21. The Market

It was just a nightmare. Right. Not like she had just entered Arthur's dreams. Or that Arthur was, in fact, in her bed uninvited. She overlooked his unexpected proximity to focus on his dream. She was certain what he saw wasn't conjuration of his own mind, she could feel it in her gut. She knew without a doubt her sister was out to get her.

''Were you having a nightmare?'' She asked. Did he know what she saw?

''Can we go back to sleep and talk about this later?" He mumbled.

He was snuggled with a pillow that smelled of Lucy, while she laid stiff as a board. What if what he saw was his own mind, his own insecurities? Did he really think she couldn't love him?

''Come here,'' he stretched out his arms. She was hesitant but gave in. He was too tempting to resist. She gave her body to him and he held her like a delicate flower. He pulled her into his chest and secured his arms around her, all the while getting comfortable.

She found herself wrapped comfortably by Arthur, whose front was conformed to her back side. It was a compromising position, but damn was it comfortable. She didn't want to go back sleep, afraid of the things she would see. She suddenly felt vulnerable. Her sister had truly scared her, she didn't even know who she was anymore. Her dreams were no longer a safe place. But somehow in the safety of Arthur's embrace she found solace.

Lucy couldn't remember falling asleep but she woke to an empty bed. She felt a little used. He could come and go when he wanted, and she had no say in it. She shook her head. She should be happy that he left before she woke up, he was uninvited. But she had let him stay, not realizing he would disappear without even a goodbye.

She got out of bed and dressed for the day in her usual Academy attire then considered how ugly it was. She decided then and there that she must go to the market to find material for a new pants suit. It had been a while since she had wandered outside of the castle, and suddenly realized that it had started to feel like home.

Was that his plan? To make her feel comfortable so she didn't want to leave? She shook her head, she was overthinking this.

She skipped breakfast this morning not interested in gossiping at the table. Instead she grabbed her coin purse and went straight out through the front entrance. She was surprised by a line of people who had come to petition the king. She quickly slipped through the hoard of people, receiving many stares in return. She swore she heard their whispers, but she ignored them. She had no time to worry about the rumors that would surely spread about the weird girl hanging out at the castle.

She kept walking until she had escaped the crowd and disappeared onto the streets, where no one cared who she was. She made her way to the Marketplace where she knew a reliable trader by the name of Johann. She took the alleyways and the backstreets avoiding running into anyone she knows. She just wanted to collect some fabric to make some new clothes.

She turned around the corner and nearly ran into the boy she spoke with the day before, until Arthur had so rudely interrupted them. Tarin was his name if she had remembered correctly.

''Miss Lucy, where might you be off to?''

''Sir Tarin,'' she nodded at him and kept walking, not caring enough to stop and converse with him.

''Not allowed to talk to me now, are ya?'' He called out to her, making her stop in her tracks. She turned around and walked back towards him.

''Don't you dare ever suggest that Arthur tells me what to do.'' She glared at him. ''I am an independent woman an will be treated as such.''

''Says who?''

''Says me!" She near yelled at him before letting out a frustrated sigh. This boy liked getting under her skin as his smirk never seemed to leave his face.

''I think you like to pretend that you are a self-sufficent woman, but in reality you like it when powerful men like the King want to take care of you.''

''And I think you know nothing about me.'' She spit at his shoes and walked away. She shook her head, fed up with men this morning. She quickly weaved through the streets, making her way to the market to locate Trader Johann's stall.

When she arrived to the market is was bustling with life. Children played in the streets, merchants pitched their goods to passerby's, the air was filled with the delicious scent of fresh cooked breads and meats as food carts traveled around the city. Lucy felt a little overwhelmed as she had gotten slightly used to the quiet confines of the castle. She pushed her anxiety aside and searched for her desired stall. Looking across the market, scanning the stalls and faces of the people bustling in the market, she almost swore she saw her sister, Mary.

Lucy stepped towards the mysterious girl, but suddenly she lost her in the crowd. She scanned around her again, locating the retreating cloak on the other side of the market. Lucy ran after her. She needed to find her sister. She needed to talk to her in person. The cloaked figure suddenly turned the corner and Lucy lost sight of her again.

She stopped in her tracks and shook her head. What was she doing? Deliriously chasing after a cloaked woman that may or may not be her missing sister? She needed to get her head on right.

''Lucy.'' a voice whispered.

She whipped her head around, looking for the source. It came from no particular direction and it had no gender.

''Lucy, where are you?'' The voice whispered again. It seemed to breeze by her as if a ghost was speaking to her.

''Lucy!''

Author's note:

So a 3-day weekend makes me lazy AF. But I finally got this chapter done. I think it turned out pretty good, I ask that you just bare with me and keep reading, I promise it will be good. :)

Happy Labor Day!

-Surviving (9/4)