Agitha Elvy wasn't Zephyr's mother. According to Agitha, she found Zephyr sobbing on the side of the road when Zephyr looked to be about two years old. Agitha took the sad child in and raised her as her own. When asked for her name, the child had just said Zephyr. She didn't know her own last name, so she took Agitha's. Agitha was a kind woman in her early 50s, who had owned the little bookshop on the edge of town for as long as Zephyr could remember. She had gotten rounder as the years had passed, and now her hair was more gray than the shining black it had been in her younger days. Despite her age though, Agitha was just as active as ever and still ran her shop every day.
Agitha's Books was the unoriginal name of the little shop. It was small and quaint, just as a bookshop should be, and nestled into the far west corner of Bremerton. As Zephyr approached the bookshop she could see Agitha inside with a customer. Zephyr walked into the shop and immediately went to the door behind the counter that led to the living quarters. She quickly changed into a fresh, black tunic and walked back out to the store front to help Agitha, who was still talking with the same customer Zephyr had seen through the front window, another soldier. Right as Zephyr reached the front counter the doorbell jingled. Zephyr looked to see a well dressed young lady, about her own age, dangling on the arm of an equally well dressed gentleman. The girls skirts were so big they barely fit through the front door, which was one of the many reasons Zephyr despised wearing dresses.
"Is there anything I can help you to find?" Zephyr asked the new couple.
"Oh, I'm looking for a book!" said the lady. Obviously, thought Zephyr, rolling her eyes at the couple, who only had eyes for each other and were paying the books no attention at all. Zephyr, deciding they wouldn't be in the shop much longer anyways, turned her attention to Agitha's conversation with the soldier, who was just then paying for his books and thanking Agitha for her help. Zephyr finally noticed the man, and began to wonder why all of the men she met today were so handsome, and why she hadn't noticed any good looking soldiers before. This young soldier looked to be about twenty-three years old, with short, dark, shaggy hair that fell into his eyes. His eyes were stunning, such a dark brown that they were almost black, with a gleam in them that almost took Zephyr's breath away. His skin was tanned with a healthy golden-brown tint, his face unshaven but not bearded, just enough stubble to give him a shadowy appearance. Standing next to Zephyr he seemed rather tall. She couldn't seem to look away from his mysterious eyes.
"This is my daughter, Zephyr," Agitha pulled Zephyr forward, "And Zephyr, this young man is Lieutenant Jasper West. We have been having the most delightful conversation! Lieutenant West has read almost as many of the books in this store as you have Zephyr!"
"Please, call me Jasper," the lieutenant offered a sheepish smile. "I've found that reading is as good a hobby as any, and an evening of reading never leaves me with a hangover in the morning," he continued jokingly. Zephyr, as usual, had no idea how to properly continue the conversation, partly because she was still entranced by Jasper's eyes, and partly because of her demeanor.
"It's very nice to meet a soldier who does something besides drink and play cards all evening," Zephyr thought that was safe enough to say, but then the conversation seemed to die out.
"Well, I should head back to camp," he said, then turning toward Agitha, "I will let you know what I think about this one after I've finished it." Smiling and nodding goodbye to both women, Jasper turned and left the store. Just as Zephyr had guessed, the couple from earlier had also left, without purchasing anything. Agitha walked to the front to lock up for the evening, as Zephyr began cleaning up around the shop.
"Well he was very nice to look at," said Agitha, winking at Zephyr, who blushed and rolled her eyes at the older woman. "How was the beach?" Agitha continued, knowing she wouldn't get a response from Zephyr about her first remark.
"It was fine, I had fun with Saria, like I always do. We found a hot spring hiding back in the trees off the beach. And I finished my novel."
"The one you just started last night? I have to say, I do wish you would socialize with more real people, but it does make me proud that you love books so much," Agitha gave Zephyr a warm smile and began to help clean. It was true, Zephyr preferred books to people in almost every way. Zephyr's only close friends were Saria and Agitha, and she was ok with that. Other people were always either put off by Zephyr's quiet shyness or Zephyr deemed them too insufferable to be dealt with. She really wasn't a quiet girl; once one took the time to get to know her, her personality opened up and she was just as outgoing and lively as anyone. Zephyr just tended to push new people away before they had the chance to see that side of her. It worried Agitha a bit, but she knew that Zephyr was a smart girl and trusted her with her own happiness.
"Will you still be able to run the shop for me tomorrow? I have several errands to run and will probably be out most of the day," Agitha asked.
"It's no problem. Saria said she would come by in the morning to keep me company, so I'll be fine. Take your time with your errands." Zephyr finished sweeping, taking a final look around the bookshop and deciding that it was clean enough for the time being. Agitha headed toward the kitchen to start on supper and Zephyr began looking for a new book to begin reading. After finding one that looked promising, she took it to her room, leaving it on her nightstand, an adventure to be enjoyed after eating. Zephyr was ravenous after her day at the coast.
Before leaving her room, Zephyr glanced at her closet and sighed at all of the skirts and dresses. She despised them. They were uncomfortable, inconvenient things. She greatly preferred the plain black pants she had procured from a traveling merchant from west of Auros. The suave merchant had travelled across the Sea of Mist to try peddling his goods to unsuspecting folk in a different market. He had been selling a wide variety of women's clothing. Zephyr had been thrilled to see the pants, immediately snatching them up, despite the obviously high prices the merchant had demanded for his wares. Agitha disapproved of them, and Zephyr had to admit, they did make her stand out even more than she already did with her shining hair and bright eyes. She thought about this as she looked at herself in the mirror standing next to her closet. As much as she usually wanted to please Agitha, comfort almost always won out. Today she was wearing the pants and a simple black tunic with silver stitching along the arms. She laughed to herself, thinking about what the soldiers she had met today must think of a girl like her, and then walked to the kitchen.
"I am absolutely starving!" she cried as she dropped herself into one of the kitchen chairs, throwing her hand across her forehead and acting as though she were about to faint. Agitha laughed in response and passed her a plate of bread and cheese. Zephyr's stomach growled as she reached for a piece of the bread, which brought forth another laugh from Agitha, and this time Zephyr joined in.
"If you say you are starving one more time I will make you go look up the definition of the word! The stew is almost ready! It never fails to amaze me how a person as small as you can always be so hungry," chuckled Agitha. Zephyr responded by stuffing a large piece of cheese in her mouth, gaining a hearty laugh from Agitha.
"So where are you going tomorrow?" asked Zephyr.
"I have a few appointments with families who have recently lost someone; I'm to go through their book collections and make them offers. That will be the bulk of what I'm doing. I will try to stop by the market to pick up a few things we are running low on. I'd like to be back shortly after lunch. Is there anything you need me to get for you while I'm out?"
"I don't think so. Thank you though. Oh, it smells wonderful!" Zephyr exclaimed as Agitha handed her a bowl of piping hot stew.
"Be careful, it's very hot and very spicy."
"Just how I like it," said Zephyr, as she devoured a spoonful, burning her tongue in the process and letting out a yelp. Agitha rolled her eyes as if to say, 'I told you so," and sat down at the table across from Zephyr. As Zephyr gulped down a glass of water to try and soothe her burning mouth, she noticed Agitha was staring at her with a slight smile.
"What is it?" Zephyr inquired.
"Oh, I was just thinking about one of my old friends who was a lot like you. So seemingly quiet and reserved, until you got to know him, then he was a handful, just like you. Around friends he was always goofing off, bestowing his opinions on us whether we asked for them or not. You would have gotten on with him splendidly!" Agitha paused, looking thoughtful before going on. "Maybe you will get to meet him someday."
Zephyr couldn't be sure, but she thought she detected a trace amount of sorrow in Agitha's expression, but if she did, it was only for a moment. Agitha then began asking Zephyr about the book she had finished reading that day, so that she would be better equipped to recommend it to her customers. Zephyr loved to talk about books, and as she became engrossed talking about this new subject, all thoughts of Agitha's friend from another time were forgotten.
~
Kade despised these soldiers. They were a lowly, disgusting bunch, and should feel privileged to have a member of Queen Lorelei's personal guard checking up on them, but they in no way afforded him the honor he felt he deserved. The captain was even worse. Kade hated being made to wait, and Captain Houndsley was already twenty minutes late for their meeting. The smell of the captain's tent was almost unbearable. Kade was contemplating leaving under the ruse of searching for the captain just so that he could get a breath of fresh air when the tent was opened and Houndsley barrelled in. He smelled of rum and Kade only hoped that the captain was sober enough to make it through this meeting.
"Captain, I have your orders from the queen," began Kade. Houndsley grunted his acknowledgement. "I understand that there is an Agitha Elvy living somewhere in this town. Your soldiers are to find her and take care of her. She is a thorn in our queen's side that needs to be removed. Notify as many of your soldiers as you think you will need, keeping in mind that this woman is a traitor to the crown and I have reason to believe that she is more powerful than she looks. I don't care if you have to tear apart the town to find her, do whatever is necessary."
"Yes sir," said the captain, after which Kade left the putrid tent as quickly as possible, gulping in the fresh air outside. He was quite pleased with himself for how quickly he was able to accomplish the queen's orders. She had informed him of the need to do away with this Elvy woman, and told him of rumors that she currently lived in Bremerton, a miniscule town on the coast of the Sea of Mist, about 200 miles from the capital city, Aealia. Kade had just arrived at the camp outside of Bremerton early this afternoon, and had only been there for a couple of hours when he happened to meet the beautiful silver haired girl with the same last name as his target. Queen Lorelei had said nothing about Agitha having a daughter, but it mattered not to Kade. The girl had seemed sweet, and if she truly was Agitha Elvy's daughter then she would be heartbroken. Kade felt no remorse over the situation though, he would do anything for his queen. Despite his devotion, he hated to get his hands dirty, which was why he had entrusted the murder of the woman to the captain and his soldiers. They all were loyal to the queen and would blindly follow any order Kade gave them. Kade thought about all this with a smile as he walked back to his tent for the evening.
~
The brilliant, wide green eyes of the girl from the bookshop wouldn't give Jasper West peace enough to pay attention to his book. He was back in his tent and had no plans to leave again for the evening but he was restless. He had never seen eyes like Zephyr's before. She seemed to be a very strange girl, not even making eye contact for the longest time after she had arrived, nothing like the shopkeeper who he assumed was her mother and who was the most outgoing woman he had ever met. He couldn't get those eyes out of his head though. She was a very pretty girl, but her eyes could make her stand out in a crowd of beautiful women. Jasper didn't need to keep thinking like this. The company was supposed to start getting ready to move out the next day and he would be assisting Captain Houndsley in the preparations. Having just been appointed as Houndsley's top lieutenant, Jasper was trying make a good impression with the captain, who was getting older and would eventually retire, possibly giving Jasper the opportunity for advancement in rank to captain.He needed to stop thinking about the silly, shy girl with the wonderful eyes and focus on what needed to be done the next day. Just as Jasper had made up his mind about this and picked his book back up, the captain barged into his tent. Jasper stood at attention.
"Lieutenant, delay preparations for moving out until the day after tomorrow. I need you to find 50 of the best soldiers in this company and let them know that they will be meeting with me in one hour. I expect you to be there, and bring along that friend of yours, DeGrae. He may have his head in the clouds but he is a good fighter, and that's what we need tonight." With that, the captain turned and exited Jasper's tent without waiting for any acknowledgement from his lieutenant, who would have liked to ask a few questions about these strange orders.
Jasper sighed. The last thing he wanted to do tonight was to try and round up dozens of soldiers who were no doubt far beyond sober at this point. He grabbed his cloak, for this little town on the coast was much colder in the evenings than the warm capital city he was used to, and left his tent in search of Bennet DeGrae.
~
Saria was quite disappointed to see that soldiers seemed to just keep pouring into the tavern as the night dragged on. She was particularly put out when she saw the mop of blonde hair and face of the man who had so rudely laughed at her as she scolded him for almost running over her and Zephyr earlier that day. Saria sighed and rolled her eyes, thinking the evening couldn't get much worse when she heard her named yelled over the clamor around her. She turned toward the voice.
"Saria Devereux?" The courier spotted her and pushed his way through the horde of sweaty drunks to reach her, holding out a letter sealed with her father's initials.
"Yes, that's me," she said, taking the letter and reaching into her apron pocket for a few coins to give the man as a tip for his service. The man nodded his thanks and turned to make his way back to the front door, out of the madness that was The Stubborn Mule.
Saria walked behind the bar and up to the other barmaid working that evening.
"Martha, I'm going to take my break now. I'll hurry though and be back in a few minutes, if you think you'll be ok covering for me out here?" The other girl sighed, but nodded her head to signify that all was well, so Saria walked back to the kitchen, where there was a small nook of a room that was used for breaks away from the chaos of the tavern. Saria sat on the small stool and tore open her father's letter. Her excitement at hearing from him quickly dissipated into anxiety as she read the contents of the single page. Frederick Devereux was imploring his youngest daughter to return back to their home in Faron as soon as possible. He wanted her to leave as soon as she received his letter. Saria's father was never one to overreact, being a level-headed, intelligent man of fifty-five. This fact was the only thing that made Saria decide she would have to heed to her father's wishes, heading back to Faron to find out what was wrong and why he had sent for her in such an urgent manner.
Standing to return back to the tavern front to break the news to Martha and the owner of the Mule, Grubs, Saria decided that she had better not put off leaving, though she desperately wanted to wait until morning to bid the town of Bremerton farewell. She should still be able to find passage on a wagon that evening, if she hurried. Saria couldn't bare to leave without telling Zephyr goodbye though. Her friend would be heartbroken. Saria was the only person besides Agitha who Zephyr had ever opened up to, and although Saria was a much more outgoing person and therefore had many people she could call friends, her affection for Zephyr was just as great as her friend's was for her. They had been inseparable for years now. Saria decided she would stop by the bookshop before leaving. Walking back through the kitchen door, she ran straight into the one person she wanted to see least at that moment.
The curly hair soldier was knocked off balance this time, causing him to release his grip on his flagon of mead, which shattered on the wood floor. Saria realized that she was entirely at fault in this incident, and was furiously blushing as she quickly ran to the closet to grab a broom and mop. As she began to clean up the mess, she looked up at the soldier and realized that he was once again laughing at her. It took everything she had not to smash in his perfect teeth with the broom handle she was gripping. It was then that her tears began to spill over onto her cheeks. The soldier's face suddenly changed when he noticed her crying.
"Oh, please don't cry miss, I didn't mean anything by laughing at you, I was only amused by the circumstances of each time I've had the opportunity to run into you," the soldier chuckled at his own little joke, "Let me help you." He took the mop out of Saria's hand, and she was too upset to object. As she swept up the glass, he mopped up the drink, and the mess was cleaned up in a matter of minutes. The tavern had returned to it's usual bustle of activity, and as Saria put away the broom and mop the soldier followed her over to the closet.
"I truly hope my laughter isn't what made you cry," he said, smiling but his sincerity was obvious. Saria shook her head.
"No, I mean yes, you did make me cry, but you weren't the reason behind it. I'm just having a bad evening. I need to get back to work now, I'll bring you another drink, on me, for spilling that one," replied Saria, as she began walking back to the bar so that she could speak with Martha about leaving.
"I don't think that will be necessary this evening," he said, glancing toward the doorway. "It seems as though I am being summoned." Another soldier, wearing the standard dressings of a lieutenant, was motioning for Saria's soldier to follow him as he turned around and walked back out of the tavern. The soldier at the bar turned back to Saria.
"Maybe I can come back and get that drink from you tomorrow evening?"
"I'm afraid tonight is my last night in Bremerton, so that won't be possible," said Saria. The soldier made a motion like she had stabbed him in the gut, which brought an involuntary laugh to her lips.
"It's a tragedy! This awful town will be impossible to bear without your beautiful face brightening it each day! Can I at least know your name before I go?"
"Saria Devereux," she smiled at him.
"And I am Bennet DeGrae. Now you will have a name to put with the face you will be dreaming about tonight," he said as he gestured toward his own face. Saria rolled her eyes at him but was still smiling as he took his leave and walked out the door, following the lieutenant. Saria was incredibly upset about leaving tonight, but she was no longer in tears, and the soldier had made her smile, which made her feel the smallest bit better. Deciding then, before her spirits sank again, would be a good time to say her goodbyes to the other tavern workers, Saria turned to face the situation ahead of her.