Chapter 2 (Part Five)

Lyra’s Day Out

The Alistair Duchy

Cottage of Henry and Lyra Dorran

3PL POV

~DAY FIVE~

Depression

“COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!”

Lyra clenched her eyes closed.

As ridiculous as it was, she pretended to be asleep.

Holding her breath as Henry leaned over and kissed her forehead, before sliding off the bed.

The moment she heard the door shut, she darted up, flinging the wool blanket to the side.

She had a full day of errands to complete before Henry was due home, and she needed to get started right away.

After heating a pot of water on the fire, she poured it into the basin at the table. Taking care to clean herself thoroughly, as she’d be serving afternoon tea to her Lady.

Lyra served House Mauvais, specifically the young daughter, Pricilla Mauvais.

It was a fairly easygoing position.

Lyra attended tea parties and acted as a chaperon for the young Lady. She would also come and serve tea at their estate. 

Thus Lyra found herself with a bit more freedom than her overworked husband.

While the Mauvais family did not openly struggle for money, they simply did not employ full-time staff at their countryside home.

After Lyra had wiped herself clean, she stood naked by the fire to dry. Pondering what she should wear that day.

Something pink? No, no.

Perhaps blue? That's not it either...

Lyra settled on her white chemise, a light brown fitted bodice paired with a yellow linen over-skirt, and a pair of brown leather shoes with a low heel.

Satisfied with her outfit, she proceeded to pull her blond hair back with a worn white ribbon Henry had given to her as a gift when they were courting at the Festival of the Unbroken Hearth.

This holiday focused on the endurance and the strength of chosen bonds against the long darkness of winter, and it took place at the end of the first month of the new year.

Lyra placed the brown sack of gold coins in her woven basket with a grin.

With this, they were finally going to be able to make something of themselves.

She put the basket handle over her arm and made her way outside.

Almost tripping over Jack, who had been giving himself a dirt bath right in front of the door.

She scowled as she made her way around the dirty bird. She couldn’t for the life of her understand why Henry talked to that useless thing each day.

She was worried people might hear and begin to talk negatively about them.

She’d known Jack had been there since before they were married.

They've been together for 4 years now, so she chalked it up to him just being lonely.

Living all by himself all those years would surely make one talk to their pets.

Although Lyra didn’t really consider Jack a pet…

Maybe that’s why she had never really cared for the noisy bird.

Lyra started down the road towards town, her shoes crunching in the gravel.

Her first stop of the day was the money changer’s office. She now had 60 gold coins that needed to be transferred into everyday currency.

Carrying around a bunch of gold coins is a good way for not only a commoner, but a woman like herself to get robbed.

Since Henry worked full-time it was typically her responsibility to deposit their pay in the bank.

She held her head down as she passed some shady figures loitering outside the building. She walked right up to an empty kiosk, set her basket on the counter, and pulled out the sack of gold.

“Hello, I’d like to make a currency exchange,” Lyra said with a smile, the man behind the counter clearly did not share her early morning enthusiasm.

He sighed and took the sack from her hand, walking over to a large scale.

Lyra felt her skin tingle as the man poured her 60 gold coins onto the scale.

She was shaking with excitement.

This was the most money she’d ever handled.

How the hell could she not be excited?!

“60 imperial writs, please sign here,” He said flatly, handing her a pen.

She quickly scrawled her name and took the pieces of parchment in her hands.

So this was what a De’Wraith imperial writ looked like…

The man cleared his throat, annoyed.

She had apparently lingered too long.

Embarrassed, she shoved the money in her basket and rushed off to her next destination.

By the time she’d walked out of the money changer’s office, the sun was high in the sky.

She hummed happily to herself as she walked the paved streets towards the bank.

The bustle of the day was in full effect.

Shop owners had opened their stalls and a dense, flowing mass of people crowded the town square. The social clamor of vendors haggling for their wares filled the air.

They had everything here, from dinnerware to pottery, handcrafted tools to flowers, and food!

Oh goodness the smell of food was to die for.

Baked breads and restaurants that'd started cooking fresh meats for the day. Other vendors carried baskets overflowing with vegetables, fresh herbs, and seasonal fruits.

Lyra made a mental note to come back and pick out something tasty for dinner.

She and Henry had been fighting a lot lately and she wanted to make it up to him somehow.

On her way to the bank, something caught her eye.

She paused in front of a brightly lit shop window.

A pretty white silk hair ribbon stared back at her.

Immediately wondering, if it would be alright to purchase something like this?

She knew Henry wouldn’t mind, in fact if he had the time and money, he would have gotten this for her himself.

Lyra solidified her resolve and walked confidently into the store.

“Welcome, Miss!” The shop owner greeted.

She smiled back at the friendly-looking middle-aged man.

“This white ribbon in the window,” She said, pointing to it.

“Ah, yes! The new silk collection is in. There’s a color to match any outfit,” He said, clapping his hands lightly.

“How much is it?” Lyra asked meekly.

“Oh it’s a great price at only 800 copper shards!” He said with a bright smile.

Lyra narrowed her eyes at him.

800 copper shards is almost the amount of money the lowest-paid servant makes in a week.

He should be ashamed of himself for charging so much for a simple piece of silk.

“I’ll take that one, please,” Lyra said, shaking the thought out of her head.

They had more than enough to be able to afford this.

She watched the shop owner place the ribbon in a bright gift box, holding his hand out for payment.

Reaching  into her basket, she handed him an imperial writ.

She enjoyed watching his face drop and the regret in his greedy eyes, that he didn’t charge her more.

She waited for her change, 9,200 copper shards, then left swiftly with her purchase tucked safely in her basket.

While gold was the universal currency, within the De’Wraith Empire where they lived, it was typically converted into imperial units.

A gold coin was equal to an imperial writ, which Lyra now had 59 left in her basket.

Additionally, the imperial writ was equal to 100 silver lumens, and 100 silver lumens were equal to 10,000 copper shards.

So, it was rare to see common folk making purchases with anything other than copper shards.

Lyra had finally arrived at the bank.

It was a large, imposing brick building with 4 imperial guards posted in front of the intimidating oak double doors.

Lyra had been here countless times before, but for some reason today she felt like this visit held more importance.

She felt like somebody who had something to her name.

Somebody who had something to offer.

She reached up and undid the old ribbon in her hair and quickly unwrapped the packaging for her brand new white ribbon. She tied it tightly in her hair, even though she couldn’t see it, she felt like a brand new person.

With an invigorating new stride in her step she walked into the bank.

“Welcome to the De’Wraith Imperial Bank, how may I help you,” The teller at the booth asked her politely.

“I’d like to deposit 39 imperial writs to the joint account under Dorran, that's d-o-r-r-a-n, and then please deposit the remaining 20 writs into the private account under Lyra Bauer. That's b-a-u-e-r.” She instructed, handing over all the remaining writs in her basket.

“One moment, please,” The teller said, taking her funds and stepping away from the booth.

While Lyra waited for her to return, she couldn’t help but feel guilty not having told Henry about her private account.

She had made it so long ago, with such a meager sum, it hardly seemed worth it at all to mention.

Lyra had never told Henry about her life before coming to the Alistair duchy. She'd actually told him she grew up here, which of course was another lie. 

Lyra grew up near the capital of the De'Wraith Empire north east of the Alistair duchy.

There were 3 cities within the empire.

They were structured in a concentric ring, Aroth being the innermost ring and closest to the imperial palace. Staven, being where the middle class resides, and Erhas, the slums where the poorest live.

Between Staven and Erhas, there is a massive, thick stone wall that separated the slums, a social boundary if you will…

That also happened to be guarded… by soldiers. 

Perhaps Lyra had never said anything to Henry about coming from the slums because she wanted him to see her in the best light.

Or perhaps after 4 years of marriage, coming clean now seemed too little too late. 

Either way, the tale wasn't necessarily the most pleasant to have brought up to a potential suitor.

Back in the slums of Erhas, Lyra lived with her father and mother.

Her father had a gambling addiction and would often frequent the gaming houses spending every cent of income they'd made. 

Finally when her mother could no longer take it, she moved out to stay with family in the Alistair duchy.

At that time, Lyra was 11.

After being abandoned by her mother she quickly learned what true suffering was.

There were many nights she'd go without food.

By the time she was 15 and a half years of age, her father had amassed a huge sum of debt.

She happened to chance by a conversation her father had with his debtors in front of their home. He had mentioned that she would soon turn 16 and be of age to be sold off to subtract a portion of what he owed.

Her own flesh and blood had set their mind to selling her off into slavery.

She had been shocked, but she wasn't surprised, she also wasn't unprepared.

Lyra was a smart girl, a year after her mother had left she decided to secretly look for work doing odd jobs.

Anything she made she would add to a stash of money she kept well hidden from her father. It wasn't much, but she’d hoped it was at least enough to get her to her mother.

That very same day she took her tiny pouch of 200 copper shards with her to the town square and convinced a merchant traveling with his wife to give her a ride back with them to the Alistair duchy.

They agreed, but refused to take money from a child. They could see that she had been malnourished. They fed her some fresh bread and water, then headed out on their way.

It was about a day and a half carriage ride.

The first thing she did when they got there was deposit all her money into a bank.

Lyra never did see her father again, nor did she care about what happened to him.

All she knew was that she was able to reunite with her mother, who welcomed her into her new household with open arms. She had remarried and had several more children.

Lyra now had a little brother and sister.

Try as she might, living under the same roof as her mother who abandoned and left her for dead, only to come and live a happy life with a new husband and more children…

Was quite hard to do. 

It was as if Lyra had been some dried scab her mother plucked off.

Regardless of how she felt, Lyra kept her head down and a smile on her face until she met Henry 5 years later at the age of 21.

He was kind, handsome, and respectful.

Quite a good kisser too.

She was so enamored with the man, and had fallen for him very quickly.

He was a year older, lived alone, with a well paying job.

His family had died in a horrific fire 2 years prior, but she didn't mind that one bit.

She was willing to become his new family.

A year later she moved in with him and a year after that they were married. They'd been together for 4 years and she couldn't have been happier.

What they were going through now was simply just a hiccup…

Or at least that's what she kept telling herself.

“Please sign here and here,” The teller had returned with two deposit slips.

Lyra quickly scritched her name and headed back toward the door with her basket in tow.

It was almost time for work.

---------------

“Lyra! You're late, Lady Pricilla’s calling for you! Here, take this,”

One of the kitchen maids said, shoving a heated kettle of water in her hands.

She barely had time to set her basket down, before rushing toward the parlor.

She took a deep breath and opened the door.

“Good morning, My Lady. You called for me?” Lyra said, with a respectful curtsy.

“Oh, Lyra, you’re here. I was just telling my cousin, you'd prepared the most divine tea the other day, what was it?” Pricilla asked.

“That was a white peony tea, My Lady,” Lyra responded.

“Ah, that’s the name! Could you go prepare it? Claudia you must try it,” Pricilla ordered, gesturing for Lyra to leave.

Lyra simply nodded and left the parlor with her kettle in hand, the door shutting lightly behind her.

Pricilla Mauvais, was a young noble woman living in the Alistair Duchy's countryside.

She possessed a striking, cool beauty, with dark mahogany brown hair stretching down her back.

Today it was worn pulled back in a simple but elegant style that kept all attention fixed on her clear face.

Her most arresting feature were her smoky gray eyes, they gave the impression of maturity well beyond her years… again they gave only the impression.

She wore a midnight blue dress with layers of ruffles and a structured bodice that highlighted her delicate frame.

In contrast, Pricillas cousin, Claudia Alistair, possessed a vivid, almost ethereal beauty, highlighted by her truly remarkable hair.

A dense, rich tangle of bright, fiery copper-red waves.

It was meticulously styled with braids pulled back from her face, yet still tumbled wildly about her shoulders.

Her eyes a luminous jade-green that stood out vividly against her pale complexion.

She wore a sleeveless dark forest green dress, with velvet detailing around the bodice, and a tight choker adorned with a gold medallion.

“It's lovely of you to visit me, Claudia,” Pricilla said smiling brightly.

“Of course, I had missed you at the last imperial ball,” Claudia said, taking a small sip from her own tea cup.

“Yes, I had fallen ill, but I've completely recovered now. It's a shame, I had truly been looking forward to coming back to the capital, it can be too dreary here sometimes,” Pricilla explained, pouting.

“Let your mind rest easy, the ball was rather dull. In fact the crown prince wasn't even in attendance,” Claudia said with a sigh.

The only reason she had even gone to that useless ball was for the chance to dance with Prince Cedric.

“Well, now I don't feel as bad. The only reason one would ever go all the way out to the capital, would be to see that handsome man, and perhaps a single dance,” Pricilla said with a giggle.

Claudia slightly narrowed her eyes without realizing it.