- Now he sleeps in the valley where the wild flowers nod, and no one knew he loved him but himself and God -
The afternoon sun hung steadily over the marketplace. Its hazy beams reached down upon the shops and heated the goods they sold. Once moist meats became crisped and the great wheels of cheese soft and molded before noon. Even the sweet teacakes turned soggy and melted in the shade of booth. People milled around the square, glancing drowsily at some shops and stopping to pull out silver coins at others. The market sat on the main thoroughfare in the village and up to the royals' houses and palace one way, and toward the peasant settlements on the other.
The peasants, mostly farmers and their families lived in the outskirts of town or in the lowlands surrounding the small kingdom. Dusty, well-trodden roads wound their way through the hills and passed by the broken down shacks and barns of the poor. A quiet sort of unease fell over these parts of the land.
At sudden, the loud bang of a screen door shattered the silence as two figures charged from their residence and up through the meadow. Twin pairs of tracks emerged from the dirt as their heavy foot falls passed over the ground. These two figures, both covered in sweat and mud, ran through the grasses and weeds with barely contained excitement and wicker baskets in hand. Each of them was already out of their youth and growing into fine young adults. The boy, strong as he was from years of toil, was also very slim. Tall, with dark hair slicked back from his forehead and brilliant emerald eyes, he was the picture of beauty. However, being one of the poor folk, it was not properly recognized nor seen through the layers of sweat and grime. The girl, likewise, was also very pretty. She had slightly lighter hair and eyes of shimmering azure, with a full bosom and slim waist. Both of them ran full speed through the countryside and toward the village. Laughing, the girl called out to her companion and, more specifically, brother.
"Loki," she huffed out, "do you think that the big pig father told us about is still there?"
"I should certainly hope so Lilath. If not, we would not have any piglets to sell come open market next spring! And what a disaster that would be! We've spent all summer building a pen for the darned animals, so I'd hope to goodness that we'd get one!" Loki forced a chuckle through the deep breaths he took as he ran. The air, he could tell, was getting moister and the sky darker out to the west. "We'd best hurry though. It's going to rain soon."
"Than hurry we shall, brother!" Lilath hooked her arm around her brother's and pulled him ever quicker towards town.
As the sounds of the marketplace grew louder, so did the sounds of thunder in the distance. By the time they actually reached the pavilion, a light mist had already begun to swirl around them.
"Alright," Loki breathed as they slowed, "Where even is the butchers?"
"I think father said it was around the corner from the bakery, right?"
Nodding, Loki scanned the square for any sign of either the butchers place or the bakers. Finally spotting the sign hung for the bakery, he called to Lilath and headed onwards. As promised to them, the butchers shop was indeed located just beyond the bakery. Stepping up to the open-windowed stand they dug the coins from their pockets and called out for the butcher. A portly man with a blood spattered apron emerged from behind the counter and gazed down at them beneath wiry brows.
"What can I do you for dears?" A lopsided sort of grin came onto his face and his mustache twitched.
"Do you have any of the pigs left? We heard that a whole lot of them were brought in from a farm in the north." Loki questioned, trying a glance behind the man to see for himself what was available.
"I'm sorry Lad, but the last of the hogs were sold to a fellah short an hour ago."
The siblings' faces quickly turned from a look of inquiry to the face of horror.
"None of them left!? But, we need one!" Lilath's eyes began to tear up. "Our family can't survive without one!"
"Again, I'm sorry Lassie. But I don't believe I can help you. I wish I could tell you I did, but I really don't have a single hog left."
Lilath tried to hold back the tears, but eventually dropped to the ground, sobbing and covering her face with her hands. Loki, face red from both frustration and embarrassment at his sister's outburst, quickly pulled Lilath to her feet and hurried off in the direction that they'd came.
"It's alright, sister. Perhaps they will have a nice sow here for us some other time." Though slightly disappointed at the waste of their journey, Loki tried to remain optimistic and plastered a semi-false smile on his face as they walked. Suddenly, a tremendous noise came from behind them. Swirling to see what the commotion was, they saw a large crowd beginning to form. Nearly everyone in the area was hurrying to join the mass. From somewhere amongst the din of the growing horde, they heard a strong voice rising up. It called,
"Make way! Make way for the Prince!"
And from deep within the swarm of people Loki thought he could see the outline of someone with gleaming armor and hair as gold as the sun.