Sometime in the 2300s

The winding streets became more and more convoluted as Elred walked forward. Well, maybe she had turned some corners and gone left or right, but she couldn't remember it now. The only thing she knew was that it was a long way from the Herkalyn estate her family visited during the tour.

Elred tucked her hands into herself, relishing the warmth her fur coat brought to her arms. It was something she saw her mother don one time on her way to a royal meeting and since then, Elred has wanted to wear one. Still, out of all the times she get to parade it around...she got lost.

Fear gripped her senses the moment she admitted it to herself. Would she get back in one piece or would her family have to bring herback home in shards? Just the mere thought brought tears to the edges of her eyes and squeezed her throat. She shouldn't have gone out and snuck behind her guardians' backs.

She blamed Naire Valkalin.

Her younger cousin had insisted to play a game of hide and seek with Elred while they were waiting for their parents to finish with their negotiations with the Herkalyn clan. Why they even have to bring their children for something as bland as a trade talk was something Elred wouldn't begin to fathom.

Naire had challenged Elred to a game and Elred accepted. She hadn't expected her cousin to run out of the estate and vanish into the bustling city beyond. So, Elred, after being made the it, stepped out of the house and, sooner than later, she didn't know where she was.

Naire was certainly not hiding out here.

Now, she craned her neck to the tall, glass buildings sporting all kinds of awnings, windows, and balconies. Shops with hand-carved signs made from sheets of thick glass passed her by, their Keijula markings familiar and yet not to Elred. The sun shone down on them but the mere height of the plateau meant it wasn't doing much to warm the roads. Thin fog curled between her legs, stirring in puffs and clouds with every step she took.

Elred blew a breath, watching it crystallize in front of her. She should have brought a thicker coat. Kraejen neighed in irritation as they trudged down the street, bearing carriages fairies used to get around in Xixora. Shard fairies dressed in elaborate clothes sat in rigid stances inside, not once glancing at the road. Others who weren't so formally dressed lumbered around with buckets, cylinders of lumber, and rolls of textile.

Would anyone recognize her if she asked them for directions?

She didn't even know the name of the Herkalyn estate. If she was to get home, she has to be able to name things. Everything in Helinfirth has a name. So, asking questions would get her nowhere. So would staying in place and waiting for someone to get her. It sounded counterproductive. If she was to get back to the estate, she should at least try to.

So, she shook her head and continued walking.

Soon, the sound of water trickling heightened until it was a constant ringing in Elred's ears. A sense of calm washed over her as a foreign scent hung in the air. If she could imagine what the Umazuran sea smelled like, she would have settled with this.

Her eyes landed on a wide-rimmed fountain. At least five water spouts shot tall streams of water into the air only to let it fall into a huge basin. What's more...the water was pink. She found herself drawing closer to it. Her fingers reached forward, to attempt to touch the water with her skin.

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you," a young boy's voice speared through her thoughts. She turned to find a fairy around the same age (and height) as her. He smiled at her. "The water's enchanted with a rysteme spell to make it glow pink. You wouldn't want to have pink skin for at least a week."

Elred withdrew her hand to her chest. She faced the boy fully. "Do you live here?"

The boy shrugged. "Maybe," he chuckled. "My father's on his rounds, taking orders for shoe shipments."

She raised an eyebrow. "Really?" She had never heard of shoemakers from Xixora. "Where is he?"

Perhaps, she could ask this boy and his father on how to get back to the Herkalyn estate. They seemed nice enough.

"Around here, somewhere," the boy said. Elred watched his blond hair stir with the faint breeze blowing around them. His green eyes flitted from the fountain, to the street, and finally, to her. She had always found green eyes amazing. Compared to the usual red eyes the Valkalin clan had, green eyes have some sort of calming energy in them.

Elred pursed her lips. "Listen, um..." she tilted her hand to one side. "What's your name?"

The boy hummed. "Why do you need it?"

Wasn't he a little bit disrespectful? Still, Elred decided to not impose and reveal her identity. "I mean, I was just going to ask for help. You see, I'm a long way from my family and I don't know how to get back to them," she said. "It would be easier if I know your name."

The boy grinned. "Nah," he waved his hand in the air. "I can take you wherever you need to go so long as I know the way. Where are you trying to go?"

Elred scratched her head. "The Herkalyn estate?"

"You might want to narrow it down," the boy replied. "There are a lot of estates owned by a Herkalyn here."

Yeah, that's the exact problem. Elred sighed. "We could try each one?" she asked. "How many do you know?"

The boy began rattling off names. Elred recognized none of them. "Okay," she put her palms forward to placate the boy. "How about we visit each one and I'll tell you if that's where I want to go?"

He tapped his chin. Now that Elred's paying attention, his warm brown skin was almost a complete contrast to her pale complexion. "Father could be back any time, though," he said. "I wouldn't want us to miss each other along the way."

Elred put her hands together. "It'll be quick. Please?"

The boy considered it. Then, he nodded. "Deal."

He extended a hand. Elred took it.

Then, they were off. The first three estates were almost by each other. They were all adorned with colorful fountains with differing number of sprouts as well as in direction. There were some who even seemed to make the water dance before splashing to the pool of water at the bottom. Some didn't even have basins of water. They just sprouted from the stone patio.

They stopped in front of a cart peppered with small barrels. Smoke curled from the top, joining the layer of fog in the air. A fairy clad in a maroon apron stirred a pot over a portable furnace behind the cart's facade.

Elred blinked when a cup edged in her vision. She coughed when she inhaled the smoke emanating from the cup invaded her nose in a hot rush. She turned to the boy who held the drink to her face. He was looking at everywhere but at her. "Have a taste," he said. A tinge of pink highlighted his cheeks. "It's the best cousa around. Ain't that right, pal?"

The man from behind the cart peeked over the barrels. His face lit up when he recognized the boy. "Oi, little man," he said. "Dad's still on his business trip?"

The boy winked. "You bet," he said before gesturing briefly to Elred. "I'm giving this lady a nice tour of this part in Xixora. She wanted to know where all the Herkalyn estates were."

The vendor chuckled. "You're in for quite a walk, then," he said. Utensils clinked and barrels opened. The vendor passed the boy another cup. "That's on me for being a good tour guide for the little lady. Have fun, lad!"

The boy accepted the cup with a bow. Then, he flicked a versallis into the counter. "Thanks a bunch for this," he said.

Before Elred could insist to pay for her cup, the boy shuffled her away from the cart with a brisk pace. "What are you doing? I need to pay for my drink," Elred looked back to the cart which grew smaller and smaller with every step forward. "You paid for yours."

The boy inclined his head to one side, never breaking his stride as he turned to her. He was walking backwards now. "You heard the man," he spread his arms, his steaming cup in his right hand. "I get a free one. I can pay for yours."

Elred stuck her bottom lip out. "Besides," the boy continued, turning around once more to match her pace. "Do you have a grena with you?"

Heat crept into Elred's cheeks. Of course. Of all the things she forgot to take with her, it's her purse. The boy didn't need her to speak further since he nodded with understanding. "Yeah. Thought so," he said. "Don't worry about it, though. We can say you owe me one."

"Hey. That's not fair," Elred frowned. "I didn't even want a drink. You just shoved it in my face."

The boy took a sip in his own cup. "Trust me, once you taste it, you'd want it."

Elred snorted. What even was a cousa? She examined her cup. The liquid sloshing inside was thick and a light shade of brown. There wasn't anything in it. No nuts, fruits, or starch balls floating on the surface. From the looks of it, it's boring.

Then, she followed the boy's advice and took a tentative sip. A chocolatey taste spread into her tongue and disappeared down her throat. There was a hint of milk and uh...sugar? It wasn't bitter. Wasn't too sweet, either.

"Gods, this is delicious," she wiped the sides of her mouth the moment she downed the whole cup in just two gulps. The lukewarm feel to it was an added bonus as it heated her insides a little bit. "Okay, I admit it. You're right."

A grin tore past the boy's lips. The street turned more and more unfamiliar around Elred. "See? You should always believe me."

Elred snorted. "I don't even know your name," she said. "How could I believe you?"

The boy chuckled. "Fair point."

They visited a few more estates—none of which was Elred's goal. The boy told her stories about his father's trips. Some of them were funny, like how one noble bent down at the wrong time and tore his trousers at the seam during one fitting. Others were sad, like how the boy witnessed a noble's pelgar giving its final breath as it fell very, very sick.

Then, it was over as quickly as it began. The next estate they visited made Elred's eyes widen. "That's the one!" she pointed to the estate with a wide garden, a line of sprinklers to maintain the line of forsaga in the front lawn, and a brick fence so high it overshadowed the mansion behind it. Only the small respite of a black-grated gate let Elred see what's on the patio.

"Don't point or you'll get pox," the boy said, slapping Elred's hand down. She frowned and massaged her arm. What's he getting at? Where did he get that nonsense?

"Well," Elred sighed. "I guess this is my stop."

The boy mussed his blond hair. He looked more adorable when his head looked like he had just rolled out of bed. "Well, it was nice knowing you....?" he rolled his hand in the air, prompting for an answer from her.

It dawned on her then. She hadn't introduced herself either. "Elred," she said. "Elred Valkalin."

The boy's eyebrows crept up. "Whoa."

Elred waved her palms in the air. "I-it's nothing," she said. "I'm a normal girl. See?"

"No, it's not that," the boy chuckled. "I just never thougt a royal could be so bad at directions and at remembering where she was. It's a lesson I would never learn anywhere."

Elred pouted. "Well, I'm a fairy too," she said. "Fairies makes mistakes."

"Yeah," the boy agreed. "As do humans and half-bloods. Everyone alive makes mistakes. It's just how life rolls, right?"

Elred bobbed her head. "I guess."

The boy turned to go when conversation ran out between them. "Well," he said, giving her a small wave. "See you."

"Wait," Elred lashed out and gripped the boy's wrist. She realized what she had done and let him go. He didn't let his arm plop to his side so it stayed at an awkward angle between them. She averted her eyes. The grass had never seem so much more interesting. "Are you really not going to tell me your name?"

The boy hummed. "Don't worry about that," he said. "I will always find you if you're ever lost."

Elred narrowed her eyes. "But I found you first."

The boy shrugged. "It's a mutual finding, I guess?"

"I can accept that," she said with a grin.

A hand edged to her periphery. She looked down to find the boy offering his hand. "Savel," he said with a gentle smile Elred wouldn't forget like the directions outside the estate. "Savel Athera."

Elred shook it, feeling a certain kind of warmth blossoming in her gut. It was because of the cousa, wasn't it? "Thanks for today, Savel," she said. "I owe you one."

Savel stepped away from the estate. He seemed to be fond of walking backwards with every chance he got. "Good," he said. "See you around."

She raised a hand in goodbye. She stayed glued in front of the gate until Savel's form was no bigger than a black blob. Savel Athera, huh? She'd be sure to remember that name.

Even if she forgot everything else.