CH.2 The market
The market was already full of people. They were eager for the exotic goods that the ships had brought from distant lands.
Furniture, stained glass lamps, carpets, jewelry.
Iris headed for the fruit and vegetable market.
Her stepmother liked to offer her guests unusual dishes, just to brag.
She yearned for the position that fate had denied her.
"What is that yellow, prickly thing?" Iris asked the market vendor.
"That's called a pineapple, Miss Iris," he told her. "One of the latest discoveries. The nobility have become very fond of it."
"My stepmother would definitely like that," she said to herself. "Two, please."
"As you wish, Miss."
"I would also like a whole bunch of bananas, five kiwis, cocoa beans, half a kilo of oranges, and throw in a few figs too."
The market vendor packed her what she had requested and asked for fifteen gold pieces.
Iris reluctantly gave them to him. Her stepmother indulged in expensive things and didn't care what price she had to pay for them.
She let Iris pay. Once, when she tried to reproach her for her expenses, for spending her father's money recklessly, she threatened to sell her to a brothel.
Sometimes she thought that it would be better than living under the same roof with them.
She walked through the market. She looked at all the new goods that the ships had brought.
Beautiful, ornamental carpets. Jewelry sparkling in the sunlight attracted the curious eyes of the ladies.
They also stole Iris's gaze, but she could not afford their beauty.
She pushed her way through the dense crowd, voracious for everything their eyes could lay their eyes on.
The vendors called visitors to their stalls, trying to attract their attention.
"Come near! The best price in the kingdom!"
"A unique opportunity!"
"Only available in our booth!"
They shouted over each other, trying to shout over the noise of people pushing against each other.
"Iris!" she heard a familiar voice.
"Jack!" she greeted enthusiastically with a middle-aged man whose fire-colored hair was already showing signs of graying from age.
"It's always a pleasure to see you, Iris. I knew you'd be here."
"Just like always. After all, my stepmother sent me when she heard the ships had arrived in port."
"I have to show you what I got new. Of course, if you have time. But in your whole life, you haven't felt such soft fabrics in your hands."
"Maybe I still have a little time before lunch. And if I'm a little late, they can't do me any more harm."
Iris was lured into the fabric shop. She wanted to see what ships had brought him from around the world. He sold the most beautiful fabrics, and she expected nothing less from him.
"You're the first person I've shown them to."
"It's an honor, Jack ."
And he was right when he told her that she had never held a softer fabric in her hands in her life.
"Can you feel it?"
"Light as a breeze."
"And I have a special prize for you. Eight gold pieces."
"Eight gold?" Iris was horrified. "That's not a good price. You usually sell it to me for less than half that."
"But this is no ordinary cloth. It was brought from across the seven seas," Jack told her. "You won't find it anywhere else in the kingdom except with me."
"I'll give you sixty pieces of silver," Iris suggested.
"That offends me, Iris. See how beautifully it sparkles in the sunlight? It's worth at least two hundred," Jack objected.
"That's still too much, Jack. Do you want to ruin me?"
"You'll ruin me, Iris, if I sell you fabric below cost."
"Eighty pieces of silver," she bargained.
"If you add another hundred to that, it's yours."
"I'll give you just the hundred and it'll be mine."
Jack sighed at her mischievous smile. "Only because it's you, Iris," he agreed defeatedly. He knew he wouldn't get any more from her. She was smart and cunning. She already knew his tricks.
"Thank you. Thank you." She hugged him enthusiastically. "That's why I love you the most. You're the best, Jack."
"Why am I always let myself get fooled by your pretty face, Iris?"
"You shouldn't flatter me so much, Jack. You know my heart is already taken."
"You should be careful about your Jace. He'll only get you into trouble," he warned her. "The soldiers are looking for him. This time, he and his gang ambushed the royal carriage."
Iris sighed. He had somehow forgotten to mention that to her.
"There's even a reward for him. Five hundred gold pieces," he added.
Her eyes widened in shock. Five hundred gold? That's a fortune. There are people who would kill for such a reward. Hunters who live for such rewards.
"He always liked trouble. It's no surprise it's gotten this far." She tried to sound indifferent, but she could barely hide her concern.
She looked around the store, looking at the brightly colored fabrics. There she saw the most beautiful one her eyes had ever seen. As if it were woven from sunlight itself.
"How much for this one?"
"It's woven from real gold thread. You can't afford that, Iris," Jack told her. "Thirty-five gold pieces. For royalty fifty."
"That's really too much," she admitted. She couldn't negotiate that. "And how much would it cost me to have at least a piece of it? For good luck."
"I'll give you a piece for free," said Jack. "For luck."
He cut off a piece and gave it to her.
"Thank you."
She already had everything she needed. Iris headed home before her stepmother would get mad that she is late. She didn't like her being late. Not even by a single second.
With her hands full, she pushed her way through the market, barely able to see under her feet.
She pushed her way through the crowd of people, pushing against each other.
No one was willing to clear the way for the girl who was struggling to carry herself away.
No one was paying attention to anyone. Selfish people, constantly rushing somewhere to be first at no one's destination, shouting at each other.
Little thieves took advantage of the chaos to steal the purses with coins from the belts of the rich gentlemen.
And by the time they noticed, it was too late.
They were gone, lost in the crowd of heads.
The man, his face hidden under the hood of his cloak, ran into Iris as if he were running from someone.
He knocked her hard to the ground. The people didn't care to notice they were both rolling on the ground.
They didn't even look at them. They just stepped over them and continued on their way.
They trampled on the fallen fruit and Iris's new cloth.
"No. No. No." She quickly wrapped it up, protecting it from more reckless feet.
"I'm sorry, Miss," the young man apologized. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to run into you."
"It's okay," she told him.
She was gathering fruit that had been spared from being trampled by indifferent feet. Naughty children pounced on it like bees on honey. They were shoving them into their pockets, into their arms, as much as they could carry. Greedy for what was free.
"Leave it!" she tried to shoo them away.
"Get out!" the young man who had bumped into her was helping her. "It's not yours. Give it back immediately or I'll call the guards on you, you little thieves." But when the soldiers passed by, he lowered his head and waited for them to leave. He obviously didn't want to meet them himself.
"Problems?" Iris gave him a searching look.
"I don't have problems with anyone, it's just that others always have problems with me," he replied with a mischievous smile.
"I heard that somewhere before. And what's their problem with you, sir?"
"They just mistook me for someone else."
Iris took the half-empty basket of fruit they had managed to salvage. At least something, she sighed.
"I will pay for the damage I have done to you, Miss," the young man said.
"That's not necessary, sir. It's just a few trampled figs and grapes." She rejected his generosity.
"At least I'll buy you new ones," he said.
"That's really not necessary."
"I insist, Miss."
Finally, she gave in to his insistence and agreed. She couldn't go home with a half-empty basket.
They returned to the part of the market where vendors sold fruit.
The young man bought her new figs, grapes, oranges, everything that had been destroyed and stolen, and something extra, a fruit she didn't recognize at all.
Small balls as if covered in dragon scales, something furry like mouse fur.
One of the vendors was also offering fruit for her to taste.
The young man took a handful of red seeds in a bowl and offered them to her.
"Taste it."
"What is it?" she asked him.
"A pomegranate," he replied. "It normally looks like this," he showed her the strange apple. "And inside are these seeds that you eat. It's very tasty."
Iris took a hesitant taste. The sweet and sour taste hit her tongue. She liked it. She smiled involuntarily.
"Does it taste good?"
"Very well, actually," she nodded. "It's really delicious."
"I'll take eight, please," the young man told the salesman.
"That will be free gold, sir."
Everything he bought her barely fit in her basket. She had no idea how she would explain it to her stepmother. A gift in exchange for a pretty smile?
"That's too much, sir," she told him. "I can't accept your generosity."
"It's a small thing for the harm I've done you, Miss."
"You are too generous."
"I like to be generous. We should always be generous and kind to people. After all, all good things come back to us at some point in our lives, just like all bad things."
"Thank you."
He was gallant, a true gentleman. As he looked at her, he didn't let her carry it all, the heavy basket and the whole pile of fabric. He took it all on his shoulders.
"This must be heavy. Let me take it and walk you home."
"You are impressive, Sir. Gentlemen are hard to find these days."
"I like to help ladies in need."
They were walking to her house. They hadn't even left the city when he suddenly grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her into a narrow alley where no living soul was to be found.
A quiet scream escaped her throat, which he silenced with his hand on her mouth.
And those eyes of his. Their gazes met. She was lost in the depths of his eyes as their gazes met.
Hidden within them was the color of the seas and the wildness of the waves, as her father had described them to her.
A disobedient strand of golden hair was falling into them.
He slowly took her hand from her mouth. He carefully peered out of the alley to see if the soldiers had gone far enough to not see him.
"Are they gone already or are you just enjoying my presence, Sir?"
A mischievous smile graced his lips. His eyes sparkled. "I apologize, Miss." he stepped back from her. "Let's drop the formality. Call me Eddie. That's what my friends call me," he introduced himself to her.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Eddie." She offered him her hand.
"And what should I call you?"
"You'll have to guess."
"It would be my pleasure, Miss Mystery." He nonchalantly kissed the back of her hand.
Finally, they made it out of the city, out of sight of the soldiers, and walked through the forest. A canopy of fire-colored leaves arched above their heads.
They trembled gently in the light breeze.
Rays of light filtered through the intertwined branches of the trees, creating shimmering shadows. The birds sang beautifully.
"It must be wonderful living in the woods," Eddie remarked. "Far from people. It must be so peaceful."
"I like all the animals the most," said Iris. "The way the deer strut around majestically, or the foxes sneaking through our garden. Or the ravens sitting on the scarecrow."
"I've only ever known animals from hunting. My family owns many hunting trophies."
"I don't like hunting for fun. I can understand hunting for food, but not for fun. A person who kills animals for fun, to get a trophy to display in his luxurious mansion, has no heart, in my opinion."
"But that's how it is."
"But that doesn't mean it should."
"You have a big heart. Kind. That's a rarity."
As they approached the edge of the clearing where her childhood home had stood, a she-wolf emerged from the forest with her cubs. Eddie pulled Iris behind him protectively. He drew his dagger at the growling she-wolf. Iris held his hand back.
"That's okay," she stopped him. "I know her."
She ran to the she-wolf and scratched her behind the ears. She was as tame as a dog. She licked her cheeks. Iris laughed. She petted the cubs too.
"I found her injured in the woods two years ago. The farmers kill them because they hunt their cattle. I saved her life and she's always coming back since," she told Eddie. "She won't hurt us."
Eddie laughed briefly. He walked over to them. The little wolf cub jumped on his leg.
"You can pet him."
He stroked it carefully. The wolf cub whined contentedly. His mother allowed him to stroke it.
"You are a miraculous being," he told her. "You never cease to amaze me."
They arrived at the edge of the clearing where her dream house, which had been transformed into a nightmare mansion, stood. She was late and knew her stepmother would be angry.
"I should rather go from here alone." She took her things back from him. "Stepmother is not the nicest person in the world. It wouldn't be appropriate for her to see me with you."
"Can I ever see you again? So I can find out your name."
"I don't know why not."
"There's a small festival in town in two days. Is there any chance I'll find you there?"
"At sunset, by the dragon statue," she told him with a smile and left.
"At sunset," he repeated with hope, with the promise that they would see each other once again.
"Where have you been, Iris?" her stepmother demanded, already waiting for her, her voice angry as she entered the door. "Lunch is long gone."
"I'm sorry, stepmother. There was a little accident at the market. I bumped into a gentleman. He's sending you some new fruit as an apology," she said.
The stepmother was carefully examining the basket full of all kinds of fruit. Like a vulture, she was staring at Iris with a distrustful, predatory gaze.
"What is this?" she said, picking up the strange, prickly ball.
"That's a pineapple," Iris told her. "The vendor said they were very popular with the nobility. I thought you might like it."
"You thought right," said the stepmother hesitantly. "Now go to the kitchen and cook dinner. We're starving."
"Yes, madam."
?
After dark, when her stepmother and stepsister had gone to bed, Iris sneaked out of the house to the garden shed to see Jace. She brought him food.
"Who was the man you were with today?" he asked her.
"You were following me?" she asked him back.
"You were gone for a long time. I was worried about you," he said.
"You should be more worried about yourself," she told him. "You and your rebels robbed the king's carriage. What were you thinking? Now there's a bounty on your head."
"How big?" he grinned.
"That's not funny, Jace," she snapped at him.
"I know. I know. But I would like to know how much the king values ??my head."
"Five hundred gold pieces." she gave him his answer.
Jace's eyes widened in surprise. "That's quite enough."
"That's more than enough."
"I'm starting to think about turning myself in." He laughed lightly.
Iris, with a desperate smile, gently slapped him on the shoulder. "You have to stop this, Jace. It's going to kill you."
"Then run away with me and I'll stop."
"Escape is not the solution."
"There are soldiers looking for me here and I won't leave without you, so it is the solution. Or does it have something to do with the man who walked you home?"
"It's none of your business," she snapped.
"You like him," Jace said in horror. "I can see it in your eyes."
"Nonsense," she objected.
But was it really nonsense what he said, she asked herself. Something about him stuck in her memory. His smile, his eyes. As blue as the sky on a clear day. She could still feel his gaze burnt into her skin.