The Understudy of an Alchemist

5. The Self-Appointed Assistant

As exciting as it may seem to be a royal like Rapunzel, or even a respected member of society like a guard of some fancy lord, my parents had always reminded me to be grateful that I don't have to walk down the street without everyone curtsying to me, or grovelling. Everyone will just treat you like an equal. I smile to myself, because I realise now that they were right. Sometimes it's better to be a nobody, and be able to stroll nonchalantly down the streets, waving to random villagers, who shoot me confused gazes as they have no idea who I am, and if they should, and nearly being run over by a carriage-

"Wait, WHAT?!" I practically screamed as I leapt out of the way of the huge beast of a contraption, stumbling into a puddle as I do so, as the carriage thunders past, mere centimetres away from my head. As the panting eventually subsides, and the adrenaline of the near hospital visit experience being avoided starts to fade, I whip my head around and stick my tongue out at the receding shape of the carriage, furious that I had nearly lost my life despite having right of way. Sighing now, I relax my tongue and close my mouth, disappointed with my lack of manners, and finally take this chance to examine my skirt, which is speckled with brown dots, most likely from the filthy puddle that I had stumbled into. Great. My first day that of my punishment being lifted, and I've already soiled my dress.

"Mother is going to kill me........." I moan, shuddering at the sheer idea, at which I take another step backwards to the point that I'm standing directly underneath a shop-front to ensure that I'm not nearly run over again, and attempt to scratch off the stains to no avail. As I do so, however, a familiar voice suddenly echoes behind me, "Oh, good morning Violet! I haven't seen you in a while, I didn't think that I would see you today." Smiling at the second I recognise that voice, I whirl around excitedly to face him, at which he adds, smiling slyly, "I was told that you were grounded?"

"Xavier!" I cry with a little too much enthusiasm, and walk over to him, at which he squeezes my hand affectionately. One of the things that I liked about him was that he was one of the few people that respected that I didn't really like hugs. Upon releasing my hand, his gaze suddenly falls onto the dirtied hem of my dress which I was still holding awkwardly in my hand. "My my! What have you done to yourself this time?? You mother wouldn't be pleased." I blush a deep scarlet and drop the hem of the dress, waving my hands almost defensively. "It wasn't my fault, I promise! It was that-" He pats my shoulder affectionately, prompting me to trail off mid-sentence. "I know, of course it wasn't. You never were the time to be careless after all." He was silent for a moment, before suddenly smiling and gesturing to his workshop behind him. "Do you want to come into my store perhaps, and I'll see if I've got something to remove the stain??"

A beam of gratitude starts to form across my face, until I suddenly falter and check my pocket watch nervously. It was a second-hand one from my father, and despite it being only three years younger than I was, it still worked fine. Well I suppose not perfectly, but the fact that it still ran so that was enough for me. I don't exactly have that much time on my hands. "Um....well....I guess a few minutes couldn't hurt." I eventually crumble, as I follow him into his blacksmith store. While Xavier was no Alchemist like Varian, he did have a couple of what he called remedies, not something fancy like medicine of course, mostly to tonics that helped improve someone's mood, soothe burns, or in this case, remove small stains from clothes. More like herbal medicine and cleaning supplies if anything.

As I survey him hunting through his drawers for the particular vial, he begins to talk to me while he searches for the particular item. "So, is Varian in town as well?" I nod enthusiastically, leaning awkwardly against one of the tables. "Yep, we're here for the Science Expo." "Ah! I suspected that you two would be attending this year's one. Are you assisting him with it?" He examines the label of a bottle containing a pink liquid, before discarding it.