A woman with hair as dark as pitch turned her head. Although you were far from her, you watched her gasp and run towards Laurance, her arms opening to embrace him as she came closer.

“Laurance!” she shouted. Her arms wrapped around Laurance in a tight hug when she got close enough to pull him in. She was significantly shorter than him, needing to lift her heels off the ground just a bit to properly reach his shoulders. When she pulled away, she held him by the shoulders. “Where did you go? You ran off after we left that castle. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Aphmau,” he replied. You watched as he took hold of her hands and squeezed them. “You know I can take care of myself.”

Aphmau exhaled. She squeezed Laurance’s hands back, her brows pulled together. “You worried me sick. Nicole found me after you ran off and told Katelyn and I to come here and wait for you.”

“I apologize for making you worry.” Laurance gave Aphmau a soft smile, which she returned. Watching them, you felt as though you were interrupting a moment meant to be private.

Were they together? The way she had been so worried and the way Laurance was looking down at her made you think so, but he hadn’t mentioned being in a relationship in your hours of talking.

You said goodbye to whatever hope of romance you had delusioned yourself into having with him when Aphmau turned to you. She must have seen you shift uncomfortably behind Laurance from her peripheral.

She smiled widely. The stare she had been gazing at Laurance with was gone, replaced by a warm greeting. She let go of Laurance’s hands to give you a soft wave, which you awkwardly returned.

“Oh, right.” Laurance turned to you, holding a hand out as he introduced you. “Aphmau, this is Y/n. I met her yesterday and she tagged along.”

You gave Aphmau a smile and said, “A pleasure to meet you.”

Aphmau returned your smile and bowed her head, bending slightly at the knees in a curtsy. “The pleasure is mine. How did you come across Laurance? He tends to be impossible to find when people are looking for him.” Aphmau side-eyed him.

You chuckled. “Uhm, he more so happened upon me,” you said, but you hesitated to say the rest. Laurance’s reaction to you in your tower had been . . . interesting. How would someone else react?

Aphmau caught on to your hesitation, and she tilted her head. “How?”

You awkwardly scratched the side of your neck. What was the least outing way to say it?

“It’s complicated,” you settled on.

“She lives in a tower,” Laurance said. You deadpanned, glaring at him. “Basically alone, with no real way in or out.”

Aphmau furrowed her brows, her mouth falling agape. “I . . . What? A tower?” You reluctantly nodded. “If there’s no way in then how did Laurance get in? And then how did you two get out?”

“I climbed the side,” he said. You nodded in confirmation. “And then Y/n tried threatening me with a kitchen knife.”

“Well,” you cut in, defensive. You didn’t want her to think you were dangerous. “If you were in my position you would have done the same.”

Aphmau raised a brow, her confusion evident as her gaze flicked between you and Laurance. “Huh?”

Laurance waved her off. “I’ll tell you later. Did you find anything about Irene?”

“Katelyn and I started looking, but the library here is so big and there are so many religious texts. We barely scratched the surface and could only manage to find a few books that might relate to the relic.”

You were confused. This conversation felt like you had been thrown in the deep end and needed to figure out how to make sense of what was going on in order to talk to them. But you felt a strange pull to Aphmau. Something about her presence was . . . Pure. Untainted by any evil or ill intent. It felt as though a string connected the two of you somehow, and standing close to her made that string give a gentle tug.

“Irene, I wish Emmalyn were here. She would be on top of this in a minute,” Aphmau groaned, running a hand through her pin straight hair. She softly huffed before turning her full attention back to you. “Say, do you have anywhere to go?”

“Not really,” you said, your voice soft. It was embarrassing now to admit now that you were actually doing it. You hadn’t realized how humbling it would be to say you knew no one. “I’ve been kind of pinning on the fact that Laurance has been with me. There wasn’t really a plan for . . . after.”

Which you now realized was dumb. Had you really been so excited to get out of your tower that you were only focused on the present and the immediate gratification that followed? Maybe your mother was right and you were too naïve to be in the world on your own.

“Is it alright if she stays with us?” Laurance asked. “It’ll be just for a little bit, right?” Laurance looked to you and you nodded.

“Of course.” Aphmau met your gaze, nodded. “Absolutely, if you want to. Laurance, Katelyn and I are probably gonna stay in Scaleswind for a little bit, but you can absolutely stay with us. I’m sure Nicole wouldn’t mind.”

“Hey, lady.”

Aphmau jumped at the sound of the voice. When she turned to look behind her, she revealed a child, maybe seven or eight, with messy blue hair looking up at her.

“My mom wants you,” the boy said to her. He pointed behind him, where you noticed a red headed woman speaking with a man that had cat ears. “She says someone you might know is in the caravan over there.”

Aphmau furrowed her brows, her gaze flicking up to where the red headed woman stood. She squinted, trying to see better, before letting out a breath. “Okay, I’ll go over. Hey, Dmitri? Do you mind taking Laurance and Y/n here back to the house?”

Dmitri nodded, looking between you and Laurance. He waited until Aphmau bid Laurance goodbye and started walking away to beckon you and Laurance to follow him.

The two of you did, though you hardly looked straight ahead as you walked. Instead, you focused on the buildings around you. All the people bustling around in the far off marketplace and the pairs of friends taking strolls through the city. You faintly smiled. You had never seen this many people before, and being around it gave you a boost of happiness, despite the headache that had accumulated near your temples.

You followed Dmitri into a building across from a church. He led you up staircases and through more rooms than you could count before he stopped in front of a door and turned back.

“Laurance, this room is yours,” he said, pointing to the closed door. “My mom said you like being by yourself, so she gave you the room furthest from everyone.”

Laurance let out an amused breath. “Nicole said that?”

Dmitri nodded, and then he turned to you. “Lady—“

“Y/n,” you interjected, but he kept talking.

“—no one said anything about you coming, so you don’t have a room. Sorry.”

You pressed your lips together. Were children always so blunt? “It’s alright. No one knew I was coming, so I don’t mind,” you said, forcing the corners of your lips up into a kind smile.

“You can rest in my room for now, if you’d like,” Laurance offered. “I need to talk to Aphmau and Katelyn about a few things before I can, so the room will be empty.”

You nodded, appreciative of Laurance’s offer. You weren’t sure if you’d take it, you wanted to explore the town a bit, but your headache was getting worse by the second. What had been a faint throb was now a stabbing pain, and it hurt to blink.

“Thank you,” you softly said, though your voice sounded muffled to your own ears. “I’ll see you later, then?”

Laurance gave you a nod, and turned to leave. As he did, your vision blurred. You placed your hand on the doorknob to steady yourself and turned it, black spots cascading across your line of sight quickly. You weren’t even able to process what was happening before you hit the floor.

—

The warm compress laid across your forehead was the first sense of feeling you got when you gained consciousness. The next thing you felt was the soft blanket beneath your fingertips. Your head didn’t hurt nearly as much anymore. It was just softly throbbing now.

You let out a soft, distressed breath. It felt like something heavy was weighing down on your chest, though you couldn’t imagine what it was. Your eyes slowly fluttered open, the bright light of the room making a sharp pain shoot through your head. When that subsided and you were able to fully open your eyes, you were met with the sight of green vines, wisteria flowers hanging from them, crawling across the ceiling.

What?

When you flexed your hand, trying to get the tense muscles to relax, the vines grew and the flowers bloomed more fully.

No, you thought. The last time this had happened you had been out for three days. Your mother had been trying to wake you with an assortment of her potions and spells. It had been so bad that she had employed the help of her sister, Hyria. After you awoke the three of you were cleaning up the vines around your tower for days, and Hyria was gone after leaving a healing draught for you to drink. That was fifteen years ago—you were eight. You had gotten a headache so bad you could hardly move.

What was triggering that again now?

You huffed out another soft, distressed breath, inspecting the ceiling again. If that’s what the ceiling looked like, then . . .

You turned your head just enough to see the walls, horrified at the sight of flowers and weeds and vines growing out of odd crevices and cracks in the hardwood floors. There was so much foliage that the actual walls were hardly visible beneath it. You could imagine what the floor looked like.

You turned your head to the other side, noticing that Laurance sat in a chair with his head bowed and his eyes closed. When you sat up, grunting softly with the effort, he lifted his head.

He was out of his chair and beside you in a second, placing a hand between your shoulder blades to help you sit up.

“Y/n,” he said. His voice was quiet. You couldn’t tell if that was intentional or if it was still from your headache. “Are you okay? What happened?”

It was hard to catch a good breath. That weight you felt on your chest made you want to keel over and die. “I don’t know,” you breathed, your voice hoarse and tired. Your mouth was dry, and you had to peel your tongue from the roof of your mouth to talk.

“Has that ever happened before?”

You nodded. You swallowed in an attempt to hydrate your mouth before opening your mouth again to speak. Before you could get any words out the room door was pushed open and three people filed in.

Your brows furrowed. Aphmau was first. She was followed by the same red headed woman you had spotted earlier and a tall, young man with glasses. The tall man wore a white coat and carried a clipboard and pen.

“Oh, thank Irene. She’s awake,” Aphmau muttered, running her hands through her hair. She was clearly stressed. Your mother did the same thing when she was.

The tall man was looking around the room in wonder. He must have been a scholar that recently graduated, based on his age. Your mother had told you that the population of Scaleswind included more scholarly minds than any other. She found it annoying anytime she visited because they always wanted to know more. 

Curiosity killed the cat, she would always tell you. Those fools will wind up dead before they find what they’re looking for.

She sometimes used that as the excuse to keep you in the tower.

“Have the plants stopped growing?” the man asked. Laurance nodded.

“For the most part,” he said. “A couple more sprouted when she woke up, so I don’t think they’ll really stop. They aren’t growing as rapidly, though.”

The man nodded, noting something down on his clipboard. He mumbled something to himself, but it was incoherent to you. Then, he turned to you.

“Has this happened before?” he asked. He pulled up the chair Laurance had previously been sitting in and sat beside the bed.

You gave a nod, clearing your throat before saying what you meant to when Laurance asked. “Only once. It happened when I was eight, so fifteen years ago.”

“What triggered it that time?”

You shrugged. “I’m not sure, but it happened the same. I got a terrible headache and when I woke up plants covered my tower.”

You saw the red headed woman’s brows pull together from your peripheral, mouthing your words to herself.

The man voiced his thoughts. “Your tower? What do you mean by that?”

“I-“ The words died on your tongue. Your gaze flicked to Laurance, who gave you a soft nod of encouragement. “It’s where I live,” you said, hoping he wouldn’t question any further.

Your hoping was useless. “Was this tower isolated?”

“Yes.”

“Were you able to see other people?”

“My mother.”

“How often did you see her?”

“Maybe once a month?” It was a guess. You didn’t actually know, but she was gone on a trip more often than she was with you.

“And you saw no one else?”

You didn’t respond, but he asked again more insistently.

“Martin,” the redhead interrupted. You were thankful for that. “Is she okay?”

The man—Martin—breathed out. You could see the desire to ask more questions burning in his eyes, but he didn’t. “Based on what she said—which is not sufficient information, by the way, Lady Nicole—I would guess the isolation she’s experienced was a precursor to a depressive state, which—“

“I’m sorry,” you cut in, your gaze cutting between Laurance and Aphmau and Nicole. “Is there any way this can be more private?”

Martin sighed as Nicole turned to Aphmau and Laurance and ushered them out of the room. You weren’t sure why Nicole was staying, but based on her fine clothes and expensive looking jewelry (as well as the way she carried herself), you assumed she was a leader of some kind.

You watched Laurance and Aphmau slip out of the room, and you watched their silhouettes in the door’s window. You watched Laurance reach for Aphmau’s shoulder, taking a gentle hold of her before beckoning her away from the door.

“As I was saying,” Martin continued, now looking at you, “I assume your isolation led to a depressive state, which depleted your health as a result. The neglect you may have done to your body is evident in passing out, but I can’t explain the flowers.” Martin lifted his pen and tapped the end to his chin, looking around. “Tell me, flowers sprouted last time as well?”

“Plants sprouted, but not flowers,” you said. You didn’t have to dig deep to find the details of your memory. You remembered how sore and torn up your hands wound up like yesterday. “It was mostly thorny vines and brambles last time.”

“Interesting.” Martin jotted something down again, mumbling to himself, “Could it be her mental state that affects it? Are the plants even coming from her?”

“Yes, they are mine,” you said. Martin’s gaze snapped back up to you. “My mother is a witch and passed some of her magic to me, but it’s not normally this powerful. I can usually only heal wilted flowers and perform one or two minor spells.”

“Fascinating,” Martin breathed. “So-“

“Martin, is she going to be okay?” Nicole cut in again.

Martin waved her off and she rolled her eyes. “She should be fine. Just make sure she drinks plenty of water and feeds herself sufficiently. Now-“

“You have another appointment, Martin.”

Martin let out a soft breath, pressing his lips together. His gaze lingered on yours before he turned to Nicole. “Yes, my lady.” He bowed his head and stood up, walking towards the door. “Have a good day. Both of you,” he said before clicking the door shut behind him. Nicole breathed out, crossing her arms and turning to you.

“Sorry about him. He recently graduated top of his class from the University of O’Khasis. He was transferred here to further his education, and his professor chose to put him to work as a doctor,” she explained. “I apologize if he asked any personal questions.”

“It’s alright,” you said. You had seen the look in Martin’s eyes. You imagined yours held the same one when looking out your tower window. “You’re Nicole, right?”

She nodded. “Yes. Nicole von Ronsenburg.” She bowed her head. “Lord of Scaleswind, top graduate of the guard academy, descendant of Irene, and a whole bunch of other titles I can never remember.”

You let out a huff of amusement, and she smiled at you when she lifted her head. “Do you feel okay?” she asked.

You nodded. At some point when Martin was asking questions, the headache had subsided. “I’m alright,” you said. You glanced around. “I’m really sorry about all this. I’ll help clean it up.”

Nicole shook her head. “No, no, it’s okay. Believe it or not this isn’t the craziest thing that’s happened to me.” She flashed you another smile. “Besides, I have hired help that would be glad to clean this themselves. They’re so picky.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m positive,” Nicole said. “You need to get rest before you’re too active again. Laurance said he needed to speak to Aphmau, but I’m sure you could find Katelyn somewhere and speak to her.”

You nodded. You didn’t have a clue who Katelyn was, but you weren’t planning on finding her anyway. If you stayed with Laurance long enough, you’d likely meet her.

“Okay. Nicole, I have a question.” There was one more thing you needed to know.

“Yes?” she asked.

“How long was I out?”

Nicole hummed, looking out the window across from the room. “Only a couple hours. I’d say three and a half. Why?”

“Just wondering. Last time I was out for a couple days.”

So it was significantly less time than fifteen years ago.  You wondered what could’ve caused it but drew no conclusion. There was no common event that happened either time, so there was no connection.

None that you knew about, anyway.

“Weird,” Nicole mused. Down the hall, you heard the loud clanking of footsteps drawing near. “Maybe you could find something in our library about it. Scaleswind is-“

“My lady.” Nicole turned her head when the door to your room flew open. A guard stood in the threshold, his hair askew and panic in his eyes. He struggled to catch his breath as he spoke. “They’re back. Those- Those things from earlier are at the gates again.”

Nicole was up in an instant, the chair she sat in scraping against the floor before getting caught on a vine and falling over.

You couldn’t understand the rushed words that spilled from Nicole’s mouth. It was nearly impossible when she walked out of the room and started down the hall, the panicked guard close on her heels. Your brows furrowed in confusion, and you stood from your bed to peek around the corner from the room.

You didn’t know what had happened—you weren’t sure you wanted to know what happened if it evoked that kind of reaction from Nicole. Instead, you took a deep breath before uncovering yourself and standing from the bed, looking around at the room.

You didn’t care what Nicole said about cleaners being glad to help, you would contribute. It would be rude to be such an inconvenience and leave your mess for someone else.

—

The cleaners weren’t nearly as strict or bossy as Nicole had made them out to be. You helped them peel the vines and flowers from the ceiling and tear up the roots that had made a home in the floorboards. Once they were taken from their places, the plants immediately shriveled up. You found it odd. That didn’t happen last time. What was different now?

At some point, your head had started aching again and you found it difficult to catch a full breath. It only happened for a moment, but it was long enough for the two kind ladies cleaning the room to force you back onto the bed. Your eyes squeezed shut and you softly groaned, waiting to faint again but it never came.

The headache subsided before you even realized it. One moment you were struggling to breathe your head hurt so bad, and the next you were up and about like nothing had happened.

Despite your protests and statements of feeling better, however, you were still pushed to sit at the edge of the bed until the room was cleared of wilted plants and frail flower petals. One of the ladies even went as far as to push you to lie down and cover you with blankets.

You got up when she left, tucking the blankets back where they were meant to be before giving the cleaned room a once over. It was simple—a comfortable bed beneath the window and a cushioned chair by the bookshelf. There was a solid oak desk against the wall opposite the bookshelf, on it a pad of paper and pens and a lamp.

You decided to step out. Even though Laurance had offered you the room, you felt bad for hogging it. Especially after making it a temporary greenhouse.

As you stepped into the hallway, you ran into the man himself. His blue eyes were downcast, and you were glancing out the hallway windows so you almost didn’t see him. When you did, you held out your arm and placed your hand on his shoulder to prevent him from running into you.

“Sorry,” you instinctively said. Laurance lifted his gaze to meet yours. He looked . . . regretful, almost.

No. Regretful wasn’t the word, but he was definitely deep in thought.

“It’s alright,” he said. Your hand dropped from his shoulder. “Don’t apologize. I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

You smiled at him. “Well, neither was I.” He chuckled. “What happened earlier?”

“When earlier? When you passed out?”

You shook your head. “No, I mean when I woke up. You and Aphmau left and then a few minutes later Nicole sprinted out of the room. She looked worried.”

Laurance hummed. “Aphmau and I needed to . . . discuss a few things. Nothing important.” Although he said that, his tone indicated that their conversation may have meant the world to him. “And earlier, when Nicole ran out, it was because a small group of shadow souls were at the gates.”

Your brows furrowed. “Shadow souls? What are those?”

“Right. You aren’t . . .” He trailed off, shaking his head. “Shadow souls are the extremely weakened form of shadow knights, undead beings from the Nether.”

You hummed. You had read about the Nether realm before, and your mother had told you about the brief time she spent there to gather materials for her spells. It didn’t seem like a pleasant place, and you wished you never found yourself in its nightmarish depths.

“Shadow souls aren’t typically very strong or a big problem, but . . .” Laurance hesitated. His lips pressed together briefly before he blew out a breath. “Sometimes, when they possess a body or encounter an angered shadow knight, they become more powerful than even the strongest mages we have.”

Your eyes widened. Laurance beckoned you to follow him, and you did. “And they’re from the Nether?” Laurance nodded. “How did they get into our realm, then? The only portal to the Nether is—“

“With the Southern Wolf Tribe,” Laurance finished. You were back in the room you had just cleaned, and you settled on the bed beside Laurance. “I know. In the past fifteen years, however, the Southern Wolf Tribe has fallen into disarray and a few rogue shadow knights managed to escape and open small portals. I also think . . .”

He trailed off again, your brows pulling together. “You think what?”

“Fifteen years ago,” he began after a breath, “the High Priest of O’Khasis began a war between Scaleswind and Phoenix Drop.”

“Yes, I remember.” You pulled the end of your long braid into your lap, fidgeting with the tresses. “My mother came home in a rush to ensure my safety. She boarded up the window and slept in the same bed as me for nearly a month.”

Laurance’s expression saddened. “I’m very sorry.”

You shook your head. “It’s okay. She was just protecting me. I was a child at the time.”

“That’s not . . .” Laurance trailed off again, deciding not to prompt any sort of debate with your upbringing. He cast his gaze downward, fidgeting with his thumbs. “That’s beside the point. The High Priest Zane actually kidnapped Nicole for his own purposes and prompted the war. Once Scaleswind surrendered, Aphmau, myself, and a few others followed Zane into the forest. He had . . . He’d brainwashed a close friend of ours and used him as a pawn to help open the Irene dimension.”

Your brows furrowed. The Irene dimension? The place was a myth. Unheard of by most. But if it was a figment of someone’s imagination, then how was it that Laurance had been there?

“I think opening the Irene dimension ripped the realm barriers between our world and various others,” he finished explaining. His eyes turned up to meet yours. “That’s probably what let a couple shadow souls and shadow knights slip out of the Nether.”

You nodded in understanding. Now you were trying to piece together the Irene dimension. “And the Irene dimension itself? It’s real?”

Laurance nodded. “Yes. We were there for fifteen minutes.”

“And that was . . .” Fifteen years ago. Laurance and Aphmau and whoever else had been with them jumped through time. “Wait, you think the Irene dimension opening fifteen years ago ripped the realm barrier?” you asked after a moment in thought. That would have been the same time you passed out and grew plants the first time. You remembered because when you woke up the board had been taken down from the window and the first question you’d asked your mother was if the war had passed.

It had to be a coincidence. Those two events couldn’t have been related, especially since now there was nothing to do with Irene and powerful otherworldly magic to trigger your most recent episode.

Laurance nodded.

“That’s when I fainted for the first time,” you said.

Laurance’s brows furrowed. You could see the gears in his head turning, his irises seemed darker as he thought. “Did you happen to feel anything earlier this year?”

You thought back. “Yes. In early spring I felt nauseous for a few days.”

“Early spring . . .” he repeated to himself. “And earlier today. You passed out again, but a couple hours after that did you feel anything again?”

You nodded. “I had a terrible headache not too long ago. I didn’t faint, though.”

You watched the lightbulb go off. “Aphmau used her . . . What all do you know about Lady Irene?”

You shrugged. “Not much. Just that she lived long ago and was kind and benevolent, hence her title. My mother never really taught me anything. I know basic information about her, but that’s all.”

“You may be connected to her,” Laurance mused. Your eyes widened, and you physically recoiled from shock.

“What?”

“It’s just- Okay, that was sudden. I only mean that any time you’ve felt odd, something happened that was related to Irene.”

You raised a brow, tilting your head and waiting for him to explain. He was talking like you had been with him for years and knew everything he did.

“Fifteen years ago, you passed out the first time. At the same time, the Irene dimension was opened with an unstable method. My comrades and I returned in early spring, when you felt nauseous. While we were in the Irene dimension, Aphmau absorbed Irene’s relic. She used those powers twice today, so . . .”

You were even more confused. The more Laurance talked the more you were convinced he was messing with you.

Aphmau absorbed a relic? Not just that, but Irene’s relic? Which was in the Irene dimension. The same Irene dimension that doesn’t exist.

You shook your head. “No. That can’t be real.”

“My theory is just a theory, but I promise that everything I’ve said about my comrades is true,” he said. He met your gaze, a glint of sincerity shining in his eyes. “That’s why we’re here. We need to find out more about Irene and her life.”

“How do you expect me to believe that you went to a realm that has no evidence of existence?” you asked, crossing your arms. “That is absurd.”

“I don’t know how I can prove it to you,” Laurance said, “but I promise I’m telling the truth. And I do think you are somehow related to Irene. It can’t be a coincidence that you fall ill when something having to do with her happens.”

You let out a breath. You knew he was firm in whatever he believed. You could tell that much from the way he told you stories of Irene with wonder in his eyes. Knowing that made you assume he’d be adamant about his theory.

“If I were related to Irene or had other abilities my mother would have told me,” you plainly stated. “She would have helped me hone that magic.”

“Your mother has also kept you locked away your entire life,” Laurance countered. He gave you a blank stare. “I’m sorry to say, but I don’t think that’s a valid defense to say you aren’t somehow related to the goddess.”

You scoffed, tearing your gaze away from his and rolling your eyes. “Okay. Even if I were to be related to Irene—which I am most definitely not—how do you propose finding out information? I can’t stay out of my tower forever. I have to go back eventually.”

“Well, my friends and I are looking for information on Lady Irene,” he said. He held his hand out and gestured to the air, as if doing so would create an image in your mind of what to do. “You could stay with us until you need to go back to your tower.”

You considered his offer, realizing how much thought you hadn’t put into this whole situation. You hadn’t planned how long you’d be away—you weren’t even sure when your mother would be back at the tower. You didn’t have anywhere else to go now that you had left your tower except with Laurance, who had gotten you into this in the first place.

“I’ll think about it,” you said, standing up and wiping your hands against your skirt. “I’ll leave you alone for now, though. You seem drained.”

Giving Laurance a proper look, his eyes were dark and seemed droopy. You weren’t sure what had happened, but it was clear to you that he needed rest.

He gave you a nod. “Thank you. I’ll see you later, Y/n.”

You gave him a soft smile before stepping out of the room. Down the hall, after you clicked his door shut, you spotted Aphmau turning the corner, probably to go down the stairs that were over there.

You followed. You needed to ask her some questions.

—

“So you can just . . . Do that by will?” Aphmau asked, admiring the wilted rose you had brought back.

You nodded, handing her the flower. “I can only really heal plants on my own, though. Sometimes my mother will gather something from my hair to heal herself, but I think that’s mostly her.”

As if to demonstrate, you pulled your long braid over your shoulder and caressed the strands. You weren’t sure how to begin harnessing whatever magic your hair held, but you had tried everything under the sun. Not a thing worked for you. The only thing you knew was that it softly illuminated every name you healed plants.

Aphmau took the rose from your hand by the stem carefully, holding it up to the light as she inspected it. Her mouth was agape in awe, and you swore there was a soft sparkle in her eye.

“Laurance thinks I’m related to Irene,” you whispered after a moment. Aphmau snapped her head towards you. “I told him I wasn’t.”

Aphmau hummed in consideration, continuing to inspect the flower. There was still some of your power radiating from it, and Aphmau was likely taking in the feeling. Not to mention that you felt that same pull to her as you did earlier.

“I doubt it, but this does feel . . . familiar,” she admitted, meeting your gaze again. Her eyes were the color of warm honey, and there was a sense of comfort in them. You could practically see the gears in her mind turning as she thought. “Hey, we were planning on leaving for Phoenix Drop tomorrow morning if you want to come with us. I know a wonderful scholar there that can probably help us figure this out.”

You weren’t positive who the we she referred to was, but you could assume it included Laurance and whatever other companion she had brought with her. You thought about her offer. You had seen countless maps of the world before, and the village of Phoenix Drop was a long way from the city of Scaleswind. It was nearly a two day boat ride. The time would have been cut nearly in half if you travelled by land, but the Ru’aun region was separated by a sacred forest that was nearly impossible to get through if you didn’t know your way. Hell, it was difficult even if you did. You doubted they would be taking the shorter route.

Still, you agreed. You still had nowhere to go and you would rather stick around something familiar until you decided to return to your tower—the familiarity being Laurance. You weren’t sure how long you’d be gone. Would you even consider going back?

Of course you did. You needed to. Your mother would send a region wide manhunt for you if you didn’t go back eventually. But it wouldn’t hurt to at least spend your time away with an acquaintance, right?

“I’ll go with you guys,” you said, giving Aphmau a small smile.

She returned it, though hers was much brighter than yours. She handed you the rose back before standing up. “Great! I’ll make sure to tell Nicole so she can get enough supplies for us ready. It’s going to be a long trip, but I hope you don’t mind?”

You shook your head. “Not at all.”

You exchanged a few more words with Aphmau before she walked off, leaving you on the sidewalk bench by yourself. You watched her until she turned the corner and your gaze couldn’t follow her anymore, and then you softly sighed.

The air in Scaleswind was fresh. It also felt clean, though you were used to the slightly stuffy air of your tower, so maybe the air would feel clean everywhere. The city was beautiful, with its towering buildings and flowering plants. If this single place alone held so much beauty and wonder, then what did the rest of the region have?

You were excited, to be frank. Spending time away from your tower made you less nervous about traveling around with what was practically a group of strangers. They seemed to be nice strangers, though, and Laurance had already helped you tremendously.

You smiled as you stood from the bench. You breathed in the fresh air and started walking back to Nicole’s house, your dance shoes clicking a seemingly happy tune against the stone beneath your feet.

guys i have genuinely so much fun writing this story it has such a whimsy to it and i love it i wish i could write it more often

hoping i can get part four out later this week though!! stay tuned

TAGGING: @eyeballsaladzz @heartsforleon @ny0000mw00m @ll4dybug @kokoloco00 @wasting-away-on-the-internet @waffles-andgh0sts @mellozhi @garrothswiferealnotfake if you’d like to be on the taglist, comment, DM or send in an ask to let me know!

The crevice was hidden on the other side. If you blinked you missed it, and it was truly mind boggling that Laurance had managed to spot it. The barely noticeable crack in the stone opened up to a gaping hole on the other side.

Maybe it was the darkness that scared you. You knew the tunnel went on forever—at least that’s what you remembered from the few times your mother had actually taken you out when you were a toddler. You were scared of it then, and it terrified you now.

Laurance raised his brow at you. He didn’t miss the way your thumb ran over your nails or the stiffness of your shoulders. Those were the harder things to spot, but he would have been an idiot if he hadn’t noticed your expression.

Your brows were drawn together, the smallest line forming between them. You bit the inside of your lip and your gaze flitted to all corners of the dark cavern in front of you.

“Are you alright?” Laurance asked. His hand remained on the hilt of his sword.

You nodded, though your mouth had gone dry. “Fine,” you said, needing to peel your tongue from the roof of your mouth to speak. Another moment passed between the two of you. “You go first.”

“Why?”

“Just go first.” You didn’t know why you wanted him to go first. You could have gone first and gotten it over with. Maybe you were scared he would stab you in the back if you walked in front of him.

No. If he were going to hurt you he would have done so. Irene knows he’s already had hundreds of openings to do that in the half hour he’d known you. So what were you scared of?

Laurance seemed to sense your unease. It was obvious that he didn’t want to go first either—though you weren’t sure what his reasoning was—but he would for your sake. What kind of person would he be to help someone out of their own isolation and then leave them for the wolves?

With a sigh, Laurance stepped in front of you. You counted the number of steps it took him to reach the looming darkness (seven) and waited until he paused at the exit to catch up.

You followed close behind him in the tunnel. There was no light, so it was pitch black. You remembered traveling with a lantern when you were younger. The lantern had cast dark shadows across the walls and dramatized the silhouettes of you and your mother. Your mother had sung a soft tune to sooth you, and now you were singing the same beat in your head.

When you were small, your mother singing had illuminated your hair and acted as a light to fend off the dark. Once the two of you had cuddled together in the tower that night, safe from the darkness of the tunnel, she told you a tale of Irene. She’d told you your hair was a blessing from the deity herself, one meant to make you a light like the matron.

You weren’t sure what it was, but something about the fear that slowly nipped at your being made you forget your magic hair and the hopeful take your mother had spun all those years ago. Instead, you found yourself reaching forward, needing to touch Laurance to make sure he was still there. Your fingertips brushed against the thick material of his overcoat until your palm lightly rested against what you assumed to be his shoulder. Barely a second had passed before his own hand enveloped yours, the callouses on it a stark contrast to your soft ones, and gently squeezed.

The pressure around your chest loosened slightly. You really didn’t know what you were scared of, but having Laurance’s warm hand in your own gave you a sense of comfort. There was no way you’d be separated from him and left behind. If that was even what you feared.

You heard something click against the stone wall. Your breath hitched. Your hand tightened around Laurance’s as you froze and pulled him closer.

“I’m right here.” Laurance’s voice cut through the darkness like a small light, however dim it may have been. His hand kept a tight hold of yours while you felt the other brush against your shoulder. Even though he couldn’t see you, you nodded and took a deep breath.

The tunnel seemed to take hours to travel through, just as it did in your memory. However, when you emerged on the other side the sun was still shining high noon. Was the never ending depth of darkness all in your head?

When your bare feet touched the soft grass beyond the tunnel it was like whatever was holding you tight let go. It wasn’t so hard to breathe anymore and your hold on Laurance’s hand loosened until your fingers slipped out of his.

You looked around in silent awe. There were so many trees. Golden rays of sun filtered through the leaves, creating a warmth beneath the canopy above you where the light shone. Birds were chirping and in the distance you swore you heard living water flowing through a creek. The air was fresh—much fresher than it had ever been in your tower. There was a crisp coldness to the atmosphere that made the hairs on your arm stand, but you relished in the feeling.

Laurance watched as you took in the world around you. He kept his distance as you admired the beauty of nature, but stayed close enough that he could protect you should anything happen.

You smiled. You never thought you would escape the confines of your tower, and that thought had only been solidified after your mother shot down your request to leave. But here you were, dewy grass beneath your feet and the towering trees just an arms length away from your fingertips.

Your joy made Laurance’s own lips curl up. When you turned back to look at him, the dopey grin across his face made you chuckle.

“What?” you asked.

Laurance shook his head. “What do you mean what?”

“You keep looking at me.”

Laurance playfully scoffed. “Am I not allowed to do that?”

“Well . . . Yes, but you have a certain look when you do.”

He raised a brow. “Do I?” You nodded. “What look is it?

“It’s—“ You cut yourself off, trying to curl your lips in the same soft way as his. Laurance chuckled. “No. Okay, no. It’s more like—“ You tried twisting your lips again, this time raising your eyebrows ever so slightly.

Laurance laughed louder, covering his mouth in a poor attempt to stifle it. You huffed. “Okay, I don’t know! But you’re looking at me like that and it’s . . . weird.”

“Would you like me to stop looking at you?”

“I . . .” You trailed off. Did you really want that? “Yes.”

“Alright, then I’ll stop looking at you.”

You nodded. The two of you held eye contact for a moment before you turned and looked behind you.

The forest was dense, but there was still space to frolick through it freely. The density of the trees didn’t seem intimidating, no. Instead, there was an inviting light, one that beckoned you to travel further. Flowers bloomed across the forest floor, the ones that were on vines climbing up the tree trunks and dangling off the branches and leaves.

You were in awe.

“So where are we going?” you asked. You watched as a bird pecked at a branch.

“Well, I need to find my Lord and companions. As I told you earlier, we were unexpectedly separated.” You heard the grass ruffle beneath Laurance’s feet as he approached you, stopping at your side. “You’re still free to go with me. Or you can do as you please and venture on your own.”

You turn your head to look at him. He’s taller than you, you notice. “I’ll go with you, if that’s not a bother. I don’t really know what I’m doing.”

Laurance smiled—a kind one that would put anyone’s nerves at ease. “Of course, my lady. Shall we be on our way, then?”

You nodded, and waited until Laurance stepped in front of you to follow behind him.

You were slower than him. It might have been that Laurance was simply faster because his legs were longer and he was obviously more experienced with traversing around grass and sticks and rocks (not to mention he was wearing shoes and you had been careless enough to leave your tower completely barefoot), but a part of you thought you were slower because of your hair.

The weight of it held you back, acting as a tether you to your tower of solitude. Maybe it was a warning, you thought. Maybe it was your mother’s magic tugging on the ends, a desperate plea for you to not subject yourself to the dangers of the world.

You softly gasped when a knot in your hair got caught on something. You weren’t sure what it was or what part of your hair had gotten caught, but it must have been something big because it made you stumble back.

You looked behind you, wrapping your hands around the strands of hair and attempting to pull the knot out. If Laurance had asked what you were looking for, you would have said what your hair was caught on, but you didn’t know if that would be an accurate answer. Some part of you, as much as you didn’t want to admit it, was looking for your mother.

You could feel her presence watching you. It was a weight on your shoulders that pulled you down almost as much as your hair did. You were waiting for your mother to come out of the shadows and grab you and drag you back to the tower. If that happened, would Laurance run after you? Would he try again to coax you out of what you knew? You had hardly just met him, what reason would he have to do that.

“Are you alright?” You turned at the sound of Laurance’s voice. He was right behind you, so he must have noticed your minor distress and stepped closer.

“My hair got caught,” you said. Your voice was soft, but Laurance was already walking past you and following the length of your long hair to find where it had gotten caught. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Laurance stopped a few feet away from you, bending down to untangle the knot. “You don’t have to apologize. You have a lot of hair, I would’ve been surprised if it didn’t get caught on something.”

He undid the knot and pulled a gnarled root out of the ground, tossing it away so it didn’t catch the rest of your hair. He began to bundle it up, pulling it close to him to gather in a ball for him to hold close to his chest.

“Here,” he said, standing straight once he had gathered your hair. “I’ll help you with it.”

“No, it’s okay.” You step closer to him, holding your arms out for him to give you the pile of hair instead. “I can carry it. I don’t want it to get in your way.”

“Are you sure?” You nodded and he let the full weight of your hair fall into your arms, although reluctantly. He took a breath, looking towards the sky. “It’s getting late. I doubt we’ll catch up with my companions, so we’ll find a place to stay.” His gaze met yours again, and he gave you a once over. “And we’ll see what we can do about getting you shoes.”

His gaze flicked back up to yours, his lips fighting to pull up into a teasing grin. Your cheeks heated.

“I was in a rush,” you said.

Laurance shook his head. He allowed a smile to grace his face, though it was kind. “I didn’t say anything.”

“But you were thinking it.” He stepped past you, continuing on the path he had mapped out in his mind. You scoffed, following after him. “It’s not like I meant to forget shoes.”

“Oh, because you weren’t mending a pair when I came into your tower.” He glanced behind him, making sure you were steadily following but also to react to your embarrassment. “Don’t think I didn’t see that white pair on the table.”

“Well- Those were house slippers and unsuitable for walking,” you snapped. You looked down at your feet, making sure you didn’t step on any sharp objects or trip over lifted roots. “I don’t have an actual pair of shoes anyway.”

“You don’t own shoes?”

“I’ve never had any reason to. Why would I?”

Laurance raised his brows and nodded his head, as if agreeing with your statement. “Well, whatever the reason I’ll make sure you have shoes by tomorrow morning.”

—

Well, he’s make sure you had shoes by tomorrow morning if the time even came.

“Are we lost?” you asked. You had been walking for an eternity, blindly following behind him for what seemed like hours. You could feel the burn in your arms from holding your hair off the ground for so long.

“No, we are not lost.”

It certainly didn’t look that way. Laurance was standing just a few feet in front of you, looking left and right, forward and behind him, practically spinning in circles as he tried to figure out which way to go.

A moment passed. You were still, listening to the crunch of leaves beneath Laurance’s feet as he turned helplessly. It was dark now, and crickets were chirping their lullaby. You watched Laurance run a hand through his hair and breathe out.

“We’re lost,” you declared. You huffed, letting your hair drop onto the floor. Another second holding it and you’re sure your arms would have given out. You glance around, spotting a smooth rock and sitting on the surface. “What’s your plan now?”

“We aren’t lost, Y/n. Just…” Laurance trailed off. He spun around to find you and meet your gaze. In the moonlight, his eyes almost glowed. “We’re gonna find some place eventually. We just have to keep going.”

You puffed out a breath, though you weren’t sure if it was supposed to be in amusement or exasperation. You sat on the rock, staring as Laurance turned back around and debated which way to go before taking a deep breath and gathering your hair again.

“Let’s go this way,” you said once you had finished looping your hair around your arms and found yourself beside him. You vaguely motioned to your right. “Unless you suddenly know where to go?”

Laurance shot you a glare before stepping that way. “I was just about to say we should go right.”

You hummed in disbelief, rolling your eyes before following behind him. Since it was dark now and you couldn’t see the forest floor, your steps were more careful.

You thanked your lucky stars when hardly fifteen minutes later you and Laurance happened upon what seemed to be an inn at the edge of a pond. You breathed out a sigh of relief when your feet met the smooth cobbled stone of a path, and you began taking less care of where you stepped.

You weren’t sure when exactly it had happened, but you found yourself leading Laurance with a bounce in your step. Although you didn’t turn back to see it, Laurance’s gaze as he watched you was soft, as was his smile.

He held the sturdy door open for you, a wave of warmth from inside the building enveloping you like a warm hug as you entered. The door clicked shut behind you and Laurance, though it was nothing but background noise compared to the inside.

It wasn’t extravagant by any means, but it was homey—lived in. There were shelves of various knick-knacks and chairs that looked well loved. You spotted a pile of books with sun damaged pages and softened corners that proved they had been read and appreciated many times. Nothing went together, and yet that was the charm of it.

Here, in this singular room, was all the evidence of a life lived. There in the room you stood was evidence of countless journeys and experiences worth the risk of living a thousand times over.

You hadn’t even noticed that a gentleman had come out of a back room, or that Laurance had approached him. You were busy admiring a collection of handmade figurines and dolls, ranging from carved wooden soldiers to delicately sewn rag dolls with their yarn hair in pigtails and colored buttons for eyes.

It wasn’t until Laurance brushed his hand against your shoulder that you were drawn out of your wonder struck stupor and turned to him. He held a key up to you, saying something you didn’t quite catch before he turned. You assumed he wanted you to follow, so you did.

You followed him up a spiral staircase. Nearly every step creaked beneath the weight of your figures, and the space between them was steeper than you would have liked, but you were grateful that you had come across a place to stay before it got too dark outside.

The room Laurance had purchased was a small one, enough for a bed and a dresser and space for another person or two to sleep on the floor if they so wished, though you couldn’t imagine they would do so comfortably. A door made from unpolished wood led to what you assumed was a bathroom.

Your hair was slowly unwinding itself from the loops around your arms when Laurance said, “I’ll sleep on the floor.”

You turned to look up at him. “Are you sure? I feel bad taking the bed.”

Laurance nodded. “Of course. I wouldn’t be a very good man if I let a lady such as yourself sleep anywhere except a bed. Besides, I’ve slept in worse places.”

You softly nodded, although the air was thicker now. You couldn’t figure out what it was, but you awkwardly stepped further into the room and sat on the edge of the bed. It was soft, much softer than your own, and the blankets were fuzzy and warm. You began unwrapping your hair from your body as Laurance removed his items. First his bag and then his scabbard. He placed both things by the door.

When the final tendrils of your hair fell to the floor, you began picking any stray leaves and twigs out of it. You left the trash in a neat pile on the dresser to throw away the following morning, and when the silence got too loud for your liking you said, “So what are your plans for tomorrow?”

Laurance had been mindlessly watching you pick the leaves and twigs from your hair, but once he heard your words his gaze flicked to yours. The warm candle flame flickered in his light irises, telling you what ice held up to the sun must have looked like.

“I’m gonna ask if Kruger has a map of these woods,” he said. You weren’t sure who Kruger was, but you assumed it was the man who gave Laurance the room key. “If he doesn’t, then I’ll ask where we are in relation to the closest village. I’ll be able to find my companions from there.”

You softly nodded, and the thick blanket of silence enveloped the two of you again. You weren’t sure what else to say. Was there even something else to say?

By he time you finished picking the trash from your hair, Laurance had already laid on the floor. His eyes were closed but he wasn’t asleep. You still moved quietly, the blankets on the bed rustling as you covered yourself with them before blowing out the candle on the dresser with a soft breath.

When you closed your eyes, you found that sleep would not come easily. Now that you were in a dark and silent room, you felt as though your mother’s presence was watching you more intently. You could almost feel her hands wrapping around your shoulders, pressing so hard you might have toppled over if you had been standing.

You don’t think it would have surprised you to find out the entire day had been a dream when you woke up. You would find yourself back beneath the wilting wisteria around your bed and stretch before finding your mother to tell her of your strange dream.

The weight around your shoulders didn’t loosen even after you had drifted off.

—

Thankfully, you weren’t awoken to limp flower petals falling around you. You were still in the small room under the warm blankets, but now the sun filtered through the sheer curtains and cast golden rays across the floor. Laurance’s makeshift bed had been cleaned up, the duvet neatly folded up and placed at the door of your bed along with his pillow. Laurance himself, though, was gone.

You sat up and stretched. Your breath stank of staleness and your eyes still felt heavy, though you no longer felt the dreadful weight of your mother’s prying eyes.

The door to the room opened. Laurance stepped through, an apple in his mouth and a plate of food in each hand. Two glasses filed with milk were precariously balanced on each plate, and he moved slowly to make sure he didn’t spill it. When he had set both plates down on the dresser and placed the glass cups to the side, he reached up and took a proper bite of his apple.

He turned to you as he chewed, covering his mouth. “Good morning, beautiful.”

You nodded in return, your throat feeling too scratchy to reply. You notice the cups on the dresser and take the one closer to you, taking a sip. Immediately your mouth doesn’t feel as stale.

“Thank you,” you said, brushing your hair out of your face. Laurance leaned back against the wall across from you, pulling his plate and cup closer to him.

“No problem. I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I just grabbed whatever.”

You nodded again, taking in the contents of the plate. To one side was an assortment of fresh berries—blueberries and raspberries and blackberries, all looking like they had been picked right of their bushes at the crack of dawn. To another side was two slices of fairy bread, and next to that two strips of bacon.

You thanked Laurance again, giving him a kind smile before the two of you fell into a comfortable silence and ate.

“Did you find a map?” you asked, wiping the corner of your mouth to remove the butter that had gathered.

Laurance shook his head. “No, Kruger didn’t have one. He did give me directions to Scaleswind, though. He said it was about half a day of walking from here. It’s lucky, since that’s where my companions and I were headed before I got separated.”

“Will we leave after we eat?” Your eyes were wide as you looked up at him. They reminded Laurance of a doe.

“If you’re ready. I don’t mind staying a bit longer if you want,” he replied, shoving the last of his breakfast in his mouth before brushing off his hands.

You softly hummed, glancing away as you thought. Another half day of walking would probably tire you, or at least your arms, out by carrying the weight of your hair again.

“Do you think we could stay for a bit? Long enough for me to pull my hair back, at least,” you requested. “I got a bit tired carrying it all day yesterday.”

Laurance nodded, his gaze flicking to your hair. “I could braid it for you,” he suggested. “If you’re okay with that.”

You nodded once, though it was more a nod of consideration before you give him a firmer, more assured one. “Yes, that . . . That would work. You know how to braid?”

Laurance nodded. He motioned for you to turn your back to him, which you did. You felt the bed dip behind you as he sat down, and you felt the soft tug your hair gave when he gently pushed it out of the way and onto the floor.

“My sister taught me,” he said, running his fingers through your hair to separate it into thirds. He set two of them to the side, though you weren’t sure why. “She had hair down to her knees when we were teenagers. Hayden was always telling her to get it out of the way when she did things, especially with him, so she made me braid it for her.”

“Are you the younger sibling?” you asked, continuing to pick berries off your plate and eat them. You were careful not to move too much, not wanting to mess up the way Laurance did your hair.

“Yup,” he breathed out. You could almost hear the eye roll. “Cadenza never let me forget it either. She compares the day we met to a curious child finding a rat in the street and begging their parents to let them keep it as a pet.”

You laughed at the picture you painted in your head—a younger Laurance tucked under a girl’s arm, the girl holding him out like a rag doll to her parents.

When your laughter subsided, you ran his words through your head again. “Are you adopted?” you asked.

“What makes you say that?”

You flush. If your assumption was wrong, then you weren’t sure you’d be able to look him in the face again. “Just… You called your parent by name, instead of Dad. And you said the day you and Cadenza met, so that makes it sound like you haven’t known her since you were born.”

Laurance hummed. “You’re right, I was just curious. Yes, I am adopted. Hayden was Meteli’s Lord before he died, and he took me in.”

You vaguely recalled your mother telling you about Meteli. She had come home from the trip earlier than anticipated with mud caked in her boots and smeared across her nice dress. What a nasty place it was, she said. It was a swamp village, if you remembered correctly.

“Are you from Meteli?” you asked him.

“Not technically, no. I wasn’t born there, and I didn’t live there until I was fourteen, but it’s the only place I’ve felt comfortable calling my first home.” He was quick at braiding, because right after he finished speaking he held out the end of a thin, long braid for you to hold as he continued his work. “I moved around a lot before I was adopted. I don’t think I ever spent more than a year in a single place.”

“That must have been terrible.”

Laurance shrugged, fingering through your hair as he separated another small section. “I got used to it. It never bothered me. Plus, all the ladies and old men at the orphanages weren’t very nice.”

You hummed in understanding, and after that the two of you fell into easy conversation.

You learned that he was Meteli’s former head guard and Phoenix Drop’s former second in command. You had asked what happened to make him former second in command, but he only brushed the question off by saying it was complicated. You didn’t question it further.

It took longer than you would have liked for Laurance to finish braiding your hair, but it was worth it in the end when he finally tied it off and you stood up, finding that he had somehow shortened the tremendous amount of length to fall just above your ankles. This way, it wouldn’t drag across the ground at all.

You smiled at him, tucking flyaways behind your ears and patting down the crown of your head.

“Thank you so much, Laurance. I’m sorry it took so long,” you said.

“It’s not a problem. I’d rather you be comfortable than having to carry it all day.” He returned your smile, standing beside you and gathering the dirty dishes from your breakfast. “We’ll get going, then. I’ll meet you downstairs.”

You nodded, stepping out of the room. You were sure Laurance needed to gather his things and make sure he had everything, so you went on without him and waited in one of the worn chairs. As you were waiting, an older woman with hair that was more gray than its original brown approached you. In her hands, she held a pair of black flats with straps crossed at the ankles.

“Are you the girl staying with the blue eyed gentleman?” she asked you. She was a rather short woman, hardly surpassing your height when you were sitting.

“I am, yes. Is there something wrong?”

The woman shook her head, quietly smacking her lips before talking. “No, no, dear. Nothing’s wrong. My husband just told me last night that he had inquired about shoes for a young lady with long hair. My husband asked me just this morning if we had any spare pairs, and I found these.”

She held out the black flats to you. They were old, the toes of them scuffed up and the ribbons around the ankles clearly hand sewn on. When you looked up at the woman, she nodded at you, urging you to take them.

“Are you sure?” you asked, fingertips brushing against the soles of the shoes. They were smoothed over, and the woman gently placed them in your hands.

“Yes, I’m sure,” she said. “They belonged to my daughter before she passed away, so I don’t have any need for them.”

Her voice had saddened and a glint of nostalgia sparkled in her eyes as she looked you over.

“I am sorry for your loss,” you said quietly, not knowing what else to say. She smiled.

“Thank you for your condolences.” The woman tilted her head forward before crossing her hands behind her back. “You remind me of her. You have the same curiosity.”

You returned her smile. “Thank you. And thank you so much for the shoes. This is such a kind gesture and they’re beautiful.”

“I’m glad to help where it’s needed. Now, you tell that husband of yours to take better care of you, dear. He won’t have a very happy life if he doesn’t.”

“Oh, he’s not-“ You had started to deny her statement, but she had already turned her back and began walking away. You watched her until she disappeared behind a door before softly exhaling. You looked down at the shoes again.

They weren’t the most suitable for walking, and upon further inspection they looked more like dancing shoes than anything. They were well loved and had obviously been used many times, but you didn’t mind. You knelt down and slipped them onto your feet.

They were a tad too big, but you tightened the ribbons around your ankles to keep them secure. It wasn’t long until Laurance joined you downstairs. He shot you a smile before dropping a handful of golden coins into the metal cup at the desk across the room.

When he beckoned you to follow him out, you did, quickly catching up now that you didn’t have to worry about anything cutting your feet or your hair catching on anything.

The day was warm. The pond outside the small in sparkled in the sunlight the same way Laurance’s eyes did. The sight was the most beautiful thing you had ever seen.

“This is a pretty pond,” you commented. Laurence’s steps slowed, and he looked out at the glassy body of water.

“It is,” he said. Then he smiled. “Have you heard the story of how Lady Irene made bodies of water?”

Your brows furrowed, and you turned your head toward him. “No, I don’t believe I have.”

“It’s a story from a book I used to carry around when I was younger. I never went anywhere without it.” Laurance began walking again, and you easily fell into step behind him.

“Long ago, back when Lady Irene was still a young goddess, the earth had not yet been blessed with marine life,” he began explaining. You smiled at the happy lilt of his voice. It was clear that he was quite fond of this story. “During her time, the world was just a lump of valleys and mountains, not a drop of water in sight. People hadn’t learned to need water to survive at that point. After the war against Shad—which you know about, yes?” He looked to you and you nodded. You were familiar with that story. “After the war against Shad, it’s said that Irene wept for years. She wept so much for the lost lives that she filled the valleys and craters in our world and brought new life.

“I love the way that book told the story. It made it seem like Irene’s grief is something we need, since humans can’t survive without water. It’s almost like . . . A reminder that we need to allow ourselves to feel. Call me crazy, but when I was little drinking water made me feel closer to Lady Irene.” Laurance breathed out a laugh.

You smiled at him. He obviously cared deeply about this, though you couldn’t tell if it was the old book he was fond of or the goddess herself.

You asked Laurance for more stories, and he told you. Every tale had you enamored with his story telling, and it seemed to make the time go by faster. You reached Scaleswind what felt like minutes later, and you were grappling with the fact that you couldn’t hear just one more story.

part two!! enough people liked this story so i decided to make it multiple parts! i hope you guys enjoyed and continue to wait patiently for the next chapter because that’s when y/n will meet everyone :)

also- i’ve decided the events of this fic happen almost immediately after season 2 episode 20, with a couple plot tweaks of course. but just to give a time frame idea that’s where we’re at right now

okay have a good day y’all <3

TAGGING: @eyeballsaladzz @heartsforleon @ny0000mw00m @ll4dybugg @kokoloco00 @wasting-away-on-the-internet i tagged everyone who showed interest, so if you want to be added or removed let me know!