Xaxac did fall asleep on his master’s lap, just as Lee had predicted.
But that nap could only last until they stopped for lunch, and after the picnic Xaxac found himself wide awake staring out the window again. Agalon had another book this time, and he apparently found it just as interesting as he had the first, because their conversation was minimal and Xaxac found that Agalon had been right about the entire Agricultural district looking the same.
The same long road stretched out past the same tall stone walls, only occasionally broken by the tall gates through which he could see other mansions, none of which looked as big or as nice as Agalon’s.
If not for the singing Xaxac thought he may have grown bored. But in the late summer there were certain crops that needed to be harvested, and the voices of the people working in the fields rose up loudly enough to be heard from the carriage, all the way on the road. The song was different at each plantation, so Xaxac could predict the change before he saw any markers. He knew those songs, and part of him wanted to sing along, but he was afraid it would disturb Agalon, who was trying to read, so he snuggled up in his arms and leaned back with his head against the window to listen.
The sun had set by the time there was any noticeable change in the scenery, and it was so abrupt Xaxac didn’t know what to make of it. He thought that the farmland would gradually end and be replaced by something else, though he really had no reason to believe that. He had never been outside the plantation and had never really had reason to conceive of the world. He didn’t know that the kingdom of Uril was laid out with different districts like patches on a quilt, and as he moved from one into the other the change was so marked and different from what he had expected he squirmed off Agalon’s lap to better see out the window.
After the last stone fence there was, on either side of the road, a forest so thick in the darkness he could not peer into it. It was very much as if someone had cut the land in half in a perfect line: one one side the farmland and the other the forest. The trees went right up to the fence, and, in some cases, reached over them,
“Ugh,” Agalon said, “I hate this place. I mean, I don’t hate the woods; I’m an earth mage, but I hate this area. It’s full of thieves. Had to quit wearing wigs because people were coming out of the trees and snatching them right off folk’s heads.” He paused, looked back to his book and continued, “Assholes. Don’t worry about it though, darlin, we’ll be in an’ out in an hour. Agricultural district gets bigger every day. You know this used to be all like, little huts and personal gardens? Before Xandra’s reign it was all migrant families and half of it was woods. Civilization spreads out the other direction, where we just come from, you know, from the Capital out.”
Xaxac nodded, because that made sense.
If somebody ran off from that plantation into those woods, he wondered if anybody would ever find them. It seemed like a great way to get mauled by some wild animal. There were things in the underbrush, just behind the treeline, rustling in the darkness, and he wondered if they were animals or elves. They could be the thieves Agalon spoke of, or they could be wildcats, bears, dragons, or any matter of creature.
Fortunately, whatever it was stayed in the woods, and they traveled uneventfully in the darkness by the light of the twin lamps hung on either side of the carriage by where Lee sat with the horses. Xaxac turned to see what Agalon was doing, but he still had his nose buried in his book.
“How can you see that?” He asked.
“What?” Agalon asked with a giggled, “Why wouldn’t I see it, darlin? You think I went blind?”
“It’s just… nighttime,” Xaxac said.
“Oh, right,” Agalon said as if he had forgotten something important, “humans eyes don’t dilate right. Y’all can’t see in the dark. I plumb… I didn’t think about that. Hope Lee can see to drive.” He huffed and said, “We oughta be about there anyway. This is why I don’t never go nowhere. Sittin in one spot this long is hell on my back.”
“The woods are so pretty,” Xaxac said.
“It’s the same woods out back of the house,” Agalon explained, “them trees are all kin to each other. The forest kinda flows out and behind. When it was bein settled folks had to cut all that down. That’s where all the wood come from, to build everything. But the forest is still there. You can’t get rid of a forest, not where it’s supposed to be. It’d be hell on the land, probably destroy it. Destroy a lot of critters, too. Elves are supposed to protect animals.”
Xaxac nodded and turned back to the window.
The carriage jostled as it traveled over a little bridge with a sign on the side that Xaxac could not read, but took as a good omen.
Then they were on the other side, and Xaxac squealed.
There were more buildings than he had ever seen, almost one of top of the other! The sun had set an hour ago, yet still the place was alive in the darkness, lit up with lamps and fire burning within. There were people out on the street, people dressed in ways Xaxac had never seen before. They were almost all earth elves, yet some of them wore clothes he would have associated more closely with humans; button-up shirts, long pants, hats made to keep the sun out of your eyes during a long workday outside. Some didn’t even wear jackets, just the workshirts with their sleeves rolled up to expose their elbows- oh how that must have shocked Mrs OfAgalon when she came here to be punished- women with workdresses short enough to show their boots and long braids not hidden under bonnets.
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Xaxac didn’t know what to make of them. They were elves; they were obvious elves, with their small frames, long ears, and angular faces, but they were elves wearing gingham. They passed a building lit up from the inside that smelled like yeast and alcohol, and Xac spotted two men on the porch, smoking and laughing with each other, who he could have mistaken for field slaves, had he not seen the ears poking out from under their hats.
“Aggy?” He asked in a shaky voice.
“Yes, darlin?” Agalon asked.
“Who are all these people? Why do they… look like this?”
Agalon leaned over to see what Xac was seeing and huffed, “Ugh, the night does really bring out the dregs of society, doesn’t it? Basilglen’s a market town. There should be standards around here. These people… might as well go slum it down in Seaweed with the fisherfolk. It looks like a goddamn dock out there. Don’t worry, darlin, it’s much nicer in sunlight. Them’s the kinda folk what would snatch your wig off your head.”
“They’re dangerous?” Xaxac asked.
“They ain’t gonna do shit,” Agalon snarled, “I’m a powerful mage. I ain’t out here tryin to get robbed. Ain’t nobody gonna get ya when you’re with me.”
“I didn’t know elves could… be like that,” Xaxac said, more to himself than to Agalon.
“Anybody can be poor if they’re stupid,” Agalon said, “It’s one thing to be born poor- Ky was born poor- but it’s another thing to… there’s folks out there two hundred years old if they’re a day. You can’t save no money in two centuries there’s somethin wrong with you.”
Xaxac wasn’t sure he shared Agalon’s disdain, or if he agreed with his position. He had never had any money so he had no idea how easy or difficult it was to save.
The carriage pulled up to a building that looked much bigger than most of the others, built in the style of the manor houses, though not nearly as impressive. There were people the sort of which Xaxac saw all over town milling about near the entrance, and the human man who walked past them to open the carriage door glared at them as if he had as much disdain for them as Agalon.
“Good evening, your grace,” he said with a smile as Agalon stepped down and turned to offer Xaxac his arm. Xac took it eagerly and clung to him.
“We’ve got the royal suite all set up for you,” the man said chipperly as he led them toward the building and opened the door.
Xaxac had absolutely nothing to compare the interior to. It was set up as if many people were expected to eat or lounge in the area, with tables and chairs spaced out in a huge open floor plan. On the right side of the room was a long wooden desk, behind which stood an impeccably dressed earth elven woman with a thick book and a lot of other equipment Xaxac didn’t recognize. The place was nicely decorated with more paintings of flowers and plants, but he knew it wasn’t a manor house. He didn’t know what it was.
As they walked down the plush green carpet toward the desk Xaxac looked to the far wall at the staircase there, much more practical than ornamental and found nothing to hold his interest. Instead he turned his attention back to the many, many tables.
They were actually fairly full, but the people here did not look like the people outside. The men were dressed more like Agalon, perhaps not as nicely, but in the same style of embroidered tunics and soft leggings with tall boots. They wore jewelry and had long hair arranged in fancy styles, and the ladies matches them in elegance. This place made sense to Xaxac.
Every so often a human person would walk up to a table and speak quietly or hand out tall, thin books, or bring out food in the way Jimmy brought out food at home. They all worked flawlessly, and Xaxac was so interested in watching them he didn’t hear most of the conversation Agalon was having with the lady at the desk.
“We’re so happy to see you again, Your Grace,” the lady said, “It’s always a pleasure. You’ll be in the royal suite on the third floor.”
“Lovely,” Agalon said, “I am wore slick out and starved to death. Who do I need to talk to about dietary restrictions?”
“If you wanna sit down and grab you a bite to eat I’ll send our cook out to your table,” the lady told him, turned, and rang a bell. A few seconds later a smartly dressed human boy a little younger than Xaxac appeared, bolting down the staircase until he came to a stop beside the desk.
“Oh, you wanna drop your human off at your room or is he hungry too?” The woman asked as if she thought Xaxac was cute.
As if in response to her question Agalon turned to Xaxac and spoke. “Don’t worry, darlin, I’m gonna make sure you get somethin you can eat. You just run on in there, Lee oughta be waitin on you. It ought not take long to give out instructions; we been here a million times.”
“Go… where?” Xaxac asked.
“Go to the human section, get you somethin to eat,” Agalon told him, “You gotta be starvin. I’ll make sure they got somethin for you.” He nodded toward the door that the human servers kept coming in and out of, and when he saw Xaxac’s reluctance he continued, “You ain’t gonna be alone. Lee’s gonna be with you.”
“He’s cute as a button,” the elven woman said, “He ever been outta the house before? Henry, take this boy and show him where to get him some food, then run and get the cook to come out and talk to the duke.”
“Yes, master,” the boy said, put one hand in the small of his back and the other over his heart and bowed, then turned to Xaxac and said, “Right this way, sir.”
Xac looked back to Agalon and clung more fiercely to his arm so Agalon sighed, took a step away from the desk and pried Xaxac off of him to hold him by his upper arms with both hands.
“You gotta eat, Honey Bunny,” Agalon said, “We’ll go up to the room right after dinner, but right now you gotta eat. You said you was gettin too skinny. Lee’s gonna be with you. You gotta be brave for me, alright?”
Xaxac nodded.
“We’ll spend the whole day together tomorrow,” Agalon promised, “And all night tonight. You can get through one meal.” He kissed Xaxac on the forehead and smiled down at him. “That’s my good boy.”
Xaxac hugged him and turned to follow the boy.
As soon as they were out of earshot the boy turned to look up at him and tilted his head.
“How the hell did you do that?” He asked. “You got him eatin outta your hand.”
“If you really watch um,” Xaxac explained as he followed the boy through the wooden door, “You can tell what they want to hear.”