Journeys: Chapter Seven- Marketplace

Chapter Seven: Marketplace Mayhem

Lately my life has seemed to have taken a turn for the worst. I’m in an arranged marriage, I’m leaving my family, I lost my best friend and I’ll never go to schola academia to become a cartographer. Am I finally hitting rock bottom? Really, I know the phrase that someone else is going through something worse than I am, but this has got to be hell.

After Palvia left I decided to leave myself because there was no reason for me to stay there anyway. Are you kidding me? I hate teashops! They’re too frilly and…pink! I hate pink, I hate tea, I hate teashops, and I just hate everything right now. I just want to go for a nice stroll in the marketplace and just relax on the cliff by the water. Airen’s right, I need to get out and be my own woman. It’s time to do what Maris wants to do, and right now Maris wants to leave. I paid for our food and went outside to take a stroll. The marketplace seemed like an ordinary day. The crowds were moving past, the carriages were going down the cobble, and the guardsmen were patrolling the areas, especially the alleyways, for suspicious activity. Quite frankly, I haven’t seen any “suspicious activity” in Cheul in a long time, unless you count Davey Sprockets trying to make a glue bomb in school two months ago. My, that would’ve been atrocious. I opened my parasol and walked in the opposite direction. As I continued in this direction I noticed that in these crowds that the police were pushing people and running through them as if they were trying to catch someone. At first I decided to walk on the side of the road to not get knocked down and to count their odd behavior as some sort a drill to sharpen their skills. However, after I noticed more and more guardsmen running I decided to follow them.

“Stop it, mongrel! Halt! Stop!” a guardsman shouted. Suddenly there was a womanly scream and the sound of laughter and brisk feet. The guardsmen stopped to help the woman while I continued to follow the laughter. Suddenly I came right behind them in a crowd of people and began to listen to their conversation.

“Ha-ha, Parauvin they’re not going to catch us,” said the taller figure. The other, much shorter figure beside him began to laugh again.

“No, they’re definitely not going to catch us. Now that we harve these gems we can get our boat back. I’s tiered of stealin’ boats from other people, ‘Dris,” the shorter one, Parauvin, responded. He had an extremely foreign accent. Suddenly the crowd began to split as ten guardsmen came from all directions, trapping the three of us near a puddle. Great, now I look like a criminal too. My life could never have been greater than it is now. What’s next, I spend my days in jail? That’s another triumph on my list.

As we were surrounded we started to get antsy. The taller one, known as Dris I guess, started whispering to Parauvin.

“We don’t have any Polvo del Diablo left, so we’re going to have to think quick.” Dris whispered. Parauvin sulked quietly. I quickly thought to myself and suddenly I realized that I had the gem around my neck and that we were near a puddle with a considerable amount of water.

Maybe this could work. I thought to myself. Suddenly the sun shined brightly on the three of us, and the guardsmen decided to strike. Parauvin and Dris were going to fight back, but I stepped back near the puddle, and the water erupted and splashed all the guardsmen. The three of us ran out and to a secret place. Parauvin turned around. He was extremely short, stubby and tan. He had a red and blue bandana on his head, and had a gold ring through his right nostril. He had a matching ring in his elfish ear. Then Dris turned around to me. Oh Piem, did he look gorgeous. He was very tall, tan and muscular. He had dark short hair, very dark brown eyes and a bit of stubble on his chin and upper lip. He had a bar piercing in his ear and tattoos all over him. He looked young, seventeen years-of-age to be exact, but he could totally pass for older.

“Was that you back there?” he asked in a deep voice. I took a step back and shook my head. He chuckled. He too had an odd accent. It sounded Kralphinian.

“Parauvin, look at this one. She’s practically shaking in her boots now. I’ve scared the livin’ Davies out of her! What’s your name, girlie?” I stared intently into his eyes. I’m not going to allow him to scare me. Well, at least more than he’s already have.

“My name’s Maris! If you lay a finger on me I swear my husband, the mayor’s son, will make sure you’ll never see-” He stepped in front of me and put a finger on my lips.

“Do you honestly think that I’m afraid of a little girl like you? And I don’t give a bird’s arse who your husband is. I ain’t afraid of anybody. You got that girlie? Now tell me how you did that stunt, and we’ll be on our merry way.” I stepped back, and he stepped forward.

“Listen I’ll make a deal with you.” He laughed and so did Parauvin. I gave them a confused look.

“You want to make a bargain with a Kralphinian, a Kralphinian Radical to be exact? You’re practically bargaining for your life, but none the matter. What’s your deal?” He sneered. I gulped.

“Ok, if you take me with you to travel with you, I will be of much service to you and show you how I did what I did.” He stepped back nervously. He and Parauvin talked for a few minutes and then he came back to me.

“It’s a deal, Maris. If you want to leave with us you have until the tenth moon of today to do so. I suggest you go get your things together soon, girlie. Ten o’clock ain’t a short time from now.” The duo ran out of the area. “Hey girlie, the name’s Andrias. Meet us at the docks at the tenth moon.”