The Broken Briar

Chapter 3

The next morning I awoke to the smell of wisteria trees that were planted in a small green space outside of the inn, the sunlight beaming through the dusty window above the small bed I was laying in. I sat up and rubbed my eyes with a soft yawn, soon beginning to rise to my feet and stretch. I went over to my bag and put on a fresh set of clothes and stepped out into the small hallway that housed all of the other rooms. I walked down the hall to a small flight of stairs and descended down into the lobby from the night prior. I noticed the bar keep and gave a small smile and he only rolled his eyes, probably still upset over my apparently rude and inappropriate actions the night before. I'm still confused on how what I did was bad though, every other time mom or dad had let me have a drink like that at any bar they brought me to, though it didn't matter.

Sorrel had told me last night that as long as I'm careful I can wander the village while he was still asleep during the morning. I stepped out of the inn and took in a deep breath of fresh air, the smell of what Sorrel called sakura trees filling my nose with a pleasant scent. A soft smile formed on my face as I began taking a walk around the village taking in the small, though beaten up looking church off to the left of the main path leading to the inn. Off to the right was a small path branching off into what was presumably the shopping district of the village, although it was so early in the morning, it was already bustling with life as shopkeepers began opening their stores and stands and getting their wares in order.

Compared to the capital, Flore, this place was far less chaotic. No matter the time of day the streets were always filled with people going to their jobs or walking around with their family or friends. There were also many more buildings in Flore, all of which were either made of stone or wood, the architectural style was much different here as well. In contrast, here in Harspire as Sorrel said the name of this village was, a lot of the buildings seem to be made of a combination of wood, paper, and stone, it was a weird combination for sure but the buildings were surprisingly sturdy for being made with paper.

Further north on the path is where Sorrel and I had come from the night prior, before we came into town I had him show me the shrine he mentioned. He said it was built to be the home of a god named Izanagi, apparently he is a creator deity and supposedly helps with keeping righteousness and balance. It had a big red archway that had a hard to describe design to it, and in the back was a massive building made of wood. There was a small flight of stairs in the front and once ascended would reveal a small sliding door made of that paper again. After the door was opened there was a small room with a few pillows on the floor and a small candle holder. Sorrel had explained to me on the walk to the inn that when praying to Izanagi you're supposed to light these sticks called incense and sit on the pillows and pray. Telling them stuff you hope to achieve one day or send your thoughts of safe travel to people who are on long and dangerous journeys. The thought that this was going to be my life now had crept back up into my mind and I shuddered slightly, unsure on how I would continue to survive with little to no knowledge on how to do so. But yet again I decided to push aside those feelings and continue to explore the small village. Turning away from the temple and heading back towards the village I noticed that most of the people who were out getting their shops ready for the day had retreated back inside while all of the other's had just begun their day. I decided to return to the inn and wait for Sorrel, but to my surprise he was just leaving as I had arrived. I made my way over to him with a soft smile on my face.

"Morning~" I said with a happy tone, "I explored the village a bit but I didn't really wander off too far." He gave a soft nod and chuckled.

"I figured you would be up before me anyways, I'm glad you did though. It'll make going around and getting everything we need easier." He explained with a blunt tone. I tilted my head in confusion.

"What do you mean 'everything we need'?" I asked.

"Well seeing as you basically know nothing of the outside world I decided to at least bring you out there and teach you a thing or two seeing you need that information in order to survive while you are on the run."

"I-" I let out a soft sigh and let my head hang down. "So you did figure it out..."

"I mean with your appearance and the name of 'Primrose' it wasn't that hard to figure out. Only the royal family has names based on, or related to flowers." He said with a calm tone. "Also I have to leave this village soon anyways. Not for any reason but my own, though why not kill two birds with one stone and take you along." As he explained his deduction, then his reasoning for helping me, I wasn't really sure if taking me along was just an excuse to get me out of this village for whatever reason, or because he genuinely wanted to help me. Sorrel was a really hard person to read due to his odd personality. Though in either way, he was giving me an offer I honestly couldn't refuse.

"Sure! It sounds fun!" I exclaimed. Sorrel gave a soft laugh while shaking his head, probably judging me, and waved for me to follow him. We soon went back to the inn to gather the remainder of things that we had left there earlier in the morning. Once everything was gathered and packed we left almost immediately, stopping at a few stalls back out in the shopping district so Sorrel could wish those he knew goodbye before heading out. Those he said goodbye to had given us a few things to help on the road. Some extra food, clothing and even some spare firewood they had laying around that they didn't need. Sorrel and I left with warm smiles, though he didn't seem all that excited either. Though it made sense due to the fact that he was more or less born and raised here. But I still couldn't help feeling bad for him as we walked back into the forest where we had originally met. "So uh... where are we heading first?" I asked with a soft tone, trying not to let the mood drop too much.

"We're heading to a town called Goldenseal, which is about north east of Harainokeru though we have to get through Bright Wood first and once we are out we start heading north east." He explained in a more neutral tone. He glanced over at me with a small smile on his face. "Once we get to Goldenseal we can rest there for a day or two as long as there aren't any of the royal guards there and afterwards we can set out again."

"Alright sounds good!" I said with an excited tone, nodding my head. We continued walking through the forest until the sun began to set and turned the sky a deep Persimmon orange with tints of blush pink. From where we were setting up our camp for the night, I had a perfect view of the sky. "The sunset is so pretty..." I said with an admiring tone, I felt as though I could never look away.

"I agree, it tends to be very beautiful out here compared to the big cities, at least so I've heard." Sorrel said as he set up the tents. He had put his bag next to the rock I was sitting on so it was out of the way, the smell of the fresh bread wrapped in small fabric sheets wafted up from the bag, which only made the moment that much more enjoyable. Although I had rarely ever experienced such nights like this back at home in Flore, the smell of bread brought back a memory of one night with mother.