Looking up at the clear blue sky, Bethel found herself seated outside. The smell of wood and greenery hit her senses.
"Where am I? Is this a dream?" She asked out loud, remembering having laid upon her bed, ready to fall asleep after the night she had.
She was greeted by the sounds of laughter filling the air around her.
A rush of little feet came running toward her.
"Mama!" A child shouted as they threw themselves into her arms. Not just one, but four children piled on her.
'Mama? This is definitely a dream! I don't have any children, much less a lover to help with the process!' Knowing this situation wasn't real, she tried to take a closer look at the children.
Their faces were covered by dark shadows; it was difficult to discern their features. Even the sun shining brightly above them didn't help. The child who had first thrown themselves into Bethel's chest hugged her tightly.
"Mama! It's great to see you again! Do you remember us from the first time?"
'Again? What does this boy mean, again?' Confused by his question, Bethel tried to pry the small arms holding her. The boy hugged tighter, refusing to be separated from Bethel.
"Of course, I remember you," Bethel lied smoothly, settling into the familiar ease of improvisation. "But tell Mama your name again, so I don't forget it in this lovely garden."
The children giggled, a clear, chiming sound that was impossibly bright.
"I'm □□□□," the boy holding her announced.
"I'm □□□□," said a girl clinging to her right arm.
"□□□□," whispered a tall quieter boy clinging to her back.
And the last one, the smallest girl, only managed a happy, muffled "Me Too! I'm □□□□!" against her lap.
'I can't hear their names. That to be expected since this is only a dream. A complete figment of imagination, I already decided to never have children...' Bethel thought.
The sun was warm, the sound of their laughter was infectious, and despite the absurd impossibility of the situation, she felt a profound, bewilderment among the children clinging to her.
A fifth shadow fell over them. It was impossibly tall, broad, and silent.
The four children immediately looked up and shouted in chorus, their small, dark faces turned toward the new arrival. "Papa!"
Bethel's heart hammered. She turned her head slowly, the pleasant heat of the sun suddenly feeling like a searing burn. She couldn't see the face of the man who stood over them. He didn't speak. He simply reached down. His hand, brushed the dust from her shoulder before settling gently, proprietarily, on the back of her head.
The touch was a shock of warm reality in the midst of the dream's fantasy. Her eyes looking directly at him, 'Much like these children, he is almost imaginary, of course his face would be covered in shadows.' Yet he leaned his shadow face closer to hers.
Bethel didn't understand something, she knew this is a dream. Then why is her heart pounding so quickly, why is her body leaning towards him. Why does she wants to kiss him without knowing what he looks like.
The pressure on the back of her head disappeared. The shouts of "Mama" faded. The smell of greenery vanished.
Bethel woke up with a sharp gasp, sitting bolt upright in her bed, her heart still pounding with the adrenaline of the chase and the shocking intimacy of the dream. The cool, scratchy wool of her nightgown was real. The stale air of her office building was real.
Bethel pressed a hand to her pounding chest. 'What was that?' Upon waking up, the memory of the dream left her. The heat rushing to her cheeks, Bethel focused on holding on to a fragment of a dream slipping away. Only to latch on to the word 'Again'
'Again?' The single word echoed in the void left by the fading dream. 'Have I had that dream before? Why can't I remember it?' The confusion lingered.
She swung her legs over the side of the bed, planting her feet firmly on the wooden floor. She had slept through a significant portion of the day. Changing in to her plainest, most unremarkable walking dress.
Bethel didn't dwindled long on a dream she couldn't remember. There is work to be done until she meets Josephine.
Retrieving the small notepad from her office. Walking into the kitchen area, a meal under a piece of cloth left on the table. A note beside it read:
My Lady, I set aside lunch for you since you didn't wake up this morning. I hoped it's would still be warm enough for you to eat. If not, place the plate of food in the oven and pay attention to the Ember Stone to control the temperature. Once you see enough steam, remove the Ember Stone from its socket with an oven mitt. Dumping it into a bucket of water I left by the door.
I don't want to come back to another burnt hole on the kitchen counter. I will be back after getting ingredients for the next few days. Lock the doors when you step out today.
-Lydia
Bethel snorted, picking up the note. "I am not a child, Lydia. And last time was an accident caused by faulty insulation, not my incompetence," she muttered under her breath, tossing the note aside.
However, she was nothing if not pragmatic. She lifted the cloth. The plate held a simple meal of roasted root vegetables and salted meat.
She followed the instructions precisely, placing the Ember Stone in the oven socket and watching for the necessary steam. Once the food was warmed, she removed the stone with a thick mitt and carefully quenched it in the bucket of water, watching the hiss of steam disappear.
"Well, at least the meal smells appetizing." Enjoying the meal Lydia left her. Bethel soon cleaned up, leaving her office after locking the doors as her maid orde- requested.
Walking past stores and people. She noticed them staring at her, their faces slightly flush like hers was. Even dressed in her plainest walking dress, Bethel was still a captivating beauty. With men looking at her like a piece of meat. She increased her brisk pace. Not wanting them to follow, making quick work in slipping between buildings.
Eventually, she reached the Pages & Pathways Book Store.
"Hey! Winston! How's my former employer doing today!" Bethel immediately greeted the grumbling old man behind the store counter.
Without looking up from polishing a brass lantern on the counter. "I don't remember giving a Divorce Lawyer my name? Nor did I ever employ one."
Winston dismissed Bethel's greeting, acting ignorant with her familiarity of him. 'Ah... still keeping up with the stubborn attitude I see.' Bethel wasn't surprised, but would find it terrifying if he suddenly welcomed her with open arms and a joyful smile.
This didn't discourage her for a second! The reason behind her visit was to gain some information from this very same grumpy old man.
Slipping up to the counter, her voice dropping slightly. "Winston... is that how you speak to your favorite employee?" making her voice sounded hurt towards the end on purpose. 'Come on, grab the bait fishy fishy.'
Finally, he looks up, setting the lantern down. His eyes were sharp, glinting behind thin spectacles. "Hmph!, charge your profession and maybe I would remember this so called 'favorite employee'?"
'At least he's talking without throwing a book at me this time. Must have calmed down since my last visit.' Bethel had worked for this stubborn man since Elara brought them into the capital. While Elara did allow Bethel and Lydia to live in her house for free, Bethel didn't want to take such kindness for granted.
It was Elara that introduced Bethel to Winston, having no connections aside from her investor Elara to rely on. While Elara did things on a whim, it was merely to witness a mark of change during her lifetime.
Bethel stood firmly. Winston was the one who helped her study for the Royal legal exam. He thought a woman from a fallen noble family wanted to make something of herself. Once passing the exam, Winston of course was the proudest. Until Bethel revealed that instead of applying to join some law firm and becoming some lawyer's secretary, she wanted to become someone who ends marriages. This didn't fare well to a regular church goer.
"A job that defies the very foundations of the Goddess's law and common decency. You didn't just pass the Royal legal exam, girl. You tore up the certificate, rubbed it in the face of the High Priestess, and then asked if she had a receipt."
He picked up a feather duster and began vigorously dusting a nearby shelf of leather-bound volumes, pointedly ignoring her outstretched hand.
"I taught a scholar, not a saboteur. What do you want, Bethel? Spit it out before a priest sees your face and decides this bookstore needs an impromptu blessing."
Bethel could only smile at his words, "Yes, I hurt you and your beliefs after taking the help you offered. I don't decide when you wish to accept an apology that already been griven. But I can wait until that day comes. This isn't the reason I came to visit you." Pulling out her notepad.
"I wanted to ask you about Lunar Icestones."