"If there's anything else you need, state what you want. Here and now." The gruff man whispered from behind the bar. "It's a trivial matter if you want another drink, but I'm not giving you another kiss, missy." The girl who he was talking to pouted and threw her drink in his face, before storming out of the tavern. On her way past, she knocked over a little girl carrying a huge tray of bread out the front of the bakery. The bread rolls spill everywhere as the girl goes flying. A kind old man bends down and extends his hand to the girl, lifting her from the floor as he helps her pick up the bread. She doesn't notice him slipping a loaf in his back pocket as he walks away. The old man begins to run as the girl starts to count her bread rolls on the tray. "Could've sworn there was another one..." She muttered, under her breath. The old man dashes past two guards who are exchanging polite conversation about uncomfortable topics. "I heard about that incident with you and the thief, Mellisa!"
"Psh, nah, I'd never let a thief get away with robbery for a share in the profit!"
"I didn't know about an incident, but you just told me!"
"Why you little-"
The female guard clobbers the male guard with the hilt of her sword. The old man wipes some sweat from his brow as he retreats into a cave.
This is what the kingdom looks like before the day. The day that everybody is scared of. The day that nobody can seem to avoid. The day that follows you around for the rest of the year, taunting you, chipping away at the back of your mind. Yes, tomorrow is the day of the tournament.
The wind blows through an empty, dusty street. Window shutters shudder as the carriage that everybody dreads rolls through the people-ridden path. Freya is inside that carriage, carefully plotting the competition ahead. "Who to choose, who to choose?" She mutters, placing her hand on her chin. "I'll just have to wait for the crowd to assemble." Nobody waves at the carriage. Nobody yells hello. Nobody will be safe. No one will be left unscathed.
YOU ARE READING
Turning The Tides
FantasyThe medieval town of Leftiana has been plagued by a mysterious woman controlling the royal family from the shadows. For the control of the king, she protects the town from the barbarians of the outside world. There is one other small price she deman...
