The sun had set by the time they reached the town, the darker hues of dusk spreading across the sky. Lanterns were already hanging out by the doors of the houses, as well as the shops that were still open. Mirabel followed Tomas as he navigated the still busy streets, weaving through the passersby and heading for the inn.

Mirabel kept her hood up, hiding her face in it’s depths. It was a voluminous hood, large enough to pull over her face if need be. Idly, she pushed a few strands of silken hair out of her face, tucking them behind her ears. Most of it was in a braid that fell down her back under the cloak, hidden from sight. Her hair color, as she’d often been told in the last few days, was unique enough to draw attention, and the last thing she wanted was attention.

The sound of hooves pounding on the dirt road echoed in her ears like a heartbeat as a rider rode past on a tall horse. She shied away from the sharp hooves as he passed too close to her for her own comfort. The hooves landed with a thundering beside her and then on past just as quickly. Mirabel nestled deeper into her cloak. It was a comfort to her.

She looked up from under the edge of her hood and saw Tomas a little ways ahead. She’d fallen behind in her anxious distraction. Quickening her pace into a slight jog, she hurried to catch up to him. She’d be lost in this strange town without him.

It wasn’t that the town was anything out of the ordinary, of course. It had shops and taverns like any you’d see. The people rushed past, hurrying to wherever they needed to be, most on business, some on pleasure. Delicious smells wafted through the air as they passed by a bakery, the scent of bread causing Mirabel’s stomach to growl with hunger.

No, it was nothing strange or out of the ordinary. It was everything a town should be and more. But it made Mirabel nervous all the same. She’d never been to the town before and had not a clue where anything was, the inn, the market, nothing. She was a fish out of water here, and it unnerved her.

Fortunately, they reached the inn soon enough, and she was able to duck into the building, away from the crowds of dark haired people with their eyes that seemed to pierce through her hood, revealing her for who she truly was. While she had grown accustomed to Tomas’s hair, and even thought it to look quite good on him, the bobbing heads of blacks and dark browns seemed unnatural to her.

Inside the inn, however, was not much different. There were less people, of course, but the noise if anything had only increased. Men and women alike were scattered about the wide room, eating and drinking as raucous laughter bounced off the walls. Mirabel found herself ducking further into her hood in an attempt to hide. She didn’t like these loud people with their laughter and dark heads.

Tomas led her across the room, quickly glancing behind him to make sure she was still there and hadn’t gotten lost. Mirabel, having feared the same, offered a shy smile from the depths of her hood.

None of the others in the room had hoods up. Most of them weren’t even wearing cloaks, having taken them off and hung them up, either on their chairs or on the hooks beside the doorway. Mirabel hoped that having the hood up wouldn’t draw too much attention to her. Perhaps she could get Tomas to put his hood up as well. Maybe then it wouldn’t look so odd.

But before she could make an attempt to ask him, he’d approached the innkeeper and struck up a conversation. She couldn’t make out what they were saying, but she knew Tomas was getting them rooms for the night. The thought of a bed sounded wonderful to her right then. Her whole body ached from the journey. They hadn’t stopped once, not even to eat; when the time for lunch had come, Tomas had opened his bag and began munching on his lunch as he walked, prompting Mirabel to follow suit.

There was an exchange of coins, and Tomas smiled and nodded to the man before walking away, once again pocketing his money. Tomas stepped closer to her, one hand adjusting the bag on his shoulder. He leaned in closer to her hood so she could hear him and spoke.

“Let’s find a place to sit. We can order some food in a moment.” He pulled back and she nodded in reply. Food sounded just as good as a bed. Their lunch had consisted of bread and cheese mostly, and while it had held her over, she was hungry.

Tomas led the way again as they navigated the room, stepping between tables and around a spillage on the floor with an empty tankard beside it. It looked like ale, and Mirabel’s nose wrinkled in disgust as she lifted her skirts and stepped around it, being careful not to get any part of her clothes wet with the liquid. She’d never understood the appeal of the drink.

Fortunately for Mirabel and her skirts, they were able to find an empty table. It was near to the back of the room, giving her a good view of the rest of the room. She could see the door from where she sat, and while it was further off than she might have liked, it gave her comfort to be able to see it.

She slipped into one of the empty seats. She remained tense, eyes wandering the room as she sat with her back straight and her legs pressed together. One of her knees began to bounce beneath the table. Being in an inn was a new experience for her, and she couldn’t help it if perhaps her mouth went dry or her body sat stiff with tension coiled in every limb of her body.

A chuckle sounded beside her, and she turned to look at where Tomas sat, shaking his head in amusement.

“You look like you could murder someone,” he said, leaning closer again so she could hear over the bustle of the room. She looked at him in confusion, her eyebrows knitting together. Murder someone? What was he implying?

He chuckled again. “The way you’re glaring around the room with your hood up like that. You look like you could just pull out a dagger and kill a man.”

One of her eyebrows quirked upwards at his insinuation. She could see what he meant, now he’d pointed it out. But it didn’t make it seem any less absurd. Her? Kill someone? She’d be more likely to get herself killed trying.

With a smirk pulling at the corners of her mouth, she reached over and flipped Tomas’s hood up. In his surprise, he lost his balance for a moment, nearly tumbling off his chair. Her shoulders shook in silent laughter at the sight of him. She’d pulled the hood too far over his face, covering it completely. The only part of his face left to be seen was the bottom of his chin, peeking out in all it’s stubbled glory.

As she giggled to herself, he pulled the hood back, uncovering his face, and looked at her in bewilderment. The look on his face only sent her further into her silent giggling fit. He blinked a few times at her predicament, then shook his head.

“You’re an odd one, blonde girl,” he said, a smirk now tugging at his own lips. The tension had all but left her body, and as she continued to giggle at him she found herself almost tumbling off her own chair. She caught herself before slipping to the floor, but not without some small disgrace. Her own hood had fallen further over her face, and she lifted the edge of it to see Tomas shaking with laughter of his own.

“I think the chairs here are too slippery, don’t you?” he said, amusement clear in his voice. She huffed and tugged her hood back so she could see without peering out from under the edge of it. Her hair had gotten mussed, and so she reached her hand inside the hood and smoothed it down, tucking strands back out of the way.

Her eyes met Tomas’s, and a smirk grew across her face again. His hood was still up. It was pushed further back than her own, but it was on his head, and she counted that as a small success on her part.

Tomas shook his head and stood. “I’m going to go get us some food. Before one of us lands face first on the floorboards.” His voice still told amusement, and she couldn’t suppress a slight grin as she nodded in agreement. The small bit of amusement was just what she needed after the long day of silence and walking.

She watched Tomas go, the hood falling off his head as he weaved his way to the front of the room again. Her mouth quirked to one side as it fell, revealing once again his dark hair, disheveled from the scuffle with his hood.

As she waited for the food to arrive with the return of Tomas, she decided to return to glancing around the room, this time with less tension in her body. The short tussle with Tomas had loosened her up and made her feel more at ease in the new place.

The room was full of people, most of them in their twenties and onward. The sea of dark hair again assaulted her vision, unused as she was to the sight. Most of the women had their hair down, tumbling in waves around their shoulders, while some of them had straight locks reaching down to their waist that swished against their back as they walked.

All in all, they were exactly like the people in her kingdom, aside from the contrasting hair color. They walked, talked, and acted the same as anyone she’d met in her own kingdom. She’d always imagined people from the other kingdoms as almost mythical beings, far off in their own lands, people she’d never meet. People that drank different drinks, ate different foods, and perhaps glided across the ground like phantoms instead of walking the same as anyone else. People who, when they spoke, their voices rang with wisdom, or the songs of the bells that tinkled, reminding her of stars.

But they were normal. She should have known they would be, that they would be nothing any more special than the villagers in her own kingdom. But when she was in the palace library, reading about the different kingdoms and their stories, it was so easy to imagine something different from the ordinary. Something… extraordinary. Magical, even.

“Here you go,” came a voice, interrupting her thoughts, and she turned to see Tomas beside her again. He was holding out a plate of food for her to take. She reached out and took it, setting it on the table in front of her, and Tomas took his seat beside her again.

Food. The smell wafted to her nose, and her stomach growled, inaudible in the loud room. Picking up her fork, she began to eat. As her body remembered it’s hunger, it also remembered it’s exhaustion, and soon she found her eyes closing in anticipation of sleep. The thought of a bed was nearly irresistible, and she hurried to finish her food.

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A/N Okay, so maybe I'll update more than once a week >.> *clears throat awkwardly* For reasons. Anyway, have a chapter. I kind of liked this one, actually. It was fun to write. Went a lot smoother than some of the others. So I hope you liked it! As usual, cookie if you comment x) Feedback is always welcome.