Timeline: Present Day
Location: Market in Silvermarc, capital of the Verdant Kingdom of Eldoria in the world of Aethalgard.
Silvermarc, Eldoria's capital, had districts according to function. This was mostly because it wasn't built so much as it was grown with the permission and cooperation of the Verdant Forest. The market district, a sprawling shopping area woven into the very fabric of the ancient forest, had offerings from all over the known world of Aethelgard.
Anyone could sell things there if the Verdant Forest agreed. Once permitted, stalls, carved from the living trunks of colossal Veridian Heartwoods and tall Silverbarks would form and glow faintly to indicate it was open for business. If there was an awning, it was woven from vines and bright, iridescent flora stitched together. In thanks for the aid of the forest, many sellers lined the stalls with shimmering spider silk to protect the foliage from buyers entering and leaving.
Some sellers were even granted permission to have more-permanent enclosed spaces that formed directly into the massive tree trunks. Their shape was part of a coordinated contract between the seller and the forest. Any flora in the world could spring up and be woven into the creation of the spaces so long as it was not locally harmful. Though, the person requesting the space had to be able to picture the flora in their mind, so the majority of the market district was made from local, Eldorian vegetation.
Other stalls had types of cages…or maybe bubbles (?), intricately woven from flexible willow-like branches, held chirping bird creatures. All manner of restless animals and insects, whose melodies and percussive clicks and clacks, mingled with the gentle rustle of leaves and the thin brook that wound through the district.
Incidentally, the brook was formed at the request of a now-deceased Duke to help with both the flow of buyers and with sanitation. It was said to be quite a negotiation but, in the end, the Verdant Forest kept the brook after the duke suggested a "trial period." It was a new concept that his daughter suggested and became common practice afterward. Unfortunately, the forest decides how long the trial period is without conveying such to the sellers.
To correct that snag, the Duke brought forth the innovative concepts of "flexible marketspaces" and "hot stalling" where any temporary seller could work from any stall anywhere. The Verdant Forest liked the idea so much that it began to create a new market layout overnight--every night--to show how flexible the marketspaces could actually be. As a result, when the sellers arrived the next morning, they found either a neat grid configuration or a challenging labyrinth. A few sellers went missing or panicked when lost. In the end, the Duke and the forest agreed to only shuffle the layout monthly.
Secretly, the Verdant Forest was relieved for fear it would run out of original ideas. Now, the "Changing of the Market District Layout" is a monthly spectacle with the Verdant Forest getting better and better at entertaining the crowds. Additionally, new industries for transcription, market mapping, tour guides and personal shoppers were created.
(And now back to the immersive description of the market district—which really does have a purpose. Promise.)
Both small and large terrariums, fashioned from blown glass and moss or translucent pod fruits, housed iridescent insects that scuttled over miniature landscapes of healing herbs in a symbiotic relationship. Here and there, vendors sold cuttings from the fallen branches of Whisperwood Trees, their leaves seeming to murmur secrets that were entrusted before their fall.
Bouquets of Everlight Flowers glowed on and outside of all of the stalls. The Everlight Flowers were used as additional lighting where the shade overwhelmed the bright sun even when the canopy shifted to accommodate the sun's movement. Like many things in Aethelgard, they held a soft, internal luminescence, the flowers were often grown and left to flourish while used for domestic internal lighting needs. Even the scents were both heady and welcoming. Mixed in with the expected forest scents thick with damp earth, was exotic blossoms, and the sweet, spicy aroma of Moonwhisper Mead being ladled from hollowed gourds.
And it was in this vibrant chaos that Vivian's vision slowly cleared. She found herself pressed against a cool, moss-covered wall of a small, market district alley with a familiar face protectively holding her there. Her eyes adjusted to her surroundings and quietly whispered, "Prince Callum?"
Callum looked intently at her face, and said the word 'green' softly to himself. "Vivian? It is you. She was right. You are back again."
She nodded slowly, turning her head to the side to look around—and to avoid being so close to the prince. But her face still flushed with embarrassment as thoughts of the silver-haired prince crept into her mind. She shook it off and came back into focus and whispered, "Who are we hiding from?"
Callum didn't answer immediately. His purple eyes, usually so calm, were sharp and focused. He peered around the edge of the alley, his body tense. "There," he murmured, his voice a low, dangerous growl. He pulled her a little further back into the alley. "Kel spotted Shadow-mages. Three of them."
The fourth prince of Silvermarc then caught the eye of the head Barklar in his guard detail. Callum pushed back his hood, then with a quick gesture from his hand, Callum drew in the ambient magic from the air. A shimmering light coalesced around his fingertips and he released a pulse of energy that caused an inverted lightning streak with a blinding white light as a signal flare, catching the attention of the rest of his guards.
Receiving the designated signal, one of the Barklars in a group that had gathered nearby quickly removed his uniformed balaclava face covering. He had a somewhat similar appearance to the prince, enough to be a decoy. The other Barklars gathered around him with one of them yelling, "Protect the Prince!" The group then moved toward where the pursuers were, leaving Vivian, Callum and the head Barklar, Kel, to make their way back to the safety of the palace. Callum pulled Vivian's hood over her hair and restored his own in place. Kel nodded at them as he raised his own. Through enchantment, the trio became unnoticed by anyone who did not know where to look.
The trio moved through the district's maze, which was narrow, dark and winding in some places, and long sunny corridors in others. The faux cobblestones were sometimes mixed with slick moss and the distance between the towering trees ebbed and flowed for this month's forest design. Faint, bioluminescent fungi cast an ethereal blue-green glow in some places (pink or yellow in others) and illuminated the path while muffling their footsteps. The Verdant Forest seemed to be helping in its own way.
They moved with a tense silence. Callum acted as the vanguard, sandwiching Vivian between himself and Kel. With his hood pulled low, his purple eyes scanned every stall, every corridor and every visible canopy. Kel moved at the rear, a hulking shadow whose presence was more felt than seen. People parted to let something through, only feeling a sense of relief after it passed.
Suddenly, a grunt of frustration echoed from behind them. Vivian finally got a good look at one of the pursuers. Though he appeared as a black flickering shadow, the closest Shadow-mage seemed taller and muscly like Kel. The Shadow-mage also seemed to move from shadow to shadow quickly. When exposed to a sunny area of the market, the inky flickering shadow receded and Vivian swore she saw a scowl etched into his face.
Then she realized, no one else in the market was reacting to them.
Shouldn't they be frightened by their appearance alone? Vivian thought.
Yet no one even acknowledged their presence.
Up ahead was another shaded area with beautiful pastel flora serving as awnings for the stalls. When the Shadow-mage reached the shade, his black body-sized flame swelled again and one hand was glowing with a sickly yellow light. He made a distorted utterance that was half-snarl and half-something barely audible as he slammed his palm on the ground. Where his hand touched, a thorny, twisting vine ripped a crevice through the ground like a loose thread on a sweater. Emerging and slithering forward, the glowing chartreuse vine raced toward Callum and Vivian.
Callum didn't hesitate. He pulled Vivian forward as if taking a dance step. With a quick pulse of his magic, he infused a nearby ironwood stall with a surge of energy, causing it to glow with a fiery orange light. "Up there!" he commanded. Vivian's explicit trust in Callum was clear as she immediately leaped onto a forest chair, then a silvery barrel, and then a branch that slowly lowered itself, using them as steps to get to the flowery roof of the stall with a grace that surprised even herself. However, the bulky clothing worn by Ally was as cumbersome as she remembered and her foot eventually tripped on the fabric and landed less gracefully on the other side. Her breath caught in her throat as she steadied herself and awkwardly speed-walked from awning to awning.
It was then that Vivian had the thought: I feel like I should be more surprised and shocked than I am with the sights and... well, impossibility of magic. But now, it seems so… normal? How is this normal?! And.. Why is this body so out of shape? My lungs are going to…
Distracted and fighting the flowing fabric, Vivian lost her footing and tumbled off the top of the awning and into the arms of a (very surprised) Shadow-mage. The Shadow-mage looked at Vivian. Vivian looked at the Shadow-mage. The Shadow-mage looked at Callum. Vivian looked at Callum. Then Kel knocked into the bridal-posing couple from the side, supplanting the Shadow-mage and tossing Vivian over his shoulder like a market sack.
"This way!" Callum yelled as Kel spun her forward, pushed and resumed his rearguard position. They dodged a stall selling glowing Whisperwood leaves, weaving through a crowd of bewildered shoppers, who were uncertain if they saw someone pass by in a hurry. With another levity spell Callum had learned from his childhood friend Ally, a silent burst of force sent a hollowed gourd's sticky, sweet liquid tumbling to the ground to create a temporary adhesive that ensnared the feet of their pursuers and caused one to stumble and fall.
A second Shadow-mage, who looked to be a female with braided hair and a cold stare that peeked through her black flame disguise whenever she moved suddenly, stepped on her stuck compatriot. She sent a silent, powerful enchantment towards the royal party, a spell that caused the very stones beneath their feet to contort and shatter. Vivian felt her feet begin to falter, but before she could fall, Callum's hand shot out and stabilized her. He quickly grabbed some Sunpetals from his bag, crushing them in his palm and releasing a burst of golden pollen that formed a narrow bridged path over the pit and rubble on contact. Though the whimsical escape route disappeared behind Vivian, Kel easily jumped over the pit that had formed.
The trio rounded a corner, Vivian's lungs burning in Ally's body and the adrenaline was a sharp, scraping sensation in Vivian's throat. She thought she could hear the Shadow-mages gaining on them with a heavy, purposeful rhythm. Just then, the path opened into a wide, sunny courtyard, and at the far end stood the grand, arching entrance to the main plaza of Silvermarc's palace—its doors carved with the likeness of intertwined Heartwood trees. Sanctuary. The final stretch of their escape was a desperate sprint as Kel whistled to get the attention of the Barklars on duty, who then formed around the trio to discourage further pursuit. But as quickly as they had appeared, the Shadow-mages seemed to either disappear or dissolve.
Passing through the grand, arching entrance, they paused. In unison, they pushed back their hoods. The afternoon sun washed over them, catching the silver in Callum's hair and the fiery copper of Vivian's (as Ally). The air here was different from the Market District, filled with the scent of cultivated gardens and the clang of swords from the training grounds carried on the breeze for a good distance.
Prince Callum looked at Vivian. "Do you remember where her room is?" She nodded. "Go there quickly, and I will tell you what I know after I talk to someone."
Vivian sighed as she nodded again, then lumbered as best as she could in the complex outfit that was draped around her. She had frequently lamented about the impracticality of the garments, but at least the current fashion was to wear fitted trousers beneath it all. The faux-leather-leggings-type under-trousers fashion (we'll just call them leggings) was usually reserved for working women like artisans, who still wore long tunics and smocks over the leggings. Still, Vivian was never used to the layers and layers piled then cinched as if true wealth and status was earned by how many and what type of plant-based fabric you could wear at the same time. To Vivan, it was akin to wearing everything in your closet all at once with the weight of her firefighter turnouts.
Still, she focused on the beauty of the palace where the halls were a breathtaking extension of the world outside. Instead of cold stone, the walls seemed to be made of polished, living wood, its grain swirling in intricate patterns that moved with the sun. No. Not really polished as much as the wood itself was preening with its shininess. The floors, not to be outdone, were like smooth, river-worn flagstones, reaching up to reduce her walking burden. A crystal brook m meandered alongside the main walkway, its gentle gurgling a constant, soothing presence and universal white noise. Everlight Blooms grew in elegant sconces, casting a warm, vibrant light that danced on the high ceilings. There, massive branches of a forest canopy provided structural support. While there were vase-like structures along the path, they had no bottom so Everlight Blooms could stay connected to the ground as they lit the pathway from below.
The air was fresh, carrying the scent of aromatic dampened earth and flowers. Here and there, the trees seemed to part on their own to let in the sunlight. In the evenings, the same branches closed, allowing others to open that maximized the beauty of the night sky. Such was the culture of the Kingdom of Eldoria, embodied in its palace, a living example of connectivity and a true partnership to all of nature. The people of Eldoria and the Verdant Forest lived together. They worked together. And each accommodated the other as was agreed upon after the Great Cataclysm.
When Vivian found the familiar door to Ally's rooms, she slipped inside and looked around. Ally's main room was nearly bare. "It almost looks the same even now. She really has a thing for minimalism." The walls were woven, yet smooth, pale wood, unadorned by tapestries or art. The bed was a simple, low frame carved from a single piece of Solaris bloomwood, dressed in plain, cream-colored linens. A small desk and chair, equally stark and elegant, sat near the far wall. There were no trinkets, no clutter, only a profound sense of serene emptiness that could be forgotten easily if she had to suddenly leave.
The room's only true decoration was the sky itself as it filtered through a magnificently stained glass above. It was a circular mosaic depicting the three moons of Aethelgard against a backdrop of swirling, deep blue and violet nebulae. The living branches cradled it in place as a reminder of what once was. During the day, the sun transformed the glass into a kaleidoscope of shifting colors that the branches slowly turned, casting vibrant, dancing patterns across the floor and walls for their own amusement. It was a piece of the heavens brought indoors, a celestial homage and silent companion in the quiet solitude of Ally's unchanging chamber.
Vivian sat on the bed, leaning back on her hands and staring up at the glass. The branches creaked as if flexing to show off for the new admirer as if that small piece of sky showed the origin point for both worlds. But its diminutive view was as much deception as it was hope.
After the adrenaline of the market encounter began to subside, Vivian thought about the ill-timing of this most recent switch. "Why now, of all times?" Vivian lamented. "She is probably going to do something weird again and get me fired."
Prince Callum chuckled at hearing Vivian's supposition. She sat up quickly and started to bow when her chin was suddenly held in place to prevent her from lowering. "Seriously. Stop that. It is just too weird when you look like her. And no "Prince" title, either, before you even start You have been in and out of my life since we were little, too. It is still just Callum."
He is so handsome... Vivian's face flushed a bright red. Feeling embarrassed and somewhat disoriented, she had a frightening thought. "Wait. I only just said that in my head, right? And you… haven't learned to read minds since I was last here, have you?"
Callum laughed. "Incomprehensible, as always, Viv. You two cannot be any more opposite."
With his hand still on her chin, he looked into her eyes, deeply. He slowly began as if mesmerized, "Green eyes are so unusual here..." His purple eyes widened and he drew back his hand while clearing his throat. "Uhm, that excitement that you just switched into? Ally thought someone might force a switch on you."
"What? Why?" It sounded completely illogical to her, but weird things had been happening. Well, even more weird than usual.
Callum responded, "Ally said they are specifically looking for you, Vivian."
"How could she know that?" Vivian asked almost to herself. Vivian took a deep breath, to re-center herself in an attempt to replace a familiar unease. "Okay," she said, her voice steadier now. "We need to find Ally's journal. It might say what she was thinking when she said that."
Callum's expression shifted from protective relief to focused understanding. He knew the importance of the journals; they were the only line of communication between the two women, a crucial record of missed time and vital information they would need to pretend to be one another in opposite worlds. "Right. Of course. Where does she usually keep it?"
"That's the problem," Vivian replied, turning to survey the sparse room again. "It's always somewhere obvious but still well-hidden. A book with a false cover, embedded in a floorboard. Honestly, I don't even always find it while I'm here. She changes it almost every time. She has been keeping me guessing ever since she discovered the mystery genre."
Together, they began a methodical search of the minimalist chamber. The very simplicity of the room made the task feel both easier and more frustrating. There were few places to hide anything. Yet, the living wood also created nearly an infinite number of places. Callum ran his hands along the smooth, pale wood walls, checking for hidden panels or seams. Vivian knelt, her fingers tracing the edges of the floors, searching for any unusual flaw.
They moved to the small, stark desk, its surface empty. Vivian opened the drawers; they were bare. Callum checked beneath it, finding nothing but polished wood. Their search grew more urgent. The bed was next. They lifted the simple frame, checked beneath the linens and the thing that would probably be called a "mattress" on Earth, and even inspected the Solaris bloomwood for any hidden compartments. Nothing.
"Because I'm in Ally's body, do you think I could ask the room if the journal is even in here? It's something I have never tried," asked Vivian, somewhat hopeful to experience something so cool.
Callum responded, "I am not sure how to explain to you how to do it. It is just a part of who we are. Maybe it is like how Ally can use magic, but when you are in her body, you cannot." The wood creaked. "And I believe it already knows you are Vivian."
A knot of worry tightened in Vivian's stomach. The journal was their lifeline. Without it, Vivian would be walking into Ally's life completely blind, and Ally would have no record of what had been happening in Aethelgard before they returned to their own worlds. "It's not here," she said, her voice laced with frustration. "I can't find it anywhere. That's not like her."
Callum placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, his purple eyes meeting her worried green ones. "You know Ally. She is careful. Maybe she sensed something was wrong and moved it to a safer location. We will find it." He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "I promise."