Balance And Control

Lock Her Up

People piss me the fuck off. It’s one thing to accuse me of witchcraft for using my powers (happens more often than you think), but it’s a whole bigger thing when you come for someone I love. Especially if it’s Makkari and you’re being ableist. 

We had moved out of Ireland into medieval England less than a decade ago and it was lovely. The accents were just as sexy and the scenery was breathtaking, but the people were pretentious. Even the peasants turned their noses up at anything they dubbed abnormal. Their freaky religious agendas allowed them to cast blame on others by accusing them of devil’s work. 

Anyway, back to my story. I wanted to spend some one on one time with my favorite person, so I invited Makkari to attend the market with me. 

“But I thought we were gonna go together?” Druig whined as I started to get dressed. 

“I spend all my time with you, love. I miss her. I’ll bring you back some sweets, okay?” I said, pressing a kiss to his temple. 

“Have fun!” he called after me. 

To alert Makkari that I was ready, I pulled on a rope outside her door. Phastos had constructed a pulley system that, when triggered by someone outside her room, If she was sleeping, feathers would brush over her face to gently wake her up. If she was awake and in her room, a system of gears would turn; a similar set up existed in her bathroom. It wasn’t anything crazy or sophisticated, but it worked and made it so no one barged in on her. 

Let me tell you something about Makkari: she is absolutely stunning, but in the morning…she practically glows. Her caramel skin is peppered with freckles, her hazel eyes alight, shining like the morning sun under the warm brunette of her lashes. For once, her hair wasn’t pulled back in her signature braided ponytail, but hung around her face, kinky curls smooth and wet as if it had just been washed. Her smile was like a breath of fresh air and the perfect greeting. 

Maybe I had a small crush on her.

“I think I picked the wrong Eternal to wake up next to,” I signed, matching her smile, but not being nearly as dazzling, 

“My door is always open, beautiful,” she replied with a wink.

“Don’t tempt me. Ready to go?”

“Yes.” 

The air was thick with mist after a long night of rainfall, the sun just peeking out over the clouds. The grass was cool and dewey beneath my sandalled feet. Makkari and I walked arm in arm, choosing to remain quiet as we enjoyed the morning together. The sweet perfumed air reminded me of Druig: a forest after a rainstorm. This time in the literal sense, because it was indeed nature after rain. 

The peace of the morning did not last very long. 

Towns in medieval Europe were very crowded, dirty, smelly, and loud. The anxiety in me disliked it strongly and I wanted to run back into the woods as soon as we arrived, but I promised Makkari a fun day and I intended to follow through. 

“Are you okay, Eri? I know you don’t like crowds of strangers. We can go back, spend a chill day together,” Makkari signed. 

“No. I said I’d take you to the market and buy you something pretty, and my girl gets what she wants,” I responded. “Now, come on, I see a candy booth. Mama needs some sugar.”

After several bags of candy, we maneuvered our ways through the crowds to find the apothecary; Phastos needed some things to restock the infirmary. We also needed spices for the kitchen and some new clothes. Who says you can’t run errands and have fun at the same time? 

I wandered away from Makkari to negotiate some salt prices, leaving her to search through a pile of linen shirts. I didn’t think much of it. 

“How much for a half kilo?” I asked the seller.