The Midas Touch

Chapter 7: Sigrun, age 40

Just like that, I ended up in prison at age 18. When the king had called us out again the next day, I confessed falsely that I had stolen the ring. Biyn was released, and since I was in prison, I'd never seen him since. I wasn't in prison for long, though. A year or so later, there was a massive earthquake that shook everyone. The palace collapsed, and I'd escaped with the rest of the prisoners. Since then, I'd begun my life as a wanderer.

All that, was more than twenty years ago, yet I still remembered vividly, to this day.

As of now, I found myself standing in the middle of an abandoned city, where buildings had all but rusted, and not a single person could be seen. Here and there, a stray animal would walk by, and they threw me curious looks, but didn't attempt to attack me. All my life, up to this moment, had been meaningless. Ever since I lost my family, there was not a single day when I was genuinely happy. Wandering, I was free, but there was no joy. If at this moment, the gods decided to take me away, I wouldn't complain. Twenty years since Biyn asked "What have you got to lose?", I still had nothing to lose.

Since I'd ended up in this abandoned city, I began wandering about, exploring everything. Vaguely, I could sense bits and pieces of the history that must have once taken place. Broken bricks were scattered on the ground, traces of wall paintings could still be seen. It was probably the heart of the city that I was in, given the number of buildings and the density of them. As I advanced further, though, the streets grew less lavished, and the scenery soon turned into the sight of a plain civilian street where workers would have lived.

There, I saw a house, modestly built. Behind the house was a field, planted with vegetables. A short distance beyond that was a barn. I could hear sounds of the livestock, but the barn was mostly blocked from my sight.

The city itself was long abandoned, of that I was sure.

Who would live there?

I felt a pang of curiosity. For the millionth time since Biyn had first said it to me, I thought to myself, "What have you got to lose?" and walked towards the front porch of the house.