Are we leaving?

A month and a half had passed and it was a bright morning of February.

The snow that fell during December and January had long melted, but the cold winds still remained, enough for people to cover themselves up tightly before heading out on windy days.

But not today, it was quite a warm day comparably and the sun seemed to be smiling at the people as they hurried about their works.

On the edge of the village, Jacob could be seen helping the coachman to put rather heavy and too many bags up on the roof of the coach.

After they were done, the coachman said, "I'm afraid there is no more space on the roof."

A girl standing beside Jacob said, her voice so high pitched that the coachman flinched, "That's okay. We have no more luggage. Right Jacob?"

She clinged onto Jacob's arm as though he was her boyfriend. Jacob was extremely annoyed, but being the polite person he was, he only pulled away his arm and moved away, before saying, "It's not we. You. I only brought one big and one small bag. The latter can easily be put on my lap, so there's only one of my bags up there."

The coachman was dumbfounded as he looked at the girl. He asked, "Miss, if you don't mind me asking, what do you have in so many bags?"

The girl crossed her arms and said, in an offended tone, "I very much mind it. You cannot ask a lady what she has in her bags. At least have some manners."

The coachman looked at Jacob, who sighed, shaking his head. The girl continued, "Besides, it's no problem. All the luggage is already up there, so what are you making a fuss about?"

The coachman could not be bothered to bicker with this girl, so he simply went to check up on the horses.

The girl again tried to lach onto Jacob's arm which he very tactfully avoided. She said, "Jacob, let's go. It's going to be a long ride to the capital."

Jacob was now too much annoyed by this clingy girl and said, "Harper, would it hurt you to pipe down for a minute. And no, we cannot leave yet, there is one more person who is coming."

Harper seemed surprised and said, "One more person? Who is? I don't remember hearing anything about it. And where are we going to put his luggage?"

Jacob did not answer her as he had caught sight of something shining in the sun. And it could mean only one thing. His face lit up in a warm smile and his eyes became warm as Jacob saw that his guess was correct.

Aria was running down the street. She was wearing a yellow dress that perfectly matched the colour of her hair. The dress ended just below her knees and was quite comfortable to travel in. Unlike someone else, who seemed to be wearing a bright red ballgown. Aria came panting, dress flapping and her braid swaying behind her. She stopped as she reached Jacob and Harper and panted, "I hope I'm not too late."

Before Jacob could respond, Harper said, "Yes you are. You made me wait in such scorching heat for so long."