Chapter 19
Time passed by quickly for Rowan, yet in all that time he hadn’t even caught a glimpse of Arabella. Whether it was because she was avoiding him or fate that that their paths hadn’t crossed he didn’t know. He’d been kept busy doing tasks for his father and the only free time he got was at the start and end of the day. Time he spent alone and in his room. Today was no different. Since the time he’d woken up in the morning he had gotten the task of running around and doing errands. Errands his father said were important but Rowan was sceptical. It likely wasn’t even that important.
Rowan thought back to when he had gotten out of bed to see that there was a fire in the fireplace. The fire crackled prompting him to wonder when Arabella, if it was her, had been in his room. It was strange, the thought of Arabella being in his room while he’d been sleeping. He didn’t quite what to make of it.
As he was finishing picking up the supplies needed he spotted his sister. He waved at her to catch attention before turning back to the man he was bargaining with.
“I’ll give you half the price for the horse treats,” Rowan bartered as Rose walked closer. She crossed her arms as she watched the discussion between Rowan and the stubborn man with black eyes that reflected his soul. Rowan’s lips twitched in amusement at that thought and the man’s beady eyes fixed on Rowan in an icy glare.
“Sure,” he said. Rowan blinked in confusion and narrowed his eyes. “I’ll give you half the amount of horse treats for half the price. His eyes darkened and in that instance they his hair which hung in greasy strands to his shoulders.
Rowan growled and was about to open his mouth to argue further when Rose stepped between them. The greedy man took a step back in surprise and then motioned for her to go away.
“This is a conversation between men, if that’s what this boy is,” he stated to the instant dislike of Rowan and his sister. “You have no place. No right to interfere with matter such as this. Perhaps you should go sew something pretty like a good little girl.” The man just kept opening his big mouth and kept digging himself into a deeper hole.
Rose regarded him with a mixture of pity and distaste. Rowan was glad she wasn’t looking at him like that. A wary look crossed the man’s plain, pale features. He was right to be cautious but it was entirely too late.
“I may be female, but even I know your prices are much too high,” Rose told him calmly. “Come on, Rowan, we can find cheaper stuff elsewhere, or, we can have the King send someone to pick up the stuff the needed supplies.”
The man’s eyes widened and he licked his chapped lips. Rose met Rowan’s eyes and they started walking away. They weren’t far away at all when they heard the man call after them. They paused and looked over their shoulders.
“Wait, you mentioned the King? Are you two part of the family of hunters? I wasn’t aware of that. Perhaps we can work something out?
Rowan smirked as a plan formed in his mind. “How about I pay you a quarter of your originally desired price that you first asked of me. Take it or leave it.”
The man’s eyes bulged. “B-but i-it is worth m-much more than that. “
Rowan shrugged. “Yes but I’ve long grown impatient and I don’t like that you insulted my sister,” he explained. “Take the price I said or don’t. I don’t care anymore.”
The man sighed. “Fine,” he said. “Deal.” As he was packing up the bought supplies the man muttered profanities under his breath but Rowan didn’t try to listen in. He didn’t care. He’d gotten horse treats for cheap and that put him in a good mood, enough of a good mood to overlook the man’s pettiness.
“So what are you up to?” Rowan asked watching carefully to see if he’d touched upon the topic that Rose was secretive about. Rose shrugged but it didn’t seem like she was avoiding the topic.
“Nothing,” she sighed. “I was just taking a walk, sorting out my thoughts. What are you doing next? Do you have more things to do for father?”
Rowan shook his head. “There wasn’t much he asked me to do and I’m done most of it. The rest can wait because I don’t feel like doing it today.”
“So what are you doing after?” Rose repeated.
“Probably nothing,” Rowan said thinking of Arabella. He had put her in so much danger. She probably wouldn’t want to do anything with him today after all that. “Why?”
“I’m bored and I want to do something, anything really. It’ll just be more interesting with other people.”
“Alright, let me just get the horse treats sent to the castle and then I’ll join you for whatever you’re going to end up doing,” he replied. He turned to the man and handed him the money owed. “Have it sent to the castle,” he ordered. “Alright, let’s go.”
“Can we see if Lady Eleanor is doing anything?” Rose asked.
Rowan shrugged. “Okay. You’ve gotten close to her,” he commented.
“Yeah, it’s nice to have someone other than our family to talk to,” Rose said. “I would have never thought that I would ever be friends with her but one day I bumped into her and we started talking.”
“Well that’s good that you have a friend you can talk to,” he paused. “You know you can tell me anything, right?” Rose nodded quickly.
“Uh huh, now let’s go find Eleanor,” she said before walking away. Rowan sighed and jogged to catch up to her. He didn’t bring up the subject again knowing he would get the same result.
“So…,” he said not knowing what to say. Rose bit her lip and stopped walking. He watched her out of the corner of his eyes seeing she was about to say something but not knowing what.
“Oh there’s Eleanor,” his sister exclaimed running over to Lady Eleanor. Rowan blinked then slowly went over to them. He was relieved when he saw Arabella wasn’t there. He didn’t know what to say to her after the werewolf encounter. He smiled at Eleanor and she smiled back.
“What are you two up to,” Eleanor inquired curiously. She was dressed in a light grey dress, so light it was almost white. The colour made her blue eyes seem darker because of the contrast.
“We were just coming to see if you wanted to do something today,” Rose answered. Lady Eleanor raised an eyebrow. “We don’t know what yet,” Rose finished.
“We could go outside the citadel for a walk,” Eleanor suggested frowned when Rowan shook his head. Rose shot him a look for acting rude but he wasn’t going to risk encountering werewolves again. “Or if you don’t want to go that far we could go see a band of entertainers that are here for this week only.” Eleanor looked at them for approval and when Rose and Rowan did nothing she clapped her hands. “Excellent. They’re in the courtyard.”
As they neared the courtyard Rowan could hear the laughter and the clapping crowd. The travelling entertainers were near their cart of possessions and around them stacks of hay, courtesy of the castle stables sat in long rows for the crowd to sit on. Younger children sat in front, they were closest to the colourfully dressed entertainers. They’re attire was what peasants typically wore but with colours generally not worn by peasants. They also had things added to them to make them stand out.
The two women of the traveling band of entertainers wore bright blue dresses that cut off at the elbow making it look like the rest of the sleeves had been ripped away. Around there waist was a thin piece of fabric that was tied at the back to form a large loose bow. The top of their dress was intentionally splattered with black dye to look different.
The men’s darkish red vest was not tied together at the front allowing the two sides to move around freely. Their beige trousers were the only thing normal coloured. The shirt underneath was a lighter blue than the girl’s.
The four entertainers stood side by side in an alternating pattern: male, female, male, female. They held hands and bowed for the crowd. The two females both had vibrant red hair and were so alike they had to be related. One of the men had a shaved head while the other one, to compensate had long hair to his shoulders.
The three picked seats near the back but word quickly spread that Lady Eleanor was there and everyone in front of them moved giving them a clear view of what was happening. Eleanor laughed but didn’t seem bothered about the crowd’s reaction. She seemed to enjoy them treating her like royalty.
Rowan on the other hand shifted uncomfortably at all the eyes upon them. The crowd should pay attention to the entertainment, not them. Just when he was about to make up an excuse to leave one of the entertainers cleared their throats drawing the crowd’s attention back to them.
One of the females broke away from the group and proceeded to do a cartwheel followed by a flip. The acrobat then began to do more complex moves and the crowd responded accordingly. Rowan clapped for the woman as she finished her routine and took a bow. Her face was slightly flushed from the excretion.
The bald man stepped up next and began with a simple juggling act. At first he only juggled some balls but them he added knives. The balls were only replaced with more lethal looking knives. The knives were followed by small staffs of wood with a burning end. As the man kept juggling the fire on the ends of the staffs crept up them leaving less wood to safely grab each time. Then one by ones the man threw the staffs to the man with long hair who blew out the flames and then dropped the staffs. The crowd was louder for this act.
The other woman was a contortionist as they soon discovered when she bent her body in impossible positions. The more squeamish females covered their eyes while some just kept watching unable to stop them. Eleanor was one of the females that covered their eyes. He chuckled as Rose slowly grew green with each new shape the woman contorted her body into. Rowan couldn’t help but wonder how Arabella would be reacting.
“Alright I can’t take it anymore,” Eleanor whined. She stood up abruptly and pulled Rose to her feet.
“We’re going?” Rose asked looking at the entertainers sadly. She was like Rowan, they both wanted to stay and watch the entertainers preform the rest of their show. They seemed skilled and the other man was undoubtedly talented in his own, different way. They got money by showcasing their talents.
“Yes,” Eleanor insisted. Rowan rolled his eyes and got to his feet. He followed Eleanor and his sister and was surprised when he realized that they weren’t heading back to the castle.
“Where are we going now?” he asked.
“How about we get some food? There is one store that sells these amazing pastries but they’re not desserts; they’re meals,” Eleanor answered. “Wait here while I get the food.”
“I don’t know. I should be getting back to my room,” Rowan said stopping when both girls shook their heads at him.
“You’re not going,” they said in unison. Rowan sighed as Eleanor left him and his sister alone to go into the store. Apparently it was up for a vote whether or not he left and two against one decided he stayed.
“Rowan, be nice,” Rose scolded. “You’re going to hurt her feelings by acting like you don’t want to be here with us.
“I’m not acting,” he retorted.
Rose rolled her eyes and didn’t say anything more. Rowan crossed his arms unhappy that he had no free will at the moment as Rose looked around. She took in the people and surroundings then she froze.
Rose seemed to pale and Rowan looked around for the cause. Finding nothing he returned his attention to his sister and touched her shoulder to bring her out of her thoughts. Rose’s eyes widened and she pulled away. Rowan tried to not look visibly hurt by her actions.
“I’m sorry, Rowan,” she whispered. Her eyes flickered around. “I have to go. Tell Eleanor I’m sorry that I had to leave.”
“Where are you going?” Rowan asked. Rose shook her head and back up. Rowan grabbed her wrist. “Whatever’s bothering you just tell me. I can help you.”
“I can handle myself just fine,” Rose snapped. “Stop trying to meddle.” Rowan let go of her wrist in surprise and she took the opportunity to run. Rowan stared after her unable to decide whether or not to follow her. By the time he decided she was long gone, it didn’t matter what he chose to do. How ironic. She told him that he couldn’t leave but obviously she couldn’t be bothered to follow her own advice. Now he was alone with Eleanor.
Eleanor returned with a confused look on her face. “Where did Rose run off to.” Her voice broke through to Rowan and he turned to her.
“She had something to do. She told me to tell you she apologizes for having to leave.”
“Oh,” Eleanor said. “Do you know what she went to go do?”
Rowan shook his head in frustration. “I wish I did,” he said quietly. She hasn’t spoken to you about what’s happening in her life, has she?” When Lady Eleanor gave him a surprised look he felt the need to explain. “She says you two have become close over the time we’ve been here. She considers you a friend so I’m wondering if she mentioned anything that may have something to do with why she left.”
Eleanor thought about it before shaking her head sadly. “No, I can’t think of anything. I had a feeling there was something she wasn’t telling me but I thought she would tell me when she was ready.”
“That’s okay. I have a feeling she doesn’t want to tell anyone,” Rowan sighed. “I think I’m going to go. I think I’ll just go to my room. I have some things to do.” He didn’t actually have anything to do but he wasn’t in the mood to spend time with Lady Eleanor.
“No, you can’t,” Eleanor replied. “Just have Arabella do what you need done or see to those things tomorrow. Please just keep me company. I like spending time with you.” Well that made one of them. Rowan felt more inclined to leave.
“Okay,” he said finding he couldn’t bring himself to say know to Lady Eleanor. If it had been for her title of royalty he would have refused politely.
“Good,” Eleanor replied with a smile. She glanced around. “Let’s go somewhere else. This place is too crowded,” she suggested. Rowan nodded slowly. He didn’t find this place crowded at all. It made him wonder why Eleanor wanted more privacy.
He trailed after her not asking questions. Soon enough Eleanor stopped before a door and pushed it opened.
“Where are we?” Rowan asked breaking the silence. Eleanor smiled and pushed open the door revealing a mostly blue bedroom.
“This is my room,” Eleanor answered as she walked in. She tilted her head. “Aren’t you going to come in?” Rowan looked down at his feet and stepped inside the room. “Shut the door, will you?” He frowned to himself as she did as she requested.
Once the door was closed he turned to face her again. “Why are we in your room?” Eleanor didn’t answer for a moment; she just gazed at him with an unidentifiable expression on her face.
Eleanor shrugged. “It’s quieter.”
“More private,” Rowan clarified sensing it was what she wanted to say.
“Exactly,” she laughed. She motioned to the stool near the table. “Sit,” she offered. Rowan didn’t feel as if she was giving him a choice though. He nodded and sat on the stool. “We might as well still eat,” Eleanor said handing him a sort of meat pastry.
Rowan smiled at her in thanks as he took the hot meat pastry from her. His stomach growled quietly as he inhaled the rich scent. He took a small bite of it. The spices added a lot of dimension to the flavour.
“It’s good,” he praised. He hadn’t expected much of it but he should have considering Lady Eleanor had recommended it.
“Well of course,” Eleanor said smugly. Do you think I would eat things that didn’t taste good and then make other people eat it too?”
They ate in silence for a while until Rowan said, “I’m actually not hungry.” They both looked at the half eaten meat pastry in his hands. He set it down on an empty plate on the table and grabbed a clean glass from beside the water jug. He filled it up and drank it all grateful for the relief it gave.
“Yeah I was only a bit hungry too,” Eleanor confessed. “I just thought you or Rose were hungry, but then Rose left and you were never really hungry…,” she trailed off.
“It was a nice thought though,” Rowan said to stop Eleanor from dwelling on it. A smile tugged at her lips and she took a sip of water.
“So have you enjoyed staying at the castle?” Eleanor asked. Rowan nodded as he walked over to the window. The sunset could be seen easily from his vantage point. He didn’t realize Eleanor had walked up to him until she spoke again. “What’s your favourite thing about the castle? The sights, the things you can do,” she began listing, “or the people?” Rowan looked at her sharply, there was extra emphasis on the last word but he couldn’t be sure what she was implying.
Eleanor laughed and stepped closer to him. He backed up to find out his back was to a wall. He cast about for something else to talk about but the thoughts fled his mind as Eleanor reached up and ran her fingers through his hair.
“What are you doing?” he asked staring into her blue eyes. She laughed softly and touched the side of his face with her other hand. Rowan gulped feeling uncomfortable at the direction things had taken. He didn’t know what else to say. He didn’t know how to go about to diffuse the situation.
“Isn’t it obvious?” she murmured. Her blond hair went into her eyes as she looked down suddenly unsure.
“Um,” Rowan replied. He hoped Eleanor was finished with this. He wanted to leave before this became more uncomfortable for them, but he didn’t want to hurt her feelings.
“No,” Eleanor whispered suddenly. She looked up again and he could see the confidence in her eyes. “I’m done doubting myself.” She brought her face to his and then her lips touched his. He tasted the spices of the meat pastry she’d eaten. He put his hands on her shoulders and was about to break the kiss when the door to Eleanor’s room opened.