There was an irritation banging up against her head, like a shrieking voice echoing around in her mind. All she could do was pray that the gods would show her mercy from her caretaker's scolding. She forgot to get the water from the well this morning, so their precious golden child had to fetch it and get calluses on their hands. How dare she? Nessie couldn't care less about this, honestly, she just wanted to go explore. Her caretakers decided to move countries and uproot everyone in an unfamiliar place, where, quite frankly, the language was hard to learn. But she was the smartest out of all of them. Her caretakers were farmers, so they did not believe anything further from basics was necessary, but Nessie loved to study, so she learned about five different languages by the age of seventeen. Much to her caretakers' disdain, they needed her for their business. And too much of hers, she hated being the smart one.
"Your sibling is the pride of this house! They are meant to marry rich; they can not and will not have working hands, or they will be turned away! Do you want that for us?" Nessie rolled her eyes, the same argument appearing repeatedly. "You mean to say no one would ever be interested in a thing like me, correct? Such a smart mouth, no man would ever be interested, correct?" Her female caretaker scoffed as her male caretaker slammed his hand down on the table in anger, making Nessie jump from her seat. "We have been more than generous, continuously taking care of an ungrateful wretch like you! You are lucky we have not married you off yet to the first picking. That is just because of the business. But I promise you, brat, you who think you are better than everyone just because we let you continue to study, the moment your sibling marries, we're getting rid of you. Because then we'd have all the support we need. Is that understood!"
His eyes seeped through her, and she knew that it was a promise. She loathed him with all her heart. Every one of them. Without a word, she got up and left to go outside, with him yelling right at her to come back.
Stepping outside, the sun was hot and bright out, but anything was better than going back inside with that. She decided she would explore the land. They had been there a month or so already, and she had not had time to see what there was. Her caretakers farmed wheat. Blah blah blah boring back story stuff.
She had gotten bored really quickly thinking about her caretakers. She literally wanted to think about anything other than them. So instead, she focused on the fields, the wheat ripe for picking. The afternoon sun hit them just right so that they sparkled gold as they swayed in the wind. She walked within the fields, as they stretched for miles, bringing her more at peace the farther she got away from that house. She noticed after a while that there was a huge willow tree that she had never seen before at the edge of the farmland.
It would do as a resting spot for the next few hours. She went and sat against its long trunk. Based on its size, it couldn't have been more than 100 years old. She placed her head against the trunk and closed her eyes, soaking in the sun. For a few moments, she felt at peace. Only for a few moments, though, before she felt an unease. Trying to brush it off, she took a deep breath, hoping the feeling would leave. It did not. Nessie opened her eyes and sat up, looking around her. Nothing out of the ordinary, except for the distinct feeling that something, or someone, was watching her.
She looked up in the willow tree's branches and saw nothing. She heard the rustling from the wheat field and scrambled to find the nearest rock, holding one at the ready. She crept towards the field at the sound of the rustling before diving in, only to find a snake slithering away. Nessie took a deep breath and rolled her eyes, still clutching the rock, the feeling of being watched slowly slipping away. She walked back to the willow tree and sat down, closing her eyes again. For once, wanting to know what peace even felt like, as she slowly drifted to sleep.
The market was bustling in the mid-morning sky. Merchants from all around came to sell anything and everything they could to provide for their families. About once a month, Vivi's family of nomads comes to this small city in Greece to trade and gather supplies. They never liked being in the same place for long, always seeking a new adventure.
Wives and daughters of rich noblemen come and go to buy her family's handmade jewelry and pottery. Precious art that her Ima and sisters spent weeks upon weeks making. A process of gathering material and sculpting that was fulfilling for the soul. To create something and watch someone else enjoy your hard work.
They had been out there for the last 5 hours, selling, when Vivi noticed someone from a distance staring. Turning her head, she saw a woman, around her early 20s, standing in the distance watching them as if they were a subject to be studying. Her tense red curls were placed up in a simple bun. A few strands betraying that order, her eyes blue like a clear sky and wide with wonder and something heavy. Sunkissed freckles all over her face and hands, as if she'd been out doing manual labor. Her cheeks flushed from the sun. The woman noticed Vivi, and they locked eyes, unable to look away from each other. Two completely different worlds. Vivi's Ima noticed the interaction and suggested that she go and introduce herself, and maybe make a trade with her. As she got up, she noticed the woman analyzing her, how peculiar.
"You know with my people, it's considered rude to stare." Vivi held out her hand for a greeting, and the woman stared at it. "It's a handshake, it's how you say hello." The woman stared at little longer, "I knew that."
"Ah, so she speaks! My name's Violet, what's yours?" The woman raised an eyebrow at her, seeming perplexed by Vivi's bubbly exterior. "Penelope." The stranger says, reaching her hand out to shake it in greeting. "This might be a strange question, Lady Penelope-"
"I'm not a Lady."
"This might be a strange question, Miss Penelope, but may I ask why you're staring at my family?" Penelope looks from Vivi to her family, then back to her, not seeming sure how to answer. "Your dynamic caught my eye, and the jewelry you sell. I'm not one to wear jewelry, but yours is…. Breath-taking."
Vivi feels herself soften, this Penelope woman was probably no more than a struggling servant with a cruddy home life. Probably an orphan.
"Would you like a trade?" Vivi asks her.
"I'm not sure I would have anything worth trading for." The pale red head shakes her head, "The only thing I have on me is this." She pulls out two small bags filled with wheat grains. Vivi's eyes grow wide with shock. Not just for the fact that this woman is carrying wheat grains on her, or two of them for that matter, but for the fact that she did it as if it had no type of value at all.
"I know it's weird, but whenever I come into town, I have these to snack on depending on how long I'm in town for. It's probably not worth anything to trade for." Goodness gracious, this woman has absolutely no idea what is of value, does she? Vivi thinks.
"I think we can work something out." Vivi takes off her bracelet around her wrist. "This is one of the first pieces my mother ever taught me to make. It's simple but stunning. Like you, I believe. I'll trade it for the two bags you have." Penelope stared at the bracelet, her eyes widening before she gave a small nod, handing over the grains. Vivi placed the bracelet around Penelope's wrist and took the bags, watching the wonder in her big, sky colored eyes.
"Thank you… This is very generous of you." Penelope gave her a small smile, and Vivi returned it with a grin. "I hope to cross paths with you again sometime. Penelope."
"I hope too, as well…Violet."