Blade and Blossom

Chapter 1

 The city that Eva lived in was not a particularly beautiful place. Its cobblestone streets were riddled with holes that could twist a horse's ankle if the rider wasn't careful. Shops of various goods were packed together like fish in a barrel. The roadsides were always crowded no matter the time or day. Vendors in their stalls, merchants with their wagons, and all sorts of passersby were milling about. The smell of livestock, spices, and smoke mixed together to make an unpleasant stench. No, Grista Capital was not beautiful at all.

But this was only the south side of the city. The north side was known as the Noble's Domain. That was the place where the city's most wealthy families spent their days. Apparently, it was filled with beautiful gardens and lavish villas. At the very heart of it all was the royal palace. The Rosabell family had ruled over the kingdom of Korland for as long as anyone could remember. According to rumors, every member of the family was blessed with the beauty of angels. There were much less flattering rumors to be heard about the royal family, but Eva didn't pay attention to those. She liked her pretty little fantasies.

Eva had never seen the north side or its palace, but she'd heard plenty of talk about it. She secretly wished to visit it one day. But she knew that a simple baker's daughter had no business there. She hurried through the south side streets with a basket full of grain and sugar. Her destination was a small building with splintering wooden walls and a leaky roof. A weather-worn sign hung above the door with the words "Barlett Family Bakery" on it. She flung the door open and went inside.

The main room was rather small. It didn't hold much else other than the counter where customers would place their orders. There was a door behind the counter that led to a back storage room. A staircase led up to the family's living space on the second floor. It wasn't fancy, but they did their best to make it cozy and welcoming. It was their home, after all.

"Papa, I'm back." she announced.

Her papa was standing behind the counter. A man stood in front of said counter with his back turned to Eva. Even with his back turned, Eva could recognise those messy brown curls. She squealed with excitement and threw her arms around the man's waist.

"Peter!"

The man twisted his head around to look at the girl who'd attached herself to his waist. He made a dramatic face of surprise. "Now who's this lady? Surely, she's much too tall to be my baby sister."

Eva released her brother and pouted. "I'm not a baby. I'm almost thirteen."

Peter leaned back against the counter with his arms crossed. "Aw, so feisty. Like an angry kitten."

The girl huffed. "If I'm a kitten, what does that make you? An old mop dog, with that hair."

Their father sighed wearily at his bickering children. "Eva, Peter didn't come all this way to squabble with you."

Eva made a devious face. "'Course not. He came to eat all our apple pastries again."

Peter grumbled something under his breath that sounded like, "It was one time."

"What's this I hear about apple pastries?"

A feminine voice called from the staircase behind the counter. A pretty young woman was standing at the bottom of the stairwell. She was about Peter's age, with red hair and bright green eyes. An easy smile played across her lips. She walked to Eva, brushing Peter's shoulder affectionately as she passed.

"There's my favorite sister-in-law!" She swept the girl up into a warm hug.

Peter snorted. "She's your only sister-in-law, Bettie."

"Oh hush, mop dog." Bettie winked at Eva, who giggled.

Their father chuckled. "Can you three just have one civilized conversation?"