One Day More - a Sartorias-deles fanfic

Chapter 2

"You, idiot, get out of the road!"

Iris squealed, her father's strong hand ripping her backward as a horse raced past. It was so close that Iris could feel the breeze created from the horse's movement across her cheek. She swallowed, putting her hand against her heart in an attempt to calm the rapidly beating organ.

"Thank you," she muttered.

Cetus only grunted at her.

They had traveled by carriage to reach Remalna-city. It had taken four days. Iris had gasped as the scenery passed by, but Cetus was not nearly as interested in their surroundings. In fact, his indignant glare in her general direction told her she should sit back and be quiet, or there would be consequences. The notion made her mouth feel dry, and she forced herself to swallow. When they neared the city, Cetus insisted they travel on foot the last short distance. Iris did not ask why; she knew better than to question her father.

When they entered, though, she heard the gossip spread throughout the crowds—another carriage had arrived, but it had stopped prior to entering the city limits. Rumors of the travelers' identities—visiting royalty, perhaps?—sprinkled the conversations she overheard like droplets dripping from the sky during a rainstorm. So did her father not want them seen, then? Just...more rumors?

Iris did not try to understand Cetus's motives; he only told her to trust his decisions. Iris had little choice, and he had never done anything that would cause her to doubt him. Plus, he had far more experience in Remalna-city than she did, even if it had been over twenty years since he had stepped foot in it. She would trust his knowledge.

They continued to walk, shoulders constantly shoving Iris into her father's path. The crowded streets were almost as suffocating as the grip Cetus had on her shoulder. Dressed simply so as to blend in, no one noticed them—well, no more than anyone else, anyway. Too many people were questioning the arrival of the mysterious carriage with its unknown occupants. Had Cetus done that on purpose? To use their own actions to mask their arrival?

Her senses felt assaulted; there was too much to take in. Iris had no idea where to look, so she looked up at her father instead. His blue eyes darted from one side of their surroundings to the other; he noted everything. She knew no detail escaped his scrutiny. He moved his hand to the small of her back, putting pressure against her spine to tell her to stand straighter, which she did. She was originally so excited about coming to Remalna-city, but the dense population and loud noises were intimidating. It was so bad, Iris almost felt that she could not breathe. Maybe her little town was big enough after all. She did not belong here.

You do not mean that, whispered a voice in her mind.

She did not want to go home. Maybe Remalna-city would grow on her.

Even though there were too many people. Coming from a tiny town on the western side of the Niam River, Iris had never seen so many people in all her years combined. They were also all so...unique. Different. At home, everyone had the same dark hair and suntanned skin. Besides hers, anyway. Her family required her to stay indoors during the sunniest parts of the day—or to wear a massive hat that shaded her entire upper body from the sun's rays. They said it was to protect her, but Iris only thought it made her look ridiculous. Everyone else looked healthy. Her skin, by comparison, was as smooth as a baby's, and as unblemished as well. Another reason why she felt she did not quite belong back home.

But did she belong here?

Here, there were people with red hair. Blond hair. Black hair. Unique hairstyles and all different sorts of clothing. It was all overwhelming; Iris had only ever read about this type of lifestyle in library books