Different worlds

2. We met at the market

POV ???:

In the provincial country side, towards the south, resides a small village with steep forests around it, providing a huge wood supply for winter. The trees would grow up to 10 m and were mostly from the ash species.
The said village was known as Maikril and every Thursday, the "big market" would take place in the center. Because of Maikril's small size, it was hard not to notice the villagers gathering to check every item on their shopping list. And so, everyone would go there, in the hope of finding what they needed.

In my case, what I was here for was not food or some carefully sculpted piece of wood, instead, information. Granny had sent me out yet again—probably because the elvlins were not supposed to be heard of here and my tall figure was as slippery and quick to disappear as an eil— to find out if anything unusual was going about, that is, a reason to why Emperor Blaze's army has been so on edge.

It wasn't unusual that things would get stolen, even though the merchants would get mad each time a strand of cloth or a slice of meat would be taken away from their stands. Desperate people exist and so it was also not unusual to see somebody running down the streets, clinging onto a bag with who-knows-what inside.

What is slightly weird though, is a guy running with his arms filled with rotten apples. The simple fact that it was apples and not precious fabric from the capital that rolled out on the floor, stunned me, a thing that almost never happens as I often don't get to get outside of Argondis. As I see the thief, I feel a great pain in my chest and feel slightly dizzy, but then suddenly feel okay again, it doesn't matter anyway, feeling lightheaded when doing a 180 was not unusual.

Incapable of ignoring the man who was running with no patch of skin uncovered, holding tight onto apples who might have worms inside already, I follow him discreetly, wondering what he really was protecting or if he really was just stupid enough to not notice the better goods.
What could it be? I may have ignored the thief if it weren't for the fact that I was getting bored asking around, that Granny had entrusted me with this and that he was directed straight towards Argondis. Home.

As I make my way through the small crowd, I fail to notice immediately that the sky, usually covered in clouds, was completely clear, sun shining on the vast prairie that separated the village from the forests, as if this day was going to be an extremely important one...

***

The couple of villages that happened to be in the countryside were always at the edge of the empire, the population concentrating in the Center. The Center was for the richer, nobler people, where luxuries would be found. Emperor Blaze, cunning as he was, wanted to keep the nobles in his grasp, spoiling and diminishing them, to make sure they wouldn't attempt a revolt. He redefined the metropolis, as a haven, whilst the poor would die and work hard to have a living outside.

I entered the forest, following the man from behind.

As he goes past several trees, the thief stoppes abruptly and I sneaked behind the closest ash tree. It only occurred to me now, that this man's way of walking was the same as the army's—direct, foots pointing perfectly forwards and back straight— something I wouldn't have known of without years spent in the no-longer-used war room at Argondis.
This vague thought was only uncertain until it became quite strong and I thought of what happened the last time I saw a soldier. A shudder goes down my spine, but I remained as calm as possible.

-Why are you following me?

My mind is in shock: I would have sworn the thief was 20 or 30? But this voice was undeniably a 17 year old's intonation, but he was so tall! Though what surprises me the most is how did he know I was there? I had given no sign of life. I slowly emerged in the clearing, trying to get sight of any weapon whatsoever on the stranger, being careful as I moved.