The Trading Festival

Every night at midnight, the purple clouds came out to dance with the blushing sky. But only one night of the year would the Sprites come out, and tonight was that night. Father says it’s time I learn the importance of the treaties that the kingdoms have in place, but why would I? Yes, I am the first born heir, but I'm not the first born son. That’s Michael, and while he’s only 9, he still has plenty of time to learn his duties. Apparently, all the daughter of the king is good for is to be a diplomat’s wife and to keep the “peace” between politicians. But, what about my peace? Nobody ever asks what I want. But, that’s okay, I don’t need them to. If the only freedom I get is now until when I am wed, then I will spend every grain in the hourglass doing what I want. And what I want is to sneak away the second father gets distracted to experience the festival in a way that members of the castle never have before. No later than the thought crosses my mind do I have my opening to disappear. Seldom am I so thankful to my brother for causing a scene. And just like that, I’ve slipped through the lilac bushes to make my escape. A few of the fragrant flowers decorate my hair when I emerge from the other side, but I don't mind them hitching a ride. I reach beneath my dress to grab the small satchel I have stowed in my crudely sown secret pocket. “Mother was right, sowing is quite useful”. The court seamstress would have a cow if she knew I had altered the dress she made from expensive fabrics traded from the nation of Selkies in the south. I remove the ribbons and hair coils that held back my hair and place them in the bag as I retrieve my shawl to hide my lavish clothes. Now looking more like the common folk, I pass through the streets illuminated by glow stones. There are more than I’m used to seeing. The mountain range running along our western border is rich with them. It makes sense that there are so many, as this is the biggest trading event of the year and they are our biggest export after all. On this day, every year when the portal to the Sprites world opens at midnight, merchants and buyers alike trade for things that only the other realm holds. It's the only time of the year the castle can stock up on certain herbs and fabrics before festivities end at first daybreak when the portal closes for another 365 days until it all repeats again. I'm ripped from my thoughts as the gong sounds to signal the gate is open and trading has begun!

The cobblestone street I’m on has a perfect overview of the stone platform in the square below. I hear all the merchants at the booths lining the streets quicken their pace to finish final preparations to begin trading as I peer down to the pavilion. “It’s starting”, I whisper to myself. The markings on the platform begin to glow an icy blue color, intensifying as it spreads to form a circle just barely contained by the pavilion’s pillars. The castle had nowhere near as good of a view. Only a second after the circle has finished opening, a head of jet black hair protrudes through, as if someone was walking up stairs just out of sight. Suddenly, a face was visible, and then shoulders. The elegant figure stepped out from the blue opening, down to the base of the pavilion to one of the three thrones below. The figure sat in the chair designated for the King of the Sprites. Following close after was a figure, also with ebony features, but thinner with a feminine physique, who sat in the chair for the Queen of Sprites. The third chair was quickly taken by a beautiful person. She shared the dark features of her parents sitting beside her, but while all their eyes were green, hers were so piercing they seemed to be looking right through me from the street above. She didn't look as graceful as the King and Queen, she sat slanted in her chair with her head limply resting on the padded back. “I guess royal duties are boring in every kingdom”, I snort. Just as I take a step from the edge of the street into the foot traffic, I get bumped, followed by another bump, followed by a crash. I reluctantly open my eyes to see what once was a beautiful glow stone vase scattered into a dozen pieces amongst the cobblestone.

“Hey!”. I stiffen, I take off before the man running the booth can get the rest of his words out.

“Sorry!”, I scream behind me as I disappear amongst the crowd. I’ll use my allowance to pay him after the festival. I pull a shard of glowstone vase from my bag to inspect it. “Technically, it's not stealing if I’m planning to pay for it right?”, I chuckle to myself as I wrap my fingers around the shard.

The closer I get to the town square, the more dark complexions and exotic clothing I see. The Sprite civilians have already started to bleed into the crowded streets to begin bartering. Trading is always held in our kingdom, I wonder what theirs is like. A familiar figure breaks me from my daydream and slips down a cluttered alleyway. Only this time, she doesn't look so bored. I follow her down the alleyway. As I make my way through the narrow passage, dodging between storage crates, I look for her. “She couldn't have gone fa-”, suddenly I’m kicked from behind. I catch myself right before I fall. Turning, I see that my perpetrator is who I wanted to catch up to, but before I can get a word out, she beats me to it.

“Do you normally follow strangers down dark alleys or am I special?”. Her eyes are so electric It takes me a moment before I can retort.

“Don’t let it get to your head, You looked suspicious, is all”.

“Uh huh” , the Sprite says disapprovingly. “And who are you to say what's suspicious? Are you some sort of guard?”.

“Well no”, I admit, “but let's just say I have the authority of one”

“And what's that supposed to mean?'', she questions me.

Ignoring her question, I ask ,“What's your name?”

“Like I would tell someone who was stalking me my name”, she huffs. She has a point, but I can't admit that out loud.

“Well, you’re going to tell me your name, or the Sprite king and queen are going to hear about how their daughter corners and maims other countries' civilians”, I spat, chin held high. I can tell she's weighing her options before she reluctantly tells me,

“ I think maim is a little drastic, but Lyra, my name's Lyra”. What a beautiful name, I'm sure she hears that all the time, though.

“Nice to meet you Lyra, I’m Harper”, I say as I reach out for a handshake. Lyra looks puzzled at my outstretched hand, and then I realize why. That hand has the glow stone vase shard in it.

“Oops, sorry about that”

I go to switch the placement of the shard to the other hand, but before I can make the switch, Lyra grabs it from my grasp. She inspects it, and steps out of the alley to hold it up to light.

“It’s so beautiful”, she whispers.

“Do you know what it is?” I ask.

“A glow stone, but I've never seen one with flower engravings. This piece is so small, what is it used for?”.

“Jewelry”, I reply, probably a bit too quickly.

“Oh, do you make jewelry yourself?”

“Well, yeah”, I lie, not wanting to admit it's broken and half stolen. “Well, not usually, but this was so pretty I had to pick it up to make into a necklace.”

“Will you make one for me?”, Lyra beams, her eyes switching from the stone to me.

Uh oh, I don't know what I'm even talking about, but she looks so happy I don't want to disappoint. I pull the two ribbons that were holding my hair and place them on one of the storage crates that just barely reaches the lights from the street. Then I realize my issue, I only have one glowstone. I look up to see Lyra watching me work expectantly. How is it I just met this girl, but I really don't want to disappoint her? I put my thumbs on both of the carved flowers, hydrangeas I believe, and both of my pointer fingers under the piece to brace it.

“Luck be with me”, I breathe out, as I quickly collide the tops of my thumbs together, snapping, breaking again the already broken shard. Sheepishly, I inspect my handiwork to pleasantly find a clean break between the two flowers. A quick glance up proves Lyra is just as excited about the results.

“How can we attach it with only ribbon?”, she asks. As I rifle through my bag desperate to find anything to do the trick, I stumble upon the hair coils I had on earlier in the festival.

“Perfect!”. Snatching the coils from the bag, I place one in front of Lyra and one in front of myself. “Let’s begin”.

It took a while, longer than I’d like to admit, but the time spent was well worth the reward. Both of us have a yellowish green glowstone wrapped in silver and worn with a blue ribbon. We put them on and admire what a little hard work and resourcefulness can do. I’m glad it took so long, I was able to hear about her kingdom, and I swapped stories of mine. Our laughter was interrupted by the sound of the gong. Lyra stiffened the second the sound reached her pointed ears. Frantically, she stood and wiped off her dress.

“Uh, I got to go. Nice meeting you!”

Before I have time to respond, she has already vanished amongst the sprites with their many full shopping bags from another successful trade festival.

Giddy, I smile to myself. “I think I made a friend”. Just as the words roll off my tongue, my face drops. “But now, she's gone”. Once she walks through that portal, I can't see her for another whole year, and there is no way to send correspondence until then. I've laughed and had pleasant conversations with some of the castle staff, but they wouldn't be there if father didn't pay them. The solemn truth hits me that the only person I’ve ever considered a friend will be gone. I only have two years before I’m married away at 18, sent to live as a diplomat's wife. That's only seeing her twice more before my freedom is stolen, never to be returned. Once my 18th birthday arrives, I'll be the model daughter of the crown. Until then, I will live by my own rules, I will be free. The only person I have ever been able to be myself around is gone. I look to the sky, I made a friend under these purple clouds and I wasn't going to lose her under them too. Before I knew it, one foot was in front of the other, first a walk, then a run. With all the shopkeeps cleaning up their booths, and the Sprites people already through the portal, nothing stood between me and the portal. As I rounded the corner to the square, I just barely caught the last of my friend’s jet black hair disappearing beneath the blue hazy light. Before reason tells me otherwise, I dive through the portal just as day breaks.