A shabby wooden carriage stood small outside the grand Aurielle walls. With its modest appearance, no one would have expected the baron's own children to be the ones inside.
"We can go ahead now," Charles said to the coachman through the window behind him.
"Yes, my lord," he replied.
The carriage seat pressed like a stack of sandpaper on Adria's back. She shifted, in an attempt to find a comfortable spot, but gave up.
"…Is everything alright, Kath?" Armand said. His usually unkempt long hair was tied into a neat bun, allowing his eyes—which now wore thin round glasses—to be seen.
"What?"
"You don't look alright. Is the carriage not to your taste?"
"Oh, no. I'm all fine." She said. "Just wondering where we're going is all."
"You'll see soon enough," Armand replied with the tiniest hint of a smile creeping on his face. "It's a place you've always wanted to visit."
'Well, that definitely narrows it down.'
Adria turned her focus towards the small window beside her. A beat-up cobblestone road greeted her with exhaustion in its eyes—its colour dull from old age, its body filled with holes from all the weight it had to carry. Children threw dirt into potholes in an attempt to cover its wounds, and whenever a carriage passed, they'd stretch out their little hands in hopes that someone would spare some coin.
Compared to that sight, the carriage seats beneath the Aurielles felt closer to luxury. Adria snapped her gaze away from the window and let the galloping of horses drown her thoughts. Memories of times when she herself rode one began popping up.
The sensation of warm wind hitting your face. The feeling of losing control of your horse and eating dirt as you fall in what feels like slow motion. And now those memories were interrupted by the sharp screech of the carriage.
"We've arrived, Kath," Charles said.
The coachman opened the door of the carriage, letting the taste of festivities leak inside. The three Aurielles stepped out into the bright midday sun, and an odd cacophony of smells and sounds met them as they did so.
Red and white banners flew on roofs made out of thatched straw, and small stalls and shops crowded the roadside. A large bonfire could be seen in the distance, and people carrying animals of all shapes and sizes walked towards it with a cheerful demeanour.
"Where are we?" Adria asked.
The two brothers continued walking forward, and then Armand replied with a proud smile on his face, "We're in Calry, Kath."
A name Adria had never heard before. But from Armand's tone, it was a name Katherine knew.
"…And where are we walking to now?"
And a name Adria should already have known.
"Where everyone's going, towards the bonfire," Charles said
"…"
"You don't look as happy as I thought you'd be, Kath," Armand said.
Adria hesitated for a moment before forcing a smile. "I'm plenty happy to be here, brother."
"…Is that so?"
"Yes…" she said while forcing a large smile out of her lips.
The rest of the walk was filled with the sounds of footsteps. A moment that left Adria wondering if what she said made them suspicious of her.
"Excuse me, pretty lady," a little girl said, her right hand showing a piece of paper to Adria. "We've got… the best theatre group in town. Will you come watch us later today?"
"Sure. How much does the ticket cost?" she said, a genuine smile surging on her face.
"It's… six copper a ticket, my lady."
Adria turned towards Charles. No word left her mouth, but he already understood what she meant and sighed.
"Six copper, right? We'll get three tickets," Charles said.
"Three tickets?!" the child exclaimed. "Thank you, my lord." She handed the tickets, did a quick bow, and ran towards a group of children who looked around the same age as her.
The three of them stared at the girl for a moment—her face beaming with excitement as she appeared to be bragging to the other kids about how much money she had made.
"…Shall we check out some of the other stalls?" Armand said.
They spent the rest of the day eating all sorts of street food, playing all of the games at the festival fair, and enjoying the sights that Calry had to offer. As the sun began to set, stalls began to close, and the owners readied themselves to go to the bonfire. The war festival was nearing its end, and the Aurielles, too, were heading towards the town center.
"You had to be cheating to win that much," Armand said calmly.
"That's the strength of a knight, alright," Charles replied while chewing on a piece of skewered meat. "No cheating was involved."
"Right, the 'strength of a knight.'"
"Hey, don't put that in quotations."
While the brothers bickered, Adria's eyes lingered on the purple cat in her arms—her fur as soft as silk and eyes a similar hazel to Katherine's.
"Don't you think what the vendor said was funny?" Charles said
"What?" Adria replied.
"The thing about the cat looking like you. We all have purple hair, so doesn't that mean she looks like all of us?"
"Well, yeah, but-" Before Adria could finish speaking, she hit her forehead into someone.
"Kath! Are you alright?" Charles exclaimed.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't looking ahead." Adria said as she raised her right hand to feel the sting on her forehead.
"…It's fine," the other woman replied. She lifted her eyes to meet Adria's, and a jolt ran through her.
Long white hair, face as pale as fog, and a face that carried centuries of exhaustion; for some reason, Adria found this woman to be… familiar.
"If you'll excuse me," the woman turned away—the cloak covering her mimicked her motion.
"…Have we met before?" Adria said.
"What?" The woman stopped in her tracks and turned her body back around.
"It's just that …you look familiar."
The woman's eyes widened for a short moment before going back to their previous, monotone look. A brief sigh left her, then she replied, "I don't think we've met. Now, if you'll excuse me." And before Adria could say anything back, she was out of sight.
"Are you fine, Kath?" Armand asked.
"…Yeah. I think I am."