The Last Shifter (a Loki romance)

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"How much for the ones in the back?"

"These?" The vendor was a little old lady a bit older than Frigga.

"No, the ones to the left."

"Ah. These?" I nodded.

"Sixty gold, Milady." Well within my price range.

"May I see them?"

"Naturally, however I must warn you that someone else also has their eyes on them and they are unique."

"Really? Who?"

"A palace guard."

"Did he say who it was for? The annual ball is three days away." It was well within my right to ask, as per tradition, whenever two people, no matter the status, had their eyes on the same unique item, they were required to state who they intended to give it to and based on the status of the recipient, the person of the higher status would be permitted to purchase the object. Therefore, it was illegal to lie and it was required to show some form of identification.

"I intend to give them to my personal friend Queen Frigga."

"Have you any proof of this?" I opened my mouth to speak but was cut off my a servant girl.

"Lady Arista? The Queen requested that I bring you this." She handed me a folded list that I looked at right away. There was a short note from the Frigga, with her signature and seal at the bottom right after the list.

"Here." I showed the vendor, "Her signature." The vendor barely looked at the sheet.

"Very well. They are yours if you want them. Would you like to hold them first?"

"If I may." She picked up the stand they were hung on and placed it in front of me. The first thing I checked was the weight and was pleased to find that they were not so heavy that if I wore them for an hour my ears would hurt. They felt like they were made of feathers! Well, aside from the golden bead at the bottom but those wouldn't be a problem. The next thing I checked was the quality. Where they going to break or fall apart easily? What I found was that the chains were all one string, there were no links involved whatsoever, it was all one flexible, thin length of gold.

"I'll take them." I dug through my bag and retrieved by purse, "You don't happen to have change for a platinum, do you?"

"Naturally!" I pulled out a single platinum coin. There were several types of coins here, all made out of different metals of value. Only the four most valuable were used by the royal family; bronze, silver, gold, and platinum. Ten bronzes for a silver, twenty silver for a gold, and one hundred golds for a platinum. Coins were strung together in rows of ten by types of metal. The woman pulled four rolls of golds from below her counter and handed them to me.

"Thank you for your business."

"Thank you for your consideration."

"Would you like me to wrap them for you?"

"If you would be so kind." I handed the earrings back to her and while she did her work, I read through the list I had been given.

-Alfheim healing water

-healing stones

-saskatoon berries

-fire stones

-mint leaves

-crystals

-catuaba bark