Chapter Four
“What about this one?” Matea asked, holding up a sizeable dagger—much too large for my hands, but perfect for Byn’s—with the Thorntier insignia engraved on it.
I shook my head. “He has more than enough things with that sun and wolf’s head on it, trust me.”
Matea shrugged, then placed it back onto the table beside her and walked towards Margo and me.
The city of Cairnyl, which surrounded The Haven, was hosting its monthly creator’s market that morning. It was my first time attending, but Matea seemed to know her way around. She had likely been coming for years, remaining unseen and slipping from shadow to shadow.
Caelia had also never been before, considering she’d only been in the South for a handful of weeks, so Matea—along with Margo—guided us from stall to stall.
Matea was telling us everything about the market that she could, from an old vendor she missed seeing to the new ones she didn’t recognize, as well as who had the best prices and highest quality.
Margo, on the other hand, was quieter than usual.
The same way she had been ever since we lost Ezra.
According to Matea, the crafters and creators of Cairnyl all did this once a month, each vendor showcasing their best items for sale.
So far we had seen weapons, tools, jewelry, clothing, crops, pastries, paintings, and there were even more stalls we hadn’t made it to yet.
This market gave the lesser-known creators of Cairnyl a chance to show off their craft, since each stall was the same size and only so many items could be brought in to display.
It tugged on my heartstrings to see the community they had built here.
Back in Hollis, we never had anything like this.
People stuck to the same popular shops, monopolizing the industry and making it nearly impossible for new shops to pop up anywhere.
Even when expanding the city by building new structures, the well-known businesses had their hand in the new real estate, controlling the entire market.
That same greed wasn’t present here in the South. Sure, they weren’t perfect—there were always going to be businesses that were more popular than others, and greed was always present to a degree—but they tried. With events like this, they tried.
“This one?” Caelia suggested, motioning to a knife with the swirling patterns of an Ocrein Isle tattoo on it.
The tattoo was something they received once they were deemed a master of the shadows they wielded, from what Rayven had told me when I inquired about the ink adorning his right arm.
Caelia and Callum both had the same ink on their right arms, the swirling pattern as unique as a fingerprint.
I shook my head again. “Considering Byn doesn’t wield shadows, I think maybe not.” I offered her a small smile, though, because at least the Ocrein princess was trying.
For better or worse, lately I’d spent more time with the princess than originally planned.
She was the type that couldn’t sit still, so she’d often joined one of the Valwain in whatever task they were doing that day.
Several times over the past few weeks, she had tagged along with me.
Whether it be checking on Eden, or heading into town, often Caelia asked to join.
Honestly, I understood. I’d needed to keep my mind occupied recently, too—or else the dark thoughts lurking in the corners of my mind would emerge once again.
And, as it turned out, she wasn’t always snarky and defensive—she could be caring and soft when it came to those she loved.
I’d learned that she and Callum also had a younger sister and brother—Calliope and Cillian—and that Caelia and Callum both missed them dearly.
We were here at the market to gather any miscellaneous supplies we might need during scouting missions—missions which may or may not happen, but we were trying to be a few steps ahead, just in case.
Since we were here anyway, I’d wanted to find something special for Byn.
He’d given so much for me—done so much for me—I wanted to show my gratitude.
I glanced over at Margo, whose eyes had snagged on a jewelry and craft stall a few booths down from where we stood.
“Come on,” I said to her, holding my hand out for her to take.
She glanced at my hand, then up to my face, as though concerned I would retract my offer.
When our eyes met, I smiled softly—encouragingly.
She didn’t smile back, but her caramel eyes softened ever so slightly as she placed her gloved hand into mine and we made our way over to the jewelry merchant together.
Teagan left for her mission to the border early that morning.
While Margo wasn’t privy to all the details regarding why her sister wasn’t here, she knew Teagan was gone.
The mission should only be for a few days, and we kept reassuring Margo of that, but the young female was still anxious beyond words.
Ever since Ezra had been injured and taken from us, she’d been this way. Quiet. Reserved. Far away, almost. Nothing like her usual giddy, upbeat self that I’d come to know in the past. She seemed haunted—of which I couldn’t blame her for. She’d seen and experienced things that no child ever should.
“Take a look around! We have—” The female gasped at the sight of me and Margo, hand in hand, approaching her booth.
Margo was easily recognizable by the citizens of Cairnyl, with her short, curly hair, beads hanging from her ears, stunning eyes, freckles, and small golden circlet that matched her siblings’.
But if anybody was even easier to pick out, it was me. The giant, white and gray wings, mismatched eyes, white hair, and pale skin didn’t exactly help me blend in.
The four of us at the market today had already been stopped multiple times.
Some simply wanted to chat, some asked questions, and others took their time to thank me.
They all knew I had a hand in the success of the Battle of Shadows, but it wasn’t public knowledge exactly how I had helped.
So I couldn’t exactly fault them, despite the bile that rose to the back of my throat each time they expressed their gratitude.
“My queen! My princess! Thank you for stopping by my stall! Please, take your time looking at whatever it is you please,” the female said.
She was short for a fae—even shorter than I was—with black hair, olive skin, and beautiful curves.
Her clothes, though, were well-worn, and the bags under her eyes were prominent.
“Thank you,” I responded as Margo let go of my hand in favor of checking out some different types of beads and string for jewelry making.
Having nothing better to do, but wanting to stay near Margo, I stepped closer to the booth and ran my gaze over the section of rings.
“Did you know,” I said to nobody in particular, “that the humans are said to have used rings on their left hand as a symbol of marriage?”
Margo glanced my way as I spoke, interest piqued, but returned to her shopping without saying a word.
“I didn’t, actually,” the merchant on the other side of the table said.
My eyes had just snagged on a set of matching rings as she spoke.
“What’s your favorite piece here?” I asked her without looking up from the matching set.
“Mine, Your Majesty?” she sputtered, eyes widening in surprise.
I nodded, motioning for her to show me. She jumped into action, pulling out a delicate, gold chain necklace. Simple, yet stunning.
It would suite her perfectly.
“Here.” I placed a small bag of gold coins on the table between us, then motioned to all the items I listed.
“I’d like these matching rings, whatever the princess is fond of, and the necklace in your hands.
” I took a moment to slightly open the money pouch so she could see inside.
It was double the price of what I was purchasing from her.
The merchant’s eyes widened, almost brought to tears at the sight of the gold before her. “You’re positive?”
“Absolutely… what was your name?”
“Tiff, Your Majesty.”
“Absolutely, Tiff.” I smiled.
Tiff, despite having to wipe at her eyes once or twice, quickly packaged up everything that I had bought. Margo’s items took the most amount of time—beads, string, yarn, pearls, gems. It was nice to see her interested in one of her previous hobbies again.
“Here you are,” Tiff said, placing the carefully packaged sack of goods in front of Margo and me.
I slid the sack closer to me and took out the smallest box—the box that housed the simple gold chain in it.
“This is for you,” I said, sliding it back across the table to Tiff.
“No, Your Majesty, I couldn’t possibly—”
“I insist,” I said simply. And how could she reject her queen?
A stray tear slipped down her cheek as she bowed her head. “Thank you, my queen.” She met my eyes. “If you ever need anything, my uncle—Henrey Dayfall—sits on your husband’s council of advisors and oversees Breckshyre, to the southeast. He would be more than happy to assist you.”
“Thank you, Tiff, I really appreciate that,” I responded warmly, and the three of us females shared a moment of genuine smiles.
Tiff didn’t allow us to leave her stall until Margo had acquired even more crafting materials, and we left with two packs full of items from that singular booth.
“Stars, did you buy the entire market?” Matea asked as Margo and I approached her and Caelia.
Margo’s little ears flushed red, but I laughed the comment off. I knew Matea meant no harm.
“Almost,” I responded fluidly. “It looks as though you two ended up with a good haul, too.” I motioned towards the smaller pack Matea was carrying, and the two Caelia had in her arms.
We swept through the market one last time, picking up a few more various items along the way, before heading back towards The Haven.
“Do you miss your home?” Margo asked Caelia while walking. It was often that I wondered what my little sister by marriage thought about.
Caelia took a breath before responding, “Yes and no.”