Destined Queen

Chapter 4

Thais Pov

“When are you going to marry me?” I looked up with a silent stare, c*****g my eyebrow in disinterest at the man behind the stall. Every time I came to town he was hitting on me. An older man, a raunchy expression on his face as his eyes always followed me around the market. Even still, he was great at making weapons, and every time I needed a new knife I had no choice but to go to his stall.

I stood there, holding one of his knives in between my fingers, twirling it slowly as I stared at him. “We’ve already talked about how inappropriate this is,” I told him, sighing.

He eyeballed the knife in my hand, a bead of sweat falling down his forehead as he gave a scared chuckle. “You…you’re right, I’m sorry. Why don’t you take that, for free?” He asked, his eyes trained on the knife.

I stared at him, looking down at the knife in my hand. It was fairly pretty, a nice design etched on the handle, and the steel was nicely made. Without much pause, I reached into the pocket of my dress, pulled out a few coins and threw them on the table. “I don’t like charity,” I told him absently, before turning away. I could hear him muttering something under his breath as I slid the knife into my pocket, before walking back to my cart. Everywhere I walked, people avoided me. It was just like when I was younger at the Kingdom, except here everyone avoided me because of my personality. It didn’t matter. Friends, lovers. None of it…none of it was for me. How could I possibly explain it anyway? Who I am? What I am? I stood in front of my cart, sliding my fingers down the long sleeves of my dress, and sighed. Always hidden, but always there. The black swirls of the tattoos, the intricate designs that proved I was a royal member of the family. It didn’t matter, it never would. I’m just a Dhampir. Not fit to rule.

“Really, I don’t understand why she turns him down. He might be older than her, but that doesn’t matter! He makes more money off of his weapons than most of the other stalls around here. She’d live comfortably with him, and he’d be a good husband. Poor thing, always alone, always on her own. She needs to think about her future.” One of the women walking in the street said. I wondered if she knew I could hear her. Then again, my hearing was better than theirs, so probably not.

I counted the product on my cart, grimacing as I realized someone must have stolen one of the bottles of fresh milk when I had my back turned. I lifted my eyes, staring at those around me, trying to see if I could find the culprit. The woman who had talked earlier winced, averting her gaze with a blush on her face, as if I was caring about her silly gossip, to begin with. “Does anyone know where she came from? Or her family? It still seems strange to me that she shows up out of nowhere, a small little girl with a lot of gold. Purchases land and animals, and keeps alone and quiet to herself, raising her own farm.” The other woman said as I lowered my eyes.

I couldn’t find my missing bottle, but it didn’t matter. It’s not like I was going to attack them for stealing what only costs a coin or two anyway. “There are plenty of outcast children, abandoned by their parents. She must be one of them. Probably stole the gold or items from a royal family to sell. No matter. She’s got good product, and fair prices. She raises her animals well and keeps to herself. So she doesn’t want to marry Thomas. I wouldn’t either. Just because he’s well off doesn’t make him a catch.” A man next to the women said, catching them off guard.

The women rolled their eyes, muttering under their breath as they walked away. “He’s just sticking up for her because he fancies her as well. All of these men do, even those that are taken. She’s probably secretly a fairy exhaled from the realm come to seduce our men and lure them away from their wives.” The woman said, giving me a dirty look.

I merely ignored her, not caring about any of their gossip. It was always the same, and I had no idea why. I wasn’t even old enough to get married yet, not that I wanted to. Marriage, love…how ridiculous. I grabbed the reins of my horse and gently ran my fingers through her coat, patting her body before leading her forward. “Come on, pretty girl. Almost at the stall.” I muttered, smiling softly as she nickered at me. I smiled, looking down at the ground as I walked her towards the end of the line, to the stall I had reserved for the season. Sure enough, it was empty, and I unhooked her from the wagon, leading her to the shady grassy area close by. That was why I liked this spot, so I was close to the grass for her. I tied her to the tree and gave her some sugar cubes, before going back to my stall and started to unload my things. Bottles of fresh milk from my cows, fresh cheese from my goats. Butter as well. I brought a few of the extra chickens with me and unloaded them into a pin I carried with me, knowing they wouldn’t last long. As I was pulling out baskets of eggs out of the wagon, I heard it.

“You need to leave, I think your picture is being distributed now.” I winced, sighing. A criminal. They always seemed to come to this town, since it was a major trading port. The ocean was part of the town, and a lot of criminals came to get on the boats, trying to find another kingdom to run to. Usually the Shifter kingdom, or even hiding out in the towns close to the Vampire kingdom. Chancing whether or not they could risk getting caught, along with hiding from the vampires. They never really could for long. Vampires were alluring in their beauty, it was hard to resist them.

I glanced up from my stall, sitting down on the makeshift chair. I glanced at the men talking in the nearby alley from under my eyelashes, frowning as I studied them. “You promised to help me if I paid you. I don’t have any gold left to flee now!” The man who was the criminal said, an angry look on his face.

I did indeed recognize him from the drawing that was added to the board. The boards were posted in various places around the town, allowing all of the tourists to get a good look at the wanted signs. It was also easier for the Assassins to see as well. I felt a warmth spread in my stomach as I looked down at my stall, pulling my new knife out of my pocket, twirling it slowly as I tried to ignore that particular thought. Stupid. The crush was stupid, and I had gotten over it a long time ago. He was probably married now anyway. Men like that, they don’t last long. It was the ones who ran these stalls and sat on their behind most of the day, their stomachs twice as big as their mouths and their smell three times as rancid, that remained available. “You had plenty of gold, cousin, if you hadn’t spent it all in the brothel. Those nasty girls will give you nothing but sores and pain for days. I told you to stay away from them.” The other man said, crossing his arms over his chest.

I grimaced, trying to hide the disgust I felt building at his words. A woman came over to me, distracting me for a moment as she purchased some of my milk and eggs, along with one of the chickens. I helped her load it all onto her cart, giving the little girl a soft smile as I patted her head, before sitting back down again, throwing the coins I received into my pouch. I noticed the man was looking at me now, a strange look on his face, and slid the coin pouch into the wrap around my chest. I should have brought my sword with me. Then again, every time I brought it I didn’t sell as much. Something about the quiet mysterious girl and a sword that drew customers away. “She’s a looker.” The man said, making me shake my head in disgust. Another man came and purchased a few things, distracting me from overhearing what was being said between the criminal and his cousin. Honestly, I should report it, but I didn’t want to draw any attention to myself. They’d wonder how I could hear their conversation from across the busy square. Also…then the Assassins would come. They’d want to talk to me, know what I heard, and…I didn’t want to talk to them. I was lucky, the man had taken most of what I was selling. I wouldn’t need to be here for very long, it seemed. I hated staying longer than I needed to. “Look, I just need a place to stay for a while. You’re the only relative I have that talks to me. Eventually, they’ll stop looking for me.” He said, grumbling.

The other man scoffed, shaking his head. “I’m not risking my family because you decided to try and rape the princess.” I struggled to hide my surprise, aware that I was continuously being stared at by the criminal. The princess? Were they talking about Princess Fallyn? The Dragon princess? That was the closest kingdom to this town, after all. No, it wouldn’t make sense for him to be so close to the Kingdom he offended. It was probably the Werewolf or the Shifter Kingdom. Most likely the Werewolf. Everyone knew the Shifter king was the elder brother of the Dragon Queen.

“She was the little w***e that ran around in those small dresses all the time. Just asking for it. I tried to court her for a while, but she was just teasing me. Then she turns me down, after leading me on for so long! It’s what she gets!” The criminal said, a growl to his voice.

Yes, definitely a werewolf. They were talking about Princess Lilian, most likely. She was known for her promiscuous ways. I sighed, wishing I was done already. As the two men talked, the day faded away, leading towards lunchtime. I was glad when the last of my products got sold, and as silently as I came, I left. Grabbing my now empty cart, I placed the now empty pen into the cart, re-tied it back to my horse, and slowly walked through the square. Stopping every once in a while to get cloth for more clothes, some flour, and other supplies I was running low on, I ended up leaving the town. I had purchased a soft dark green cloak and pulled the hood over my head, hiding my face from the soft patter of rain spilling down as I walked down the road. Once out of town, I got on my horse, making sure that the things I purchased were covered with a tarp and secured tightly. I rode out towards my little farm not too far from the town.

I chose the land close to town, but not so close that others would bother me too often. At first, when I was younger, older women came by to check on me. Helping me figure out how to milk cows, make cheese, butter, and so on. They were all worried about me. Wanting to know why a small ten-year-old child was all alone. Wanting to know where my parents were. I was very quiet, only giving short answers to their questions. My parents were dead. My siblings, dead. I told them they were murdered, but I didn’t explain how or where. I have no idea, honestly, the rumors that were going around about them. Everyone…thought I was a human. It was for the best, I suppose. It helped me blend in more. The rain was loud as it slapped on the rock path, and I could barely see anyone or anything for a while, letting my horse lead us back to my home. Once back at the farm, I directed her to go straight into the barn, unstrapping her and drying her. Once she was dry and warm in her stall with fresh straw and food, I took time to unload the cart. My home was small and modest; one-bedroom, a pantry and a kitchen, a living room. I didn’t really need much else. Adding the new things to the shelves, I went outside and grabbed one of the full buckets of rainwater. It would have been difficult for a woman of my lithe frame, my height, and appearance. However, I was a Dhampir and I was stronger than I looked. I carried the bucket easily into the kitchen and poured the water into the pot over the fireplace. Lighting it up, I placed the bucket back outside to recollect, before checking on the water. Once it was boiled clean, I lifted it off of the fireplace and poured the water into the basin, slowly taking off my clothes.

I sighed in relief to sit in the water, taking time to clean myself and scrub off the dirty chill of the rain and the travel. Once finished, I wrapped a towel around my body, drained the water, and using what was left in the pot I washed my clothes and my new cloak. Once I finished dressing, I was glad to see the rain stopped, and hung my things out on the line to dry in the sunlight shining through the clouds. I pulled my hair up into a high ponytail, stared at the barn, and nodded. Now that the rain was done, I needed to take care of the animals and get them out and fed. I sighed, rubbed my hands together, and walked to the barn. However, I never noticed the presence that followed me home, lurking behind a tree, watching me.