Chapter 3: Lady of Fortune
Sterling stopped to catch her breath once she knew she was in the clear. She felt guilty for running away from Dolly, but she knew she couldn't get too attached to anyone or they could get hurt. Images of her burning home clouded her mind as a constant reminder of this. Sterling shook the thought away and looked at her surroundings. It would still be quite some time before she could return to her hideout, so she had to find something to keep her busy. A flashing sign above a purple tent caught her eye. It read, "Fortune teller." A group of people stood in front of it, showing how popular the attraction was. The entrance was adorned with a beaded curtain, but nothing was visible from the outside due to the dark void inside.
Sterling knew it was silly to be depressed over not being able to get her fortune read, but it didn't stop the sigh from escaping her lips. Sterling's mom hated this attraction, believing it was all fake, but her dad would let her do anything he thought would make her happy. Sterling didn't know what to believe herself, but she remembered the one time she did get her fortune told so even though she didn't understand it, it was still a fun experience. At least, at first. She was a kid when Sterling was told her first fortune, or rather shown it. Sterling saw in the crystal ball, a strange flashing, orange light. Being a child, the fortune teller was too afraid to tell her what it meant. Recalling the woman's horrified face, Sterling's father never let her visit one again.
"Ahhh! It's Sir Wolfe!" A group of women screamed, taking Sterling's attention away momentarily. Her eyes widened when she noticed the group of women crowding around a knight with a long red cape flowing behind him. His wavy brown hair was barely contained under his helmet, and his piercing blue eyes scanned the crowd, ignoring the women the best he could. At his side was a golden-hilted sword that shimmered in the sunlight, blinding Sterling as she glanced at it. Oh, no. Not him. The knight smiled warily at women as they swarmed him. While trying to keep the women at bay and still do his job, Sir Wolfe glanced over toward Sterling. His smile faded. He took a double take, but Sterling wasn't there anymore.
Sir Wolfe cleared his throat and raised his hands to ease the excitement of the women around him. They were ready to shower him with gifts, but he was determined not to let them distract him from his job as the knight commander. It was his job to make sure everyone was safe during their time at the circus and with his regular presence patrolling the campgrounds, it was only natural Sterling crossed paths with him a few times.
Sterling couldn't catch his eye again, or she was sure he'd make her rot in the king's dungeon. After all, he was the only knight who could catch up to her so far. Sterling had pushed ahead of the group of people to hide in the fortune teller's tent. "Hey! You need to wait like the rest of us!" Shouted a man in the crowd. The others chimed in, but before they could drag her back out, a woman stepped forward from the darkness.
"Hush now. I've been expecting her." Sterling was taken aback but didn't waste her opportunity to hide from Sir Wolfe. The crowd slowly calmed down but groaned in response. They seemed to enjoy the woman's fortune-telling. She was different from the one she visited last time.
The lady was old and frail but wasn't shy about wearing such a revealing, purple dress. Over her shoulders was a black cape and her long white hair was tied in a braid. She sat down at a small circular table and beckoned with her long bony fingers to Sterling to join her. On the tips of her fingers were long fingernails painted a saturated purple. Sterling assumed she liked purple judging from everything around her. "Thanks for the save, but why did you tell them you were expecting me?" asked Sterling.
"Because I was." The woman smiled. "I've been waiting all my life to tell this one fortune, so listen well, and don't remove your eyes from the crystal ball until I say." Sterling found it strange but assumed it was all a part of her act.
"But I don't have any money to pay you for the fortune."
"Hush now. Telling such a fortune is payment enough." Scolded the old woman. Sterling shrugged and gazed into the purple orb as it glowed from the woman's touch. Sterling felt dizzy as the smoke inside swirled faster and faster until Sterling found herself in a purple void.
"What the...?" Sterling gasped, looking around her. The shelves of herbs and old dolls were no longer there. Not even the table with the crystal ball or the old lady. Sterling couldn't even pinpoint where the entrance was. A ball of blue flames materialized from nowhere.
"You are feeling lost and alone." said the flame. When it spoke, its flames burned stronger. Sterling strangely felt she could trust the flame, so she slowly nodded, unable to speak. She couldn't fathom what she was seeing. "And you feel afraid to create close bonds, yes?"
"H-how do you know this?" Sterling demanded. It felt like her heart was an open book which frightened her. Who, or what was this thing?
"I simply do." said the flame. "I can only connect with you this deeply for so long so we must hurry. I am here to give you a fortune."
"What kind of fortune?"
"Your dream could be your reinvention, but it can be your undoing if you aren't careful. However, the fear holding you back could guarantee your failure."
"I don't understand. My dream?" Said Sterling. Sterling hadn't thought about that in some time. The glow of the flame started to burn out.
"Hmm... It seems I have more than one fortune for you." Said the flame. "Your heart will forever be entangled between two lovers." The flame burned out, leaving Sterling more troubled. Sterling closed her eyes as the world around her began to spiral, making her sick to her stomach.
"Hmm... very interesting. You may look away now." Sterling's eyes widened as she noticed she was back with the old woman in her tent.
"Wh-what was that? Did you see that?" Asked Sterling.
"I'm not sure what you saw. I can merely interpret the feelings of the ball." said the woman. "And the ball is telling me you have quite the uncertain journey ahead of you." The woman grinned mischievously as she stood up and held the crystal ball close to her as if it were a child.
"Wait, that didn't help me understand at all!" Sterling protested, but the woman flicked her across her body, hiding herself behind the dark veil. Sterling felt that familiar dizziness. She almost stumbled over as the world shook violently. The tent warped in on itself, leaving nothing behind. When the shaking stopped, Sterling found herself in the center of the crowd that was waiting outside the tent.
"Damn it. She warped again. It took me weeks just to find her tent. I need answers!" Shouted a man as the crowd erupted in disappointed murmurs.
"How did she do that? Who was she?" Asked Sterling, confused.
"Nobody knows, but whatever she tells you, listen to it. She's the real deal." Said the man. Those around him cast in their own words of agreement, making Sterling uneasy.
"She helped me meet my husband."
"She saved me from death! Twice!"
"I wouldn't be so well-off if I didn't listen to her."
Sterling walked away, thinking deeply about what the woman's crystal ball had told her. The people seemed to respect her highly. Your dream could be your reinvention, but it can be your undoing if you aren't careful. However, the fear holding you back could guarantee your failure. It seemed clear to her, yet was it that simple? There was no way someone like her could follow such a dream. Since she was a child, Sterling dreamed of joining the circus, but what talent did she have to offer? She held her throat. It burned at the thoughts sparling in her mind. No. There was no she could turn her weakness into a strength. Could she?
"I knew I spotted you." A deep voice stirred Sterling from her thoughts. She lifted her gaze to meet those familiar wolfish blue eyes. A chill ran down her spine. She forgot she was supposed to be hiding from Sir Wolfe.
"Oh... ahaha..." Sterling nervously stepped back as the towering man strode across the empty patch of grass where Sterling was easily visible. At some point, the crowd had thinned out.
"Sir Wolfe!" A loud neigh came from Sterling's right and a blur of white dashed out in front of her, blocking Sterling's view of Sir Wolfe who had unsheathed his sword. "There's a rat in my wagon! Help!"
"What? I'm busy, Dolly! Get someone..." The horse circled, stopping him in his place. Sir Wolfe ran around the horse to find no one there. "...else?"
"What were you busy with, Sir Wolfe?" Asked Dolly. She smiled at the knight as he narrowed his eyes at her.
"That rat better be dragon-sized." Sir Wolfe grumbled. Dolly reared up excitedly.
"Come on, before it eats my bed stuffing!" Dolly trotted off. Sir Wolfe sighed and took a moment to look around him, but the woman was long gone. She was determined to get the death sentence at this point. People who illegally enter the circus usually lose a hand, but it seemed he was being too generous the last two times. Sir Wolfe sheathed his sword and scoffed, following after the horse.
For the next few days, Sterling thought it best to sleep under the stars until Sir Wolfe was called to do something else, but the fortunes still troubled Sterling as she gazed up at the stars. There was a huge hill that overlooked the circus and from here, almost everything was visible to her. The paths were empty and most of the tents were dark. The main event had been over for some time. A tree loomed over her, growing in on itself. It made the perfect shelter. Sterling leaned her head on a rotted log, the last fortune kept echoing in her mind. Your heart will forever be entangled between two lovers. Sterling never thought she would ever find one love, so to be stuck between two was concerning. And forever? Sterling sighed, but a twig being crunched under someone's foot caused her to jolt upward.
"So, others are starting to catch wind of the beauty of the hilltop." Sterling's eyes widened. She hadn't heard that voice in a while.
"Oh, it's you..." Sterling recognized the stranger in the black cloak as the guy who gave her the unicorn plushie after she taught him how to throw darts.
"Ah. I was wondering if that was you." The man smiled. "Care if I joined you? I come here every once in a while, to get away from the noise."
"Sure... I just found this spot a few days ago." Sterling scooted over as the man plopped down. He seemed nice enough to trust. Sterling hoped she wouldn't regret that, but she wasn't too worried. She had a secret up her sleeve if anyone bothered her too much.
"It's truly beautiful. I wish the other locations had such wonderous sights."
"You don't live around here?" Asked Sterling.
"No... I'm a bit of a nomad."
"I... I guess you can say I am too."
"Is that so? I'm Andy. What do they call you?" Asked the man. He held his hand out. Sterling nervously shook the man's hand. She noticed he wore a lot of rings when she held his hand.
"Sterling."
"Is that your first name?" Asked Andy. This caused Sterling to laugh. Everyone always asked that.
"Yes. It is." She assured him.
"Well, I suppose it's fitting for someone as interesting as you." Sterling fiddled with her hands as Andy crossed his arms over his chest and got comfortable. Sterling glanced at his face for a moment, but it was too dark to see what he looked like. She could tell he was enjoying the stars from what little she could see. She didn't stare long out of respect. Sterling couldn't recall the last time she could sit down and have a regular conversation with another human like this. It wasn't awkward or forced like some conversations she had in the past. It felt nice to just have a simple conversation with someone. Although they weren't deep, it was interesting to hear about what he thought and he seemed to listen well to everything Sterling said, even though sometimes she wondered if she was even making any sense.
"Have you ever had your fortune told before, Andy?" The silence that would fall between them now and again was nice, but something about Andy made Sterling want to know more about him. She didn't miss the silence at all.
"Once... Never again." Said Andy.
"Really? Do you mind me asking why?"
"It's nothing I would just tell anyone, but all I'll say is it was a lie." Sterling looked away, contemplating what she should do about her fortunes. Sterling knew she couldn't console him about her second fortune, but she was curious what he would say about her first.
"Your dream could be your reinvention, but it can be your undoing if you aren't careful. However, the fear holding you back could guarantee your failure." The man turned his head slightly to look at her.
"What?" Asked Andy.
"It was the fortune I was told." Explained Sterling, her gaze lost to the stars above.
"Hmm... That's a complicated way to say it's better to try than not try at all." Sterling perked up at his words.
"You think that's what it means? There's no other deeper meaning?" Andy shrugged at her question.
"Sometimes fortunes are just that simple." Said Andy as he sat up and let out a sigh, shaking his head. Did she say something wrong? "I wouldn't let a piece of paper or crystal ball tell you what to do." Andy was on his feet by the end of his words. "Some people don't get a choice to decide their future, so if you can... do it," Andy added, stretching his arms above his head as if to prepare himself for what was to come next.
"Thank you, Andy."
"For what?" Andy turned to look at her with his arms crossed. He didn't seem to know how impactful his words were for her.
"You helped me make a decision."
"Well, that's dangerous." He said, letting out a gentle laugh. He didn't sound so confident.
"It's true. Thank you." Said Sterling. A silence fell between them as she stared up at him in the darkness. She could feel he was staring back even though he was hidden by the darkness and his hood. Andy suddenly let out an exaggerated breath.
"If only time could wait on me just this once." Sterling slanted her head. What did he mean by that? "Do you... need help getting home by chance?" Asked Andy.
"I..." Sterling hesitated. Something inside her made her want to fake a place for him to take her, just so they could talk a moment longer, but there was nowhere else for her to go. She couldn't just tell him that, though. "I'm okay. I'm going to wait here a moment longer to think about some things." Andy nodded, slowly.
"...Okay. Well, I hope I'll see you around then?" Asked Andy. His voice almost sounded disappointed or was that Sterling's imagination?
"Yeah... I'd like that." Sterling couldn't believe she said it, but his words made it easy to admit what she felt. The man turned away, his dark cloak making him vanish smoothly with the night as if he was never there. Sterling thought it was best their conversations didn't last even if it was hard to think that way. If he knew what she was, he wouldn't approach her so easily.
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