The rug and sheets were loaded onto the bed, and the bed was hauled up on a pair of long, wooden palettes with heavy wheels beneath them. The watchtower chimed over the city, and Rosela waved a cheerful goodbye to the proprietor. The afternoon was gone, and the evening had thinned down the bazaar crowds. With the wide bed, the people parted before them like schools of fish and Rosela basked in the attention it brought.
“Sorry about our dad back there. He gets like that sometimes.” Arkex, on the side of the bed closest to her, broke the silence between them first.
“Oh, it’s no trouble. He was very sweet.”
“He just gets worried because we haven’t found wives yet. Bet you get that all the time.” Mejax’s voice was slightly higher than his brother’s, and his eyes darted around timidly.
Unsure of how to respond, Rosela covered an awkward giggle with a hand. “I don’t know about that…”
“Say,” Arkex broke in and rescued her. “Why don’t you hop up here? No sense in wearing you out walking when there’s a perfectly good spot right here.”
Rosela lit up and grinned at him. “Really?”
“All this space, it’s just sitting here, isn’t it?” Mejax leaned around his brother and patted the mattress in front of where the rug lay rolled up in front of the headboard.
Not needing a second invitation, Rosela slowed her walk and hopped awkwardly onto the bed, and looked up at the pair in surprise when it didn’t even rock on the palette.
“Dad builds good, sturdy beds, don’t worry.”
“Hold on now.”
Sliding up on the mattress so she lay between them as they pushed from either end of the headboard, she rested her elbows on the rug. “I’m not too heavy, am I?”
The pair made simultaneous noises of dismissal.
“A pillow’s weight.”
“A feather’s.”
“A flower’s.”
“A petal’s.”
“A-“
Rosela waved her hands and cut them off, laughing. “Ok, ok, thank you both.”
There was a pause in talk as they moved onto Christina’s Remorse, the low rumble of the wheels drowned out by the roar of the waterfall. She looked out over the bay and had a moment of completion as she reclined on the bed, propelled by the two handsome men. New bed, new jewelry and makeup, a big mirror and lovely perfume bottle on the way... Now rolling through Riverfall with what felt like every eye in the city on her, Rosela couldn’t have felt higher had she been the Pressorah herself.
“Sorry about our dad back there. He gets like that sometimes.” Arkex, on the side of the bed closest to her, broke the silence between them first.
“Oh, it’s no trouble. He was very sweet.”
“He just gets worried because we haven’t found wives yet. Bet you get that all the time.” Mejax’s voice was slightly higher than his brother’s, and his eyes darted around timidly.
Unsure of how to respond, Rosela covered an awkward giggle with a hand. “I don’t know about that…”
“Say,” Arkex broke in and rescued her. “Why don’t you hop up here? No sense in wearing you out walking when there’s a perfectly good spot right here.”
Rosela lit up and grinned at him. “Really?”
“All this space, it’s just sitting here, isn’t it?” Mejax leaned around his brother and patted the mattress in front of where the rug lay rolled up in front of the headboard.
Not needing a second invitation, Rosela slowed her walk and hopped awkwardly onto the bed, and looked up at the pair in surprise when it didn’t even rock on the palette.
“Dad builds good, sturdy beds, don’t worry.”
“Hold on now.”
Sliding up on the mattress so she lay between them as they pushed from either end of the headboard, she rested her elbows on the rug. “I’m not too heavy, am I?”
The pair made simultaneous noises of dismissal.
“A pillow’s weight.”
“A feather’s.”
“A flower’s.”
“A petal’s.”
“A-“
Rosela waved her hands and cut them off, laughing. “Ok, ok, thank you both.”
There was a pause in talk as they moved onto Christina’s Remorse, the low rumble of the wheels drowned out by the roar of the waterfall. She looked out over the bay and had a moment of completion as she reclined on the bed, propelled by the two handsome men. New bed, new jewelry and makeup, a big mirror and lovely perfume bottle on the way... Now rolling through Riverfall with what felt like every eye in the city on her, Rosela couldn’t have felt higher had she been the Pressorah herself.
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