Reigning Curse

Chapter One ~ H.A.G. Curse

My stepmother demanded drinking water the first thing in the morning, every morning. When I went on this errand, the streets were practically empty. The hustle of the day wouldn't begin for at least another hour. Pembroke, the capital and only major city of Pembria, was a port. The dock area always bustled with the arrival and departure of air and tall-masted ships. The guild district, where I live, was at the outskirts of town towards the mountains and quiet in comparison.

Every day, I walked along the same cobbled stone street to a plaza for drinking water. The houses in the guild district were modern and had a pump to access canal water. Everyone went to the wells for drinking water because the well water was from ancient aquifers and was the sweetest tasting water. Each district, be it the manufacturing, the port,  or one of the other four districts of Pembria, claimed their well gave the finest drinking water. Many say the aquifer well at the palace had the absolutely coldest, most refreshing water though, I could not say since I have never been there.

A clunking sound became louder and louder when I was a block from the well.

I stepped into the plaza where a woman, in a powder blue silk skirt and bodice, banged with a black and white striped parasol at the series of gears and pulleys which covered the well. In her other hand, she held a silver teacup.

The contraption frustrated her. When the Queen had them installed six months ago, they had confounded most of the citizens of Pembroke, Pembria. However, everyone quickly learned how to get their precious well water.

"Pardon," I called out using formal language which is the Pembria way when addressing a stranger. "May I be of assistance in retrieving some water from the well contrivance?"

When she faced me, her gold guild pin of a shriveled apple glinted in the sun. She was a H.A.G.! I stumbled a step back. A member of the Hermetic Aphrodite Guild in Pembroke, Pembria. Astonishing!

"I would be ever so grateful for your assistance since I have never encountered such a thing. I am perplexed and thirsty." She stared at my pin of a flat spring with a bee, and finished with, "Spring Guild girl."

Looking at every detail of her dress, parasol, and perfect rosy complexion, I wanted to ask her about being a H.A.G. though my manners suppressed the questions.

"The well contrivance isn't tricky. The main thing to remember is a glass of water is the same price as two gallons." Placing my bucket under the spout, I inserted a coin into the slot and turned the crank once. "My dad and the Gear Guild built seven of them on the Queen's orders."

The H.A.G.'s eyes followed the motions of the contraption.  Its gears and springs retrieved and poured water into a tube which directed the water into the bucket.

"Exceptional!" she said when the water started to pour out of the spout.

Without a thought, I said, "Yes, I enjoy watching the workings. All though, our pockets are lighter and the Queen's treasury is fuller." It had become the mantra of the guild district.

The H.A.G. held out her cup towards me.

My hand shook when I took the teacup. I dipped it into the bucket and handed it back, dripping and almost full.

She peered into the glass, sniffed at the water, and drank. Her every movement fascinated me. I couldn't believe a H.A.G. stood before me.

I was one of the early arrivals for the morning's drinking water. Typically,  I would greet Grecia of the Baker's Guild, Asa of the Dyer's guild, or a few other girls going about their morning chores. Today, the well's courtyard was empty as if the world had stopped for my encounter with the H.A.G.