The Last Light of Ellium

Chapter 2

Enir slowly opened the door, peeking his head out to ensure that the coast was clear, before ushering his sister out. The tunnel had ended in what seemed to be the side of a small hill now covered in moss and vines. They could hear the sounds of the central market square somewhere in the distance, but, looking around, all they saw was similarly foliage-covered hills. Enir glanced around for a few moments before grabbing Kataia's hand and leading them in the direction he assumed to be the market. 

As they drew closer to the hustle and bustle, the siblings began to smell the square as well as hear it. One step, they could smell warm and freshly baked pie. Another step, the scent of freshly caught fish, filled their nostrils. Another block and they caught the wafting smell of warm fresh bread. Every step was a new smell to take in, and as they rounded a corner, the sight was just as spectacular. 

The whole market square was alive with activity. Everywhere they looked, there were people, some selling goods, some buying, and some just hurrying from stall to stall to collect what they needed. There were stalls set up all along the road, some open and some with fabrics draped atop, but, of whatever kind, stalls filled all the open space around the road. There was not an inch of unclaimed sidewalk space, which meant that people were fighting with horses and the occasional carriage for walking space. In the short time that they had been standing there, Enir had seen a woman in a plain brown baker's apron nearly squashed by a horse and carriage barreling through the cobblestone streets. 

His eyes, however, eventually drifted towards the smell of pie. He knew it wasn't the best breakfast meal, but it smelled so good. The cherries smelled sweet and fresh, and he couldn't resist. Enir bent down to Kat, before they submerged themselves in the crowded and busy streets, and stressed, "You have to stay close to me okay? I don't want you to get lost in all of this, so promise me you'll hold my hand or my coat or something so that we don't get separated?" Kat barely acknowledged him as he spoke, her eyes as big as saucers trying to take in everything at once, but she nodded and balled up the end of his coat in her little fist. Satisfied that she understood, the siblings took off into the craziness of early morning in the city center.

Enir did his best to navigate two people through the calamity that filled this place, weaving and ducking and occasionally elbowing people to get through the throng of people all going different directions. Halfway down the street, he'd realized that they had somehow gotten turned around in the crowd and were headed back the way they'd come. With a palpable groan of frustration, he did an about-face and continued to shove through more people, trying to keep his head down and cursing himself for not thinking to bring a hat or something for an actual disguise. 

After what felt like hours, he finally made it to the front of a small haphazard stall made of what seemed to be scrap wood fitted together with a hodgepodge of nails, glue, and sheer will power. It looked worn but not unpleasant, and the smell wafting into his nose more than made up for the presentation of the stand. Having taken in the appearance of the stand, Enir's eyes came to rest on an older gentleman with mostly grey hair and kind brown eyes. This man had clearly been working all of his life; he sported calloused hands, a time-worn face, and a warm smile as he noticed the two siblings. 

Enir began to ask about the pies when he was cut off abruptly by his extremely overzealous little sister, "Hello! My name is Kat and this is my big brother. Your pies smell so good, especially the cherry. Cherry pie is my favorite, and it's my birthday and I would really really like a cherry pie to celebrate! Oh, my Gods! I'm so sorry, I forgot to say good morning! Good morning, and how do you do?" Enir barely held in an exasperated sigh, "So much for undercover," he thought to himself. He started to give Kat a reproachful look, but when he saw how excited she was, he just couldn't reprimand her for her lack of a filter. 

The man looked down at Kat, who only came to eye level with the pies, and he too smiled at this excited ball of energy. He chuckled warmly, and Enir was inexplicably more at ease. "Well, Kat," the man's voice somehow seemed to embody his essence perfectly: deep, slow, relaxed, and friendly. "I am doing alright today. It is lovely to meet you both, and I would be more than happy to grab you a cherry pie if that's what you would like?" 

Both the man and Kat looked up at Enir with the expectation of payment. "Like I could say no to her anyway," thought Enir to himself. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold coin and handed it over to the baker. Almost immediately, he noticed his error as the baker's eyes went wide and his calm demeanor was shaken, "S-sir, I can't... this is far too much for just a pie!" "Nonsense, you've been kind to my sister and me this morning. Consider it a thanks and a promise of continued patronage," Enir smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Just take the money and say thank you," Enir willed the man internally. He had been wary of making a scene, and he feared that he had done exactly that. 

The baker still looked somewhat shaken but didn't say anything more about the coin. Instead, he asked Kat to help him pick out the perfect cherry pie for her. Enir tuned out their conversation, instead, focusing on the people around them to see whether they had drawn any unwanted attention. Feeling satisfied that no one else was interested in their affairs, he turned back to see that Kat had chosen the biggest cherry pie available. She held it in both arms and was grinning like a maniac. Enir couldn't help but smile along. 

He looked back at the baker and stuck out his hand, "Thank you...?" "Yoderick, sir. My name is Yoderick Vasselheim." Enir smiled stiffly, "Thank you Yoderick, and may we meet again." Yoderick grabbed Enir's hand and shook it firmly. "By the blessing of the Gods, I hope we do..." he lowered his voice to a whisper, "your excellency." Yoderick smiled at the siblings. Kataia beamed at him and Enir did his best to plaster a grin on his face. The baker winked at them as they turned to leave, which left Enir even more on edge. 

They were not supposed to be spotted, and he was concerned about the trouble that it could cause for them if they had been noticed by the wrong people. He looked down at his sister who was completely oblivious to any danger that they might be in and was skipping with her pie humming an old nursery rhyme. "For her sake," he thought, "I'll push through just a little longer, and then we can go home." 

The siblings ended up stumbling into a more or less secluded spot near the edge of the market. There was a very narrow alley between two old buildings. On one end of the alley was the market and on the other was a very steep hill. The entire market seemed to sit on top of a large hill that was somewhat visible from the castle walls. 

The two siblings crammed into the alleyway, sitting at the edge of the drop off to enjoy the view. By this point, the sun had burned off any remaining fog and mist from the night prior and was in the process of warming the valley. However, for this one blessed moment, the entire world was just Enir, back plastered against the cool stone wall, and Kataia happily sprawled opposite her brother, eating cherry pie and watching life pass by without royal responsibilities.