Egan's eyes were shut tight. When the blinding light vanished and he felt the warmth of the sun on his face again he cracked them opened.
"We're here!" Chirped Isabelle.
Egan opened his eyes fully to see that they were surrounded by the tall grass of the Raeha Grasslands. Next to them was a tent that was mostly abandoned. They snuck along in the tall grass, well out of sight from anyone who remained at the base. As they began following next to the path that lead into the city, they could just barely hear the remaining soldiers clearing out the tent and a voice commanding them.
"Only take what's important. Leave everything else. The sooner we get out of here the better."
"Why are they in such a rush to leave?" Whispered Egan.
Isabelle shrugged. "Dunno. Maybe to start preparing for the war?"
The children pressed on, making it somewhat of a game to see which one of them could get through the thick grass and reach the city first. Egan was surprised to see that Isabelle, despite how little she was, could keep up with him. She definitely gave him a run for his money. When they arrived at the threshold of the city, they found themselves standing in awe of the beautiful city. The way the afternoon sun shimmered on the golden architecture was enchanting and filled them with a sense of wonder and warmth.
"It's so pretty!"
"It is..."
The pair ventured further inside, marveling at the city's beauty. They spent quite a bit of time exploring the food stalls and shops. Considering that they had no money with them, Egan thought it a prime opportunity to show off his pick pocketing skills, something he had picked up after having run away from his father and being forced to live on the streets before he was caught and sold to the asylum. Perhaps it was because she was just young or maybe it was simply because she had taken a liking to the boy, but Isabelle fawned over everything he did. Before they knew it, the sun was begging to set. They had spent much of the day eating and exploring, just when they decided they should be getting back before anyone got worried, a particular stall caught Isabelle's eye.
Egan noticed her distracted wandering and nudged her, "What is it? See something you want?"
Isabelle shook her head and pointed to the stall. "No. I just thought that those trinkets were a lot like the one's that papa makes."
Egan took another look at the stall. He had yet to meet Albus, but he could tell that Isabelle loved him and his craft very much. "You want to take a closer look before we leave?"
Isabelle smiled up at him "Yes!"
While Isabelle was browsing, Egan spotted a woman emerge from the curtains that hung just behind the display. She stopped when she saw him. "My, what a young boy, come to buy a gift?"
"...no...we're just looking." He gestured towards Isabelle who was still starry eyed over all of the little trinkets.
The woman's eyes seemed to go wide and her mouth hung open for a minute when she spotted Isabelle. "Do you like these?" She asked, shifting her focus entirely onto Isabelle.
Isabelle nodded. "Yup! They're just like the one papa makes!"
The woman laughed. "Is that so? He must have good taste then. Who's your papa?"
Isabelle opened her mouth to speak but seemed to catch herself before the words came out. She glanced over at Egan, who looked as though he was thinking the same thing she was. The woman chuckled at their suspicious glances.
"Oh dear, are you out here when you're not supposed to be? It's alright. You can tell me. I won't tell your papa I promise." The woman put a hand over her heart and smiled.
Isabelle made a strange face. The woman was very pretty. She was definitely older but her smile was warm. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off with the woman.
"My papa is a craftsman. He used to travel a lot to sell his crafts."
"Just you and your papa? Where is he? It's getting quite late. Would you like me to walk you back home?"
Egan's hand shot out before any of them could process what was happening and pulled Isabelle behind him. "It's alright. We wouldn't want to trouble you."
The woman's smile grew wider. "At least let me walk you back to the city gates then."
Egan and Isabelle looked at each other in surprise, earning another low chuckle from the woman.
"Come now, you didn't think I'd notice you were foreigners? The people around here all look the same. My husband and I were the first foreigners to settle here with everyone else. This city's been hidden for many years so it's stayed this way for quite some time. I apologize if I've scared you. You just look a lot like someone I knew once so I was surprised. My name is Nasmira Derouter. It's nice to meet you."
Isabelle poked her head around Egan. "Derouter? We have the same name!" She exclaimed excitedly.
"Really? What a coincidence."
"Yup! My papa's name is Albus Derouter!"
"...Albus you say...well it seems that the world is even smaller than I thought. Albus is the name of my son. I believe he left some years ago to travel the world and sell his wares just as you mentioned earlier. If you don't mind me asking, where might he be now?"
"He's at the palace with mama!"
Nasmira's smile vanished. Egan could vaguely hear her mumble "palace" under her breath. Her smile returned as she began cleaning up her stall. "Do you mind if I tag along? I'd love to see him again! I-"
"How do you know that He's even your son?"
Annoyance flashed across Nasmira's eyes the second Egan cut her off. It was a look he knew all too well. It was filled with a cruel greediness, the same kind he often saw in his father.
"They have the same name and judging from this little one's resemblance, I'd say this goes well beyond the realm of it being a simple coincidence. I haven't seen my son in years. I miss him dearly. My husband passed away recently and I have just enough money to scrape through." Nasmira pointed to the trinkets she had bagged up. "He made all of these. I've had to resort to selling what I have left of him in order survive. It's terribly lonely now that he's gone. It may be a bit of a stretch but if there's a sliver of a chance that this man is my son, I would really like to see him once more."
Egan thought for a moment. The sinking loneliness he felt just this morning as he watched Ea leave, crept it's way back into his head and weighed heavy on his heart. He had never had the privilege of enjoying the familial bonds that other young boys had. Once he had gotten a taste of what it was like to be cared for and what it felt like to miss someone, he found himself pitying the woman.
"...I guess...he's be pretty lonely too...okay. Fine. We came through the magic portal set up by the Solarian soldiers outside of the city. Let's hurry and sneak back before they remove it." Egan turned and began walking away with Isabelle.
Isabelle slipped her hand into Egan's and gave it a light squeeze. He looked down at her and smiled. He had to give her some credit. Though she was young, she seemed to be quick to pick up on and understand what others were feeling. Part of him envied her. She had two parents who loved her dearly and a safe home where she could do whatever she wanted. The other part of him however, wanted to protect her.
Though they hadn't known each other for long, he felt at ease with her. Neither one of them had ever had friends their age before and the sweet innocence of someone untouched by the cruelty of the world was a rare thing to find. As Egan looked down at her beaming smile, he found a determination to make sure she would never have to feel the thigs he's felt before and he glanced back at the snake like smirk that Nasmira didn't think he caught, that determination only grew.
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