A Stroll Through The Market

“Just a few more finishing touches,” Zoe said as I stood in front of the giant mirror she had brought along. Currently, we were inside a spare castle bedroom that was offered to me by the Duchess.

Truth be told, the bedroom was far grander than any room I had ever slept in before. The bed, which was enormous, was pressed up against a mural depicting a group of knights bowing to a single crowned man, a rather interesting piece of art that would surely fetch a high price in the artworld back home.

The bedsheets were free of stains and odors, something I wasn’t used to. The cleanliness of the room was truly nothing to scoff at.

Zoe pulled on the end of the grey military shirt she had dressed me in as she finished up my tailoring. A smug smile formed on her face as she nodded to herself. “Nothing like two rushed orders to get me fired up in the morning. Luckily, I only had to do slight adjustments to Liam’s spare uniform in order for it to fit you and none on Lady Alice’s for Mira.”

Her words were true, checking myself out in the mirror, my outfit mirrored that of Lady Alice’s from yesterday; though it had slight differences, namely looser sleeves and pants. “I truly appreciate you doing this.”

Zoe gave a slight bow. “Think nothing of it Noel. Besides, it's not like we can have you two wear the same used clothes of yesterday.”

Though cleanliness may have been part of the reasoning, the true purpose of the uniform was to keep the summoning of us heroes a secret. Under careful consideration from both Father Albert and Sir Nathan, it had been decided that while we remained at the castle that we would try our best to keep our identities hidden as best as we could. Our story was that Mira, Luke, Chris, and I were all exchange students from the academy who had taken time off to attend Lady Alice’s wedding. It would explain why us “foreigners” were currently taking up residence at the castle while Luke and Chris recovered. With enough pressure from the Duchess, as well as from Sir Nathan and Father Albert, Duke Uriel had issued a gag order on all nobility that had been in attendance from spreading word of our summoning.

The plan was to keep up the order as well as our cover story until we embarked towards the royal capitol and confirmed our situation at the Sanctum.

“If you’ll excuse me then,” Zoe said as she bowed and then turned toward the exit.

I waved her off before turning to the mirror once more. I stood at attention, making a stoic face before saluting myself.

 All of that marching band practice helps when it comes to pulling off the uniform.

 I had been awful when it came to actually playing instruments, but when it came to marching around in place, well, I was one of the most dashing band nerds you’d find on the field. After a few dozen or so more poses, I decided to go search for Mira. After all, what good is a show without an audience?

When I entered the hallway I once again lost myself in awe, the beauty of the castle’s insides caused me to lose my breath for a moment. Decorations made out of gold were adjourned on every wall. The chandeliers above, full of crystals glowing a warm yellow that got brighter as people approached, reacted brightly as I passed beneath them. Servants maintained the halls by sweeping the carpet and dusting vases and paintings that were sprawled throughout the hall, all the while the guards made their patrols throughout the castle. The maids and butlers bowed their heads at me as I passed while the guards gave grunts of acknowledgement, not too friendly yet nowhere as cold or as curt as the greetings of the man they served.

As I passed the final corner that led to Mira’s room, I spotted a trio standing by her door. The one in front was the guy who had given me uneasy vibes, the young man named Kenneth that Sir Nathan had warmed me about.

“Mirasol, it is I, Sir Kenneth,” he said as he pounded on her bedroom’s doors. Behind him were two young women, one had short wavy hair with streaks of lavender accenting her dark hair and the other had rather messy sand-colored hair that reached her shoulders. Though the pair were standing at attention behind Kenneth, their gazes were anywhere but the hallway, as if they were lost in their own little worlds in order for the time to move past them.

I hesitated whether or not I should have continued approaching, if Mira was holding herself up in her room to stay away from him, I certainly didn’t want to be the one that caused her to interact with him. It was then that a small, side broom closet opened its door and a hand pulled me inside. Giving a quick peek outside before closing the door once more was Mira.

“God, he’s still here,” she said as she shoved me further inside.

I tried protesting her rough handling of me, though not for long as her little push had caused me to crash into a soft something.

When I opened my eyes I learned what that “thing” was. Standing in front of me, being pinned against the wall by my braced arms, was Lady Alice, her eyes wide open as they gazed into mine. Our little predicament caused her to gasp followed by a little breath escaping from surprise. We were so close that I could feel her said breath brushing past my cheek as she calmed herself. The warm sensation made me freeze as I tried processing what was going on.

“All I wanted was the bag of coins the Duchess gave me,” Mira complained. “How am I supposed to get it with that guy blocking the way?” Mira’s words pulled me from my hazy trance as I managed to pull away from Lady Alice, she cleared her throat while turning away from me.

“She gave you a bag of coins?”

Mira nodded, she widened the door open a bit more as she spoke. “Me and Alice were going to head to the main market together for supplies.”

“The Duchess left you in charge of the funds?” It was hard imagining such an important task being left up to Mira alone.

Mira waved off my question with her hand. “Of course not, those funds are with the knights that will be accompanying us. No, the funds in my room are meant for personal use. Some fun-funds if you will. But that jerk has been barking for me all day.”

Lady Alice tiptoed around me as she slowly approached the door. “Perhaps I can fetch them on my own?” Mira shook her head.

“No way am I going to risk you having to talk to that creep, the way he looks us up and down sends shivers down my back.”

“But-”

“Oh? Quiet. Get back.” Mira closed the door while pushing Lady Alice back, causing her to bump into me. This time it was Lady Alice who had me pinned. Her thin body pressed against me as Mira kept pushing us back.

“Mira,” I called out to her. “This is a bit much.”

“Shh, Father Albert is passing by, listen.”

Sure enough, the sound of footsteps pushed past the other side of the closet door followed by the old man’s voice. “Sir Kenneth, is there something you need from Lady Mira?”

“I was just wondering if she was free to join me for lunch, after all it isn’t everyday you get the chance to speak to the heroes of legend.”

Father Albert coughed. “Sir Kenneth, I believe Duke Uriel has made it clear that Lady Mira and her friends are to just be referred to as Lady Alice’s fellow classmates. Their origins are not to be mentioned.”

Kenneth chuckled, as if he had just been told an amusing anecdote. “I’ll try to keep the Duke’s words in mind. Now then, is there something you need from me?”

“Indeed there is, I hear that you study medicine at the academy.”

“Specifically how magical crystals could be used in place of healers when it comes to matters of the system that controls the body, yes.”

“Such as influencing the mind into ordering the body to speed up regeneration.”

“My my, it seems you’re a fan of my research.”

“Matters of healing will always interest those who follow the teachings of Flumen. As such, I wish to ask for your assistance in treating Sir Liam.”

It was at the mention of Sir Liam that I felt Lady Alice tremble in front of me. Whatever feelings of fluster she must have previously felt seemed to now be replaced with that of guilt and angst as she grabbed and pulled at my shirt with her small hands.

“Why the hell would Father Albert ask that guy for help?” Mira whispered.

“Let it go Mira.”

“Why?” It wasn’t until Mira turned around that she settled down her attitude. The sight of a slightly trembling Lady Alice must have made things clear. “I’m sorry for being insensitive."

Lady Alice slowly let go of my shirt, shaking her head at Mira’s apology. “Don’t be, I’d probably feel the same way if it wasn’t for Liam’s sake. But you see, if he truly can be of help to Liam’s recovery, even I would have to be grateful towards him.”

Mira nodded. “I suppose so. Maybe he’ll even help Luke and Chris.”

The three of us turned our attention back to conversation happening out in the hall.

“As much as I would love to offer my services, I’m afraid the practical application of my knowledge and research is meant to be kept confidential. I doubt the Empire would look kindly at my involvement in matters of a neighboring kingdom.”

“What an ass.” The sound of Mira grinding her teeth was loud enough to reverberate throughout the small closet.

“A shame,” Father Albert replied. “Here I was thinking that you could show off your knowledge in front of Lady Mira and her friends.”

Kenneth crossed his arms as a look of intrigue crossed his face. “You mean to tell me Lady Mirasol has been in the infirmary this whole time?”

“Indeed, in fact, she was the one who inquired as to who could heal her friends. I’m sure she would be deeply grateful to anyone who could help them.”

“Don’t drag me further into this old man.” I had to pull Mira away from the door, covering her mouth as the sound of footsteps brisked past the door.

“Zaria, Raina, come along at once.”

Through the gap of the door, we could see Kenneth and the two girls with him walking away and disappearing around the corridor. Father Albert followed after them, though he stopped for a moment outside the broom closet.

“I do hope Lady Mira will find it in her heart to forgive me for using her name in my scheme,” he said as he glanced in our direction before continuing on.

I let go of Mira once they were all out of earshot, she threw a slight tantrum in response. “I swear I won’t forget this old man, how dare you use me in your lies.”

I laughed. “At least now you can go fetch the coin bag.” Mira turned towards me, wagging her finger before pointing out towards the hall.

“Nope. Me and Alice are going to wait in the courtyard. You, my friend, are going to get it for us and are coming along with us. We’ll be waiting outside.”

“Why me?”

“I don’t want to risk actually getting trapped in my room. What if he has a spy watching the room, ready to call him back if I get spotted? I don’t want to deal with that.”

I highly doubted that something like that was going to happen, but I knew better than to argue with Mira when she starts spouting conspiracies.

“Fine. Where’d you leave the money?”

“Same place where the tooth fairy puts her’s.”

“Got it, I’ll meet you outside.” Mira grabbed Lady Alice by the hand as we exited the closet.

“Your world has fairies too?” I heard Lady Alice ask Mira as we split up.

The inside of Mira’s room was the same as mine, the only difference was that hers had dozens of slight variations of the grey uniform sprawled all over the floor and bed. “No wonder I had to wait until after breakfast for my clothes.” Zoe, I apologize for my indecisive friend and her odd tendencies. I’ll make sure Mira brings you back a treat as thanks. 

After grabbing the pouch from under Mira’s pillows, I quickly left the room only to be stopped by an unfamiliar person at the entrance. Standing before me was a tall girl with vivid mint hair, she had her hand on her hip and a questioning look on her face.

“What were you doing in a lady’s quarters?” she asked in a tone that indicated I was nothing but scum in her eyes.

“I was just running an errand for a friend.” And who the hell are you to be asking?

The girl gave my whole body a lookover before sighing. “My orders are to only inform him if Mirasol appears,” she muttered to herself. “Though I have further questions, since you aren’t important to my objective I suppose I’ll allow you to go. Please refrain from such further suspicious activity in the future.”

Mira is a damn psychic. 

Despite wanting to exchange a few choice words with her, I chose instead to nod like an idiot and make my exit.

“Make sure you do your best to not cross paths with me again, Noel.”

Just as she finished saying my name but before I was able to question her, she disappeared. That's some major ninja act she has going on. With that thought on my mind I quickly made my way towards the main entrance of the castle.

Waiting expectantly for me outside the castle’s entrance were Mira and Lady Alice who were flanked by two guards, a man and a woman. Lady Alice was helping Mira put on a pair of, what appeared to be, emerald earrings.

“They suit you so well Mira.”

“Really? Well unlike someone, I know you wouldn’t lie to me Alice,” Mira said as she gave me a judgemental look. “Could you believe that someone once told me that a pair of my purple shorts went well with my orange sweater.”

“I still stand by that.” It wasn’t until I handed the pouch over, after I defended my taste, that I spotted another figure among the group.

“This is going to be so much fun,” said Kat as she waved a hello towards me.

“I’m sorry, we ended up running into my sister after we parted ways,” Lady Alice bowed apologetically.

“No need to be sorry,” said Mira. “We would love to have Kat come with us.” Mira got down on one knee like a gentleman would and bowed her head, she almost looked like a dashing prince in the borrowed uniform she was wearing. She turned her smiling face towards me, “Right Noel?”

I couldn’t help but smile right back. “Of course.” I approached Kat, placing my palm on her head. “I’m sure she’ll help us in the case we forget anything important on our list.”

“You can count on me,” Kat beamed.

The two guards guided us towards the market, it was a large bustling street in the center of the city with merchant stalls lined up in front of homes and businesses while shopkeepers shouted out their wares and offers at the top of their lungs from their doors. Kat, sitting on Mira’s shoulders, laughed at how the merchants and shopkeepers tried outyelling each other in hopes of grabbing our attention.

“I appreciate you giving into Kat’s whims, Mira, but please, don’t feel forced to carry her the entire time.”

“It's really no problem, Kat is so light I feel like I can run a dozen miles before I even start getting tired.” Mira did a light hop as if to prove her point, causing Kat to yelp and then laugh. It was nice to see the two girls smile in sync. It was hard to believe that it had only been yesterday that Mira had been crying by my side in worry. There wasn’t a trace of those feelings left on her face. “Besides, even if I do get tired, Noel will just take over.”

Weren’t you just complaining earlier about others dragging your name into their business?

We passed through at least a dozen shops and stalls with only some occasional stops where the two knights would take turns purchasing and carrying the items on the list Lady Alice provided them with. Things went smoothly without any other stops as we neared the end of the list. The final items had us ending up in front of a store with books and scrolls on display.

As we entered the store Lady Alice was about to let us explore to our heart’s content, as she was going to pick up an order of scrolls with the two knights, when suddenly Kat volunteered herself to go with the knights.

“I want to buy the magic scrolls sis,” she said with a slight shrill.

“Its a big girl’s job Kat. Do you think you can handle it?” Kat nodded in response to Lady Alice’s question. Lady Alice gave the two knights a quick glance, they nodded in agreement. With a soft sigh, she allowed her sister to take over. After Kat marched happily away with the knights in tow, Lady Alice turned to us with a warm smile. “Well then, let's go look at some books.”

Lady Alice led us through all kinds of sections of varying genres, from philosophical and medicinal texts to stories of heroes, romance, and even fantasy. How did I know what sections she took us through? Well, though she announced each section as we passed, all the sections had huge signs overhead in between bookshelves with their labeled genre. The signs were in this world’s language, one I obviously couldn’t read, yet when I stared and squinted at them long enough the characters morphed into English letters and words right before my eyes. The same was true for Mira, though it seemed odd to the both of us, Mira just chalked it up to it being a special blessing given to the heroes.

If it was truly based on our status as heroes, it was safe to assume this meant any text from this world could be read by us if given enough time for the words to morph in our eyes. While this seemed to be only a great convenience it also came at a cost, namely in the form of a small headache that lasts until the words translate themselves.

“I suppose even the people of this world like to wonder about the fantastical,” Mira said from atop a ladder that was attached to the bookshelf she was currently perusing. A smile formed on her face as she picked up a book and showed me its cover. The cover depicted a dashing rogue in the arms of a beautiful knight as the pair were being surrounded by a dozen chicken-like monsters.

“Despite having fantastical wonders themselves?” I jokingly replied. Mira nodded while Lady Alice shook her head.

“This coming from heroes who come from a world where the people ride metal birds in the sky.”

“Touché.” Mira turned to me with a smile. “I told her about planes last night,” she said while wheeling herself and the ladder further along the bookshelf.

“Any books you might be interested in Noel?” Lady Alice turned to me as she asked.

Books about the world’s history would be fascinating but wouldn’t be that useful or short enough of a read for our stay at the castle and travel on the road. As for fantasy, it seemed that Mira had us covered, I could just borrow from her.

No, there was only one type of book that I could think of that might be of some use.

“Are there any books about the four gods?”

Lady Alice looked surprised at my question, but in the end, simply nodded. “Though serious texts of the gods are usually held inside their places of worship, there are some story books about them that people who aren’t of the cloth can just about buy in any shop that sells books. Come.” Lady Alice gleefully grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me towards the back of the shop.

Though it took a moment for the headache to subside, I was able to read the sign that hung above where Lady Alice and I now stood, it read “Children’s Section.” I wanted to scratch my head but got distracted instead when Lady Alice tugged at my sleeve with excitement as she pointed in the direction of a blue book.

“That’s the one?”

“Yup, it's full of tales of the gods coming down and helping everyday people in their daily lives. From Flumen giving a colony of fairies a cure for the sick to Lapis constructing a mountain range to protect a small village from beasts.”

“A bunch of children's stories to teach kids about the gods…” It wasn't what I had expected but it certainly satisfied my request. I always believed that stories, whether purely fictional or an embellished truth of some kind, always have value regardless of what ages they are meant for. It seemed that Lady Alice was of a similar mind yet she didn’t seem to take it in stride as I did for she had turned bright pink at my words.

She began to stammer. “Oh, well, I suppose they are… I suppose it seems childish of me to get all excited about them.”

“Sure,” I said as I gently pulled away from her grasp, which caused her to turn an even brighter shade of pink, as I brought myself closer to the blue book. “But there is nothing wrong with that, we all have our favorite children’s books and we can still enjoy them even if society might believe they are no longer meant for us.” I turned my head towards bookshelves behind us as I heard a pair of squeaky wheels approach. “Ain’t that right Mira?”

The ladder slammed to a stop as Mira poked her head over the bookshelf. “You know I’ll always love the one about the gluttonous caterpillar.”

“And I’m a sucker for the rainbow fish that shares its scales.” We both turned to Lady Alice expectantly.

“Well, I, uh,” I could see small swirls in her eyes as she tried thinking for an answer. I chuckled as I grabbed the blue book from the shelf and placed it in her palm. Her spiraling for a response stopped as she looked down at the cover, a small girl looking up at the starry sky. Gazing at the image of the girl seemed to put her at ease for she steadily broke into a cute grin. “I like the one where the gods respond to our faith and help those in need, giving them the courage to live better lives.”

“Alright then. In that case, Mira, lend me some money, I have to buy myself Lady Alice’s recommendation.” I looked down at the book, taking in some pain before I could read the title. “I’ll let you know how good of a read ‘Within Us’ is.”

“Sure let me just get the rest of my stack,” Mira said before wheeling away.

Once Mira was out of earshot, I felt another tug on my sleeve. Lady Alice held her other arm close to her chest as she smiled. “Thanks.”

“Thanks? I think you misunderstand, I’m buying this copy for me,” I joked.

Lady Alice chuckled before shaking her head. “You know what I meant.”

She held onto my sleeve for a bit more until we heard the sound of Mira’s footsteps.

I couldn’t help but smile. Here she had been getting all embarrassed about liking a book for children all the while she had been holding onto my wrist while keeping herself as cool as a cucumber.

With a smug Kat leading all of us out of the shop after a successful purchase, the pair of knights led us towards a shabby looking stall that smelled of grilled meat. As we approached, we were welcomed by a pointed ear man with a great amount of stubble on top of his otherwise silky-smooth skin.

“Welcome, welcome. It's good to see you again, Lady Alice, Lady Kat.” The man quickly got to work skewering pieces of meat and poultry on sticks. “I assume for the big sis it’ll be sweet and savory pork and the little sis gets extra spicy chicken, yes?”

The two sisters nodded. “And beef for us,” the male knight ordered for himself and his fellow knight.

“Hey, is that guy…you know,” Mira whispered into my ear. The man, having just nodded at the knights’ order, began to wiggle his ears as he flashed us a grin.

“An Elf? Indeed I am, miss. I’m also the best darn griller around these parts, I’m even the royal family’s unofficial favorite street vendor.”

“Only because we were not supposed to eat food from outside the castle,” Kat laughed.

“Indeed, otherwise I would eat from this stall everyday,” Lady Alice said proudly.

“Oh, but then all of those fancy chefs would be out of a job, can’t have that,” the elf said as he handed two skewers to the noble sisters.

“It would also mean us knights wouldn’t get to eat your food either,” said the female knight as the elf handed two more skewers over.

“I would hate that, seeing all of your faces light up as you eat the best damn meat south of the Central Lands is what makes this all worth it.” The knights bellowed with laughter in agreement. “Now, can I know what our friends from afar would like to have?”

“You know we aren’t from here?” Mira asked with shock spread across her face.

“Hmm?” the elf let out a puzzled look. “But of course, you two are exchange students from the Royal Academy in the Capitol are you not? You’re both even wearing your uniforms outside of the Academy, that is so diligent of you guys, I could never.”

Mira let out a sigh of relief. “Yup, you’re right. I suppose my hunger is getting to me.”

“In that case, let me be the one to soothe your craving, miss.”

“I’ll take sweet and savory pork as well then.” Watching Mira dust off her confusion and move on to ordering was pretty amazing, nothing can really keep her frazzled for long. “And a beef skewer for my friend over here,” Mira said as she scooped me by the shoulder with her arm, like the couple of besties we were.

The elf turned to me. “Is beef okay for you young man?”

“Hey, don’t order for me,” I whispered in Mira’s ear.

“Please, you always go for the beef option. Besides, it's not like you can handle the spicy option.”

“Well, what if I wanted pork?”

Mira smiled at me. “You want to match with me and Alice that badly?”

I turned to look at Lady Alice who had already finished her skewer and was now watching us curiously. “Yes… beef will be fine.”

After eating a few rounds of skewers and purchasing some as a gift to give Zoe later, we rested on a bench next to the stall while the male knight, having lost a hand of sword, magic, and arrow, headed toward the castle with the majority of supplies we had purchased. It was when Mira was busy picking her teeth with the skewer stick that Lady Alice asked if there was anywhere else wanted to go.

“I am happy with the books and meal, I don’t have much else I could ask for,” I said as bowed my head gratefully at Lady Alice. Mira continued playing with the stick in her mouth as if she was a farmer relaxing after a long day’s work.

“Well, I’m thinking the same as him, although…” Mira trailed off as she felt the weight of the pouch of coins in her hand. “It would be a shame not to use all the coins the duchess gave us.” As Mira began to visibly contemplate what she wanted to spend her coin on, a group of rowdy children ran through the market, kicking a small leather ball between themselves. Their noises of glee and excitement came to a sudden stop when one of the children, having kicked the ball a bit too forcefully, sent the ball flying towards Kat’s head. The eerie silence that quickly spread among the children, watching as the ball flew, was replaced by the sound of the lady knight running in between Kat and the ball as she punched it down into the earth and kept it planted with her metal boot sat atop it. While the younger looking children watched the knight with awe, the older children, having realised they had almost struck a noble, began to cower as their legs shook uncontrollably.

The knight turned to Lady Alice and Kat. “Your orders my ladies?” Before either of the girls could respond, the older looking children picked up, grabbed, and pulled the younger children away from the street, running like deer being chased by a wild big cat. All of the children left the market street, all except for one boy, the boy that had kicked the ball to begin with.

“Sorry about that miss,” the boy said, scratching the back of his head before offering his apology. “I hope you’re alright,” he said as he took a step forward.

“Halt, do not approach my lady any further.”

“Ser Mabel, he is just a boy, I don’t think he’s a threat,” Lady Alice pleaded with her knight.

“Regardless of his capabilities or intent, he has already come close to harming Lady Kat, precautions must be taken upon further dealings with him.” Though Ser Mabel spoke with a serious tone, she did not unsheath her blade, let alone place her hand on the hilt. It was clear she had no intentions on harming the boy, she just must have wanted to convey the seriousness of the situation to him.

It was then that Kat walked over Ser Mabel and bent down. “Ser Mabel, could you lift your foot for just a moment?” Ser Mabel looked down curiously at Kat until she noticed that the young girl had her hands wrapped around the ball. The knight hesitated, but did end up lifting her foot and releasing the ball from her grasp. “Thank you,” Kat said as she stood with the ball and lifted it over her head. As she was about to toss it-

“No, no. You’re not supposed to toss it, you’re supposed to kick it,” the young boy said as he punted the air.

“I know how to play ball,” Kat said with slight embarrassment before placing the ball on the ground. She lifted her foot and kicked the ball with all of her might, the ball struck the boy in the chest causing him to wheeze.

“Ugh… You’re… pretty good…”

Kat crossed her arms. “For a girl?”

The boy shook his head as he calmed his breathing. “Maybe, but I meant for being a noble.” The boy picked up the ball and flashed a mischievous grin. “Want to come play with us?”

Kat’s eyes widened with surprise. “Can I?” she said as she took a step towards him. Ser Mabel placed her arm on Kat’s shoulder, preventing her from going any further. “I’m sorry my lady, but you cannot.” Kat’s face became crestfallen, her eyes that had been filled with excitement were now devoid of anything but disappointment.

“I see, that’s a shame miss,” the boy said. “Maybe next time.” The boy waved goodbye before dribbling the ball towards an alleyway where some of the other children from earlier had stayed and watched.

“I’m sorry about that Kat, Ser Mabel is only looking out for our safety,” Lady Alice tried to console her sister. Kat nodded, but still longingly watched as the other children laughed and cheered as they continued their game down the alleyway until they were fully out of sight.

Mira pulled me to the side as Lady Alice continued to cheer up her younger sister. “Hey Noel, we need to do something.”

“Us? What are we supposed to do?”

Mira poked my forehead playfully. “I don’t know, use your big head and come up with something.”

What the hell does she expect me to do? I don’t know how to cheer up children, let alone a child of nobility.

Pity wasn’t the right approach, it hardly ever is. The best way to ward off one’s negative emotions would be replacing them with ones that are positive in nature as a result of taking action. In other words, distract her. But the question was how? With Mira still close to me, I was momentarily blinded by the sun reflecting off the pair of bright green earrings she was wearing.

“Sorry about this,” I said as I took off one of Mira’s earrings and stuffed it into my pocket.

“Hey!” I ignored Mira’s yelp and crouched down next to Kat.

“Kat?” She slightly turned her head towards me. “Listen, can you keep a secret between us?” Though hints of sadness filled her facial expression, her eyes were full of intrigue at the mention of a secret as she nodded her head. “Mira accidentally lost one of the earrings your sister gave her,” I said while tapping my ear that corresponded with the Mira’s ear that was missing the earring.

Kat looked between the both of us before cupping her mouth close to my ear. “I don’t think my sister would be angry.”

I mimicked her action. “Maybe, but Mira feels really bad about it. Plus, we would love to give you both a present for giving us a tour of the market.”

Kat’s face lit up with glee. “Presents? For both of us?”

I nodded. “Do you know of any good jewelry shops nearby?”

Kat thought for a moment before shaking her head. “It's not a shop, but there is a stall with a nice lady that I know of.”

“Perfect.”

We both smiled in agreement as we asked Ser Mabel, quietly, for one final stop, making sure to keep Lady Alice and Mira in the dark. Ser Mabel hesitated for a moment, but seeing the look on Kat’s face made her sigh in resignation. Though both Lady Alice and Mira kept asking questions as we made our way to the jewelry stall, Kat would only respond by placing her index on her lips. “Its a secret.”

The moment we arrived at the jewelry stall Mira went wild, she examined each piece of handcrafted jewelry with her keen lime eyes. “They’re all so pretty.”

“What are you, a magpie?” I joked. Mira pointed at some of the earrings to which the stall owner nodded her head.

“Stuff it,” she said as she lifted an onyx earring to her ear, looking at her reflection with a small mirror that the stall owner lent her. “It's not a crime to like pretty things.”

“I suppose not.” I inched myself closer to Mira so that only she could hear me. “But we’re supposed to be picking out jewelry for Lady Alice and Kat.” Mira became stiff as she eyed the two sisters through the mirror. She placed the earring back on the row she had picked it from before spinning around to face Lady Alice and Kat. She raised her palm to her chin, she looked like a fashion designer imagining their next outfit.

“I see.” She waltzed over to Kat and stared deep into the girl’s eyes. “Silver earrings to match her silver hair?”

Kat shook her head. “I haven’t got my ears pierced, and I’m… too scared… to get them.”

Mira nodded as she stroked her chin like an old man. “I understand, in that case-” Mira spun back around towards the jewelry and picked out a silver necklace with a pink gemstone in the shape of a diamond. In one fell swoop she placed it around Kat’s neck and closed the clasp. “Voilà, my best work so far.”

“But you didn’t do anything,” I said.

“Noel, you have no idea how much thought I put into this. The silver matches the pretty color of her hair, the pink gem is as adorable as Kat’s face, and the diamond shape signifies how precious Kat is as a person.”

I shook my head. “Please keep your delusions to yourself.” I ignored Mira’s further ramblings as I turned towards Kat. “Besides, what matters most is if Kat likes it.”

Mira stopped her self-grandizing monologue about how genius her thought process was and turned to Kat as well. Her eyes watched on expectantly for Kat’s answer.

Kat stayed silent, picking up the pink gemstone with her fingers and eyeing it curiously. A small grin that had managed to form on her face broke into a great smile as she charged towards Mira and gave her a massive hug. “I love it.”

The two girls gave each other plenty of hugs as Mira celebrated her success in taste while Kat celebrated having been given the necklace. Lady Alice looked on happily before coming to stand by my side. We both watched as Mira lifted Kat in her arms and spun her around in place as they laughed. “Thank you,” Lady Alice whispered.

“You’ve been saying that all day, but there isn’t any need to thank us.”

“But you did this to cheer up Kat. In fact, you two have been cheering both of us up all day. Why wouldn’t I thank you?”

Ser Mabel cleared her throat. “I’m going to go pay for the necklace,” she said before turning away from us. I could feel my ear turning red from Ser Mabel having been considerate for us.

“If you want to thank someone, thank Mira, she’s the one who always eggs us on to do the right thing.”

“But it’s what you all chose to do after all of Mira’s efforts that makes those around you thankful. Right?”

Though roundabout with her words, I knew that Lady Alice was just trying to make clear she felt great gratitude towards all of us, even if it was only being directed at me at the moment.

“I… accept your thanks.”

Lady Alice strode in front of me with her hands behind her back as she flashed me a smile. “Good, otherwise we’d be here all day trading platitudes.” I must have stared a little too long at her because her cheeks glowed a slight pink once more. Luckily, the commotion of the others broke the tension in the air.

Mira had lifted Kat even higher in the air, causing her to giggle even harder, as she placed Kat back on her shoulders before turning towards the jewelry again. “Now let's pick something else for your big sis. Should we pick out a matching set, or?”

“Uh-uh, pink is my color. Maybe green earrings? To replace the one you lost?”

Mira turned her head toward me. “The one that WHO lost?”

I quickly pulled out the green earring from my pocket and handed it over to Mira. “Wow, would you look at that? I found it in my pocket, it must have fallen in earlier.” Though Kat was satisfied with this conclusion, Mira gave me a death stare, one that said I better explain everything later.

“Well since green is out, what color should we pick?” Kat asked.

An evil grin formed on Mira’s face. “How about we let Noel pick?” I quickly shook my head.

“That’s a great idea,” Kat beamed. “I’m sure he’ll pick the perfect ones.”

“Oh, I think so too,” Mira said. “Just make sure you don’t pick any copper pieces with jade.”

“That was one time and it wasn’t even jewelry. Besides, Lady Alice probably wouldn’t want someone like me-”

Lady Alice suddenly pulling on my sleeve caused me to stop mid sentence. “I don’t- no, I would love it if you were to pick something for me.” Lady Alice looked at me with an expectant gaze.

“I’ll… try my best.” I walked up to the stall and began examining all the pieces, they all shined beautifully but none were truly catching my eye. “What do you think?” I asked the owner.

“I think that as long as you pick something with that young lady in mind, you can’t go wrong.”

That doesn’t help me at all.

I couldn’t go with an overtly silver pair, that would have just been copying Mira’s choice. Having nothing to lose, I closed my eyes and imagined different colors and styles on Lady Alice’s ears. It was when I finally opened them that my eyes landed on a pair of blue studs, an entire shimmering ocean condensed in the shape of a cube, held together by four tiny hooks. Nothing about them screamed Lady Alice, yet they were the ones that I ended up grabbing. Lady Alice took a few steps forward until she was directly behind me.

“Have you chosen?”

I turned around and extended my hand over her’s, letting the studs slip out of grasp and plop down onto her palm. “What do you think?”

“Seriously?” Mira gauffed. “Studs? You really don’t-”

“I love them,” Lady Alice said as she proceeded to put them on. “How does it look?”

“They look good on you.”

“Real good actually, Mira agreed. “I thought they wouldn’t because they’re studs, but they look amazing on you. Good job Noel.”

“So I do have good taste?”

“I wouldn’t go that far.”

After a few more rounds of compliments, Ser Mabel paid for the studs just as her fellow knight returned. With all of our purchases complete, including added stops, we returned to the castle and went our separate ways. Mira went off with the two sisters while the two knights headed towards the barracks. As I was ready to head to my room, Lady Alice called out to me and waved me a warm goodbye before disappearing. The face she made when she said goodbye was all I could think about for the rest of the day.