Shards of Silver

ONE

Isren could hardly remember the last time she had been allowed to attend the Caraian Festival, neither did she care as long as she was left alone. Her memories of attending the festival were fractured pieces of a puzzle that didn't necessarily fit in her mind, and the face of a man was always blurred when she did try to remember it. If she couldn't remember it, she accepted it and then moved on, amused at how quickly memories can be forgotten like leaves blown away by the wind.

Isren had never been a fan of social places, but she figured that standing in the crowd of party-goers was better than the social gathering she barely escaped from that was hosted by her aunt. Having been forced into a dress and mask that made her cheeks itch (which she later discarded as soon as she was out of the house) was not one of Isren's favorite pastimes, and she hoped she wouldn't be found out by her aunt or one of her colleagues. Men asking her about her day or what she was learning under her mother's tutoring in the medical business annoyed her. Especially when the men never really paid attention to her words but were rather infatuated with her looks and her piercing eyes, one silver the other gold, that both intimidated and drew people closer. Isren would have guessed that she would be used to the attention, but she wasn't. She doubted she ever will be.

The crowd of party-goers chattered with excitement as a large parade marched past with smiles of joy plastered on their faces and cheery, hearty laughs bubbling from their throats. Heavy fabrics and cloaks twirled in time with the upbeat tempo of the music that rang through the streets. Elven mages danced with the performers and cast spells of festive emotions in the air that lingered long after they marched past. Isren almost wanted to laugh along with the others around her, but she didn't and so she kept it in. Had there been different circumstances, she would have allowed herself the pleasure of celebration.

Isren stepped away from the abandoned buildings of the small town and drew her satchel closer to herself from underneath her cloak that hid her dress. She weaved her way through several trading booths, eyes searching for not a specific booth but an item in particular. Medicine booths were hard to come by, especially when masks, toys, and paper kites or lanterns were mostly being sold.

Although Isren had been longing for a night to herself, she frowned at her own unfortunate luck. The voice that kept calling her name was not one she wanted to hear, and the person who had that voice was definitely someone she had been trying to stay away from. Except, it didn't matter how long she kept trying to hide from him or how many excuses she came up with in her head, she could never get rid of him and that is what annoyed her deeply.

"Isren! Hey, Isren!" The girl being called turned her head towards the night sky, asking herself if she could change her name. It didn't matter though and the Greater Eysatixes who supposedly helped their fellow generations of elves did not really care enough about Isren to help her out.

"What?" She asked disinterestedly as Axel grinned at her, putting his hand on her shoulder to stop her from going towards the medicine booth she spotted as soon as he caught up to her.

"I didn't know you were going to come," Axel replied, unfazed from her annoyed expression. She shook off his hand and looked up at him, crinkling her nose at the smell of dead boar that just hung to him. He probably just finished his parting gift for his own family. It was another reason that Isren was at the festival. After the night ends and the new dawn rises, she wouldn't be home anymore. No, the Court was going to separate her class into sections of work they can do in the future depending if they had magic or not. It wasn't the separation that worried her, it was a certain job that she did not want that scared her the most.

"Does it matter?" She asked. Axel smirked at her and ruffled her hair. She swatted his hands away. She hated that she was shorter than the average Eysatix, elves who were the rulers of the land and dominated in every area, but to be shorter...it was embarrassing and a laughingstock.