Chapter Five
The Girl at the Market
The next morning, Kael returned to the marketplace.
He told himself he had come because he needed supplies.
That was true.
At least, partly.
The market was already crowded when he arrived. Merchants called out their prices, farmers unloaded baskets of vegetables, and customers moved from stall to stall.
Kael tied his horse near the edge of the market and walked through the crowd.
He remembered the small shop from the previous evening.
He hadn't planned to visit it.
But somehow, his feet carried him there anyway.
The Girl Behind the Counter
At the other end of the marketplace, a young woman was already preparing her shop for the day.
Her name was Elara.
She was nineteen years old, but life had taught her to be more careful than most people her age.
Before opening the shop, she checked every shelf, counted the remaining goods, and carefully recorded what had been sold the previous day.
Her small shop was simple, but she kept it clean and organized.
Cloth was folded neatly on one shelf.
Grains and dried herbs filled wooden containers.
Candles, household items, and other everyday goods were arranged along the walls.
Elara checked a small list in her hand.
"Three bags of grain left," she murmured.
She looked toward the back of the shop.
"Mira."
A little girl was sitting on a wooden stool, drawing on an old piece of paper.
She was nine years old, with a quiet and curious nature.
Mira looked up.
"Yes?"
"Did you finish your breakfast?"
Mira nodded quickly.
"Yes."
Elara narrowed her eyes.
"Did you really?"
Mira hesitated.
"Mostly."
Elara sighed.
"Come here."
Mira slowly walked over.
Elara placed a small piece of bread in her hand.
"Finish it."
Mira smiled.
"Thank you."
Elara gently touched her head.
"You're welcome."
Mira returned to her drawing.
For a moment, Elara watched her younger sister.
Mira was one of the few things left in her life that still felt like home.
Elara had learned not to complain about what they had lost.
She had learned to work.
To save.
To protect.
And, most importantly, to keep Mira safe.
Whatever the past had taken from them, Elara would make sure it never took her sister too.
She turned back toward the shop entrance.
The marketplace was getting busier.
It was time to work.
The shop was already crowded when an elderly customer approached the counter.
Elara carefully checked the customer's list and counted the correct change.
She knew exactly what everything cost.
She remembered which customers came regularly.
She knew what different merchants charged.
And when one merchant tried to raise the price of his goods, she noticed immediately.
"That's more expensive than yesterday," she said.
The merchant shrugged.
"Prices change."
Elara crossed her arms.
"Not that much."
The merchant smiled.
"You've become difficult."
"I've always been difficult."
The merchant laughed.
A few steps away, Kael couldn't help smiling.
Then Elara noticed him.
Their eyes met.
This time, neither of them looked away immediately.
Her eyes moved to his armor.
Then to the sword at his side.
Then back to his face.
"You were here yesterday."
Kael was slightly surprised.
"You remember me?"
"You stopped outside my shop."
"I did."
"You were staring."
Kael suddenly felt embarrassed.
"I was looking at the shop."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Of course."
Kael almost laughed.
"I really was."
"Then you should come inside."
Kael stepped into the shop.
Elara watched him for a moment before returning to her work.
The place was small, but everything was neatly arranged.
Kael looked around.
"You run this place yourself?"
"Mostly."
"Mostly?"
"My sister helps me."
Kael glanced toward the back of the shop.
Mira was still drawing.
She looked up at him.
Then quickly hid behind Elara.
Elara smiled.
"She's shy around strangers."
Kael nodded.
"I understand."
Mira peeked at him again.
Kael smiled at her.
She immediately looked away.
Elara laughed softly.
"You frightened her."
"I didn't do anything."
"You are wearing armor and carrying a sword."
Kael looked down at himself.
"Fair enough."
For the first time, Elara smiled directly at him.
Kael noticed something in her expression.
She was young, but there was a maturity in her eyes that didn't seem ordinary.
She carried herself like someone who had been forced to grow up quickly.
"What can I get you?" she asked.
Kael looked at the shelves.
"I need some supplies for the fortress."
"Then you're in the wrong shop."
"Why?"
"We're too expensive."
Kael looked surprised.
"There are cheaper merchants three streets away."
"You just lost a customer."
"I saved you money."
Kael laughed.
"You're honest."
"Sometimes."
"Sometimes?"
"When honesty costs me money, I think carefully."
Kael smiled.
"I like that."
Elara looked at him.
"You don't even know me."
"That's true."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Mira suddenly spoke from behind the counter.
"He's a knight."
Kael looked toward her.
"Yes."
Mira stared at his sword.
"Have you killed people?"
Elara immediately looked embarrassed.
"Mira, don't ask him that."
But Kael crouched slightly, bringing himself closer to the girl's height.
"Sometimes."
Mira looked at him with wide eyes.
"Are you scared?"
Kael thought about the question.
Then he answered honestly.
"Yes."
Elara looked at him.
Kael continued.
"Being a knight doesn't mean you aren't afraid."
Mira seemed satisfied with the answer and returned to her drawing.
Elara watched Kael for a moment.
"You don't seem like the knights I usually see."
"What are they like?"
"Proud."
Kael smiled.
"Am I not proud?"
"You're standing in my shop asking me for cheap supplies."
Kael laughed.
"That's because you told me I'm too expensive."
Elara smiled again.
For a few moments, the noise of the marketplace seemed to fade into the background.
Neither of them knew the other's story.
Elara didn't know that Kael had once been a nameless child living on the streets.
Kael didn't know that Elara had once belonged to a noble family.
He didn't know about the tragedy that had destroyed her home.
He didn't know why she had been forced to leave everything behind.
And Elara didn't know what kind of future waited for the young knight standing in her shop.
For now, they were simply two strangers.
A knight.
And a merchant.
But sometimes, the most important moments in a person's life begin with something as ordinary as a conversation.
Kael paid for his supplies.
As he turned to leave, Elara called after him.
"Knight."
Kael looked back.
She held out a small package.
"You forgot this."
He walked back.
"I didn't buy that."
"I know."
"Then why are you giving it to me?"
She shrugged.
"Consider it a welcome gift."
Kael accepted the package.
"What is it?"
"Food."
He smiled.
"I already ate."
"Then give it to your horse."
Kael laughed.
"Thank you."
He walked out of the shop.
Elara watched him leave.
Mira looked up from her drawing.
"Is he coming back?"
Elara looked toward the doorway.
"I don't know."
Outside, Kael mounted his horse.
Before riding away, he looked back at the shop one last time.
Elara was still standing behind the counter.
Their eyes met once more.
Kael smiled.
Then he turned his horse and rode away.
Neither of them realized it yet.
But this would not be their last meeting.