The first thing that Lucy noticed of the carnival were the stars beneath her feet.
Seemingly plucked from the very heavens, it seemed as though she walked upon the night sky itself-- the path through the tents laid with a polished black stone who's glassy surface was speckled with shards of silver reflecting those in the inky blackness above.
She took another step forward, watching as the stars disappeared beneath her shadow, only to spring up once more behind her as she passed over them.
Indeed, she must have looked a fool then; a girl of twenty one, staring in abject awe at the ground beneath her, waving her hand over the reflective stones just to see the stars disappear over and over again as her fingers blocked their light.
Yet when at last she glanced upwards, a multitude of other things caught her eye-- things of magic that stole the very breath from her lungs.
Golden arches above the path she stood upon, draped with lanterns that glowed with a soft golden hue. Countless tents and carts in colors so vibrant it was as though their very shades were drained from precious stones, entirely as wondrous as she had remembered them to be.
Indeed, each tent was entirely different from one another in nature, made from a fabric with a velvet-like sheen that fluttered softly in the autumn breeze, each of them having some manner of design embroidered into the fabric.
Some were a deep scarlet with a golden ensemble of suns, others a deep azure blue with the moon and stars woven upon the soft folds of the fabric. There were some colored a gentle ivory, others whose yellow hue looked as if it were stolen from the very petals of a sunflower. Onyx shades as dark as the deepest of midnights with silver skulls that grinned out into the crowds before them. Greens of meadows dappled with the outlines of dragons. A thousand details sewn into their sides with delicate threads in silver and gold, till not one design was the same as another.
There too were wooden carts colored much the same, selling foods of various nature-- a mixture of sweetness and spice perfuming the air till Lucy felt her stomach howl in protest of being denied. And from where she trekked along the star-lit path she saw buns dripping with a sugary glaze, spiced and salted meats roasted upon sticks with fat dripping into the fire beneath them. Chocolates and hard candies wrapped in thin golden paper. Tarts and cakes dusted lightly with fine white sugar. Roasted nuts, popped corn-- all of it tempting her with their delicacies.
Once, she stopped before a cart laden with cakes and buns who's designs were intricate in nature; flowers sculpted from sugar, cakes in the shape of birds and animals with their icing painted with near perfect details, and even a few caramel delights twisted and formed into the shapes of tiny carnival tents like the ones surrounding her.
Feeling her mouth begin to water, Lucy's eyes settled then upon a cake in the shape of a bluebird, its wings poised to fly. "How much?" she asked, looking now upon the shopkeeper for the first time and finding with some small sense of surprise that he was human like herself.
With a weathered and wrinkled face he gazed at her through sunken eyes, the smile on his face not quite reaching them. "For these? I merely require something from you."
"Yes, I know how buying things works." Lucy replied, reaching for her coin purse before realizing she hadn't brought it with her.
How foolish.
Yet the old man seemed as if he had not heard her. "All I require is a lie."
She gaped at him. "What?"
"A lie. Money shall do you no good here, child. You must give the dead what they want, and what I want is a lie."
For a moment she wondered if perhaps he was joking, yet other than his open smile pulling tight cracked lips he appeared genuine enough. What was more, she had no other money or manner in which to bargain, and she couldn't bring herself to steal from right under his nose.
Thus, all she could do was give him a lie, and upon scrunching up her nose in thought she answered finally in a somewhat hesitant manner. "My name is Agnes Montague, I live in the south end of town and speak in a nasally voice that isn't my own because I think it sounds impressive and posh."
The man considered this a moment, then nodded, handing her the bluebird. "A lie that is a name. Quite a popular choice."
"And what if I had been telling the truth? What if I am Agnes Montague?"
"What reason would you have to not tell a lie to an old man who has requested one of you? Be thankful I do not ask for the truth."
Lucy did not ask anything further, and with a final nod to the man she took her leave, wondering at the strange price for the cake he had asked of her.
Nevertheless, such thoughts were quickly swept from her mind as she was drawn once more into the magic of the carnival, swept away into colorful crowds who milled around her-- many dressed in bright colors or motley patterns. Some sporting masks in the shape of animal faces, adorned with bright gems and feathers.
Then from within the milling crowd she saw a very familiar face indeed--one that made her heart seem to cease beating in her chest. Wire spectacles perched upon a rather hawkish nose, eyes that glanced about nervously as though afraid someone might suddenly talk to him, and a walk made by limbs that were far too long for anyone's good...
The Baron was unmistakable.
He ambled on aimlessly, no doubt as uncertain as Lucy as to where he was heading, a lost look fixed upon his features as he cast his eyes over the crowd. Yet that changed in an instant as his gaze suddenly snapped to her, his lips beginning to part as he no doubt drew in breath to call out some greeting, his hand beginning to raise in a wave.
And in that instant prior to catastrophe, that brief moment before Lucy felt the world might come crumbling down around her, she made a choice she knew she would regret entirely.
She ran.
.............................................
A/N; Hey thanks for reading/voting, guys! I don't have a set schedule for posting chapters but I make an announcement on my profile whenever I do so feel free to follow me for updates whenever a new chapter is out. Thanks <3
--Twilight
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The Mortal And The Wicked-- ONC 2023
FantasyONC 2023 Shortlister His features had haunted her for years; a boy with silver eyes peering out from beneath a mask of bone. His body cloaked in darkness, a wicked grin upon his lips that spoke of treachery-- a smile that had broken countless hearts...
