The Realm Protectors

Chapter 34 - Avani

Aideen keeps us entertained throughout the week, making sure that we're never left alone or bored. She tells us everything she thinks we should possibly know about Varma Urbo: which of the market stalls have the sweetest fruit, the spiciest meat, the best clothes, the cheapest jewelry, and most importantly:

"The best desserts!" Aideen laughs, handing me a churro dusted with cinnamon, sugar, and something else that adds a new height of sugary deliciousness. She had come for a visit earlier during our designated distance learning time, and convinced me to sneak out and go to the marketplace.

To my credit, I did hesitate for a second.

Now we're laughing as we weave our way through all the stands. Without my crownband on, some people don't even recognize me. It's the most peaceful I've been in weeks, despite the fact that everyone's yelling for our attention. Delicious smells waft from every booth, and my stomach growls.

Aideen snorts. "You're still hungry?'

I roll my eyes. "Aideen, I'm always hungry." She smiles and grabs my arm, pulling me between booths selling long beads of various colors and brightly colored birds in different types of cages. People call out to us as we cross paths, and Aideen apologizes as an older woman drops her basket of fruit because of our appearance.

"Where are we going?" I ask Aideen. We pause at another booth selling deli sandwiches, and she pulls some loose money out of her pocket.

"Don't worry about it," She says with a wink. The man behind the stand hands her two sandwiches in exchange for the money. Her eyebrows scrunch as she looks around the stalls around us. "Do me a favor and go over to that booth – the one with the pink cloth – and grab a pitcher of peach lemonade. I'm gonna grab one more surprise." Aideen winks again as she shoves money into my free hand. I start to call out to her but she runs off, disappearing into the crowd.

I huff and eat the last of my churro, wiping the excess sugar against my shorts. The stand with the pink cloth is across another path, so I do my best to work around all the patrons without causing anymore disturbances. A little girl with a crown of red-brown curls waits behind it, mixing a jar of water and sugar. She looks up when I approach, pasting a bright smile on her face.

"Halora!" She says. "Qüe yoro a túa?"

"Um," I blanch. "I don't speak Fajran."

The little girl smiles wider. "That's okay. What can I get you?"

"A pitcher of peach lemonade?" I ask, looking around at the different jars. I can see strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, and mango on the shelves behind the little girl, but no peach.

"Oh, Aideen sent you." The little girl giggles. "Mama always makes her a special batch. Nobody likes peach lemonade around here 'cept Aideen."

I smile. "Yeah, I'm a friend of hers."

The little girl holds out her hand, and I give her the money. She puts it in a large jar next to her and reaches underneath the counter with a girly flourish. When she comes back up, she's holding a large pitcher filled with a light amber liquid. Chunks of ice and frozen fruit clink against the glass as she hands it to me.

"Tell Aideen I said hi," The little girl giggles. I nod and turn away, walking back to the spot where I last saw Aideen. A few minutes later, Aideen appears from behind a booth filled with colorful glass trinkets. Hanging from her arm is a basket that appears to be filled with more than just the sandwiches she bought earlier.

"Come on," She waves. "I know the perfect spot for our little picnic." Aideen grabs my arm and pulls me along until we finally exit the marketplace and begin walking towards a tall sandstone gate. Words are engraved on the arch, but I can't make them out.