Market day was Leora’s absolute favourite. She loved the bustle and the noise, and all the strange and wonderful things on offer. Although she had very limited funds, she would spend hours browsing through the stalls, asking questions and chatting with the merchants and craftsmen. As she weaved her way through the crowds, she caught sight of a familiar figure up ahead. Sammy, Josef and Clara’s older son, was a hulking great thirty-five-year-old who had recently taken over his father’s forge. He was used to Leora hanging around and had always treated her like a little sister. He was a quiet and gentle man, despite his large frame, and would listen to her stories and news in a way that made Leora feel incredibly interesting and important. Leora grinned as she hurried closer, before sneaking up close in the hopes of shocking a good reaction out of him. Just as she was about to pounce, he turned around and reached out a hand to block her before she could jump him.

  “Hey Chicky,” Sammy tugged her in for a quick hug, “all done at the shrine?” he asked smiling down at her.

  “Yep” replied Leora as she peered around him to see what he had with him, “Were you buying or selling?” she asked.

  “Neither. Just dropped off some deliveries and wanted to hear the latest news.”

  “Oh, was there anything new from the merchants?” Leora asked quickly, “There is definitely something going on. Mother didn’t say anything, but I can tell that the priests are concerned.”

  “Nothing for you to worry about kiddo. A war that has been going on longer than either of us has been alive is not something you need to be concerned with.” Sammy ruffled her hair, “Anyway, I’m more interested to hear what you have been getting up to. Dad showed me the little dog you carved him, great stuff!”

  “Really, he showed you!” Leora bounced on her toes, “it did turn out pretty well, his proportions are a bit off, but his face is cute right?”

  “A fine figure of a beast. Dad was really impressed with the fur detail. I am expecting a Leora original for my next birthday too!” he informed her with a nudge.

  Leora’s face fell. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to make one next year Sammy. I’ll probably be sequestered in the stupid shrine.”

  “Hey now, none of that please missy!” Sammy wrapped a heavy arm around her shoulder. “I still think you will get an incredible title like Queen Artisan or Ruler of the City, and then we shall all bow down to you and you will just lie in a hammock eating sweets while the finest materials are brought for you to craft with.”

  “Indeed, and you shall be my personal blacksmith extraordinaire and make me a stunning throne” She stuck her nose in the air and waved a hand regally, then giggled and leaned into Sammy’s embrace. “As if titles like those exist.” She glanced up at him. “Won’t you please tell me what your ceremony was like?” She pleaded, giving exaggerated puppy dog eyes and adding in a wobbling lower lip for effect.

  “Now Leora, you know the rules. The ceremony and any titles you receive are to be kept strictly private. Plus, you are definitely more prepared than I was considering all of your time at the shrine. You will be fine. And even if you get skills or a title that don’t feel quite right, you’ll see how it fits in for you as you get older.”

  “I don’t want my life to be decided for me by some celestial busybody” complained Leora. She was immediately shushed by Sammy who glanced nervously at the people around them.

  “Behave yourself!” he chided, “you’ll get us both in trouble if you talk like that.”

  Leora hung her head in shame, she knew the risks of speaking out against the gods, “sorry” she muttered.

  “It’s fine Chicky. You just need to be careful. Now let’s cheer you up. What do you feel like seeing today?” He asked. Her head shot up and she clutched at his arm with both hands,

  “Do you have time? Will you take me to the main forge?” she asked, almost breathless with excitement. He snorted, “of course it’s the main forge you want to see. I’m in the forge all day, and now even in my time off I’m being dragged back to the furnace.” He sighed before smiling down at her, “Yes, we’ll go see what they’re up to. Do you want to go via the weavers or the woodworkers?”

  “Weavers please” Leora replied, “I’ve been doing lots of woodwork with granddad. Plus then we can say hi to Penelope.” She elbowed Sammy in the side and laughed to see the flush in his cheeks.

  Leora continued to tease Sammy as they made their way through the market to the fabric district, where she fell into a distracted silence. The whole street was a riot of colour, with beautiful tapestries displayed on the walls, brightly woven fabrics suspended as a canopy blocking the harsh glare of the afternoon sun, and tables full of scarfs and clothes from all around the country. She pulled free of Sammy’s arm and went to look at a stall she had never noticed before. It was full of folded piles of the finest lace fabric she had ever seen. The threads were iridescent, and it looked like it was spun from moonlight. Leora stuffed her hands deep into her pockets to try to resist touching the fascinating material and turned to examine a beautiful wall hanging. It was sprinkled with tiny pearls and appeared to be moving even though there was no breeze.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  “Sunlight on the water”

  She turned around to see who was speaking and opened her eyes wide. A petite woman with long black hair stood behind her, smiling wryly at Leora’s shock.

  “I take it you haven’t met any Merfolk before." Leora shook her head slowly. "My name is Minato. I suppose this is quite far inland, I am something of an anomaly even among my own kind.” She raised a pale hand and spread her fingers to reveal webbing between the lowest joints. “The priests here don’t take too kindly to those of us who carry the more visible ‘beastly’ traits. Most of my brethren would struggle to pass even the briefest inspection. Fortunately, it’s not as if they want to spend weeks away from their home waters. I, however, yearn for adventure and beauty. So, I travel the land, as much as I am able, which has led me to this place, and to you, little sprite.”

  “Now come here and let me show you some of the other little things I’ve got.” The demi-merwoman gestured back to the table and started shifting the piles of glistening cloth. Leora glanced back into the street and caught sight of Sammy who was gazing adoringly at Penelope as she finished up with a customer, before turning back to Minato and the ever-increasing pile of fabric.

  “I’ve got something perfect for you here little sprite, I just need to find it.”

  “Miss Minato, this is all so beautiful! I have never seen lace this fine, it must take hours to make!” Leora gazed in awe at the glistening fabric all around them.

  “Yes, well it is something of a trade secret of course, but this is the work of many hands, I am just the one who is able to present it to the wider world. Aha! I’ve got it! Here, take this.”

  A small square of lace was thrust into Leora’s hands. It was woven of a thread much finer than any silk she had seen before, and each individual thread glinted with different shades of the palest blue and green. It had a border of twisted vines and plants with tiny knots for flowers and berries, but the centre of the square was harder to identify. A faint and irregular pattern was dappled across the surface. Leora stroked the fine stitches with a feather light touch.

  “I couldn’t even dream of making something this beautiful, it feels like its’s woven from magic itself!” She offered it back to Minato who was looking at her with a fond smile.

  “No, no little sprite, that one is meant for you. A thank you for appreciating the beauty of our work. And a reminder for you of the beauty to be found in the wider world.”

  Leora attempted to protest but was pushed away by Minato who laughed and assured her it was just a small token. By this point Sammy had finished chatting with Penelope and was hovering at the entrance to the stall gazing at the examples around him. He stepped forward and reached into his wallet, but he too was rebuffed.

  “It’s a gift for her, it is rude to refuse” insisted Minato. Leora was still stuttering her thanks as Sammy started to pull her back out of the stall.

  “Thank you, Madam” Sammy bowed his head slightly, “These are true marvels. We are indeed blessed to see such work. I wish you well on your travels.”

  Leora carefully folded the precious lace and tucked it into her bodice for safe keeping. She waited until Minato was out of sight before launching into a barrage of questions.

  “She was a demi-mer Sammy, did you see? She was so beautiful and had webbed fingers! Did you look at her fingers? How can you make such incredibly fine lace with webbed fingers, wouldn’t that make it harder? What is the thread made of? Have you ever met a demi-mer Sammy? Have you been to the eastern sea?”

  “Whoa, slow down there, kiddo!” Sammy interrupted when Leora paused to take a breath.

  “I am not any kind of expert on the merfolk, I listened to the same stories mum told you, so I have no new information to offer. It was amazing though. Imagine, a demi-mer travelling this far inland! Their work isn’t particularly popular here, but it can fetch a very pretty penny in Brunnen, or any of the northern towns. Last winter, I saw a trader charging crazy money for pieces not much bigger than yours. You’re a lucky girl! Mum would love to see it, but be careful to keep it hidden, I can’t imagine the Shrine would approve.” He glanced doubtfully down at Leora, who had a dreamy smile as she stroked the front of her dress where the lace was hidden. He sighed and patted her on the back. “Come on, you, we need to head to the forge if you want to see what they’re working on before they finish for the day.”

  Leora nodded and sped up, she could bask in her treasure later. “Last time I was there, Master Oskar let me watch him do the detail work on these huge iron gates for some bigwigs’ mansion. It was amazing, he had five assistants with him because there was so much to do! Oh, and Master Hans was working on an amazing sword for an elf in Eliue, but he wouldn’t tell me what metal he was using, said it was a secret that he'd got from the dwarves. His forge was incredibly hot though, no one was allowed to come near.” She skipped ahead of Sammy and then turned to face him, “do you ever want to work at the main forge? Or are you happy at Grandad Josef’s?”

  “Well, I’d have to make a masterwork that was recognized by the guild before I would be considered. My magic smithing will have to improve a lot before that happens.” He shook his head as Leora almost tripped over the pavement. “I’m happy where I am. We’ll see what happens in the future.”

  Leora nodded thoughtfully before spinning round. The mist of steam rising ahead in irregular plumes was accompanied by metallic clangs and shouted instructions as they entered the square which opened up into the main forge of the city of Lichten.