Theo dodged effortlessly, his body twisting to the side as the fruit sailed past him and landed with a dull thud in a pile of rugs.
Oops.
The merchant's outraged cry rose above the market noise.Before I could apologise, Theo lunged forward, wrapping his strong arms around me in a crushing embrace that lifted my feet clear off the ground.
“Put me down, you overgrown camel!”I shrieked, pounding my fists against his shoulders as he spun me in a circle.“I hate you!”
“No, youloveme,” he countered, his laughter rumbling through his chest and into mine.Finally, he set me down.
“You wish.”I muttered.
We fell into step together, weaving through the crowd.
The market hummed with renewed vigour as the morning progressed.Stalls overflowed with vibrant produce—pomegranates split open to reveal ruby seeds, figs dripping with honey, and olives glistening in barrels of brine.
We stopped every so often to admire the colours or to sample the sweetness of freshly cut melon offered on the tip of a merchant’s knife.
I turned to Theo.“When did you get back?”
He reached for a hanging bunch of grapes, plucking some and popping them into his mouth.The merchant opened his mouth to protest, but Theo flipped him a small coin without breaking his stride.
“Just this morning,” he said.“And let me tell you, after a month of travelling with nothing but camels and grumpy old men for company, all I want to do is sit back and relax.”
I raised a sceptical brow.“Then why are youhere?Shouldn’t you be at home, I don’t know,actually relaxing?”
“Had to see my favourite person first,” he said, smiling as he tapped my nose.
I pressed my hand over my heart with exaggerated longing in my eyes.“Aww, I’m your favourite person?That’s thesweetestthing you’ve ever said.”
“Of course you are.”His grin widened.“Am I yours?”
I turned sharply, my braid whipping around and nearly hitting him.“No.”
He gasped theatrically, staggering backwards until he collided with a stack of woven baskets, sending them tumbling to the ground.
“You wound me, Elira.Right.Here.”He thumped his fist against his heart, his expression so forlorn that even the basket seller chuckled while Theo hastily restacked his wares.
He really was my favourite person, not that I’d ever admit it.
Theo and I had grown up side by side, bound by a friendship that weathered time, distance, and our relentless need to irritate the hell out of each other.His absence always left a void I refused to acknowledge, but the moment he returned, I wasted no time in tormenting him.
The crowd suddenly parted like water breaking against stone.
Heavy footfall silenced nearby conversations, and people pressed themselves against market stalls to make way for—I counted three—royal guards.
They scanned the crowd.
It was odd to see them here.Our village was small, tucked away in the foothills far from the Northen Kingdom of Edla.
Theo and I sidestepped as they passed, their calculating eyes sweeping over every face.
Heavens, they were intimidating.
Their brute forms towered above the masses, broad shoulders draped in deep mahogany leather that crinkled with every step.The curved daggers at their hips flashed silver in the sunlight.
One man in particular was truly terrifying—a jagged scar carved clean from the side of his head, slicing down to his neck like a lightning bolt on tanned skin.
The previous commotion dwindled to soft whispers as the guards made their way through.An elder woman with silver hair tucked under a faded headscarf clicked her tongue, face pinched with disapproval.
