11. Arthur
Chapter eleven
Arthur
I wanted all the tie-dye
I didn’t know where I was heading. I hoped taking a walk around the town would help clear my head, but as I trudged down the streets in the bustling city of Glastonbury, I knew that wasn’t going to happen.
My pulse picked up at the sounds of people chatting, of little bells hanging in doorways chiming, of those metal chariots I’d only ever briefly glimpsed in visions passing me by. The scent of freshly-baked goods came from several shops and my stomach protested as I continued past the food. Magically glowing signs of all colors named the shops I hurried past. My heart sped up as the city reminded me of Tintagel, with a trade market bursting with all sorts of exotic goods such as glass, spices, and pottery from overseas.
It overwhelmed my senses, and I struggled to breathe as I gazed at my surroundings.
Maybe I shouldn’t have left.
Strangers stopped and stared at me as I passed them by, and I wondered why. I’d used the... 3-in-1 Will had shown me. Had used almost the entire bottle trying to remove 1,500 years worth of dirt from my skin and hair. Hair that was completely drenching the clothes I wore.
Maybe that was why people were staring. No one else had wet hair, as far as I could tell.
Just as I was about to turn around and head back, a small merchant shop caught my attention. I advanced upon it, and I couldn’t stop myself from reaching out and running my fingers over some of the clothes hanging on a bar outside. The garments had been dyed in vibrantly colored patterns, and oddly-shaped words and symbols covered the fabric.
A merchant appeared suddenly. She smiled at me, and it reminded me vaguely of the Cath Palug. “That shirt would look wonderful on you.”
“Did you make this?” I asked in awe.
She beamed and plucked the shirt from the bar. She held it up to my front and turned me to face a long mirror situated beside the clothes. “No, I had this imported from Canada. It’s a brand I absolutely adore.”
“Canada?”
Her smile faltered slightly, and confusion filled her eyes. But before the expression could stick, she grinned again. “Yes. The country.”
“Ah,” I said simply, recognizing this as one more thing I was unfamiliar with. One more thing to set this time apart from my own. I’d never heard of a country called Canada before.
Glancing at myself in the mirror, I was once again struck by the vibrancy of the clothes. Not that we didn’t have colorful clothing. We did. But not in combinations such as this. The shapes and patterns of this were unlike anything I’d ever seen. “What would you call this pattern?” I asked her, brushing my fingertips over one of the shirts.
“Tie-dye.”
Tie-dye . A fitting name for such a glorious piece of art.
I wanted all the tie-dye.
“Why don’t you try it on?”
“Oh, I couldn’t—”
“What size are you?” the merchant interrupted, scanning my frame. Without waiting for an answer, she switched the shirt I held with a different one and stuffed it into my arms. Next, she grabbed several more like it and added them on top. “And these too. I have a feeling you’ll love them.”
Before I could utter another refusal, I found myself being towed inside the shop and toward a small room at the back corner. “Try these on and let me know how they fit!”
Then the door closed in my confused face.
I glanced down at the clothes in my arms, then at the mirror hanging upon the wall to my right.
It was the first true time I’d seen myself since coming back, and hesitantly, I stepped closer to study myself better. Dark rings lined my eyes, and my beard was untamed and unruly. The damp strands of my hair tangled around my shoulders, making me wish I’d at least combed through them before heading out into public.
But the most jarring thing to discover was that I really appeared the exact same as I had before turning to stone.
Maybe it shouldn’t have been such a shock, but after living so long, it felt wrong that my body didn’t reflect those last 1,500 years.
“Is everything all right in there?” the merchant called from outside the room. “Do you need a different size?”
I jolted away from the mirror, realizing just how close I’d gotten to it while lost in my thoughts. “No, thank you.”
“Okay, just let me know if you need anything.”
I assumed she left, though I couldn’t hear her footsteps, and set the clothes down on the small chair.
I knew I should leave. Will was likely worried about my disappearance by now. But even though I knew it was the right thing to turn around and head back to the house, I couldn’t stop staring down at the clothes. It would be nice to have something that actually fit.
After debating a moment longer, I decided it couldn’t hurt to try a few items on.