a/n: this is a short excerpt from my scrapped book, would have included the whole thing but it's 13390 words long so that's not really an option lol, and the first chapter alone is over 3000 words so I only included part of it. === Wrapped in a cloak, Ruby eyed the streets. Perhaps Lord Armen’s garden could use a weeding. She stopped to count up how many coins she needed that day. Bread was five copper coins a loaf. She’d likely get one or two copper coins for weeding the gardens, maybe even three. Then she might be able to do some washing for his daughter, Margaret. Ruby liked Margaret. Some, including Danita, called her stuck-up and selfish, but Danita had never taken the pains to get to know her. Danita hadn’t seen Margaret give up her dead mother’s locket to buy food for an alley orphan. Danita hadn’t seen the coins pressed into the beggars' hands. Danita hadn’t heard the soft words of encouragement that Margaret whispered to the child who slipped in a mud puddle and fell. Ruby had, and she was certain that deep down, Margaret was a good person. She stopped to count on her fingers. Gardens, laundry, washing the windows–that should be enough coins for a meal or two. She’d be done by midafternoon. For a moment, she envied Danita and the rest of the alley orphans. They had a sure means of getting food. She relied on the fact that there was probably always going to be someone who had a job for her, and had the means to pay her. Some could do nothing but give her a kiss and a blessing. She shook her head. Now was not the time to worry. Now was the time to work. +++ Several hours later, Ruby was hot, tired, but clutching a fistful of coins. She headed toward the marketplace. She slowed as she entered the square. She walked over to the bread stall and slid over the coins. The baker glanced down. “That’ll be half a loaf,” he said. Ruby opened her mouth to protest, but he raised his hand. “Sorry. Lord’s orders. He needs more funds to repair that dratted fountain of his.” Half of what the merchants earned was taxed by Lord Armen. He didn’t tax the people…yet. He knew they couldn’t possibly pay him. He was cruel, but not unreasonable. That would be going too far, at least for now. But it looked like things were slowly sliding in that direction. While people could mostly afford a loaf of bread for five coins, ten was over the moon for all but the richest. Ruby bit her lip as she carried her dinner to her hut. She’d have to get up much earlier and work twice as hard now.
All for a loaf of bread. She nearly laughed at the absurdity of it all. Reaching her dwelling place, she climbed onto the roof. The evening was cool and brisk. With a small sigh, she broke the bread into two pieces. One of them she set aside for the morning. The other she consumed. Brushing crumbs from her fingers, she reached for her precious book. The cover was torn and faded, but she could still just read the gilded title that decorated it. The Reign of Light and Glory. Carefully, she opened the worn book. The pages were yellow and brittle, and some were missing. Even when it got too dark to see the words, she kept turning the pages, breathing in the familiar scent. It was her most prized possession. Books were precious, and books like this doubly so. It was a history book–an account of the Time Before. When everything was bright and happy. When there were no monsters, no Lords. When dreams came true. Ruby had a few other books, but none so dear to her as this one. She shivered. It was chilly now, but she didn’t want to leave. A wind began blowing, whipping her shoulder-length brown hair into the air. She gazed over the city. On an impulse, she stood, hair flying out behind her, the wind stinging her cheeks. Her eyes flashed in the darkness. She looked up at the sky, with the moon, queen of night, surrounded by thousands upon thousands of stars. A falling star caught her attention. It was streaking down from the sky fast, very fast. She leaned forward. If it landed inside the faction bounds, maybe she could find the star rock. Then she would rest it beside the book, and every night when she came up to eat her dinner, she would take it and hold it in her hand while she read. The star was falling even faster now. She caught her breath, waiting. Maybe there were others watching it. Maybe someone else wanted to nab the star rock. Ruby had heard that they fetched a good price in the market. She climbed down from the roof and began to run. The air stung her lungs, and she shivered again. Nimbly, she navigated her way through the streets, keeping her eyes trained on the shooting star. It was nearing the ground now, and it was bigger than she’d thought it would be. She began to wonder how on earth she would lift it. It was definitely not the right size for holding in your hand while reading. That was disappointing. Focused on the star, she nearly tripped over something. She stumbled and bent over, panting. Lifting her eyes to the sky one more time to mark where the star would land, she started running again, but this time she kept her gaze to the ground, looking out for anything that might trip her in the dark. Gasping for air, she emerged from the tangle of houses onto a narrow field that lay between there and the next city. She looked up. The star was going to fall onto her head. She jerked away as it crashed to the ground, sending a spray of dirt into the air. She covered her face. When the first shock was over, she peeped between her fingers. The star moved. Swallowing, she prodded it with her foot. It stirred and groaned, rolling over to face her. Two pale blue eyes met hers. She opened her mouth and blurted the first thing that came to mind. “You’re not a star.” === credits: characters, cover art, and writing belong to me contest hosted by music is ghost of a rose by blackmore's night
