Into Another Time

Clearing The Air

"How about him over there?"

We all look to the direction Eloise pointed, towards the blacksmith stall, where I guess you went if you needed the blacksmith. An average bloke of about 20 was kneeling down, blowing through the hollow tubes of a bellow to light up the furnace, placed above the iron. His wild, long, shaggy, chestnut brown hair fell on his browbone and the side of his oblong face. He was wearing the characteristic long tunic that came upto his knees, and loose trousers with worn-out shoes. Sweat formed on his face as he blew into the tube and he wiped off both the sweat and his long hair out of his face. There was no doubt that life was hard in the Middle Ages. Men toiled on the fields or like this, women got married and had to bear the burden of the household and dozens of children. I wondered if it was the same for the rich class or slightly better.

"He is an apprentice in Mr Will's shop. His name is Simon. Not that bad looking, you know?", Eloise winked at me.

" Erm..no. Thanks, but he isn't quite my type", I said.

"Then what is your type?"

" I..haven't figured it out yet"

" Well time is running out, girlie"

I turned to Amelia, helplessly, silently begging her to get me out of this situation. She understood and hastily concluded our meeting," Well, we have to get going", she said and waved bye to them. " Bring her along whenever we meet Amelia. Nice seeing you, Emma", Eloise smiled. Mille also enthusiastically smiled at me," Yes, likewise Emma"

" Same for me, I'll see you", I waved to them, catching up to Amelia who was walking ahead. " Did you like Eloise and Mille?", she warmly asked me," Of course! The older girl was very vivacious", I commented. Her eyebrows furrowed," Mille? No, she's usually the quieter one. Eloise is the energetic one"

" Eloise isn't the older one?"

" No!, Eloise is 16. Mille is 19, like she said"

" Wow, she looks pretty young. Who would have guessed Eloise was the younger one, even younger than us", I whistled.

" And she is getting married", I added, in disbelief.

" Yes but it's very normal. Girls usually marry between 16-19. Sometimes younger, but it's usually between 16-19, and anything above that is as good as an old spinster"

"Have you thought about your and my 'marriage' problem?", I inquired.

" That's why I am taking you where I am taking you. You'll understand", she replied.

We kept walking for sometime before the familiar site of red blossom trees and beautiful greenery filled my sight. It was the same place I had met Amelia and Barrett yesterday, Rose garden!. Now that I was more relaxed, I admired the enchanting beauty of this place more. You could lie in the grass and forget all your troubles or sit in the orange resting place in between the garden. The pond just added the finishing touch to this magical place. But right now I was confused why Amelia had brought me here.

" This is Rose garden!. Why are we here?", I asked Amelia, confused.

She smiled mischievously," Why? I can't bring you to this garden?"

" You can but-"

"Relax, Emma. I have brought you here to discuss and clear our situation with my other half", she laughed and turned to the resting house and waved. I turned to see who she was waving to and it was none other than Barrett who was waving back. As he walked towards us,I noticed that he had slightly formed biceps, and a buff body and he was on the larger side for a 17-year-old boy. And like I had mentioned before, he looked well beyond his years. Although when he opened his mouth, he seemed no older than Amelia. I guess Amelia didn't have bad taste, afterall...