Chapter 2: Enter the Jester
Raven walked slowly behind her stepfamily, a plan already formulating in her head. All she had to do was escape the two nitwits and their ringleader and she would be all set to start putting her plan into action.
As they turned into a seamstress's shop, Melinda stopped Raven.
"You are not to come in here. This is the best seamstress outside the palace, and I don't want you ruining any fabric with your sooty hands. Wait out here, and try not to draw too much attention from nobler people than yourself," Melinda commanded, pointing at a small barrel Raven could sit on before following her daughters into the store.
Taking a quick look at her hands- which weren't nearly as dirty as Melinda had suggested- Raven smiled lightly. The expression felt strange, like putting on stiff gloves that you hadn't worn for years, but she was quickly growing accustomed to it. Besides, now was her chance to escape for a few minutes… what else was there to do but smile?
Quickly turning on her heel, Raven dashed into the crowd.
-
"Tell me why we're here again?" a tall, dark skinned man asked his shorter companion.
"Because, if my father's going to force me to pick some random noble girl at the ball, I at least want to know what there could have been," his friend replied.
"But why the clothes? We look like commoners," the taller man continued.
"What's wrong with that? Commoners are people too. Besides, weren't your parents common people before your dad got his job in the palace?" asked the young man, laughter flashing in his bright green eyes.
"Okay, you got me there," the tall man grinned. "But still, why?"
"Because, in my normal clothes I feel… I dunno, like people are only being nice to me because they have to be."
"You don't feel that way around me and Robin, do you?" a frown crossed the tall man's dark lips.
"Nah, of course not. You guys are my best friends," the other man replied easily, making his friend smile again. The short man lowered his voice so no one around them could hear what he was saying, and continued. "It's just… what if I'm supposed to fall in love with someone, who doesn't just think of me as Prince Garfield. What if every girl I've ever met only really likes me because of my status? You know I don't want that Vic."
"Yeah, I know," Victor agreed, nodding thoughtfully. Suddenly a grin flashed across his face again. "Hey, since when did you get so deep?"
"Since always," Gar grinned, nudging his childhood friend in the side with his elbow. "Just don't let it get around."
They laughed and continued walking, while Victor spoke again.
"I still don't see why we needed to come all the way down here. There are people at the palace that still don't know what you look like. And trust me, there are some nice looking girls," Victor continued. "I mean, have you seen the bee keeper? She is fine!"
Gar laughed. "Maybe you should make your move on her then."
"Nah," Vic replied. "I'm liking the single life. Maybe in a year or two I'll feel differently, but for now, I like being a swinging bachelor."
The two boys laughed again and continued walking through the marketplace, stopping once in a while to examine the goods at the stalls.
"Hey Gar, maybe you should get one of these," Victor exclaimed, holding up a wreath of roses. "They're supposed to give you good luck with the ladies. You could use the help."
"Haha, very funny," Gar groaned, smiling good-naturedly. "But when I meet the right girl, I'm not going to need help. It'll just hit me like-"
Whatever else he was going to say was cut off as a pale skinned girl ran into his side with a thud, sending them both to the ground.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going," Raven apologized quickly, standing up and holding a hand out for the young man she had knocked over, casting too many nervous glances over her shoulder to really notice him.
"That's fine," Gar smiled, accepting her hand. Feeling the slight tug on her arm as he stood up, Raven turned her attention back to the stranger.
The first thing she noticed was his amazingly green eyes, followed by his pointy ears and green skin. Not that the green skin was a problem.
Turning her attention away from his emerald eyes, she finished her inspection of the boy she had run into. He wasn't dressed very extravagantly, but the quality of the garments showed that he probably worked at the palace. He was probably just a stable boy enjoying his day off, before getting plowed over by the crazy girl who wasn't looking where she was going.
The friend next to him was dressed similarly. The man looked to be about a year or two older than the green skinned boy, who looked to be about her age. The tall one had mahogany colored skin, and pale gray eyes, that held wisdom beyond his years. He was currently holding back a small fit of laughter, but Raven had no idea what about.
Looking back over at the emerald skinned young man, Raven found that he was staring at her with an odd look on his face, and was suddenly very aware of the rags she was wearing and the ashes smudged all over her face.
"Well, if you're all right, I think I'm going to go now," Raven said, feeling awkward, but not letting it show in her voice or on her face.
"No, wait!" the man exclaimed, reaching out and grabbing her arm in a gentle, but firm grip. She glared at his hand and he quickly let go, laughing nervously. "Just… why don't you stay with my friend and I? Do you have anywhere to go?"
"As a matter of fact, I do. I've got things to do before the ball," she replied.
"Are you going to go?" he asked excitedly.
"Noble families go to balls," Raven replied. "Servants stay home and scrub the floors."
"Oh, right," the boy said, pointy ears drooping slightly. "Well, maybe we could help you?"
She shot him a suspicious look, and she could see his friend looking at him with confusion as well. "Why?"
"Well, we have nothing better to do, right Vic?" The boy looked back at his friend, who just shrugged.
"I guess not." The tall boy replied, and held out a hand to Raven. "Nice to meet you, by the way."
"Likewise," Raven said politely. She clasped her own hand in his, expecting him to shake it, but receiving a polite kiss on the back of her hand, as was common courtesy for all nobler peoples. "My name is Raven."
She looked at the green boy, who stared back for a second before realizing she was waiting for his name.
"Oh! I'm Gar," he introduced himself, reaching for her hand with surprising grace and placing a feathery kiss on her hand.
She looked at them for a minute. It was evident by their formal greetings (slightly less so, in Gar's case) that they were more than just stable boys. Who were they though? Perhaps sons of noble men who had felt like sneaking out of the castle to have some fun? Why would they want to go with Raven, though?
Finally, she decided it would be all right to let them tag along. She would stick to main streets- just to be safe-, but was almost positive they were just nice guys, and weren't looking for trouble.
"Well, let's go then," she sighed, turned around and beginning to walk away. She was almost hoping they would change their minds and go away, but they didn't.
'Now, where to start?' Raven wondered, slipping past people in the crowded and looking at each store she passed. Finally she stopped at a seamstress's shop, smaller than the one her stepfamily had gone into.
She stepped into the shop, followed closely by Vic and Gar. She ignored them and walked over to the seamstress, who was working on the hem of a nearly finished dress. Holding sewing pins in her mouth, the seamstress silently motioned for Raven to wait a minute.
As Raven waited, she gazed at the dress. The material was made of silk, and was the darkest shade of red Raven had ever seen. She would have mistaken it for black, if certain folds didn't catch the light from the shop widow and appear lighter red than the rest.
It would be wonderful to have dress like that to wear to the ball, but she couldn't afford a custom made dress, let alone one of such quality. Besides, red wasn't her color anyway.
"Now, my dear, how may I help you?" the seamstress asked, standing up from her kneeling position. The seamstress was getting on in age, but she had a kind face and laughing eyes.
"I need material, but I have no money, and don't know how to use a loom," Raven told the old woman. She heard a small clinking sound as one of her new escorts reached for his purse, and quickly continued. "But I have brought some things that you may find useful, or valuable."
"Go on then, let's see what you've brought," the woman urged gently. Nodding, Raven rested her basket on a table laden with thread and sewing tools. She pulled off the cloth that had been covering the items and carefully placed them on the table.
The first item was a small doll. The doll itself was only made of wood, but its small clothes were made of fine material and were quite pretty. Raven had never liked dolls, even when she was younger, and had no difficulty bartering it away.
The next item was a small silver unicorn-hair brush. It was fairly valuable, and Raven knew it could be sold for a good price.
Lastly, she placed an old book on the table. While she had enjoyed reading the story on her own when she was younger, she had never liked the ending, in which the dragon took advantage of an innocent young maiden, whom unknowingly released it from its prison.
"Does anything appeal to you?" she asked, gesturing at the items. Stepping closer, the seamstress examined each item several times, eyes finally resting on the doll.
"The fabric of this doll's dress is beautiful, as is the detail in the embroidery around the skirt. I would be willing to sell a couple yards of any of the fabric over there," she gestured at some material set up in the corner. It wasn't the best material in the shop, but it would work. Nodding, Raven placed the other items in her basket.
She walked over to the material, and cast a keen eye across the many different colours. A pale shade of blue caught her eye.
"How many yards could I buy of this material?" she asked, holding up a corner of the fabric.
"Ten," the woman replied easily. "Is that what you want?"
"Yes, please," Raven replied, stepping back as the woman walked over and picked up the cloth and brought it over to a counter to be measured. Once the material had been cut, the woman handed it to Raven.
"It has been a pleasure doing business with you," the woman smiled. Raven nodded politely and walked towards the door of the shop, tucking the fabric into her basket as she walked. Her hand was on the door when Gar's voice stopped her.
"Wait. This isn't right. Raven, you shouldn't have to give away your doll. Let me pay for the fabric," he said, reaching for his purse for the second time since he had entered the shop.
"No," Raven replied. "I never really liked the doll, and I won't accept charity." Without another word, she stepped out of the store. Gar scrambled after her, followed by Victor.
"It's not charity! I'm just trying to be nice," he insisted, trying to keep up with Raven's brisk stride.
"I realize you are just trying to be nice, but chances are, I'll never see you again to pay you back. Therefore, I would be either a charity case or a thief, and I am neither," Raven replied coolly.
"Fine then!" Gar said, stopping and folding his arms. "I guess I just won't help you out. I can tell when I'm not wanted. In fact, I think I'll just leave you to your business."
"Okay," Raven said indifferently, continuing to walk.
"Wait!" Gar exclaimed, racing after her when he saw she wasn't going to stop for him. He caught up quickly. Laughing, Victor (who had easily stayed in step with Raven) patted Gar on the back.
"I'll meet ya up at the castle," he informed his green friend. "You sure you don't want one of those wreaths?"
"Shut up," Gar hissed, casting a nervous glance at Raven. She didn't seem to have heard, or if she did, she had just ignored it.
"Suit yourself," Vic chuckled. "See you later then. It was nice to meet you, Raven."
Raven lifted a parting hand and continued her trek. After waving goodbye to his friend, Gar quickly caught up to Raven and walked at her side.
"So, where do you have to go now?" he asked casually.
"To a cobbler," she replied. She fell silent again. As they walked, Gar kept himself amused by telling her every lame joke he had ever heard. Raven rolled her eyes at every one of them, making sarcastic comments when she felt it was needed. Strangely, no matter how often she shot down his jokes, and sometimes even him, he would only scowl for a short second before smiling again.
When Raven finally found a shoe shop, she stepped into it and looked around. It smelt like leather and shoe polish, making Gar's nose scrunch up involuntarily, although Raven's face remained expressionless.
Shelves of shoes lined the walls. Each shoe was different. There were sturdy leather boots, and delicate, heeled slippers. Everything was of good quality, putting Raven's own old and filthy boots to shame.
"Can I help you?" A jittery looking man asked, stepping out from the back of the shop.
"Yes," Raven replied. "I was wondering if-"
"If she could try on some of your beautiful slippers," Gar cut in. "I was hoping to treat the young lady to a pair of shoes for the ball."
Taking a quick glance at Gar's bulging purse, the man nodded. "Very well. Try on any of the shoes along the wall. I'll be in the back."
The shoemaker left and Gar turned to Raven to find her glaring at him.
"I thought I made it clear that I will not let you pay for anything I wish to purchase," Raven hissed.
"Fine, fine," Gar relented, holding his hands up. "I won't pay for them, but you know that guy wouldn't have let you browse if he knew you don't really have any money."
"And why would you assume that?" Raven asked, jutting her hip out and placing a hand on it.
"Because, the guy's greedier than a- a very greedy man!" Gar replied, ignoring Raven as she rolled her eyes. "I mean, did you see the way he was ogling my coin purse? And I'm sure I heard coins clinking in the back when we entered."
"So? He can sell my items later if he wants to," Raven reasoned.
"Yeah right. You really think he can tell if something is really valuable or not? He'll think you're trying to cheat him and throw you out before you could lay a single one of your pretty fingers on his merchandise!" Gar shot back. "At least this way, he knows you're with me, and he'll know that what you're offering is valuable, even if it's just by the assumption that we both have money to spare and you just forgot your coins."
Raven glared at him. Not because she was angry, but because she could see the logic in the previously bumbling boy's words. Finally she sighed, "Fine."
Turning away so she couldn't see his triumphant smirk, she searched the walls of shoes for a pair that would match the fabric she had bought. She spotted a pair and began to walk towards them.
Seeing what she was looking at, Gar rushed forward and grabbed the shoes before she reached them. She raised an eyebrow, silently asking for an explanation, but he just smiled and shook his head.
"Sit down," he ordered. There was a strange sense of authority in his gentle command, and Raven felt herself sitting down in the nearby chair.
Bending down, Gar quickly untied Raven's boots and pulled them off. Picking up one of the shoes, he slid it onto her foot. The shoe hung off her small foot, and was obviously too big.
Letting it slip off her foot, Raven stood up and shoved her foot into her unlaced boots.
"I have that problem a lot," Raven admitted, feeling oddly embarrassed. "My feet seem to be too small for all the shoes I try on."
"Then we'll try more," Gar replied, standing up and placing the shoes back on their shelf. He quickly picked another pair and told Raven to sit down again.
"No," Raven said. "They won't fit. Let's just go. I'll try and find something back at home."
"Where do you live?" he asked conversationally, pulling off her boot again, despite her protests.
"That's none of your concern," Raven replied, watching as he picked up the next shoe. She slid her feet under the chair, trying to dissuade him from trying more shoes on, but he simply pulled her ankle out.
He slipped the shoe on. It didn't hang off her foot like the other.
"Perfect," he murmured, looking up at her with his bright green eyes. Raven was surprised to feel her heart beat speed up, and she quickly averted her eyes. He slipped on the other slipper, and told her to stand up.
She took an experimental step, and felt the back of her foot rise out of the slipper. She shot an I-told-you-so look at Gar, who just smiled.
"So, we'll be here for a while," he laughed. "I don't mind."
Suddenly, Raven's head snapped towards the shop window. The sun was sinking into the horizon. It was getting late. Muttering a curse under her breath, Raven kicked the slippers off and hastily pulled on her own boots.
"What are you doing?" Gar asked, watching as she forced her heel in and picked up her basket.
"It's getting late. I have to go," she replied, rushing toward the door and pulling it open.
"Wait! How will I ever find you again?" Gar called after her retreating form.
"You won't," she whispered, feeling strangely disappointed, before disappearing into the crowd.
She quickly found her way back to the seamstress's shop that Melinda and her daughters had gone into. They were just stepping out when she ran up.
"Where have you been?" Victoria asked suspiciously.
"Just mingling with the other servants in the crowd," she replied. Melinda kept a steady gaze on her, trying to see if she was lying or not. After scrutinizing Raven for a minute, Melinda turned and walked to the carriage they had left near the outskirts of the market.
As she followed them at a small distance, Raven allowed herself a secret smile. Even if she hadn't gotten the shoes, her plan had been set in motion.
I bet some of you are wondering why I left Gar green. Easy answer, because I can.;) Okay, well here's the real answer: Raven's purple hair is kind of important later in the fic (kinda), so I figured that if I'm letting purple hair slip, I can let Gar get away with green skin. Just remember, in the kingdom of Tamborinia, what I say goes, and I say that oddly colored hair and skin are everyday kind of things. It's important to remember that because if green skin was something strange and rare, Raven would know right away who Gar is, and that would kind of ruin everything. You'll see, there is a method to my madness.
Tammy Tamborine