The War of .Zip (Working Title)

Chapter 9: An echo of compassion.

Maisie sat in the bath and let the water soak in.

It was a warm day so a cool bath was a perfect compliment to it.

Her handmaiden entered with towels and the clothes Maisie had asked for and put them down on a nearby Chair.

''Thanks Brenda.'' Maisie muttered, her lips as relaxed as the rest of her body.

Brenda nodded and left before Maisie asked her for something else.

Eventually, a thought rose from the depths of Maisies mind that caused a surge of activity from her.

Today was market day.

Every few days, the markets would open and produce from all over the world would be on offer. Whilst she could ask for anything and have if, that wasn't the point of the markets for her.

Maisie loved simply seeing all that diversity, all that life, present in one place.

She secretly hoped that, eventually, all fields would be like the markets: a peaceful coexistence that built upon a shared struggle to just live.

She leapt from the tub and dried herself as quickly as possible, shaking between rub downs.

Once done, she abandoned her planned outfit of purple and gold for a more inconspicuous dress.

She'd bought this in the markets during her first visit so that the next would be less distorted by crowds and vendors screaming her name as she passed.

So, she laced up the tight cream corset, covered it with a more amber coat that looked hideous with the aureolin skirt and black boots.

To top it off she wrapped a stained mustard cultured scarf around her neck and lower face before beginning her decent from her tower to the courtyard.

Whilst she could just walk out, it was more fun to try and escape.

The fact that she, an unskilled princess, had been able to, on occasion, sneak in and out of the capitals castle had given her pause for thought.

Then again, she'd once heard Richard tell the guards to ignore an ''overly yellow white rabbit'' if they ever saw one, so she suspected he knew exactly what she was doing.

By the time she crept out of the castle, through the courtyard and downtown into the markets they were already almost empty of produce.

Most stalls were either half empty or having to replenish their available stock due to the sheer amount that had been sold in such short a time.

Still, Maisie liked to think that this was because everyone could afford to buy themselves little luxuries.

She saw a group of the Crowns kitchen staff admiring and testing silks as a Stoat tried to haggle with the cook. Their smiles were gorgeous.

As Maisie wandered she watched a hundred similar scenes play out:

A daughter picking out coat after coat for her farther as he disapproved each one mockingly.

A bard bombarding a fishmonger with a ballad.

A mother making her way out of the market with an empty wheelbarrow and a pocket full of hope.

These moments were preciouses to Maisie as they were slices of lives she'd never be able to live.

Still, she was lucky. She'd never know the hunger and hardship of poverty, but that lessened the wonder of a full stomach.