With You, Always (ArthurxMale!Reader)

Chapter 4: Forest Encounters

You passed by that same fountain, watching a group of kids playing tag on the opposite side of the small courtyard. Their laughs and giggles echoed down the walkway as you soon came to your destination: the marketplace. Vendors galore covered the sides of the street. Most were selling food or produce, but the further back you walked, the more magical the items began to appear in the wooden stalls.

You weren't quite sure what you were looking for. Maybe some kind of potion or elixir to help with your memory? A handmade spell or incantation for memory problems perhaps? You didn't know what exactly, but you figured you would spot what you needed when you saw it.

You picked up a few potion bottles with names of interest, but nothing quite fit your needs. You kindly waved away the insistent merchants as you walked off from each of their shops. You were about to turn back around to reassess your options when something caught your eye.

And, wait that couldn't be...?

It was a small building that sat alongside each of the set up shops. Looking in through the window, you recognized a familiar line of woodwork. It matched that of the dollhouse you had back at within the castle of Treasluhan. This was the same shop your father had taken you to when you were younger. The one where he got your dollhouse of the castle made.

The inside was empty, but you recognized the counter where the shop owner would be waiting for her next customer. You had been too short at the time to barely reach the counter. You were on tip-toes as your father asked you to select the kind of wood and design you wanted for your gift. The owner of the store who had helped you at the time was nowhere to be seen inside. You assumed she must be off elsewhere, probably somewhere in the marketplace currently.

You carefully leaned away from the elaborate pieces on display with a wistful sigh. Had it really been that long ago since you were last here? Turning back towards the rest of the shops, you felt a smile tugging at the corner of your lips. But when you lifted your gaze everything drained out of you.

Your vision zeroed in on one person in the crowd. They stood with their hooded back to you as they glided around a corner. Your heart pounded in your chest as you watched. In the blink of an eye you were running after them. Once that shade of magenta caught your eye, you found it unmistakable. You knew you had seen that cloak before. There was no doubting it.

You swerved your way through the sea of people with only one thing in mind. You caught sight of the figure on the opposite end of the market. How did they get so far away so quickly? They were turning down a thinner alleyway that led away from the growing crowd. Sharpening your turn, you came up right behind them. For a split second, you froze, calculating what to do. Instinctively, you reached out for the tail end of this random person's cloak. Grabbing it as it flowed behind them whimsically, you tugged, planting your feet firmly on the ground. You saw them react and then stop. Swiftly, they turned to you.

Paralyzed, a set of amber yellow eyes sharpened their gaze onto you. The hooded figure was a woman. A woman who was currently giving you an expectant smirk.

"May I help you?" It was difficult to make out any other features on her face in the darkened lighting. It was like the longer you stared at her, the harder it was to see her face. Focusing on her eyes seemed to help, so you locked your gaze with hers.

"Yes, I think you can." You then — with your other hand— grabbed hold of the top of your hood and flipped it back. The woman's eyes flickered with recognition and you knew she was the one.

She was the hooded figure you had seen in the battle from Draiya.

I remember you. But why?

You stood there, mouth gaping in awe. You had remembered something. And, and it wasn't fading away!!