Amidral: No Promises Exist

Aftermath

Year 386 A.D.M. (After the Dark Monarchy)

Tash was checking a list of provisions while Gideon and the other men helped unload the carriage. It was around midday, and everything had been relatively calm until the quick steps of approaching heels caught their attention.

"Boys!" It was Devika.

"So you finally decide to show up. Don't bother, we're almost done here..." said Gideon, still moving the boxes.

"Oh, stop whining! I have my reasons. Besides, I'm performing tonight. I don't think taking the morning off is such a big deal."

Gideon kept grumbling while Tash shook his head. The clock in the square chimed 11:45 a.m.; it was too late to take the morning off, and Charlie was nowhere to be seen.

After the dance, they hadn't mentioned it. Every time Tash tried to ask, Charlie would frown and fall silent. Other times, an emergency would arise, and the princess had to attend to her duties. One look was all it took for him to help her excuse herself from any situation with the boys or the tavern. It wasn't fair, but he wanted to believe she would tell him everything in due time. But the clock kept ticking, and his patience was running thin.

Finally, Charlie appeared, walking slowly down the long eastern road. She had a distant look in her eyes, her head bowed low. She wore a long yellow dress with a wide sun hat. To someone else's eyes, she would have seemed like a sad girl passing through the street shops at noon. But it was Tash who was watching. He remembered the first time he'd seen her, wearing an extravagant and expensive dress, too uncomfortable for a girl her age, yet serene and complementary to her beauty. Back then, he had only been struck by the oddity of someone like her being in the middle of the woods. But the memory lingered, and today, for the first time in 17 years, he felt a déjà vu.

"Hey, guys..." Her voice was as dull as her expression.

"Well, look at that, another one who thinks they can skip work!" Gideon protested.

"Don't start. Charlie's working tonight too, and she promised to pull a double shift," Devika defended her.

"Well, you'll need more than that. You've been absent a lot this week."

"Yeah... sorry, I've had some problems at home."

They didn't ask any more questions, and the day moved on. That night, the tavern was packed as usual. The performances went on, though Charlie's stories were a bit darker. When they closed, she quickly said goodbye and started walking slowly back to her house. Devika and Gideon waited for Tash to finish closing up the tavern.

"It's strange... now that I think about it, I don't know where Charlie lives," the dancer mentioned.

"There's no harm in asking, but if she's having trouble at home, I don't think it's the right time to visit her," the cook said.

"Who said anything about visiting?"

At Devika's suggestion, Tash dropped his keys.

"I just want to know where she lives. It's not bad, considering we're friends."

"And act like stalkers?" Gideon protested.

"Come on! We have a right to know where she lives. Besides, this is a small town. If we ask around about her house, we'll find out more than what she's hiding."

"That's enough," Tash spoke up this time. "She already told us, she lives in a cabin in the woods, alone since her mother died."
"If she lives alone, why did she say she had problems at home?"