The Prophecy - ACOTAR

Chapter 2

It was one of the few mornings that Astrid was excited to get out of bed, little would be done for housework or hunting today. Today was market day and whichever vendors decided to brave the brisk weather would make their way into the village. The group of four sisters was always a strange sight to see on the days they wandered in together. Feyre normally had a tired passive look, likely trying to ignore her older sisters gossiping and squabbling while Astrid normally skipped ahead of them.

Astrid always looked forward to market day, sometimes she would get lucky, and a minstrel would be passing through town. She loved to listen to their music and sometimes she would be able to join them. Music was to Astrid as painting was to Feyre, it was an escape for both girls.

What made the scene of Astrid skipping even more entertaining, were the two little cats trotting along with her. Cam with his tail up and crooked to alert everyone that he was the happiest little boy in this entire village. Ryn with her stubby tail vibrating as she squeaked behind her mistress and brother.

As they got closer to the village, the scents of the spices began to make their way to the sisters' noses. Each one took a deep breath in and longed for the days they had smelled those scents wafting from their father's office or they had them on their food. It helped them ignore the bleak village they now dwelled in; every building seemed to be outfitted with a sad shade of grey.

As Astrid continued to skip along, the mothers that were out gave her a mix of glares. They found it unladylike of her to go skipping through the streets in her pants. Her pants that showed off her backside and legs. This was still better than one time in spring where she had gone spinning in the middle of the village, a smile plastered across her face as she laughed and spun in the rain, in a white shirt. The white shirt quickly became somewhat see through, which gave any boys and men around a glimpse of what lay beneath.

Her sisters soon earned similar glares when they snorted with laughter at their elated sister as she careened into another person and fell straight on her rear. In Astrid's attempt to save some of her pride she let her self-fall back, so her head was now resting on the snowy dirt road. She stared up at the afternoon sun, and watched the clouds lazily move about while the sun warmed her face. Cam came forward to lick her nose and Ryn decided that this meant she could perch on her mistress's stomach.

"May the immortal light shine upon thee, sisters." The pale, hooded, young woman said as she glanced down at Astrid, who still made no moves to get up, still acted like this is exactly what she meant to do.

Nesta and Elain clicked their tongues while Feyre tried to stifle a groan. Had Astrid not been acting so nonchalant about her falling, she would have loosed a groan to. They needed the money from the pelts, but with the Children of the Blessed in town, everyone would be distracted and riled up. The elders would normally allow them to stay for only a few hours but the presence of them made people edgy.  They worshipped the High Fae, who had once been the overlords of the humans, not like the kind gods the fanatics wanted them to be.

The young woman held out a hand, an offer to help Astrid up from the cold, snowy ground, her silver bell bracelets jingled at her wrists, "Have you a moment to spare so that you might hear the word of the blessed?"

Astrid barely spared her a glace, the only thing bringing her gaze away from the sky being the jingling from the woman's wrists, "Nope," she stated, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, gesturing towards the winter sky, "the clouds beckon me, plus I have a cat on me."

The young woman bunched her eyebrows together in confusion as to why a cat laying on her affected her ability to listen, before turning her gaze towards the sisters standing behind the strange girl on the ground. Her acolytes watched close behind her for any young folk they could bother, "It would take but a minute."