When Edith woke up, it was far earlier than she expected, and a stick was poking into her backbone. Yesterday had not given her time to make a bed out of leaves in her little hut like she usually did. Grabbing her small bag of belongings, she went out in search of food. The crunch of newly fallen leaves turned into the thump of a dirt road, and eventually the clacking of cobblestones filled her ears as she walked. Early morning vendors were setting up their section in the marketplace, and the scent of cinnamon and sage filled the air, mixing with the smell of freshly baked maslin bread.
Edith stopped for a moment to greet Ms. Ellis, the florist, whose little stand overflowed with autumn flowers, and greenery. Ms. Ellis herself was almost indistinguishable from her flowers. Her dress was a mismatch of several brilliant fabrics she dyed with old florals, giving her an exuberantly wild but decisively happy appearance.
"Hello, Ms. Ellis. How are you?"
"Oh, hello, dear! I’m doing lovely, thank you. You are just the person I wanted to see. I’ve got a new fall flower selection, and I can't decide whether to sell them separately or in bouquets. What do you think?"
Edith smiled, pleased to know an adult wanted her opinion, especially on flowers. "I think bouquets. The leaves you picked make the mums look nice, and I don’t want them left out."
Ms. Ellis laughed. "Bouquets it is! How your mother managed to raise the nicest little twelve-year-old I’ve ever seen, I’ll never know. How is she, by the way? Still teaching in Lomire?"
"Um, yes, she’s doing fine." Edith responded a bit nervously.
"That’s what I like to hear. Now shoo! Go have some fun while you still have that young spirit."
Edith tried to smile and walked away quickly. She hated lying to the sweet florist, but if she found out she was an orphan… well, it was straight back to the orphanage. Ms. Ellis would think she was helping Edith, but really it was the opposite.
It hadn’t been completely horrible when she was there. She could rely on food and a soft place to sleep every night, but she quickly found out what it was really for. It was for children to do the work adults were too lazy to bother with, like cleaning vents with rats in them and chimneys with huge spiders. She shuddered, remembering how her young friend Mia had gotten bit by a spider once. Mia couldn’t breathe right and was rushed to the infirmary, and later the orphanage director told Edith that Mia was taken to a bigger hospital in Withermire. Edith never saw her again.
She sniffed the air as she took her usual alley behind the richer folks' houses. New people had bought the biggest house from the late Mr. Astor’s son, and she thought she smelled… strawberries? Mm, she hadn’t tasted fruit in a long time. Edith hoped there was some left over. She peeked inside the trash bin at the back of the large, two-story residence, careful to avoid the large windows. Yes! Two thick slices of soft white bread, only a bit soggy on one side from spilled tea, with three fat overripe strawberries next to them. Today was lucky. As Edith scooped the food into her pouch, she heard a noise above her. Immediately, she knelt and hid behind the trash bin, looking up at the now-open window above her. A boy her age leaned out and, to Edith’s surprise, whispered urgently, “Quick, run, she saw you!”
Without hesitating she got up and made to sprint, but she had hardly taken a step before a hand grabbed her golden hair. She yelped in pain.
"Let go! Please, I won't come back here again." She pleaded, turning to the woman. It was not, to her surprise, an angry cook or maid. Edith guessed she was lady of the house from her fancy blue dress.
"Oh, I’ll make sure of that, you disgusting churl. If I ever see you trespassing again, I’ll have you captured on the spot." She spat at Edith. "Get out."
Edith quickly obeyed her, sprinting back to the marketplace, hoping to get lost in the swarm of vendors and customers, just in case. Instead, she found six of Lord Bancroft’s knights in the middle of the plaza, two clearing a large circle of space, two setting up a sort of wood stage, and two standing guard.
How strange. Knights only arrived for special ceremonies, or if there was a particularly big fight. Edith walked up to the nearest onlooker, a larger man whose eyes scanned the area suspiciously as if searching for somebody.
"Excuse me, sir. Do you know what those knights are doing?" She asked, trying her best to be polite.
Without turning to face her, he responded, "Wrong question, missy. You should be asking what’s ‘appening in precisely-" He tore his eyes from the gathering crowd to take a quick look at the big clock on the modest town hall, "six minutes and forty seconds. Lord Bancroft hisself is coming ta make a ‘nouncement wid a Fetcher. This ain’t any old Fetcher, mind you; it’s King Dario’s personal one."
"Oh! Thank you, sir. You’ve been very kind." Edith was puzzled at the thought of the king's Fetcher making a public proclamation, but she was interested.
Instead of trying to find space to see in the horde of people, she went to her favorite spot overlooking the marketplace. It was an old oak tree next to the bakery, twisted and knotted like a big melting candle. Edith loved it. She climbed its burls and branches with ease, leaping from one to the next until she had a perfect view of the makeshift stage. As Edith began to get comfortable, she overheard two ladies below her. One of them she recognized as Catherine, the town gossip. The other she didn’t know, a mother with four children. The mother spoke first.
"Are you sure they’re Fetching two little girls? It’s a bit odd if you ask me.”
"Oh, don't be such a worrywart. It’ll likely be from the lowest class anyway. My good friend Nora has a brother in Withermire who says Fetchers making announcements to the public aren't at all uncommon there, though I’m not sure I trust his information because once when I was in school, he swore up and down Mr. Hodge’s chickens laid square eggs, and we all believed him, only to look like fools all gathered around the henhouse looking for square eggs. On the other hand, if it is true, we might be becoming a bigger village after all-."
Edith stopped listening to the talkative woman and wondered who the unlucky girls would be. Even though they were probably criminals, she pitied whoever it was. Rumors said the Dungeon of the Fetched would drive a grown man mad in days, with ghoulish monsters that tortured you. Perhaps the girls had family, like a sister or brother, who would mourn them.
What was it like to have family miss you? Edith often imagined what her parents and siblings would look like. Her mother might have long, blonde hair like her, with big brown eyes and her father would have light brown hair, with striking emerald, green eyes to match hers. She liked the idea of having someone to take care of, so she would have two younger siblings, a brother and sister. The boy’s name might be Ted, or Nate, or maybe- “Lord Bancroft!” Edith snapped out of her daydream to find Lord Bancroft had arrived, and his squire had interrupted her thoughts.
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