A Tale of Crown and Country

Reila

Obira wanted to show them around the city the next morning. Reila found her sitting at the table, finishing up some honey-water, bread, and strawberry jam. As soon as she entered the room the other girl jumped eagerly to her feet. She offered her an identical breakfast and waited not-so-patiently for her to finish her meal before whisking Reila off outside. Not wanting to impede on their gracious hosts, and seeing as they weren't paying for lodgings, Reila wanted to buy some supplies for the rest of their trip and some food for the Wairton family in Ilane. She now regretted voicing that decision to Obira because now the girl was almost pulling her out the door.

    Shoving the last of her bread down her throat, Reila followed her friend out the front door and onto the mildly busy backstreets of Ilane. She glanced up at the boys bedroom window; lights off, and she hadn't seen either of them this morning. Lucky, she silently pouted, they had slept in while she had laid in bed, tossing and turning since early in the morning when Obira had woken up at some insane hour. She'd given up and ambled downstairs, fully awake, only to find herself chased out the door on what Obira called "an adventure".

    Reila had all her and Castin's money with her in a small patterned purse. She wasn't sure how much anything might cost in the city, but she was sure it was more than in her provincial village. She patted the pouch to make sure it was still there on her belt. The leather strip was a gift from Olvier, and went nicely with her straight-cut green dress. She felt like she could move around more with it.

    She followed Obira down the darkened street, shaded from the morning sun by a row of taller buildings. Reila had to watch her feet as she walked lest she roll an ankle or something of the like. The cobblestones grew more and more uneven as they walked further from the house.

    "Are you sure we're going the right way?" she asked her friend who was a few steps ahead. Reila couldn't help but presume that the worse shape the street was in the more dangerous the area of town. She couldn't hear the hollering of any marketplace nor had they passed anyone in a little while. She didn't recognize any landmarks that may have indicated they were walking towards the main road that passed straight through town, and which they could follow to the central square. More than that she got the eery feeling someone was watching her. She didn't say it often, but she wished Castin were here; she would feel safer with him around. Even Yvid would have offered some support in this area of town.

    "Of course I'm sure," Obira said brightly, apparently not noticing the dark waters that swirled in ditches at the edges of the street.

    "I think we'd better turn back," Reila said warily. She kept her head on a swivel, now positive someone was lurking in the shadows. She noted the lack of alleys. Usually that was a good sign, but it also meant there was no way for them to cut across to another street; they had to continue along Obira's chosen path.

    "We're almost there," Obira said, though this time not quite so merrily.

    "Obira," she complained, "you have absolutely no idea where we–" A dark figure barrelled into Reila, cutting off her words and knocking her to the ground. She hit the cobblestones hard, not knowing which way was up. In the tumult Obira had been frozen in place. As Reila recovered, righting herself on the ground, Obira recovered as well, running to her friend with cries of surprise. But Reila was less concerned with herself than the fact that her purse was missing. The purse containing all her and Castin's money for their travels. Reila tried pointing this out to Obira, but the girl was much more concerned with her well-being than whatever she was shouting.

    "Obira!" she cried, gripping the girl by the arms to focus her. "My purse is missing!"

    "Your..." her eyes went wide with concern as she registered the words.