One Day More - a Sartorias-deles fanfic

Chapter 22

Iris was back to her lively self, in both body and mind.  She walked beside him, her hand placed in the bend of his elbow.  The lean was out of her gait, and her skin was no longer pale.  Her voice, too, seemed less breathy.  Even during their last interaction during the impromptu dance lesson, Iris still was different than how she usually was.  He had no idea why, and that nagged at him. Although Iris said she trusted him, Raec did not believe her.  Not entirely.  Something was holding her back—perhaps subconsciously.  Walls surrounded her heart, but they were not impregnable.  Raec would break through them, though he would rather she open the door instead.

The town was not as busy today, due to the market being closed.  One day a week, his parents had ordered the square emptied of kiosks and merchants.  Everyone was to spend time with their families.  Even the palace servants were dismissed once a month.  Many, though, remained among the residence.  The Renselaeus family was their family as much as it was Raec's.  Most of the servants had watched him grow; he saw them as aunts and uncles.  When one—or both—of his parents were gone, the staff would teach him and care for him.  They broke his parents' rules on occasion, though they never mentioned it to the king and queen.  The underside of a rug was still stained from a certain day in his youth.  Meliara and Vidanric had not found it, as far as Raec was aware.  He was determined to keep it that way.

The royal family would provide food for the homeless and hungry, recognizing that the profits many earned in the marketplace were used for meals.  Remalna had few that fell in either category, but they still resided in alleyways and scattered shelters throughout Remalna-city.  When he told Iris about the traditions, she wanted to take part in them.  She noticed the days of companionable silence and had always wondered about the reason.

A servant drove a cart in front of them, the back filled with breads, meats, and dried fruits they would be taking to their destination.  Raec kept glimpsing down at Iris to see whether she displayed any signs of exhaustion.  Multiple assurances of her health not withstanding, Raec still worried about her.  It went back to how she had closed herself off to him.  He enjoyed her company, and she did his, but their conversations rarely went beyond the surface level.  Raec wanted to know the real Iris behind the radiant smile.  Iris, though, seemed unwilling, and he had no idea why.

Besides that, Iris had trust issues.  That much was clear.  It was also clear that Enda had somehow broken past Iris's tough skin.  They shared words through subtle glances, similar to how Raec could communicate with both Enda and Bren.  All Raec could think was that Iris had more trouble with men than women.

He felt the same way until Iris—the only exception being Enda.  Childhood friends were different than ones made in adulthood, though.  Children were inherently kind with no ulterior motives.  They could form friendships easily because the world had not yet tarnished for them.  Enda was female, yes, but as a child, her gender hardly mattered to Raec.  When he was old enough to notice, their relationship was too close to brother and sister for them to feel anything romantic toward each other.  Plagues, Enda had seen him through the pimpled-face phase of his life.  He had been there to protect her from the bullies who targeted her for being so short.

"How much farther?" Iris asked.

"Tiring of my company already?"

"No," Iris said. "But these shoes are starting to hurt."

"I thought I said to wear comfortable shoes."

"You did." Iris shrugged. "The most comfortable shoes I own are my boots, and they didn't match the dress."

"Which is very pretty, by the way."

Iris giggled. "I set you up for that one."

"Couldn't let the opportunity to compliment you pass by; what sort of man would I be otherwise?"