Alexander

The market place is surprisingly crowded, despite the lateness of the day. The crowd parts for us as we enter, however, making it easy for us to make our way through the stalls. This is one of the nicest parts of the city, and I am glad to see that the place is still teaming with life; hopefully, it serves as a good enough apology to Bellamy for our last stop on his tour. 

Sage remains calmly beside me as my people pause their shopping to greet me, smiling widely and offering bows and salutations. I recognize a woman who is a servant at the castle as she picks through the vegetables being offered for sale at a stall. She looks unimpressed with the half-rotten produce, but after comparing two turnips, sets the less rancid one in her shopping basket and pays the man who tends the stall. It is hard to come by any truly fresh produce lately, but the market smells heavily of fish today, indicating a good haul for the fishermen. It explains the turnout since those who can afford it will do nearly anything for fresh food for their families. 

The servant woman, whose name I have unfortunately forgotten, looks behind her to see what the sudden commotion is about and smiles when she sees us. She quickly drops the necessary coins into the tender's hand before vacating the stall and elbowing her way over. 

I notice Bellamy leave the group to survey a stall nearby that is selling gems, some of the rarest finds available at the market. Nearly no one can afford stalls such as that one, except for members of the Court and high ranking Knights or Guardsmen. I think to warn him of possible fraudulent vendors at this market, but decide that it does not matter. If he is foolish enough to wander to the hooded men and women with their products spread on the ground, rather than at stalls, then it is not my concern if he spends his money on fake jewelry. 

"Your Highness!" The maid greets, smile bright. Her blue eyes flicker from me to Illius, who offers a weak smile in response to her advance and steps partially in front of me, too distracted to care about subtlety. "It is a surprise to see you out and about. Are you feeling better?" 

It takes her question to realize that she is one of the servants who gathered at my collapsing near the dungeon stairwell. I clear my throat in embarrassment but nod. "I am, thank you. I am giving our guest a tour of the city today." 

"Oh,  I see! How lovely of you to do it, yourself," The maid says, eyes darting again in Illius' direction. She seems a bit offended that he is not applying himself to the conversation, likely feeling hopeful that he would try to flirt with her as he usually might. 

"Not at all. My guest was quite insistent that I show him, myself."I do not bother to conceal the vexation in my tone, casting a correlating glance in Bellamy's direction. He is holding up a necklace to the light, squinting at the red jewels that decorate it. 

The maid offers a polite smile but follows my gaze to him. "Oh, my," She expresses her concern upon finding him at the particular vendor. "I mean no disrespect, Your Highness, however, should you allow your guest to wander so freely?" 

 The seller is known for holding his prices much too high for the products that he offers. Though the gems themselves are not counterfeit, they are the poorest quality and the smallest sizes available on the market. 

I offer a shrug, watching as Bellamy resumes a bored expression and sets the necklace back on the table. "I have no concern, he is capable enough to watch out for himself."

 As I finish my sentence, the vendor of the stall seems to attempt to persuade Bellamy that the jewelry is of the lowest cost and the highest quality in attempts to regain his interest. Bellamy leans forward and begins to say something in an angry tone, though I cannot discern his words, which sends the gruff man looking from side to side nervously to the small crowd that gathers around them. 

The vendor tries to quiet Bellamy, holding a finger to his lips and holding a smaller piece of jewelry between them in an offering as a bribe to keep Bellamy hushed. I already foresee this as a bad move and feel no need to witness the explosion; I am already distracted enough by someone else.

I turn my attention to Illius, who has not so much as shifted his gaze to the spectacle taking place nearby. He has his silver eyes pointed at his shoes, completely lost in his thoughts. Whatever things must be going on inside of his head must be overwhelming for him to be inattentive in a setting such as this.

I fight the urge to peek and move my attention back to the maid. Just in time, it seems, as the woman's previous expression is gone, now completely devoid of friendliness. Instead, malice has taken its place, shining in her eyes like the dagger that she slides from her covered shopping basket. This woman is not the same one who stood before me only a breath ago.

I then realize what a mistake this adventure was; we may have taken care of several snakes, but that does not eradicate the entire nest. It is foolish to wander about in public with the chance of an attack still possible; I knew that there was still a possibility that I was not completely safe, even with the Addanc's imprisoned. Illius tried to warn me against this tour in the first place. I see now that I may need to consider his feeling more often.

With the majority of the citizens interested in Bellamy and the scene that he is creating, there is no one to witness the assassination attempt, even considering the public setting. I realize now that the maid must have been testing Illius' attention to her, though not in an attempt at flirting. She is taking advantage of this opportunity while he is unwell, though I cannot tell why she has a dagger in the first place if meeting us here was by chance. Something about this entire encounter seems off, though I do not have the luxury of time to ponder over it at the moment; my uncertainty of the situation does not halt the servant's hand or the sharp blade that it holds tightly to.

I am not stricken with fear as one might be in this situation, as I expect Illius' hand to shoot out at any moment and stall the attack. The blade draws closer, however, as if time has slowed down. For once since Illius has become my Captain, Sage is the first to react to the imminent threat. Luckily, it seems as though she had been keen enough to sense the sudden change in the maid's intentions, therefore giving her the upper hand on the situation. 

The black dog releases a sound that I have never heard from her before, something similar to the snarl of a wolf and the roar of a big cat combined before vanishing from my side. this horrifying sound is what finally snaps Illius from his thoughts, promoting him to take my sleeve and tug me behind him, drawing his weapon simultaneously. 

Sage's usually golden eyes glint red in the failing sunlight as she latches onto the assailant's forearm, yanking the woman to the stone with her heavy weight in the same breath. I cannot discern if the noise that I hear comes from the clattering of the knife to the ground or the snapping of the servant woman's bones.

A scream comes from the woman's lips as Sage holds her in a vice-grip, threatening to deal even more damage to her if she dares attempt to move even a muscle. The street seems to echo with the sound that left Sage a moment ago, and the movement in the marketplace ceases as all eyes turn to the spectacle. 

Illius is quick to slide the dagger away from the woman's reach. "Sandy!" He breathes, surveying the scene in front of us. "Are you alright?" 

In shock at what has just happened, I rest a hand on my Captain's arm and peer around him at the now sobbing woman. I realize now that Illius is trembling, though from fright or anger I cannot discern.

"I am fine," I assure him, keeping my voice lowered. Tilting my head to meet his eyes, I can see the pure rage that swirls within the silver, though they are also clouded with confusion. "Are you?" 

Illius clenches his jaw so tightly that I worry the bone may crack. I feel his frustration with himself at being so careless as he berates himself liberally. His response takes so long that Bellamy has appeared by our side before he is able to keep the emotion from wavering his voice. "What are your orders?" His voice is thick with a hatred for himself that breaks my heart.

I tighten my grip on his sleeve, twisting the fabric around his arm until he looks at me. People chatter wildly around us, gawking at the surprising action in the marketplace this evening. Many of their voices sound confused and concerned, though I pay no mind to their words. 

Illius only spares a glance, though he cannot bring himself to meet my gaze. I press my lips into a thin line, wishing that I could force his eyes to mine, to make him understand that I hold no blame against him for his delayed reaction. I do not wish for him to harbor this intense guilt on top of all of the new things he is dealing with at the moment. This was not his idea, I knew very well that he is in no shape to be guarding me with the turmoil he is undergoing. I should have taken him home. 

The prick of emotion in my eyes surprises me. I keep the tears from falling, but Bellamy notices them anyway. He says nothing to call me out, seeming to understand the pain that I feel. He gently touches my elbow and nods once, as if telling me that he will handle the situation. 

"Take him to the castle," Bellamy says, casting a glance at the crowd around us. He flashes a reassuring smile to them. "Everything is all right, you may go about your business."

The people give worried glances to each other and to myself, though I find myself having difficulty meeting any of their gazes. I swallow hard against the emotion in my throat, forcing it down. When I am sure that I can speak without it making an appearance in my words, I say, "Listen to him." 

My tone is loud enough for all around us to hear, so the people around us bow their heads and begin to disperse at my confirmation. It also sends Illius into motion and he reaches for the woman's other arm to lift her from the ground. 

"Frisettelse." 

Sage releases her grip on the sniveling servant's arm on my command and returns to my side. I note the impressed look that Bellamy gives the interaction before he bends to retrieve the fallen dagger, turning it over in his hands with a frown.

The malevolence that radiated from the woman a moment ago is completely gone as she looks up to me, tears streaming down her face. "What on earth is this? What have I done?" Her confusion seems genuine.

Illius binds her hands at the wrists with his own, holding them firmly in place behind her back. He seems oblivious to the blood that ribbons down her forearm as he tugs the woman to her feet, ignoring her yelp of pain. 

Enemy.

I look down at Sage, curious about her sudden thought. I expect her to be looking at the servant woman, but instead, find myself following her gaze to the roof of a nearby building. She growls loudly at a white-tailed raptor that is perched on the roof, watching the spectacle with its black, beady eyes.  

Bellamy follows our gazes, his frown deepening when he sees what we are looking at. "Oh," He mutters beneath his breath in realization. "I see."

Illius spares a glance as well before marching the sobbing woman a few paces ahead of us. "Bellamy," He says, refusing to look at me. The dejection in his voice makes my heart ache. "Watch Alexander for a while longer."

Bellamy watches the bird fly away before giving my Captain his attention. "I already knew that. Let us be going, it is unwise to stay out in the open," He looks over to address me as we begin to follow Illius back to the castle, pausing to grab the woman's discarded basket and tuck the dagger inside of it. "You will have to reschedule your meeting with the townsfolk. I am sorry to have ruined your plans, but I had not foreseen this."

I nod in solemn silence, keeping my gaze fixated on Illius' shoulders. 

Bellamy watches me for a moment before sighing, then checks over his shoulder, presumably for the raptor. Confirming that is is gone, he lowers his voice. "You should summon that Magic User as soon as possible. She may have known this would happen."