Aide Me

Chapter Two - Tell Me

The market was always a vivid, colorful place. Salesmen and passing people always tried to sell off anything they could for a penny. Women waved their scarfs around and tried to pass it off as silk, while men ran around with various belts, knives and daggers and claimed it was the highest quality. She supposed to the trained eye that everything was very invaluable, but for the individual peasant, it was all they had to make for a living.

And that was why Emaia loved shopping in the market. She loved supporting the local salesmen and women who had spent days perfecting their merchandise. It that meant that each piece they sold were unique; A quality Emaia valued above all else.

"Try this one," The saleswoman smiled and handed Emaia a different scarf from the one she was trying on. "It compliments your beautiful hair better than the blue."

"Thank you," Emaia smiled back and accepted the green scarf. She really loved green. It was her favorite color and the people knew that. "Oh, it's beautiful! How much is it?"

"You can have it for free, Me Lady!" The woman smiled overwhelmed and held out more scarfs. "All of them, for free!"

"No, I can't accept that," Emaia firmly stated and frowned. "I want to pay for your needlework. How much?" She asked again while gesturing to the guards to bring forth the coin pouch.

"Oh..." The woman said and looked nervously at her scarfs. "Would 3 coins be decent?"

"I'll pay you 5," Emaia said as the guard handed her the coin pouch. She fished out 5 shining coins and held it out to her. "Just because you treat me so well every time." She smiled when the poor woman looked moved by her simple statement.

With a shaking hand, the woman accepted the coins and clutched them to her chest as if she had never accepted such valuable payment before. Perhaps that was the actual case.

"Thank you so much, Me Lady!" She said with a shaky voice and looked as if she was going to burst out into tears, "You are most generous!"

"I love paying for a good handcraft," Emaia smiled and watched how the woman locked the coins safely away in a little wooden chest. "I'll see you next time!"

But as she started walking away from the booth, she realized that that might not be true. Marriage meant that she could only come to the market with her husband, and that was if he was feeling generous. She would have to use money from his pouch and only buy what he thought was commendable.

Marriage, there it was again. She had tried her best all day to forget about it, but no matter what she did, it kept popping up. Then of course, the giant banners and posters around the town announcing her betrothal weren't exactly helpful. It appeared that the world was forcing her to acknowledge her soon-to-be future as a married woman.

I'm not letting it ruin my last day as unwed, Emaia fiercely thought and took a deep, confident breath. Just let me be free today.

"... not as it sounds, my good man, it's the start of a whole new life!"

"Aye, it's true. Wouldn't you like to live in a world where you can speak your mind without being hanged?"

Emaia looked over her shoulder and found two men discussing something with a salesman. Emaia only caught the brim of the conversation, but it had already peaked her interest.

What was that thing about speaking your mind? She wondered.

One of the men—the older looking one—with black hair and a beard, crossed his arms and looked confidently at the salesman who was peeling his potatoes. "What if ye' could walk straight up to any man—even a man with a higher rank—and tell him exactly how ye' felt about our society?" He said and raised a bushy brow. "Wouldn't that be something?"