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it's not flies as in the insect guys 🤭 it means that the night has risen haha

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The fire blazed in front of me, warming my cold and slightly aching body. Bright fire leaped from the ground, burning in the cold and misty air. I could hear the flickering sounds of fire, along with those rustling of grass, moved by the calming breeze.

We were in a secluded area, surrounded by thick trees. A fire sat in the middle of cleared ground, and surrounding it were the three of us. It was actually a lot more comfortable then it seemed, with the warmth of the fire and company with me.

I stared at the toasted mushroom in my hands, Enola did the same to hers, an apprehensive look on her face.

Tewkesbury glanced at us, waiting for the outcome. He was munching on a feast of flowering vegetables and various plants, happily savouring their taste.

"Go on," He nudged, "They're really good."

My stomach rumbled, sounding like an everlasting abyss. It was either starving, or eating this. I decided for the latter option, and consumed the crisp mushroom.

It had a crunch to it, decadent and rather tasty, making up for it's poor looks. I glanced over to Enola, who was already grabbing another one. Tewkesbury grinned, his prideful face lighting up my own.

"I'll be honest," I chuckled, "I expected it to taste terrible. This is really good!"

Tewkesbury looked elated, and murmured a thanks in between his chews.

After a couple of minutes, when our belly's were full, we gazed out into the sky, in a comfortable silence, lost in our own thoughts.

A sudden idea came to mind as my hands brushed the small purse that laid comfortably around my waist.

"Tewkesbury." I said, piercing the quiet of the night. "Give me your blazer."

He cocked his head, but nonetheless, handed me the beige jacket, which was short of a chocolate brown button.

"Whatever for?"

I gestured to my thin purse, and opened its contents. Tewkesbury grinned, seeing a pouch of various buttons, while Enola gave an incredulous gasp.

"You managed to carry that with you?! After jumping off a train and trekking through grasslands?" She laughed, looking through the purse, which contained thread, sewing needles, spare pieces of fabric, buttons, and various other decorative pieces.

"When one is a seamstress, a purse filled with sewing needles and thread is most necessary." I recited mechanically. Plenty of others had asked similar questions.

"However do you avoid getting stabbed by the sharp things, Octavia?" Enola asked, pricking at the point of a sewing needle.

I giggled and rapt my knuckles to my stomach, making contact with a hard lining above my skin.

"Corsets have more practical uses then looking pretty for gentlemen."

Tewkesbury grinned, while Enola actually laughed as I proceeded sew on a button for Tewkesbury's blazer. We drifted off into a silence once more, the only sounds being the fluttering of birds and crackles of the fire.

Contrary to the chaotic adventure the day held, the night was extremely calm. Truthfully, this was possibly the most calmest night i've had in a while. London was all shouts and late night fights, while the countryside was therapeutic and gentle.

"I've been thinking," Enola piped up, ripping a leaf into shreds as she spoke, "You need a disguise."

"Agreed." I yawned, continuing my sewing, "You won't last long in London looking like royalty. You'll be smashed to bits before we get to the city centre."

"How do you feel about your hair, Tewkesbury?" Enola questioned, glancing at his long golden locks.

"I've never really cared for it." Tewkesbury glanced at Enola, who revealed a knife from her pocket. His face paled. "Oh, cut it off with a knife. Course you will."

"Well, I care for your hair," I giggled, "Those golden locks make you the male equivalent of Goldilocks."

Tewkesbury looked horrified, then turned to Enola, who busied herself honing the knife's blade. "I've changed my mind, cut away, Enola."

"Where did you learn to sharpen a knife like that?" I inquired, impressed by her skills in the outdoors.

"My mother taught me." She quietly said, so quiet, it was like a whisper.

"Your mother's very different to mine." Tewkesbury stated, as I nodded in agreement.

"Where'd you learn to sew?" Enola enquired, glimpsing at the jacket I was now handing back to Tewkesbury.

"My mother as well, before she died," I yawned, lying down to face the sky, "Where'd you learn about plants and herbs, Tewkesbury?"

"My father." He said, staring at the stars above.

"I never really knew my father." Said Enola, quietly bending her head in reverence.

Tewkesbury and I gazed at her, relating to her sadness.

"My father's dead too." Tewkesbury replied, sighing. There was so much death, so much grief.

"I'll do you one better," I spoke in a lighthearted tone, in an attempt to lift the mood, "Both of mine are dead."

They both smiled, though the grieving mood still hung in the air.

"Why have you run away? From home, I mean." I inquired, trying to draw the subject away from death.

"I didn't want to go to Miss Harrison's Finishing School for young ladies." She replied, mocking the frivolity of it. "Why have you, Tewkesbury?"

"Well uh," He reluctantly started to recite, "A tree branch broke above me while I was collecting wild mushrooms."

Enola began to cut his golden locks away as he recounted.

"It should have crushed me, but I managed to roll out of the way. And I realised that..."

"What did you realise?" I asked, already enthralled.

"You'll laugh at me." He mumbled.

"We won't." I glanced at Enola, her expression solemn.

"Well, uh, my life seemed to flash before me," He said, inclining his head, "I was just about to take my seat in the House of Lords. I had these ideas about how we might progress the estate."

"But my family were set on me joining the army, and then going overseas, just like my uncle." He now spoke with a hint of resentment.

"And I realised I was scared." He confessed. "Scared that I would hate every second of the rest of my life."

"Why would we laugh at that?" Enola gently whispered.

"Well, don't I sound pathetic?" He said with a tone of embarrassment.

"No." I firmly stated, locking eyes with Tewkesbury. "You don't."

"Why were they going to send you to finishing school?" Tewkesbury said, rubbing the back of his neck while I hastily looked away from him.

"...In the morning, we'll have to move fast." She ignored his inquiry, uncomfortable. I mouthed the words, 'Don't' when Tewkesbury opened his mouth to question further.

"The Bowler Hat man will be hot on your tail-"

"-Where's your destination?" He interrupted, "I'm heading to-"

"-London." She replied.

"Well, um, shall we stick together?" He suggested, eyeing the two of us. "If you're both ok with that, that is."

"Sur-" I began, but was cut off by Enola.

"No. We shall reach London and go our seperate ways." She finished, but when she saw my expression, she hastily amended, "I'll go my seperate way, you can stick together, if you want. Understood?"

I looked over to Tewkesbury, who nodded. I guess it's official, then.

"Understood." We replied.

"Totally, argh, entirely." Tewkesbury further said, grunting painfully as Enola continued to cut his hair off. "Do you have to be quite so brutal with the hair?"

Enola glared at Tewkesbury, and stopped cutting his hair. She stared straight at him, deadpanned.

"Yes."

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Nothing much to say here, only that I didn't expect people to read this, even if it's only 10 people! Thank you so much!

word count: 1279 words