Beauty and the Galra

Quiet village - Chapter One

The early morning sun rose over the village, painting the sky beautiful shades of pinks. The birds sang happily in the trees as the wind ever so slightly brushed over the brown leaves, which detached from their tree and swirled with the wind.

Lance was always up early for this part of the morning, enjoyed the crisp air and the brief silence of the village. The village may be small but it's very lively, and the people of it buzz in the markets all day so short moments of quietness are something that Lance treasures.

Basket in hand, pale blue shirt tucked into black trousers, brown hair as tamed as it can possibly be, Lance left his small house on the very outskirts of town and closed the door silently in attempts to not wake his papa. He always stayed up far too late on his inventions so it was best to let him sleep in as long as possible. Or wake his siblings for that matter because he'd never hear the end of it if little Maria woke up before nine o'clock.

Lance glanced over at the river running past his home, smiling slightly before his eyes drifted to the quiet streets of the stone paved village. Lance liked to play a game some mornings, see if he could count down to when the first shutter would open and the town would come to life. He was almost always right, like it was a routine or he was reliving his day over and over again. It became somewhat boring after the first few tries but yet he continues anyway.

"3. 2. 1." Lance mumbles to him self and directly above him, the shutter to Mrs Livingston's house flys open, and out she pops humming the same tune she hums every morning.

"Morning Lance!" She yells down. He offers a smile and a wave in return.

More shutters fly open and 'good morning's are thrown around like they're playing copy cat. The town finally wakes up properly and the market begins. The bakery opens, Mr Lavito begins selling his eggs, there's a yell of 'fruit! Get your fresh fruit here!' and the cries of a desperate mother trying to buy her breakfast with whatever little money she has. Just like always.

Lance greets people as he wanders through town, more than aware of people's constant murmuring about him. "He's gotten awfully tall, you think he'd stop growing" and "he's got ambitions that are too high for this town." and "I always catch him daydreaming at the stars late at night." People always talk about him, he's strange but special as his Mama used to tell him, but apparently these town people just think he's strange.

It's a pity and a sin, he doesn't quite fit in.

Lance walks around the carts of hay and the children running around, chased by their mothers trying to keep them out of trouble. He says hello to the crazy old man of the village (not too bad once you really talk to him, but will hit you round the back of the leg if you try to pet his dog). Eventually, Lance gets to where he wants to be on this uneventful winters morning. The book shop.

"Morning Pidge! Morning Hunk!" Lance calls out into the shop, which appears empty but Lance knows better by now, Pidge and Hunk are always in the storage room tinkering with Lance's Papa's broken inventions and making them better.

Pidge's family owns the shop, and she helps out here as much as a fifteen year old can, stacking books, helping customers, all the things a shop assistant would do. Although half the time she was just sitting in the back, not helping and making her brother, Matt do all the work.

Hunk on the other hand, his family owns the bakery. And Hunk, sweet sweet Hunk, makes the most delicious foods and treats ever. His apple pie is a blessing to the world and his scones could cure any plague ever. But he's very rarely at the bakery, only when his father needs it. Instead, like Pidge, he hangs around in the book store, but he does actually help out.