White clouds drifted across a deep blue sky. The three suns looked down on Anelle from above. The smallest violet sun was a spec on the horizon. The middle sun was a red spot high in the sky. The largest cast golden light across the earth.
Anelle blinked. Where am I?
An autumn breeze rustled the grass around her, carrying the taste of salt from the ocean nearby. Birds flew over and called to each other in song.
Everything felt wrong. The world continued to turn while her life was in turmoil.
Anelle rolled on to her hands and knees. Her limbs felt like lead. Pain exploded from the centre of her chest. She looked down at where the spear had pierced her body. She grabbed her chest with both hands, feeling for the hole. There was nothing; her chest was healed. Her breathing became laboured. The pain persisted with a phantom wound. An uncontrollable sob escaped her lips as she gasped for air.
A thud landed close to her and she let out a scream.
A black leathery snout, twice the size of her head, leaned down towards her. The beast had a wide nose, long face and a thick heavyset body. Its beige shaggy coat was long with its stubby legs and snout sticking out. It had small pointed ears that turned towards her cry. Anelle froze. It sniffed the air inches from her face.
A gust of wind blew past, tussling the creature's coat. It turned its nose upwards and sniffed the air before stomping away.
The field was dotted with more of these stout beasts sniffing the air or eating the grass around them. A great river flowed next to the field. Off in the distance a three masted ship entered the river mouth and sailed up river with the wind in her sails, towards a gap in the great wall of a city. The walls rose fifty feet into the air stretches across the land in a crescent shape.
White stone spires crested the top of the city walls, reaching for the heavens. The tallest set of spires were like the pointed fingers of an old crone; spots of charred stone bulged like arthritic joints. It was as if the gods had struck down the towers with a bolt of lightning for daring to climb towards the heavens.
Anelle braced against a gust of sea air. The wind awakened hundreds of needles over her skin. The sound of glass shattering screeched in her ears. Her chest was healed but the hundreds of glass cuts continued to bleed over her arms and legs. She pushed aside the memory of the window shattering, ingraining the previous events into reality. She shook her head. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about her life falling apart. She needed to find shelter before sunset.
Anelle focused on the field around her and saw a section of wall where the stones had collapsed. She climbed over the wall and headed towards the city of white spires.
The grass along the river's edge was well trodden into a makeshift road heading towards the impossibly high walls of the city. Anelle followed the path. The sun dipped beneath the skyline as she reached the main road heading into the city.
The road was filled with traffic; carts and carriages swept past while people moved quickly out of the way. Anelle joined the crowd ducking between people carrying boxes and cages filled with strange oddities. A cart, being pulled by two of the stout beasts she had seen previously, stomped past her at a steady pace. Someone had braided their long coats and tied brightly coloured ribbons on the ends to match the blues, yellows and pinks painted on the wagon they were pulling. Anelle gave the creatures a wide berth as they passed.
She walked through the gates and gawked at its enormous size. Ornate carvings weaved from the top of the doors, dancing around the iron fixtures, to the bottom.
Anelle has never seen anything like it. No, she had seen these symbols before. Glowing white on the stone arch. She shivered and pulled her eyes away.
Guards in bright red uniforms hurried people through the gates. They pulled over carts to be inspected. Anelle kept her eyes down as she passed. The guards seemed to pay no heed to the foot traffic.
The crowd pushed her deeper into the city. Both sides of the street were filled with bright shop windows, selling everything from books to jewels to food. Many were shutting their doors for the evening.
The houses were brick buildings supported by wooden beams. The stones bricks appeared grey but as the setting sun hit they reflected blinding white light. Off in the distance, towards the northern side of the city, tall spires made of the same white stone jutted out of the skyline. The sun dipped behind one of the spires and illuminated it from behind like a gigantic beacon. Anelle wondered what the view from one of those spires would be like? Would she be able to finally see the ocean that she had only ever read about?
Loud shouts broke her train of thought, people began rushing over to the edges of the street, Anelle jumped seconds before a bright blue carriage hurtled past. After a pause the street came back to life. Most people stayed on the edge of the street moving faster towards the centre of the city.
The sun descended lower, poking through a gap in the spires and casting a warm golden hue over the city.
People barricaded the road with their bodies in a thick cluster. Anelle craned her neck and stood on her toes trying to see over the crowd. The trundle of hooves proceeded before a group of carriages flew past. No yells or movement from the crowd this time. The people began to thin, weaving through side streets further into the city.
Anelle studied the people as she passed. Most wore simple clothes similar in silhouette to what she was used to but slightly different. Most men wear some assemblage of a three piece suit, simple straight down trousers with a waistcoat, jacket or cloak. Most wore natural browns but every so often a bright green or blue would flash by. It seemed the fashion was to have a high collar adorned with a button or jewel instead of a necktie. A great deal of the vibrant men also had long hair tied back with long silk ribbons and an earring studded or dangling from one ear.
There were few women out. The ones she saw wore dresses, similar to what the maids back home wore on their days off. A corseted bodice but buttons along the left or right side of the bodice opposed to laced at the front. Many wore half aprons over their skirts as well.
The road ahead rose at a steady incline. The sound of flowing water intermingling with the sounds of the street. The road smoothly transitioned to a wide bridge with shops running along either side. Above the shops were houses, clean washing dangled from windows and plants hung off of balconies. The ground became rough cobble stones as she stepped onto the bridge. The slight incline reminded Anelle how tired her legs were.
A thin alleyway exposed a slither of the river rushing past and the golden light beyond. A shadow shifted and leaped onto a windowsill. The creature had a fluffy coat and walked on all fours. It had a pointed nose and large ears just above its eyes. A pair of large yellow eyes stared back at her. It stretched out its front paws and raised its back into a stretch. Then laid down, its head cocked to the side, watching Anelle. Its two tails, one black matching its coat and one orange, twisted together. The creature slowly folded its ears over its eyes to reveal a second pair of eyes and pointed ears behind.
A shoulder collided with Anelle. She stumbled back, her arms flew outwards for balance.
A well dressed man in a bright purple waistcoat and white trousers scoffed at her. Taken back by the encounter, Anelle looked down at herself. Her eyes opened wide. She wore the same style dress as many of the other women she has seen.Where did this dress come from? Who dressed her?
Her skirt was covered in mud and grass stains. She put her hand to her head to sooth her growing panic only to be met with a tangled mess. Her head stung and she remembered the sound of her hair being ripped out as she was dragged out of her childhood home.
Anelle looked around her. On the other side of the bridge the cobblestones continued. There were fewer people in bright coloured outfits. She hunched her shoulders and headed in that direction. Someone would take pity on her. Hopefully. She frantically pulled her fingers through her hair, ignoring the pain as she quickened her steps.
The crowd thinned even more as people weaved their way through the small alleyways towards home or evening affairs. The fading light made it hard to see. The glow of candles flickered through windows as she passed. A gust blew past. With the sun's warmth gone the wind bit into her shredded skin.
Anelle stopped before an open door with light streaming out of it. She heard laughter and movement from inside. A sign hung above the door. Anelle squinted to make out the image of an outstretched hand.
A fire burned in the hearth; its welcoming embrace drew her inside. People sat eating and drinking at tables dotted around the room. Across from the door was a burly man with a thick moustache and beard covering half his face. He stood behind the bar talking and serving drinks. He looked up and noticed Anelle standing just inside the doorway. He smiled with well worn wrinkles and waved her over. She relaxed her shoulders.
"Tiky, kllu rt dvlt?" He asked.
She strained to hear him over the people in the room. He waited with slightly raised eyebrows. He clearly expected her to respond.
"Could you repeat that?" She asked, raising her voice over the ambient noise.
He narrowed his eyes and looked at the patron sitting next to where she stood. They exchange a couple of words. The man shook his head and took another swig of his pint. The bartender turned back to her and slowly repeated his initial question.
"Tiky, kllu rt dvlt?"
He waited patiently, with concern in his eyes. Anelle looked around the room. A few people from the tables close by had turned in her direction. One of the men sitting at the bar said something and laughed, turning back to his pint. Anelle's cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. She looked down at her feet wanting to fold in on herself. She held her hands to stop from shaking, her feet frozen to the spot. A patron at the bar lifted his empty cup into the air and called to the bartender. The bartender turned away to serve the man.
Anelle ran out the door into the dark streets beyond. She sprinted faster as his voice carried through the night air. The pain in her legs and chest forced her to stop. She leaned her hand against a wall, tucking herself into the shadowed entrance of a skinny alley. She focused her gaze at the wall taking in laboured breaths. She tried desperately to stop her legs from shaking.
Off in the distance a bell started to toll, fast and constant. Anelle jumped as more started close to her. The ringing was all around her and deafening. She covered her ears and crouched down in the dark alley as the bells tolled on and on.
The bells slowly faded. Anelle lowered her shaking hands and the sound of footsteps began to take their place. Heavy boots hit the pavement; a soldier's march. Anelle knew she had to get away. The streets were deserted. She headed away from the footsteps, looking for anywhere she could hide. The footsteps were getting closer. A gust of wind chilled her to the bone.
Across the alley a shed door slammed closed in the wind. She ran to it hoping beyond hope it was unlocked. She pried the door open and slipped into the pitch black.
Anelle stood with her back against the door, holding it shut, listening for the soldiers footsteps. She turned her head and peered through a slit in the wood. A group of soldiers in black uniforms marched past. She held her breath, not daring to move a muscle. They rounded the corner. Anelle slid her hand across the door's surface until her fingers felt cold metal. She fumbled with the lock. The metal pin slid across and she crumbled to the ground.
In the darkness she could make out a large table and freestanding shelves behind. To her right was a wooden door, light escaped from around the edges, illuminating strange wooden objects abandoned on the workbench.
The faint sound of voices drifted in from behind the door. Footsteps approached. Anelle picked up her exhausted body and scurried behind the table. Voices from behind the door grew louder. Anelle crouched even lower. She covered her mouth with both hands and uttered a silent prayer.
The door opened. Footsteps moved closer to her. A boy, no older than nine or ten walked over to the door and checked the lock. He mumbles something, turned towards the table and looked right at her. He jumped, clutching his hands to his chest. He let out what sounded like a curse. His eyes were wide as he regarded her. They both stared at each other like startled animals.
After a moment he bent down and held out his hand. His voice was soft as he spoke words she couldn't understand. She started to reach out. A woman shouted from inside. He shouted a response towards the open door. The boy turned back to Anelle, took her hand and pulled her up. They passed through a store room with shelves of hanging meat and sacks of grain. He led her through a small kitchen into an open living and dining room towards the second voice.
A fire burned in the hearth. The owner of the second voice sat in a rocking chair before the fireplace. A woman with dark hair that shimmered in the flickering fire light. Her head was down, her eyes focused on the needle and the tear in the shirt that was draped across her lap. She looked up as the boy and Anelle approached. Confusion turned to concern as the woman looked her up and down. Anelle stood still with her hands shaking by her side. The eyes of these two strangers felt intrusive, stripping her naked. A feeling of irrepressible shame rose from the pit of her stomach getting stuck in her throat. She averted her eyes down. Fear of what these people would think and do knotted up her stomach even tighter.
Her exhaustion took her full focus as she stood. Her legs screamed for a reprieve. There were sounds and movement happening around her but Anelle was no longer able to perceive them as she concentrated on her feet. She waited expecting to be thrown out any second. Anelle swallowed down the lump in her throat, refusing to cry.
A second pair of feet came into her view. The woman stood before her. Anelle looked up and took in the women's features. A slender but balanced face with plump cheeks. Her eyes were like an ocean of ink with sparks of moon light floating in them, mesmerising. She has a soft smile that illuminated her well worn laugh lines. Anelle had originally thought the low light cast her skin in a darker tone but up close she can see the olive colour rang true. She had a slender frame but held some plump curves over her middle.
The woman took the blanket from her own shoulders and placed it over Anelle. She opened her mouth but the lump in her throat caught her words. Her eyes became heavy and the woman smiled down at her. The woman's warm motherly presence melted Anelle's resolve. Tears filled with all the fear and pain spilt out of her. The woman held her to her chest. Anelle welcomed the feeling of being a child in her mothers arms again. The soft tone of a motherly voice soothed her.
They stood interlocked before the warm fire until every tear had been shed and a little while after.
The boy had gone unnoticed following his mother's orders but reappeared with a steaming bowl of stew. He placed it down at the dining table and ran off.
The woman pulled her arms back. She smiled and spoke in a soft tone finishing with a questioning look. Anelle could feel the tears rising again. Confusion was written across her face in giant letters. The woman stroked her cheek and repeated one of the things she had said earlier.
"Tiky, tiky." She soothed.
She led Anelle over to the table and pulled out a chair. The smell of the broth reminded her how ravenous she was. Analle picked up the spoon and ate the entire bowl. The image of her stepmother's disapproving face flashed in her mind. She sheepishly looked up expecting disapproval but the woman only smiled the same warm smile she had before. Anelle placed the spoon in the bowl and did her best to smile back. The warmth of the stew radiated from her stomach making her feel comfortable for the first time in this strange new place.
"Aigé." The woman stood from the table.
She led Anelle to the back of the house. Through a door and down two small stone steps. The room was bare except for a giant pot with a small fire burning underneath it. A beige cloth hung from the wooden rafters. Behind the door was a pile of logs and a lantern. The woman lit a thin stick with the fire, picked up the lantern and lit the oil well. She hung the lantern above the giant pot. The light softly illuminated the room reflecting off of the water in the pot.
She grabbed Anelle's hand and plunged both their hands into the water. Anelle tried to pull her hand back expecting scalding water but was pleasantly surprised at the temperature.
"Carto." The woman said.
She reached over and started undoing the buttons on Anelle's bodice. Anelle stepped away from her, unsure what was going on. The woman quickly hid her surprise and grabbed a small cloth out of her apron and dipped it in the water. Then cleaned her face with it. She smiled encouragingly, pointing at Anelle then to the pot. The giant cooking pot was actually a bath. Anelle nodded and began to fumble with the buttons. The woman moved Anelle's shaking hands away and helped her undress. Now naked Anelle climbed the step into the bath. The water reawakened all the tiny cuts across her skin as she entered.
The tub was made from hardened clay and the bottom had wooden slats protecting her feet from the heat. Even so she can't help but recall old fairy tales from her childhood of witches cooking and eating children. She looked back at the woman half expecting her to, at any moment, reveal herself to be a hideous witch.
Anelle let the warm water wash away her fears, not caring if she was about to be boiled alive.Instead of cooking her, the woman took the ends of Anelle's hair and ran her fingers through it, slowly working her way through the knots.
The woman helped Anelle out of the bath and wrapped her in the beige cloth. Drying her body and leaving her hair damp. The woman grabbed a night dress that had been left outside the door and threw it over Anelle's head. Before wrapping the forgotten blanket around her.
She led Anelle up a flight of stairs to the second floor. The stairs continued up to a third floor but the woman turned left. Along the corridor were two doors. The first was slightly ajar. The woman stopped to take a peek then moved to the second door. The boy from earlier was asleep in bed.
The second room was much the same as the first. The bed being the length of the room leaving only a small path to stand in. The woman pulled back the bed covers and Anelle obediently climbed in. She took the blanket Anelle had been wearing and draped it over the covers. She sat on the side of the bed and held Anelle's hand. Closing her eyes she uttered some words, Anelle assumed it was a prayer.
The woman uttered one final thing and left the room.
*****
The lady walked to the second floor landing and stopped in thought. She turned to go up stairs and grabbed a few of her old dresses. Arms laden with garments, she returned back to the rocking chair by the hearth. With her two charges taken care of, she settled herself in for a late evening of hemming. Her previous mending lay forgotten, draped over one of the dining chairs.
She took out her needle and began to sew.