Belladonna

7

Three years later

The city bustled with upcoming excitement. A hum of delight swept through the curious throng that littered the streets. There was buzzing electricity that circled the air.

The city was littered with people, all of them murmuring and giddy with the excitement of the morning. Large banners were strung between the houses that were bunched together. The city was a maze of streets, littered with cramped housing. They were made of stone, large staircases decorated the outside, showcasing the immense structures as works of art. Large creatures were painted on the walls in vibrant colors. Brightly colored lanterns were strung from the roof of one house to the roof across the street. Once the night sky was illuminated by the moon, the lanterns would provide a dramatic light on the roads.

The cobblestone pathways were thronged by an assortment of creatures. People with different wares to sell were busy at their little shops along the roadway. The sound of exchanging money and haggling customers took over the square. Laughter from little children pierced the air, as their pattering feet met the ground in a joyous display of merriment.

The men and women were all dressed in their finest array of colorful clothing. Many thronged to the center of the city where the call for excitement seemed to originate. A man sat on a white horse in the middle of the area, a great smile plastered on his features. He was an abnormally short man, with long, thick blonde hair that hung in ringlets along his shoulders. Great big eyes claimed the majority of his pear-shaped head and they stuck out like a sore. The man smiled and laughed with other men around him, obviously enjoying the joy he was giving to his people. He would look kindly upon them as he bent to accept a rose from a little girl. The happy people would not notice the woman and the old man, traveling up the square very slowly. The man looked decrepit as he limped beside the fair young woman. She was tall, thin, and had raven black hair that was pulled back into a tight braid, skimming down her back. Her long thin face was exposed to the sun as freckles dotted her complexion. Dark lashes batted against the white skin of her face and hid the stunning blue eyes well. She appeared to be strong and confident as she assisted the old man, who gripped her arm forcefully. His redwood cane clapped against the cobblestone ground, but the noise was lost in the roar of the crowd.

Their king was speaking in the plaza as he brought his beautiful queen out to them. Their eyes sparkled in intense love for the beautiful woman. Her red hair was cut short against her head, stunning pure white skin, and her height made her be an illustrious object of desire. The thing that caught the majority of attention were her eyes. Pure white orbs filled the spot that her eyes would hold. Her lips and lashes were also as pure white as her eyes. She was an entrancing beauty, filled with mystery. Her voice was melodic as it rose above the shouts of the crowd, clearly lulling them under a trance in her presence. All of the creatures in the plaza stilled under her voice, except the two strangers.

The strangers continued their slow travel through the streets. They seemed to not register the woman speaking nor did they stop to listen. Instead, they made their way into a little tea store. They seemed oblivious to the white-hot glare they received from the queen.

The young woman assisted the elderly man into a chair near the front of the store. It was a quaint little shop with a lot of strange plants filling the room with a peculiar aroma. The back wall was littered with little jars on the shelves, the little jars containing the teas. Cream walls gave the room a homey feeling, with the wooden tables and chairs reminding you it was a place of business.

The young woman was busily browsing through the teas as the old gentleman gazed out the window. He had a distant look in his pale grey eyes, almost reminiscing of a different time.

"What do you think of this one?"

The young woman plopped into one of the brown chairs and held out a little white bag to him. With frail hands, he gently took it from her and gave it a sniff through his crooked nose.