Legends of Irene (Garroth x Reader) | Aphmau Fanfiction| UNDER IMMENSE EDITING

A Familiar Face

"Rise and shine! Did you rest well?" You awoke to Ruby's cheery voice and the outpour of sunlight from the exposed windows. You let out a yawn, stretching your limbs before squinting to look up at Ruby, who was wide awake and fully dressed. You frowned.

"What time is it?

"Late morning." Your eyes widened and you shot up from bed.

"We slept in?" Ruby shook her head.

"We? Oh, no. You slept in." Ruby shrugged her shoulders. "But we let you. Laurance, Katrina and I noticed how tired you were so we decided to let you have a few more hours." You sat up in your twin bed, vision slightly blurry as you looked around the room, your eyes stopping at the two individuals sitting at the circular dining table.

"Hello there," Laurance greeted with a smile, followed by a small wave from Katrina. You let out a sigh of relief, trying to rub the remaining fatigue from your eyes.

"Ah...thank you, everyone." Ruby waved a dismissive hand in the air, a smile upon her lips.

"Don't mention it. Say, why don't you get dressed? We'll wait for you in the lobby, alright?" You smiled appreciatively, watching as your comrades filed out of the room, Ruby closing the door behind her. You shook your head in disbelief, urging yourself out of bed. You were incredibly grateful for your friends. They could tell you were stressed and repaid you with only the utmost amount of patience.

You didn't know how else to thank them.

The sky was blue and the sun was bright—just as Laurance had described it would be. Your team progressed through the busy marketplace, your attention spanning between the colourful merchant booths that lined the stone streets of the O'Khasian Marketplace.

"Excuse me, Miss?" You paused your conversation with Ruby after feeling a slight tug on your right leg. You stopped in your tracks, glancing downward to search for the source of the voice. Your eyes widened with surprise.

"Oh...hello," you replied softly, crouching down to meet the gaze of a young girl with dark skin. Her curly hair was tied into two pigtails that rested just above her shoulders and her lips were upturned in an adorable smile. "What can I do for you?"

The girl held out a set of beaded jewelry; a set of earrings in one hand and a necklace in the other. On them was a distinct pattern; the jewelry was painted a solid light blue and was adorned by delicate strokes of golden-yellow accents.

"Would you like to buy these? My mama told me that these beads are for princesses..." The girl's smile widened. "And you look like a princess!" Your face flushed and you turned back to look at Ruby who shot you a knowing smile. You cleared your throat before returning your attention to the girl before you.

"Ah, I'm no princess...but you most certainly are!" you beamed, chuckling when the girl bashfully hid behind the cloth of the merchant table. You stood up, dusting off your pants before looking at a beautiful, middle-aged lady seated behind the merchant stand. She too was dark-skinned with a light blue and gold patterned scarf wrapped around her head. She smiled wryly.

"I'm sorry about my daughter. This is her first time helping out at the market." You shook your head and smiled.

"Oh, no worries at all! She's adorable and quite the saleswoman...how much for the yellow and blue jewelry?" The woman seemed surprised for a fraction of a second before gently prying the set from her daughter's grip.