Water's Reflection or Hero's Guilt

Chapter Eleven

          Bigwaters, the capitol city of the Seaside Province, was brimming with life; in the afternoon, people of all sorts flocked in the streets and markets, and there seemed to be an endless supply of merchants and merchandise. Whereas Redthorns suffered from the pirate attacks, Bigwaters' market still offered foods and spices from all over the globe. As if determined not to show their hurt, the people too, smiled happily and behaved as if ignorant of the dangers that threatened the great city.

          The most imposing structure of the town was, by far, the fort; since Bigwaters had no city wall, no towers to defend its borders, the fort was the first thing a traveler would see in the distance, to tell of the city's approach. It was something of an earlier time, when pirates, raids and war were more common. The fort, bigger than either one of Dew's castles, and much more fortified, was meant to withstand any kind of attack, be it by land or by sea. It did not offer any protection to the houses, streets and markets of Bigwaters, but its windows and towers did overlook the harbor, so archers would be able to rain arrows on any threat trying to land from ship.

          As for the streets of Bigwaters, they were cobblestone, wide enough to let two or perhaps even three wagons pass—meant for traders and the like. The whole town was meant for trade, ships coming in with spices and other goods from far away, ready to be carried to the rest of Wealthorn, through Bigwaters. Auction houses, merchant guilds and plenty of different markets—a fish market, animal market, weapons market and countless more—marked the different streets.

          June could hardly believe her eyes; though she had expected much of the city, not nearly this much! Maya too, enjoyed the sights more than a little. Adam and Terrance though, had seen all of this before, and behaved normally, though the former had to occasionally calm Lupine when she became overwhelmed or overexcited from all the people and animals. He also kept a weary eye on everyone, just in case. No one seemed to mind them though, and ignored them. After all, they were just another group of merchants, looking to get rich in the town.

          They did not linger on the markets, but passed through the town with a clear goal ahead: the docks. Terrance knew the way and did not need any help, or ask for direction. June admired it, since she'd most probably get lost several times over in the labyrinth of a city. She had yet to discover any sort of structure in the layout of the streets and squares, and suspected there was none at all. After all, Bigwaters had grown over time around the fort that protected the merchants, and no real plans had ever been made as to the most efficient structure of the buildings.

          The salty scent that hung in the streets was something that Terrance obsessed about; he kept emphasizing how good it smelled, and how much he'd missed the smell of the sea. Maya too, was rather excited about it, though she had never smelled it before. She asked about the beach, but Terrance would not take them to it.

          When they arrived at the harbor, it was unlike June ever imagined. She had heard of ships, read about them, and seen drawings and paintings of them. She had, however, never seen one in real life, nor ever seen some sort of harbor or dock. The sheer size of it astounded her, to see over a dozen of enormous vessels docked, not to mention all of the smaller ones. She stared at them for such a time, she did not notice how Terrance got off of the wagon and approached a man on the other side of the street. Only when Maya tugged at her sleeve did she see him talking—though she wasn't sure about what. They spoke for a while and the man pointed at the south side of the docks. Terrance muttered something to him, then left.