Sienna walked with Ziran around the market. Everything seemed familiar and new at the same time to her! She was not in Crystal City for ages! She walked around the stalls with fabrics excitedly and looked at beautifully decorated jewellery.
"Would you like anything?" Ziran asked her.
" I took no money." Sienna shook her shoulders.
" You don't need money."Ziran chuckled."You just pick what you want and ask merchants to deliver it to the castle. Tyrell will pay them for you."
"That feels a bit wrong." Sienna sighed." I actually miss having my own money."
" Your own money?"Ziran chuckled." Come here." he pulled her hand gently. They came to a shopkeeper with warm bread buns."Hey, can you show my queen a few of the new queen's coins you have?"Ziran asked brutishly.
"Sure." The shopkeeper put a few gold coins on the table. "King Ramse's coin, King Xander's coin, King Marco's coin, King Sharchan's coin, King Gaius's coin. "he lined them up proudly."This crocodile one is the newest one, fresh from wetlands. It is my precious, not much people have it yet." he chuckled.
Sienna stared at the portraits of the kings. They were handsome as she painted them!
Ziran turned the coins to another side. Sienna stared at her own face on the coins.
" So? Do you have your own money or not?" Ziran chuckled at her.
" Sienna nodded, "Yes, but I meant it in a different way."
" Sure." Ziran nodded and bought her paper cone with fruit and buns.
Sienna took it and stared.
"What? You made it fashionable. All the females like these cones now. The castle cooks like to boast about what you like to eat."He chuckled.
" Thank you." Sienna kissed his cheek. She held her cone and ate as she stroll at the market with him.
"Look, how much it changed here!"Ziran chuckled pointing at the stalls.
Sienna saw the stall with mushroom rice, and sweet rice, all her favourite food, was available on the market suddenly!
Sienna also saw a stall with her cosmetic range! It was sold by a serious-looking crocodile merchant. Sienna went to the stall and stared at her range. There was a copy of her portrait as well. It looked even better than her own painting! She stared at herself gobsmacked!
"Don't block the line, if you are not buying!" the female behind her complained.
" I'm sorry, here you go." Sienna moved to another stall in a daze." How fast do they manage to do that?" She asked Ziran in unbelief.
"Wait till you see this!" Ziran took her to a stall with little whimsical figures. Sienna stared! There were little figures of her hugging Tyrell, her holding Sharchan, her with Sarcos in a tiny golden chariot, her flying on the dark eagle, her walking with Crocodile King Gaius, her dancing with a late Spider King and more! They even got little copies of Tyrell's hammer, Sharchan's goblet and Sarcos's statue in there! And little decorated books with Sienna's poems she made in Spider Castle! Sienna felt her head spinning. "Is this all really of me?" she looked at Ziran a bit shocked.
" Very good, no? As real!" the shopkeeper smiled."Your figures are so popular with kids, dear queen. They are collectables."
"Well, maybe you should make for them some proper dolls as well."Sienna sighed. "My female sells them!"The shopkeeper chuckled and pointed to the next stall. The little black-haired young female was selling dolls with long blond hair, dressed in turquoise blue dresses. Sienna went to look closer. The female took a doll and held it opposite to Sienna's hair from a distance and mumbled something to her mate a bit grumpily.
Sienna bit her lips."Well, it is yellow hair, not golden like mine." she thought a bit satisfied."It is not really like me." she whispered to Ziran.
"You should be careful, "Ziran said quietly to her." They cut short the manes of all horses with blond hair for these dolls, they sell too well. The lady in the stall just complained to her mate that they are not golden enough." he chuckled.
Sienna touched her long hair." I think I like to go to the river." she bit her lips.
"You don't need to be scared, you are with me."Ziran hugged her around her shoulders, trying to comfort her bit."Nobody will dare to touch you anyway. The sentence for hurting the queen is death." Ziran nodded.
"What?"Sienna asked a bit shocked.
"In all kingdoms of your mates." he smiled."King Sarcos's order."
" Well, why should anyone hurt me anyway!" Sienna nodded.
Ziran took Sienna to walk around the river. The air was still chilly but the sun was high, it was late autumn already. The river was crystal clear and its waves were glittering in the sun. Sienna could see the little fish inside the water! She sat at the big rock on the edge and watched the water.
Ziran leaned onto a big rock near and watched her. Sienna's hair were illuminated by the sun and shone as live gold, moving in the soft wind around her beautiful face. Her expression was kind of dreamy as she watched the flowing river relaxedly.
"So beautiful," she smiled."How is it the water is so clean, even though we are in the city?" she asked.
"Why should the river in the city be dirty?"Ziran looked at her curiously.
"In my old world, the water in rivers which flow through the cities is generally a mess, it is a pity really."Sienna sighed. "I like it much better crystal clean."
"Wow, that must be awful."Ziran nodded."Tigers like to keep the rivers clean, anyone who will make the water dirty will be punished severely. Sarcos designed great water cleaning systems and most of the cities are using them for a long time. We have sewers for dirty water and it is not dumped in the river. It goes straight to cleaning stations. "he nodded.
"Sarcos did that?"Sienna asked curiously.
"Sarcos have his hands in everything!"Ziran nodded."You will find out in time." he chuckled."You are so cutely ignorant! But I guess is ok for a female, you don't go out much!"
Sienna stared at him."You are such a brute!"
"You mean I'm brutally honest?" he chuckled."Don't be upset, I know you are mostly locked in the bedroom and walk only in the gardens. I would lock you in the bedroom myself if I were king." he nodded and licked his lips.
"Brute, all of you are brutes!"Sienna shook her head.
Ziran chuckled."You are so cute!"
Sienna rather looked at the river. She had to digest what she just saw and heard."I'm like everywhere." she thought a bit worried." Well, they have me as a queen, so it is kind of natural, no? But, I know nothing about what people do here. I need to go out more." she thought and sighed. "But, I do not even know half of what my mates are doing." she bit her lips. "Am I really so ignorant? Or am I good just for the bed for them?" she thought worriedly." No, they love me a lot. They all will give up their lives for me."She bit her lips." I'm not that long here, anyway. Ziran is right! I will find out in time!"Sienna nodded and felt a bit better.
"Why are you frowning so much?"Ziran asked her curiously.
"I'm just thinking, "Sienna said a bit distantly. She was just getting out of her thoughts.
"I like it more when you are happy." he looked at her. "If something is bothering you, just tell me. I will keep all your secrets safe," he said seriously and put his arm around her shoulders for a bit.
"Thank you Ziran, I do trust you."Sienna turned her face to him. He was so close and his burly body was emitting a lot of heat." Am just not sure how to say it yet." she nodded her head. "But thank you for taking me out today." she kissed his cheek. "I really needed to get out for a bit."
Ziran felt her hot lips on his cheek and smiled. "She trusts me and likes me. I got two kisses today." he thought satisfied. He held her hand with his."You are cold, let's go back."He helped Sienna to stand up.
"You are right, let's go." she smiled a bit sadly.
"I did not want to make you upset."Ziran looked at her.
"You did not. "Sienna shook her head."You are right. I need to go more out and know my people better if I am to be a good queen." she nodded.
"But you are a good queen. You keep the kings busy and collected, so nations are uniting and kings are not warring between themselves."Ziran shook his shoulders."When is peace, the people will prosper! The Crystal City improved a lot as you became a queen."
"I think is all Tyrell's hard work."Sienna nodded."But yes, I definitely keep them busy." she nodded a bit bitterly.
"Come here."Ziran shook his head."You are in a weird mood today and talk nonsense." he took Sienna back to the castle.
They passed the market on the way back and Sienna bit her lips as she looked at the colourful stalls." I want my own money Ziran." she said seriously.
" I'm sure Tyrell will give you anything you want."Ziran nodded.