The village was alive with shoppers and abled bodies, and although the night was surely approaching, Sun held on to the brightness of the day. Reds and blues blurred together, as did the sounds of small talk, and the pit-pattering of the shoe smith working away. The smell of cooked meat being sold at a stand to Sun's left blended well with the sweet fragrances emerging from a perfume shop to her right. But Sun's favorite sight was the dresses that cloaked each woman she passed as she and Cale ventured further into town.
Those dresses were twice as big as the dress that clung to Sun's body, beneath her red cloak. Each dress was unique in style and color, and it was easy to tell which dresses were more expensive. The costly ones were detailed with more eye-catching patterns and embroidery. The women with the most class accessorized with small umbrellas to keep their skin fair and without a freckle.
"Stay close to me," Cale whispered as he led the way into the village. "And do not remove your hood."
Sun said nothing as they passed a busy pub, full of laughter and cheer. A man stumbled from the doorway looking drunk, but happy. For a man quite so undone, he wore the attire of a rich man, and he smiled cockily at a passing woman. It took only two seconds before he tried to grab at her dress. "Hey, pretty girl, let's have a drink!" he chimed, but the woman continued on as if he didn't exist.
"Is that where father drinks?" Sun asked, remembering Cale's dismay at her father's drunkenness. She hoped her father had more dignity than to behave so boldly.
"One of the many places," Cale responded, monotonously. "Come."
Sun hadn't realized she'd stopped walking to glare at the inebriated man until Cale tugged at her arm. She pulled her hood farther down and kept walking, quickly noticing a young, beautiful maiden around the same age as she. The young girl, focused on Cale's face, giggled to herself as she passed, and soon, she was quickly forgotten.
A minute later, another maiden walked by and did the same. In fact, when Sun paid closer attention, she noticed the admiration for her brother in almost every face she passed. It seemed as though Cale was a sight to see.
"Quite the lady's man, are you?" Sun teased. "I thought I had gotten all the good looks."
"Dear little sister, you may be most beautiful, but I am most handsome ," Cale joked, but his voice was laced with the confidence of a duke. "Well, according to the many women I've slept with."
Sun rolled her eyes as she observed her older brother. He had curly brown hair, a pair of bright, dopey brown eyes, and a smile that lit up the universe. Not to mention, he was strong from working in his father's farm, but it was the compassion in his eyes that warmed the hearts of his admirers.
There were many girls waiting to be courted by Cale, but he didn't pay them much attention. His gift of compassion kept him too busy to even think about finding a wife and starting a family. His life was dedicated to honoring his late mother and keeping his only sister hidden from the evilness of man.
"We have an hour before the circus starts," he continued. "I thought we might grab some food on the way. I know the perfect place."
Five minutes later, they stood in front of small market. Cale had instructed her to stay back, while he went to purchase their meals. She obeyed and stood feet away, watching him order their food with his back against her. It wasn't long before two maidens approached him, giggling as they spoke. Sun turned away from the scene, taking the opportunity to gaze around.
She was overwhelmed by the village, her joy like that of a small child's, but there was something nudging at her heart, reminding her that she did not belong. But oh, how she wished she were an average woman who could enjoy the luxuries of shopping and mingling. Oh, how she wished she could parade around town in a fancy red dress, proud and void of a red hood. She wished she could smile at men the way she saw the girls looking at Cale, and she wished they'd return her smile, just as intrigued. But no one knew she existed, and no one could even fathom the beauty that lay beneath her cloak. She was no one, a fly on the wall, the ghost of her mother's pride and joy.
"Excuse me, miss," the sound of a woman's voice muted her thoughts and she turned to meet the short, stubby woman smiling up at her, thankful that her cloak shadowed her face. "You look like you could use a nice, new dress. My shop is just there. Come look to see what new materials we have. They just came in from a gifted seamstress near the castle."
The woman grabbed a hold of Sun before she could even respond, pulling her in the direction of the shop. Sun glanced behind her, watching Cale's figure disappear as she stepped into the dress shop.
Her eyes were instantly alight, like that of a child as she took in the small boutique. She instantly forgot about her brother and took to the sight of silk and satin, golds and silvers hanging on display racks. Her hand reached out to every piece of material, admiring the difference in each dress. Some were hard with sequins, other were as smooth as silk.
"Beautiful," she whispered, eager to try them on.
"Aren't they?"
Sun jumped at the sound of the woman's voice. She had almost forgotten that the lady had been standing nearby. "For you, I'll mark down the price. That dress will cost you two silvers."
Sun turned toward the woman. "But I have no money."
Then woman huffed. "Well then, why did you come into my shop?" The woman didn't give Sun a chance to answer. "Get going, then. I have customers to entice. By the gods, I've been given the gift to sale anything to anyone. Such an offense it is when one doesn't have any money. What good is my gift, then?" The woman was out of the store in a flash, leaving Sun alone in the room full of fabrics.
Momentarily forgetting the angered sales woman, Sun continued sorting through the different patterns and dress styles, imaging how each one would look on her. She spotted a gold, shimmering gown on a mannequin and froze before it's brilliance. It was the kind of dress she imaged a princess would wear. The kind she spent hours daydreaming about as a child, back when her hopes and dreams hadn't been shattered by fear. Back to the days when she imagined she was a princess locked away in a tower that was guarded by a fire-breathing dragon.
The dress was everything childhood dreams were made of, and she had to try it on. And to her luck, there was a tempting dressing room near the back of the shop.
"I deserve this dress," she said to herself, pulling the dress off of the mannequin and walking toward the door to check on her brother. She saw the woman feet away, trying to entice possible customers to go into her store. To Sun's left, she said Cale still chatting with the same women as he waited for their food. He hadn't even noticed she was gone.
"When am I going to ever have the opportunity to have this much fun again?"
Sun made a quick decision. With speed, she dashed toward the dressing room, ripping off her red cloak and brown rags in exchange for the expensive, gold dress. Within minutes, she was comfortably situated in the dress. She walked out of the dressing room into the empty store and turned toward the full length mirror.
And she gasped.
Sun hadn't known exactly how beautiful she was until she took in the sight of herself, shimmering in gold and glory. Her pale blonde hair fell in waves down her back, her bright blue eyes shined even brighter than the material she wore, and her thin figure screamed of elegance. The gold dress hung from her shoulders and clung to her waist while spilling out to the floor in lush waves. Out of all the beautiful women she'd seen, all wearing beautiful gowns and smiles, none had compared to her. It was as if the sun shined just to make her happy.
Sun turned to admire her figure from the side, when the shadow of a man caught her attention. Her eyes quickly met his as a gasp escaped her mouth. The man before her was young and polished, and his garments looked to be more expensive than anything in the store. His hair was light brown with blonde highlights and stopped just above his shoulders. He was tall and refined, with a muscular body that was noticeable underneath his fancy attire. If she had thought Cale handsome, she'd been wrong. The man who stood before her was breathtaking, and he looked back at her as if he was thinking the same in return.
Only seconds had passed before realization sank in. Someone had seen her beauty, someone knew she existed, and it wasn't good.
Sun quickly ran back into the dressing room, grabbed her red cloak and threw it on top of the gold gown. She didn't even bother changing as she ran from the small dressing room toward the man in the shop. She didn't dare meet his eyes as she rushed past him in a hurry.
"What is your name?" he asked her, his voice smooth as silk. Sun had to fight the urge to stop and talk to him. To have the encounter she'd always wished to have with a man. Instead, she focused on the exit and ran from the shop.
Cale had just turned around with food in hand, when she ran into him, causing him to fall to the ground. "Sun! What are you doing?" he asked, staring down at the fallen food. "That cost me a bronze!"
"We have to go, Cale!" Sun urged. "Someone saw me. We must leave, now."
Cale quickly hopped to his feet, pulling Sun from the ground. Grabbing her by the shoulders, he pushed her behind the side of the food shop so that no one could see them. He breathed heavily and his angry eyes kept darting toward the street. "God's wrath! How were you seen?" He glanced down at the gold shimmering underneath the red fabric and pulled her cloak open. His jaws worked as he fought to keep his expression neutral. "Where did you get this?" his voice was too calm.
Sun bit her lip, afraid to talk. "Speak, you nitwhick! Speak!"
"I was waiting like you instructed, but then a woman saw me and-"
"Thank God it was a woman and not a man, Sun." Cale backed away and sighed out a breath of relief. "Let me guess, she gave you this dress because you were so beautiful. That's it, isn't it? That's the story?"
"Yes," Sun lied. "That's what happened. Now, can we leave? Please?"
"I was foolish to bring you here." He spat and grabbed a hold of her hand. "Come, we will sneak out through the back roads. We don't want to take any chances."
Sun followed behind Cale, happy to be leaving the village, even if it meant not seeing the circus. And as she journeyed home, she couldn't help but to imagine a different tale of her life, one where she told the handsome stranger what her name was, one where it was okay to be beautiful and brave.
Because she would soon be alone again, in a cottage. Because the bite she'd taken from the outside world would only leave a sour taste in her mouth and a deep longing for more. Because, deep down, she had always been born for more.