Chapter 2

Sera barely slept that night, her mind too full to allow for proper rest. She woke up just after sunrise, and while Green was still taking care of the morning chores she made herself breakfast and sewed up the rip in her best apron as well as she could. When Green walked in the door she jumped to her feet and opened her mouth to ask him for permission to go to Tolerable.

But he beat her to it. “I’m going to town for some things. Are you coming?” She quickly snapped her mouth shut and nodded eagerly. They set out as soon as Sera found a handkerchief to wrap around her head and cover her messy brown braid.

Skipping down the road beside Green, Sera thought about talking to fill the silence but decided not to. Green Beanwell was a tall skinny man with no family besides his niece and few interests beyond his vegetables. A kind man, he was only twenty-three and not entirely suited to his role as Sera’s guardian since he had no wife and very little experience looking after children. However, because of Sera’s extraordinary bad luck, no one else in the village was entirely willing to take her in.

As they approached Tolerable, Green gave her a stern look. “Don’t go near the tavern. Barton’s still mad about the barrel.”

Sera nodded meekly, using her soft brown eyes to their best effect. “I’ll be careful. Is it all right if I meet you by the stables in a half hour?”

He looked at her sharply before nodding. “No trouble,” he said and entered the village.

Sera hesitated before walking through the hedges that marked the edge of Tolerable. Since it was the middle of summer, there was a border of flowers all around the gap in the hedges, marking the way into town with purple and pink and yellow and orange. It was all very sensibly put into orderly lines, with plenty of room for people to walk through the middle of the pathway.

Like the path, Tolerable was a sensible place. The houses and shops were all lined up neatly, all with signs showing who lived where and did what. If someone had a yard, it was fenced in, and the animals were all kept in their proper places. The village square was in the center of town and had all the things a proper square ought to have: a well, a post for royal decrees and other announcements, and a hitching post for horses and carriages.

As Sera entered the village, she had to dodge to the side to avoid Tailor the tailor and Doctor the doctor. The two men glared at her as she scurried past. People in Tolerable liked people who had names that fit and disliked those that didn’t. Sera’s name didn’t, and without any fairy godmothers around to fix things it made her doubly unlucky.

Dodging a flock of geese, Sera ran off towards the mayor’s house. Any guest of importance stayed with Mayor Stemley, and anyone owning a silver carriage was clearly important. Like she expected, the carriage sat proudly next to the mayor’s neat home.

Sera frowned at the strange vehicle in front of her, puzzled. Not only was the carriage silver, it was round. Nothing like the square mail coaches that dashed through town every week. The silver carriage was shaped like the pumpkins that her Uncle Green grew sometimes, complete with a thing like a stem coming out the top and a lovely greenish copper vine decorating the wheels and door.

Walking up to it, Sera reached out her hand to touch it but stopped. On bad days she looked even shabbier than the dozen children of the Poor family. Sera’s dress had been her mother's and was too big, with a partly burnt hem and a grayish stain on one sleeve. The kerchief covering her hair was a dull gray color, and the best thing that could be said about Sera’s face was that the dirt brought out the color of her brown eyes. Someone would probably notice such a grimy person touching something as wonderful as that carriage.

Changing her mind, Sera left the carriage behind and slipped in the partly opened door to the mayor’s house.  She immediately froze. Swan Stemley stood right there in front of her, her fluffy white dress perfectly clean. Swan was the only child of Mayor Stemley. She was also very much like her namesake in that she enjoyed picking on those weaker than herself.

Today it seemed like she was in a good mood. “You just missed her, Dippy. Lady Seraphina has gone to the tavern for her lunch,” the girl said primly.

Sera expected Swan to take the opportunity to comment on Sera’s clothes, but nothing happened. Relieved, Sera dashed outside and headed to the tavern. For all his anger Barton Barkeep wasn’t nearly as frightening as Swan.

Without giving herself time to think Sera charged into the tavern. The usual wood smoke hung in the air, but the windows were open and the sunlight showed the cheerful wildflowers Barton’s wife put on the tables. Narrowly avoiding Black the blacksmith as he was leaving, Sera dove straight for a side table. She crawled under it and looked around warily for Barton. It wouldn’t be worth seeing the visiting lady if he caught her.

But Sera saw Lady Seraphina first. It was hard to miss her; she was more beautiful than anyone in Tolerable. Lady Seraphina had pale blonde hair and fair skin that would be the envy of any respectable princess. Her fragile-looking blue dress had a silver shimmer about it, and the way she sipped her tea made the brown clay mug seem like a delicate china cup. Watching her, Sera got the distinct impression that she had seen her before and crawled forward to get a better look.

Of course, like she always did, Serendipity made a mess of things. As she moved forward, Speedy, the driver of the mail coach, stumbled over her and fell onto the table behind her. It wobbled for a moment before collapsing. Sera squirmed out of the way just in time to trip Baker, who had come to help Speedy to his feet. A large man, Baker tumbled to the floor with a loud crash. This brought Barton’s attention. He looked over the chaos, saw Sera in the middle of it, and drew the correct conclusion.

One look at his face was all Sera needed. Completely bald, Barton was capable of making his entire head a unique shade of purple and Sera had seen it enough to know what it meant. Pure fury. He gave out a deafening roar as she ran for the door as fast as she could.

The villagers knew to hide the instant Sera burst from the tavern door. It didn’t matter who was chasing her. If Sera was running there was a good reason and any sane person would stay as far from her path as possible to avoid any possible disaster. Lady Seraphina, however, had no such knowledge and calmly followed the duo out the door and began to watch the chase from beside the hitching post.

Sera barely knew where she was going. Barton followed her past the stables, past the well, under somebody’s porch, over somebody else’s fence, bellowing curses the whole time and grabbing at her with his burly arms. Sera raced around a tree once, twice, darted through a cluster of chickens, and dove back to the street.

It was on her third time past the stables that Green discovered what was happening. Sera barely saw the disappointed slump of his shoulders before he joined the chase and she was forced to change direction. A much younger man than Barton, Green gained on her rapidly. She swerved to avoid a stray goose and dove under the silver carriage.

Barton grabbed her as she emerged from the other side. His face, she was happy to note, had faded to its usual pink color and he looked more winded than angry. To her embarrassment, Barton began to laugh loudly. Sera ducked her head and saw what had happened to Green.

When he followed Sera his coat had snagged on a hook under the carriage and was stuck fast. Sera sighed in dismay and was about to help him out as best she could when something changed. The wind picked up, enough that the villagers shivered despite the summer sun.  The carriage rocked in the breeze and Green's coat slipped off the hook. He slid out from under the carriage easily. Now covered in some strange silvery-bluish dust, he stood there stiffly, his jaw set and his dark green eyes colder than frost-bitten vegetables. Sera stood with her head bowed, waiting for her lecture.

“You said you wouldn’t cause trouble.” He wouldn’t punish her. Uncle Green always said it wasn’t his place to punish her. But the look of disappointment he gave her made her feel smaller than a pea. “Help clean up, come home when you’re done.”

He dusted himself off and went back to the stables and his packages. The villagers began to emerge from their homes, some of them checking to make sure their roofs wouldn’t collapse. Sera turned to Barton to apologize but he stopped her, tired from the chase. “Don’t bother. It was an accident. Straighten the tables and sweep. Broom’s by the bar.” He wheezed as he walked inside, still winded.

She glumly followed Barton into the tavern only to run into his back when he froze. Looking around, Sera gasped. The tables were neatly arranged and the floor was swept. Even the smoke had cleared from the air for a moment, leaving behind the smell of a nice vegetable stew. Frowning, Sera jumped when a dainty hand rested on her shoulder.

It was the Lady Seraphina. “I’d like the chance to talk with this young lady. If it’s alright with you, sir.” Her voice was as soft and soothing as a down pillow. She turned to Barton. “I believe the tasks you asked of her are complete.”

Barton nodded absently, still surveying the perfectly tidy room. Seraphina drew Sera to a table and sat her down. “Serendipity, isn’t it? Please, have some tea.” She pushed a mug into Sera’s hands. “I’d recommend you finish that quickly. I’ve got something surprising to ask you and if you’re not finished, you’ll likely drop the mug.” Seraphina sat down herself and watched Sera with a tiny smile on her face.

Serendipity looked at the strange woman and considered her options. If she left, it was likely that Lady Seraphina would simply forget about her and the whole event. If she stayed, it was possible that she would get in a lot more trouble. With a shrug, she began chugging her tea. Trouble came no matter what she did; staying and listening would at least get her a cup of tea.

She drank it as quickly as she could. Once she was finished, Sera got up, forced a polite smile on her face and said, “Lady Seraphina, I thank you for the tea. If that's all, I’m sure Uncle Green expects me home soon.”

Seraphina smiled wryly. “First of all, I’m no longer a lady of the court, so it’s not necessary to address me as such. Second, my name is far too long for everyday use, so please call me Phina. Thirdly, you should probably sit down. And finally,” she waited for Sera to sit, “do you happen to know something Barton needs?”

“Well,” Sera hesitated from the sheer oddness of the question, “I’m sure Barton could use another cask of wine after I set that other one on fire. I didn’t mean to, though. And I’m sure he doesn’t blame me.” Sera realized she was babbling a bit and blushed. “But why do you want to know?”

“You need an example.” With that Phina snapped her fingers and looked toward the counter expectantly.

Sera turned to see what Phina was looking for. Right where the old cask had once sat now lay a bright blue wine barrel that had definitely not been there before. Turning back to Phina, Sera gaped for a moment, and then shook herself. “How did you do that?” she asked in a squeaky voice.

"I'm a fairy godmother." Phina smiled brightly. "It's a simple enough trick to give such things. I'm sure you'll pick it up quickly enough."

Author's Note

How's the transition between this chapter and the last one? Is Phina's introduction good or bad?