The WindFlyer

Chapter 14

Draen's PoV

I wake up to sun streaming in my room. For a moment, I can believe it was all a dream and I am waking up in Alture, but then I remember. I remember what I learned last night about the girl, about Astoria. I don't quite know what I'm feeling anymore. I was pissed last night, royally pissed, because she lied to me. She deceived me and caused my to morn a girl who was sitting in front of me the whole time. But I don't know that it was fair of me to be mad. She only lied to protect this place and maybe to protect me, too. Maybe to protect me from believing I was leaving behind a wife who would forever wait for me. But I am still mad and I cannot say why. I don't understand why I am so angered. She is a pirate now, I should hate her. I did hate her. But then I look at what she has created and I am so angry and confused. How could a thieving, murderous pirate create all this? I want to hate this city and what it means but it is also everything I wish for in Alture.

I sigh and scrub my face with my hands, there will be time for me to figure this all out later and work through it. For now, I rise and throw on a shirt. Leaving the room, I make my way down the hall and stairs in search of the kitchen. The smell of coffee catches my attention and I follow my nose until I stumble upon a warm and sunlight kitchen. There is a small, wooden table with four chairs around it where Astoria and Amma currently sit. A fresh pot of coffee sits on a counter near the stove and oven. Both girls have a cup of coffee before them and I enter to catch Amma's complaining.

"But Astoria!" She whines, "I'm going to die of hunger! I can practically feel my stomach eating away at itself." The pirate snorts and puts down the newspaper she was reading before glancing at me. She looks tired this morning and her eyes look off. With a sigh, she rises from her seat and walks over to the fridge.

"Fine, I'll cook for you, you moocher," Astoria grumbles. She pulls out a carton of eggs and various vegetable and even some cheese. After placing all that on the counter, she grabs out some meat and then goes for pans. I am still standing in the doorway when she looks at me again and raises an eyebrow. "Well are you going to stand there and stare at us the whole time or are you going to take a seat and eat breakfast?" She says, motion to the table with a knife. My eyebrows raise in surprise as I slowly walk over to the table and sit down. Amma smirks slightly at me as Astoria grunts and goes back to her work, muttering something along the lines of "lazy freeloader..."

"Can I offer you a cup of coffee, Prince?" Amma asks, batting her eyelashes at me. I narrow my eyes at her as she plays innocent but I nod. Amma rises from her seat and grabs me a mug from one of the cupboards above the sink and pours the coffee in. She sets it before me and hands me a spoon, the sugar and cream already on the table. I stir in three heaping spoonfuls of sugar and a splash of cream, eyeing Amma the whole time, wondering if she did something to the drink.

For a while, the only sound in the room is the pirates chopping and cooking as Amma and I sit in silence, sipping our drinks. I watch Astoria cook with mild amusement as she harshly beats several eggs together before pouring them into a sizzling pan she had been sautéing the vegetables in. The smell of bacon begins to fill the room and I feel and hear my stomach begin to growl. Astoria sprinkles some cheese into the egg and vegetable pan and grabs a spatula. I watch as she attempts to fold the egg over and nearly choke on my drink at the steady stream of curses that slip past her mouth when she fails. She then mixes everything together and lets it cook, checking the meat often. Once everything is as she wants it, Astoria dumps the egg dish into a large bowl and places the bacon on a serving platter before unceremoniously dropping them on the table before us. She then plops back into her chair.

Amma grabs three plates and hands them around before piling her plate high with eggs and bacon. She takes a bite and then sighs, "you know, I was so hoping for an omelet today..." she trails off, smirking. I raise my eyebrows in shock as I fill my own plate. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the pirate stop her bite midway to her mouth as the corners of her lips turn upward. She does not respond to Amma's jab. Instead, she flings a fork full of food at Amma's head, hitting her square in the nose.

Amma squeaks in outrage before the pirate speaks. "Watch it, hon, or you'll be making your own breakfast from now on," she says with a wink and I nearly start laughing forcing a cough to cover for myself. Amma laughs at the pirate while wiping food remains off her face. Astoria finished her meal first; rising from her chair, she places her plate in the sink and leans against the wall with her arms folded over her chest and one leg crossed over the other. Amma finished soon after and Astoria pushes off the wall and begins to make for the back door with Amma in tow. Their black boots the only sound in the room.

"Where are you going?" I ask, eyes darting between them. The girls glance at each other and Amma shrugs.

"We are going to help set up for Festival," Astoria says. "You're welcome to join us, if you'd like." I am taken aback slightly by the offer, but nod. It would be good to see more of the city, if only to aid in my escape. Amma grins while Astoria looks slightly taken aback. "Lets go then," she say. I scarf down the rest of my food, grab another piece of bacon, and run out the door to catch up to the pirate and Amma.

Already, the city is alive and bustling. I see men and women setting up poles with streamers that hang down in all different colors. Great stalls where food will be put out are half way built. Several bar set ups have been put out where alcohol will likely be sold. In a large square center, several people mill about without direction. Astoria walks to the center of these people and claps her hands together. The people snap to attention upon seeing the girl in their midst. She gives them a dazzling smile before she starts barking directions and pointing. I believe we are setting up some sort of stage.

Once everyone has their assignments, I watch the pirate move among her people and start lifting beams of wood. Seeing her work spurns me to action and I jump into the fray as well. I pick up a hammer and help secure planks. After some time of working in the heat I find myself face to face with the pirate. She makes eye contract with me and smiles tentatively, a light sweat covers her brow as she holds up the beam for me to secure. She must have discarded her over shirt at some point, leaving her in a tight-fitting undershirt. She chokes a strained laugh and speaks between pants.

"You gonna secure it or just stand there?" I blink out of my trance and laugh awkwardly before hammering the nail into place. Once it is stable, the girl drops her arms and swings under the beam. She blinks a few times when she finds herself nose to nose with me. She tilts her head and steps back, walking over to grab another plank of wood.