renascentem

the agora

A pesky ray of sunshine snuck through a hole in the trapdoor, shining directly onto Eleadora.  She awoke in the early hours of the morning, still tired but beginning to take notice of her other ailments.  Damon was still asleep on the floor and she could not help but notice how different he looked.  She was able to truly look into his facial features.  Dark hair sprawled across his forehead, skin tanned by the sun, and the strong, pointed features of the southern provinces.  Arched, bushy eyebrows, almond-shaped eyes, the well-defined jaw, and full lips were incongruent to his pronounced nose.  He looked younger, she noticed.  Almost innocent. 

Before he awoke to her staring, she climbed up the ladder as quietly as possible. The sun was low in the sky as the bustling city awoke lazily. Since she was in the abandoned part of town, the outline of the forest was in view beyond some houses. All other sides of the town were surrounded by trading routes and farmland, but the untouched forest wrapped its ivy and weeds around the destitute part of town. There were some rolling fields, full of weeds and shrubs, then a thick line of trees. Eleadora skillfully navigated her own path. The morning fog sat peacefully in the air as she traversed the greenery. A few ways ahead, she found a pool of spring water in a small clearing. Making sure no one was following her, she stripped her clothes and dove into the cool water. A sigh escaped her lips as weeks of destitution, sweat, and city smog were cleaned from her skin and hair. She picked some nuts and berries from bushes nearby and ate as she foraged, quieting the angry growls from her stomach. The flavor was sweet and comforting, leaving a nostalgic taste on her tongue.

By the time the sun was almost fully in the sky, she felt like a new person. Freshly washed, hair plaited back, clean clothing, and satisfied from her foraged goods, she trekked back into town as quietly as she left.  Peeking inside the trapdoor, Damon was still asleep in the same spot she had left him, sprawled lazily on the floor.  She contemplated why she was even going back down the ladder in the first place; she was free to leave, was she not?

As she climbed down the ladder and closed the door, Damon murmured lightly in his sleep. 

"Must you leave so soon... mistress..."He drawled with his eyes closed.

Eleadora rolled her eyes and whispered, "I cannot believe I spent the night under the roof of such filth."

By the knowing smirk on the edge of his lips, Eleadora could tell he was awake and already messing with her. 

"Not a mistress at all," He said with disappointment, then yawned sarcastically, "Good morning to you too, Lady Eleadora."

She threw her forage bag at him as she tidied up the cot she had slept in.  He groaned and examined it curiously.

"What's this?"

Eleadora replied sheepishly, "Breakfast.  To show gratitude to my welcoming host."

He opened the bag and barely hid the look of disdain, "This is breakfast to you? No wonder you're so small."

She frowned.  That was how everyone saw her.

"Are these even edible?" He asked.

She nodded haughtily, "Of course they are.  Why would I bring you poisonous berries?"

Though, a few reasons did come to mind. Still, he hesitated.

"I ate some before this and haven't died yet."

He shrugged and tossed the bag on a table, "Let's get you some real food.  I'm starving."

-

Eleadora still felt very wrong about this. Following around the young vagabond and doing his bidding.  He led her into the town agora, the busiest market in the entire southern region, with a smirk on his face.  She tried to avoid eye contact with everyone around her, though she could not imagine they would pay attention to one girl out of the hundreds in the crowd.  The stalls were filled with goods she had never seen in Pandeus and artisanal products that only Lord Paulos had used.  Exotic fruits, heaps of fish, endless patterns of fabrics, fragrant lye, flowers, and other merchandise that made her head spin.  Damon navigated the streets as easily as she navigated the forest that morning, calmly and quietly.