A year had passed, but for Aelin, it felt much shorter. Perhaps it was the cause of the hectic events in the past year that made him feel that way, or maybe he had been so unproductive recently that he had lost track of time. It was already the next spring; flowers blooming beautifully in the meticulously groomed garden, a result of the young master's hard work (and the only productive thing he's done these past few months, besides reading).
Now that he was a year older, like most 10 year-olds, he would be qualified for academic entrances. The blonde had even heard from Jennette that 2 years prior to their meeting, that Alpheus boy, Ijekiel, had left for studies in Alranta, which was the main cause of the girl's loneliness. He had thought about these things previously, and even looked at lists of academies and schools to help make up his mind, but ultimately he had found other interests to pursue upon turning the age of 10.
A leather suitcase laid on the bed, its contents containing neatly folded clothes, some herbs, and stationary. The big book beside said suitcase was all that was needed to explain this situation. Said book donned a beautiful dark red cover, with golden words engraved in graceful cursive: "Archive and Record of the Province of Siodonna".
The librarian had recommended the book after noticing the boy's enthusiastic attitude when researching the province. This book had helped guide Aelin through the vast amount of discoveries about the province, and by now, he basically knew most of it by heart. By just reading it in a book wouldn't suffice; he wanted to know more, to learn more. And thus, we reach our current situation. Aelin finished packing the rest of his belongings, and checked the house again once more. He had spoken with his maids about his planned excursion prior, and though incredibly surprised (and maybe even a little displeased), they agreed to let him travel to the neighbouring province, not wanting to restrict his freedom. But nonetheless, even as he reassured them that he was fine, they still insisted that one of them accompany him to the province, and only leave once 3 days had passed. They already agreed that Selena was the most responsible, so she would be staying behind to take care of the mansion, as well as Jade, since she knew her way around the garden and could take care of it the best out of the 3 maids. So that left Ivy to go with the young master, and it benefited the situation as well, since Ivy was the best at self defense out of them all, so she could protect the young master the most of the 3.
Aelin sat in the carriage, listening the the sounds of the outside, from the bustling streets, to the calm forests. He decided to doze off for a bit before they arrived, since they had plenty of time to spare, and there was no better lullaby than the natural voices of nature. As time passed, Ivy carefully approached the young master and shook his shoulder gently, signaling that they had arrived. The blonde boy blinked the tiredness out of his eyes and begrudgingly stepped out of the carriage. He raised his head to get a good look at their location, and he was met by a pleasant surprise.
The sky was clear of clouds, and painted with hues of oranges, yellows, pinks and purples. Birds flew by, adding to the marvelous sight, and the colors reflected on a reservoir nearby.
It was beautiful.
◈❈◈
Aelin had spent the entire first day after the arrival simply exploring the area and getting to know it better in person. He strolled the market, aided some harvesters in gathering fruit, and learned more about the province's exclusive herbs from sage who's stall he helped. Overall, the hands on experience was so incredibly different from simply reading off of an archive or guide book; Aelin felt like what the contents of the book couldn't even begin to compare with the actual experience.
It was now his second day here, and he had decided to take it a bit slower, calm down and not rush from the excitement. He was now once again taking a stroll in the market, eyeing for stalls or entertainment he might've missed prior. A he was once again checking the herbs and delicacies of the continent, he heard faint music in the distance. The emerald eyed boy followed the sound and as he got closer, the music got clearer, but so did the rest of the noise that accompanied it. There were cheers from an audience, tambourine like chimes and light bell-like ringing. When Aelin reached the source of the noise, his eyes lit up with child-like wonder, mouth slightly parting in amazement.
There were dancers, all dressed in beautiful costumes, with gold and silver accessories, most notably the coin like ornaments that made up most of their anklets, as well as adorn their hip scarf. Some dancers wore anklets with little bells on them rather than the tambourine sounding coins, and among the dancers, some danced with finger cymbals that made a beautiful rhythmic addition to the music, ranging from ringing to clapping noises. Aelin was mesmerized by the performance, he could feel himself being drawn into the crowd. It was a happy and lively moment, the audience was cheering and even joined in with their own instruments to add to the vibrant music every once in a while. The dancers didn't look forced but rather lively and happy, smiles adorning their face, some of them even singing and laughing along with the crowd. The interactions of the audience and the performers were wonderful, and just for a moment, the thought of wanting to be up there with those smiling people flashed across the blonde boy's mind.
He was so captivated by the performance, that he had in fact not even realised the sound of footsteps behind him. He felt a gentle tap on his shoulder and spun around in alarm, only letting his guard down once he saw who it was. It was one of the dancers from earlier in the performance, she had left for a break and let another dancer take over. Her hair was a silky honey blonde, and she had beautiful grey-green eyes that were almost as mesmerising as her dancing. Aelin spoke up first to clear the strange silence that had filled the air between them.
"Greetings, miss. For what pleasure do I for you to desire to converse with me?"
The blonde held a serene and stoic expression, but mentally punched himself for the excessive use of formality. He couldn't help it, etiquette was especially important in the noble society, and even after liberating himself from that role upon arriving in a new province, he supposed old habits died hard. The woman's face morphed into shock, before smiling and giggling at the boy's mannerisms.
"My, what a little charmer you are! You don't see many kids you're age who are that good with their words around here nowadays!"
Aelin restrained himself from flushing out of embarrassment, he felt quite awkward in the moment.
"Don't worry, I didn't come here to tease you or anything. I just saw you from the audience, and seeing a child with such a sincere expression for our performance just reminded me of my younger self, when I was first introduced to the art of dance. This is a pretty sudden proposal, but how would you like me to teach you? You could experience performing in person, rather than just marveling from the sidelines, seeing how you had such an admirable expression watching the performance."
Aelin's eyes widened, his heart racing with excitement. Although he really wanted to accept the invitation, especially with his rationality fading with every thought of performing in a crowd such as the one he saw, he knew that accepting the proposal would mean having the stay in the province for a longer time than he had planned, maybe spanning up 3 or even 4 years. He didn't know how to choose, he wanted to pursue his selfish desires, but he didn't want to go back on his words. He had told his maids that he would only be gone for a month, but now that it had come to this, he would need to change his plans and confront his maids once again. The dancer noticed the boy's anxiously pensive expression and ruffled his hair.
"Don't think about it too hard, you don't have to answer right away. When you have you're final decision, you can come find me performing here. Give it some time, and don't push yourself."
Aelin let out a small exhale.
"I'll think about it thoroughly and be back with an adequate response."
The dancer softly chuckled and gave the boy one last smile, before returning to the dance floor. Aelin watched the performance for a little longer, before heading back to the inn where Ivy awaited. Perhaps his maids could forgive him for indulging in another selfish desire...
• ❖ • ❖ • ❖ • ❖ •
MAN, I've been so motivated recently.
I'M PROUD OF MYSELF FOR FINISHING THE CHAPTER EARLY, WOOOO!!!
I was already pretty motivated when I updated the last chapter, but what really fueled and combusted me with motivation was the absolutely AMAZING AND GORGEOUS FANART BY @mikxaezla GO CHECK THEIR ACCOUNT OUT, YOU'LL FIND THE FANART THERE
SERIOUSLY GO GIVE THEM SOME WONDERFUL SUPPORT, HIT THAT FOLLOW BUTTON, HIT THAT VOTE BUTTON BECAUSE THEIR ART IS JUST *chef's kiss* MASTERPIECE ❤️❤️❤️❤️
I will try to keep my updating pace like this, but it really depends on my motivation which comes and goes like an annoying headache, so i can't promise :(
But I will try my best, so stay tuned for the next chapter,
and don't forget to take care of yourselves, stay safe and hydrate,
YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING AND DON'T YOU FORGET IT
Kiwii, out! <3
~🥝💝💖❤️🔥