Rage and Rebellion (Histories of Havenhearth)

Epilogue

As the carriage rounded the top of a small hill, Darian excitedly took in the view of her new home, the small walled-city of Chevelles, sat among rolling plains near the base of the hills, the wide river snaking off into the distance, with a road still under construction following it most of the way. Although the town walls were mostly in ruins, her eyes went straight to the small castle in the middle, also crumbling, but impressive nonetheless, as if out of a fairy-tale.
Birds, doves mostly, cavorted above, swooping in to land on grey-tiles roofs. Darian did not have much in the way of luggage with her, only a small sack- some of her other items had been sent on ahead. They approached the north gate, one of four official entrances to the city, where one of her connection's colleagues was meant to meet her. She looked anxiously for someone who looked like they were waiting for her,  but nobody was there. She looked up at the great portcullis that hung overhead.
"We early," the driver said, stopping the cart. In the shade of the ramparts, a woman had a basket of melons for sale. The driver hopped down and purchased one, pulling out her knife to carve it up. "Here, Angounesse melon," she said, handing a piece of the juicy fruit to Darian. The juice trickled down her chin. It was a refreshing snack after a long journey. Darian ate impatiently, anxious to get to her final destination. "Ah! Madame Darian!" Someone said, "I am Zohra, friend of candle-maker," she spoke in broken Tainish. "I'm very pleased to meet you, honestly, it's an absolute pleasure to be here," Zohra looked at her perpexedly- Darian had not yet learnt to simplify her language use for non-native speakers.
There! That  teacher's house," Darian spied a small cottage a ways from the town- she had seen it on the way in but thought it a farmer's house, "Cerys live there, and the cetimary,"
"The what?"
"In the ground,"
"Oh you mean the cemetery,"
"Yes!" Darian was not sure how to respond, but she looked over at the house, and it's garden surrounded by a stone fence, just as if it had been a Tainish garden, though the house itself looked Cassioni. She could see, even from where they were, a small path that went through the garden, with small bushes to either side. It looked like a beautiful, peaceful garden. Towards the end, she thought she spied a small line of gravestones.
"Oh! Miss Woodstock! I have heard much of her."
"Yes. She teacher now. Good teacher. How I learn Tainish, you want meet her?" Cerys Woodstock had taken over the school built by the linguist, Callira Evarrlie, and was doing a fine job, from what Darian had heard. She no longer involved herself in her aunt's candle business. She had a helper called Sophine and had built up even more students than Callira had had. It had become fashionable to learn Tainish.
"Yes, I would love to, I'm sure Yarazhenya will not mind,"
"Maybe you friends. She Take you to Birds," the woman gave a small chortle. Darian looked into her smiling face, unsure how to respond. "Let's go,"
The town was a maze of narrow, shabby, smelly, winding streets, as complex as the channels that travelled through the body. Darian had
to remind herself that they had essentially just come out of a war- it probably didn't normally look like that. The channels of the body were also full of fluid- the people! They were everywhere. And the noise they made was quite simply, loud. There were the normal greeting friends in the street type conversations, vendors yelling out their wares, the sound of wheels over cobblestones, shouts to move out of the way, for help, and the sounds of services and industry, restaurant servers carrying food along the way, shoe menders, tanners, dyers, smiths, the latter beating swords and breastplates into shape perhaps, a consistent and dull pounding that seemed to keep a rhythm to it all. People had stared at her, with expressions she could not read, maybe curiosity, but it could have also been in fear or anger or confusion or indifference, she couldn't tell. It made her shiver, knowing their recent history. 
"You know Monsieur Cheshiring?"
"Yes, I met him very briefly, it was more in passing as he was just leaving for a trip somewhere. I didn't like him much, he was a bit strange. Who is he exactly?"
"A friend, to us all," was all Zohra said about him, "better not say to Yarazhenya,"
"Oh yes, ok, of course not," Darian was a little bewildered.
"She seems mean, but she very nice, like from
Chevelles,"
"And you are from Chevelles, madame Zohra?,"
"Yes, I not travel too much, not happy times, but better now, Jade is gone."
"I'm glad to hear it,"
Darian had heard of the woman, the leader of the Golden Defenders, caught by the Tainish, handed over to Republican protectorate and publicly executed. Others had been executed too, but it had been done haphazardly- nobody really knew who had been a Defender, and those that did would not say. Many of them were peasants who simply returned to their farms.
They reached a large gate in the stone wall that opened into a courtyard. Darian could hear a group of children repeating English words "tall trees, tall trees, big tall trees,"
Nervously, Darian followed Zohra along the path that led into a classroom. The repeating stopped, as heads turned to see who had entered.
"Oh Zohra! You brought her!"
Cerys raced over to embrace Darian. "You're here! Welcome to Chevelles,"
"Yes thank you, it was a long journey!"
"I'm Cerys Woodstock, Yarazhenya's niece. I run the school here."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Darian murmured, immediately comfortable in her warm presence.
"I've heard many wonderful things of your school,"
"How kind of you to say."
"We are so very happy to have you. I've heard many good things, and you are welcome to join me at the school here if you want,"
"Th-thank you,"
"No? I understand. You wish to go ahead and explore this new world around you all on your own. That was just how I was when I first came to Chevelles, you know. I took the Cassioni saying to heart,"
"We have much to learn, you mean?"
"Yes exactly that one. Well I do not wish to hold you for too long, but what news do you bring us?"
"Nothing you probably have not yet heard already. The ascendancy returned, the foreign protectorate forces have mostly gone. The Cassioni have to pay the foreign powers that intervened on their behalf and to those whose buildings were destroyed."
"Oh I do hope Chevelles receives some money or supplies, it did not look as shabby as it does today. And the next village Charroux, several of their buildings were burnt down! Anything else?"
"Some interland talk about relationships going bad between the Petroviese and the Gawans."
"So nothing new there then," Cerys gave a tinkling, rather attractive laugh.
"I suppose not. Although I did have to pass an interview at the Tainish légation in nordmontline- indeed I understand that you know Lady Eupheme."
"I mean, we've met before, what was the interview? I didn't have that."
"They changed their procedures it seems. Well they asked about who I knew, what I knew, which is very little, and then asked if I could please inform them if Floren Cheshiring ever came here and where he went- I suppose you do know him."
"Yes, he's a good friend. To us all,"
"That's what Zohra said as well. In any case, she asked me to keep an eye out for his arrival and activities." Cerys snorted.
"He hasn't been, has he?"
"Not that I can think of, not recently however," a sly look flashed across Cerys' face, which changed into a faraway look, and a faint smile.
"Who is he anyway?" Cerys' faraway expression reappeared, this time with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
"That's an excellent question and you know, I think that the answer is something we would all like to know, including him. When we have time, i will tell you all the stories, but not now. not on your first day in Chevelles, there is too much to see and do. Do try everything Darian!" Darian's thoughts turned to the rebellion and siege.
"Yes of course I will and thank you for the advice. Miss Woodstock, just one more thing, and I do not mean to pry, but why have you stayed?" she asked after awhile.
"It's hard to say, but I just could not imagine myself returning to Tainland. After you've stayed here for awhile and explored a little bit, Chevelles and Cassion I mean, I think you'll understand." Darian looked at her curiously.
"Zohra needs to take you to my aunt it seems,"
"You come, now we go Master candle-maker."
"Yes, wonderful. Thank you Ms. Woodstock,"
"No please, call me Cerys, I have a feeling we will be friends miss Darian, good friends."

Darian continued her journey to the candle-maker's residence with a smile on her face, knowing that she was beginning a new chapter in her life—the start of a great and fantastic adventure.