeniable about Sadia was her ability to keep track of everything. Every word spoken and every step taken, she could recall it all as if it happened yesterday. Her memory failed her not, that much was apparent.
"I think I just came across two oddities.".
Sadia raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, you must be so excited to hear all about it.", he jested, still a feeling of unease clung to him like the smell of rot upon a vulture's breath, "I'll tell you all about it once we head back to the tavern.".
Reaching the square, Sadia once again retreated off to the side, sitting on a bench under a tree just beyond the square. This time, Dawn joined her, he had had enough of the square for now. Browsing won't do him any good, he can't afford anything.
There they sat in complete silence, no words were to be spent between the two of them, not now at least. Looking at her, Dawn could tell that something was off. Her hands lay upon her lap, curled into two little balls, her knuckles turning white under the strain. Her posture was strange too, overly rigid it seemed, stiff like a board compared to the drow he had seen. Her eyes scanned the crowd slowly, moving from left to right like a pendulum. For someone so able and so jaded, Dawn figured that she would be better at hiding her nerves.
"Is anything wrong?", he reached out, putting his hand on hers, grasping her small fists gently, "You know you can tell me anything, right?".
Her eyes widened before narrowing again, her eyebrows bowing inwards at a moment's notice, "Don't push your luck..", she tore her hand away, "And don't go wandering off again. I won't look for you a second time!".
Was that it? Were his actions the root cause of her behaviour? Or was there something grander at play? There's no way to tell, not yet. But still, he felt a certain happiness knowing that her anxiety might have been borne out of his recklessness.
"There's no need for this, Sadia.", he flashed her a smile, "I think I know why you are acting like this. After living out there in the wild for so long, coming back must be jarring, right? Well, I feel much the same way. This is the first proper town I had the fortune of seeing. It's as you said it would be. Loud. Crowded. Overbearing. Suffocating to a degree. And yet, I've been enjoying myself the whole day.".
"Don't talk as if you know anything about me.", she scoffed, looking off in the distance, eyes glued on the ever-moving crowd.
"But I believe I do. These last few weeks have been really fun, Sadia. I'll miss you once I have to leave for the path.", he shifted on the bench, his back rubbing against the wood of his seating, "But, before that. Tell me, do you have many memories of this place? Do they come rushing back to you after so much time spent away?".
She turned her gaze upon Crimson Dawn, the look on her face telling him that that question was better left unasked. Her mouth twisted, her expression turning into a scowl. It seemed as if a sea of profanities and curses was bound to wash him away and he braced himself exactly for that. But then, nothing. She merely closed her eyes as she drew in a deep breath.
She let her head fall into her hands, "Where should I even begin?", she spoke in a hushed tone as she exhaled.
"From the beginning, please.".
"This town. It's no good. That's what I always told myself. I never liked it. I never will.", she spoke slowly, letting each word hang in the air before continuing, "That's what I always thought. But, still. I cannot explain why I missed it so much.".
Dawn did not speak. He listened with great interest, like the good boy he is, not wanting to interrupt or disturb. This was a new side to Sadia, one he was eager to observe. Truth be told, he knew from the beginning that there was a lot more hidden below her rugged exterior, he just had to dig a little to find it.
A brittle smile formed on her face, "I told myself that the past is the past and it will always remain like that. It didn't bother me in the beginning but it just gnaws at me now. Everything I see brings me back to those lazy days I spent here, during my last visit. It's hard not to yearn for those simpler times, right?".
"Aren't you happy to be back?".
"Not really.", she shook her head.
Dawn spoke after letting out a short sigh, "Then, I am afraid that nothing I will say will make you feel better.".
Her gaze fell toward the ground. The air lay thick with a warm tension, humid winds barely kept the suffocating heat at bay. There, under the auburn rays that snuck through the branches of the tree, Dawn's cheeks started hurting while gazing at Sadia. Unbeknownst to him, a foolish grin formed as soon as he laid his eyes upon the young woman back there in that dingy alley, and he had stayed like that for quite a while already. Even as no words were spent and no gazes were shared between them, time seemed to pass ever so quickly around her. How he wished he could have met her sooner, under better circumstances, perhaps. It would have been nice to have a friend like her. Someone brave, someone cunning, someone who had no ties to the temple, someone with little shame or regard for what other people think.
Someone he could never be.
"You two look ragged.", a sudden voice from behind almost made the pair jump out of their seats. Looking back, Duras stood there, a wooden chest under his arm, the lines on his face seeming ever so tired, "Had enough of the festival for today?".
Sadia responded, scowling a little as she spoke, "Festival? This is just a square. Where's the music? Where are the public performers and the knights in shining armour?",
"Those come tomorrow.", he spat out in an uninterested tone, "You sound like you know what to expect from Alderan. There will be the tourney in the morning, the parade in the afternoon and the feast at night.", his eyes were locked on the young woman.
Her eyes shifted over to Dawn, "Well, we are looking forward to it, right?", to which he nodded.
He turned, "I am heading back to the tavern.".
The pair joined the man without a second thought. Dawn's tummy was aching with a grave need for sustenance. Coming to think of it, Sadia must have been famished as well, neither of them have eaten since they reached Alderan. He could feel the hunger gnawing at him, but still, he had a reason to smile.
"Say, Sadia.", he spoke by the midpoint of their little journey, "Aren't you hungry?", he winked at her.
The woman's eyes widened ever so slightly, speaking only after she had caught on. "Do you have to ask that? You know well that the food we packed was enough for the both of us.".
"That is true. And we haven't had the chance to eat anything at the festival either!".
"Not as if we even had the coin for it.".
Duras let out a soft sigh, still walking ahead of the pair with a straight back, the sound of the wooden chest scratching against the thin plate of his torso hanging in the air with each step. "You guys are hungry too, huh? We are all in the same boat then. We'll eat back at the tavern, my treat.".
"What were you doing at the keep?", a grin slowly took over Sadia's face, "Whoever invited you didn't even treat you to a meal?".
He didn't look back, "No.".
"They wasted your time then. To think they would let a hero such as yourself walk away with an empty belly.", her grin grew sharper with each word, "Isn't that right, spadă?".
Duras stopped in the middle of the street. When he turned around, his expression wasn't what Dawn was expecting. A mix between a scowl and an empty stare, his eyes seemingly digging themselves deeper into his gaunt visage. The lines on his face grew clearer, his slate as blank as a white canvas. The displeasure behind his gaze was tangible, and yet, his expression spoke of complete detachment, as if he was above the consequences that would follow his future actions. That was the gaze of a wolf, one that was bound to tear its prey to pieces. Unease crept into the air, or so thought Dawn, until he cast his gaze on Sadia. She wasn't bothered nor intimidated. No, she couldn't be smiling wider, in fact.
"You've been here before, have you not?", each word came out slowly as if he was picking his words carefully.
Dawn's cheeks were hurting just from looking at Sadia's grin, "What do you think? I remember you. I think everyone does.", spite was on her breath.
"I don't!", Dawn butted in, "What are you talking about?".
"No one asked you, Dawn.", she scoffed before speaking again, "We are just talking of children's stories."
"Oh, is that so?", there's no way anyone would have ever bought that. Not when the tension lay so thick between them. What gives? A question with no answers.
"That's right.". He turned away, walking like before. Same noble posture, same tired steps.
The surface lay still, and yet, a shift could be felt down below.