Chapter Text
The spring festival was booming as ever, and the music was so loud I was afraid my ears might burst. My green dress swung around my ankles as I twirled and danced. The town stood around our circle of dancers, cheering and yelling, having as grand a time as humans could have.
As I turned and clapped again, someone caught my eye. His hair was fluffy and black, tied in a short puff of a ponytail on the base of his head. His eyes were an intense shade of blue that was somehow fiery and soft, and he wore a simple outfit of a white baggy shirt and brown pants. He seemed to stare as though we were hypnotizing.
On the next turn, I moved in front of him, winked, and grabbed his hand, pulling him into the circle.
My friends had also grabbed companions, and had continued to dance.
He spinned me around and was very enthusiastic, not only high energy but also picking up quickly on the style of dance.
We finished off with a big pose, holding one hand but the others out, facing the town.
Thunderous applause struck the valley, and everyone bowed.
I turned to my dance partner, who was breathing deeply, his hands on his knees.
I laughed. “Sorry about stealing you so suddenly.”
“Don’t be.” He said between pants. His voice was one of those that you could hear the vibrations of his vocal chords through his words. “That was some of the best fun I’ve had since I left home.”
“You’re a runaway?”
“Yeah, but I’m doing much better now. Well fed, warm place to sleep, all the good things.”
I smiled. “I don’t believe I’ve seen you a lot. What was your name?”
“Taeryn.”
“I’m Aryana.”
He walked in front of me, bowed, then took my hand, kissed it, and said “Pleased to meet you, Aryana.”
“A young man such as yourself has to have an apprenticeship at least. Where do you work?”
“In the leatherworker’s. I’m still not trusted with making pieces yet, so I just tend to the leather in the back of the shop.”
I noticed the stains going up and down his arms and the scars on his hands. “That’s why I’ve never seen you. I work in the back of the baker’s. Maybe I’ll have to visit you.”
He smiled. “That would be nice. I still haven’t made a friend since I got here; I’ve been too busy with work.”
“I’d gladly be your first.”
“Would you like to walk around the festival with me?”
“I’d love nothing more.”
We walked around, taking a look at the vendors, eating food, and having a grand time. I learned that he is a very smart boy. He likes to write and read, and seems very knowledgeable about magic and the fae, even though for some reason he didn’t want to talk about it at all. Trust me, I tried to get something out of him. We had actually gone to the same school, for the same four years. He is very good with dye; he knows exactly how to dye the leather to get the color he wants. His works were very impressive. His favorite bakery item is the fluffy lavender bread. Coincidentally, that’s my favorite to both make and eat. He is also very good at playing the pan flute.
I think that was my favorite way to find out anything about him. We were walking past a small group of kids as he was playing, and they all marveled at him.
He smiled and said “I can do a lot better than that.” He turned to me. “Do you sing? And do you know The Old Man’s Lyre?”
“Yes and yes.”
“Lovely.” He smiled at me, and that smile was one of the nicest I’d seen. It was the smile of someone who hadn’t a care in the world, except for the people around him.
He started playing, and I sang. “There once was an old Lyre, owned a man Older, who could play like a fae, but soon he passed away. The town grieved for the loss of their bard, but the young learned playing the lyre wasn’t hard, and so the town was filled with song, and the people danced well into the dawn!”
The little kids clapped excitedly and clumsily.
We both bowed, and they giggled and rolled on the floor, absolutely giddy. We talked with the kids for a bit, then walked farther.
Eventually we got to the forest.
“Well, let’s go back.” I said, moving to turn around.
“Why?” He asked, looking into the woods.
“Because the woods are dangerous, there could be fae, or wolves, or something else.”
He laughed and said “None of those things are dangerous. Not even ‘something else’.”
I smiled exasperatedly. “The whole town knows not to go into the woods.” I said, grabbing his wrist to pull him back.
He didn’t budge. “Let’s go in.”
“Are you crazy?”
“I promise you won’t get even a scratch while in there with me.” He held out his hand to me and raised his eyebrows in question.
Even though I knew it was idiotic, the sincerity in his eyes made me grab his hand and let him pull me into the dark wood.
After a minute of trudging through the forest and trying to slow my breathing, I finally noticed my surroundings. Light shone through the canopy in ribbons of gold; beautiful flowers in all colors swayed on vines curling up tall, thick trees; the grass was soft and green, muffling our steps. The soft scent of plants and herbs and flowers drifted around us.
“Wow.” I breathed, turning and marveling at the beautiful painting of sights and sounds and smells around us. “I never knew that the forest was so gorgeous.”
“Fear hides most beauty.” Taeryn said.
I turned to him, smiling.
The bushes behind him rustled, and a blur of gray fur and sharp white teeth pounced on Taeryn. He fell to the ground with a thud and made noises that sounded like he was crying.
I stepped back, aghast, then yelled “Taeryn!”
His crying noises turned to laughs, and he yelled “Ah, stop it! Rhea, get off!”
“What…?” I mumbled.
Taeryn sat up, and the wolf sat in front of him, its tail wagging happily. It tried to sneak another lick, but Taeryn pushed it away, laughing. “Sorry if she scared you, she’s just excited.”
The wolf ran up to me and sat in front of my feet, staring up at me, and I could have sworn it was smiling.
I took a cautious step back.
“Go ahead, you can pet her. I swear she won’t bite.”
I cautiously reached out my hand above its head, and it stretched to touch the top of its head to my palm. Her head was warm and soft, and as I continued petting down her body, the fur became thicker until I couldn’t see my hands.
“Woah.” I breathed, bending down to pet her even more.
Taeryn laughed. “Why were you so scared of her?”
The wolf turned onto her back, and I rubbed her extremely soft belly. “All the children are told as kids that wolves ate one of our elders. There’s still a blood stain on the cobbles in the square. But this wolf seems anything but filled with malice. Yes, you are. Yes, you are!” I said to the wolf, pursing my lips.
“So that’s what that is. Most of them are like Rhea; maybe the ones who attacked your elder were diseased.”
“Maybe.”
We started walking back and continued to talk. When we got to the town square, the sun was almost down, painting orange and black on the cobbles.
“Thank you for a wonderful afternoon.” I said, curtseying.
“Meet me again tomorrow, right here, at the strike of one. We can walk around again.”
“It’s a deal.”
I returned to my house and immediately scarfed down the dinner my mother had made. Onion soup, one of my favorites.
“You seem happy. Good performance today?” My mother asked as she worked on another round of soup.
“Sort of. I met someone new today.”
“Oh?”
“His name was Taeryn.”
My mother gave me a devilish look over her shoulder.
“Not like that.”
“Well, what was he like?”
“Nice. He knew a lot about the fae, he could play the pan flute, he could dance fairly well, he even took me into the forest.”
My mother turned around, her eyes wide and said tensely, “What?”
“He… took me into the forest?”
She walked up to me and grabbed my shoulders. “Aryana, you know that we-”
“But he was safe! We even met a wolf!”
She stepped back, appalled. “You found a wolf? You should be grateful you’re not bleeding out on the ground next to that boy!”
“But she was sweet!”
“She?”
“Yeah, he called her Rhea!”
“I thought I raised a smart girl, not one that would go with a stranger into the woods and… and meet a wolf!”
“You did! I was gauging him all day, just like you taught me to!”
She took a deep breath. “And?”
“He’s a runaway, but he’s in a good situation now. He’s very good with kids, even if he’s a tad nervous around them. He works in the dying area of the leatherworker’s, but he’s made a few things. He doesn’t like talking about the Fae, perhaps a past altercation with one. He’s well read even though his shoes barely cover his feet and he wears an oversized shirt.”
My mother looked at me, then pulled me in for a hug. “I’m sorry for yelling at you. I just get nervous. You know how many people have been taken recently.”
“I know. I’m really tired, though, so I’m going to go to bed.”
“Alright, sweetheart. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, mother.” I changed into a nightgown and then flopped onto my bed, quickly falling asleep.