Random stories

Sierra fumbled the coins in her pocket as she left the butcher's store. She couldn't help but feel a little pleased with herself. The butcher's burglary troubles were over, and she was better rested than she'd been in months. All it took was a few free nights of sleep in the storeroom and a quick tangle with the beast once it finally showed up for its midnight snack. It was an easy job, if you knew what you were doing. Plus, fresh wolverine meat always fetched a good price.

It was morning, with long shadows still stretched across the street as the sun began it's skyward climb over the town of Braden. Sierra didn't have anywhere to be, nor anyone to find. What she did have was a little bit of money and a lot of time. She pulled her hood over her head and started toward the market. Though it wasn't far she kept to the side of the street. If there was one thing she had ever learned, it was to keep from being out in the open long. It was something she had picked up from her life of adventuring as well as the one she had left behind.

All these country towns were the same. Nestled at the foot of a mountain, or set within rolling farmlands, they'd always have some trouble that needed solving. A herd of cattle was acting strange. A young boy had gone missing. A family heirloom had been stolen. Every now and then, something magical was truly at work. But more often than not, however, it ended differently than first expected. People were always deeper than they seemed, and solving their problems usually meant bringing that to light. She loved it.

Every town always had the usual cast of characters. The blacksmith, the tailor, the fletcher, the drunkard, and the local guards who acted tough but ended the night singing songs with a pint in hand. During the day, everyone seemed to find their way to the market, and by nightfall they were all gathered together in one tavern or another. Even though each town did have their differences, there was something familiar about them all that just felt like home.

Sierra walked in the shadow of *Sordin's Emporium* and *The Fattest Mouse* and a dozen or so other stores that bordered the colorful booths of the market. If she were hungry, there were plenty of options: from apples to melons, beans to gourds, as well as more breads than she knew how to name. And beyond the food were pants, dresses, and coats, all for fine wear or working cloth, as well as hammers and nails and ladles and pans, and many other tools and utensils one might need. There were, of course, a few knickknacks and children's toys had a swarm of little ones who would soon pester a parent into giving over a coin. While she kept an eye out for anything useful, she paid close attention to what she could hear. People liked to brag about bargains they'd just won, or gossip about the latest news. There was always a chance she could find her next job.

The crowd was a bit larger today than usual, so she felt more at ease venturing out among them. Being one among many gave her any disguise she needed. It wouldn't matter that she was dressed in a traveler's cloak, or that a knife hung from her hip, or that a few hours earlier she had slain a wolverine and stained her clothes with its blood. Somewhere between the burley farmers carrying bundles on their shoulders, and the colorful scarves and patterned dresses of mothers wrangling children, she looked like one of them. Maybe someday she would actually be one of them. Sierra let her hood down, careful to keep it over the back of her neck, and slipped into the throng.

It was hot. All the bodies pressing against each other, carrying baskets or bags full of food and supplies. It felt like a summer day though it was late in the fall. She exchanged a coin for a few apples from a farmer who suddenly looked very comfortable standing on the other side of the booth. Before long, she headed toward the well near the middle of the market where she could draw a drink of water and cool off. She had nearly made it when she heard something that put a pit in her stomach.

Sierra spun around. Before she knew it, a man's coat was held tightly between her fists, and his feet were nearly dangling on the ground. He was heavy for a townsman, though not too much for her to handle. An official, perhaps, or someone that doesn't do much work for themselves. Not someone that would fight back very hard, but someone that could cause her trouble if she stuck around.

"Say that again?"

The man winced. Sierra felt a coolness sweep in as the crowd managed to back away.

"The princess...' he squeaked. "She was rescued..."

"That's impossible."

"Look!"

He waved a pamphlet in the air before shoving it in between them. His feet were fully off the ground now.

"Take it!" He gasped. "It's all in here. Please.... just let me go!"

She snatched the pamphlet from him with one hand and let him down slowly with the other. The paper swam with a sparkling green color. It was a true royal announcement, no doubt, for at the end was enchanted with the king's seal: three stalks of wheat, waving in a gentle breeze. No magic she had ever come across could duplicate it, nor break it.

*To the King's People,*

*His Majesty, King Rutherford of Gloriel Plains, is pleased to announce the rescue of Princess Serenity and her safe return to the royal palace. The terrible cloud over the Kingdom which fell when she was kidnapped over seven years ago has finally been lifted. In celebration, King Rutherford will hold a festival in her honor on the last day of Fall, and commands all cities, towns, and villages to do the same.*

As she finished reading, Sierra felt the eyes of the crowd growing around her. She preferred the shadows, not the light of attention. But she knew these people. They stare at a commotion but never intervene. As long as she walked away soon, she'd be left alone.

Sierra folded the pamphlet and stuffed it in her pocket. She threw her hood over her head and set a quick pace to the southern gates. Something magical had finally happened in her long absence from the royal palace, but it didn't seem good. She wasn't sure how she'd go about it, but she had to know whether her father was being duped, or if he was in on the charade.

---

Submitted by reverendrambo on Tue, Aug 02, 2022 to /r/WritingPrompts/

The prompt

The princess ran away to become an adventurer. Years later, she heard news that “the kidnapped princess” was rescued. What!? Should she reveal herself, or sit back as the imposter does what they pleases?