by E. D. Brady
The last man, who trailed behind the others, looked up at her just as she looked in his direction.
Their eyes connected.
He had the most beautiful face she’d ever seen. His eyes were lovely, the color of the sky on a cloudless summer morning. They stayed locked in each other’s gaze, completely lost in the moment.
Quickly, she looked away, ran down the stone steps, and gently pushed aside the little iron gate that was hanging on by one hinge only. She propped the gate into place and made her way down the hill once they were safely out of her path, but she decided to chance another look at him. She turned her head around and instantly regretted it. He was walking backwards, staring straight at her. She turned away sharply, embarrassed at being caught ogling. ‘What a pity he’s off limits,’ she thought, walking briskly down the hill.
“You look happy,” Mrs. Wellum said, holding open the front door.
“I just saw the apprentices walking past my house,” Annie answered.
“Why would that be reason for such a big smile?” Mrs. Wellum asked suspiciously. She took the book from Annie’s hand and replaced it with another.
“One of them was so handsome,” Annie answered, giggling.
“What did he look like?” Mrs. Wellum questioned, smiling warmly at Annie’s ridiculously girlish behavior.
“Tall, very fit, light-brown hair, beautiful blue eyes, and a lovely face,” Annie answered in a dreamy voice.
“I don’t think I’ve ever noticed that one,” Mrs. Wellum said, ushering Annie into her living room. “Actually, they all look alike to me. Perhaps it’s the uniform.”
“This one stands out above the others,” Annie remarked. “It’s a shame that they’re not allowed to have relationships.”
“I know,” Mrs. Wellum said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. “There are so few single men in Vistira; you may as well limit your choices further.” She laughed warmly, sitting on the opposite chair from her guest. “But seriously, dear, you do not want to waste your time thinking of one of them, there’s no point. Besides, a beauty like you can have your pick of the litter.”
They drank tea and picked apart the latest book.
“The one I handed you before is even better. I believe you’ll enjoy it even more,” Mrs. Wellum said. She proceeded to give Annie a brief summary of the plot.
When Annie was finished with her tea, she stood to leave, throwing her cardigan back on.
“Are you all ready for the mid-spring festival next week?” Mrs. Wellum asked.
“Yes, it should be a great evening,” Annie answered. “I’ve never gone before. This is the first year that the twins are old enough to attend.” She walked slowly towards the front door.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for a beautiful young woman to mingle with available men,” Mrs. Wellum said with a cunning grin.
“It could be a very interesting event, then,” Annie replied.
“I hope you have something wonderful to wear. I don’t doubt that you’ll be much admired as it is, but a stunning dress would leave every other young woman paling in comparison.”
Annie blushed at the compliment.
“It was at such a festival that I met Mr. Wellum,” Mrs. Wellum added. “Perhaps you’ll be as lucky and meet the man of your dreams.”
Annie felt a little giddy with anticipation as she left Mrs. Wellum’s house with another book and a package of fresh fish—a gift from Mr. Wellum—tucked under her arm.
Before she took a step from the front of the house, she noticed, with uneasiness, that the apprentices were making their way back down the hill, and Mrs. Wellum had already closed the door, leaving her with no excuse to go back inside.
If she hurried, she would be able to make it to her front door before they reached that far. She walked briskly—almost running—back up the road.
It was a terrible blunder.
She should have waited in Mrs. Wellum’s front yard until they passed, pretended that she was looking for some dropped object. Instead, she huffed up the hill, heading straight for ten glaring faces, out of breath, blushing bright red, and worse still, she would not make it to her front door before them.
Approximately ten feet from the approaching front line, she stopped. She could have crossed the narrow road and waited for them to pass. It would have seemed courteous, as though she was giving them the right of way, but that is not what she did. She came to a complete standstill in the center of the road, unable to think straight, and waited for them to barrel into her.
Mercifully, they made a narrow opening for her to walk through.
It was beyond any form of humiliation she had ever known.
Almost every one of them smirked at her embarrassment as she pushed her way through.
She grew so flustered that she lost her footing and stumbled forward. She felt someone grab her arm, but not before the book and package fell to the ground.
She prayed for sudden death.
He was in front of her instantly; the beautiful one. He bent down and picked up her package and book, then began walking up the hill away from the others. She realized that he did not intend to hand her stuff back, but was walking her to her front door. He didn’t smirk like the rest. Instead, he gave her a reassuring smile.
When she was safely in front of her house, he handed back her things. With a smile and a bow, he turned and ran to join his group. She stared after him and was caught, again, when he turned around to give her one final smile.
She was smitten.
“What happened to you?” Cora asked as Annie put the fish in the freezer. “Why is your face so flushed?”
“Nothing happened. I ran up the hill.” She didn’t look in her sister’s direction. Cora would spot the lie in a heartbeat.
At only seventeen-years-old, Cora was wise beyond her years, and extremely intuitive. She was outspoken, sarcastic, stubborn, but also intensely loyal and extremely loving, and she had a brilliant sense of humor.
Max was her opposite in personality. He was quiet and thoughtful, courteous and sensitive. Sometimes it was hard to remember that he sat in the same room, so seldom did he speak. But he shared Cora’s loyalty and loving nature.
If they were opposites in personality, they made up for it in looks. Both had dark brown hair like Annie’s. Max had curly ringlets like his eldest sister, which he kept almost shoulder length and sometimes tied back with a piece of string. Cora had straighter hair than her siblings, flowing all the way down her back. They both had beautiful big brown eyes with long eyelashes, coming second only to their blinding white teeth that seemed to glow against blood-red lips.
“Are you sure you’re alright?” Cora asked. “Your hand is shaking.”
“I think it’s from lack of food,” Annie lied, still avoiding her sister’s gaze. “I’m absolutely famished.”
Unfortunately, her embarrassing encounter with the apprentices would not be the only one that week.
Two days later, she found herself, once again, at the center of unwanted attention while shopping in town.
She had bought something for dinner and was filling a bag with apples at a fruit stand when she glanced over to the Citadom.
There, standing on the bottom step, was the beautiful apprentice. His right foot was pressed against the wall beside the steps, pointing his knee forward. His arms were folded over his chest, and he was staring directly at Annie.
Once again, she dropped her package and bent to pick it up, her long hair falling around her face and arms. She placed the package on the table of the stall next to the bag of apples. She ran her hands through the top of her hair, scooping it out of her face, and chanced a glance at the apprentice from the corner of her eye.
His gaze was fixed on her, his body leaning forward. His cheeks were puffed out with air that he slowly let escape through pursed lips. She felt a flutter in her stomach. It was evident that she’d gotten his attention and that he liked what he saw.
Grabbing her packages, she began to
move away when she realized that the apprentice was not the only man whose attention she had captured. Leaning against a stall table, not fifteen feet away, a man with a beard and mustache was leering in her direction. She ascertained from his clothes and dark suntan that he was a sea merchant, one of the many sailors that visited town from the far north. He had probably anchored at the harbor and was selling his goods at the market.
He started towards her, his unsavory look causing her to turn and walk in the opposite direction.
“Hello, pretty lady,” a rough voice said into her left ear. The smell of stale beer coming off his breath turned her stomach.
She kept her head down and ignored him, walking towards the Bank Building, the last building in the town center. He kept up a string of comments all the way, walking much too close.
As they approached the bank, the man seemed to grow frustrated with her lack of cooperation and grabbed her around the waist. She felt a jolt of panic, but before she could scream, he was ripped from her and slammed into the wall of the shop next to the steps.
The beautiful apprentice pressed the sailor against the wall with his left forearm, his right hand holding a dagger under the sailor’s chin. “Leave this town now or I will run you through,” the apprentice demanded between clenched teeth.
“I only wanted to say hello to the girl,” the man replied in a panicked voice.
Three more apprentices ran in their direction. One reached them, grabbed the beautiful apprentice and pulled him back.
“He attacked me for no reason. I merely said hello to the lovely lady, and this one attacked, unprovoked,” the sailor told the two apprentices who stood in front of him.
“What happened here, Kellus?” the apprentice holding her defender asked.
“This vile piece of crap harassed the young lady. I feared for her safety,” Kellus told his colleague. The apprentice pulled Kellus back further. The other two apprentices grabbed the sailor by the arms and frog-marched him towards the outskirts of town.
“Careful, Kellus, your approach could be misconstrued as unnecessary force. The man claims he merely wanted to say hello to the girl,” the other apprentice scolded.
“She was frightened, I could tell. It was definitely harassment, Loc,” Kellus argued.
Loc nodded. “Danus and Borm will escort him from town. You can go about your business.”
“I’ll escort the girl home,” Kellus said.
Annie felt her stomach flutter.
“If you think it’s necessary. However, as I’ve said, the others are escorting him back to the docks. They will not allow him back in town. She has no reason to fear him further,” Loc replied.
“Her hands are shaking,” Kellus said. “I think she would feel safer if I walked her home.” He looked at Annie questioningly.
She nodded.
They walked through the market and up the hill in awkward silence for some time.
“My name is Kellus Kir,” he said finally. “We were not properly introduced.”
“I’m Annella,” she replied.
“Yes, I know,” he said confidently, “Annella Derlyn. Is that correct?”
She was about to ask him how he knew her name, but settled for a simple, “Yes, but I prefer to be called Annie.”
He smiled and nodded. “Okay, Annie,” he said.
“That horrible man did mean to harass me, I’m sure of it. Thank you for coming to my aid,” she stated.
“You’re most welcome,” he answered. “Men of that caliber disgust me.”
“Your friend Loc felt bad for him. He seems a little uptight for a man of the Citadom,” she remarked.
“Loc is not my friend,” Kellus replied. “He’s an idiot, a fool that takes himself much too seriously. He is the only apprentice that spends his time trying to win the approval of our elders. And he’s appointed himself our leader, somehow. Not that we pay him any mind.”
“I live up—”
Kellus cut her off. “I know where you live. I haven’t forgotten so soon.” Judging by the amused look on his face, he was remembering her blundering performance from two days ago.
She blushed.
“Do you live there with your husband?” Kellus questioned, glancing sideways at her.
“No,” she chuckled. “I live with my brother and sister.”
“No husband,” he mumbled. “But you have a sweetheart, of course.”
“No, no sweetheart either,” she answered, smiling shyly.
“Is that so?” he replied. “It must be a full time job rejecting all of your many suitors.”
“There are no suitors,” she confessed.
“Give me credit, Annie, I’m no fool. A beautiful girl like you must have dozens of men competing for your attention. Surely, you’re too modest.”
“I’m sure you’re no fool, but I really don’t have any suitors. I don’t meet many people. I don’t go out much,” she confessed.
“Why not?” Kellus pushed.
“I don’t have many friends,” she answered, feeling a twinge of self-pity.
“Well, you have one now,” he replied, putting his hand on her shoulder briefly.
They reached her front door far too soon.
“Thank you again for your help today,” she said in a low, timid voice, tucking her wind-blown hair behind her ears.
“It was my pleasure, Annella Derlyn,” he answered, flashing a beautiful smile. “That’s what friends are for.” He walked back down the hill, leaving her gazing after him.
The following morning, she stood on the steps in front of her house, kissing both Cora and Max on the forehead, and then watched as they walked down the hill towards their school.
When they were out of sight, she turned to enter the house, but stopped when she spotted a blue uniform from the corner of her eye. Kellus was walking up the little path to the right of her house that led to the ocean. He smiled and waved to her.
“What brings you to my neighborhood this early in the morning?” she called to him.
“Community service,” he answered. He walked up to the front of her house and tapped the little gate with his hand. “I noticed that your gate was broken when I escorted you home yesterday. So I’ve come to fix it.” He patted a small leather bag that he carried over his shoulder. “I brought tools.”
“Community service?” Annie questioned.
“Our training has been canceled today. Several peacemen have fallen ill. It seems that some sort of virus has broken out at the Citadom,” he replied.
“Is it serious?” she asked.
“Not at all, just a twenty-four hour illness. However, it’s serious enough to cancel our usual activities, so the Master ordered us to go out and make ourselves useful to the townsfolk. So I’m here to make myself useful.” He suddenly looked worried. “I hope I haven’t come at an inconvenient time. I would be happy to return later if you wish.”
“Right now is fine. I have no plans for today.” She was sure that he noticed the ridiculous grin on her face and thought her a fool.
He spread the contents of the bag of tools on the ground in front of the garden and studied the gate.
“Can I help you?” she called down the steps.
“Yes,” he answered, “you could sit on the wall down here and keep me company. That would be an enormous help.”
She walked down the steps and sat on the edge of the grass, not six feet from where he knelt.
“How are you today, Annie?” he asked as he unscrewed the gate.
“Very well, thank you. And you?” she replied.
“Never better. It’s a pleasure to be out of the building on such a nice day,” he answered, unfastening the hinge from the fence entirely.
“Yes, it’s lovely,” she said absentmindedly, watching him run his strong, large hand down the side of the gate. Abruptly, she had a flash, a quick mental image of that very hand roaming over her body. She swallowed hard and shook her head to dispel the blast of unfamiliar sensations that coursed thro
ugh her.
He pulled a similar hinge from the leather bag and attached both to the gate. “Would you be able to hold this in place while I screw it to the fence?” he asked.
She stood up, walked to the fence, and steadied the gate in place with both hands. Kellus began to screw the first hinge. His hand lightly brushed against her knee, causing a tingle to surge through her entire body. He briefly looked up into her eyes before looking back down again. She could tell that he registered the blush on her cheeks by his odd expression. He finished fastening the rest of the gate in awkward silence.
He stood up and swung the gate back and forth a few times until he was satisfied that it would stay in place. “Is there anything else that needs repaired?” he asked. “I am in no hurry to return to the Citadom.”
“No, I don’t believe that I have any more gates about to fall off their hinges,” she replied, “but you could allow me to cook breakfast for you as a thank you token.”
“There’s no need to thank me. It was my pleasure,” he answered, “and also my duty. As an apprentice, I am duty bound to keep a beautiful young woman as secure in her home as possible.”
“Thank you,” she laughed, delighting in the compliment. “That’s rather noble of you.”
Another brief, awkward moment of silence followed. They both looked at the ground, and then Kellus tightened his jaw as though he had made a rash decision. “But breakfast would be really nice,” he said, “if it’s not too much bother for you.”
She smiled up at him. “You can use my bathroom to wash your hands while I cook.”
They walked into the house together. Annie showed him to the bathroom before walking into the kitchen and pulling a large pan from the cupboard.
“Can I help you?” he said as she pulled apart frozen bacon.
She turned to see him leaning up against the doorframe and came very close to dropping the large bundle of bacon that she held in her hand. She was so overcome by the sight of him. He was beautiful. The sunlight shone in a tiny streak through the window, resting on the side of his face.
“Yes,” she said, recalling his words from before, “you could sit on this chair here and keep me company. That would be an enormous help.”
