Chapter Text
The world was many things, but kind it was not.
All his life, Chilchuck had thought he was quite lucky. Being taller than the average half-foot, having good parents, and the best part of his life was that he had married one of his childhood friends, whom he had three daughters with. The cherry on top was that he had honed his craft as a locksmith too.
He had it all.
So... What went wrong?
That was the question that plagued him as he travelled on his own with the weight of his pack threatening to topple him over on the path. He hadn’t slept, not that he could since he was tortured by the very letter he had come home to.
He supposed he ran out of the luck he thought had been so blessed with.
In the letter, it was clear as day that she was going to live close to her own parents. It was the only thing in the letter that made him drop to the floor. Chilchuck couldn’t recall what exactly he felt, too overwhelmed by the feeling of suddenly being alone and the tears that came along with it.
There were no other choices for him, he couldn’t stay there any more. The place that was once filled with warmth and smiles was now desolate. Empty. He sold it to a new half-foot couple, gave away some of his belongings and kept only what he could bring with him on his journey. It was too painful to look back, and his parents had already passed so there was nothing else that would make him stay.
Even when he reached the Northern Kingdom, he still couldn’t stop the question from whispering to him in the dark during his nights at the inn and persisted in haunting his mind even when he had found a job and a small apartment.
It only stopped after two dreadful years of starting over.
Despite being a half-foot, he was able to build a small, but loyal, clientele. It was just enough for him to live comfortably in the city, enough to buy himself a two-story home. He stuck to his speciality in locks on the first floor, with the second to be his living quarters. It seemed like some of his luck had decided to return with the fact that everything in the Northern Kingdom was much bigger than that of the Eastern Continent he was from.
It was a perk of being small, as much as he begrudgingly hated to admit it, and he had buried the memories of being dismissed by so many tall-men to the depths of his mind... Though even that was hard to ignore as part of his every day life.
There were more downsides to his life in the city, another being that all the shops sold clothing that was far too big. Often enough, he had found himself attempting to alter the clothes he bought from said shops, or pricking his fingers often while trying to make properly sized clothes from scratch.
Sometimes he would give up and go to bed, then attempt it again the very next evening on his off hours from tending to the shop. It was an unfortunate cycle but it was entirely worth it in the end to be able to make something decent.
Other times, well... He let his curiosity get the better of him.
The style of fashion for tall-men was interesting, but it was what the women wore that really caught his eye. He was more accustomed to the simpler clothing of the half-foots so he never really paid much attention to it, but the dresses of the North were a sight to behold.
Like the tall-man and woman in front of him, a couple that had entered his shop just after lunch to seek his aid in pick-locking a box they had lost the key to, they were both dressed in a high quality fabric. He wasn’t sure exactly what it was, but its texture looked like fresh milk. The woman’s dress was meticulous, well-designed and it stirred something in Chilchuck’s heart.
“So?” The man spoke up suddenly, “Will it be possible to have this opened?”
Chilchuck gave the man a glance, and inspected the lock on the ornate box more closely before giving him a nod. “It seems like a simple enough mechanism, I can try and open it for you now.”
“Please do.”
Chilchuck began to work on the box, being careful to not break his tools as he listened for those soft clicks from within the lock. While he worked, the couple were conversing with one another... Something about a ball at the castle?
The box opened with an audible click, and Chilchuck presented it to the couple. He smiled at seeing their faces light up. They paid him for his service with extra. The woman happily pulled out a pair of earrings that were inside, again mentioning the ball once again. Once the couple left the shop, Chilchuck cleaned up and closed for the rest of the day.
They had been far too generous, but most wealthy people didn’t really care about how much money they’d spent as long as they got a good result in the end. Since it was such a good day, Chilchuck happily made his way to the market.
On his way home, he noticed a small crowd gathering at the notice board. Usually it would be filled with job postings, wanted posters and small events happening within the city, but today was different. The crowd was staring at a large parchment paper pinned to the board in the middle. From the murmurs and whispers, many seemed excited.
Wanting to see what all the fuss was about, Chilchuck squished himself through the crowd to get a good look and the first thing he saw was the royal seal.
“Oh what shall I wear?” A woman asked her friends, “I can’t wear the same thing twice!”
“Do you think the prince will be there this year?” Another spoke behind him, and more and more people chattered as they dispersed and gathered all at once. What was interesting, is that even those who wore more common clothing were excited as well.
‘It’s probably a yearly event...’ Chilchuck thought to himself as he read the details of the Ball. ‘...Open to the public?’
Chilchuck had never heard of such a thing before, aren’t these sort of events only open to nobility? It was odd, but this meant there was an opportunity to attend something so extravagant that was once exclusive to the upper class, and to see what the castle looked like inside.
“I wonder what sort of dishes will be served...” A tall-man spoke, then received his friend’s reply, “Last time they served roasted Wyvern meat, maybe they’ll serve it again and you’ll finally get to try it with that wine I told you about.”
The half-foot had to take a pause.
‘Wyvern meat? What does that even taste like?!’
If there was any hesitation and uncertainty that Chilchuck felt as he walked away from the board, it was absolutely gone by the time he arrived home. That night, as he finished the last of his meal, he contemplated about the event at the castle. The excitement of the citizens had been infectious, and it did little to dim the curiosity that grew since he saw the announcement.
‘It takes place next week... I wonder if I have anything to wear?’
To his dismay, he did not. Even afterrummaging through all of his clothes, he had nothing that was appropriate for the ball.
‘Maybe the shops do... I saw some in the main shopping district, I can get a suit with the money I earned from that couple.’
He was lucky that they paid him so much, but when he found the time to visit the main shopping district all he could see was how expensive the suits were at each of the tailoring shops. It was much more than what he could afford if he wanted to have alterations done, and a custom made suit would take far too long to make in time for the ball.
He sighed as he stepped back from the window, watching as a tall-man exited the shop with his son carrying their purchases. Perhaps it wasn’t worth going, especially if it was this hard to find anything suitable on such short notice.
‘Maybe another time.’ He thought to himself.
That was the unfortunate reality of living in a city where half-foots weren't common. Most folk would mistake him for a child on a regular basis until they were corrected. It wasn't until he passed yet another shop window where the display caught his eye. Chilchuck paused, and quickly retreated a few steps to see what it was.
With his eyes glued to the window, he stepped closer until his hand felt the cold glass.
A light green dress was on display, designed with shimmering fabric, gold trimmed details on the hem, a ribboned empire waistline, and a dark green inner lining. A memory surfaced violently and vividly, making his heart clench and knocking the breath out of him even though it had been so long ago that he had almost forgotten it.
Chilchuck remembered how delighted his older sister was to put him in one of her old dresses, dressing him up like a little doll and complimenting as she twirled him in the mirror. He was a child back then, allowing his sister to do as she wished because he loved her so dearly. Their parents weren’t as enthusiastic as she was, they didn’t believe it was appropriate for him and since then, he had only admired dresses from a distance until he grew out of it.
Or at least, he thought he did.
The moment he saw it came as a set with dark meshed fabric gloves and slippers to match, he couldn’t help but let his eyes wander down to the label placed in front of the garment. It was cheaper than the suits, and well within his budget. Having it altered would be simple, all they would need to do is cut the fabric down and stitch it back up.
“Hello, is there something I can help you with?”
Chilchuck looked up, realising only then that he had wandered into the dress shop.
“I-... Uh...” He hesitated, then recomposed himself and cleared his throat as he pointed his thumb at the dress in the window display. Trying not to feel the embarrassment rising in his chest. “...I’d like to buy that dress, along with everything that comes with it.”
The shopkeeper smiled, her eyes looked between Chilchuck and the dress before she spoke in a gentler tone.
“Are you sure? We have some other dresses that might suit you, young lady.”
Great. Yet again he was mistaken for a human child, but he didn’t have the patience to deal with that today. While he had lived in this city for at least two years, he still wasn’t sure how society felt about a man in a dress. Then he found himself frowning when the shopkeeper tried to redirect him to the other dresses that were on display within the shop. Dresses that were clearly meant for children.
“No,” He said firmly, “I want the green dress. I’ll even pay for the alterations.”
Before the shopkeeper could say more, he pulled out his pouch with the money intended for this very purpose. In an instant, the woman changed her tune, quickly taking Chilchuck’s measurements and leading him to a changing room for him to wait in.
When the dress was finally brought to him after the alterations, he had to insist with great effort that he was capable of putting the dress on by himself against the shopkeeper’s eagerness to help.
Chilchuck stared into the mirror as his heart skipped. The dress suited him perfectly.
“Oh my! You look wonderful, you’re going to be the prettiest young lady at the party!” The voice of the shopkeeper pitched up, snatching back Chilchuck’s attention to her. He felt his cheeks go red, conflicted in telling her off that he was not some young girl looking for a suitor. Biting his lip, he just looked away, allowing the woman to do her job to make sure every part of the dress flattered him in all the right ways.
Amazingly, he managed to remain civil, even as the shopkeeper tried to suggest more items to him. Such as a set of make up that he was not interested in buying.
He just hoped that all the effort he had gone through was worth it. This was all just so he could see why people made such a fuss about the ball, nothing else.