Cinderella vs. Happily Ever After

Chapter 19

            With the sun almost directly overhead, they found themselves on a road more travelled than the root and grass filled dirt track they’d been following. This road was pounded flat and had deep wheel ruts on either side. There were fewer birds and animals here but seeing the increasing amount of brown leaves amid the orange and yellow, Valerie thought it was more likely because they were hibernating rather than missing.

            They rounded a bend in the road and got their first sight of Berrymeet. Surrounded with fields, thick with crops or with grazing animals, the village was no more than tiny wooden squares with little curls of smoke wreathing around the tops of them. They could see slight movement by the tiny figures around the houses, but they were too far to see more than that.

            As they passed the third field, this one filled with sheep, they heard a shout from their left. They turned to see a man dressed in thick woollen clothes striding over to them, a brown and white dog frisking along beside them and something brown in one hand. They stopped and waited for him to stop at the wooden fence that edged the road. “You there,” the man demanded. “Who are you then?”

            Isaac saw Valerie’s chin go up and grabbed her arm before she could snap something stupid. “Travellers. We’re heading north-west. We were told by a friend we might find a place to get a hot noon meal here.”

            The man gripped his crossbow tighter, watching them with narrowed eyes. “You don’t sound Armithian.”

            “That is because we are not from Armith,” Miette replied.

            “Ifelian. You’ve got that accent. But these two, they don’t sound like they’re from anywhere around here. How do I know you’re not with them invaders?” He said, his dog leaning into his leg and growling, picking up its owner’s unease.

            “Oh to hell with this,” Valerie said, her hand reaching up.

           Isaac caught her arm and leaned down to hiss into her ear. “Don’t do anything stupid. For all we know that’s an act. You don’t know you can trust him.”

            She turned to meet his gaze, eyes steadier than he expected. “If we’re to find allies we’re going to have to trust people. And really, with Enax sending us here and godmothers mucking about with us, do you really think the first person we meet is going to be someone who’s going to betray us?”

            He released her and gave her an appraising look. “You’ve actually thought this through. I thought this was your usual, ‘screw it’ and ‘I’ll deal with the consequences later’ attitude.”

            She shook her head, her face serious. “We can’t afford that kind of mentality. Not if we’re going to win.”

            Isaac grinned and fanned himself with a hand, switching into a southern drawl. “Well I do declare! I think you’re growing up. We’ll make a proper woman of you yet.”

            The man was now openly glaring at them. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on or am I going to have to shoot the lot of you?”

            Valerie met his gaze calmly and pulled her wig off with one hand. “My name is Valerie Ash. This is Sir Isaac and Lady Miette. You might know me better as Lady Ruby. We’re here looking for allies. Got a lot of fighters here?”

            The man’s crossbow fell from fingers gone as slack as his mouth. Valerie glanced at the other two, shrugged, then returned her gaze to the staring man. “L-L-Lady R-Ruby? You…but that’s…my lady you…it’s dangerous!”

            “Everything’s dangerous. And if you’re me, everywhere is too. Look, can we meet with whoever’s in charge. Your mayor or whatever?” She said, pulling the wig back on. Isaac made a face and began rearranging it so it sat properly. She ignored him and his theatrical sighs.

            “I…well I suppose…the militia’s in the square now, arguing about things. We got some divided people. Maybe you can help. Just…there have been people here. Asking questions. They didn’t sound quite right either. They thought they did but…well we knew them for what they were. And they’re offering a lot of money for you, my lady. You might want to keep that fake hair on your head. No need to see if people’s good sense or greed is stronger. C’mon then,” he said, hopping the fence and whistling for his dog.

            They followed him down the road, watching as the little wooden boxes resolved themselves into wooden cottages, roofed with thatch or wooden shingles. The smell of wood smoke wound in and around the whole village, mixing with the fainter smells of fresh fruits and vegetables, baking bread, and animals. The few people out stared at them, watching as they passed through the neat lines of houses until they came to the square.

            Made of packed dirt and holding the town hall, inn, and temple, it was clearly the centre of both the village and its people’s lives. It was also where most of the village appeared to be, something they could tell by the sound alone well before they made it to the square.

            Raised voices shouted at each other, anger, fear, panic and worry only some of the emotions Valerie could hear in the cacophony of cries. When they finally made it to the square they could see militia members, easy to see in their green jackets, mixed with the regular villagers, half on one side, half on the other.

            “At least they’ve made the lines clear,” Isaac remarked casually.

            “This is ridiculous,” Valerie snapped, eyeing both sides with irritation. The bits she could pick out among the yells made the two camps clear. One side thought they should march to the capital to join the regular army, the other thought they should stay to defend their homes. Within each group there were obvious subgroups, each with their own idea of what should happen, but at the moment she considered them unimportant.

            Eyeing her glare and flushed cheeks, Isaac decided adding a bit more fuel would actually be beneficial. “Oh look, Val. They’ve left you nice spot in the middle should you decide to join. It’ll be like council meetings all over again.”

            That set the iron in her spine, lifted her chin, and set her eyes one fire. He followed behind, grinning, as she stalked towards the crowd, fists hanging at her sides. Their guide and Miette remained frozen where they were. Trying not to laugh, Isaac’s smile widened. Whatever else happened, this was going to be fun to watch.