Merlin rose bright and early the next day; the sun was just starting to stream its way in through the windows. Shaking his head in disbelief and horror as the events of the previous day came flooding back to him, Merlin got dressed and grabbed a quick bite to eat. Jugging down a glass of orange juice and some porridge, Merlin thought about which markets were on today and which one he would be attending.
There was Lavenham, Lewes, Malton and Knaresborough. As Merlin thought about his options, he gathered up all the necessary equipment he would need and gently placed them all into his enchanted satchel. He placed the vegetables he had harvested yesterday into the satchel as well; it would take some magical trickery to fool the normal people into not noticing a thing, the last thing he grabbed were the mushrooms and he placed those on top.
After everything was packed and ready to go, Merlin had decided on Malton's Monthly Food Market, which usually were run on every second Saturday, but due to the attacks had been moved a up a few days. Malton was a charming town with a rich history and a vibrant culture. Known as the food capital of Yorkshire, with a variety of local produce, artisan shops, cafes and restaurants it would be a great place to set up his stall.
Making sure everything was locked up and secured, Merlin left his house and discreetly performed his vanishing act. Arriving at the Malton Markets, he began setting up his stall and with a little bit of magic and no one the wiser everything was unpacked from his satchel. Merlin was arranging his fresh vegetables in neat piles, when he saw a couple approaching his stall.
They were both red-haired and wore simple clothes. The man had a friendly face and a moustache, while the woman had a kind smile and a plump figure. They looked like ordinary people, but Merlin could sense a faint trace of magic around them.
'Hold on a second there,' Merlin thought as he finished his preparations and turned to greet the couple, that man looked like one of the chaperones from Little Whinging.
"Hello," Merlin greeted the couple, extending a hand to shake theirs. "How are you today?"
"Hello, we're doing well, thank you. How about you?" the man greeted him cheerfully. "You have some lovely vegetables here."
"I'm fine, thank you," Merlin replied politely. "They're all home-grown and organic." Merlin smiled as he watched the couple browse his selection of vegetables.
"That's wonderful," the woman said. "We're always looking for fresh produce for our family. We have seven children, you see."
"Seven?" Merlin repeated, impressed. "That's quite a lot."
"Yes, it is, most of them are grown up now though," the man agreed. "But we love them all dearly. I'm Arthur, by the way. And this is my wife, Molly."
Merlin felt a jolt of surprise at hearing the man's name. Arthur. It was such a common name, but it still reminded him of his lost friend.
"I'm Myrddin Wyllt," Merlin said, trying to hide his reaction. "It's nice to meet you."
"Myrddin?" Arthur repeated, sounding intrigued. "That's an unusual name. Where are you from?"
"I'm from Bruton," Merlin answered truthfully. "But I travel around a lot."
"Bruton?" Molly asked, frowning slightly. "Isn't that where that terrible fire happened?"
"Yes, it is," he said quietly, Merlin felt a pang of sadness at the mention of the attack. He nodded slowly. "I was at home when it began, I could hear the screaming so i went down to the village."
"Oh, you poor thing," Molly said sympathetically, shaking her head. "That must have been awful."
Merlin only nodded in agreement, frowning at the memory. Arthur and Molly exchanged a look of concern and something else. Merlin was fairly certain that the couple knew something about what had happened but asking them anything here and now would probably spook the couple. He decided to change the subject.
"I have some new vegetables for you today. Have you ever tried sugar beets?" Merlin asked, grabbing up a white beetroot and showing it to Arthur and Molly.
"Sugar beets?" Molly repeated, looking curious. "What are they?"
"They're a type of beetroot that's very sweet," Merlin explained. "Some people use them to make their own sugar at home. They're also good for baking and salads."
"Really?" Arthur said, sounding interested. "How do you make sugar from them?"
"Well, you have to peel them and chop them into small pieces," Merlin said, placing the beetroot back down, "Then you boil them in water until they're soft. Then you strain the liquid and boil it again until it thickens. Then you let it cool and crystallize."
"That sounds like a lot of work," Molly said.
"It is, but it's worth it," Merlin replied smiling kindly, "The sugar is natural and organic, and it has a nice flavor."
"Can we try some?" Arthur asked, "Of course, only if you have any with you."
"Sure," Merlin responded, turning and reaching into his satchel and pulled out a small jar of sugar beet crystals. He opened it and handed it to Arthur, who took a pinch of the sugar and tasted it.
"Mmm, that's good," the ginger haired man commented, "It's very sweet."
"It is good," Molly said after she also took a pinch and nodded in agreement, "Can we buy some of these sugar beets?"
"Of course," Merlin said as he grabbed some of the sugar beets and placed them into a paper bag.
"So, what else can I get you?" Merlin asked them. "I have carrots, potatoes, pumpkins, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower and mushrooms."
"We'll take some of these carrots and potatoes," Arthur said as he and Molly looked over his selection and picked out some more items, "And some of these tomatoes and lettuce."
"Don't forget the pumpkins Arthur," Molly spoke up, "Our crop at home isn't doing so good, and we are running out of juice."
"Juice?" Merlin asked curiously, as he picked up the chosen vegetables and bagged them as well.
"We make pumpkin juice," Molly said, smiling at Merlin. "Have you never tried it?"
"No, I've never even heard of such a thing," Merlin replied amazed.
"I reckon you'd like it," Arthur spoke up, fiddling with his wallet, "So, how much do we owe you?"
"That will be ten pounds," Merlin replied watching as the man struggling with the notes, it seemed as if he had almost no idea what he was looking at, almost like he didn't normally use pounds.
"What's the use?" Arthur huffed, shaking his head and pulled out a gold round piece, "Don't suppose you would accept a galleon as payment?"
"Arthur these aren't worth a galleon!" Molly interjected, clearly upset, "We don't have that much money."
"Do we need the vegetables?" Arthur asked rhetorically handing the strange gold piece to Merlin, who felt the magic radiating from it. "The other place we usually shop at is currently unavailable."
"Oh, why is that?" Merlin asked turning the galleon around in his hand, studying the strange coin.
"It's nothing to worry about," Molly replied, trying to hide the concern and anxiety in her voice.
"You know," Merlin spoke up, pocketing the coin, "I don't mind doing home delivery, if that is what you would prefer? I'd do it completely free of charge, you seem like a nice enough couple and if I can help in any way, I'm willing."
"Oh dear, no you don't have to," Molly instantly reacted, "We couldn't possibly rob you of any earnings!"
"It's really no matter," Merlin soothed Molly, handing the bags of vegetables to Arthur. "And if you want to give me a list of the things you need and an address, I'll come by."
"Well, that's mighty kind of you," Arthur replied smiling happily at Merlin, "Only if it's no trouble, Molly why don't you write a list down?"
"Here you go," Molly said as she nodded slowly and took out a piece of parchment and a quill from her bag. She quickly wrote down a list of the things they needed, she also wrote down their address, Molly folded the parchment and handed it to Merlin. "Thank you so much for your kindness."
"It's my pleasure," Merlin replied as he took the parchment and put it in his pocket. "How does tomorrow sound?"
"That would be lovely," Molly responded, smiling gratefully at Merlin.
"Thank you so much." Arthur thanked Merlin for his generosity, "You have no idea how much it means to us."
"You're very welcome," Merlin replied, smiling at the couple. Merlin watched as Arthur and Molly walked away from his stall, holding hands and chatting happily. He felt a warm feeling in his chest, and he also felt a strong curiosity about them, and their connection to magic, they knew something, he was sure of it.
Merlin decided to find out more about them when he delivered their groceries the next day. He turned his attention back to his stall, and greeted the next customer who came by. He sold some more of his vegetables and also gave away some samples of his sugar beet crystals, and received some positive feedback. He enjoyed talking to the people, and making them happy with his goods.
He felt like he was doing something good, something that mattered. He stayed at the market until it was almost closing time, and then packed up his stall and discreetly packed everything back into his enchanted satchel, and thanked the other vendors for their company. Merlin then performed his vanishing act, and reappeared at his house in Bruton. He unlocked his house and entered, feeling tired but satisfied.
He put his bag down and went to the kitchen, where he made himself a cup of tea. He sat down at the table and took out the parchment that Molly had given him and the gold coin. He looked at the list of the things they needed, and nodded to himself. He had all of what they needed. He also looked at their address, and felt a surge of excitement. He couldn't wait to see them again, and to learn more about them.
Merlin finished his tea and went to bed, feeling happy and hopeful. He dreamed of King Arthur and his knights, of magic and adventure, and of red-haired wizards and witches.