Chapter Three
Oleander
First light filtered through the fabric sides of my tent.
The smells of breakfast being cooked around fires struck me as I opened my eyes, followed close behind by the low hum of conversation.
I stretched and rolled off the pallet onto the floor.
The change in texture against my bare skin shocked all the sleep from my system.
My eyes jolted open, and I scrambled to my feet.
I had plans for that day. I was going to meet with Castien, and he would help me find my future spouse among everyone searching for a love of their own.
Today would be the day my future began.
I had to find the perfect outfit. I wanted to make the right impression when I first met the person I would marry.
I pulled all my clothes from my pack and laid them out along my pallet, weighing my options carefully.
None of them compared to the clothing I’d seen at market.
The colors weren’t as vibrant. The shirts that had stitching were nowhere near as intricate.
I had never found myself despising my clothing until just this moment.
Unfortunately, despite suddenly hating every piece of clothing I’d brought and every garment I’d left behind, I could hardly go to the market naked.
I would have to choose something. I settled on a pair of dark trousers that fit very well and a pale blue tunic with white stitching along the sleeves.
Upon second thought, I swapped out the trousers for a pair made of white linen to match the stitching on my shirt.
I dressed carefully and found the vial of oil Mother had given me for my last Naming Day.
It was not meant only for the smell; it had been created by a local perfumer who used their magic to enchant the herbs to draw love and enhance attraction.
If yesterday was any indication, I would need all the help I could get.
Once I’d dressed, I rummaged through my food supplies for some bread, nuts, and berries to fuel me until lunch.
Soon, I was walking the paths to the market proper.
There were already crowds, mingling and conversing and speaking of the breakfast offerings at the prepared food stalls.
I was grateful that I did not care for heavy breakfasts or else I may have been stricken with envy that so many had the coin (or the lack of care about how they spent what coin they had) to eat at the prepared food stalls for every meal.
As I passed the path to the Glaesflod Bridge, a shock of fur rushed past my ankles, scurrying after some smaller animal.
I stopped myself from tripping over the critter and kept walking, making my way to Castien’s booth.
It was less crowded than it had been the day before, but there were already people milling around.
Castien and his sibling were standing behind the wooden counter, attempting to give directions to an exasperated elf who was demanding socks despite the fact that they were clearly not among clothing vendors.
I wondered if they were still intoxicated from all of the liquors consumed at the market.
The elf seemed even more exasperated as they wandered off in the opposite direction of the clothing vendors.
“I don’t think that elf knows east from west,” Acantha muttered before noticing me. They smiled and nudged their brother. “Oleander, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” I confirmed. I looked around at the people in the stall and then back at Castien.
“If it’s too busy, I will not hold you to your offer from yesterday.
” It was better to give him an out. He may not have meant his offer, and I could not hold him to an empty promise.
He may have just felt pity for my hopeless nature.
Castien studied me, his lips flattening to a straight line. “I would not have offered to help if I did not mean it.”
“He wouldn’t have. Castien doesn’t like people enough to be soothing.”
Castien nudged his sibling with his elbow, and they shoved his elbow away.
I noticed the way their combined laughter formed a beautiful melody.
His voice was a low baritone, and theirs was slightly higher, almost as if it was designed specifically to harmonize with his.
The part of me that had always been curious about sibling relationships almost wished to call our plans off, simply so I could watch them.
The part of me that wanted to get married and begin my life, the much louder part of me, was keen to start our search.
Castien unwound the pouch from around his waist and passed it to his sibling along with a few instructions. He promised to be back in time for them to eat lunch, and then he led me out of the stall.
We walked a few paces in silence. My palms were sweating, and I wiped them on my trousers. I needed to say something, to break through the discomfort. I swallowed hard. “Thank you,” I finally managed. It was hardly the wittiest of conversation starters, but I was not known for my wit.
“Thank me after we’ve found what you’re looking for.
” We walked a few more paces, past a Gearwick booth that sold corrective glass lenses for elves whose eyesight was not as good as it should be.
The wonders of Gearwick innovation and technology would never cease to amaze me.
In the village I’d grown up in, one simply found a way to adjust to the faded vision. “What are you looking for?”
I thought for a moment. I had given it some thought, though it was always fantasy.
In my fantasies, I imagined someone who did not exist. Someone who was smart and kind, someone who made me laugh, someone with strong arms and warm eyes.
I imagined someone who could warm even Mother and Father’s hearts.
I wanted someone I could grow with, and I needed someone who could be patient with me and my shortcomings.
I had imagined the shallower things as well: the color of their eyes or the shape of their body.
I imagined the feel of their body and the warmth of their skin, but I knew that those things were not required for a sound marriage.
Of course, I would need to feel attracted to them, but I was attracted to a great many people.
I had known the touch of many elves, but I had not felt that more important spark in my heart.
And that was the answer. It was what I was looking for.
“I want a spark,” I told him slowly. “I want someone who is kind and caring, but those can be a dime a dozen. My dream spouse would be someone who challenges me, but who is patient if it takes time to rise to those challenges. I need someone who will accept my shortcomings, because I have a great many. I want someone that I can build a future and a family with.”
“And you need marriage to build a family and a future?”
“I want one.”
I knew that it was not required. There was a family that lived near me in Emberleigh who had three children but no marriage certificate.
The two wives looked at each other with great love, and they loved their children.
I had asked them once why they did not marry, and they said they did not want it.
One of the wives had been married before, and her partner had died.
She did not wish to dishonor his memory by marrying another person, but her heart had taken flight upon seeing her wife.
I did not think it would be a dishonor to his memory, and I’d known others in my boyhood village who had married again when their first spouse had passed.
I supposed it was a matter of personal opinion. “Do you not want to ever get married?” I asked Castien, curiosity getting the better of me.
“It is not my priority.”
“What is?”
“My business and my inventions. My studies and my family.”
I recalled his father, years ago, sending him from the stall to go forth and explore. He had been focused on drawing in his little book instead of meeting other elves, focused on his studies then as he was now. “Do you not crave love?” He shook his head. “Are you against it finding you?”
“If it is meant to find me, then there is nothing I can do to stop it. I’m not fighting against the Gods when it comes to matters of the heart, but I am not seeking it either.”
I supposed he had enough going on in his life to have this view.
I worked various jobs for my coin, but I had no real ambition.
I did not have the skill to advance any further than menial tasks.
The clothing shops I sometimes assisted did enjoy having me there, though, as I knew clothing and colors and had always been good at flattering other elves.
It was among my favorite jobs, so long as I did not have to do sums or keep track of anything.
“What are your inventions? Timepieces?”
I noticed the way his posture changed. His shoulders slumped and then straightened, as if he were bracing for impact from something.
His eyes went down to his feet and then back up to me.
He drew in a deep breath, and his Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat.
I looked at him expectantly, and finally he spoke.
“Timepieces, yes, but my primary inventions are…” His cheeks colored, and I was taken aback by how gorgeous he looked with color on his face. “Pleasure devices.”
I blinked. “Pleasure devices?” My mind filled with images of bedroom toys past lovers had used on and with me. The image was soon replaced by one of him using one on me. “Like—” It was my turn for heat to rise through my body and land on my ears.
“Sexual pleasure, yes.” He said it simply, a statement of fact. “They are a very popular seller, especially here.”
I could imagine why. New marriages were being formed, and surely there were old marriages that were wishing to add variety to their bedroom. And I doubted that anyone took issue in purchasing it from someone who looked like him.