The Game of Time and Crown

Twenty

As the day breaks, we also arrived at a place that looks like a market. Both sides of the place have stores lined up selling different things and food. We both got down off Caspian and we just walked through it. There were numerous fruits and vegetables but there were also few fishes.

At first, I though we are going to buy something but instead, we got directly into a sort of shop where people are lining up together with their camels and other things.

My forehead creased in confusion and at first, I thought they were lining up for a room and they are travelers heading somewhere but as I watch everyone who leaves the counter, I automatically realized what it is.

I looked at Darius who is now holding his dagger on his left hand. He is caressing it and holding it as tight as he can as if he doesn't want to let it go.

I knew that the dagger was valuable to him. Whether it be the first gift he received or someone important gave it to me or he earned it on a valuable mission, whatever it may be, I know it is important.

And right now I know what he is thinking. We are currently in line to a shop. And in my time, its more of a pawnshop. He is going to exchange his dagger for an amount of money we can use and if he didn't gained enough money to pay it back, he will not get the dagger back.

"Are you sure?" I sadly askes him.

"We will not survive without anything. We could buy food here that would last until we arrived at the Witches Lair."

"But how are you gonna get it back?"

"I'll find a way."

I looked at him sadly. The dagger was so beautiful I am very sure it would be very expensive.

As it is our turn in the counter, he laid the dagger and the man examined it excitedly. His eyes gleam in delight.

"90!"

Ninety bars? Is that enough? I was anticipating it would be something around three hundred and fifty or higher.

"100." Darius said.

The man twitch in annoyance but he did agree to Darius' price because we all know that the dagger was more than that and he gained more by having it so cheap.

Darius took a last look at it before giving it to the man in exchange of a box of gold bars. He carried it away and didn't even bother to look back. And I know why. He didn't have the courage do even do so.

We went straight to a cabin that he spends all the remaining bars we had left on our first room back in the dessert. We settled down and he lie flat on his back to the bed which is considerably more comfortable than the first room we had. He closed his eyes but I know he is still wide awake

I looked at Caspian which I can see from here on his very own cage just across the room. He finally had a decent grass to eat and not the almost dried ones.

I locked the door and sat down at the edge of the bed. I was almost startled when Darius spoke.

"You can sleep and have some rest, I saw a*****e earlier that cooks warm food, we can eat there after we got our supplies."

I looked at him and sadly smiled. I lay down in bed and tried to fall asleep but I ended up looking at him while his eyes are closed.

He even still remember how I used to shout and beg for warm soup and food. The witches lair is also just around one or two days far away from here so the money that we have right now is too much and can even supply us for a month if we are really thrifty.

Suddenly, I had a weird feeling so I just decided to turn away from Darius and just try to get some sleep so my body could have the rest it needs before we even set out on a travel again and this

time we will be hunting for answers and not running away from anyone or anything. As I drift off to sleep, I had the same dream that started to occur when I was fifteen.

I don't even know if it is appropriate to call it a dream because I am very much aware that it is one. And instead of being the one in scene, i always find myself looking and watching it from a far.

But when I thought this dream was suppose to be my mother giving birth to me and calling me Adelaide because, and I quote "that is a promise her great grandmother and grandmother made her keep" I shifted off to Amaya. She was crying in a man's arms while constantly saying "I didn't saved her. I failed"

Before I could try to talk or walk near her, the dream faded like some smoke that is blown by an air.

I woke up feeling a but groggy so I didn't dared to move. I just sat down at the edge of the bed waiting for it to settle down. As I started to feel more secure, I saw Darius staring at me worriedly. I nodded my head to tell him I am okay.

"Nightmare?"

I nodded.

"Is it always the same one?" he asked me.

"Yeah. I've had those dreams since I was a kid and it stopped for some time and now they're just back." I explained.

He looks worryingly but he just brush it off and told me we have to go out and eat and but the supplies we need that is good for two days.

We head straight to the market first and we bought some fruits that is not yet that ripe so it will give us some time and we don't have to eat it in rush. We bought some mashed 'thing' and according to Darius, this food could last for a month after being made. It doesn't look delicious but it doesn't look like it's something that is not edible. It sits right in between. We also bought a large round thin bread which I think is what is delicious because to me it smells like butter

after packing all the food, we attempted to go buy a weapon, but we didn't get to buy even the smallest knife. It's just so expensive and if we did buy it, it would not even be able to protect us because it's as dull as nothing.

Darius also told me that we have to saves a bigger money that we would use to pay the witches. We had to pay one so we could get the information we need whether it may be about where in their place a specific poison is sold or maybe we could just ask her to point it out using a spell which is more expensive.

We head towards the store where there were tables and stool chairs lined up in front of it. My stomach rumbles as I smelled the melting aroma of a salty and sweet something food that I never even know what is. We sat down at one of the tables and Darius was the one to go to the counter to pick up foods that we will order. He came back with four bowls of different soups, a vegetable 'something' in a bowl and a freshly cooked meat with sauce that I am so sure is what I smelled earlier.

"There so many soup," I commented almost trying to remind him that we need to be thrifty.

"Don't worry, they are cheap and they are delicious. They would help with the cold weather and colds."

I started to dig in to each and everyone of them and I last tasted the other bowl which Darius gave to me. It looks like and Asparagus soup to me but when I tasted it, it was like a combination of a very salty but melting butter at the end which disintegrate all the saltiness in to just plain delicious soup. We halved every bowl and exchange after so we can both eat everything. After we finished the soup, we began eating the vegetable and I though it would be like a rest for my tongue but I was wrong. The vegetables tastes so delicious and healthy with only salt, pepper and an oil, which I don't know what kind

is the only ingredients that comes with it. It tastes so refreshing and the vegetables was so crunchy.

I personally think that if I were go describe every single thing I eat, I would sound like a food critic.

When we finished the meat looking like a steak, I almost fell to my chair in overload.

"If I would be executed, this would be my last meal." I uttered in ecstacy.

"This is our normal food, every Persian eats this or even here in the north. You're just saying that because you're starving," he chuckled and then drank some water.

I looked at our bags and when I was sure that everything we might need is there, we head back to our room.

We didn't lay down immediately but instead, we faced each other trying to talk but no one was willing to be the first to break the silence.

"You're so full of yourself."

"You talk like you know everything. "

My mouth fell open when I heard him. Did he just literally said that I talk like I know everything?

"I'm not boastful, I just know what I am capable of," he defended himself.

"That's my first impression, okay?! You're just so grumpy, sometimes you are jolly, sometimes you're kind but most of the time you just seem like a regular person," I added.

"I am a regular person!"

"You're a Prince!" I yelled.

"You are a knight and you're suppose to show chivalry and honor but all I heard from you was your chivalry and honor but all I heard from you was your complaint about how hard the bread is."

"But it is hard. It's like chewing on a clothes!" I reasoned out.

"Oh come on!" He waved his hands at me.

"You know what? I don't know what kind of teeth do you have to not even complain!"

We both looked at each other and no one dared to blink, when we are both on the verge of doing so, we turn our backs on each other with my arms crossed in my chest.

The bread was hard!