15. Bow Down

                                    

                                          


💧 





"Since when are fairies allowed on goblin land?"
Nayan has to use every single muscle in his face to stop himself from letting his smile drop. His hands clench into fists by his sides, but otherwise he looks like his usual, bright and polite self. 
Around him, the bustling market of this big town is overwhelmingly cramped and loud. They are just a day's ride away from the capital, in one of the bigger goblin cities in the kingdom. The market here is loud and crazy cramped, as people try to buy and sell things and grow louder by the second, yelling out their prices and items to try to overpower each other. Guards walk around on the street, keeping everyone in check. But its hard when there are so many people.
The sun shines down on them like a bright laser, making the stuffy atmosphere even harder to swallow. Nayan is used to the larger and more breathable markets of the fairy kingdom, where people can fly and aren't forced to stay cramped up together on the dusty ground like this. It's beautiful, sure. The music that plays every now and then is lovely, a deep melody with a good vocal combo. The smells and spices mix in together with the smoke from the food-stands and form a scent of food that is mouth-wateringly strong. But other than that, the jewellery that they sell is ugly, the people are sweaty and aggressive under the sun, and so far Nayan has had no luck at all. 
Dieq and Eang said that they brought him here to question people about Chepi. If anyone has seen her, then this market is a good way to find them. Eang and Dieq went to the left of the market and Nayan went to the right. He knows that he should've protested their decision to leave him and just followed them instead, but he's been so fucking tired of them that he couldn't help it. He just went on on his own, and it happened to be a huge mistake. 
Nayan makes sure that his eyes are large and begging, and that the smile on his face is as polite as possible.
"Please, sir. I ask for your understanding. I'm looking for-"
"Leave, or I'll call the guards on you. I've seen them beat fairies like you to death"
Nayan's eyes widen for a second, looking at the cruel man in front of him. The goblin looks mean, his eyes twisted and cold. He's just as tall as Nayan, but much older. The fairy prince decides to ignore his threat and the way it makes him feel in his stomach. It's disgusting to think that this man just watched the guards beat a fairy to death and was somehow willing to make someone go through it again. He truly is a miserable creature. Nayan kind of wants to turn away and go speak to the next goblin, but this is already his fourth try, and they've all gone down this route.
He needs to make this work. People seem to be really mean to fairies in this town. He needs to try harder. 
"Oh, have you seen a fairy like me recently? She looks like me, but shorter and-"
"That's it. You asked for this, fairy. I hope they beat some sense into you"
Nayan reaches out to stop him, but it's too late. The old man stands up and rings a golden bell next to him, creating a loud and clear sound. It echoes loudly in the market, cutting off conversations and making people turn around to look at them. Nayan swears under his breath, looking around himself with slight embarrassment. The old man doesn't stop ringing the bell, he continues, again and again, while staring right at the fairy prince. More and more people turn to look at them and the busy market seems to come into somewhat of a halt and confusion.