Follow your heart.I had only just begun to learn how to do that, but so far, the results had definitely been worth it.
Now it was time to put it to the test.
Alfrikr walked me through the palace and out into the city streets. I could tell we were getting quite deep into a city I already wasn’t overly familiar with, as we went up hills, down them, and seemed to be walking to fucking Pearl Court at this rate. By the time we came to a stop, I was exasperated and ready to get going.
Alfrikr removed my blindfold, smirking at me as I huffed, rubbing my eyes against the blinding sunlight. It seemed like the sun dragon must have had a few extra flames along their scales today, and I found myself wishing night would fall so the moon dragon could take over instead.
“Good luck on your quest, Lady Jacinth,” Alfrikr told me solemnly, before disappearing into the city as if he’d never been there.
Leaving me to look around and take in my surroundings. The area had businesses and residential buildings mixed together as far as I could tell. Buildings several stories high lined either side of the cobblestone roads. Some were made of stone, and others were brightly painted wood, creating a beautiful mishmash of colors and textures.
And somewhere within was the Takara family, and the object I needed to win this competition. A fierce resolve rose within me. I may have started this competition with the goal of killing the high king, but I was now determined to marry him against all odds.
I began walking up and down the street I’d been left on, thinking through the few clues I’d been given. If I was going to win this then I had to considerall angles. I decided to start with the most simplistic route. A couple and their two children were passing by; a man with blue hair so light it looked almost white and a woman with dark sapphire-colored hair.
“Excuse me?” I called to them, making them both stop to look at me. “I was hoping you could point me in the direction of the Takara family?”
The couple looked at one another before smiling secretively, looking almost excited, oddly enough.
“Oh, my Lady,” the woman began, “I’m afraid we aren’t allowed to tell you, but I’m sure you’ll find the right path.”
I blinked in surprise, a soft “Oh” leaving my lips without my permission. The woman gave me a wink before huddling the children further along down the street.
Okay, so they’d clearly gotten all the citizens in on this, then. I was as impressed as I was surprised. How did they manage to get the message out to everyone?
While they didn’t help lead me to the family I needed, the woman did mention finding the right path. Which meant I needed to find the right people to point me in the right direction. I tried asking several more people up and down the road, all with similar answers.
My frustration began to rise, and I took a deep breath as I considered what else to try. It was then I saw a young woman holding a baby on her lap, struggling as she begged for coins on the corner.
Follow your heart, they said, and my heart ached at the sight. It was so similar to my own experience, only I’d been the child myself, and without a mother to protect me. All thoughts of the competition left my head, and I walked up to her, slipping a few coins out of my pocket to hand her. Her eyes went wide, and her hand shook as she reached out to let them fall into her palm.
“Thank you, my Lady, you don’t know what this means to me,” she said tearfully, looking over the amount I’d given her. It may have been overly generous, but I knew what it felt like to survive the night with no food in your belly or a roof over your head.
“I do, actually.” I smiled sadly, enclosing her palm around them. She smiled shakily, but held onto my hand, making me look at her curiously.
“Head further south, my Lady,” she said in a low murmur. “Toward the residential section, where a pink house sits within a sea of blue. If you see the city gates, you’ll have gone too far.”
A surprised gasp slipped from my lips. I had completely forgotten about my goal in the face of her struggle, but I was indeed meant to be finding someone to give me the right clue. They’d told me to follow my heart, so perhaps they meant for us to find people needing help?
I thanked the woman profusely, taking off south and keeping my eyes peeled for the residential section. I spied it in the distance and ran the rest of the way, until I began seeing townhouses and apartment buildings surrounding me. I wandered aimlessly, keeping my eyes peeled for a pink house in a sea of blue.
As I passed through the streets, I finally spied several blue houses clumped together ahead. I sped off, my heart pumping as I indeed discovered a neighborhood full of different shades of blue. The long, winding street continued, slightly uphill, and as I crested the hill, I saw it.
A small, lone pink house sat at the bottom of the hill, surrounded on all sides by blue. I made my way to it and knocked on the wooden door, waiting until it was answered by what had to be the oldest Elven man I’d ever seen, with deep wrinkles lining his face and his hair having gone completely pale, who smiled at me kindly.
“Lady Jacinth, please come in,” he said, much to my shock.
“Oh, of course,” I said, my nerves rising as I looked around, unsure of my purpose here. “I’m honestly not quite sure why I’m here.”
He chuckled warmly, “I know. High King Azurill was clear about that. You have two options before you, my Lady. I can give you a clue to someone who will get you to the family quicker, or if you help me, I can take part of the way in return.”
Follow your heart.
My mind said getting there quicker was imperative if I wanted to win, but…if this man needed help, then I knew what the right choice was.
“I’ll help you, of course.” I smiled back at him. “What do you need?”
The man’s smile widened, and he waved me through to a back room, which was filled with boxes from floor to ceiling. My eyes widened as I turned to him, and he looked around the room with a sigh.
