Daffodils and Hyacinths (3rd book in the Forgotten Truths series)

6. MARKETPLACE

~Mus~

'My feet hurt,' I think. It's a long road to the marketplace; especially since we live so far off.

Usually, people traveling have a donkey, or a horse, or just some type of animal, like one of those with the humps, to ride on or help carry supplies with. We don't have that. We carry everything.

I see the bustling wreck of the city, and smile. I turn to Hebe. I'm glad she can come.

I feel like she forgets that we don't live in that society anymore. All the time, she forgets. She lets herself stay chained to the ways we used to have to live.

I see her as an older sister, but right now I feel like an older brother; like I was to my late siblings. I try to help her not relieve our past, but I know healing can take a long time. Now she feels confident enough to come to the marketplace with me.

"We should get seeds and baskets," She tells us.

Hebe hands out some random hooded clothes to Myeong and Ken'ichi. I like them. It says they're criminals, but so were dirty-coats, apparently. Dirty-coats were accused of crimes randomly, so why should I believe these two were not?

"Seeds and baskets..." Myeong-Jun murmurs, "What do seeds look like?"

Ken'ichi sighs in response. "Of course you don't know. Just find baskets then." He says to her.

"Okay."

Hebe started to make her way towards a row of stores with a picture of plants on top. There are words underneath, which I read as "Plants and Beans." However, pictures are good for illiterate people.

I distinctly remember some boy named Bean. Hebe doesn't like to talk about him. I know she liked him, though. She liked him a lot, and he liked her back. That was a crime, for where we came from.

'I hope one day I'll find something like that,' I think. Well, besides the ending of it all.

After a couple heartbeats of walking towards the first shop closest to us, we finally make our way to it. Hebe and I both fiddle for anything to trade for what they have to offer. I find a few buttons and a couple scraps of cloth.

The man running the shop, a burly man with a stone-like face, stared at us hard. "What do you want?" He asked roughly.

"How much for a few snap beans?" Hebe asked him. She moved her dark lengthy hair out of her face.

We set down what we have to offer. I place my buttons and cloth, and Hebe takes out a few shoe ties and some random leather; probably from some shoe.

"Hm..." He stared hard at what we were willing to trade. "One plant for all."

I nodded; not knowing that he tried to scam us. Hebe put her arm in front of our supplies. "No way! 7 plants for all."

'7 is a lot,' I almost say out loud.

"Two."

"Six."

"Three."

"Eight!"

"Five."

"Fine." Hebe finally said. Two less than what she first bargained, but no one really gets what they first bargain.

I nudge our random items to the man. He gives the five plants to us. They're small, but that's okay. They will grow. Still, they are heaving so we both have to hold them.

"Where are the others?" I asked.

I like them, but that Myeong one seemed fleet-y. They could've gotten up and left.

"Ken'ichi, follow me." Myeong says grimly. She begins to head north, towards some place of which existed. Ken'ichi stands, confused.

"I... have a plan." Myeong continues, turning back to drag Ken'ichi away. She whispers a few words into Ken'ichi's ears, who seemed quite reluctant. After, Myeong backs away a few steps, "But first, we have to escape."

She takes Ken'ichi by the hand, and tells him to hold his hood. Before she moved, Ken'ichi halts her, and says a few words. Myeong's posture is hesitant, and she simply just nods.

We walk away from the little shop. I notice Ken'ichi and Myeong. Are they leaving already? I kinda will miss them.

For conformation, I ask Hebe. "Hebe, do you think they're leaving? Already?"

She shrugs, "If they are, then that's two less mouths to feed, and we won't have to be housing criminals,"

"They're not criminals," I protest.

She bends down a little. "Mus, you have a good heart, but you get attached to these people too easily. We did what we could to help them, and now they're off,"

I guess we did. Here, I was acting too irrational. I nod.

Hebe and I balance each other out well. I know more of the world, as the males from our community were taught such, whereas Hebe has spent more time with other people. She can tell between a person to trust, and one to not. Apparently, I'm too trusting.

Of course, now our community is gone, as Breeze Tribe is gone. Although, we were never really apart of Breeze Tribe, and lived as a secluded society near the boarders of our known world.

All of the sudden, unexpectedly, knights flooded into the area. All of them were heavily armed with armor and weapons. In front of the army, there was a woman with some sort of mix of glaucous blue and lapis blue hair. Her eyes seem to reflect the color of her hair of which went down to her neck only, radiating off a similar blue-gray shade. Her skin was as pale as a white-coat, but her hair was darker like a dirty-coat. She was dressed in raven black, or navy blue clothing—it was hard to tell from a distance. A small metal necklace rested around her neck, and a midnight lack headband rested in her hair.