unraveled

esterham

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          Acelius was standing at the stern, his hands were on the wheel of the ship guiding it towards a dock where men already stood, waiting, seeming eager to parade them with schemes and dirty-toothed smiles. Oh, thought Nia. It's his ship. She was suddenly aware of every time she had dearly clung onto the railing or the spars or the rigging or touched one of the fluttering silks. Does that mean he's the Captain? She didn't know what to do with this information but apparently her mind did as it brought up questions. Then why was he out on the snow? Was he trying to sail away with that man for Esterham who had been stabbed? Did he know who had stabbed him? Nia sat there unknowingly glaring at his back hard enough to burn skin, her brows furrowed desperately trying to work out explanations. The performers milled around her, churning out her thoughts from her head. The world whispered to her, wake up to see the city you've dreamt about. The ship lurched and stopped. They were here. Seagulls flew overhead and the smell of fish was everywhere. Skender and the boy somehow had managed to pull out the big crate that stored everything the circus as a collective owned. She wondered what had happened to the horse and bull. She pulled out her quilt bag from the crate that held a few clothes and went to the room she'd been staying if it could be called that. Nia stuffed the cloak in the bag and looked out of the window a last time. The bay was glittering before her in the sunlight. It was just how Calix had said it would be. She felt dread and eagerness mingle as she took a last look at herself and left. The quilt bag quietly bobbed against her hip as she walked down the gangplank, the boy behind her. He was obliviously happy. Unknowingly home. 

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        Esterham was just the way she had thought it would be. The streets were cobblestone and there were people everywhere. People hanging out from windows, people hanging out from doors, people running in the streets, people talking. The docks had been a flurry of activity, sailors complaining about their catches or excited merchants ready to send off heavy shipments of Kils'oj in return for just as heavy pouches of Jusar. The air was tinted in wealth, the smell of thick butter and blooming flowers even in a city made of concrete. The people were happy. Nia wouldn't be surpirised if she saw angels in the sky above. Somewhere ahead of them, the palace would stand glittering, like a jutting diamond. On some turns she thought she saw a spire but she couldn't be sure. Houses lined the streets hugging each other, every one of them painted in chipping shades of light blue, or pink or yellow. Girls ran with flowing dresses and merchants walked around in black suits even in the heat. Horses drew carriages and every so often she saw one with a blue roof with a circle and five lines stamped on it.

          Guards were everywhere but they weren't an overbearing presence. They held arms but they also held arms, smiling and mingling with the people in a way that didn't seem to be unprofessional but more the way it should be. But even their familial nature couldn't put Nia's heart at ease. Each step seemed like a step towards paradise but also a step towards doom. Nia thought that the two weren't that different from each other. She also felt swirling shades of betrayal for Cervaux. That was a land, a village she had cherished her entire life. A place that had more meaning and worth to her than her own life. And here she was, yucking it up with Esterham like an impudent leech. This place is pretty and nice and it may appeal to my eyes but Cervaux is my heart, she said to herself.

         The Joker walked purposefully in front of her, the boy somewhere behind her back. Acelius walked nearby but she didn't dare turn her head. Why is he walking with a circus group when he is a Captain of a ship? she asked herself. From a break in the houses, she saw a parallel street where people in uniforms marched by, playing trumpets. A huddle of guards followed them, their steps neatly lined and their backs stamped with the symbol of Caraca. She couldn't help but feel regret and remorse as she thought of her uniform in Ayrith, and the infinitely more precious one she was meant to own as an Auctor. Shop doors jingled ahead of her as a cloaked figure walked out of them. They wore a thick, black draping fabric even in the summer heat. She felt herself sweat more just thinking about it. The shadow's steps were graceful in a way even the lump of cloth couldn't hide. The figure slowed and looked around. They were hiding from something. Or someone.

          She looked around to see if anyone else noticed him, but the performers were either staring at the tops of their shoes, or glaring at the blue sky above. She turned around to see that the figure had disappeared just as the street they were walking in opened to a square. A town square. A clockwork tower stood at one end, overlooking everything with its glassy face. A fountain sat snuggly in the middle of it all, spewing water out of what looked like... a man's rear end, she noticed with distaste that was suddenly replaced with laughter. She instantly wanted to know the story behind it, the way the Royals felt about it, what their laughs sounded like when they looked at it. The gears in her mind lazily turned, looking for a story with hunger. Around the fountain was open space, cobblestone spreading out in waves that lapped upto shops and offices that stood guard around the square. Cervaux had a town square a little miles away where she used to go to listen to Calix talk about Esterham and perhaps this very town square but as Nia had suspected, his words had done her a massive injustice. Once again, people milled around and she noticed that everyone talked to everyone. There was no sense of otherness here. Everything belonged exactly where it was, everyone where they were supposed to be in a vital order that if disturbed seemed to have the power to wreck the entire balance of the universe. Horses milled around licking at the hem of dresses of the women closest to them or the little yellow flowers that sprung between the stones. Nia was painfully aware of Acelius in her peripheral vision. He walked a few steps in front of her, hands in pockets. She caught the glint of his glasses every now and then. His hair shone brightly as if in a personal battle with the sun of who can shine brighter? A challenge he somehow seemed to be winning. 

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Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed!! The header image isn't exactly how I imagine Esterham or  but it comes pretty close, just add vines and chip the paint a tad. VOTE AND COMMENT AND COME BACK FOR THE NEXT PART!! thank you for reading <3