Avalonna

Avalonna made her way through the market place of the relatively small town of Eversong. She wore a simple outfit with a dark robe and the wind blew her auburn hair over her shoulders softly. She touched her fingertips to her treasured necklace, a star shaped medallion with a crystal in the middle that her mother had given her when she was a little girl. It may have been her imagination or simply a childish wish, but she always felt better and safe when she held onto her necklace. She was somewhat tired from a long carriage ride to Eversong, the last town she was in was a good distance away. Compared to some of the places she had seen on her journeys the last few years, her small hometown was nothing special. However, it did have something no other place in the world had; her family. Avalonna had missed her brother and adoptive mother, it had been years since she had seen them in person. She kept in contact with them through regular letters, but it wasn't quite the same. She was glad to be back to see them and went through the marketplace to try and find something to give as a gift. Even though she was able to take care of herself, she did not wish to temp the fates by carrying extra trinkets with her on such a long trip. She walked around intently and examined some of the items in the shops and bizarre.

"Does anything catch your eye, young maiden?"
One of the shop keepers said appearing from his tent behind his booth. He was considerably older than Avalonna and was bald with a beard and looked to be from outside of Eversong.

"Oh no, I'm just looking thank you." She replied, giving a pleasing smile that she had learned made most men unable to argue with her.

"Well my dear, we have had recent deliveries of exotic items. Maybe those would interest you more?" He said while taking out a wide, dark box and placing it on one of the tables closer to his tent. He gestured for Avalonna to come closer and she sighed quietly and listened to the man reluctantly.

"These are gemstones and items I have acquired from faraway lands," he said while opening the box.

Avalonna instantly realized why they had moved towards the shade of the tents, these items were not things a shopkeeper would show off to every passerby. The stones seem to have their own inner lights to them and the more Avalonna stared into them the more intense the colors seemed to glow and meld together. The other items were small replicas of animals made of various materials that seemed to have their own life to them, almost as if they were humming and going to come to life at any moment.

"What... What are these?" Avalonna replied as she stared in astonishment. The shopkeeper smiled softly and slowly closed the box.

"Although the Red King would wish it, he is not the ruler of every land in this world, and thus his extermination of magic has not reached every corner. Some say it still exists if you know how to find it, and these items are said to be full of such magic."

The shopkeeper's words made Avalonna think back to when she was a child, the last day she had seen her parents. Her mother had told her magic existed for those who knew to look for it, but she had thought her mother was just playing to a child's imagination.

"What are you saying? I am not a child, I know such things as magic are not real. You should also not speak of the Red King in such a way in his own kingdom, you don't know what he is capable of." Avalonna stated, remembering the stories she had heard from the other cities of the hundred of raids and murders the Red King was responsible for.

The shopkeeper stared into Avalonna's eyes for a few moments and then she saw his eyes trail to her neck.
"You say you do not believe in magic. I do not know if this is out of fear or ignorance, but perhaps these items are not for you after all." He said, staring one last time at her necklace before putting the box away.
"Wait, sir. I am sorry if I have offended you, but I am aware how shops like these work. All of this is most likely just made up stories to get me to buy more items. However, I do wish to purchase one from you, for my brother's birthday." The shopkeeper looked at her for a moment then opened the box once more.

"I will allow you to buy one item from this selection... For your brother." He said, taking a few steps back.

Avalonna curtsied to thank him and stepped closer to the box of exotic items. She observed each one carefully and moved her hand across them slowly without touching any of the items yet. They seemed to react to her hand almost as if the animals would wake up and come to life or the stones would burst with their mysterious energies. Her hand seemed to stop itself over a small colorless sculpture of a bird, a falcon. Avalonna smiled, remembering how when she and her brother Connor were younger. He was always good with animals and more of an outdoors type compared to herself. She was much more content to stay inside and learn all she could, which is why it was slightly ironic to her that she was the first to leave. She had fond memories of Connor running across streams with small fish, chasing flocks of birds, and even once finding the neighbor's lost hound dog when nobody else could.

"I see your decision has been made, my dear," the shopkeeper said, snapping Avalonna back to reality,
"The wondrous falcon, an excellent choice for your brother I believe. It is said to provide great protection in time of need" he stated, carefully taking the statue out of the box and placing it in a black, cloth bag.
"Hopefully he is wise to take great care of such a creature." He added with a hint of a smile.

Avalonna smirked slightly and rolled her eyes, impressed with how far this shopkeeper would go to stay in character and promote his selection.

"Thank you, kind sir," she replied,
"I am sure he will be grateful for this item and take great care of it. May I ask, how much do I owe you for it?" She questioned.

He raised an eyebrow seemed to think for a moment and stroked his beard.
"For these items, I do not usually deal with something as superficial as currency. Especially when it is the Red King's... " he started after a moment,

"I ask this; one favor to be done for me that will be determined when the time comes. I swear by my name it will not be anything you would not willingly do. I just need help with certain errand at times as I am getting on in my years." He held his palms up gesturing for a reply from Avanlonna.

She contemplated his asking price. Although she found it highly unusual, she did not find it all that unreasonable.
"It is rather an odd request for a gentleman to ask a lady such things," she replied,
"But if you prove yourself to be a man of your word, I shall accept your form of payment." She nodded, as the shopkeeper smiled and nodded in contentment.

"You said you swear by your name, may I ask what it is before I am in your debt?" She asked collecting her brother's gift and placing it in her robes.

"You may call me Caspian, my dear. What do they call you?"

"I am called Val." She replied, not wanting to give the man her whole name yet.

"Val, a short but sweet name. Well my dear, I shall find you when I have need of you within a fortnight. Hopefully your visit with your brother does not end too shortly." He said and bowed to Avalonna.

She nodded to him and put her hood up and went off to her former home. She turned around, out of habit or curiosity she could not say, but the man and his box of mysterious items were already gone. Avalonna smiled at herself for letting her imagination get the better of her, they obviously had to be back in the tent.