Nicolas was jolted awake when the carriage came to an abrupt stop. He opened his eyes and looked out the carriage window. Tall stone buildings surrounded him. There were many people on the streets. "Are we there yet?" Nicolas asked.
"We are in Paris," Agathe said. "We should arrive at your uncle's soon."
Another carriage passed in front of them. "Look up there!" Nicolas said, pointing at a steeple of a tall church. "Have you seen anything so tall in your life? I wonder if I stood on top if I could touch the clouds."
"I'm not sure about that," Agathe said. The carriage moved forward. They passed more tall buildings and shops.
"There must be so many people in Paris," Nicolas said. "Hundreds maybe." He sat on his knees.
"Sit back," Agathe said. The carriage stopped in front of a shop with an apartment on top of it. A sign over the door read Handcrafted Fans. "We are here."
Nicolas jumped out of the carriage, nearly falling on the way down. The air in Paris was much different than in Alsace, and it was much more noisy. He ran to the door of the shop and opened it. Agathe followed behind him with his suitcase. She set it by the doorway.
A young girl stood behind the counter. She wore a brown dress and her blonde hair was pinned behind her in a bun. "May I help you?" The girl asked.
"I'm Nicolas Feuilly," Nicolas said.
"Nice to meet you," the girl said. "What can I do for you?"
"He's Maurice Feuilly's nephew. He's here to live with him. Aren't you expecting us?" Agathe said.
The girl pondered. "The Fanmaker didn't say anything about a nephew coming," She said.
"We sent a letter," Agathe said. "We rode here all the way from Alcase."
"Come on in," the girl said uneasily. "I'm sure it's okay."
"Thank you," Agathe said. She looked up at the clock on the tower outside the window. "I should be going now," She said. "Goodbye Nicolas."
"Goodbye Agathe. I'll miss you." Feuilly said, hugging Agathe. She ruffled his hair and kissed his cheek.
"I'll miss you too," Agathe said. "Good luck." She walked out to the carriage and stepped inside. Nicolas watched as the carriage pulled away from the window of the shop. He took a deep breath.
"Are you alright?" the girl asked, walking toward him. She sat on the window ledge beside where he was standing. "I'm Rosalite. I work for your uncle here in the shop. I know you're probably confused but we'll get this sorted out."
"Where's my uncle?" Nicolas asked.
"In his workshop," Rosalite said, getting up. "I'll go tell him your here. But I must warn you, The Fanmaker isn't used to children. He spends a lot of time alone in his workshop, and gets nervous around people." She opened a door leading to Nicolas' uncle's workshop. Nicolas stood alone in the shop.
The walls of the shop had beautiful fans hanging from them. Some were small, but most of them were very big. Everything in Paris was big, Nicolas noticed. He popped open the latches of his suitcase and pulled out an emerald broach that had once belonged to his Mother.
"Maman," He whispered. "Look at this place. Everything is so busy and huge. I've told many stories about big cities, but I never pictured them to look like this. I wish you were here." He ran his finger under his eye, afraid he might cry. He put the broach back in his case and closed it.
He looked at the door to the workshop. What if his uncle didn't want him? What if he wouldn't be allowed to live here? He wished Agathe hadn't left.
The door opened and Rosalite stepped out. "Your uncle wants to see you," she said.