'My, you do have a sense of humour,' said Finn, slightly giggling as he lifted his cup.
I raised my brow. 'What made you think I won't have any?'
'I wonder now. Perhaps a hasty judgement? You seemly seemed like someone who wouldn't.'
My eyes narrowed. Zoras didn't have a sense of humour, that was true, but I wasn't Zoras. I wondered if I really looked like someone who wouldn't have a sense of humour. Whatever the case may be, I would be lying if I said that I didn't feel mildly insulted by that statement.
'Sorry to disappoint you then,' I said with a subtle sarcasm and annoyance in my voice, which he did pick up on.
'I'm sorry if I offended you, Sir Embers,' he said. 'Say, as an apology, perhaps I could interest you in something?'
I looked at him, curious.
'It will take a while for us to reach there, but there is a place at the edge of the city, near the ruins, where the view is wonderful, especially as the sun sets. You see, I was on my way there before taking a little break here in this lovely cafe. Would you like to join?'
With nothing better to do with my time, I took his offer. He paid for the both of us, which was surprising, since we had only just met, but he didn't seem to mind. In fact, he offered to.
'Aren't you generous,' I said with a smirk.
'You wouldn't want to be on bad terms with a noble, now would you?'
'A fallen noble,' I corrected him. 'You do realise that some might see this as a mockery?'
'To them I say, "Why must a noble waste his time and money on something so trivial?"'
'Oh? Aren't you good with your words?' It was rhetorical, meant as a compliment.
'Words are all I have, Sir Embers.'
The two of us left, chatting the rest of the way as he led us into the back alleys.
'Are you sure we're going the right way?'
The back alleys of Vielle were a dangerous place, especially more so for me. I was a fallen noble after all, but Finn reassured me. 'It's fine,' he said, navigating through the dark alleys like the back of his hand. He took turns after turns, and at this point I had completely forgotten which way we came from. He sped up, as if in a hurry, and I struggled to keep up. He was fast, very fast, and he kept getting faster, running through the alleys which were strangely empty.
The sun was still in the sky, but it won't be for long.
'Could we…not have…just taken a carriage?' I asked, trying to catch my breath.
'Please, sir Embers, who but us would be foolish enough to come this deep into the alleys?'
He said that, smiling and giggling, as he made that joke, and I giggled back. 'I guess you're right,' I said, still struggling to keep up with his speed. I was smiling with him. His face radiated with joy, his hair dancing behind him as he moved with grace. I felt a sense of admiration, and perhaps infatuation, but very soon it hit me; it hit me like a truck, stopping me dead in my tracks, the realisation that I was smiling and giggling.
This wasn't something that I should be smiling about.
The back alleys were a dangerous place, and no one in their right mind would be foolish enough to even enter, let alone go this deep, and that too with someone they just met. I didn't know where I came from, nor where we were going. What madness compelled me to trust someone I just met?
I would have beaten my self with a brick if I could at that moment. I cursed myself, cursed at the sheer stupidity that I had just displayed. It didn't matter how nice or kind he might be, or how reliable he might seem, I had a life I valued, and here I was, in the most dangerous part of the city.
Even worse, I was with someone. If something were to happen, I would be risking their life too.
I should have talked him out of it, not follow him headfirst.
Moreover, I felt like I was forgetting something.
It's strangely quiet, I thought to myself. We had been running through these streets for quiet a while, but I was yet to meet a single person. I looked around me: not a soul in sight. I couldn't hear any voices: no echoes, no footsteps, no cries or little chats—nothing! It was all quiet and eerie.
'Sir Embers?'
Finn noticed I had stopped, and turned around with a look of concern.
'Finn, I don't think we should continue. These alleys are dangerous, especially with everything that is going on. Especially more so for me! I'm still…' I didn't complete my sentence, afraid that someone might hear me, but I said enough for Finn to understand what I meant.
'Please, Sir Embers, it isn't as dangerous as you might think. I know this place, I've been here countless times.'
'But—!'
He placed a hand on my shoulder.
'Sir Embers, if something were to happen, I'll take care of it. You can trust me. I know this place. I know the people here. Most of them are simply misunderstood. At the end of the day, on either side of the war, there are humans, and those here are as human as you are. You're not a evil noble living in his mansion, using a servant as a footrest, or someone hunting humans in their back yard—you're not like them. You're human. I trust you, Sir Embers, and I am sure you will find yourself able to trust me as well. This place is not as dangerous as you might think. Please, trust me, Sir Embers.'
I looked him in his eyes and he looked back.
'I trust you,' I said.
I did.
I could trust him. For whatever reason, I felt like I could. Even if I couldn't trust the people here, I could trust him, and perhaps in the future, I would find myself trusting the people here too. I knew the crimes the noble did, crimes that faced no consequences, but I wasn't like them.
'Let's go then,' he said, reaching out his hand.
'Let's go.'
We dashed through the streets, even more quickly than before. Finn was in a hurry, and it wasn't hard to understand why. It was almost time for the sun to set.
Even if I didn't remember where we came from, I could understand we were higher than before. I had climbed several stairs by now, and most of the path was going uphill. It was a long way, but finally, at the end of the road, there was a light.
We stopped, and I barely managed to stay standing, using my thighs as support as my palms pressed on them while I gasped for air.
'We're here! Sir Embers, we're here!'
'We are…'
I looked up, and it was truly a wonderful sight. It was right of me to trust Finn. We were at the old Ruins of Cruzx. I had read about them, but Zoras had never visited this place because of its location. Broken marble made the floor, with wines climbing up the white broken pillars all around, some standing, while others laid on the floor. A hint of an old balcony remained in the broken white railings. These ruins themselves were beautiful already as they were, but what truly made them heavenly was the view.
I could see the entire city from up here, and the cascading clouds above them, with the rays of the orange sun peeking through them. Those rays hit the cold marble floor, reflecting off of them.
'It's beautiful,' I said, my expression probably that of wonder.
'I told you, didn't I? Then, does this make up for my earlier rudeness, Sir Embers?'
'Rudeness…?' It took me a moment, but then I remembered. 'Oh! Yes, of course, it does.' By then, I had almost completely forgotten about the conversation we had earlier in the cafe.
Cafe…yes…I went to the cafe…
I went there…
Before that…
'Shit! I forgot!'
Finn looked at me, confused and concerned.
'Sir Embers?'
I was about to say something, but before I did, I took a deep breath. No. This wasn't the time to panic. Zoras' sister was probably home by now. I didn't need to worry about her.
'I apologise, that was unsightly of me.'
I need to give her a good scolding.
Still, a part of me was unable to shake of the thought that something might have happened, and that part of me wouldn't calm down until I saw her. Perhaps that part of Zoras, still inside this body, or perhaps it was my conscience. Whatever the case maybe, I should be returning home by now. It was already pretty late. I still had a lot to figure out.
'It is alright, Sir Embers. You can tell me what is up.'
'It's nothing, truly. We should return home now, it's getting late.'
'Ah, yes, of course. It'll be dark soon. Let's go.'
I glanced back at the scenery one final time, my lips curling into a gentle smile, before turning around and heading back.