“I would like this hat altered, please!” Morziwayn announces as she walks into H?rtrel’s Hatelier [1], Eue-Lysae following, closing the door behind them.

  The man behind the counter's eyes light up, and he pulls his pipe from his mouth. “Well, l?lmera [2] you have come to the only store in all of Our Lady’s lands that will do a job worthy of praise—do you know why?”

  Eue-Lysae turns in disdain and begins browsing the hats on display. What an arrogant man... There were some excellent milliners in the Crown before the turn of the era—I was quite fond of my hats; I had a favorite, but I have since forgotten it; I wonder what became of it? This man is worthy of respect, Gyrshke; he is excellent at his craft; you have complimented his work before.

  “Why!” Morziwayn responds. It had been many years since she had visited Haertrel’s Hatililer, maybe 60 years prior, long before this man was born—though he seems to be related to Yv?s [3], same high cheekbones, same personality.

  “Because I, Seren H?trel, will be the one working on it! Come here; let me see what I’m dealing with.” He extends his arm over the counter and gestures her over.

  Morziwayn walks over to the counter and reaches to remove the hat.

  “No need for that.” Seren has no desire to make a lady with visible injuries move more than she has to, so he places the pipe back in his mouth, biting the bit tightly, and plucks the hat from the small woman's head. He inspects the hat, looking for some sort of maker's mark, finding it on the inside of the sweatband. “Hmmm... Where did you get this?” The mark reads, ‘Y. H?rtrel—998 EotG ~ Made with the utmost care for Morziwayn,’ and even without the name, Seren would recognize this as his grandfather's work by the writing alone—he always had his maker’s mark gilded.

  “I found it in the pointed-hat section at the used-hat store.” Morziwayn responds. With the hat in the way, she does not notice Seren’s expression change to a serious one.

  “Exactly as I figured.” He will give her a lower quote and take the hat to the guard to see if they can return it to Morziwayn. “What would you like done to it?”

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  “I would like all the stitching to be redone and changed to a golden thread, and I would like autumn-colored leaves of all kinds embroidered on the brim; please feel free to choose whichever ones you wish—I am not picky.”

  Moving the potted plant on the counter, Seren places the hat down on the end and looks at Morziwayn. “That’s a very demanding request, you know. This hat belongs to the Witch of Autumn. I originally was going to give you a lower quote with no upfront cost and turn this into the guard, but I would like you to do the right thing and have this returned to Morziwayn.” His tone as serious as he can make it, he would like his family's work to stay with those who commissioned them originally.

  “What if I told you that...” She pauses for dramatic effect. “I am Morziwayn—the Lady of Autumn’s Wake.” She pats her chest proudly as a single leaf on Seren’s plant wilts and falls onto the counter.

  “Hmmm...” Seren looks her up and down and takes a puff from his pipe; he believes her—she just proved it; at first he thought she was a member of the High Priestess coven; she must have done that thing the witches do. “I would charge you extra.”

  “That’s fine by me—I’m not paying anyway.” She points to Gyrshke. “She is.”

  “Excellent! Everything is better when someone else is paying for it. It will be five full-golds up front and then however much the materials and labor cost when it’s done.”

  With a groan, Eue-Lysae trudges to the parked carriage outside. The cobbles are cold and uncomfortable beneath her feet. Get some shoes; even something like what Arg?n has will be better than walking in your bare feet. Luhnylla’s right; even some simple sheepskin slippers like Arg?n has would be excellent; she might just have to give in and have some made—she will only wear them when she has to.

  The coins clink as Eue-Lysae drops them on the counter and walks back to the door; Seren rolls his eyes after she turns away.

  “Come back in two weeks' time and I will have it ready for you, Morziwayn. I’m glad that my grandfather left a good enough impression for you to come back after all these years.”

  “You’re very welcome! I look forward to seeing your work!”

  Eue-Lysae and Morziwayn leave the store and return to the carriage, deciding to window shop from inside it, safe from the biting air.

  Footnotes

  [1] A hat shop, founded in 0589EotG by Fryso H?rtrel. Located in the Artisan District of The Crown Isles, more specifically the fashion ward of the artisan district.

  [2] A slang term used to refer to young women; short for Little Mera

  [3] Yv?s H?rtrel (17/05/0978EotG - 27/11/1043EotG)