• if • {c. calore}

chapter 001.

She scurries off to another waitress and they begin giggling and elbowing each other in ways that I've never seen the girls at court do.

For a spilt second, I want that freedom too. I almost scoff at my stupidity. Reds aren't free, they're just as trapped as I am, if not worse. Conscription, rations, etc. There's nothing I could do without bloodshed on both sides. Innocent children, both Red and Silver could and would die if I made that change as king. I can't follow up my father's legacy like that.

My head bubbles with more thoughts than I left with, I stand, dropping a few coins in the tip jar for good measure.

I step out of the tavern, eyes on the night sky, lost in thought. A hand reaches out, grabbing for something to steal. In one swift movement, I grab the wrist of a Red girl, letting my heat pours into her.

"Thief," I say in a surprised tone.

The girl blinks at me, watching me with hopeless brown eyes. "Obviously."

I stare at her, looking her up and down.  Her long brown hair fades gray at the ends, clothes dirtied and tattered and her eyes, those hopeless brown eyes. She knows she's doomed. My sympathy swells for the stranger. After a long moment, I heave a breath and let her go. I fish a tetarch out of my pocket, it spins through the air. The Red girl catches it, her hopeless eyes full of question.

"That should be more than enough to tide you over," I say before the Red girl can respond. She's much shorter than me, but still manages to look intimidating. Now it's her turn to study me, my stomach sinks as my ears flush silver. She knows I don't belong.

"Why?" Her tone is hard and harsh, a reminder of tomorrow.

Taken aback, I shrug. "You need it more than I do."

The girl looks as if she's fighting with herself inside. Through gritted teeth, she softly thanks me. "Thank you."

I laugh at her reluctant gratitude. "Don't hurt yourself." I shift, taking a step closer. "You live in the village don't you?"

"Yes," she replies, gesturing to herself. I shift under her gaze, playing with my collar. This girl makes me uncomfortable.

I flush in the moonlight, silverblood rising to my cheeks. I don't belong here. My eyes dart around at the thought. "Do you enjoy it? Living there?"

My question makes the girl laugh. "Does anyone?"

"Are you heading back?" I say, gesturing to the road.

"Why, scared of the dark?" She drawls, folding her arms across her chest.

My easy smile returns, Maven is the sibling who's scared of the dark. At least he was until one day he just wasn't. "No, but I want to make sure you keep your hand to yourself for the rest of the night. Can't have you driving half the bar out of house and home, can we? I'm Cal, by the way," I add, stretching out my hand to shake.

She doesn't take it. Instead, the Red girl sets off down the road, steps with the grace only a pickpocket can master. "Mare Barrow." She tells me over her shoulder.

I follow her, my long legs catching up easily. "So are you always this pleasant?"

"The lords must pay you well for you to carry full crowns," The girl - Mare - retorts.

I retreat, figuring out an excuse. "I have a good job."

"That makes one of us."

"But you're - "

"Seventeen," she finishes, "I still have some time before conscription."

I narrow my eyes, lips twisting into a grim line. A hardness that Father uses creeps into my words. "How much time?"