Writers block

Chapter Five: A Strange Encounter

Thade and Waverley kindly left the room while Charlie changed. She slowly peeled off her shirt, revealing a stomach that was slightly too big for her taste, and a chest that was smaller than she would have liked. She slipped on the dress, and found that it was too tight in places. It was wearable, though. She changed into the full maid's uniform, but kept her shoes on. The soft black combat boots had been Dri's once. When she was fully maid-ified, Charlie left the bedroom, to find Waverley and Thade waiting in the hall.

"You're still wearing those?" Waverley wrinkled up her nose at the sight of the boots.

"They were my sister's." Charlie explained quietly. "She's dead."

"Oh."

The three fugitives traipsed down out of the palace, and onto a cobbled path which Charlie could only assume led to the village. As much as she was confused, that was the part she was excited for. She had constructed the village to have the most beautiful and diverse market that you could imagine, and was practically bursting with excitement.

Waverley turned away from the path, and onto a narrow dirt road. Charlie frowned.

"That's not right, the village is that way." She gestured to a different path leading down a steep hill.

"Pfft, I live here. I think I'd know." Wave shrugged.

"No, she's right." Thade agreed, eyeing Charlie strangely. "The village is down there."

"How do you know so much about this place, anyway? I thought you were from Diorra." Waverley huffed, stomping down the hill. Charlie stayed silent, and hitched up her skirts in an effort not to trip over them. When they reached the base of the mound, the smell of fresh bread wafted in the air. If her predictions were correct, they were directly behind the bakery.

As it turned out, she was correct. Shocking, seeing as she had created this realm. The three newly-made friends were standing behind a large stone building surrounded by bags of flour and sugar.

Waverley inhaled deeply, and looked happily at Thade. "Oh, can we get some food? Please?"

Thade shook his head. "No. We need to meet Pam before her shop closes."

"Why're we going to see Pam? She runs the apothecary, and none of us need healing." His sister chirped.

"She came to me a few weeks ago. Told me that if I ever got unhappy with how the royals were treating us, I should come to her." He explained.

Charlie nodded. "And you think she's-"

"Leading the rebels?" Thade answered for her. "Definitely."

They walked in silence for what seemed like hours, each contemplating what would happen next. Pam was a minor character, and despite her importance to the plot, she made very few appearances throughout the story. The apothecarian was well versed in magical healing herbs and combat strategies, but not so much in subtlety. It wasn't a surprise that she had confronted Thade, but it was not written into the story. Charlie began to wonder if her characters had developed their own will, the ability to veer off the plot, and into a completely different story.

As she began to lose herself in thought, Thade tapped her on the shoulder and pointed at a squat brown building covered in vines. The apothecary, she assumed. Waverley skipped toward the door, and knocked three times. It swung open, to reveal a tall, dark-skinned woman with bright blue eyes. She smiled serenely at them, and gestured for them to come in.

"Ah, Thade. I knew you'd come." She exclaimed warmly.

"Uh, yeah. I-I want to talk about what you told me." He stuttered.

"Good. But not them, only you are allowed to hear what I have to say." She said coldly.

"Actually, they're with me, Pam. If they don't come, none of us do." Thade argued.

Pam narrowed her eyes. "Alright. But make sure they don't disturb our conversation."

————————————————————%—%—%———————————————————

A hot cup of mint tea sat untouched in front of Thade, as he listened to Pam explain the rebellion she had cultivated over the years. Thus called themselves the Hyacinths, and they had hundreds of members across Eadlynne. Theoretically, they were even placements in the palace.

"We hope that you'll assist us, given your connections with the royals." Pam finished, clasping her ringed fingers together.

He laughed bitterly, stirring his tea. "I don't have connections anymore. I was imprisoned."

Pam paled. "Y-You mean that you're fugitives?"

"Every one of us." He confirmed.

Pam stood up abruptly, and pointed at the door. "Go."

"Huh?"

"Go. Leave. Get out of my sight. I will not house fugitives, even if I plan to overthrow the royals. I would like to keep my shop open for as long as possible, thank you." She said through her teeth.

Thade shook his head sadly, and herded Charlie and Waverley to the door of the apothecary.

"Wait." Pam backtracked. "You know the boulder on the edge of the Northwood?"

He nodded, remembering the rock that he and Wave used to play when they were children. "What about it?"

"Just... camp out there for a day or two. Trust me." She said.

"Fine."

Thade opened the door to the apothecary, listened to the small bell ring for the last time, and left along with Charlie and Waverley. They walked onto the crowded streets of the village, and melted into the crowd, hoping not to noticed.