Tris left for the library early in the morning. Christina had gotten up to have breakfast with her and give her directions. It wasn't that hard to memorize them. Most of the time, she had to follow the same street. There were also signs leading the way in crossroads, since it was not a secret place she planned to visit. It was simply far off from the main villages in Candor and there weren't many reasons to go there these days.
Christina's family though had refused to get up this early. Tris had been afraid that they might not like her and wanted to avoid spending time with her, but her friend reassured her that they just enjoyed sleeping in. Tris tried to believe her. It was hard to place people's behavior at times. So much of it was shaped by the province they lived in, and once again she wondered how much of herself was covered beneath Abnegation rules.
She had plenty of time to dwell on this question during the hours it took to reach the library. The landscape didn't change much once she had passed through another two small villages close to the one Christina lived in. It mostly consisted of grassy hills and a few scattered trees here and there. The forests she passed were more or less little patches of trees and didn't have the same impressive atmosphere as the forests at home. People looked at her with open curiosity whenever she walked past a single farm or house beside the street. They didn't hesitate to ask her who she was and where she was going all alone on this cold day, and they kindly reassured her she was still on the right path to the library.
She would have known anyway, for at every crossroad she found a bunch of signposts that indicated the different directions. Candor people were organized, it appeared, and didn't like to be surprised.
It was good that Tris had been training so much since she'd joined the competition, or she probably wouldn't have reached her destination as fast as she did. She could make out the library from afar as soon as it showed up in the distance. It was a rectangular building that shimmered in the pale light. As she approached it, she found that it was entirely made of glass. The walls were nothing but giant windows from floor to ceiling, and even the roof was made of glass. Rows and rows of bookshelves lined the walls and a single glass table surrounded by a few chairs occupied the middle of the room that was visible from outside.
The door wasn't easy to make out, since it didn't look any different from the walls. Once Tris had found it, she knocked. Her heart beat fast as she waited for Jack to appear. Christina had renewed her warning not to lie to him, and she wasn't sure how to feel about that. How would he be able to tell if she did? Could he read minds?
A man about the age of her father opened the door. He was about a head taller than she was, with black hair and brown eyes that bore into hers. But he smiled at her, and that was what calmed her nerves.
"Hello Miss, I'm Jack, chief librarian of the Candor library. How can I help you?"
"Hello Jack. I'm... Tris Prior. I come to ask for permission to visit the Fountain of Truth."
"Come in, Tris. If that's your name? I noticed your hesitation."
Tris stepped inside and towards the glass table she had seen from outside.
"I only recently changed it. Originally, it's Beatrice, but it doesn't seem to fit me anymore."
"Ah, I see. The wish to do that is not uncommon, but only few really follow through on that wish. Names can shape how we and others perceive ourselves. There's a truth behind every name."
Jack drew a chair for her and then took a seat opposite her.
"So, Tris, tell me about yourself. What brings you here from Abnegation?"
Her clothes were still giving her away. She'd have to find new ones to blend in better.
"I left my family to sell goods in other provinces. My mother has been sick for a while now, and there's a medicine they sell in Erudite that helps her a lot. We need money to afford some. Then I heard the prince was looking for a wife, and decided to try my luck in the competition. I figured I could save my mother if I won."
"But the truth changed, didn't it? There's more to it now."
Tris shifted in her seat. It wasn't very comfortable, and the glass was cold even through her clothes.
"There is. I think I don't want to win just for the money that comes with it now, but for the prince."
She didn't want to explain any further, and thankfully her answer seemed to be enough for Jack. At least he didn't keep on about it. Instead, he nodded as if he had known what she would say all along. He intertwined his fingers on the table in front of him.
"So how does that competition lead you here, Tris?"
"I need to get a bottle of water from the Fountain of Truth to win this week's task. But I was told I needed your permission first."
"That's right. You have it."
"That's it? Just like that? I mean, thank you."
"I won't stop anyone in search of truth if they're serious about it. I will give you a map, because you can't find the rivulet that leads the way without it. Once you've found it, you follow it up to the fountain. But beware of words! We honor words in Candor, but sometimes to see the truth, you need silence. Don't talk until you've reached the fountain. It may be frozen, I honestly can't tell you. It's been a long time since anyone went there. It froze a few years ago, and people didn't want to make the long way for nothing after they had heard about that occurrence. In my opinion, they miss the point of going there, since the journey is a reward in its own."
Tris nodded as if she understood everything he was saying.
"I will try to bear all that in mind," she reassured Jack, and maybe herself, too.
"I'd be happy to welcome you back soon."
"Welcome me back?"
What did he mean?
"Oh, I assumed you'd want to see what the Book of the Future says about you. It is guarded here in the library. It's as old as time itself, and it contains predictions about the future of the kingdom. Or it used to. And whoever made the effort to visit the Fountain of Truth usually returned here with a vial of its water to read the predictions about their own future. There hasn't been anyone trying in years now."
"Wait, there's a book that predicts the future?"
"Yes and no. We ourselves are our future."
That was absolutely not an answer Tris was able to make use of, but she was too polite to ask further questions. Probably she'd get the same vague answers anyway. For someone honoring the truth as much as he claimed to, Jack had a talent to talk around it.
"So for that, I'd need a vial?" she inquired instead. She could still ask Christina if it was worth the effort coming here again. It was a long march after all.
"Yes. I'll give you one, then you can make your decision later."
"Yes, that would be very kind of you."
"Please wait here as I go and fetch your vial."
Jack stood and left, and Tris took her time to look around the room. It was an interesting building. The glass allowed for that much light to flood inside that it gave her the impression of being outside, except for the missing cold. She had been to the Erudite part of the library a few times, mostly with her mother, and it was so entirely different. It was only separated by a little forest that had been planted to grow into a border between both provinces, yet they had never bothered to make their way over to the Candor part. While the Erudite building was a construction without windows to block out every possible distraction, it was still open to the public, and on some days even to people not living in their province. It was a source of knowledge, and Tris knew that they guarded the kingdom's chronicles somewhere inside a specially secured vault. She had always been curious to take a glimpse at it, but it was impossible for an ordinary girl like her.
Jack returned quickly and handed her a crystal vial. Tris examined it against the light. It was a beautiful object, perfectly shaped and artfully engraved with a pair of scales. She stowed it safely away, along with the map that would show her the way to the fountain.
Tobias wiped the sweat from his forehead as he took off the metal helmet. He was exhausted, but fencing with Zeke had been absolutely worth it. He was totally out of practice, that much was obvious. Zeke had tried to cover it by not fighting with all the strength and power he had, but Tobias had noticed. He still appreciated his effort to not make him feel inferior. Neither of them would ever waste any words about it though.
Zeke poured them two glasses of water from a carafe that Shauna had brought them earlier and handed one over to the prince. Tobias emptied it fast. It ran down his dry throat and returned some of the energy he'd just lost.
"That was great," he said. "You'll have to train with me again. I want to get back in shape."
"As you wish," Zeke replied, running his hands through his messy hair. "I missed training with you."
"Me too. I just didn't know that I did."
It sounded strange, even to him, but it was true. How could he have forgotten how good it felt to push his physical boundaries? No matter how exhausting it was and how his muscles burnt, he felt alive.
"So, forgive my indecency, but may this have to do with a certain contestant?"
"You know it's an indecent question, you said it yourself," Tobias retorted, not sure if, and what, he wanted to share.
"You know about me and Shauna, too."
"Everyone knows about you. You're engaged."
"Fair point, but still... I get you don't want to tell me, or anyone for that matter, but I need to warn you."
With this, he had Tobias full attention. A warning about Beatrice? He clenched his fists and forced himself to listen.
"You might not want to hear this, please don't get angry at me, for I'm just the messenger. The queen... I know she's your stepmother and that makes her part of your family, but... I have a bad feeling about her. She's been keeping a close eye on you ever since this whole competition started, even before that. But now she has this calculating look in her eyes, as if Beatrice was a danger. She didn't take her eyes off you the last time you were dancing, and she muttered something under her breath that didn't seem to be a friendly salute to the both of you. It was creepy, to be honest. I know I'm not in the position to judge, but I thought you should know. Be careful, Tobias. If I were you, I wouldn't put unconditional trust in her."
Tobias' stomach twitched at hearing this. He had never liked Jeanine much, but he also hadn't regarded her as a potential danger to him. Not consciously, at least.
But unconsciously? Maybe, since this warning struck him like a confirmation of an inkling he'd been having about her.
"I appreciate the warning. I'll keep an eye on her intentions."
Oh, he would. He would have to pass on the warning to Beatrice, too. It would be something they'd have to talk about the next time they had a chance to sneak away on their own.
"Good. That's really all I'm asking for. Maybe I got the wrong impression, though... Anyway, that brings us to another question I've been wanting to ask: You and Beatrice, what's going on with the two of you? She's your favorite, isn't she? Do you want her to win?"
"I like to spend time with her," Tobias avoided a direct answer. He wasn't comfortable discussing his feelings with Zeke. "And I hope she'll be back safely by Saturday."
Zeke didn't say anything, he just smiled and nodded. His eyebrows shot up knowingly and Tobias knew he probably had it all figured out already anyway. Why did he even bother to ask?
"Have you kissed her already?"
"Ezekiel! That is not an appropriate question!" he said with as much authority he could muster.
"Easy, Majesty. You can tell me if you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to play the Ezekiel-card on me. It's what my mother does when she wants to scold me."
"Then it about fits," Tobias stated dryly and added, "And I don't want to talk about it."
"I'm here to listen if you change your mind, just so you know. I like her, by the way. Shauna does, too. She's nice and down-to-earth, and she's got a kind heart. She found an injured dove in Abnegation and took charge of it. She asked Shauna to take care of it while she's away for the next task, because she was worried it would be too stressful for it to be carried around continuously. Shauna is now keeping the bird in a cage in her room and cockers it until its wing has healed."
"That sounds like the kind of thing Beatrice would do."
There was pride in Tobias' voice, although he wouldn't have been able to recognize it as such himself. Zeke, though, noticed and took it as a confirmation that there certainly was something between the two of them.