Seven days they had been traveling down the same long road, one that looked as though it would stretch forever and ever past the horizon. It seemed to Rhaeyla that she would have gotten accustomed to the vastness of the world by now, that the novelty would wear off. And yet each day brought with it something new to discover, further fueling her curiosity and delight. Just two days ago they'd encountered a rather persistent merchant who had this amusing box where, if you turned the crank attached to its side, a puppet would spring out at you. They had been in a hurry, as Sebastian and Cassandra's pace allowed little time for such frivolities, but she had been entertained enough seeing it the first time.

Her companions were also an especially delightful crowd. After nearly seventeen years of speaking with the same people, ones that impart nothing but empty flattery in exchange for favors, it was a breath of fresh air to be surrounded by new faces. She'd been in Baldur's Gate for weeks, yet hardly had time to truly socialize with others, busy as she was milling about the city. This made up for it, however. Now she was friends (if you were in traveling together for a long period of time, surely you must automatically be friends) with folks who were of all different sorts: ones that were bird-like and dragon-like and ones who spoke with excessive flourish. All of it was a wonder!

It wasn't until Sebastian started singing that Rhaeyla had completely stopped in her tracks. Quite a feat, really, to stay someone so restless that she has to bounce her feet or drum her fingers when idling, but the song had caught her off-guard. 

It was rare for her to hear words spoken in this tongue, rarer still to hear a song sung. A wave of homesickness drew out a quiet sigh from her; it was not a longing for her small village, as she discovered long ago, but for something she has yet to figure out. All she knows is that when she speaks in or listens to Celestial, it catches at her heart and wistfulness envelops her in a strange, airy embrace.

So lost was she in this reverie that before she realized it, she had missed a lot of the song's lyrics, catching only vague sentiments about a prince and a knight. She tried to think of what it could have been about, but nothing came to mind (other than this terrible story about a swindler prince and the knight he tricked three times until the knight had enough and killed him, but that probably wasn't it). Just as well, she supposed; the effect of the song would have a deeper hold on her if its story had entranced her as well.

Rhaeyla clapped and cheered as soon as Sebastian sang the last note, feeling completely rejuvenated despite a weary night traveling. [color=cbd5e0]"𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒖𝒍,"[/color] she told him, speaking in the same melodic language. Then upon returning to her position in the back beside Cassandra, she flashed her a huge grin, for no reason other than being in a cheerful mood. [color=cbd5e0]"Do you also sing?"[/color]

With their pace slackened considerably, Rhaeyla had the chance to marvel at more than fleeting sceneries and it brought to mind all of the sights she had written down and dreamed of seeing one day. A long trade route had been one of them, as had been Baldur's Gate for being the first city she'd seen. She took out a folded piece of paper from the inner pocket of her cloak and unfurled it. Her finger traced the long stretch of road, starting from Baldur's Gate — [i]Coast Way[/i] — and dragged it east until it landed on the northwestern-most area in the Green Fields: [i]Greenest[/i]. It was marked with a flower symbol, which, after turning the yellowed paper around, led to her a carefully scribbled note.

[quote][color=cbd5e0]❀ Visit the orchard[/color][/quote]
Rhaeyla hummed happily and walked toward Caw. Whether he had gotten used to her constant pestering remained to be seen, but because he was nearest in her vicinity, she had often gone to him when they had free time to chatter. [color=cbd5e0]"Look, Caw,"[/color] she showed him the map and pointed at an area within the Green Fields. [color=cbd5e0]"I heard one of the farmers in our village say they saw the most beautiful orchard here, and that there were flower fields right next to it. Wouldn't that be lovely to see?"[/color]

[hider=][i]Rhaeyla performs a [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/rolls/14185]History Check[/url]... and fails.[/i] [b][ 1 ][/b][/hider]