BLOOD POWER

Market place

The city was unlike anything I've ever seen before. The streets were filled with lots of people both highborn and lowborn alike. The highborns were the easiest to spot, clean silken robes that were either gold or silver linen, the proud demeanor on which they conducted themselves and how they appeared to be greatly respected by the low borns. White washed stone houses literally littered every corner, some were two storey high some three. I've never seen so much buildings in one place. The city was so noisy at the moment and lively than anyplace at Neval kingdom even though it was a cold morning.

" Don't get lost in the crowds" father said to me . He darted a glance at my clinging robe then sighed bitterly " I hope you are okay"

I took a deep breath and unwillingly nodded my head.

We headed to the market area after turning countless corners and passing alleys filled with drunks. Many people were selling , buying , shouting, screaming. If I said earlier that the city was noisy then the large market place was most certainly the noisiest place. It was even hard to hear yourself speak. Goods of different kinds were being sold or bought; robes, silk, swords, axes, knives,food spices, perfumes, cattle and even more commonly, grains. I widened my eyes when I saw a bunch of naked men and women chained together on their feet being lashed as they were forced to walk in the cold, and they were naked. Seriously? I always thought that humans couldn't cross the boundary of doing such to their fellows but here they were, being sold like sheep for coin. And no one seemed to mind, father only sighed bitterly then held my shoulders when they passed by us. Was this the world I was born in? Injustice was the justice that was being practiced openly, just for the love of money and power. I utterly felt disgusted but there was nothing that a seven year old me would do anyway. Those slavers might even add me to their collection when I try anything to them.

We searched for a spot to put our cart for almost half an hour until we found one. It wasn't that great a place since it was muddy and a large puddle of water was some steps away from it. I could feel the warmth of the sun that was just preparing to break out of the dense clouds, it made me smile a little despite the bad morning I just had.

It wasn't until evening that we had our first customer, a rich man who made a slave behind him carry a large block of wood for him to step on where there was mud. He was thin but he behaved like a fat man, too lazy.

" The grain is a bit damp, I'll take it for half the price" the man said using a weird nasally voice as he picked a handful from one of the sacks.

" Half the price?I would go at a loss if I sell like that "father replied to the man

" I'm doing you a favor poor farmer by buying this low quality damp grain, you should be thanking me here" the man waved his hand

" Thank you?" I thought out loudly earning a dissapproving glance from my father but I still continued

" Thank you my bottom. The grain is not even a bit damp and if it was which is not then it would be on you. Had you not let the farmers stay out in the rain with nothing to shelter their grain with , business would have been so great for the both of us. But you chose to sit on your pampered bottoms in your houses while the grain was being rained on outside the city walls"

" Kid do you not think that I would have you thrown out of the city with your filthy grain?" the rich man was riled up

" Forgive us see, he is just but a …"

" I don't care if you throw me outside the city. I'm hungry and very angry and if you have no other business buying our grain with the right price you are free to leave" I held my waist akimbo

The rich man stared at me like he wanted to chew me alive then walked away childishly, I was even more adult than him.

" There goes our first and probably the only customer we would have for today" father raised his hands up tiredly while glaring at me

" Is it because you are hungry? I can find some cheap food if that is what would cost for you to stop acting like a hero " he almost shouted at me. He came and held my shoulders a bit tightly but I didn't even flinch

" I have traded for the past forty years, each year I have endured the ravages life has had to offer and we are surviving. I don't need a seven year old son of mine to start acting up immediately he sees something bad and I sure as hell don't need you standing up for us. If we don't sell these grains by today, we won't have silver to pay off the hired horses, the land we are on and our taxes…."

I pointed behind him at the thin rich man who was coming back with an ugly face.

" A hundred and fifty silver for the whole lot" he threw a bag of coins at my father. My father was utterly suprised when he received the money. He weighed it in his arms then nodded his head.

The rich man scoffed then motioned to the men behind him to carry the sacks on our cart.