In Search of You

Chapter 13

“Wear this when you go and meet the elders. Eion chose it specifically for you. It belonged to his mother,” Tara said. She handed Astrid the clothes and exited the room without another word. Astrid spread out the clothes that Tara gave her.

It was a dress colored the deepest shade of red. The neckline was modest but there were no sleeves. It makes sense because the climate here in Hleo was far from cool. The material was light and it was almost like cotton. The skirt was long and the hem reached Astrid’s ankles. It was kind of similar to what she saw the women wear—except for the color. The younger women wore white while the older ones wore it in shades of brown. Some wore leather aprons over their dresses. Astrid saw no one wearing the color red. Except maybe Caderyn who tied her hair with a red bow.

Gingerly, she put on the dress and smoothed the creases in the skirts. It fit her as though it was made for her. She lifted the cloth she used for drying and from the corner of her eye, she saw something shiny. She turned her head and her jaw dropped as she saw something silver. Tentatively, she lifted the silver links and noticed that it was a belt! Excitedly, she unclasped it and wrapped it around her waist. It hung low on her hips and emphasized her tiny waist.

“Daaaamn,” Astrid muttered. She twisted her body left and right to admire the beautiful belt. Clearly, being friends with someone who was a King had lots of benefits.

Astrid turned around once and giggled at how her skirts billowed with the movement. This was really too beautiful and she felt like she was in a dream once more. She pinched her cheeks and bit her lip to give it some color. After that, she headed out of the room and into the shocked expressions of Tara and the other servants.

“Errr. Something wrong?” she asked when they still stared after several seconds. Tara coughed. “Nothing. You look fine,” Tara replied. Her voice was a little wobbly and Astrid knew that it was because of her appearance. “Do I look beautiful?” she prodded. “Fit for a queen,” came Tara’s awed reply before she turned around and moved away hastily.

“Follow me,” Tara instructed. Astrid followed and they exited Quil’s house. Astrid looked back at the room which was said to be where Quil entertains his guests.

“I thought that was the room where we--?” Tara’s stare stopped her next words. “The gathering won’t be happening there because all the elders will be present. It will be much better if it’s held near the forest. It’s quieter and the place is bigger,” Tara answered. “Oh. Okay.”

Astrid followed the other woman in silence. She noticed that Tara’s brows were furrowed and her lips were pursed in a thin line. Astrid tried to talk to her several times but she seemed to be deep in thought. So she just tried to notice Quil’s village instead. All the people were busy. Some men were on the fields while the others patrolled. Women cooked their meals over small fires and tended to their gardens and their children who were running around everywhere and playing.

All of them stopped whatever they were doing as she passed by. They took one look at her and their eyes widened or their jaws fell. After a while, Astrid felt horribly self-conscious. Was she wrong into thinking that red wasn’t a beautiful color? Maybe it was truly the color of whores and adulteresses? Come to think of it, no one else was wearing this particular color and it made her stand out.

She considered running back to Quil’s house and changing into a grey or brown dress like the others were wearing. “What you are wearing belonged to Quil’s mother. She was the queen and only royalty wears that color,” Tara told Astrid. This time it was her jaw that fell. Royalty? She cringed and swallowed the lump in her throat.

“I think that our Eion is making a statement. He wishes the elders to know that you are a traveller and travellers are treated as royalty,” Tara added. As she finished speaking, it suddenly seemed as if the air became thinner and it was harder to breathe.  A thousand questions flitted through Astrid’s mind but before she was able to ask even one of them, Tara stopped walking.

They stood at the edge of the forest. Astrid craned her neck to see farther than the tall trees in front of her. She saw another clearing where the elders stood. They were circled around a fire and they all had the same solemn expressions. She looked farther to the right and saw Quil. He had a frown on his face and was pacing. Quil did that when he was nervous. This fact added to Astrid’s nerves.

“Chin up. Don’t let them intimidate you. Whatever happens, you have our Eion’s support,” Tara told her. Then the woman gave her a push and she stumbled into the forest. Twigs snapped and leaves were crunched under her feet. The noise made the elders look up from the fire. They finally looked at her and there was awe in their expression followed by something that looked like hope. Or maybe longing? But Astrid told herself that she might’ve just imagined it for when she blinked, those expressions were gone.

“Come here, child. Have a seat.” It was elder Altarys who spoke first. Astrid nodded and with small steps, she walked towards the small clearing where they gathered. Quil stopped pacing and went to one of the logs they used as chairs. He wore black pants and also a black shirt that looked like a tunic. It was loose but still hinted at the strong physique that it hid. A red sash was tied from his left shoulder and ended on his right hip. His dagger was tied to his belt. It wasn’t like before for the dagger was now encased in a jewelled sheath. The sheath was decorated with rubies as big as her thumb.

Astrid’s breath hitched as she took in Quil’s appearance. Gone was the boy she traversed the forest with. In its place was a man who was every inch a King. When the shock wore off, she resumed walking and headed towards one of the empty logs. Elder Altarys caught her eye and shook her head. “You sit with our Eion,” she whispered. Astrid backtracked and headed towards Quil.

“Red suits you,” he whispered. She chanced a glance at him from beneath her lashes and saw the fire burning in his eyes. But underneath that fire, there was more. Passion? Lust? Anger? Confusion? Anticipation?

Astrid looked away and noticed that all the elders’ eyes were on them. Some looked calculating while the others looked... joyful? Yet again, panic threatened to overwhelm her. Her breath came in short gasps and the world seemed to tilt towards the side. That was until she felt Quil’s touch. He reached for her hand and squeezed.

“Everything will be alright,” he whispered. “You think so?” she whispered back. Quil gave her another reassuring squeeze. “I know so,” he answered.

******************************************

Next chapter: A history of how Quil's people came to be in Celiria. The prophecy. The Elders' decision about Astrid. :)

Please vote if you liked this! Thank you!