“Are you alright?” Ezra asked her, stopping to face her as soon as they were a good distance from Madigan’s shop.

“I will be,” she assured him. She had no desire to discuss her nightmares now and even if she was feeling a little more trusting towards him, there was no way she was telling him the details of her darkest secret. “It just caught me off guard that she could know something like that about me, though I’m sure it’s all part of her magic.”

“She works in mysterious ways,” Ezra explained. “I am sorry if she brought up something painful, we all have something in our past we don’t like to talk about. That was not my intention in bringing you in there. Madigan has owned that shop as long as I can remember, so at least four centuries now. My mother was a healer, and Madigan gave her a job when she came to town. She had her own healing services by the time I was old enough to remember, but we still visited Madigan’s shop very frequently.”

“That’s why she called you her favorite customer?” Hestia asked, grateful that Ezra did not prod her about her nightmares, and instead offered his own story as a distraction. One she was more than happy to allow.

“It is. I still come to her for any healing needs I have. She is one of the few I trust, if that makes you feel any differently about her offer.”

It did, in a way, if he had truly lived four centuries as he said, than the crone’s magic must have something to it. She would try the potion, whether or not she would return to Madigan afterwards was still up for debate.

“It does help,” she told him, slipping the vial into the pocket of her robes. “Now, where are we off to next?” She was eager to keep the tour going, and change the subject from their time in the crone’s shop.

There were only two shops left in the square. Positioned to the left of the inn, the two building were so close together they shared a wall between them. One one side, held a small clothing shop, beautiful designs peeking out from the windows. When they entered, the store smelled of sweet flowers, perfectly complimenting the shopkeeper’s feminine voice as she greeted them.

Hestia looked around as Ezra chatted with the blond-haired fae, she too was of noble descent, though it seemed her family may have lost their title long ago. Not that she was unsuccessful by any means. Her shop was elegantly decorated, with shelves and racks taking up as much usable floor space as possible while still allowing room to move around. The items on display ranged from everyday tunics to elegant gowns and intricate robes.

“I started making more high-end designs when the traffic from Noroak started heading our way. More nobility passing through, looking to buy some items on their way to their estates in the Vulcan Beaches,” the shopkeeper explained as Hestia browsed the rack of form-fitting evening dresses.

“They’re beautiful,” Hestia told her, taking a particularly long time to study a gorgeous white dress, with a plunging neckline and a back that dipped even lower. She always imagined how she would look in a dress like this, but she never had the courage to even try to pull it off.

“Thank you. I’m Wren by the way, it’s nice to meet another admirer of fine clothes such as myself.”

“And what am I?” Ezra asked, feigning a hurt tone as he did.

“A male,” Wren replied, waving him off just as Lottie had done at The Serpent’s Nest, “and therefore incapable of truly appreciating fashion as we do.”

Hestia giggled at her comment, utterly amused at how all these females treated a male with the power Ezra had as if he was no more than another townsperson. Though I suppose to them, he was.

“And what are you laughing at?” Ezra asked, whipping his head around to look at her.

Her face turned a fiery shade of red and suddenly she felt as if she couldn’t breathe. She shouldn’t have laughed at him, that was the wrong thing to do. She did not know him, she was not his friend like Wren so clearly was.

“See what you did,” Wren shouted at Ezra, smacking him on the back of the head so hard it resulted in a rather loud thunk. “You scared her into thinking she shouldn’t laugh at you, which is not fair when it is so much fun to do so.” She gave Hestia, a reassuring wink, which made the blood red color fade from her face ever-so-slightly.

“My apologies,” Ezra said, still rubbing his head where Wren had hit him. “I was only joking, I didn’t mean to make you feel upset.” His face was redder than hers now, which actually made Hestia smile. He cared about how she felt, but why? She didn’t know, and in this moment, she didn’t care because when she smiled at him, he smiled back, and for some reason, she liked that.

The shop next store was Hestia’s favorite yet. She knew it would be as soon as she read the sign, Bramwell Bookshop. As soon as they walked in, Hestia was in her sanctuary. Bookshelves lined the walls from floor to ceiling. A small reading area sat in one corner, with a few cushioned armchairs for patrons to sit and read in. The counter was against the back wall, a thin brown-haired faery stood behind the counter, welcoming them into the shop.

Hestia was too distracted to answer, already exploring the numerous bookshelves that stood on the floor as well. Some of the titles she recognized from the temple library, some of them she had never heard of in her life. She fished in her pockets for her coin purse, trying to remember how much she had brought with her on her trip. After a rough estimate, she determined she had about 100 gold with her. She wouldn’t need to pay for food while staying at Ezra’s Estate, though she doubted he would let her pay for it outside of his estate either. With all of that in mind, it seemed like she had enough to buy a book or two from this shop. Then she would have a few things to read in her spare time the next few weeks, other than the book Raea had given her. One she had no interest in even opening.

She spent a few moments browsing, ultimately choosing two books that she wanted to take with her. One was a history on the Vulcan Beaches, its landmarks, and creatures. The other was a story about a far off land full of adventure, something to get her mind off of everything happening in her own life. Once she made her selection, she made her way to the counter where Ezra was waiting for her.

“Just these two for you milady?” the brown-haired faery asked her, already wrapping the books in brown paper, tying a piece of red string around both to keep them bundled together.

“Yes thank you,” Hestia replied, accepting the bundle as he handed it to her. “How much do I owe you?” she asked, surely he was not planning to give these books away for free.

“It’s already been taken care of,” he assured her, looking to Ezra as he did. Had he paid for her books already? She made a mental note to thank him later, and convince him that while appreciated, it was absolutely not necessary. She thanked the male behind the counter and tucked the package of books under her arm as she followed Ezra out of the shop and back into the town square.

“We still have an hour or so until dinner,” he told her, “Would you like to see the rest of the village?”

“Absolutely,” Hestia said, shifting the bundle of books under her arm.

“Great, this way then.” Ezra took the books from her arms, carrying them for her instead. He didn’t give her a chance to protest before he started walking towards the path that led out of the square and towards the smattering of small homes that surrounded it. She had no choice but to follow.

Ezra led her down the winding path that weaved in between the homes of the villagers. Most of the homes looked similar, some had small farm patches behind them, others had small pens of livestock instead. There weren’t many other faeries on the path at the moment, given that it was so close to dinner time and most of the homes had a a steady stream of smoke billowing from their chimneys, Hestia assumed most people were in their homes for supper.

She preferred it that way if she was honest, it gave her the chance to ask Ezra about the homes they passed, prompting him to share a story or two about his childhood. She wasn’t sure why, but some part of her longed to know more about her male companion and where he had come from. Ezra only smiled at her questions, happy to tell her more about the village that was so dear to his heart.

Once the sun began to set, and the sky became a mixture of beautiful reds and oranges. The pair headed back towards the inn. They hadn’t seen all the houses Hestia realized, and Ezra had never pointed out which one he and his mother had lived in. He had been so willing to share his other stories that she though it was odd he didn’t point out his childhood home, but maybe the memories were still too painful. She could understand that. It was because of that understanding that she chose not to ask. Instead, she followed him back to the inn, quietly commenting on the few buildings they passed on the way.

Hestia took a little more time consuming her dinner than she had at lunch earlier in the day. While dinner did not consist of cottage pie, the smoked hog and potatoes that were served were delicious nonetheless. By the time they finished eating, the sun has set and Hestia was absolutely exhausted. Between traveling this morning and walking all over town this afternoon, all she wanted to do was curl up in bed and fall asleep.

“Thank you for everything today,” Hestia said to Ezra who was seated across the table from her. “It was one of the most fun days I have had in a while.” It was true, she rarely had any free time at the temple and when she did, she wasn’t allowed to leave the temple walls even if she wanted to. Not without special permission of course. But today, walking around town with Ezra, was the most relaxed she had felt in a long while, and that meant a lot to her.

“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself,” Ezra smiled. “Though I have to say, hopefully our Pyrniel celebration will be even better.”

“Oh it will be,” Hestia assured him, standing from the table and making her way towards the stairs that led up to their rooms. “Goodnight Ezra,” she added, before rounding the corner and disappearing up the stairs, her stomach still fluttering from the smile he had given her.