PART TWENTY ONE
"I'm going to ask someone the way." Iva was beginning to get annoyed, the two men turned, Leone slowly with a grim expression, Dione, exasperated.
"Fine, you can ask someone."
"I will." Iva glanced around the street. It felt more like a tunnel than a street, the city being underground. She spotted a man emerging from a side street, further off a group of people walking away, and in the other direction a girl walking toward them.
"Well? Who are you going to ask?"
Iva looked Dione haughtily in the eye and then back to the street.
"Well, I think I'll ask... him." She headed over to the man, now making his way to another side street. She took a breath and began,
"Excuse me, sir-" but the man, on being spoken to, looked at her once and disappeared through an open door. Iva was rather discouraged, but flared up when her brother yelled out,
"Congratulations, Iva!"
"Why don't YOU try?"
"It was your idea, not mine. We are exempt."
Iva glared at him. Why did he have to come on the long march in the first place? Why did any of them? She couldn't think of a good enough insult to call him, and instead looked around to find someone else to ask. The group of people must have turned a corner, the girl was gone, no one was in sight but her two companions. She rejoined them and looked around again.
"There aren't many people on this street, are there."
There was no reply. They continued to walk in silence. As they walked, the girl appeared from an alleyway but froze when she saw them.
"There's someone, I'll ask her."
The girl was so terrified she could barely stand. The tears on her cheeks betrayed the fact that she had been crying, her dress was torn in one place, her hair was windswept and her whole body shook. Iva almost didn't want to speak to her for fear she'd die of fright, but she had said she would do something, and she was jolly well going to do it.
"Excuse me, do you know the way to the palace?" Iva felt mean asking this question, she knew she should have been asking, "Are you alright? Can we help you with anything?" But she didn't want to lose an argument against her brother. The girl looked at Iva, then at Iva's shoes, took a deep breath, bit her lip and said, "Um, I, uh, don't."
"Oh." Iva half turned away, not wanting to leave the girl alone in the dark street but also wanting to go back to the security of her brother and husband.
"Do you know the way out?" The girl sounded so miserable, Iva wanted to give her a hug and tell her everything would be fine, but she was unsure that it would be appreciated; this was a different culture, they might look down on physical contact.
"Um, no." Iva was sure that what she said next would not help, and was a stupid question, "Are you alright?"
The reaction seemed to confirm Iva's thought. The girl made an effort to control herself. "Yes, I think."
"You sure?" Iva had to ask.
"No." The girl sobbed.
Iva looked over her shoulder at Leone and Dione, who were standing at ease with folded arms, then back at the girl. She looked at Iva with terror filled eyes and shrieked in a whisper, "I need to get out." She took a few deep breaths. "Are you SURE you don't know the way out?" She caught hold of Iva's fur collar. Iva wasn't sure what to think about this girl. What was wrong with her? What had happened to her?
"Um, we- we're kind of lost." She felt Leone behind her and looked over her shoulder as he and her brother came to help. She was glad of reinforcements.
"So... Um, I think you'll have to ask someone else." The girl looked at her feet once more, but as the group was turning away, she spoke again.
"Don't go to the palace."
They all looked back.
"They'll try and- and stop you from leaving." Another sob rose and had to be forced down.
"Okay."
Large tears were rolling down the girl's already wet cheeks.
"What happened to you?" Iva felt this wouldn't help the girl in the slightest. She guiltily looked at her boots and folded her arms.
"I- I was a dancer. But then I, Um, I tripped. And, um they sent me into the labyrinth." Iva kept her eyes on the ground. She saw the girl's legs start to shake as she said the word labyrinth.
"And sign-up with a strange man who they'd... done something to and..." The girl gave up the fight against the obstinate sobs and leaned on Iva's shoulder. "And (sob) I'm not sure what (sob) happened to him (sob) but- but I escaped (sob) and no one will help me."
Iva was close to tears herself, but tried not to show it. "Um, Well, we don't really know what to do either. And, um, no one around here seems very friendly- well, no one I've asked." She awkwardly put her arm around the girl and tried to talk in a matter of fact and friendly way to cheer the girl up. "I've only actually asked one person, because my husband and my brother don't like asking people where to go." Now she was just talking, why did she keep doing that, just saying words?
"Even though that strategy hasn't worked in the past, has it?" She looked at Leone and caught him wiping his nose. Inside she kicked herself, why was she so insensitive? (As a matter of fact, Leone was merely affected by the situation and not the remark.)
"Well, anyway, um... So um, do you want to come along with us?" The girl didn't move from Iva's shoulder.
"Well, we'd at least be able to get... um" she trailed off. She couldn't help anyone from where she was. They were completely lost. But she had to keep going. She looked around for inspiration. "Well," her eyes rested on her companions. "You'll be more safe with us than just by yourself.”
"Fine, you can ask someone."
"I will." Iva glanced around the street. It felt more like a tunnel than a street, the city being underground. She spotted a man emerging from a side street, further off a group of people walking away, and in the other direction a girl walking toward them.
"Well? Who are you going to ask?"
Iva looked Dione haughtily in the eye and then back to the street.
"Well, I think I'll ask... him." She headed over to the man, now making his way to another side street. She took a breath and began,
"Excuse me, sir-" but the man, on being spoken to, looked at her once and disappeared through an open door. Iva was rather discouraged, but flared up when her brother yelled out,
"Congratulations, Iva!"
"Why don't YOU try?"
"It was your idea, not mine. We are exempt."
Iva glared at him. Why did he have to come on the long march in the first place? Why did any of them? She couldn't think of a good enough insult to call him, and instead looked around to find someone else to ask. The group of people must have turned a corner, the girl was gone, no one was in sight but her two companions. She rejoined them and looked around again.
"There aren't many people on this street, are there."
There was no reply. They continued to walk in silence. As they walked, the girl appeared from an alleyway but froze when she saw them.
"There's someone, I'll ask her."
The girl was so terrified she could barely stand. The tears on her cheeks betrayed the fact that she had been crying, her dress was torn in one place, her hair was windswept and her whole body shook. Iva almost didn't want to speak to her for fear she'd die of fright, but she had said she would do something, and she was jolly well going to do it.
"Excuse me, do you know the way to the palace?" Iva felt mean asking this question, she knew she should have been asking, "Are you alright? Can we help you with anything?" But she didn't want to lose an argument against her brother. The girl looked at Iva, then at Iva's shoes, took a deep breath, bit her lip and said, "Um, I, uh, don't."
"Oh." Iva half turned away, not wanting to leave the girl alone in the dark street but also wanting to go back to the security of her brother and husband.
"Do you know the way out?" The girl sounded so miserable, Iva wanted to give her a hug and tell her everything would be fine, but she was unsure that it would be appreciated; this was a different culture, they might look down on physical contact.
"Um, no." Iva was sure that what she said next would not help, and was a stupid question, "Are you alright?"
The reaction seemed to confirm Iva's thought. The girl made an effort to control herself. "Yes, I think."
"You sure?" Iva had to ask.
"No." The girl sobbed.
Iva looked over her shoulder at Leone and Dione, who were standing at ease with folded arms, then back at the girl. She looked at Iva with terror filled eyes and shrieked in a whisper, "I need to get out." She took a few deep breaths. "Are you SURE you don't know the way out?" She caught hold of Iva's fur collar. Iva wasn't sure what to think about this girl. What was wrong with her? What had happened to her?
"Um, we- we're kind of lost." She felt Leone behind her and looked over her shoulder as he and her brother came to help. She was glad of reinforcements.
"So... Um, I think you'll have to ask someone else." The girl looked at her feet once more, but as the group was turning away, she spoke again.
"Don't go to the palace."
They all looked back.
"They'll try and- and stop you from leaving." Another sob rose and had to be forced down.
"Okay."
Large tears were rolling down the girl's already wet cheeks.
"What happened to you?" Iva felt this wouldn't help the girl in the slightest. She guiltily looked at her boots and folded her arms.
"I- I was a dancer. But then I, Um, I tripped. And, um they sent me into the labyrinth." Iva kept her eyes on the ground. She saw the girl's legs start to shake as she said the word labyrinth.
"And sign-up with a strange man who they'd... done something to and..." The girl gave up the fight against the obstinate sobs and leaned on Iva's shoulder. "And (sob) I'm not sure what (sob) happened to him (sob) but- but I escaped (sob) and no one will help me."
Iva was close to tears herself, but tried not to show it. "Um, Well, we don't really know what to do either. And, um, no one around here seems very friendly- well, no one I've asked." She awkwardly put her arm around the girl and tried to talk in a matter of fact and friendly way to cheer the girl up. "I've only actually asked one person, because my husband and my brother don't like asking people where to go." Now she was just talking, why did she keep doing that, just saying words?
"Even though that strategy hasn't worked in the past, has it?" She looked at Leone and caught him wiping his nose. Inside she kicked herself, why was she so insensitive? (As a matter of fact, Leone was merely affected by the situation and not the remark.)
"Well, anyway, um... So um, do you want to come along with us?" The girl didn't move from Iva's shoulder.
"Well, we'd at least be able to get... um" she trailed off. She couldn't help anyone from where she was. They were completely lost. But she had to keep going. She looked around for inspiration. "Well," her eyes rested on her companions. "You'll be more safe with us than just by yourself.”
The girl sniffed. “thank you.”
“Well, um, my name is Iva, um, what's yours?” the girl stood straight again.
“Chantel.”
Iva smiled at her for a minute, seeing Chantel had calmed down a little.
“This is my husband, Leone,” she took his arm, “and my brother, Dione.” she pointed at Dione, who smiled, politely. “and we were on the long march, but now we've got here, and we're not exactly sure what to do. I'm just going to ask someone where the palace is, because we thought that was the best place to go. Do you think you're alright to walk a bit further?” Chantel was making a brave effort to smile.
“You look very tired, if you don't mind me saying so.”
“Um, I think… I think I can go on.” she took a deep breath.
“Have you ever been to the palace?” Iva asked.
“Yes.”
Iva stopped herself from asking if Chantel knew the way, remembering just in time that that was exactly the reason they were talking to one another.
“I was never out of the palace until now.”
Sobs rose up in Chantel’s throat.
“It’s alright, we’ll get you safe somewhere.” Iva hoped that was true.
“Thank you. But I don't think there are many safe places around here.”
“Well, we'll try and find somewhere. If you've never been out of the palace before, then you don't know if something is safe or not.” all very well to just say it, but not so much in practice. “Anyway, we should be getting on. I think that's someone down there, we can ask them the way. Then we'll get there and say that you are…” what could she be? “a friend traveling with us, maybe. Hopefully they won't know who you are. We’ll see what happens. It’ll work out.” this was more for herself than for Chantel. “come on"
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