solace in the sky

chapter one: under

march, 840

once i counted out the obscene amount of money and put it in a pouch, i put away the rest in another pouch along with my dagger, so i wouldn't appear threatening. i took my time, making my way to one of the exits out of the underground, and approached the fee collector at the base of the stairway.

"whaddaya want, missus?" his voice was garbly and hoarse, and a cigar was hanging out of his mouth.

i took a deep breath, doing my best to keep any possible conflict out of my reach. "i want out, please." i nodded at the stairway.

"got enough to do that?" he pointed at the paper on which the fee amount was written, which was hung on the wall.

"i sure do." i pulled out the pouch and held it out to him. "i'll count it out too, if you feel the need," i offered softly, trying to make sure i stay in his good graces.

"hmm..." he took the pouch from me and held it, shifting it a little in his hands. he then opened it and looked inside, prodding at the coins. there was very obviously about 10% more money there than was actually required -- not that the fee collectors would never try to scam you. "you're good, missus." he said, nodding at me.

"thanks." i nodded at him back, grabbing a couple more coins from my pocket and holding them out to him. "make sure nobody follows close behind?"

he glanced at me, then at the money, and back again. "yes'm." he took the coins from my hands and gestured to the stairway.

i thanked him again, my heartbeat increasing in speed as soon as i knew i was cleared to walk up the stairway. there were a few stairways that led to the aboveground, but this one was the most under the radar, and the smallest. i started walking up the steps, making sure to keep my head on a swivel, holding my belongings close. i was taking deep breaths to keep myself composed, the air becoming fresher and the steps becoming more damp as i made my way up.

i eventually was face to face with frigid air, foliage, and what i assumed was rain. i blinked and adjusted to the markedly pale light, looking up the most beautiful thing i'd been faced with in my 17 years. the sky. the hoardes of thoughts pressing on the back of my head released for just a moment, as my eyes met the cloudy sky, dimly lit with the nearly full moon, one of the many the celestial bodies that i had only heard of from books i managed to get my hands on.

i managed to tear my eyes away from the sky for a second to push my way through the bushes that were situated right outside of the exit. i seemed to be behind a line of houses that nearly looked abandoned, but i still did my best to stay quiet and out of the way.

after what seemed like an hour of wandering, i decided to take a seat at a bench that faced a small body of water, which was situated under some trees, a minor distance from a dense part of the town. i took a good look around. i had yet to run into anyone, which i was grateful for. i took my backpack off and made sure i had everything -- a few changes of clothes, two bars of soap, a toothbrush, a comb, my dagger, my favorite book, a half a loaf of bread, and the money i had been saving for years. clenching my jaw, i pocketed a few coins from my pouch and shove the rest to the bottom of my backpack. years of suffering... hopefully this will keep me going for at least a few months. i unbraided and combed through my hair, which was drenched.

'make sure to keep that pretty hair of yours long... we don't get redheads around here often.'

i swallowed thickly and stared at the raindrops slamming themselves into the pond. shut up. shut up. shut up. i rebraided my hair, managing to keep my mind blank, but still tugging to where it hurt.

i checked my pocketwatch. 1:13 AM. i slept until about 8 PM the evening previous so i'd be able to stay alert through the night and scout out a safe place to make myself comfortable, but in all honesty, i was in a foreign environment -- i was far from comfortable. had someone managed to follow me? would i stick out from the rest? if i did, would i be welcomed? either way, i felt on edge. i pulled my hood over my head and got my book out, and hoped i could read until dawn.

-----

my eyes had scanned the same page over and over when the sun had graced the edges of the sky. the rain had died a while ago; a heavy mist which resembled the cigar smoke that would hang in the corners of my room suspended itself over the pond. the beginning rays of sun cut through it with multicolored blades. i thought the sky couldn't get any prettier, but here it was, baffling me once again. i shifted in my seat and felt the effects of sitting in the same spot for five hours. i looked down at my book, its pages warping at the corners a little from the humidity. i shut it and put it in my backpack, then stood up. i stepped on a small stick and snapped it, and as the sound echoed even in such a small area, i heard all kinds of little things stirring. i saw birds bouncing on the branches and squirrels scampering up the trees. i shouldered my backpack and made my way to a more dense area, hoping to find some sort of market.

i took another deep breath to compose myself. the air smelled so fresh, a gentle reminder that my pain didn't weigh on my senses anymore, though there was still an open wound deep within me. as i got closer to the fresh bustle of the morning crowds, i was thankful that i didn't recognize a soul. but it also felt kind of lonely, in an odd way.