The next morning was chaotic.
In the second Cora got out of the wagon she was greeted by Iris holding two pieces of bread with jam.
"I was going to check if you'd woken up already," she told her, handing her one of the slices. She was wearing one of Thalia's dresses and the spare coat she'd given her, her moonlight hair tied back with a piece of thread.
"What's going on?" Cora rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and sat on the step of the wagon, staring at the movement around them.
Iris sighed. "They're getting everything ready to set up the Fair closer to Idais. Thalia left earlier."
"Did she leave you here?"
"She thinks it isn't safe for me closer to the city since I can't protect myself and I've never been in a human city." She looked down, and her shoulders sagged. "She has a job for you though, so you should meet her as soon as possible."
Cora finished her slice of bread. "What job?"
"Something about going in the city, I'm not sure though. She wasn't really clear."
Going inside the city? That was unexpected.
"I guess I should hurry up, then." She glanced at Iris. "I wish I could stay here and keep you company, though."
Iris chuckled. "Don't worry about me, I'll have a lot of fun looking after the children with Nova."
In the last few days it'd turned out Iris was quite exceptional when it came to making friends. She'd even got close to Nova, one of the few people that still looked at Cora with the most complete diffidence. Iris shone like a star, everyone could see it. She always managed to find a way to make everyone around her comfortable, but she'd taken a liking to Cora. And Thalia, of course. Especially Thalia. They were always together, unless duty brought them apart like that day. Cora still wondered what had happened, considering Thalia wasn't the most sociable person out there. She liked her space, but she seemed to like sharing her space with Iris even more.
Cora stood up and stretched. "I'll go, then. It's a long walk."
"Have fun walking in the cold, I'll be here drinking tea and hiding under a thousand blankets," Iris replied, earning a laugh from her.
Cora snuggled up in her cloak and started down the dirt road that weaved a path through the woods. It was colder than the day before—clouds of vapour rose up in the air from her breath. The walk cleared her head, helping to ease the wave of nervousness that had risen inside her at the thought of being made to enter the city. She'd wanted to visit Idais her whole life, but now that she was just outside its walls, she found herself scared of taking one more step.
"It's a lonely road to take on your own."
Cora started and turned around.
Aster was walking next to her, huddled in his peculiar white cloak. She hadn't even heard him come near. "I suppose it's something you have in common with Harry, though."
She frowned. "What?"
An easy shrug of a shoulder. "He left you, didn't he? Gathered his belongings and made for the city, leaving you all alone."
Cora clenched her teeth. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't I? I've known him much longer than you, after all." A smile curved his lips, but there was little kindness in it. "I'm not surprised, even though I should be. I should probably play surprised, shouldn't I? I guess that would be more entertaining."
She tightened the fabric of the cloak around her shoulders and looked down. "Do you have something to say, or have you come here just to make fun of me?"
Aster glanced ahead, seeming to think for a few moments. "I was just checking something. It's as I thought."
"What is it?"
He tutted. "You know, you may ask, but I'm not obligated to answer. It's the rules."
Cora let out a hard scoff. "What rules?"
"The rules of everything, of course." He sighed. "If I didn't know already, I'd say you're..." His voice drifted away as he glanced into the woods at the sides of the road.
"I am...?"
"I am terribly late." Aster looked up, as if he were checking the time by the position of the near-nonexistent sun in the sky. "I must hurry. Some of us are allowed to see Harry, you see."
Cora opened her mouth to complain, but Aster was already walking away, light and fast on his feet. The sunlight shone silver on his hair until he disappeared in the distance. She forced herself to let out a breath, ignoring the annoyance coursing through her.
She didn't have the same quick step Aster did, so it took her a while longer to reach the grounds they were setting up the Fair on. Despite her best attempts she couldn't stop herself from looking around, but she didn't spot Harry nor Aster anywhere.
However, Thalia was standing near the street, waiting for her to arrive. She handed her a handwritten list before she even had the chance to say hello. "We need you to go to the market and buy these items for us," she said. "You can easily pass off as a human, so don't do any magic and you'll be fine. We need everything delivered by tomorrow, remember that."
Cora could've said something, but she took notice of her frazzled look and tired eyes and nodded without a word. Thalia disappeared into the crowd setting up the tents with a huff that told her she'd been working for the last several hours at the very least.
She turned. In the distance, behind the scattered buildings of the first houses, she could see a tall wall. From the edge of the field, she could spot two of the eight gates of Idais. Wind played with the hem of her coat, beckoning her closer.
She took a hesitant step and then another, blinked twice in the white sun, and made herself take the first step forward. Clutching the list in her hand she walked through the crispy tall grass, until she reached a large dirt road indented by wagon marks. Irrational nervousness pervaded her—the fear of a little girl crossing paths with the object of her childhood dreams, just to discover it doesn't live up to her expectations.
Cora made herself keep walking, past the first wooden houses, past the streets. The gates were heavy, metal and wood intricately woven, but there were no guards standing watch that she could see. Idais was a city built to defend in its calmest state.
Stone houses stood at either side of the street past the gates, nestled so close to each other that only one person at a time could fit through some alleys. Wooden signs swung above her head with the morning wind and shouts ricocheted around the buildings as people called to each other—children calling mothers, mothers calling children, wives calling husbands, sellers calling clients, friends calling friends, employers calling employees. Cora blinked at the loudness surrounding her. In some distant way, it reminded her of her previous life, that she abandoned in her town, now so far up north it would take several days to reach it.
She followed the main road, a near straight street that brought her to the heart of Idais. As she approached the market squares, the houses turned bigger, more elegant, some white with marble. In her city, she could've never thought to see marble used for private homes.
The square was even louder—the sound on its own was what told her she was in the right place. Stalls were build all around the space in two circular rows, merchandise everywhere Cora's head turned. She burrowed her nose in her list to halt the spinning of her overwhelmed mind.
The first item on the list was, apples. In a thinner scrawl on the side, Thalia or whoever had written the list specified, for the food stalls. A distant memory of being offered an apple coated in sugar came to her mind.
Cora folded her list and walked around the line of stalls. They weren't in any specific order, so it took her a few minutes to spot a man selling apples and oranges at the other end of the square, that was twirling the end of his moustache like a jeweller evaluating a gemstone.
"Apples or oranges?" he asked her when she approached the stall.
"Apples," Cora replied, taking a look at the different kinds available. There were red, green and yellow apples. She bit her lower lip pensively. Thalia hadn't specified what kind of apples she wanted. How was she supposed to choose by herself?
The man patiently waited for her to make her choice, a smile on his face as he bagged a couple of oranges for a passing customer.
She was about to open her mouth to ask for help when someone behind her spoke.
"I suggest red apples." Then, a chuckle. "We meet again."
Cora turned around, confusion clear on her face. "What?"
The stranger smiled, a warm look in his hazel eyes. He was wearing a warm black coat, his clothes simple but somewhat expensive-looking. "It's universally known that red apples are better than green ones."
He looked oddly familiar. Cora stared at him in silence for some long moments—then realisation dawned on her. It was the man from the day before. She hadn't expected to find him again in Idais.
She tilted her head. "Green apples are crunchier, though."
"Ah, but red apples are sweeter!" He looked at the options and tapped on a crate that contained small red ones. "You might be familiar with these—they're both crunchy and sweet, and come from the apple trees in the fields surrounding Idais." He glanced at the old man, that was staring at them with a puzzled look on his face. "Give us one."
The man nodded fast, a tense look in his eyes. "Right away, sir." He took one apple from the top, perfectly round and shiny red, and handed it to the man.
The hazel-eyed stranger took it and cut it in half with a knife from his belt. "Will you give me the honour of accepting my humble gift?" he said, offering one to Cora, and she rolled her eyes, but smiled.
As soon as she put it in her mouth she recognised the sweet taste, paired with a perfect crunchiness that told her it hadn't been long since the fruit had parted from the tree. It was the same kind of the one he'd gifted her the day before. "It's good," she admitted, covering her mouth as she spoke, and the man smiled again.
"See? Told you." He ran a hand through his dark blonde hair and sighed, looking into the distance for a moment. "I will leave you to your duties, now." He turned around, but Cora raised her hand to stop him before he could disappear in the crowd.
"Wait!"
He halted and turned around. "Yes?"
"What's your name?"
He gave her a surprised look, but then the corners of his lips turned up once again. "I'm Soren."
She opened her mouth, but he raised a hand.
"Don't tell me your name. I'll ask for it the next time I see you." He turned around and walked away, soon disappearing from view.
Cora looked at the man behind the apple crates, that still had a shocked look on his face. She warily went over all the things she'd said and done in front of him, fearing she might've unintentionally done something magical in the middle of the market, but when nothing came up she reasoned she couldn't be the reason of his shock—or if she was, it was nothing she should be afraid of—and proceeded to make her order. "I'll take these ones," she said, putting her hand over the crate with the beautiful red apples Soren had suggested her to get.
The man snapped back into his consciousness in the second she spoke. "How many?"
She thought about it. "I think twelve crates would be a good amount."
He blanched. Cora imagined his moustaches standing straight on end in surprise. "T-twelve?"
She nodded. "Could I have twelve crates delivered by tomorrow afternoon? I can pay for it. Of course if you aren't able to deliver these yourself you can just let me know and I'll arrange for someone to come get them."
The man sighed. "It's just me and my eldest, is it very far away?"
"You don't have to worry about it, then! We'll have someone come pick them up tomorrow afternoon," Cora told him, and he nodded.
"Pay tomorrow."
She smiled. "Thank you very much, I will." She walked away and took the list out of the pocket of her dress. Thalia had told her the night before it'd be better for her to wear gowns in the streets of Idais, as not to look too out of place. The capital was very conservative since it was the residence of the king and of many high-standing officiants of the Ancient Religion. Of the Order of Diei, only. The fays of the Order of Noctis would never step in the capital for no reason, since the danger was too great even for them. According to Harry, the Moonvall family was known for their hate for magic.
Cora read through the list. Now that she'd done the apples, she only needed to buy flour, butter, eggs, cinnamon and other sweet scented spices and herbs. The Fair preferred to buy the ingredients from the shops of the cities they came to—merchants knew it, which was why so many travelled to the main cities of Andar to follow it.
She glanced around the market square, wondering where she'd be able to find the ingredients she needed in her desired quantities. The square was busy, with hundreds of people roaming around.
The citizens of Idais moved from stall to stall cuddled into their big furs and warm coats, or colder cloaks if they couldn't afford any better. Some of them were covered in riches, jewels shining on their fingers and ears with their every movement, others moved around with exhausted faces, messy hair and battered clothes. There were a few children laughing and shouting while chasing away the birds that dared to approach the large fountain in the middle of the large square. On Cora's left, a group of young noblemen was trying to impress four girls in expensive jewelled gowns, that were laughing and whispering in each other's ears while they watched them make fools of themselves. On her right, sitting on a cold iron bench between two stalls, there was an old woman draped in a dark shawl, that was throwing crumbs of the piece of bread in her hand to the birds the children chased away.
Mothers calling to their children, siblings shouting at each other, the gentry chatting and noblewomen muttering orders to their servants. The complicity of a shared destiny between the people attending the market reminded Cora of home. Of the evenings she'd spent listening to the tales of the newcomers at the hostel with wonder, of the squares where she'd celebrated the Hazelnut festival and the streets she'd walked next to Naomi and Adair when the Fair had come to Beilyn.
Cora was happy to be the one with the task of buying all the Fair's necessities in the city, because it gave her something to do while also giving her back part of her normality. She could pretend she was just like everyone else, a girl that still had a place in the word and something to achieve, instead of the mismatched piece she'd become. Sometimes she wondered what would've happened if she'd never agreed to get that address for Harry. Would she still have been working at the hostel, unaware of what she could do? Would it have been better?
She left the main square and walked down the street to the other. The market was spread throughout many squares, all of different sizes, all connected by small and large roads. The centre of Idais was a maze of streets tangling up with no apparent reason, decorations of multicoloured pebbles on the ground.
She stopped at a bakery and bought herself a sugary, bread-like treat she'd never seen before with some of the coins that made up her allowance. She walked out again and ate it while going from square to square, observing all the merchandise of the stalls and at times placing orders. They sold food, fabrics, beautiful objects and wooden toys. Some little horses that, if charged just right, could run for a few inches and singing carillons with spinning birds with spread wings. She'd never seen anything like it, and stopped to stare at them until the woman of the stall asked her if she wanted to buy anything. At that point she blushed and turned away, going back to looking for the items on her list.
When she wasn't looking at the stalls, she was looking at the precious jewels and breathtaking dresses behind the glass windows of the shops on the streets between the squares. There were also florists, so many, and their flowers were of the most beautiful colours even in winter, as if they weren't even real. When she got too close to one, she realised with a start that it was made of glass. Thin glass, folded like petals and coloured, and from that moment on she started rethinking everything else she saw.
Cora spent the entire morning and part of the afternoon roaming the streets of Idais, every time finding a new wonder or another delicious sweet to try. The city was so big she tried her best never to stray too far from the main squares, not wanting to get lost. At some point, looking up, she could see a beautifully decorated marble tower in the distance. The Adhara Hall. She wondered if Harry would've let her look at it at least once before leaving the city. She knew it was preferable to stay as far away from it as possible, but it was still the heart of her country, and tales of its beauty had reached the small rooms of the hostel as well. She wondered how it would've been to stand in front of it. Would she have finally realised how far away from home she was then? Would she have realised there was no coming back for her? Would she have felt like she was nothing in front of its grandiosity, would she have understood her leaving had left no mark in a world that was much bigger than she could've ever known?
When she got back to the empty field where the Fair was being set up, the sky was already darkening.
She saw Thalia and gave her a nod from afar to let her know she'd got everything they needed, and then glanced around to see if there was anything else for her to do. She was exhausted, and all she wanted was going back to the wagon so that she could tell Iris about all the odd things she'd seen and sleep the rest of the evening off, but she couldn't leave before making sure she wasn't needed.
Most of the stalls were set up, and everyone was now busy building up the Pavilion and the other attractions. It shocked her how quickly the materials had been replaced, but it also made sense. Thalia had mentioned Harry setting it on fire multiple times in the past—it was necessary to have spares at all times. It was the biggest attraction of the Fair, after all.
The central pole had already been set up and the structure was quickly being built around it. On one side, Cora could see the benches and the pieces that made up Harry's balcony. They would only be added in after the skeleton was set up and stabilised as to avoid them getting smashed by a falling piece. On the other side, on a cart, there was a huge pile of black and blue fabric. As black as pitch outside, as blue as topaz on the inside, shining of its own magical light.
There was a flash of blue on the corner of Cora's vision and she followed it with her eyes, dread filling her when she recognised the all too familiar midnight blue of Harry's coat.
Harry was there. It'd almost been an entire day since the last time she'd seen him, and somehow that made it worse. She'd got comfortable without him around, but now that he was there, simply seeing him felt like a punch in the gut. Always having him around had desensitised her a little to his beauty and the daintiness in his step, but now, after so many hours, it left her breathless. She felt just like she had when he'd first stepped foot into her hostel, and she had to look away not to become just as foolish. She hated the side of her that was happy to see him, the same one that missed him, the one that was screaming at her to go talk to him.
She wouldn't.
He stopped to talk to someone only some steps away from Cora, and she walked away, glancing around the stalls for a place to hide until he'd leave again. She didn't want to see him—she did want to see him, but her dignity told her to go where he wouldn't find her.
She retraced her steps on the road that brought back into the city. Night had fallen like a blanket over Idais, and the moon was high in the sky. The farther she got from the Fair, the quieter the streets got. It was shocking to see how quickly the capital could shut down with the coming dark.
The voices were now echos behind her and the street was dark, the stars the only source of illumination. They still hadn't set up the path of torches that would walk the citizens to the Pavilion the following evening, and the scenery was surprisingly eerie. She paused when she reached the first houses. She'd got too far—she risked crossing paths with Harry as he made his way back to the city, now.
She turned around and gasped when she saw a man standing a few feet away from her. He was in the middle of the street, looking at her. She hadn't noticed him earlier. Where had he come from? A chill ran down her spine, but she made to surpass him, a safe distance away.
A hand closed around her wrist, and she spun around with a gasp. "What do you want?"
The man laughed. "So arrogant," he commented. "You're with the Fair, aren't you?" He didn't wait for a reply. "Read my future."
"I can't." She tugged, trying to free her wrist, but he didn't let her go.
"Oh, come on, don't be like that. Is it money you want?" He let out a coarse laugh, teetering slightly on his feet. "Tell you what, you help me bet on tonight's horse race and I'll give you a tenth of my earnings. What d'you say?"
"I'm sorry, but I can't read anyone's future," she pleaded. "Please let me go."
"You expect me to believe that?" he spat. His breath reeked of alcohol; his grip on her wrist tightened. "You want to keep the money all to yourself, don't you? You're all rotten."
"Let me—"
"Let her go."
The man looked up, at and she followed his gaze. Harry was standing some feet away from them. She tried to break free again, but the man gripped her by her arms and pulled her closer.
"Not so fast, witch."
"That's my employee you're manhandling," Harry continued, his voice calm. "Let go of her before I force you to."
The man laughed in his face. "Oh, is that a threat? How's this—" He wrapped his hand around her throat, "—if you come any closer I'll snap her neck."
Cora's eyes widened. The same surprise was etched on Harry's face. The man tightened his grip around her neck, and her hands came up to stop him. She clawed at his skin, tried to pry his fingers off her, but he didn't let her go. The reek of alcohol was so strong her eyes watered. She tried to kick the man away, but he tugged her closer to his body instead. The weight of her dagger hit her thigh with the movement. Harry's eyes narrowed, and Cora realised he was about to do something—something inhuman, something magical.
She reached for the dagger that he'd gifted her, the one she'd always brought with her, and slowly, carefully slid it out of her cloak. She pointed it at the man's throat in a quick move. "I said, let me go." She infused all the ferocity she could muster in those words, shocking the man enough to break free from his grasp.
In an instant, Harry was by her side, pulling her towards his chest. "Never come close to us again," he said, his voice low, and the man gulped. He didn't even need to voice a threat for the three of them to feel it vibrating in the air.
The man spat some curses at them and turned around, waving down the street towards Idais like a stalk in the winds of spring. Only when he was long gone Cora put the dagger back in its sheath at her hip and walked away.
Harry easily kept his pace with her. "That was impressive."
"We can't use magic here, you said it yourself," she muttered, forcing herself to look at everything but Harry. "You were about to give yourself away there."
"To protect you. But I would've left no trace."
"Still." She quickened her step but he gripped her wrist, and she stopped walking.
"Are you still mad?"
Cora sighed. "I'm not mad, I'm just putting distance between us."
"Distance?"
She clenched her teeth. She wished he'd stop making everything so hard for her. "Healthy distance."
"This isn't healthy distance," Harry replied fast. He let her go, but she couldn't move away. "You asked for more, once. You wanted me to take you to the deep end." He stepped closer to her, his hand on her waist. "Where has that will gone?"
"I..." He was too close, and all she could see were his eyes, all she could smell was his winter scent, and that wasn't okay. She couldn't— "Stop. Stop coming so close."
"Why?"
"It makes me want to kiss you again." Her cheeks turned red in the instant she realised what she'd said, and as if that wasn't hurtful enough, he took a step back.
"I see." He walked away, and this time around she was the one chasing him. He made her head spin in all the worst ways. How could he ask to be near her without wanting to be with her? Kiss her and say it meant nothing? It wasn't fair that he made her think they could have so much, and then gave her nothing at all.
"Harry! Wait!"
He ignored her, and she had to bite back angry tears. He made her feel so angry—she didn't even know how to express the booming wave of emotions he elicited in her.
"Why can't you have both?!" she shouted, and Harry immediately halted. "Why can't you have both?" Her voice was quieter now that she knew she had his attention.
He observed her for a long moment. "The Fair is my duty. I will always protect it," he replied. "I don't have the luxury of doing everything I want." He looked down. "And I'm not putting someone that can barely protect herself in danger to follow my wishes."
Cora's mouth opened in surprise. "You think you'd put me in danger?"
"I know I would."
Cora looked away from him. "So you think I'm helpless?" She scoffed and walked away. "Of course. I always was to you, wasn't I?"
"That's not what I meant—"
His steps came up behind her, but she swatted his hand away when he reached for her. "I'm tired of this. Leave me alone."
"Who do you think will teach you to use your magic, Cora?" Harry asked. "Nova? Iris?" He stepped closer. "Who do you think can teach you to use your dagger? Or a sword, or everything else you'll wish to learn? They aren't fighters. I'm the only one that can teach you to protect yourself. So hate it, if you want, but don't push me away. You need me, and I need you."
Cora clenched her fists.
Harry seemed to relax when he realised she wasn't gonna fight back. "Let's go. I'll take you back to the Fair. you shouldn't be walking alone at night." He surpassed her, glancing at her over his shoulder when she didn't move. "It wasn't a question."
Cora sighed, but followed him anyway.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter x
Miki