When I returned to the castle around noon Achilleus was waiting for me at the stables.

"Awfully early for you to be awake, my lady"

"I felt inspired to ride." I said, putting my horse into its pen as quickly as I could. If I could avoid questions, that would be best. I wasn't sure I could explain what I had seen in the cave, at least not in a way that would keep him from going back. If Inigo had been right, Achilleus already knew, or at least suspected.

"A ride to where?" He asked, offering to take my bag from me. I held the empty thing close to me, most people don't return from a casual ride with a mostly empty bag smelling of raw meat. From the raise of his brow he seemed curious that I wouldn't let him carry it.

"Around the village." I said, "It is a market day." I said, I had seen the stalls and festive colors on my ride into the castle.

He nodded and walked in step with me back inside. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"It was just a ride around town."

"No, I mean last night. The wolves, you seem pretty shaken up last night."

"Over it." I said quickly.

"Just, over it? that didn't take long. You're braver than I thought." he opened the door for me and followed me into the hall. "Well, I apologize for the scare, I am not usually so easy to sneak up on."

"It's fine, It's behind us, I would rather not talk about it again." I said, hoping he would stop bringing it up. All this talk did was make me feel bad for the man that was dying in a cave from his own stubbornness.

"Very well, you must be hungry after your ride." He asked.

"I am, but I would like to bathe first."

"Of course, go bathe. Would you prefer your breakfast in the garden or-"

"I want to go to the village." I cut in.

"The market? Sounds messy." He said.

"It would do me some good to get out of this place." I said. It was true. The market made me forget most things, no doubt it would shake the memory of the wolf.

He nodded "Of course, my lady, Should I call it a date then?" He asked

"Oh yes, because last date went so nicely." I said over my shoulder. He paused at the base of the stairs as I started up them.

"Is that actually a yes, or are you just being difficult with me?" He asked

"Sure, if you have commoner clothes that won't make you stand out like a drunk at temple."

"Of course, I will see what I can do. Meet me by the front gate in half an hour."

I was waiting at the front gate as soon as I could. I had a dress just for days like this. It was simple and plain and unbefitting of royalty. It was my favorite thing I owned. The simple linen dress was two toned. It had a plain white bodice that covered the shoulders and settled itself into ruffled sleeves that had long forgotten they were meant to be ruffles and had found themselves in a gentle retirement of being wrinkles. The skirt of the dress was a sap green that had started to rub off along the seems. It came short, just above my ankles and was tattered in some places where it used to drag on the ground. Beneath that, a rough underskirt that was as brown as the dirt of the fields. The two pieces were complimented by a simple sap green corset that was hardly useful for more than the color it provided. I had bought this dress with my own money. I had not used a drop of my families money. I earned every single copper in the community garden, telling stories to passers by. It had taken me a month to save up because I could only come to town every so often. It was worth every coin. It was worth knowing I could earn it myself and not off the backs of somebody else. My sisters had mocked me tirelessly when they found it. To them it was a ratty second hand set of wrags. I didn't try to make them understand. Royce always had such a taste for class and elegance. Nelle took pride in pointing out my shortcomings to me. She had meant well, she thought it would help me improve myself. She just didnt see how much I didn't care to do such a thing. It wasn't worth my energy to prove the value of the dress to them. It stayed in my wardrobe until the day Nelle finally left. Since then I wore it every time I went into town.

Prince Achilleus was overdressed by most standards in the village. His clothes looked the right quality, but with their crisp folds and solid dye work they looked new. "You beat me." he said, surprised that a woman could get ready so quickly.

"There are many places to see. It's worth the urgency. I promise." I smiled and turned to the gate, not waiting for his help to open it. He rushed to me and took the handle from me.

"A lady does not open her own doors." he scolded and pressed his hands around mine to open the gate for me.

"Thank you. But when we are in the village you are no prince, and I am no lady." I corrected him and started down the thin stone path that connected us to the village. He trailed close behind.

The market of Langdon Keep was a bustling hub of activity, a place where the villagers gathered to trade goods and bask in the energy of life. The air was filled with the sounds of haggling and laughter. The aroma of exotic spices and sizzling meats pulled me through the busy street towards food. Bright colors and waving banners framed the stalls, each offering its own unique wares.

The food vendors called out their offerings, tempting the crowds with savory treats and sweet delights. Bakers displayed towering stacks of fragrant loaves, and butchers offered juicy cuts of meats, still steaming from the fire.

Street performers wove their way through the crowds, their magic adding to the vibrant atmosphere. Fire-breathers spat flames into the air, acrobats flipped and tumbled, and musicians strummed their lutes and sang songs of adventure and wonder.

The market was a place of merriment, a place where one could forget their worries and bask in the joy of being alive. It was a place where the impossible seemed possible, where the colors were brighter and the sounds were louder. It was a place where magic and wonder came to life, and where the villagers of Langdon Keep gathered to revel in the sheer energy of existence.

I found myself with a ear of street corn and a spot in front of a fire juggler before Achilleus had even come to terms with the condition of the market. The juggler twirled three wooden batons with tar soaked cloth burning at each end. Even in the mid day sun it was a brilliant and vibrant spectacle. How any one person could have so much coordination was beyond me.

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Achilleus interrupted my wander with a hand on my waist. "Is it always so crowded here?" he asked me bewildered.

"Isn't it great?" I asked, turning to him and offering a bite of my corn. It was red with spices and still steaming. He turned it down.

"How do you navigate this place. You can hardly see ten feet ahead."

I laughed and took a bite of my corn. "You don't navigate, that takes far too much thought. Just turn your brain off and follow the crowd."

"Oh it makes me want to turn my brain off alright." he snarked. I turned to face him.

"Achilleus, you shared your past with me a bit last night. This is part of how I grew up. Now, we aren't going back until you've enjoyed yourself." I insisted

"My lady, im not sure that I ca-" I shoved my cobb of corn into his mouth.

"Shh. Eat and watch." I turned my attention back to the juggler who was wrapping up his act.

"hmhmphm" Achilleus pulled the corn cobb out of his mouth. "So uncivilized"

"so civilized." I mocked back. "live a little."

We watched the juggler finish and tipped a few gold into his hat.

We found our spot on a bench beside the community garden. Lettuce, potatoes, and other simple things that the community grew for the small homeless community to stay fed with. On days like this, speakers would stand on the edge of the garden and share their stories. Of all of the places that existed in this beautiful village, this bench was my favorite. I could see the bright bustling busyness of the market, the food, the many permanent storefronts, and best of all, with my back turned to the castle, I could pretend it wasn't even there.

I sat with Achilleus listening to an old poet read his writing to the crowd. Few people stopped to listened, he was too glued to his paper to notice.

"I have been where the tall grass blows,

Where the sunset ripens its gold,

And the mountains stand with their peaks of snow,

To fence away the cold,

Where the cypress and the pine together lent

Their fragrance to the air,

To make the land of my home

Most exquisitely fair.

I've heard the old crow call

To his mate in the blossoming trees,

And I saw the white waves heave and fall.

Far away over southern seas.

I walked along the beach of gold,

By the shore of the southern sea,

To the waves, I listened and I grew

Till I knew their murmured speech.

Farewell your faces fade--

Fade, and disappear

In the light no mortal cloud may shade,

Heaven's morning dawning clear.

Oh, land of gold so fair

By soft sand footsteps trod,

I shall wait for you, beloved there,

In the paradise of Gods."

I found myself holding the prince's hand as we listened. The old man's voice faltered through his speaking and I could tell from the way it shook that he must have lost somebody recently. I dipped my hand in my pocket and clasped a few gold in my hand.

"Some people just have a way with words don't they." Achilleus whispered.

"They sure do. I flashed the coins to the prince and we walked up to the man together.

The prince reached his hand out the the man. "Sir that was an touching piece, I've been to the south many times. It may well be the paradise of gods." The old man chuckled at the prince and shook his hand. I couldn't help but notice that he was teary eyed.

"It is, my wife had loved to visit in the summers."

I stretched out my few gold to the man. "I've never heard you out here before. Your voice is good for poetry.

He gave a weak smile. "Thank you sweetheart, but I am no poet, " he tucked the poem back into his breast pocket. "That was the last poem that my Mary worked on before she passed on."

I felt my stomach turn for him. "May I give you a hug?" I asked. He gave a nod and a gave him a friendly one that lingered. "I remember Mary." I said quietly to him. "She used to read her poems out here on market days, its been a long time."

his face lowered to my shoulder and he nodded.

We sat like this for a short while, quietly appreciating Mary in our own ways until he finally stepped back from me.

"I am glad that you were here to hear it..."

"I am as well."

"I wish you the best." he said, turning away to return home, or maybe head south.

Needing some time to recover from the moment in the garden the prince and I drifted back to the crowd. We ate a little snack of mutton and headed towards the tavern for a drink.

The tavern never had interested me before, but the tiny red shed in the alleyway did. The tiny little shack was half falling apart. Faded gold letter spelled out "seer". It had a lazily patched up roof and despite looking like something a pig might sleep in, I knew it to be a true place of magic.

"I want to go there after." I said, pointing out the shed to the prince.

"That dirty thing? What's the point?"

When we had sat down in the corner with our ales I started to explain.

"Do you believe in magic"

"Sometimes, not faerie tale casting spells magic, but some sorts sure."

"okay, so..." I leaned in closer to him. "The lady in the shed can see the future."

Achilleus let out a hearty laugh. "I'm sure she does."

"no, really, I've seen her a few times, surely too far apart for her to remember me. The fortune is always the same." I Insisted.

He sipped his ale. "My lady, perhaps she gives everyone the same fortune. That or she is good with lies."

I sighed and took a small sip of the drink. Far too earthy for my taste. "It is one of my favorite things. You must try it once."

Achilleus grumbled and sank back in his chair. He crossed his arms. "It is unnatural, having somebody poke in your head like that, if she has such a power."

I huffed and slid my ale towards him. "I think you're just afraid of what she might find." I snarked and wandered out of the tavern

Stepping into the fortune tellers shed was like passing through a portal to some new world. I was met with a wave of incense and smoke that hung in the air like a still fog. The shed was small, a simple table in the middle with a little glass orb and a woman sitting on the other end of it. The fog parted around us, only moving when a body body pushed through it, and still, it closed back in on itself the moment it could. It was like walking through a dream. I sat in my chair and the fortune teller spoke to me with a crackly familiar voice.

"Princess Aryanna, It has been some time. the corners of her lips bowed up deviously.

"So you do remember me?" I asked, maybe he was right.

"A future as bright as yours is hard to forget."

"Being a Queen loved by her people does not seem particularly outstanding." I said.

"And yet you come back, to see if your future has changed. If you can escape your royalty somehow, isn't that true." The way she picked me apart made my skin crawl in the most fantastic ways.

"Maybe I just want to hear your reassuring voice." I said.

"Then maybe you pay me for a reading" she gestured her hand towards the table.

I placed my gold coin down and hovered my hands over the orb like I had many times before. "Of course, Madame."

She placed her hands over mine and began to mumble her incantations. I shifted around in my seat to get a better look at the orb. She always seemed to see something inside of it, I never could. It only took a few moments for the air to chill and the smoke in the room to begin to swirl around us like a whirlpool. The wisps of grey smelled like abandoned books and brushed along the back of my neck calling goosebumps to attention.

I sat perfectly still. The grey smoke turned green and her old eyes glowed with light.

"I see something new for you for sure." the fortune teller mused in the voice of many people. The voices of the ancients she had called them. An excited smile flickered across my face. I could feel myself nibbling on my lip holding out for what exactly she saw. "What do you see?" I asked. She licked her dry lips and spoke again. "I see a powerful handsome man. A king, not a prince. A man to be bound to, and to have bound to your every need." She looked up at me with a devilish smile. "A lucky princess you are. Moonlight, Moonlight." He hands crept away from mine slowly. The smoke around her returned as still and motionless as it had been before.

"This man," I asked excitedly "what did he look like."

"I'm not sure, I couldn't see his face. But I could see your's, and you seemed pleased."

"Thank you Madame Seer" I dismissed myself from the table and wandered out into the alley where the prince waited for me.

"Well?" He asked "Anything good?"

"Something now." I said smugly. "Your turn, go on."

He shook his head but humored me by stepping into the shed. I found a seat on a barrell across from the shed. It was bad luck to listen in on somebodies' future. I spent the alone time to think about my new fortune.

A powerful and handsome man. I thought of the prince immediately. How couldn't I. He was perfectly easy on the eyes. His kingdom was reasonably wealthy and powerful. Last night in at the lake he had talked about the stars and how much he enjoyed the night. I closed my eyes and imagined a world where I stood across from Achilleus in the moonlight of a quiet beach. A moment where our hands held one anothers and the tide rolled up to kiss our ankles. I could see his face across from me if I tried hard enough. In this world It was just us. I didn't want the duty of being the queen and he didn't care. He loved me as I was and accepted me as I was. A lucky princess indeed.