When Worlds Collide

One

The sweet melody from the softly strung violin danced through the air, joined harmoniously with the wind, sending freshly swept leaves swirling across the cobbled streets. The leaves blew and twirled their special dance, greeting all manner of passer by, not afraid to land on their clothing or be brushed away by rushed, frustrated hands of those in a hurry to get to market. The early morning sun was rising, as it did most days, beginning to warm the cool air and sending villagers out of their cosy beds ready for yet another's day long toll at work. 

It was roughly seven am and a couple of hours had already passed for those living a life of servitude or farming. The little village survived and relied heavily on those farmers for their animals and crops; those who did not tend to a field, nor care for their livestock, made their wares some other way. Some were skilled at baking, others at mending and fashioning clothing for those who could afford to buy something new for their Sunday best. Others were lucky enough to be of enough talent to entertain those who lived in a nearby town with their song or their graceful ballet. 

The really lucky ones? 

Well, they didn't have to work at all. For they lived a life of luxury; of shining jewelry, of beautiful clothing and shoes, and perhaps the most precious gift of them all: time. Time to do as they pleased, to visit new places and pause to admire their surroundings. Time to spend with their family, their friends and to enjoy the life they were given. I was somewhat inwardly jealous of these lucky souls, but of course, I shouldered these feelings down deep. I was happy with the life that had been chosen for me, I knew it could always be worse. 

I could end up a slave to a Lycan. 

Only Lycans could afford the life of luxury aforementioned, it was ever so rare for a human to see beyond the illustrious walls surrounding the fabled Lycan city. The City of Farkas was where the rulers of Inhatia lived, King Callan and his fiercely loyal pack of wolves. No-one I knew, not even our grandmothers or our grandfathers had ever seen a lycan from the City. We had lycans living in our villages and towns, to keep us from causing trouble, but to see a lycan from the City would surely be a great honour. 

Well...for some I suppose it would. Me? Hardly. 

I ceased my thoughts as I quickly brushed through my long, tangled locks of deep, brunette hair and tied it in a braid down my back. I swept the silly, little baby flyaways from my face and secured them with a little bobby pin I kept on my nightstand. I knew by looking at the desk clock that I would have to run through the market square at a rather fast pace to keep from being late, but daydreaming once again took my mind wandering to places it shouldn't. I dressed hastily, a simple, plain, grey cotton dress, that I could slip over my underthings without any fiddly corset to tie, was often my clothing of choice on a working day. Not that I had many dresses or skirts to choose from. 

The final part of dressing was to place my feet into my work shoes, a rather ugly brown pair from ones fashionable point of view, but they were rather comfortable and I would need that from standing most of the day. As I was late, there would be no breakfast this morning and my mother would have left already at five am, to help my Nanna at her farm a couple of miles away. I was asked to work there, but my hands were not meant for the soil, nor rearing livestock, but for baking. One may say I have a knack for baking the sweetest bread, but really it was my fluffy, light raspberry sponge that had customers lining up out of the door. I always added a little more sugar than the recipe called for, but I believed we all needed a little more sweetness in our lives. 

I left our little home, locking the door behind me and placing the key into the pocket of my dress. Walking down the road, towards the village square, it was bustling with life. 

"Good Morning Josephina!"

"Well how do you do Josie?"

"It's a beautiful day isn't it?"