They walked over the bridge into Riverstone, a bustling town nestled along the river. Similar to the structures in the capitol, these buildings were also made of stone. The streets were adorned with various shops and cart owners selling their goods in the busy town.
As the golden light from the sunset fell over them, Airess couldn’t help but look at the town in awe. Besides her short visit at the Inn in Holtzclaw, this was Airess’ first real outing since she was ten years old. They approached the busy street filled with patrons, the scent of cooked meat and herbs wafting up to her nose, making her stomach rumble. Children ran past them, parents telling them to slow down. Airess smiled, her grin concealed behind her cloak hood.
Taryn looked down at her in amusement, before grabbing her arm, and dragging her to the side. The sound of clanking metal and hooves passed by her so quickly, she barely had time to register that the wagon was riding through. “Careful,” he said, steadying her.
She swallowed, remembering to be more aware in a place like this. Taryn looped his arm around hers, as if they had been friends for a thousand years. Airess looked down at their interlinked arms. Her eyebrows shot up. “What are you doing?”
“We’re going shopping, Haeleth.” Taryn’s breath tickled down her neck as he spoke to her quietly, “We’re going to need more than just the clothes off our backs for our travels. We need food, clothing, weapons.”
When he noticed her hesitation, his expression softened. “Follow my lead. We can’t afford to get caught. Finding two criminals on the run would be the golden jackpot for a Lucien soldier.”
Her throat tightened at the title.
Criminal.
Airess had fallen so far in such a short amount of time, she could hardly keep up. She straightened her spine, falling in step with Taryn. She made sure to be aware of her surroundings and blend in with the crowd, wanting to appear as if she was walking with her companion.
Immediately, they were hounded by every cart seller they passed. Shouts were thrown at them to try their baked goodsor smokedsausages. Taryn politely declined each one with ease, a stark contrast to how she was feeling right now. He nudged her lightly as they approached a fruit stand filled with strawberries, blueberries, apricots, and other fruits she didn’t recognize. Taryn picked up an apple and inspected it, handing it to Airess as he picked up another to look at.
“Might I suggest the strawberries, sir? They are freshly picked,” said the chirpy fruit vendor.
A gust of wind picked up, causing Airess and Taryn’s clothing to flow behind them. She grabbed her hood with her free hand. A few baskets on one end of the booth toppled over, the vendor cursing and scrambling to pick up the fruit.
“That damn wind!” the vendor muttered as his back turned from Taryn.
Taryn grabbed several more fruits and handed them to Airess quickly. Her eyes widened as she realized they were stealing. She opened her mouth to protest–
“Put it in your pockets,” Taryn whispered as he handed her two more apples before guiding her away from the stand, his hand hovering behind her back as they turned away. She stuffed the fruit in her pockets reluctantly. Airess' heart pounded as they walked away.
“You just stole!” Airess hissed under her breath.
Taryn laughed as they turned onto another street, this one adorned in fashion booths and weaponry. “And so did you. Do you have a better idea? We don’t exactly have enough time to work and save up for all this stuff. Just follow my lead.”
He had a point.
They approached a weaponry stand filled with daggers, knives, swords, and other weapons Airess didn’t know the name of. Airess observed quietly while Taryn conversed with the weapon maker.
“We just got this yesterday. Do you shoot?” the weapon maker said proudly, placing a bow and a set of arrows on the table. Taryn’s expression turned hard, staring at the weapon as if it did something wrong. His brows creased as he answered curtly, “Not anymore. Do you have something suitable for the Lady?”
The weapon maker brought out a dagger from his stack and handed it to Airess. She took it, grabbing its brown leather hilt. The blade was small, the weapon itself light.
Just as she began to inspect it, Taryn picked up a set of broadswords in a strap-back encasement displayed in the middle of the table.
“Ah, yes. Those are a rare find. A little on the older side, but works all the same –Oh, for the love of the Gods!” The weapon maker exclaimed at the sudden movement of the water barrel toppling over, knocking down his stand and soaking the weapons.
Metal clattered onto the ground, and Taryn quickly swung the broadsword over his shoulder as the man turned away.
Taryn grabbed her elbow and whispered into her ear, “Get ready to grab some clothing and run.”
What?
The pair hit up the next stand frantically, Taryn grabbing articles of clothing from different piles so fast, it was as if he’d done this before. Airess hesitated before eyeing a dress, stockings, and trousers. She grabbed them all with haste. Surely they couldn’t keep this facade up that much longer.
“Each item is – Aye! You need to pay for that!” said the booth owner as Taryn guided Airess out of the vicinity of the booth.
“Follow me and run!” Taryn exclaimed as the yelling of the booth owner’s shouts caught the attention of everyone around them. Taryn and Airess ran down the alley, her heart on fyre.
“Hey!” someone shouted from behind, “Get back here!”
