A World Apart

12. To Town

The morning after the feast dawned cold and clear. A chill hung in the air and seeped through the windows of her room, fogging the thin glass panes. When Elena climbed out of bed to throw them open she saw her breath come out in a cloud. Autumn had indeed followed them to Coralis with urgency this morning and now winter felt like it was not far behind.

Below, she could see the steam rising from the carts and stalls of vendors interspersed throughout the city and the plaza just beyond the castle gates. Enticing smells beckoned her even from here and Elena felt her stomach gurgle, finally replete from the stuffing it received at the feast. Outside the hazy glow of the early morning sky made everything seem to hold a sense of anticipation, and her heart lifted in such wild exuberance it felt to her like anything could happen today. The trees beyond the tall stone walls that made up the boundary of Coralis were beginning to change, tinging their soft green hues into warm tones of red, orange, and gold as they prepared to shed for winter's eventual onslaught. The wind was crisp, the sun was beaming and the birds nesting in her windowsill were singing as if they too sensed the promise of the day.

By the time Sarai ascended the staircase, Elena was already dressed in her simple purple dress and brushing her own hair, opting to pull it back into a loose side braid that swept over her shoulder. Sarai looked at her quizzically but said nothing, although Elena caught her glance longingly at her hair at least once as if she meant to undo Elena's hasty job and form it into something more ornate. 

Breakfast was scarfed down as quickly as she could manage. Shortly after arriving, Sarai asked to excuse herself. The kitchen staff had already put her to work and charged her with doing the shopping for tonight's palace supper and it would take longer in Bree's absence. That was the intro Elena was looking for.

"Of course, but I'll come too! I'd love to see the city."

Sarai looked uneasy at the prospect, "Well, milady, I'm not sure, I've not been given instructions on whether or not the same restrictions apply to you here as at Clovis."

Elena was undeterred, the warmth of the day filled the small room, beckoning her to venture out and she was not going to be thwarted.

"But you'll be with me, right? Surely even if the same restrictions apply no one can argue that you aren't fulfilling them." Her eager expression must have unnerved Sarai, who, while remarkably warmer to her than her first weeks here, still remained distrustful in a way Bree had long since ceased to be. Elena wished it was Bree who was going down to the market-- it would make this much easier.

"I'll stay with you every step of the way," she coaxed, giving her best reassuring smile before Sarai finally relented.

"Alright milady, best hope I don't get a tongue lashing for it though."

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Outside the air was warmer than she had expected. The heat from the crowds of people and hot fresh food cast away the chill in the air as she followed Sarai into the throng.

The plaza directly outside the palace was not nearly as crowded as the streets that went off in every which direction. Only one remained clear of vendors, the road from which they had come through the gates of Coralis directly to the castle's doorstep yesterday. The smells wafting from the other streets teeming with men and women selling their wares made Elena's mouth water and forget the breakfast she had eaten in such haste barely an hour before.

She was in such awe she already forgot she was meant to be following Sarai, who looked back over her shoulder with an exasperated expression. Quickly, Elena trotted to catch up with the two empty baskets from the kitchen bouncing on her hip.