Tame
Chapter 1: Handsome Stranger

Dawn stood in line behind a group of chatting townsfolk. It had been a hotter than normal day for the season and that heat was still trickling into the afternoon. It made the little dry bar even busier than normal with people splurging to get a fresh juice or tangy cider.

Dawn rifled through her well-worn duffle bag until she finally located her coin pouch. It was disappointingly lighter than she had hoped. It had not been a great day for sales of her elixirs and remedies and she let out a long sigh as she counted the sparse amount of coins in her hand.

She had set up her cart stall in its usual spot, just a little way off from where the other vendors gathered and on the cusp of the forest. Ironically, she received more business there than if she shared the space with the other market patrons. Most people were too nervous to buy her wares on a normal occasion and the eyes from the judgmental crowd did not help. Much of her clientele were desperate people whose ailments became too hard to bear, often who could not afford treatment from the town practitioner.

Dawn approached the counter as the last remaining people in the queue ahead of her placed their order and sat down at some of the free wooden stools. Before she could even say anything, she flinched as the server smacked a heavy mug down on the counter. Dawn admired the golden glistening beverage before glancing up at the young woman.

Paige was the bar owner’s daughter and it was not unusual to see her partitioning the customers. What was unusual was the wide grin plastered upon her face. Normally Paige did not engross any of her customers longer than she had to. Especially Dawn which she clearly thought less of than the norm.

Dawn looked back to the beverage starting to form condensation on its outer. Confusion knitted her brow.

“But I didn’t order-” in fact, Dawn had never ordered in her life. Such a luxury was something she could never casually afford. Any money she earned went toward necessities or ingredients and raw materials for her remedies which, along with the sale of simple herbs, was her only livelihood.

“Already paid for. And he tipped well too, I might add!” Paige chortled proudly.

Dawn tucked a long strand of chestnut hair behind her ear nervously.

“Who would do such a thing for me?” she asked. Utterly baffled by the gesture.

Paige slid her elbows onto the counter, cradling her cheeks in her hands.

“That handsome man that just left.” She swooned.

Dawn followed her gaze to the middle of the bustling market where two men appeared to be in a deep discussion. They were both well dressed, sporting neat three-quarter sleeved blouses, dark slacks and thick boots drummed in silver buckles. They held a noble disposition which certainly made them stand out against the rustic lifestyle of the population, even within the busy flood of activity and colourful clamour of the marketplace.

Paige’s mother Naiya clicked her tongue disapprovingly in between the clink of worn glassware. Her knuckles were stiff and arthritic, but she stubbornly refused to buy or barter any of Dawn’s pain-relieving remedies.

“Good lord child.” Naiya huffed. “You know better than to mess with strangers from the thoroughfare. Especially suspiciously well-off ones like that!”

While the town was situated just off one of the busier roads, and was a necessity for simple travellers, it was also well-travelled by less favourable people. Mercenaries, looters, slave traders and worse still; non-human counterparts thereof also frequented. It was those kinds of people who targeted the struggling town members. They were indeed far better off than other settlements that had been struck with disease or an outbreak of fenrin, but that fortune also made them vulnerable. Naiya was wise to be wary, albeit she was prone to assuming the worst of most.

Paige either didn’t hear her mother or blatantly ignored her. Because she let out a smitten sigh.

“I wonder what his name is? I’ll bet he’s of fine patrician.” She said dreamily. “He can call me cute and buy me a drink any day...”

Of the two, the man she was focusing on was a skin shade darker than his companion. His facial features were well defined, with dark brown hair and a fringe that was swept back from his forehead. His eyes were a teal so radiant it was easy to discern their colour, even over a distance.

“You should talk to him.” Paige urged in a daze.

It was at that moment Dawn realised while glancing at this stranger, that their eyes had met. As he began to signal her a wave, her cheeks flushed a rosy pink as she snapped her attention back to the bar. Her long hair curtained down, shying away her embarrassment.

“No. I’m just needing a few supplies if you have any to spare. Cinnamon, salt and molasses.”

Paige’s expression returned to its usual sour scowl.

“Suit yourself, witch.” She snorted before returning her attention back to serving other waiting customers.

“No molasses. I can offer you just one pouch each of salt and cinnamon.” Naiya offered steely. “Two gold coins for each.”

The price was steep. But Dawn nodded. Not many people in the market would trade with her and she needed the ingredients- she was almost out.

Naiya placed down the glass she was wiping, then inspected the gold from Dawn before heading out the back to retrieve the seasonings.

Dawn cupped the refreshment in her hands and peeked curiously over her shoulder, but the generous foreigner and his partner had gone. She felt a little pang of guilt overlap her relief. She would have been undoubtedly too timid to initiate a conversation, but her courteous upbringing would have liked to thank him for the kind gift.

As Dawn raised the charity drink to her lips and sipped it, she smiled softly. The sugary taste of apples, and exotic twist of cinnamon and spices was both refreshing and tingled warmly on her palate.

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