Chapter 2: The Purity of Rain
Illusion magic. That was how the strange Imperial had managed to make both of us vanish in the blink of an eye. He had to be highly skilled to extend the spell to me. About the time we disappeared, a guard walked by and into the alley. He saw the dead body, drew his sword, and sharply glanced around. I held my breath, just waiting for him to find us leaning against the wall. After affirming that nobody else was in the alley, that he could see at least, he crept forward. At that moment, I felt a tug on my hand, and I let myself be led out of the alley and onto the street. Heart pounding, I let him guide me through the nearly empty market and into a dark corner that was nearly hidden from the main road.
"Stay here. I'll be back in a moment." He whispered. When he let go of my hand, I reappeared and had to bite back a squeak of surprise. I'd never really been exposed to magic, and I wasn't enjoying it now. Now that I was alone and had a moment to think, I took the time to organize my thoughts.
The guards hadn't seen me; I was in the clear unless the weird Imperial reported me. But he'd offered me a way out of the city, and it was likely the only chance I was going to get. Some god must really likely because this chance had practically fallen into my lap.
But what if this man was not as friendly as he appeared? He knew I'd killed a man. He had something to hang over my head if he chose. Or maybe the drunk that I'd killed had deserved to die and the Imperial knew it.
"You're letting your thoughts run wild Rivien." I muttered to myself.
"What, having second thoughts?" A voice whispered at my ear. I screamed and slapped a hand over my mouth to cut it off. The sound of a laugh drifted though the shadows, and the robed man shimmered into view in front of me.
"Don't do that!" I hissed angrily. It was then that I noticed his hood was down. Even in the shadows of the corner I could see that his hair was a dark brown, much like his eyes, and it was wavy. It was pulled into a queue, but loose it would probably be down to his shoulders. Thin lips, a proud nose, and a strong jaw would look weird individually, but together they worked for him and made a rather handsome picture.
He held out a bundle to me. I took it and unfolded the robe. It was simple and black, much like his. There were gloves, a thin, dark shirt, dark pants, and leather boots as well.
"Pull those on. They will be more comfortable and much easier to travel in." He turned away and stood in front of me to block the view of anyone who happened to pass by too closely. I pulled off my heavy dress, wiping the blood that was drying on my hands onto the expensive fabric. Quickly, I pulled on the pants, shirt, and boots, happy with the fit and the material. I pulled the robe on, and lastly the gloves.
"Alright, I'm decent." I said quietly. He turned, a slight smile on his face.
"I'm glad to see that they fit. Now, pull up the hood and we can leave. Don't want anyone recognizing you before we get out of here." He went to pull his hood up.
"Wait!" I blurted out. He cocked one dark eyebrow. "I don't even know your name. How am I supposed to just leave the city with you without at least knowing that much?"
"It's Lucien. And yours?" I had a feeling that he already knew my name and was only asking to be polite.
"Rivien."
"A beautiful name. Shall we?" We both pulled up our hoods. I used some of my hair to frame the sides of my face just in case the hood slipped.
As we stepped out into the street, the rain that had been threatening the city began to fall. Slow at first, and then faster, the drops hit the cobblestones with a popping sound that quickly turned into a roar. We were soaked in seconds, but I didn't mind. I had always loved the rain, and since it was spring, the rain was warm, rather than cold. I stopped walking and tilted my head up towards it, letting it run down my face in rivulets. I was already drenched anyway, what did it hurt? I stood there for a few moments, just letting the warm droplets wash over me, wash away who I was before. I didn't know what was ahead of me, but I knew that soon I would be a new person. I was a free spirit trapped in a constricting world. Soon, my spirit would be able to fly as far as I allowed it with no penalty.
"Rivien, I can see that you love the rain, but we do have places to be." I opened my eyes and saw Lucien smiling slightly at me. Cheeks flushing, I hurried to catch up with him, feet making squelching sounds as they hit the ground. We made our way through the Market District, past absolutely miserable guards who were having to stand in the pouring rain, and into the Elven Gardens district. I had always loved this district of the city, with it's tall white buildings, large plaza, and the greenery. Even in the coldest months of the year, there were evergreen shrubs adding color to city. Right now the flowers were bursting with color and new life. Purples, reds, yellows, and many more colors were splashes in an otherwise drab city. I took a deep breath, cataloging each scent and committing it to memory. I didn't know when I would be coming back here.
"Are you sure you're not an elf? Everything you do and even the way you look, apart from the ears, make me think so." Lucien said, amusement lacing his tone. Frowning, I smacked his shoulder and huffed.
"No. I am not an elf. I'm an Imperial, same as you. I may have the pale skin, dark hair, and green eyes, but I'm not an elf." Not to say I hated them. As a girl I'd always wanted an elf prince to come and sweep me off my feet. I'd live in the trees or a might castle made of gold on the Summerset Isles. Sometimes I would act out my fantasies, much to the horror of my father. He demanded that Istop it at once, and had beat me for good measure. Elves were lesser beings to him, not even worthy of licking the dirt from his boots.
"Well, you're an elf in spirit." I rolled my eyes, choosing to stay silent the rest of the way through the district. Finally we made it to my home district, the Talos Plaza. There were few people on the streets, most choosing to stay indoors out of the rain. I did notice one brave soul wandering the streets and my heart sank. It was my father. He was a big man, broad in the shoulders and even broader in the waist, with a neck like a bull and a temper to match. His brown hair was plastered to his head, beady blue eyes flicking back and forth. It took me a moment to notice that he was very, very angry. I could tell by his movements.
"Lucien, can we get out of here quickly?" Lucien had already spotted the man and was sizing him up.
"You know him?"
"That's my father. He only looks this angry when I've done something he doesn't approve of. I suspect he has spies watching me."
"Then he may know you're leaving. Come on. I don't feel like arguing with an idiot today. If he stops us, follow my lead." Too late, we realized he was storming over to us. He roughly grabbed my arm.
"I demand that you show me your face!" He spat. I shrank back, dreading the blow I knew was coming. If he thought I was a commoner, he wouldn't hesitate to smack me.
"I would thank you to unhand my wife sir." Lucien hissed at him. He sounded convincing, even to me.
"Do you know who I am?" My father roared. "I am the richest merchant in this city! I demand respect." I heard a quiet, exhasperated sight, and Lucien suddenly had a dagger in his hand. The hand on my arm tightened. I would have a bruise later.
"I said unhand her." With deadly calm, he pointed the dagger at his hand. "Do you want to keep that hand?" I was released. Playing the part, I stumbled into Lucien's arms, sobbing. I was shaking, but it was from anger, not that anyone else would know that. I knew people were at their windows watching us.
"I will report you to the guards for this!" Lucien pocketed his dagger.
"For what? You approached us, started yelling, and accosted my wife. If anyone is at fault, it's you. Good day sir." And Lucien turned, pulling me with him. I could hear my father fuming behind us, but he left us alone.
"This isn't the last I will have to deal with him. I'm surprised he didn't rip the hood off of my cloak to see who I was."
"Your father is an asshole. Sorry." He added quickly.
"Don't apologize for speaking the truth. He really is an asshole." Lucien sputtered, but didn't comment on my language. Women in my station usually didn't curse, not that I cared. The guards pushed open the main gates to the city and Lucien stepped outside. I took a deep breath as I stepped out behind him. I had only known city walls. I'd never even seen the waterfront before.
"Well Rivien, you're free." He said in a soft, quiet voice. The rain chose that moment to stop and my first look at the world outside the city was through a fine, hazy mist. I could just make out the bridge that led across the river. The stables to our right looked abandoned with all the horses in the stable and the mist swirling over the grass. It was gloomy and gray, but I loved it. The smell of the horses, of rain-soaked earth, it was everything I'd hoped for an more. We hadn't even technically left the city yet.
"This is wonderful." I breathed. "I never want to go behind city walls again!" Lucien through his hood back, and let out a whistle. I heard hooves on mud, and a beautiful gray stallion galloped out of the stables and jumped the fence. He stopped right in front of us, nuzzling Lucien's hand.
"Rivien, meet Thunder." I shrank away, having never been around horses. "Hold out your hand. Let him get to know you." Slowly, I lifted a hand. The horse examined it for a minute before gently bumping it with his nose. "That means he likes you. Go on, pet him." Gently, I rubbed his nose. He snorted and shook out his mane.
"I've never touched a horse before. I saw them in parades, but that's it."
"Well today we're going to be riding. He can carry both of us since you are so small. You can ride in front of me." Before I could protest, he'd lifted me up into the saddle. Awkwardly, I managed to keep from falling off by clutching the saddle horn and squeezing my legs tightly against Thunder.
"Don't just lift someone without warning." I grouched.
"You seem perfectly fine." He threw a leg over and settled in behind me. "Alright. Time to go." He nudged the horse, and down the hill we went, away from everything I'd ever known.
AN: Hello again everyone :) I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Thank you for the kind reviews. I'm glad to know that my writing has improved. I am actively working on chapter length. This one is about twice as long as the first one. Once I'm past the beginning of the story and I really get into the good parts, the chapters will hopefully be a lot longer than this. I have always been one to keep my writing short and to the point, so I'm working on that. Anyway, review and I will see you soon.
xoxo, Eldest123323
