The opportune moment to make a run for it presented itself when the cloudless sky shifted itself into a purple hue. Canelle made a decisive step towards the set of doors that led out to the courtyard. 

The staff had opened these doors an hour before the sunset, allowing people the freedom to step outside between card games.

Exiting in this manner was a bold idea given that she wasn’t familiar with the layout of the courtyard, but there had to be another exit. 

Steps away from the double doors, a familiar flash of color caught her eye. Her eyes focused on the garments first, before the women in them. The deep reds and golds were rich and fine, she had seen them before but where—oh right.

‘Dietra’ was all she remembered, even though Lior had said the name of the woman moments ago. 

No one curtsied in Dofev, and she almost did out of habit. Moving by instinct, she swooped out of the way for the woman to pass through. 

Except the pretty woman stopped in front of the visitor.

 “I’m not trying to get through,” she said in Bevij. “I came over to chat. Dietra Liorit said your name was Canelle?”

The squire didn’t hear the second half of her question. She was blanking on reasons for anyone to willingly chat with Canelle, and all the social mannerisms that she once found familiar slipped through her fingers. With the Dietra before her, Canelle was susceptible to the stranger’s good looks. 

“My name is Bahar,” said the woman. 

Of course!  “Dietra Bahar, yes. I am Canelle.” She cursed internally for reintroducing herself instead of confirming her original inquiry. 

“How are you liking Dofev so far?” She must’ve sensed or noticed Canelle sweating, as she motioned towards the doors, signaling for her to lead the way outside.

The idea registered, but her body was operating with a delay. Focusing on walking without dragging her feet took all her concentration, and her vocabulary was suffering as a result. She mustered a fragmented response,  “From what I’ve seen, it is quite beautiful.” 

Bahar didn't notice Canelle’s mental lagging. Or she did and was being polite by leading the conversation. 

“Have you been to the city? There’s a park in the center of it, not our most popular, but it’s one of my favorites, called the Idiola Bioane.” 

Outside, the fresh air did Canelle a lot of good. She was able to collect her scattered mind and bring her attention to the woman next to her. “Our party hasn’t spent a ton of time outside of court.” 

With a clear head, the visitor’s brow furrowed at her realization. “Pardon Dietra Bahar, did Dietra Lior send you over? Did you need help finding her rooms?” Her eyes widened, remembering her cue. “Sorry—did you need help finding Lord Samuel’s rooms?”

There was something abating about Dietra Bahar’s light laugh, it floated in the air like a song. When Lior laughed at Canelle, she often felt stupid. This was nothing of the sort, and right there in the last remnants of the sun's departed glow, she felt jealous of Lior. Of how she worked her way into people’s hearts, into the heart of someone as pretty as Bahar. 

“Yes, please walk with me to Lord Samuel’s rooms.” 

She didn't give her the impression that she needed help finding their tower, but it was possible that she didn’t wish to be seen walking to Lior’s rooms on her own. Canelle couldn’t blame her. 

“You are staying at the Moonarc suite, right?” She confirmed the squire’s suspicion seconds later. 

Canelle was trying to walk at a quicker pace, whereas Bahar was walking at a leisurely pace. She thought it rude to assume that something was being lost in translation. Bahar had an accent, but spoke with comprehension better than Canelle’s. She probably read leagues better than her as well. 

“Yes, the tall blue tower.” She became aware of the shuffling of her own feet and once again instructed herself to stop dragging them. Lior had implied that there were ‘Dietras’ with significant influence in their society, and here was Canelle who was an oaf in every sense of the word.

“Since you haven’t seen much outside of court, do you mind if I show you something Canelle? You might find it artful,” asked the noblewoman.

The visitor pressed her lips together. She was beginning to doubt herself. If this had been Dietra Bahar’s idea from the start, what purpose did it serve? Surely, Lior had informed her that she was her squire. There was no reason for someone of prestige to willingly spend time with her. 

If Canelle’s eagerness to leave the event had offended Dietra Bahar, she might’ve felt obligated to show her something worth staying for.

It was that, or she was about to be murdered. A natural escalation of thoughts. 

“I don’t mind at all, Dietra Bahar.”

The woman hooked her arm around Canelle’s elbow, a motion to which the squire had to contain her alarm. It was not customary in Bevij to acknowledge the help, let alone touch them. Thankfully, Bahar didn’t notice that either. 

“Please, call me Bahar.” 

She walked her into a garden covered in fiora unlike any Canelle had seen before. The colors, even in the dim light, overloaded her senses. She focused on a fountain a couple of feet from the entrance until her eyes adjusted. 

“Do all your flowers look like this?” She pointed at nearby flowers that were the size of the mixing bowls. 

Bahar unlinked their arms and strode over to the said yellow flower. 

“I love these, they’re called ‘viones’ in Dofec. I forget what they are called in your tongue.” She beckoned Canelle closer. “Come smell them. I have a perfume made from this scent. Of course, it is nothing compared to the real thing. It’s subtle and shy of androgynous.”

Canelle walked over and all but shoved her face in the flower with absolutely no grace in her step. If it even mattered, she was beginning to sense that Bahar did not care so much. The scent of the flower was both a smell she had never smelled before and one that reminded her of her childhood. 

That was wrong. There was a similarity, but it was definitely different. The floral scent wasn’t too potent, and there was a hint of citrus that kept it grounded. 

“To answer your question, this flower is not native to Dofev,” the woman continued. “Can I tell you a story? For context. You can say no. I won’t take offense if you do.”

The visitor looked up at her, she wasn’t as tall as she had appeared. Concerned that her staring would make her uncomfortable, she shifted her gaze from her face to her hair, fixating on the dark near impossible color— wait, she asked a question. 

“Ua- Yes—sorry,” she fumbled her words. She took a deep breath and resumed at a normal talking pace. “I like stories.”

“Good.”  Bahar pushed up the sleeves of her dress to her elbows and tucked her hair behind her ears. Then, she raised the hem of her skirt up and away from the dusted path. Her shoes were simple flats, red like her dress. Canelle was admiring them when the noblewoman dragged her toe across the dirt, making a line from where they stood to the next part of the garden. 

“Augustane Araullo was the Czitpar three generations ago. A ‘Czitpar’ is like your ‘king’ from what I’ve read. He built this garden. You see, he traveled a lot for political reasons. His wife, Dietra Celena, would joke that he would make up the politics so he could travel. His love for travel was greater than his love of his children, she would say.

“Everywhere he wound up visiting, he made an effort to speak to a gardener. He inquired about the plants, fascinated by the differences in floriculture, and learned how to care for them. With every trip, he introduced a new part of the world to his collection.” 

Very much like the trees Canelle found unreal after leaving Bevij. It was comforting to know that she wasn’t alone in her awe of them. 

“This part,” She gestured to the mark she made on the floor. “Is made of plants from a place called Torelen. It’s south of here, very tropical. I’m surprised these can even grow here in the dry heat.” She pointed suddenly, a little ways down the path, then took off towards it. “You’ll recognize this part, these are from Bevij!” 

Here was this woman, whose first impression on Canelle was one of sophistication and elegance, even hints of self-importance, pretty much stomping over her misconceptions with her now dirt covered shoes. 

The squire smiled, happy that people like this woman existed. “He must have traveled a lot, it looks like this path goes on for a while.”

Bahar nodded. “I can’t speak for my grandfather, his son, but my father actually continued the tradition for many years before he passed. He even took us to some of these places.”

A confirmation that Bahar was important. The visitor was disheartened and optimistic all the same. If people like Dietra Bahar were in power, then maybe nobles weren’t all so bad. 

But Bahar saw right through Canelle. At this point, she should start voicing her concerns aloud, seeing as everyone around her was able to discern them from her dumb facial expressions anyway. 

“Don’t look at me like that,” she teased. “I’m not considered royalty here. You’re safe as a visitor, so don’t panic when you see how little say women have in Dofev. But I won’t bore you with that, what I actually want to show you is over here. Come.” She took her hand this time and pulled her further into the garden. 

There wasn’t enough time to moon over everything. She earmarked it for later, making a note to return after dropping Bahar off. If Lior was in fact waiting—actually, Lior could wait. Bahar stopped and Canelle set her eyes on the garden before them.

 “Oh this is…” 

Thick clusters of flowers grew on thick vines. They were a bit smaller than the yellow viones of Torelen, but bigger than the average flower. Their colors reminded Canelle of the colors in soap bubbles. The near translucent flowers were a bright white, glowing in the moonlight, and the edges of their petals were accented with pinks, purples and teals. The vines they grew on were a blue-green. Either blue by nature or the blue light emitted from the sky, it was hard to say. 

The flowers overran a garden wall that led them into a corner of the garden, where a tall, heart-stirring, beast of a tree stood. Its dark blue leaves were dancing in the soft breeze. From the distance, they gave the illusion that the tree was shimmering. 

“This garden is based on a near mythical place I’ve visited. You read about magic in stories, and this island a little off the coast of Bravados is exactly that: magic. Colors that shouldn’t exist live in that place. If I could, I would live there, Canelle. Should you get the chance to travel there, I highly recommend it.” 

“And why don’t you live there?” The question slipped. 

Bahar released her hand and stepped towards the vast tree. She ran her fingers along the tree’s veins and turned back to Canelle. “Ah, we all dream to be that free, don’t we?” 

“Yeah…” She heard herself agree. “Free… I… this is freedom for me. More than I’ve had before anyway, so I might not understand what true freedom is.”

“Dietra Lior did say something about taking you from somewhere. Have you worked for her family for very long?” 

“Ah, no. I was a maid in the Court of Gaidos prior to becoming Lior’s squire.” She emphasized the last part, in case this was her first time hearing it. Canelle was not worth anyone’s time. 

“A maid in the Court of Gaidos?” She was intrigued rather than surprised. “When I saw you step into our court with the rest of the party, you struck me as someone who had experienced life. That must be why. I mean this in the best way. Everyone else treats the place as if they own it. They’ve become too desensitized to appreciate it. 

“You take your surroundings in. You are living life the way it ought to be lived—” Her eyes widened, and she shook her head, disappointed in herself. “I apologize, I don't mean to assume your character. These were my first impressions, that is all.” 

If what she was saying was true, Canelle stood out from the rest of the party. Whether that was a good or bad thing was for her to figure out later. 

“I do appreciate you showing me this place,” she said in earnest. 

This inspired Bahar to bring forth honesty of her own. 

“Truth be told, I knew where Lior was staying from the get go…” She smiled warmly. 

Her dark eyes were looking at the distant mountains. When she refocused on Canelle, her grin became sheepish and regained some of her youthfulness. She had to be close to the squire in age. 

The majority of those who lounged around at court in Bevij were young. This differed in Dofev, it was one of the things Canelle found surprising at first. The court in Dofev consisted of older folk.

 Canelle had assumed Bahar was older or around Lior’s age (although she was unsure of that too). In this new light, her assumption proved untrue.  No wonder she was talking to her. If Canelle had to socialize with those stuffy persons every day, she would also be desperate for conversation with anyone near her age. 

“I figured as much, you know the area better than I do.”

“Yes, that is true, I only wanted to talk to you. You see, you intrigue me. As a storyteller, I wanted to hear your story.”

Bahar spoke to her casually. Canelle wasn’t comfortable enough to stop tip-toeing around formality.

“I don’t have a story, I haven’t exactly gone anywhere yet.” She made a valiant effort to make her smile genuine and polite, even if it felt all the more forced. The opposite of what she was feeling, and she was frustrated that it was difficult to convey. 

Life filled Bahar's eyes and her hands became animated as she skipped along. “Ah! Then let’s make one together! What are you doing tomorrow? I’m sure Valkom’s party will not miss you!”

With those words she was giving Canelle everything she had hoped for, an adventure. Not only that, she knew the area and the customs of the country, but… the squire questioned how appropriate that would be and if Lior would object. “I’m sure he won’t, but Lior might not want me to stray too far.”

The noblewoman waved the thought away, disregarding it and Canelle liked her more for it. “She can come too! I can introduce her to some swingers!”

“Swingers?” If that meant what she thought it meant—

Reading her mind, Bahar winked and said, “I’ll let her explain that one. “