Bandit Bride
Eleven
Elisa couldn’t stop swiveling her head back and forth trying to see everything there was to see. They passed through an open market and she flitted from one side of the street to the other, ignoring the faintly exasperated amusement of her traveling companions.
“There’s just so much,” she exclaimed. There was so much color, and so many smells. There were some food vendors scattered through the market and she thought her nose might start twitching like a rabbit’s from all the scents. She was suddenly starving.
“Let’s get settled at the inn and then you can explore,” Felix said. They passed by a row of shops and Elisa’s eyes were drawn to one selling women’s clothes. She sighed a little wistfully; Jack’s borrowed clothes were comfortable but it’d be nice to wear some pants that hadn’t been washed in river water and that were actually designed to fit her. A pretty dress in the window also caught her eye. She’d been happy to get rid of the wedding dress but part of her did kind of miss wearing frilly things.
She was so distracted thinking about clothes that she didn’t realize Felix had stopped, and she slammed right into him.
“Sorry,” they both said at the same time. Felix nervously rubbed the back of his neck before handing her a small pouch. Elisa just started at it for a moment.
“What’s this?”
“Open it and see,” he laughed. Elisa’s eyes widened when she realized it was filled with gold coins.
“Why are you giving me this?”
“I’m not blind, Elisa, I can see the way you’re looking at the clothes. And anyway, you should probably have some clothes that don’t belong to a twelve year old boy.”
“But...will the others be mad?”
“It was really your jewelry that funded the trip here.” Felix shrugged. “And we’ll probably make a small fortune from your dress and the ring. I have enough for the inn and food till we sell that; you’re part of the crew now so you’re entitled to this. I’ll show you where the inn is and then you can go shopping. I need to replenish some supplies anyway.”
Elisa beamed and moved to hug him, then stopped. “Sorry. I almost forgot. No hugging.”
Felix rolled his eyes but stiffened in surprise when she reached up and planted a kiss on his cheek.
“You never made a rule about that,” she pointed out, practically waltzing after the others. Once they had paid for their rooms at the inn; Felix led her back to the cluster of shops and she flew through the door of the clothier. She bought some boots, gloves, a cloak, and a couple pairs of pants and blouses. Her attention kept returning to the dress in the window. It was a lighter fabric and sleeker design than the dresses that were popular back home; it had long sleeves that came slightly off the shoulder and belled a bit at the wrist. Pearl buttons lined the bodice and the soft fabric was made up of shifting hues of green and blue.
She wound up having just enough for the dress and the practical clothes she needed, so she gave in to temptation and bought it. Everything was neatly folded in a cloth sack when she went to catch up with Felix and head back to the inn. Her room was small but cozy; there was a window seat and even a small fireplace and she could see the ocean through her window. After scrubbing herself pink and washing her hair thoroughly, she put on one of her new outfits and tied her hair back with her trusty pink ribbon before heading down to find the others.
“I’m starving,” was her greeting.
“Can we go get food from the market?” Jack asked, turning to Felix hopefully. “They have those chocolate drinks.”
“Chocolate?” Elisa perked right up and Felix laughed.
“Okay, fine. Let’s go.”
Elisa and Jack followed him out; Allen, Lyle and Burns disappeared to go occupy themselves. Jack jabbered away about the different kinds of food he’d tried last time he was there. She and Jack stuffed themselves with hot chocolate, grilled fruit, meat skewers, and assorted pastries and Felix just laughed when Jack complained about being too full.
“You basically ate everything in the market, it’s no wonder.”
Jack grumbled the whole way back to the inn, insisting that he’d never eat again. Elisa hesitated outside, eyes straying to the beach in the distance.
“I can’t really sleep on a full stomach,” she said. “I think I’ll go for a walk.”
“I’ll come with you,” Felix said and she cocked her head.
“So you don’t get lost,” Felix clarified quickly. “Or abducted by shark men.”
Elisa laughed. “Shark men?”
“Oh, yeah. You really have to watch out for those,” he said as they walked. “They have legs, see, so they can just come right up on the beach.”
“Do they have arms to catch you with, or do they just have to snap their jaws as they run until they catch something?”
“I think it depends on which breed of shark head they have.”
“Well I’m very thankful that I have you here to protect me from the scary shark men.” Elisa bumped his shoulder. She had a strange fluttery feeling in her stomach every time she was around Felix these days. Something had changed since their close call with the bounty hunters, but they hadn’t had any time alone since they’d reunited with the crew. Elisa didn’t know what to do about the flutter anyway. The extent of Elisa’s romantic knowledge or experience could be summed up with a boy who’d had a hopeless and unrequited crush on her when she was fifteen, kissing a couple of boys at parties, a rather risqué book she’d once found stuffed in Ester’s pillow case, her mother’s mortifying wedding night talk, and jilting her fiancé. None of that really helped her now.
“Are you all right?” Felix asked. “You’ve been very quiet and that’s a bit unusual for you.”
“I was just...thinking.“
“Something bad?”
“I...hope not.” Elisa didn’t know how Felix felt about her, and she didn’t know how to find out. Felix just kept watching her, waiting to see if she was going to elaborate.
“I’m just glad,” she said finally. “That I didn’t get married. That I ended up here, instead.”
They reached the beach and Elisa felt ocean spray mist her face. They walked in silence for a little while; Elisa kept staring out at the water as the sun finished sinking in the distance.
“It really is beautiful here,” she said. “I always used to daydream about having a little cottage on a cliff overlooking the sea. I guess I’d have to add some special protections for the shark men.”
Felix cracked a smile and they stood there for a while watching the moonlight bounce across the waves. When they made their way back to the inn, Felix handed her something.
“Souvenir,” he said. “Good night.”
Elisa uncurled her fingers to find a perfect little abalone shell in her palm.
“There’s just so much,” she exclaimed. There was so much color, and so many smells. There were some food vendors scattered through the market and she thought her nose might start twitching like a rabbit’s from all the scents. She was suddenly starving.
“Let’s get settled at the inn and then you can explore,” Felix said. They passed by a row of shops and Elisa’s eyes were drawn to one selling women’s clothes. She sighed a little wistfully; Jack’s borrowed clothes were comfortable but it’d be nice to wear some pants that hadn’t been washed in river water and that were actually designed to fit her. A pretty dress in the window also caught her eye. She’d been happy to get rid of the wedding dress but part of her did kind of miss wearing frilly things.
She was so distracted thinking about clothes that she didn’t realize Felix had stopped, and she slammed right into him.
“Sorry,” they both said at the same time. Felix nervously rubbed the back of his neck before handing her a small pouch. Elisa just started at it for a moment.
“What’s this?”
“Open it and see,” he laughed. Elisa’s eyes widened when she realized it was filled with gold coins.
“Why are you giving me this?”
“I’m not blind, Elisa, I can see the way you’re looking at the clothes. And anyway, you should probably have some clothes that don’t belong to a twelve year old boy.”
“But...will the others be mad?”
“It was really your jewelry that funded the trip here.” Felix shrugged. “And we’ll probably make a small fortune from your dress and the ring. I have enough for the inn and food till we sell that; you’re part of the crew now so you’re entitled to this. I’ll show you where the inn is and then you can go shopping. I need to replenish some supplies anyway.”
Elisa beamed and moved to hug him, then stopped. “Sorry. I almost forgot. No hugging.”
Felix rolled his eyes but stiffened in surprise when she reached up and planted a kiss on his cheek.
“You never made a rule about that,” she pointed out, practically waltzing after the others. Once they had paid for their rooms at the inn; Felix led her back to the cluster of shops and she flew through the door of the clothier. She bought some boots, gloves, a cloak, and a couple pairs of pants and blouses. Her attention kept returning to the dress in the window. It was a lighter fabric and sleeker design than the dresses that were popular back home; it had long sleeves that came slightly off the shoulder and belled a bit at the wrist. Pearl buttons lined the bodice and the soft fabric was made up of shifting hues of green and blue.
She wound up having just enough for the dress and the practical clothes she needed, so she gave in to temptation and bought it. Everything was neatly folded in a cloth sack when she went to catch up with Felix and head back to the inn. Her room was small but cozy; there was a window seat and even a small fireplace and she could see the ocean through her window. After scrubbing herself pink and washing her hair thoroughly, she put on one of her new outfits and tied her hair back with her trusty pink ribbon before heading down to find the others.
“I’m starving,” was her greeting.
“Can we go get food from the market?” Jack asked, turning to Felix hopefully. “They have those chocolate drinks.”
“Chocolate?” Elisa perked right up and Felix laughed.
“Okay, fine. Let’s go.”
Elisa and Jack followed him out; Allen, Lyle and Burns disappeared to go occupy themselves. Jack jabbered away about the different kinds of food he’d tried last time he was there. She and Jack stuffed themselves with hot chocolate, grilled fruit, meat skewers, and assorted pastries and Felix just laughed when Jack complained about being too full.
“You basically ate everything in the market, it’s no wonder.”
Jack grumbled the whole way back to the inn, insisting that he’d never eat again. Elisa hesitated outside, eyes straying to the beach in the distance.
“I can’t really sleep on a full stomach,” she said. “I think I’ll go for a walk.”
“I’ll come with you,” Felix said and she cocked her head.
“So you don’t get lost,” Felix clarified quickly. “Or abducted by shark men.”
Elisa laughed. “Shark men?”
“Oh, yeah. You really have to watch out for those,” he said as they walked. “They have legs, see, so they can just come right up on the beach.”
“Do they have arms to catch you with, or do they just have to snap their jaws as they run until they catch something?”
“I think it depends on which breed of shark head they have.”
“Well I’m very thankful that I have you here to protect me from the scary shark men.” Elisa bumped his shoulder. She had a strange fluttery feeling in her stomach every time she was around Felix these days. Something had changed since their close call with the bounty hunters, but they hadn’t had any time alone since they’d reunited with the crew. Elisa didn’t know what to do about the flutter anyway. The extent of Elisa’s romantic knowledge or experience could be summed up with a boy who’d had a hopeless and unrequited crush on her when she was fifteen, kissing a couple of boys at parties, a rather risqué book she’d once found stuffed in Ester’s pillow case, her mother’s mortifying wedding night talk, and jilting her fiancé. None of that really helped her now.
“Are you all right?” Felix asked. “You’ve been very quiet and that’s a bit unusual for you.”
“I was just...thinking.“
“Something bad?”
“I...hope not.” Elisa didn’t know how Felix felt about her, and she didn’t know how to find out. Felix just kept watching her, waiting to see if she was going to elaborate.
“I’m just glad,” she said finally. “That I didn’t get married. That I ended up here, instead.”
They reached the beach and Elisa felt ocean spray mist her face. They walked in silence for a little while; Elisa kept staring out at the water as the sun finished sinking in the distance.
“It really is beautiful here,” she said. “I always used to daydream about having a little cottage on a cliff overlooking the sea. I guess I’d have to add some special protections for the shark men.”
Felix cracked a smile and they stood there for a while watching the moonlight bounce across the waves. When they made their way back to the inn, Felix handed her something.
“Souvenir,” he said. “Good night.”
Elisa uncurled her fingers to find a perfect little abalone shell in her palm.