New in Town (Jacob Blade, open)

[Gwethana Idris Quartermane]

It was astounding.

The language that slipped between the lips of those she passed along the streets and the magic that impregnated the air; her heart fluttered within its fleshy cage, pumping boiling blood through a maze of veins. The battle Gwethana had ignited to be allowed venture on this journey was worth her while; the red-cheeked arguments nothing but a distant haze, dream or reality she knew no longer. She was here, that was all that mattered.

Nimble, ivory fingers fastened the clip, draping a velvet cloak across pinched shoulders. Gwethana bit her lip, pulling up black curls into a messy bun; dark tendrils fell framing her face. She grunted, not bothering to gaze into the mirror before padding quietly out from the guest chamber and into the hall. No one questioned her. She eagerly walked along the corridor, back stiff as a stick, her feet practically gliding across the flooring. It did take long before the fresh air of the surrounding forest bubbled up, filling her lungs with oxygen. Gwethana coughed lightly into her elbow, jutting her head upward with authority, before fleeing with hopeful invisibility between the trunks of trees. The moss beneath her feet squished. It felt soft like the freshly washed bedding from her home.

In her haste to explore the city, and drink in its magical qualities, Gwethana’s foot caught a root and she tumbled forward flailing. Her limbs struck the air with frantic jabs. Swoosh In a crumpled heap upon the ground, Gwethana lifted her head thankful to be near the outskirts of Nadindel, though the memory of the keen eyes of elves burned her cheeks. A sour word rolled thickly off of her tongue. Wiping the soil from her hands, Gwethana pushed herself upwards into a sitting position and from the ground looked up toward the trees canopy. Emerald foliage enveloped the area like a shield. Too humiliated to stand, her hand sought its way into the depths of the pocket stitched along the hip of her traveling dress. From it, Gwethana produced a simple book. Green orbs scanned the earth for some stupendous plant to add to her collection; rare herbs that grew within Nadindel had been one of the reasons she had pleaded with her father for attendance.