Chapter 215

Chapter 215

That night, everyone fell asleep quickly again, except for Amethyst. She was physically exhausted from the work, but her mind was working overtime. The employer, whose mansion she was headed to, was probably a noble. That made her think of all the people she had left behind. Lunia, Roman, Pon, Hill, Leyrian. Even dull-witted Buer and annoying Gen. She missed them all. And Alec, the one she missed the most. Amethyst pulled out the necklace she had carefully tucked under her shirt. The wedding ring with the pink diamond hung on the chain. She kissed it softly. For some reason, she was able to leave everything else behind, except for this ring. It was her last attachment to him and the way she could remember when her heart ached the most for him. Clutching the ring, she drifted off to sleep.

“Carol!” Ancy was shaking her awake. “We’re leaving for the mansion now.”

“All right.” Amethyst rose, quickly brushed her hair and tied a bandana around her head. As she didn’t have any other belongings, she was ready to leave almost immediately. Outside, a series of horse-drawn carriages waited for the workers. She and Ancy climbed into one of the last ones and sat facing each other. As the carriage rumbled away from the farm, Amethyst’s eyes drifted closed once more. She wasn’t used to the fatigue of manual labour. But perhaps all of this work would help push away the thoughts of her past that haunted her every night.

Ancy shook her awake again, after a few hours of travel. They were passing through a small town, filled with people browsing market stalls and greeting each other in the warmth of the day. Ancy pointed at a large manor house situated at the base of a mountain.

“That’s the mansion where our employer lives. We’re almost there.”

Amethyst nodded and looked at the mansion Ancy was pointing at. Even from afar, she could tell it was well maintained. It wasn’t as big or luxurious as the Skad Mansion, but it had charm. The carriage drove past the attached houses of the village centre, went passed what seemed to be a market, and followed a steep road up to the mansion.

The carriage pulled around to the back of the mansion, stopping in front of a small door, which the workers entered after stepping down from the carriages. Ancy, instead of following the others, headed down a path to a series of cottages built in the back lot. The workers who did not labour in the mansion lived out here. Each cottage was small, with comfortable beds and a few storage chests. They roomed two people, and Amethyst was going to be staying with Ancy.

“We will be going to another farm tomorrow, so you should rest up today. It’ll be tough work, once again, tomorrow,” Ancy said as she laid her bag down on the bed closest to the door. Amethyst, who had no bag to unpack, sat on the edge of the other bed and watched.

As they discussed the farming operations, there was a knock on the door to the cottage. “May I come in?” a gruff voice called from outside.

“Yes! Come in,” Ancy called, opening the door for Bishon. “What brings you here?” she asked.

“Short Hair,” Bishon said, nodding to Amethyst. He removed a pouch from his pocket and tossed it to her. The clinking of coins could be heard, as she caught it from the air. “Payment for the work you did for us the last couple of days.”

“Thank you,” Amethyst replied.

“Also, this.” Bishon brought in a larger sack that he had left outside the door. “Extra clothes to change into.”

Amethyst was in shock. She had not only received a wage, but clothes that she didn’t even expect to get. She could finally change into something that wasn’t dirty or torn.

“Thank you for your kindness,” Amethyst said, smiling at Bishon.

“I look forward to working with you.” Although he appeared a gruff man, Bishon gave off an air of shyness. As he was done making his delivery, he quickly turned and left the cabin.

“Seems like Bishon likes you. He’s picky with who he allows to work with him,” Ancy said, after the man had left.

“He seems like a good person,” Amethyst agreed.

Ancy laughed. “You won’t be saying that tomorrow, after you worked another day with him.”

Amethyst laughed as well. She looked through the sack she had been given and picked a few items to change into. The clothes had the distinct scent of being cleaned and dried in the sun.

“Carol. I’m going to the market for a bit. Would you like to come?” Ancy had finished unpacking all of her belongings and Amethyst put away the few articles of clothing she had been given.

“Market?” Amethyst assumed it was the one she had seen from the carriage as they drove in.

“We won’t be able to come back for a while, once we leave for the farm tomorrow. There are a few things I need to pick up. Would you like to stay here or join me?

Amethyst couldn’t think of anything she needed, but staying behind would just cause the guilt of leaving her other life behind to enter her mind once more. Besides, she had money now. Perhaps she would find something once she got there.

“Sure. I’ll come,” Amethyst said, standing to leave.

***

There weren’t many merchants, as it was only a small town, but the variety each merchant carried was quite vast so there was a lot to look at. Amethyst followed behind Ancy as she explained what many of the local items for sale were. Listening her talk kept Amethyst’s mind occupied, so she didn’t mind.

“This clothing is from the capital,” Ancy informed her.

“How do you know?” Amethyst asked.

“It’s too stylish to be from around here,” Ancy explained. “Wait! Let’s stop by that store for a bit. There’s something I need there.”

Ancy pulled Amethyst through the door into a shop that specialized in snacks. Ancy seemed to be in heaven, looking over the vast selection of chocolate, candies, and salty goods on display.

“What are you going to get, Ancy?” Amethyst asked.

“I don’t know. I have to be picky. If I pick the wrong thing, it won’t taste good.”

A voice echoed through Amethyst’s mind. “Order everything on the menu.” She could still picture Alec’s face that night. She hated these random memories, as the longing of him always made her sad. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the images.

“So, you like sweet thing as well, Ancy?” Amethyst asked.

“It’s more for emergencies, than liking it,” Ancy replies

“Emergencies?” Amethyst didn’t know what she was referring to.

“Farm work is hard. You can’t always get by with the food provided at the job sites. It’s better to have some emergency rations in case you start to feel tired.”

“Wouldn’t candy be better than chocolate?” Amethyst suggested. “Chocolate melts when it gets hot.”

“That is probably a good idea,” Ancy agreed.

“Or buy a bit of chocolate to eat right away, and the rest can be candy for the work site,” Amethyst continued.

“That sounds good.” Ancy began to choose varieties of candy from the shelves. As she waited, Amethyst watched the children staring in through the window and dreaming of the sugar highs they could get if only their parents would let them buy something.