Chapter 30 - You need a drink

EMMA

Mangoes, watermelon, bananas, oranges, plums and strawberries. I’ve never seen so much fruit in my life. Heaps of different colors line up in a rainbow of fruit. The merchant is shooting me annoyed glares with every fruit I pick up. The soft skin of peaches tingle my senses beneath my fingertips. Their sweet scent hangs in the air. I want to taste it all.

Cecile and Paulina are waiting for me to choose.

“Can we take it all?” I ask.

“Of course, princess.” Paulina says.

“No, pick two.” Cecile counters. She has her arms crossed. “I’m not throwing stuff away, just because it was too much for you.”

I bite my lip. Cecile is right. That would be a waste. I pick up a few mangoes and peaches and give them to the merchant to pack.

The market is filled with different merchants. Each selling different things. Spices, vegetables, cheese, nuts. I’ve never seen so much food in one place. Between the stands people litter through the pathways.

“We should go back to the palace, Emma. Prince Hadrian is requesting your immediate return.” Miles says.

“I'd rather stay here.” I say and walk away from them to get a closer look at all the different spices. Cardamom, ginger and rosemary fill the air next.

I didn’t want to be in the palace, so I joined Cecile with her errands. That was two hours ago. Paulina wouldn’t let me go alone and of course my entourage of guards followed. Miles and Callum are now standing a distance away and arguing with each other. I know they’re arguing about me.

I’m avoiding my problems. Avoiding Prince Hadrian specifically. I’m embarrassed about what happened this morning, outside his office. I’m angry at myself for acting the way I did. I don’t want him to think that it meant anything, because it doesn’t.

“What’s going on with you? You’re acting weird.” Cecile asks when we walk further down the market.

I look up at her. Square my shoulders and stop fidgeting with the hem of my shirt. “No I’m not.”

She purses her lips. “Lying now too.” Cecile walks defty around the people and away from the crowd. “Come on, you need a drink.”

I have more trouble dodging the people and have to increase my pace to keep up with her. I seem to be at a disadvantage with only my eyes navigating me. “What kind of drink?”

“The alcoholic kind.” Cecile says with a smirk.

I gladly follow her away from the market and Paulina steps closely behind me.

“I don’t think going to the outer ring is a good idea, princess.” She says.

“You too, Buttercup.” Cecile calls.

The sun is high in the sky. It is probably somewhere close to noon. I never drink, but noon is too early for alcohol, right?

The streets of Sanguinem are busy with pedestrians. There are children running around and students carrying books and chatting with each other. This is the middle ring or so I’ve heard. I’ve been told not to wander to the outer ring, because it’s not safe. But Cecile doesn’t seem to care about this fact. She crosses the canal to the outer ring and I follow.

The streets are dirtier in this part of the city. Paulina seems uncomfortable. Miles and Callum have confused looks on their faces. I shrug my shoulders, because it doesn’t seem so bad to me. I mean if you lived a big part of your life in crumbling sheds, where there is no heater in the winter and most things are damaged by the war. This seems like a dream to live in comparison. I feel more at home in a place like this than in a palace. It seems more real. I’m glad I wore my jeans today. It seems more fitting than a fancy dress.

We arrive in a small square. There are some people mingling around a restaurant with green window frames and a sign that says ‘The Golden Dawn’ on a fated off-white sign. In front of the restaurant are two men playing chess. One of them sips his drink while the other is concentrating on his next move. The man sipping his drink sees us approach and gives us a smile. He has gray hair and a gray beard with lines around his eyes. His green eyes linger on me with a curious look in them.

“What are we drinking, old man?” Cecile asks as she takes a seat around the table.

The old man claps his hands. “Miss Cecile. You have to try this wine, Baccus brought it from outside the border.” The man gestures to the man in front of him, so I guess that must be Bacchus. The man has a scowl on his face with grey hair, large sideburns and brown eyes.

“Please, sit down, miss Emma.” The man says and pulls a seat back for me.

I’m a little flustered that this man knows my name, but I take a seat. He gives me a kind smile and pours me a small porcelain cup with a clear liquid.

“How are things in the palace?” He asks with a hint of seriousness in his eyes.

Cecile shoots back the drink in one go. “All right I guess. Things are quieter now. Gingersnap and Parsnip are away again. And Pickles has gone home after Spice chose Shortcake, you know.”

I’m royally confused by the conversation. I know Cecile likes to refer to people by nicknames, but I haven’t quite figured out who is who.

The man hums and Cecile refills her cup with precision. I pick up the porcelain cup and take a sip. The liquid burns down my throat and leaves behind a scorched desert. I cough out loud and tears burn in my eyes.

Cecile cackles and the old man eyes me with concern.

“Let me get you something less strong, miss Emma.” He gets up from his seat with a wince and slow movements.

I automatically reach out to give him a hand. “Are you okay? Let me help you.” I get up from my seat and follow the man into the restaurant.

The old man pats my hand. “Don’t worry Miss Emma, my old bones are just hurting me a little more these days.”

The restaurant has no more than ten square tables. The tables are made of simple oak. The walls are painted in an olive green and on one of the walls hangs a painting of a woman with black hair and olive green eyes. She's smiling and there is kindness in her eyes.

“Who is that? She is beautiful.”

“That is Oriane. The deceased Luna of our kingdom, and my sister.” There is sadness in his voice when he talks about her.

I turn my gaze back to the man. He has a grimace on his face, when he bends down to get something from beneath the counter.

“If you have willow bark, I could make it into tea. I’m not gonna lie, it tastes pretty awful, but it will relieve the pain.” I say.

The old man gestures for me to sit and there is something commanding about him in a kind way. I do as he says and sit down at one of the tables close to the counter.

The man carries a clear bottle with red liquid to the table. “Unfortunately, willow bark is not so commonly available in this part of the kingdom.” He places a new porcelain cup in front of me. I eye the dark red liquid and I carefully take a sip. The drink is sweet and tastes like red currant and cherries.

I think of the willows in the palace gardens. There’s plenty of bark there and I ponder if I could take some.

“How is my nephew these days?” He asks while sipping his own drink.

I raise my eyebrows. “Your nephew?”

“Your mate, Prince Hadrian.”

My eyes widen. “H-Hadrian is your nephew?” Until that moment I hadn't connected the dots. The woman in the picture is the deceaced Luna, so she must've been Hadrian's mom.

The man laughs. “Certainly. My name is Gaius.”

The reminder of the prince makes my stomach clench and I frown at the reaction of my body.

“I know this must be hard on you.” He says and I turn my gaze back to the man. He places a hand on mine and there is something soothing about him, like a grandfather I never had. “Please, don’t let the actions of a few influence your feelings about all of us. My nephew has gone through a lot.”

My brows furrow further. I know he must have known pain. The scars on his back didn’t get there by accident. “Hadrian has many scars.”

The features of Gaius turn into pain and grief is laced in his eyes. He nods. “He has a strong need to prove himself worthy. The expectations of his father and the good of his heart don’t always agree with each other.”

Gaius lets go of my hand. “If you give him a chance, I know he’ll be good for you.”

I take a sip of my drink and Gaius gives me a kind hearted smile.

“And I think you can be good for him too. I have a feeling that the Moon Goddess is on your side.” He says.