The Fort: Lions first roar

Chapter Sixteen

At marketing day, most merchants and farmers arrive at dawn to set up their stalls and get everything ready. By around eight or seven o'clock, when the townsfolk wakes up to buy freshly baked bread and eat some breakfast, they would find the whole yard filled with all kinds of stalls; jewelry, fabric, clothes, all kinds of food, shoes, weapons, spices, magical instruments, pots and much much more. So many of them ended up buying a huge breakfast from the merchants and sitting outside in the sun eating it. They would probably spend the whole day at the market, catching up with friends and buying things they needed, or not needed. It was a lovely day for everybody.

Except the city guard.

"I hate this uniform with all of my heart" Lizzie protested when she pulled the red tunic over her head. "It's way too big for me and it stinks like horseshit."

"Language my little sister" Saga admonished her. Lizzie did a grimace behind her back and Hal snickered. Talroze grinned. He was off duty this day, due to Saga's visit. And he enjoyed seeing his fellow knights squirm in their warm, sticky uniforms.

"Stop grinning" Hal told him. He had duty too, together with Lizzie and Bruno. Aeric, Talroze, Cae and Owena was the lucky ones.

"At least you have nice weather" Talroze told him. "Last month it rained the whole day"

"Oh boohoo for you" Lizzie didn't have any merci for anyone today. It was going to be sizzling hot and she was unable to buy anything.

"Cheer up Lizzie" Cae said and hugged her. "Just a few hours in the horseshit and I'll buy you something."

"Chocolate" she said immediately. "And a bottle of mead."

"The peachy sweet one?"

"That one yes" she liked getting hugged. Cae patted her head.

"You have my word". He smiled and she felt a little less merciless.

§

"Oh, oh look at this! And this!" Ray was unable to stand still and wanted to look at everything. She laughed when Inelle tried to put back some necklace they had pricked up and Ray just kept picking up more.

"Medea, we need to look at clothes, and with that I mean dresses. You need a new dress, and I desperately need a new dress."

"If you stopped eating sweets that wouldn't be necessary!" Ray shouted. Samantha did an obscene gesture to Ray's back.

"I like having a filled bust so excuse me!"

"Excuse accepted" Antonius walked up behind them. Samantha rolled her eyes and Medea smirked. Inelle tried to look professional.

"Good day Antonius, no Ray stand still!"

"Miss Inelle" he answered with a look at Ray. "Are you planning on buying something or just..." now Ray heard this and stood straight up, showing that they could behave if they wanted to. "...run around?"

"Well I am actually looking for a telescope" Inelle said. Ray nodded knowingly.

"It's does long things made of metal and you can make them longer and..."

"I know what a telescope is thank you" Antonius said. "They sale brass telescopes down in the corner."

"Thank you, I'll have a look at..."

"Goodbye!" Ray dragged away with Inelle and she followed after together with Samantha.

"Your boyfriend is sassily" Samantha snickered. Inelle looked at her.

"That is, undoubtedly, the lowest form of humor every created, in the history of civilization."

Ray laughed and stumble around the street. Unfortunately, they stumbled right into Lizzie.

"Excuse me...sir?" she said. Ray got pale. "Is everything in order?"

"Yes, soldier" Ray squeaked.

"Good then. But I think I didn't apprehend your name, what is it?"

Ray took a deep breath. "Alistair Genevieve Rayshon Mallory Barnaby. Ray is enough." Lizzie opened her mouth, closed it, and just nodded.

"Fine, thank you, have a good day," Lizzie turned away and Ray looked at Inelle.

"Am I going to jail now?"

"If you were I would get some peace, but that's not likely to happen."

"Stop talking or we will get churros without you," she told them over the shoulder. Inelle suddenly realized she was in an extreme hurry. Churros were never a joke.