The Ether Witch

The stone streets of Junya were lined with cherry trees already budding with the progression of spring, though the plum trees sprinkled about were much closer to opening their flowers, the curved, peaked tile roofs were coated in a metallic paint that burned bronze under the sun that brightened the entire world. White washed walls with thick wooden beams made up most of the homes the carriage carrying Tam and his traveling companions could see. Though as they passed some of the more luxurious shops and homes they noticed rounded, painted pillars of bright reds, greens, and blues. Musical chimes tinkled against the breezes, low stone garden walls revealed front yards where neighbors talked, shared tea, or sampled fermented foods and homemade liquors or wine…

Luca watched the scenery with his jaw agape, his eyes round as he observed women dressed similarly to Eli with their beautiful and colorful silk skirts passing by.

“Do you notice the people wearing orange?” Jeong asked while smiling fondly at Luca’s reaction to one of the largest cities in Zinfera.

Luca blinked himself back to reality, then swept his eyes through the throng of people that flowed along the sides of the road.

“Yes?”

“Those people are important servants of lords. It gives them priority in shops so that they can conduct their business more quickly. If anyone is seen wearing orange that is not employed with a noble house? They will be fined. And if they are doing it with the intent of preferential treatment, in other words, fraud, they could even be charged and jailed.”

Luca looked back at Jeong fearfully.

Tam, from his cross-armed position in the middle of the bench that he had slid to in order to give Luca the better seat, leaned forward.

“Just don’t wear orange. You’ll be fine.”

Luca gulped.

“If you see any women wearing white like our lovely Eli here? That means they are either incredibly wealthy, or nobility. So be especially careful around them,” Jeong warned.

“Most noblewomen will be traveling in carriages, so it won’t come up often,” Tam interjected again when Luca started looking even more stressed.

Jeong tilted his head side to side. “Better to know these things early on.”

Tam sighed. Jeong wasn’t wrong, but he had been enjoying seeing his son’s excitement…

“In a month there will be the blossom cherry festival here in Junya, the streets are filled with lanterns, performers, and vendors, there is dancing, and games… It’ll be wonderful fun,” Bong jumped into the conversation, smiling at Luca.

The boy nodded at the information, but the wariness in his face revealed his persistent stress over how easy it would be to be arrested in Zinfera.

At the very least Jeong didn’t mention any other worrisome things for the remainder of their carriage ride, as they made a right turn around a particularly large gingko tree, and the carriage ascended a gradual rise in the road of a quiet street, with beautiful homes that were not ostentatious or massive like some of the ones they’d seen on their journey through the city, but the trees were nicely pruned, the yards tidy, and best of all, there were only one or two people milling about the road…

The carriage stopped, and Tam and Eli shared a look of mutual curiosity as on either side of the narrow road were two lovely, traditional Zinferan-styled homes unlikes some of the more recently built homes that featured multiples stories to their homes which was more similar to the Daxarian houses.

“That is where we will be staying.” Bong smiled and gestured with his chin out the window Luca was seated by, making the child turn with renewed excitement. The steadfast driver that had taken them through the desert without a word of complaint, then appeared to open the carriage door for the newcomers to see.

Luca sprung out of the carriage without a second thought, followed by the rest of the carriage occupants, though they relieved themselves of the vehicle in far more dignified manners– particularly Eli who was handed down from the carriage by Tam. A new normality in their lives that she had eventually stopped blushing over.

The house was a single floor, with a higher wall than most other homes on the street. Two large wooden doors had been opened and blocked from closing by two terracotta pots that already had fresh green sprouts pushing through the soil. It had a beautiful plum tree in the middle of the yard, a red roof, and sliding doors with a wooden porch wrapping around the three sides of the home that faced the courtyard. Manicured gardens ran along the ends of the house, with rain barrels and covered pots lined up efficiently.

Once they all stood in a line staring at their home, Tam looked down toward Luca. “What do you think?”

“It’s… a strange looking house, but… It’s where we get to live together… right… dad?”

Tam felt his world stop and all air be squeezed from his lungs as his heart fluttered in his chest.

“Yes. We will live here together.” Reaching out, Tam grasped Luca’s shoulder, which only prompted the boy to wrap his arms around Tam’s waist and hug him tightly.

Tam swallowed and felt a firm lump form in his throat.

He felt… happy beyond words in an instant.

Was that normal?

A sniffle sounded beside Luca where Jeong stood.

Everyone looked to see the man pulling a white, silk handkerchief from his pocket in order to dab his teary eyes. “The pollen this time of year is quite… Something.”

“As is the beautiful moment between Tam and his son,” Bong contributed helpfully.

Jeong’s shoulders began to quiver as he covered his mouth with his hanky to theoretically stop any sound he might start making.

Not wanting to make Luca feel awkward as the child released Tam, shifting awkwardly, the future duke turned to Eli. “Any thoughts on your end?”

However, when he looked to his assistant, Tam found her staring toward the neighboring wall where two older women stood watching them, then, upon realizing they’d been spotted, they quickly huddled together and continued to whisper to one another animatedly.

“We’ll have to be careful. This looks like a street filled with well-meaning, curious neighbors,” Eli informed her employer quietly.

Tam nodded knowingly. “We can use it to our advantage to establish ourselves… Anyway. Shall we go inside to unpack before finding some dinner? Perhaps we’ll even purchase some fresh tea for you.”

Eli perked up and relief filled her eyes, making Tam smile at the sight.

Until Jeong blew his nose with a loud, prolonged honk.

“Right, in we go everyone.” Tam proceeded to herd Luca through the doors of their temporary home with his hands clasped on his shoulders.

Though Tam would soon remember that he was going to have to handle the rather delicate matter of how and where he and Eli would be sleeping…

*

As it turned out, the house was managed by a quiet, older woman by the name of Haewon, and she supervised one maid and a cook whom Bong had seen hired for the duration of their stay.

Haewon had a kind, round face, with a small chin, and an age spot that dotted her left cheek, but the manner with which she carried herself was elegantly beautiful. Her hair in its low bun didn’t have a wisp out of place, but it didn’t make her appear severe in nature. Though Haewon barely spoke past the introductions.

After she showed Luca to his room, Bong and Jeong to theirs, she stopped at the final one, and pulled it open to reveal a bed built low to the floor, and said. “Your room, Mr. and Mrs. Voll.”

Tam didn’t know it was physically possible to sweat as much as he did in a single moment.

Eli stood just in front of Tam, frozen.

Only vaguely aware that he must have given some sort of nod of dismissal, Haewon bowed her head, then pardoned herself.

“Godsdamnit… I knew this would happen… I’ll sleep on the floor. There is a screen there we can put between-”

“If she comes into the room at night, or the maid does to light the candles, they’ll see. Just sleep in the bed.” Remarkably, Eli sounded perfectly calm.

She even proceeded into the room and remembered to step back as their driver could be heard coming down the hall to deliver their luggage.

Tam on the other hand wondered if he were experiencing puberty a second time with how flustered he had become.

He managed to step farther into the room to investigate a painting on the wall of a pond and pergola with pointed interest as the rest of their belongings were brought in.

Once that task was finished, and the door with its paper covering slid shut, he turned back to his assistant, well aware that it felt as though all the blood was rushing to his face and southward.

At the very least, in the tent Luca had been there, and so it really hadn’t felt so… personal.

However, Eli apparently wanted to try and give her employer a heart attack as when Tam laid eyes on her again, he found she was removing her shirt.

“Woah wha- What?! Pardon me- Ah, sorry, what are you doing?!” Tam shielded his eyes and looked away.

Eli blinked at him, the corners of her lips twitching. “My lord, pardon me saying this, but it’s hard to believe you have a child when you act so… coy.”

Tam didn’t comment on the subtle slight. “What are you doing?” he repeated instead

“I’m wearing a white tunic underneath. We need to finish writing your thesis on the constellation Gatral Dragon to show the record keeper of Junya, and I’m not getting ink on silk,” she explained, prompting Tam to risk a quick glance to confirm she was decent.

Seeing Tam’s boyish reactions, Eli let out a disapproving breath and squared herself to him. “My lord, we will need to adapt to behaving as a couple. I understand it is unpleasant for you, but I am professional, and I promise you don’t need to worry about treating me as-”

“It isn’t unpleasant.” Tam almost cringed at his outburst, but instead his tongue continued working against his will. “And I’m going to treat you with the respect you deserve.”

“I am not deserving of the respect of nobility. Forget what I told you about my past. In Daxaria, all I am is a lowly assistant. With no title. So, please, my lord. You are making me feel… uncomfortable.”

Tam slowly straightened. His bashfulness fading as he studied Eli.

He noticed how she shifted under his gaze… How she couldn’t help but fidget a little with the powder blue shirt in her hand.

“You feel like if you are seen and held up on a pedestal there is a greater chance you will be hurt.”

Eli reared back as though he had slapped her.

“You’re trying to convince me you aren’t worth something, because you think if I see you as someone worthwhile, I’ll use you like you are, or people will come and tear you down. Or both.”

“I am powerless, my lord. I am worthless.”

“Not as a human you aren’t. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have power, wealth, or support. You’re a thinking, feeling, being. I will treat you with respect. When have I ever said you can’t say no? When have I said your comfort and boundaries should be ignored? If I have crossed them at any point and you want to leave my employ right now, go right ahead. I will pay you a handsome severance. I’m almost certain I’ve said this before.” Tam stepped closer to Eli and he could see the tension in her shoulders, and her wide eyed hesitation as he neared.

“My lord, I just mean if… If you keep treating me like a woman then there could be a misunderstanding, or it could be unnecessarily stressful for you. It is a unique situation we are finding ourselves in and if we have to keep boundaries in mind at all times it could make things more difficult or inefficient.”

“Common decency is not something that should be trumped in priority by efficiency.”

Eli opened her mouth to argue again, but Tam was stopping inches away from her, and her breath caught in her throat.

“And what kind of misunderstanding are you worried will happen between us?”

Tam knew he shouldn’t have asked that question. Why was he risking making things even more awkward? What the hell would he say if she said what she was implying more directly? He was going to be crossing boundaries he had just been preaching about! How could he let the urge to touch her overrule his level headedness?

Eli gripped the shirt in her hand even more tightly, then slowly lowered it to her side.

“My lord, please… I wish you would stop.”

Tam blinked in surprise.

“I haven’t lived as a woman in more than a decade. I don’t feel like myself when you keep treating me differently. It is bad enough that I have to pretend to be a lady and a mother in public– I don’t even know what a good mother should be. So please, when we are alone, treat me as a man.”

The heated well of pure unreasonable instinct disappeared, and Tam could feel disgust curl his insides.

How could he have been such an idiot?

“My apologies, Eli,” Tam lowered his eyes, his tone dignified and restrained. “I will do my best to respect your wishes. Though I will still look away when you are undressing in any capacity– please accept this shortcoming of mine, but I can’t help but feel conscious of it. Again, I apologize for the inconvenience.”

Tam gave a bow of his head, only, he was still standing near enough that the bow brought him even closer to her. He caught a faint scent from her… A perfume that smelled of citrus and something else he couldn’t identify…

He righted himself and left the room as quickly as possible.

And in doing so, he failed to realize how much Eli was blushing, or the fact that her knees had buckled a little at that very moment.