Fox Of Greed (Greedy Fox Book 1)

~~ THIRTY NINE ~~

One minute I was hand-in-hand with Leraj, cradling an overgrown fox toy that barely resembled one; next I was standing empty-handed in a crowded tavern that I had never been in before but was as familiar as my room back in Liones.

The sounds of the festival blurred away, replaced by the raucous shouts of the customers, and the dark night dissolved into sunlight that spilled through polished windows. I looked down at my hands expecting to find the toy at my feet only to find yellow gloves to my elbows. I flexed my fingers, utterly, horribly confused. My stomach churned and I was short of breath, vision blurry and spinning.

'Hey, Estra!" I snapped my gaze up and the room stopped running in circles.

None other than Elizabeth walked over to me, dressed in a ridiculous getup and carrying a plate of food.

Ridulous getup? No, she always wears that.... But surely not, she's a Princess... no, but remember, she's not a Princess, she's a runaway.

"Are you okay?" she questioned.

"I'm-I'm f-fine," I stammered out. Where had Leraj gone? This had to be a hallucination. I leaned back against the window, felt the cool glass heating slowly under the sun.

A very real hallucination.

"Oh, Estra." Meliodas appeared in front of me, carrying two plates in hand. Meliodas, Captain of the Seven Deadly Sins. The man who killed...my...parents?

No, that wasn't right. My parents were foxes a thousand years in the past. Why do I think Meliodas killed my parents? Meliodas probably wasn't around then. My parents most likely died of natural causes.

While that caused an awful ache to begin in my chest, I worried more about the confusion in my head. It was like there were two versions of me and I was stuck in the middle. I tried thinking back to what I'd been doing before now but I was blanking, not even able to conjure half a thought on the matter.

Someone snapped their fingers in front of my face and I reeled my wandering mind back to reality. "What?" I snapped.

"You away with the fairies there, Estra? Come on, there's work to be done," Meliodas said, pulling off my gloves with one hand and thrusting the plates towards me with the other. I juggled them awkwardly, trying not to lose the sausages that rolled in each direction.

"But, Meliodas, I don't-"

"Oh yeah, I think you're in need of a new uniform," he mused, totally ignoring me which irked. "I found your other one outside the window."

I scowled and bared my teeth. "Seriously, I'm not wearing anything else you give me, Meliodas. You idiot." That part I said under my breath.

He whacked me on the head. "Hurry along. The customer's need their food."

Glaring daggers, I raised my head high and spun on my heel. "Some days, I don't know why I listen to you," I muttered and headed in the direction he pointed.

For the rest of the day, I served food and drink to men and women who entered the tavern. They were a lively bunch, I'd give them that. And rich too. My eyes caught each glint of gold thrown on the table for more drinks – I scooped them up and batted my eyelashes at them, a silent thanks for filling my pockets.

Well, the tavern's coffers but Meliodas probably wouldn't notice a shiny coin missing here or there. I rested against the counter, spent but pleased. Business was booming once again. Standing there, a warmth filled my abdomen. A sense of contentment, watching Meliodas, Hawk and Elizabeth interact with the patrons of the Boar's Hat Tavern.

A sense of relief.

In the back of my mind churned old memories, horrible memories that I wished were nightmares. I shook my head and pushed the regret away. I didn't matter anymore. I'd returned home to my friends. Everything I'd done, I would make up for it.