The Fanged Throne

Chapter 5

Elora sat there for a few moments, resting her back against the large tree. The road was quiet with the horses and men long gone. The only sound was the faint wind that whistled through the naked trees, tugging gently at her pale hair. Her heart was full and body still. She closed her eyes and leant her head back, basking in the serenity of the moment. This was the first time she had heard such silence. In the prison there was always noise: shouting, talking, laughing, the creaking of the cell doors and the sound of the men yelling in their sleep. The silence of the morning felt so foreign yet inviting, almost lulling her into a dreamy slumber.

The mid-morning sun had begun to warm her shoulders, shining down on the snow-covered ground. The road that fed into the city was lined with tall trees, their branches twisted and gnarled from the winter winds. Elora pulled herself up and started her way down the road, making sure to keep near the treeline. Her breath formed little clouds in front of her as she walked in the cold morning air. The sound of chickens clucking caught her attention. The trees had cleared to reveal a small stone cottage sitting alongside the road. A small muddy path lined with a broken wooden fence led the way to the door. The cottage had two small windows that were misted up, the chimney had smoke disappearing into the sky.

Elora stood and watched as a young boy walked around the cottage from the back, a large brown sack in his hand. She watched, fascinated, as he chucked the feed onto the ground, the chickens squawking as they jumped around in a frenzy. The young boy looked up, spotting her standing there in the trees watching. He stared at her for a moment before running back around behind the cottage. Taking that as her cue, she walked briskly past the small cottage.

The road carried on for a short while and she had passed a few other muddy cottages like the earlier one, all of them now awake. Elora's feet had started to warm up, the cold snow no longer seeped through her thin slippers, they were now just covered in mud. The mud road had slowly turned into cobblestone and she could see the buildings in the city more clearly. The road rose steadily up the hill before dropping steeply, as she climbed over the rise she stopped. The city sat nestled between the mountains, the buildings were larger than she had imagined. Smiling to herself she jogged down the hill and stopped at the bottom to admire the tall buildings around her.

The street bustled with people, men and women, young and old. She stood in the middle of the street and gazed in wonder at it all. A large woman with a rotund belly bumped roughly into her, her ruddy cheeks were red as she huffed in annoyance. "Move out of the way girl!" Elora watched curiously as the women looked over her and tutted, her dark eyes rested on Elora's pantlegs with raised eyebrows. Shaking her head, the woman strut off down the street. Elora watched the busy people of Wirenth, noticing something for the first time. The women all wore dresses. She watched as a mother and daughter walked next to each other down the street. Both of them wore long dresses. The woman wore a dark brown dress that was cinched at the waist with a narrow string acting as a belt. Her sleek sleeves were long, stopping at her wrists. A cream undershirt poked out of her bust, the ties on the front of her dress were pulled tight. The small girl's dress was similar in fashion, dipped below her ankles and dark blue. The young girl's hair was braided down her back while her mother had a small cap perched atop her light hair.

Self-consciously, Elora looked down at her baggy, brown pants, that barely reached her ankles. The women that were walking down the street gave her strange looks as they stared at her odd attire for a young girl. Wirenth was cold in the winter season, she could see this from the number of buildings that had frosted windows and the long-sleeved dress all the women wore. A man herding his donkeys down the street interrupted her thoughts, he yelled for her to move. Quickly she jumped backwards, out of the way. The street had begun to grow smaller as carts and wagons trundled their way along the cobblestones.