Estelle's Curfew

The carriage stopped before a large wall of evenly cut stones and wooden pillars, from which lanterns, unlit, hung gently. The town of Estelle, a large village at the edge of Southern Sechille, was quiet. Crickets and bugs that were plentiful in the plains had extinguished their cries, no skittering of mice or chirping of birds sounding out into the midnight.

It was a dead town, and this discomforted Liel.

“Sir, will you come with me into town?” Liel asked the old carriage driver, worried.

The old man smiled as he shook his head. “No, my Lady. Best left to the carriage, I think. When I was younger, company would suit me. Not so much anymore. I’ll eat and drink what I have in the driver’s compartment, so don’t worry yourself over it.”

Liel nodded her head, having adopted a serious expression. Why was it that the town was so silent? It wasn’t as if she had visited many towns in her lifetime. Once when on a practice assignment with Meister Coreas, and another when the same Meister had brought them on a journey to Hel. But she was sure that this wasn’t normal for a town. Even at night, shouldn’t there at least be lights shining brightly?

She stepped out of the carriage, facing the town’s gate as she spoke, her Paladin’s cloak fluttering in the nighttime breeze, “then, take care of yourself, Sir.”

The old man smiled as he placed a hand on his chest, bowing to Liel. “May the Gods watch over you, my Lady.”

Liel didn’t flush with embarrassment after hearing this. Her mind had become focused on other things, particularly regarding the silence of Estelle. She stepped through the open gate of the town, looking back and forth with discretion. What kind of town leaves their gate open in the middle of the night, with no guard left to watch over it?

She walked down the cut-stone path that stretched into the center of the town, bordered by stacks of houses made of wood and hay, stone and sheer hope. Unlike the lamps bordering the town, some of the homes had some semblance of light glowing within them, casting itself onto the street in bare amounts. While it left her unable to discern most of her surroundings, she could at least see where she was placing her feet.

“Young miss, you shouldn’t be out at a time like this.” A grave, cold voice echoed from behind her. Liel’s gaze flitted back behind her, placing her hands on her sword as she prepared to draw it. The person standing behind her immediately recoiled, raising his hands.

Her eyes narrowed, eyeing the figure in the shadow suspiciously as he spoke once more. “Young miss, I would hope you wouldn’t do something so rash.” His hand moved to his waist in the darkness, striking a match against the side of a lantern hung on his belt, alighting the oil within. A bright orange glow was cast in the street, illuminating the man’s appearance. He had dull-greyish hair and a thin beard, with sullen cheeks and a sharpened jaw. He was handsome, in a soldier-ish type of way, Liel thought.

But more than that, he wore a leather breastplate and steel pauldrons, with a helmet of the same make. He was obviously a guard. An unarmed guard, but still a guard.

“My apologies, Sir. I was frightened by your sudden appearance. I would expect a guard at the gate, not the middle of the street.”

“So, you came from the gate, not within the town?” As the guard spoke, Liel realised the fault in her words. Of course, this suggested she had just waltzed into the town unprompted, without allowance from the guards or any officials. Then again, it wasn’t exactly her fault. She knew this.

“As I suggested, I would expect someone to be at the gate. If one leaves a door open, how can they be surprised when someone crosses through it?” Liel shrugged. “However, I can realise that I crossed a boundary. I apologise. My behaviour is unfit of a Crusader.”

The Guard’s eyebrow twitched, raising the lantern to illuminate Liel’s face. Seeing the rune on her cheek, he immediately bowed his head. “My apologies, my Lady. I didn’t know you were a Paladin. If it’s official business you’ve come for, I can understand and certainly accept you entering the town without notice. Still, you shouldn’t be out at this hour…”

“And why is that?”

“There’s a curfew in place, my Lady.”

“A curfew? Has something happened recently?”

“There’s a killer about, or so they rumour. There have been many disappearances recently. No bodies, but you know how the townspeople gossip…”

‘Disappearances? Many, as in multiple? If that’s the case, a curfew would definitely be implemented. That explains the eerie silence I first noticed. No one is wandering about the town at night. But if there’s a curfew, and something dangerous is lurking about, then shouldn’t there definitely be a guard at the gate? Perhaps this guard is a lazy person, and I just happened to catch him in his slothful act!’ Liel chided at the guard within her mind, careful not to voice her true thoughts in that way.

“My Lady, if you don’t mind me asking, why have you come to Estelle? Is it to investigate the disappearances?” When the guard asked this question, his gaze and tone became unusually stern. Wary of this, Liel narrowed her gaze.

“No, I’ve come to bless the harvest. Perhaps you wouldn’t be told of a commission like this. At this hour, I can’t meet with your town’s officials. Is there an inn I can rest for the night?”

The guard nodded his head. “Yes, my Lady. I can take you there.”

“Very well. I would appreciate your assistance.”

Following the guard through the night-strewn streets, she glanced at each building they passed. The walls were coated with ivy and flower blossoms, growth influenced by the roots of the World Tree. There was another Estuary nearby, clearly. So why was it that the commission had been sent to an Estuary a day’s ride away?

Liel pulled her mind away from the matter, having arrived at the doorstep of the town’s inn. She turned to the guard, smiling genially. “Thank you, Sir. I hope your night guarding the gate goes well.”

The guard’s eyebrow twitched in response to this, causing Liel to grin. ‘So, I was right. What could you possibly have been doing, you lazy guard?’

She turned her gaze away from the guard, paying him no mind as she turned the iron knob of the door, pushing it open and stepping into the warm atmosphere. Unlike the street, the first floor of the inn was alight, and it wasn’t silent in the slightest. The keeper of the inn stood behind a counter, cleaning dishes, and a woman and child sat at a table to the side, enjoying a warm meal.

Liel stepped through the inn silently, yet still drawing the attention of the woman and the keeper. At the counter, she faced the man washing dishes with a smile.

“Good evening, Sir. I’m sorry to trouble you so late, but do you have any rooms free? I’m quite tired from my travels.” She spoke sheepishly, almost embarrassed to be arriving so late. Of course, how could she have arrived despite the curfew? The person before her would see the rune on her face, and connect the dots that she was a Paladin who had been ‘allowed’ past the gate due to her status, and then the man would bow to her and offer her a respectful greeting. And of course, because she was unoccupied in thought, this would embarrass her, and she would have to expend mental strength in order to hide it on her expression. It was all starting to become a hassle.

Of course, this was exactly what the inn keeper did. Liel waved her hand in an embarrassed fashion, hoping that the inn keeper would raise his head and spare her the trouble of respect, because respect undeserved was the worst of pain.

“Yes, my Lady.” The inn keeper finally responded. “We have a good room, no- a great room available. I’ll have it cleaned up for you. In the meantime, would you care for a meal? I have some stew prepared. It will definitely warm you up after being in the cold for so long.”

Liel nodded her head. “Yes, that sounds lovely, Miss. I would appreciate it.”

“Have a seat at one of the tables. I’ll bring it out to you shortly.”

As the inn keeper disappeared behind a curtain in the back, Liel turned her attention to the mother and daughter sitting at the table in the corner of the room. The mother stared at her with curiosity, the exact same expression as the young girl clinging at her skirt.

“Would you care to sit with us, my Lady?” The mother smiled genially, waving her over. “I promise we’re better company than none at all.”

Liel stood silently, thinking for a moment. ‘It’s definitely a good way to get information about this place, but I’ll be gone after I complete the blessing of the harvest, so it does me no good. Can I spare the energy to interact with others after such a long travel…?’

Liel stared down at the little girl, who had a beaming expression on her face. Her lips curled up, and she let out a sigh.

“That would be lovely, Miss. I hope I don’t trouble you.”

She sat down in the seat across from the mother, loosening the clasps of her blade’s sheath and drawing it off of her belt, setting it beside her. She leaned her head on her hand, staring at the woman. She had a stark beauty, like a wolf that had taken human form. Her hair was a mixture of grey and black, and her eyes were like a storm. It was the same for the woman’s daughter, although it was cut away by the brightness of her expression, and so she seemed more like a little bird than a wolf.

“My name is Elienoire, my lady. This little one is my daughter, Isabelle.”

Liel glanced down at the little girl once more, smiling warmly, her eyes having grown tired and dull. “It’s nice to meet you, Isabelle.”

The young girl smiled in return, reaching out her hands towards Liel. In between her small fingers, she held a doll made of straw and harsh cloth. Liel looked up towards Elienoire, who tilted her head with an embarrassed smile. “She wants you to take it, I think. It’s one of her favourites, but for the life of me, I can’t remember where she obtains her dolls…”

Liel’s eyes widened, reaching out her hands to accept the doll. On its face, two pitch-black buttons had been sewn to act as eyes, with stitches like a ragged smile curling up underneath. It had an odd smell to it, but perhaps that was the motif of children. It was cute, quite oddly made, and gorgeous all the same. Liel smiled as she saw this doll, bowing her head towards Isabelle.

“It’s beautiful, young Miss. I appreciate it very much. I’ll treasure it for as long as I live.”

Paladins were never given toys. Even as orphans growing up in Sechille, they were meant to focus on their studies instead of enjoying their childhood. Only in the Seminary were they allowed to enjoy a semblance of normal life, but by then, their childhood had already passed. Liel grew up reading of dolls and games that other children would play, only experiencing them in the drawings of the pages and the thoughts she conjured in her imagination.

It was nice to have something reminiscent of that for once. But now, she was no child. She was a soldier meant to die.

Having lost herself in thought, she hadn’t noticed that the young child had grasped the hilt of her blade, drawing it out of its sheath. Isabelle touched upon its blade, staining the polished steel with her tiny fingerprints. Liel’s eyes widened, glancing towards Elienoire, who too had only just noticed, grasping at Isabelle’s sides as she pulled her away, the blade dropping to the ground.

“Oh, you silly girl…” Isabelle turned towards Liel, apologetic. “I’m so sorry, my Lady. She meant no harm in it. She gets her curiosity from me, and it often gets her into trouble…”

Liel stared at her blade, now resting on the ground, letting out a sigh. ‘I’ll have to sharpen it again before I sleep…’

She let out a laugh, playing off the truth, her annoyance, as if it didn’t matter at all. After all, the little girl had gifted her a doll, so she should try to save her from her mother’s scolding. “It’s all right, Miss. There’s no harm done. Don’t punish her for my sake.”

Just as it seemed as all had settled, the inn keeper arrived at the tableside, a plate of bread and a bowl of stew in both hands. Liel’s mouth began to water, her stomach rumbling. Paladins had been trained to go for days without food or drink, but she was still human, and she hadn’t eaten since she had left the Seminary, and as a result, weakening her alignment with the Siltte.

Perhaps the night hadn’t been so bad.