Aboard the carriage, Lorelei and Maria were both observing their surroundings from their respective windows. Maria, excited, had almost half her upper body outside, leaning forward whenever there was a tree on the way that she thought she could reach and grab a leaf from, which she would then present to Lorelei. Meanwhile, Lorelei observed what she could see from her seat. Through the window, she could see the deep blue sea stretching miles across the horizon, as well as the seagulls that had returned from their migration, yelping their way through the skies, their cries resonating through the calm stillness of the day. Suddenly, Maria lowered herself back into the carriage, her hair covered in leaves from the trees she had passed.
"Lorelei, could you help me take those leaves off?"
Lorelei nodded and leaned in closer. She reached her hand over Maria's head and picked out the leaves and little branches that had gotten stuck in her hair.
"Thank you! Do you want to see what I've picked?"
"Yes."
Maria turned to the window and grabbed the stack of leaves she had kept there. She spread them out on the seat and asked Lorelei, "Which one looks more appealing to you?"
Lorelei raised her hand over the dozens of leaves on the seat. There were so many to choose from, but she opted for a multifoliate-looking one and pointed at it.
"That's a nice-looking one, good choice!"
Maria picked the leaf she had chosen and handed it to her.
"Lower your head for me, please."
Lorelei obeyed and lowered her head to Maria's chest.
Maria seemed to be fidgeting inside Lorelei's hair. It lasted for a while before she said, "It's done!"
Lorelei couldn't see from this angle what Maria had done, but she touched her hair and felt the leaf hanging on it.
"ThaNk you, Maria."
"You're welcome!" she said with a proud expression.
"As for me, I'll pick this one!"
She took a simpler-looking leaf. It was something you would see every day while taking a walk outside, casually brushing it off and stepping on it, yet this one had some kind of charm to it; it was beautiful. She reached into her own hair and started fidgeting just like she had done with Lorelei's. A little while later, the leaf was placed just like the one on Lorelei.
"Say, how does it look?"
"BeautiFul."
"Thank you!"
The two girls stayed there smiling at each other, admiring their little leaves adorning their hair.
"I know, let's play rock, paper, scissors!"
"WHat is That?"
"It's a game I used to play with Mother to pass time. At the count of three, you throw out a rock, a paper, or scissors. Rock beats scissors, paper beats rock, and scissors beats paper."
Maria showed Lorelei the movement she had to make for each object. Lorelei easily understood and practiced a bit before they started.
"Are you ready? Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"
Maria threw a rock while Lorelei threw scissors.
"Guess I won this round! Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"
This time, Lorelei showed paper, and Maria threw a rock.
"Well, I lost this time. Last round! Rock, paper, scissors, sho—"
"We're almost there, girls, take a look outside."
It was the carriage driver who spoke to them. Hearing that, Maria leaned over the window.
"Wowww!" she screamed.
Hearing that, Lorelei did the same, and she was just as amazed by the sight. The capital was huge and seemed to be divided into sections with a river running through them, each section going higher and higher up until the gray castle in the middle. It seemed so tall that its pointed end scraped the skies. The capital seemed to merge with the sea through a big rectangular structure that connected them.
"Amazing, isn't it? It never ceases to surprise me, no matter how many times I go there. That's why I love taking this route. From the upper hills here, it's like looking at a whole different world than what's inside."
A few minutes later, they arrived at the entrance. The coachman stopped the carriage in front of the gate and got off to talk to the guards while Lorelei and Maria were still talking with each other. Soon, the carriage began moving again; this time, they were inside the capital. He stopped near a place next to some horses, and once again the carriage stopped. The door opened, and he said, "Well then, m'ladies, here we are!"
Maria excitedly jumped out of the carriage and looked everywhere around her.
"Lorelei, do you see this?" she said enthusiastically.
Nobody answered.
"Lorelei?"
She turned around and took a step back into the carriage. Lorelei was still inside, holding onto the cloak Silvia had given her.
"Lorelei? Aren't you coming?"
"I... I'm scAred..."
"Don't be! I will be here with you, I promise!"
Maria reached out her hand to Lorelei.
"Come, let's go!"
Lorelei stared at it for a while. She wasn't sure if she should trust Maria or not, but something inside her told her that it was the right thing to do. She put on the cloak and reluctantly took Maria's hand, who pulled her into the light. She had finally taken a step inside the capital. The light shone upon her face that had been cowering in the carriage. Under the cloak's hood, her eyes widened at the sight of the capital. They were on the side of a long paved road. Beneath them was a firm, solid brick ground, not even a step above the road. Before Lorelei could continue looking around, the man who carried them said, "Make sure you come back before sunset! I will be here."
Lorelei and Maria nodded, took a basket from the back of the carriage, and ran off on their little adventure. For the first time, Lorelei saw lamps, and even though they weren't lit, it was impressive just by how tall they were. And the houses too—their roofs were colorful, unlike the ones back in town. Those roofs were either a fiery bright red or a light maroon, tiled in half circles stacked on top of each other. The houses had windows, balconies, bell-shaped doors, and their outside walls were tiled in bricks of different shapes. Some formed a symmetrical pattern, others were of different sizes, yet together they created a perfect harmony between every house; it amazed Lorelei. Everything back in town was colorless and monotone, but here people laughed, talked, and smiled. Everyone was dressed neatly and properly, and they all looked joyful. There were some people who stood out more than others to Lorelei, especially those wearing what seemed to be a school uniform and those with a little insignia on the right side of their chest. Lorelei observed all of it while following Maria, who was excitedly leading the way, making comments about everything she saw.
Soon enough, they reached a staircase that led downward.
"We need to go this way to reach the market!"
She ran down the stairs, jumping at every step, letting out a little "Yipee!" at each jump.
With every step Lorelei took, the loud voices she had heard from back there intensified even more, until they reached the bottom of the staircase.
"Here we are! I present to you... THE GRAND MARKET!!!"
Lorelei looked up and saw what seemed to be hundreds—no, thousands—of people walking around shops and different stands located on the road. Here, there was no paved road like before; it was a flat tiled ground. Once again, Maria took Lorelei's hand and dragged her through the busy market.
There were so many different stands and shops everywhere around them. Some were selling fruits, others were selling vegetables, or even solid objects like necklaces, pearls, and minerals. Amidst all that, Lorelei saw inside a shop, through the window, strange, shiny objects she had never seen before. It immediately captivated her attention, so she asked Maria, "What is that?"
"Oh, those?" Maria pointed towards where Lorelei was looking. "Those are energy tools. You can cast spells that require energy without needing to use your own."
"Energy? Spells?"
"YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT ENERGY IS?!" she said, surprised.
Lorelei shook her head.
"It's the base of all things. I'm going to explain everything once we get back. I have a book talking about it. And those shops even sell energy potions to refill your energy. For now, let's get the stuff Mom asked us to buy. Hmm, let's see."
She pulled a folded paper from her pocket, unfolded it, and read through it. She read for a while, and the lower her eyes went, the more her excited expression faded—until the end, where she suddenly retrieved her enthusiastic face.
"Now, Lorelei, onwards we go!"
A//N: I had lots of fun writing this chapter:)