Limbo between Kings

Day 17- A quiet visit to town

Morning mist covered the moist grass, spreading across the rolling hills. The streets were bustling with men, women, and rambunctious children, it was a pleasant sort of chaos. Across from her, Olivia studied a woman, younger than she, juggling a basket filled with bread and eggs while a screaming toddler pulled at her skirt. The mother’s cheeks were stained red from embarrassment as her child threw herself to the ground, kicking her legs in anger. Behind the mother, a small man peaked his head out from behind a building, then quickly hid from her view as their eyes connected.

Strange, Olivia thought, shaking off the suspicious feeling that settled in her bones.

“Is it fresh?” Silas spoke to the baker beside her, his voice sounded muffled as she tried to focus on the mother. Her toddler punched at the cobblestone, most certainly bruising his knuckles.

“The freshest in town, my good sir.” Olivia glanced at the baker as he spoke. The shopkeeper nodded proudly, pinching off a piece of brown bread to hand to Silas. Olivia turned her head back to the young woman but found she had wandered off.

“Ready?” Silas touched the back of her bare arm, wrapping his fingers around it delicately as Olivia nodded her head.

Coin rattled noisily inside the bag strapped to Silas’ right hip. Each long stride he took called out to the nearest shopkeep, whistling at them like hounds. The keeper’s cries for attention fell on deaf ears as Silas passed. His saunter seemed as if the market was his by right, his stride sure and direct as he ignored the people around him. There were no wrong turns or missteps, only overly confident ones.

She walked two feet behind him, her pace leisurely in contrast to his. The throbbing on her rib cage and between her healing thighs was dull compared to a few days ago, yet each step implored her to turn around and return to the comfort of the inn. Her mind, however, begged for the freedom that came with the market. The dark brick walls and the paltry bed of her room had begun to feel like a prison. One she was desperate to escape from at the moment.

Shoving the pain within, Olivia studied Silas from behind. She watched as his hand rested on the hilt of his sword on his right side. He didn’t grip it in a way that worried her for an oncoming attack, but lazily. She had seen his fight weeks ago, the sword was an extension of his arm, so it only made sense that he walked with it as such.

“Did you visit the shops often back home?” Silas slowed his pace to match hers, the satchel at his side grazing the cream fabric of her dress.

“No, I was never allowed to visit the town, or leave the castle grounds for that matter,” Olivia answered the side of his face, watching him scan the road ahead of them. He appeared ritualistic in his movements, checking every corner for possible threats. Would he have been suspicious of the man from earlier as well?

“Never?” His eyes slid to glance at her face, his head staying straight.

“No, never,” Olivia answered shortly, keen on not giving too many details about her past away. She knew there were rumors about her..what had they called it? Promiscuity. If rape and torture can even be referred to as such. Surely the gossip had met Silas’ ears at some point, the whore of Va’rella. “Do you frequent them often?”

“It’s a great escape from the dull life of ’just some soldier’.” He smirked, side-eying her once again.

“That seems to really have bothered you, do you not like the idea of being ordinary?” Olivia giggled softly, bumping her shoulder into his and watching him barely sway with her force.

“On the contrary, I find ordinary people quite pleasant to be around. It’s a shame, really, that I can’t sympathize too much with their lifestyle.”