8 Into Town

While Eden had been apprehensive at first, once we were over the wall and running through the open plains, even he couldn't hold back a grin in the face of freedom. We began to laugh, deliriously drunk on the adrenaline of our own misbehaviour.

I spun around a couple of times throwing my arms up to the sun and then did that typical thing every girl that can do a cartwheel does any time there is an even semi-open space... I did a cartwheel. I felt like a kid again, or, I guess I was.

The town near our home wasn't necessarily large per se, but it was on a major road that led through several significant territories in the kingdom so it was bustling with activity. Directly off of the main road was a secondary street that was that marketplace I had seen when I first attended the Duchess' tea party.

We walked from stall to stall as we made our way down the crowded village center.

"Look Briar!" Eden said with delight and he led me to a large statue.

Recognizing the statue's figure, I grimaced.

"It's a statue of the Great Goddess of Life and Birth! Isn't she pretty?" He asked.

Pretty stupid. "Wow, yeah," I said in a monotone voice. This lady was lucky traditional toilet paper didn't exist in this world or I would have come back at night and TP'd her statue so hard. "Let's keep moving," I suggested.

A friendly woman in an apron greeted us at a table in front of the bakery. Several baskets held a number of the main store's baked merchandise.

"Haven't seen you two scamps around these parts, are you travelling with your family?" She asked.

"No, we're from a little ways out of town!" I said, "this is our first time coming in though."

"Well, you picked a good day," she said. "The farmer's market comes in every Saturday and a lot of the local businesses like my own host sidewalk sales."

"I had no idea," I commented, "I thought it was always like this."

"Well," she said, then rummaged through a marked-down bin of cookies. "How about you take some of these to commemorate the day?"

Eden flashed her that gigawatt smile of his that melts every adult's heart. "Thank you very much miss!"

"Yeah, thanks!" I chimed in.

She laughed, "You two are much more well behaved than my son and his friends!" She paused as she had an idea. "Tell you what, I'll add in lunch if you deliver this basket to my kid. I see you even brought a ball! I'm sure they all would be overjoyed to play with you!"

"Deal!" I said and took the large wicker basket she had pulled out. She giggled as I fumbled around trying to carry both the ball and the basket which was half my size.

"Here, Briar," Eden said, "I'll take it."

I handed it to him but pouted. I hate being reliant.

"What a good big brother you are!" The lady said.

Eden blushed. I'm not sure he's ever gotten a compliment from an adult before. "He teaches me math and social studies every day!" I said. "He's super smart!"

"Isn't that lovely?" She exclaimed in delight. She leaned over the table and pointed to an alley down the street. "They should be playing over there. My son's name is Edgar."

"Got it!" I said and beckoned Eden to follow as I hurried over.

"Why are you dragging your feet so much?" I laughed, turning around to look back at my slow-moving brother. I paused in surprise. I could see from his paling face that he was terrified.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" He asked. "We don't know these kids."

"Don't worry," I said. "If you can handle me, you can handle anyone."

"Sure," he said, sounding unconvinced.

We rounded the corner and I immediately recognized the boys I saw playing hacky sac the other time. There were four of them, in differing levels of scuffed up clothes.

"Edgar!" I called brightly. "We brought food from your mom!"

They all turned and stared us down.

"Who are you?" Asked one boy rudely. Given the way he responded to his name, I could assume he was Edgar.

"I'm Briar, this is my brother Eden."

"Nice to meet you," Eden said with a nervous smile.

"Isn't she the girl who was in the earl's carriage that one time?" Asked a boy with freckles.

Edgar scowled. "You're right! What are you even doing here your highnesses? Why don't you go home to your giant house on the hill and leave us peasants alone?"

"More like your heinie-sses!" The boy with freckles said, sticking out his butt at us.

All of the boys laughed at that really terrible joke. Eden took a step back. "Briar," he said with that tone of, 'we should go'.

"Well, that's a shame. Now we have to do this the hard way," I said with a sigh and gestured to the basket Eden was carrying. "We are now officially holding your lunch hostage until you play a game of soccer with us."

"We don't want to play with you!" Freckles protested.

I grinned sardonically, "What's wrong? Scared we'll kick that little heinie of yours?"

"As if!" He cried.

Edgar crossed his arms. "Like a pampered little prince and princess could handle playing with us!"

"If you're so confident you'll trash us, what do you have to lose?" I asked.

"Fine, how do you play?" He asked heatedly.

I dropped the ball and knee bounced it a few times. "This is a soccer ball," I said, "You can't touch it with your hands. There will be goals on either side of the alley for two teams. The aim is for your team to kick it between the rival's goal posts."

I read out a few other street rules as I set up the field using old beer bottles to delineate where the nets would be.

To make the teams even, one unhappy boy was transferred to our side and the game commenced.

I did the best I could, but Eden fumbled, even with his slight experience playing with me. He really wasn't the sporty-type.

The boys were pretty athletic and so quickly picked up skills like dribbling as the game progressed. I struggled a little given that I, as a girl, was stuck in a dress. I had to play holding up my skirt above my knees the whole time.

The final detriment to our team was that our last-minute addition had no intention of cooperating. I could not get him to pass at all which was pretty annoying. The lead we had at the beginning was quickly lost.

Occasionally one of the bottles would get smashed by the ball and we'd all stop to cheer. I was a little concerned about the broken glass on the field but I doubted the kids wanted me mother hen-ing. They were still at that age where they thought themselves invincible.

With the ball in my possession, Edgar charged straight at me, I quickly caught the ball between my legs and hopped a rainbow, arching it above his head. He stopped in his tracks and I darted past him and shot the ball right into the corner of the goal. The newly replaced bottle shook from the ball's wind.

The boys went wild. "How did you do that?" My teammate asked, clapping me on the back.

Edgar scratched the back of his head in annoyance. "Whatever, I'm hungry, let's just eat."

The game was quickly forgotten as the boys rushed the basket.

"Mrs. Baker makes the best sandwiches!" Freckles told us excitedly. "I bet it's better than anything your personal chefs have ever made. Try them out!"

I turned to Eden with a sly smile. "Just like that, I think we're in."