Lion Heart

Chapter 2

I listened to the clink of the little brass bell as I opened the door. Alphonse looked up from his open book and shot a smile in my direction.
"Hello Nadia, how are you this morning?" He said sweetly, a smug expression painted on his face.
"Just wonderful." I say through clenched teeth.
"I assume Eli has finally managed to hit a moving target on his charming tomato crusade."
"Oh so that's his name." I replied tensely.
"Yes he's quite the charmer. Isn't he?," Alphonse propped his chin up with the palm of his hand, nonchalantly and smiled. "Just two days ago he managed to hit a beggar man."
"Well I pity the man." I say trying to control the level of anger in my voice. That Alphonse loves teasing me doesn't he.
"Have you had your fun yet, Alphonse?" I say matching his sickly sweet tone. The bespectacled man pauses for a minute, his brow scrunched as if he was deep in thought, before replying with that smug grin I absolutely despise "Yes, Nadia."
I fume silently watching as Alphonse reaches for a spare rag behind the store counter all the while giggling at my current predicament.
"I'm sorry I couldn't help it." He says in  between fits of laughter as I attempt to clean up the dried remnants of the tomato.
"Oh save it. I know you're not."
"Guilty as charged." Alphonse pushes up his glasses and swings open the counter's gate allowing me entrance into the workspace behind the counter. I plopped my worn canvas bag on one of the wooden crates situated behind the counter.
"Were there any new shipments while I was gone?" I nod towards the book on the counter, filled with incoherent scribbles written by either Alphonse or Mr. Naheri.
"Oh yes. We got a fifteen shipments of cinnamon early this morning and about seven of paprika. But I highly doubt there'll be more since most traders are too scared to enter the city."
"Is that so?"
"Viridia is about to be torn at the seams. If I were a foreigner I'd get out as soon as possible and never come back." He closes the leather bound book with a light clap and pushes it aside. Business is rather slow these days. Most either have no money for such luxuries as spices or have no need to get more. At this point Mr. Naheri's shop is surviving off of sales of tea and salt, our cheapest and most common products.
"No matter which son prevails life will remain the same for us commoners," I spat, Alphonse only stared back at me blankly.
"I'd be careful what you say, Nadia" he said gravely, green eyes boring into me,"you know both sides have people who'd kill the second someone speaks ill of their favored prince." 
"Why the hell would they bother to dirty their hands with some illiterate Raeinite trash?" I rolled my eyes at the thought. "To them my opinions have less value than the rats in the street."
"But the same can be said about your life as well." Alphonse blew out a sigh knowing how far I would go to defend my beliefs. He had long ago discovered how obstinate I was.
"I just worry about you."  I narrow my eyes.
"You don't need to. I can take care of myself." 
"You say that every time."
"Because it's true."
"I just don't want it to be the your last time."
My patience has run dry. I take a deep breath and quickly slung my bag over my shoulder, all while looking Alphonse dead in the eye.
"You know exactly what kind of horrible things I've seen. And I believe that you have the intelligence and the trust in me that I can never ever be silenced no matter what they may do to me for simple speaking my mind. Now-" I say holding out my free hand, "I need the list for today and I'll be on my way."

And with that Alphonse let out a final huff of defeat and handed over the piece of parchment I had asked for. I win.