The market was bustling with men and women looking to buy their next meal, new clothes, or “fine” jewelry from a local scammer. For Serena, though, she was looking to find something easy to steal off a cart and a place to sneak into to sleep for the night. She moved from town to town, never staying in one place too long. This town she just entered in from another not far from here. But this one looked barren. Boring and without much to offer, and the main attraction was this sad market. A lone cart with many fruits and vegetables grabbed her attention.

  Reaching for a red apple unattended had quickly caught the attention of onlookers thanks to her striking appearance. Wearing her magenta cloak, and a bright blue dress underneath, she looked as if she was one with wealth. The bright, unnatural, bubble-gum pink hair didn’t help much either. Whispering and pointing following this notice of her attempt to steal. 

“Are you looking to buy anything, my lady?”

A woman’s voice. Serena looked up, retracted her hand, and moved it back underneath her cloak.

“I… I was looking, just looking.”

She tried to send her gaze elsewhere, but she was hungry, feeling a growl from within her gut. Taking glances back to the apple.

The woman’s face contorted to a look of sweetness to disgust. The tone had changed as well Once like honey now a snarl. No business, no kindness. Such is the way of the market. 

“If ya got no money, ya best move along!”

      Serena only gave a nod, she didn’t want to deal with an angry merchant, but with a sleight of hand, the apple was within her grasp once the woman shifted her gaze elsewhere. The hunger in Serena’s stomach had outweighed the fear. When she was far enough away she took a bite of the apple. A smile formed across her lips, soft and perfect looking. Everything about this woman looked perfect. Her eyes were soft and blue, with lashes just the right length. Her face was rounded yet slim, with a button nose and an indented upper lip. Not only that but to top it all off, she had lovely dimples on her cheeks and on her small round chin.

The definition of beauty. How could a gorgeous woman like her be so poor? Well, how far can one woman get in 1200 AD, the height of the Middle Ages.  

      She looked around the small run-down town she found herself in. A single inn was standing, with a bar below the rooms. She made her way there slowly with the freshly stolen apple. Her steps were quiet and elegant, like a noblewoman’s. The closer she got the louder the chatter from within became, mainly men and the giggle of a woman. Who knows what was going on within, but she had little interest in the problems of others. She pushed the wooden doors open, the chatter almost stopping immediately.

      Silence.

      “Who let this bitch in?”

A drunken man blurted out. Pink cheeks and a woman dressed in practically nothing draped across him.

      Serena gave a look of mild disgust in their direction; she should be covering her body Serena thought. A man from the other side of the room shook his head and rolled his eyes so loudly you could almost hear the sound of them rolling in his head.

      “She’s probably here for the rooms, not everyone comes here to fuck a whore like you do.”

He said, leaning back in his chair and taking a shot of some brownish liquid.

      Serena looked in the direction of the mysterious stranger who had defended her. 

“That’s right.”

 She walked closer to the man, wanting to get a better look at whoever he was. His eyes are what she focused on first, purple... Silver hair with a tint of violet overtop. He had some sort of strange contraption across his back. She had never seen the like of it before, long and shaped with a point at the top, but this point wasn’t a blade, but a tube with an opening.

      “Kind stranger, what is that upon your back?”

Serena asked, moving her hand out from under her magenta cloak and pointing to the top of the contraption.

      “It’s called a rifle, lady.”

Serena tilted her head to the side and lifted an eyebrow.

      “What’s that? -“

Before finishing, the drunken man from moments ago spoke up, nearly falling out of his chair doing so.

“It’s witchcraft! That’s what that there is! I say.”

HICCUP! It is all that escaped his mouth next.

      Serena only shook her head, giggling slightly. “Men wouldn’t know the first thing about witchcraft.”

She spoke softly, though it seemed the defending stranger heard.

      “I’m delighted you don’t believe such lies like the rest in this dying town. Speaking of. What’s a lady like you doing in such a dry place.”

He leaned forward now, his rough voice becoming clearer, moving into the light, his purple eyes became brighter. His face was smooth, and the man looked thin but not scrawny, which was strange as most people in the town looked scrawny. The lack of food would do that to you and he didn’t seem to be from this particular town anyhow, and he didn’t look like a noble, no matter how well he spoke. His clothes were so dirty! A once-white shirt now looked yellow, and he had a black vest overtop and pants matching the color.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“I am passing through, that’s all stranger,” Serena said softly. 

“The name’s Ash.”

He responded quickly to the comment “stranger.”

      “Ash.” She said with a smile. “Well, Ash, I’m Serena Light.”

He looked at her with a slight spark of interest.

      “First and last name, eh? They say that’s the sign of cash.”

Serena laughed.

      “You’d be mistaken then.”

He tilted his head.

      “Would I? Those clothes speak otherwise, you dress better than I do, though your hair says you’ve been out on the road for months.”

Serena was becoming amused by his words, pulling a chair over and sitting across from him. Though the rest of the men in the bar looked unamused that she pulled a chair to stay and chat longer.

      “Though your clothes say years.”

She responded in quick retaliation with a smile.

      “Alright, alright, you got me there.” He said, putting his hands up. “Though if you are here without money, then you must not be here for a room like you had said, so why are you in here?”

      Serena smiled and shook her head.

      “I am here for a room.”

      Ash laughed.

      “With no money? What were you going to do!? Just walk in and assume you can sneak into one to sleep in without getting thrown back out onto the street?”

      Serena didn’t respond, hearing her idea come out of his mouth made it sound all the more idiotic. So she remained silent. 

      “I see.” He said with a sigh. “You could probably sell something on you for a room.” He pointed at her chest. “What about that?”

      A green broach was clasping her cloak together just above her chest. Vibrant and sparkling, with a black upside-down cross in the center of it. Serena held onto it and took a step back, shielding the pendant from him. 

      “I would never sell such a thing; it was my mother’s!”

      Ash didn’t respond, he went silent after seeing her harsh reaction against his idea. He stayed that way for a long moment as if he was contemplating something. Tapping the table, one, two, smack!

      “I can spare a few coins, but I need something from you.”

Serena looked at him, worried about what this “something” was going to be. Taking a glance back at the woman draped across the drunken farmer. She shivered in disgust. Though Ash held up his hand and shook his head.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry. I’m not asking anything of that sort. I want you to accompany me to the next town, that is all.”

He said the request silently as if embarrassed.

“You are lonely.”

Serena said not as a question but as a statement.

      Ash nodded; he was, in fact, lonely. Long travels alone could get to one’s head. This woman seemed intelligent and possibly good company.

      “What do you say?” He asked. “Join me to the next town, and I will pay for a place for you to sleep. Maybe some food along the way.”

      Serena didn’t know if she should accept, though she would have left the next morning anyway. This town was a wasteland, uninteresting and impossible to steal food from, nothing more to be had than the red apple. She pulled that apple out from her cloak, staring at its shiny outer skin and looking to the small bite taken out of it. She can’t live much longer like this. Maybe she can befriend this man and stick around for further travels. If he has the coin to spare for her room, his company must be good.

      “Very well.” She responded after much thought.

      Ash smiled and rose from his seat, and looked to a door not far from him, this being the exit out from the bar and into the main guest area. Serena wondered why the entrance to the Inn was that bar they just left, though Ash knew all too well it was simply a cash grab. Trapping men in to drink their stress away and give up what little they earn.

      The duo walked up to a front desk with a blonde lady looking quite bored, giving a soft yawn, and leaning against the counter. She noticed them and quickly straightened herself up.

      “What can I do for you, sir and madam? Room for two?” The woman’s voice was sweet like honey, and she assumed Ash and Serena were together, which made Serena give a nasty expression. Ash wondered if he was that disgusting for her to make that face. He looked at the woman and smiled.

      “No ma’am, two separate rooms.”

The woman looked a bit confused at first, but after a moment, she handed over two keys. Heavy and metal, with the numbers carved on the tops of them. Rooms nine and ten. Serena took number nine, and Ash took ten.

      “That would be four silver coins, please.”

She held her hand out, waiting for Ash or Serena to hand over the payment. Ash rummaged through his pockets, pulled out the coins, and handed them over. He then gestured for Serena to go on to wherever their rooms were.

      After going down a narrow hallway, they found their room, each across from the other, with the numbers carved into the wooden doors. Serena looked back to the mysterious man who had helped her and watched him vanish behind the door. All that stared back at her now was the number ten. She let out a soft sigh and put her key into the door, walking in and closing it behind. The room was nice, and she couldn’t remember the last time she stayed in one. The first thing Serena did was make her way over to the soft white bed, running her hand across it. It looked nothing like a good, comfortable bed, but it seemed like they dressed it up enough to give off the idea it could be. Most likely filled with straw or hay, not like the beds of the rich that would have soft feathers. She lay on the bed and didn’t even bother to take off her cloak or corset. She was so comfortable that she drifted off to sleep on impact, not even getting the chance even take off her boots either. Soft slumber going through her.