Popularity War

Chapter 1- Having a Splash

-Eight Years Later-

Eva walked nonchalantly through the village with her best friend, Cassandra. All around them, the street buzzed with activity, as the villagers went about their daily routine. Cassandra's hair bobbed as she laughed at some joke, Eva smiling at her friend's merriment. This was normal for them; as daughters of the elite class of Carvahall, their agenda was usually vacant allowing them to take numerous strolls through town, gossiping and flirting with the young eligible bachelors.

"Well, I am glad you enjoyed the party." Eva said. She paused for a moment before continuing. "I apologize once more for my absence; in the future I will be sure to be in attendance." Eva had some personal business to attend to that evening, but she had told her friend that she was ill instead.

Cassandra smoothed out her poufy yellow dress and replied. "Good, because if I have to listen to Lord Barge talk about his prized chandelier, without you to bail me out, I swear I will go mad. Besides, the next party will most likely be for my sixteenth birthday and you have to be there."

"I understand, and did he really talk about his chandelier again?" Cassandra nodded before they started giggling. At the fountain, they sat upon a bench to rest their weary feet. It was mid-afternoon and the two girls had been walking around for two hours under the warm summer sun. They had bonnets on their heads and long sleeved dresses to keep the sun from turning their skin a bright pink. Taking out their fans, they began to gossip once more.

"So, have you heard about Lady Rochlin? Last night, she was seen with Mr. Darren, creating such a scandal."

Eva inclined her head with interest. "No, I haven't. Pray tell, what happened?"

"Well, rumor has it that the child she carries is his," she smirked. "Oh, you should have seen the look upon her husband's face when he caught them," Looking to see that the coast was clear, she whispered, "kissing in the garden."

Eva's face had contorted into shock, her cheeks starting to burn at the news of such indecency. "Really?"

Cassandra nodded and began to explain the incident in more details. By the time she had finished her tale, an hour had passed. The position of the sun indicated that it was early evening.

"Goodness, it has gotten late. Shall we retire for the evening?" Eva asked, standing up. In the back of her mind, she continued to think about Lady Rochlin and Mr. Darren. She adored an excellent romance like the next girl, but thought of having an affair was atrocious. When she was a child, she was fortunate to witness her parent's undying love, a sight that she dearly missed. To keep herself from getting lost in her thoughts, she quickly shook her head.

Cassandra stood next to her, waiting. Before they took their leave, the sound of buzzing filled her ears. Seconds later, she saw a bumble bee circling around her head.

"Eva!" Cassandra tried swatting the bee, but to no avail. In terror, Eva screamed and began to run around flailing her arms. Those who knew Eva knew that she hated bees. Unsure what to do, Cassandra helplessly watched her friend make a complete fool of herself.

"Help, get it away from me!" Her screams alerted the villagers, who began to congregate around the fountain to witness the ridiculous scene. Some started laughing.

"Stop moving," Cassandra said when the bee continued to bother her friend. Disregarding her advice, Eva ventured closer to the fountain's ledge. Predicting what might come next, she screeched, "Eva, watch out!"

Cassandra rushed over in an attempt to save her friend by grabbing her by the arm. Yet, at the same time, Eva collided with the wall and lost her balance, falling right into the water, taking Cassandra with her. The water was not freezing, but it was cold enough to make them cry out in shock.

The crowd gasped and held their breath until the girls emerged from the water. Then, they erupted in laughter.

The villagers had little to do with the upper class, especially Cassandra's family. Her father was Hamish, the tax collector. Eva, on the other hand, was tolerated because of her courteous father, but that did not stop the villagers from laughing at one of her most embarrassing moments. Ever since her mother died, Eva began to transform into a snob, becoming the most popular girl among the upper class.

Eva and Cassandra became speechless when they saw the crowd laugh. Their cheeks burned bright red and they wished that they could just disappear. "Will no one help us?" Eva asked, cold, tired, and wet.

The villagers stifled their laughter to look at the girl. Her golden curls no longer bobbed as they stuck to her face and neck, and, she was shivering. If not for her attitude, she would have looked pitiful. Rolling their eyes at her audacity, many of the villagers walked away. The few that stayed just gawked at her, waiting for her to climb out of the fountain herself.

"I swear, when my father hears about this, I will make sure all your taxes are raised!" Cassandra spat, defending her friend.

"I dare ye to try," said a man with only a few teeth. His white shirt was stained with dirt that it looked brown, displaying his poverty even further.

Cassandra narrowed her eyes, offended. The villagers knew she had no say in the matter, and using that against her made her even more upset.

Taking a deep breath, Eva addressed the small crowd. "I understand why you laugh at us, but some compassion would be nice. After all, we have done nothing to offend you."

"You have done nothing and that, your ladyship, is offensive." The same man retorted. Several members of the crowd cheered in agreement.

"So, you will do nothing?" She pouted.

"You have two hands; climb out of the fountain yourself."

Eva gasped, appalled.

Standing at the edge of the crowd, the farm boy by the name of Eragon silently watched the scene. Like the rest of the villager's, he was not fond of the two girls, but he became weary of their public humiliation. He stared at Eva for a few seconds before making his final decision. Since no one offered to help, he swallowed his pride and paced over to the fountain to extend his hand. "Who wants out first?" Behind him, he could feel the eyes of the villagers boring into his back, but he ignored the unpleasant feeling.

"Me of course, but can you wash your hands first? I am not going to touch them when they are all grimy." Eva picked the hair from her eyes and looked closely at the young man. For a commoner, he was quite handsome, but his tattered clothes and dirt crusted skin made her lose interest. He would only be a means to an end.

"Please tell me you are joking." When she rolled her eyes, he scoffed. "Look, do you want my help or not?"

Eva glanced at her friend before replying. "Fine, help me up."

She quickly washed her hands in the fountain while Eragon helped Cassandra. When she was finished, she uttered a brief thank you to her rescuer, linked arms with her friend, stuck of her nose, and left.

The instant she closed the front door of her house, she began to cry as the day's events sunk in. She had already walked Cassandra home leaving her free to express her true emotions. Distracted by her thoughts, she did not even notice her maid approach. "Oh my, what happened miss?"

Eva wiped the tears from her eyes but remained silent. Perhaps later she would be calm enough to explain what happened. Brushing past her maid, Clara, she headed towards the grand staircase. Up those stairs and down the right corridor was her bedroom, a room that she wanted to lock herself in until all memory of her fountain incident faded.

"Well, I may not know what happened, but I do know that you are soaked to the bone. Come, let's get you out of those clothes and into a nice warm bath," Clara said once they were in the bedroom. Eva nodded and turned around, allowing her maid to undress her.

Slowly submerging herself into the bath water, Eva began to feel her tense muscles relax. The warm water smelled of jasmine from the perfumed oil that was added to make her skin smooth. Only when her fingers and toes became wrinkly did she think about leaving the tub. Back in her room, Eva dressed for dinner.

When she finally arrived at the dining room, she was not surprised to hear that her father would not be joining her. Recently, his business has not been doing well, so he ended up working late. It used to bother her to eat alone, but she grew used to the vacant table. Still, she wished that she could see her father; he always knew what to say whenever something was wrong. Plopping down on her chair, she began to eat the pork dinner.

As soon as she finished with dessert, she had Clara prepare her for bed. She knew it was rather early, but curling up in bed with one of her favorite books sounded like a great way to end a distressing evening.