Another beginning after the end

A tour through the city

Author here, so um after a little poll I might have forgotten to close and reading your comments, I've decided to go back to using apostrophes. (Wattpad doesn't format em-dashes all that well)

I've also taken notice that the quality of my writing isn't as good as I'd want it to be because of the tight 3-day deadline if I post on weekends, so heads up there won't be chapters on weekends for a while.

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A day dawned crisp and clear above Zestier, the sun pouring and seeping through the windows, comfortably jolting the city awake; the green and red and yellow city as autumn crept over. Waiting outside one of the many rooms of the castle of Elenoir was an adorably dressed Tess. She was wearing a white sleeveless sundress and a pink sheer cardigan over it, the light pink colored sun hat she wore over her head was decorated with a pale flower, giving her a very fresh and doll-like appearance.

"Took you long enough! Hurry, let's hurry!" She said as Arthur came out of his room. He, unlike the elven princess, was wearing a much simpler look, with a pale brown shirt underneath a dark tunic and a pair of simple brown trousers that further contrasted how different their attires were.

Zestier was the capital of the Elenoir, and as its name implied, it was the main city of what most elves called home. The city was big, one hundred miles long, with one end opening far north, almost reaching the middle of the land, and the other opening near the border with the other two kingdoms. It was so big in fact, that the elderly often joked about it, saying that if one took a habit of walking, never crossing the same street twice, not even in their long lifespans would they be able to see even half of what this city had to offer.

Due to its size, Zestier was different from place to place, some streets not even resembling a city at all, with lanes barely wide enough for two people to pass through, paved with a mix of cracked and uneven cobblestone, and the sides obstructed and blocked with now abandoned dead trees like a haunted forest. Meanwhile, other streets looked more glamorous, with roads of fine brick and wide enough to fit ten carts sideways, with street lamps illuminating at night, and spacious plazas to let the sunlight through, making you wonder if the city was truly a forest turned into a city.

Walking through the city Tess made sure to drag Arthur around through just about every stall and store the city center had to offer. She walked him particularly through the food section, directly feeding him and making him test the various extravagant and exotic appetizers the stalls offered. Fruits red and orange, with the smell of hot stone and tall grass, spicy dried berries, blue and green, sweet and hot; She took him to listen to the street artists that asked for copper and bronze as they sang street songs, songs of two brothers, chasing glass frogs in the sun. From time to time Arthur would take the wheel, often getting them out of route as he tried to pull them into a library or an armory. When they did manage to get into one of these Arthur would completely lose his concept of time as he revised over the many books or the fine elven forgery with thirsty eyes.

The elven designs mesmerized him: bows and rapiers adorned with roots and leaves, wands and poles carved out of ancient wood with flowers attached to the sides, and shields and armor carved with a rose pattern, all of their weapons seemed like a tribute to nature itself; yet, they remained functional. Tess however wasn't as interested in these places as much as Arthur was, judging by how she stood impatiently at the door waiting for Arthur to finish, and more often than not she would have him dragged out of the store by force.

A bell tinked as they stepped inside one of those shops Arthur was so drawn to. This was a different shop from the rest, this one had a bell that rang as people entered and left the store, something other shops didn't have, it was a nice addition, but it wasn't what made it different from the others. This wasn't an armory, artifact shop, or library, this was a woodwork shop. The cozy and small story had what could only be described as a spring night feeling, maybe an autumn evening. The roof, as well as the walls, were adorned with various moving figurines and statues made out of wood and tin, birds flapping their wings, and land creatures moving their limbs. Even Tess looked at them with curiosity.