"Azel, Azel!" A woman called with laughter in her voice. "Can you feel that? I think… I think it just moved!"
Azel chuckled as he stared at her. "It couldn't possibly," He said, his hand placed on her belly. "It's only three months old."
The woman folded her arms and pouted. "Why do you always have to dampen the mood?" She asked, seemingly disappointed. "You could at least indulge me a little. Use your imagination."
"Wouldn't that be a bit silly?" He inquired with an amused smile.
"No, of course not! It just shows how excited we are for the baby's coming."
"Come now," he groaned. "We already are plenty excited. We can't pretend it's moving when it's not."
The woman quickly leaned in and hugged his arm. "Please, Azel," she begged. "Just this once? Do it for me, please…"
Azel groaned again and tilted his head back with a smile. "Fine, for you then." He relented and leaned towards her relatively flat belly, with both his hands on it now.
The woman laughed again. "Can you feel it now?" She asked, then feigned a flinch. "Oh, I think he just moved again!"
Azel couldn't help chuckling. "I felt it, I felt it." He said amidst small bursts of laughter. "But what do you mean by 'he'? She's my daughter."
"Says you!" The woman giggled. "He's my son!"
Azel shook his head. "My daughter."
"My son!" She urged playfully. "He'll look just like you."
"My daughter," he insisted. "She'll look just like you."
He said but there was no response.
He calmly waited for her to refute him, he waited for her melodic voice but it didn't come.
He waited for her answer, her laughter, but he got none.
"Kannah?" He voiced quietly, fear creeping towards him as he raised his head to look up at her.
What he saw made him reel violently, and his eyes widened in horror, confusion and sorrow beyond belief.
Where her heart was supposed to be, in place of it was a gaping hole large enough for his fist to fit through. Blood spilled from her mouth and nostrils, her eyes had gone completely dark and her skin had become incredibly pale.
She had left him.
Azel began to tremble heavily as held unto her. "Kannah? Kannah!" He called desperately, shaking her to no avail. "Wake up, Kannah, wake up!"
Tears began to cloud his vision. Why? Why?! She was just fine a few moments ago, she was laughing with him just a few moments ago, so why?
What was this?! Who had done this?! Why would anyone do this?! He wanted to call out, he wanted to scream amidst his tears, he wanted to burn the one who caused her death…
Then suddenly, everything came crashing down on him all at once like an unforgiving wave.
It was him. Him…
Azel jerked awake with a start. His breathing heavy as his eyes darted around the familiar walls and ceiling of the inn. Heavy beads of sweat formed at his brows and forehead, and strands of his hair stuck to it.
A dream… It was just a dream, he exhaled in mild relief. But the same greuling dream that haunted him almost every time he closed his eyes to sleep.
He sat up on his bed and looked outside the window beside him into the bustling trade city. It was already early afternoon.
"How long did I sleep for?" He asked, more to himself than anyone.
"You're finally awake." A voice called from the bed opposite him. "Took you quite a while, didn't it, Milord?"
Azel turned to see his aide, Fabian, seated on the bed sorting a pile of documents. His eyes fixed on what he was doing the whole time.
"How many hours did I sleep for, Fabian?" He asked.
"Fifteen hours, Milord." Fabian answered without looking up. "You sleep like a log… as usual."
Azel huffed as his eyes examined the documents on his aide's bed closely. His brows furrowed. "You brought all our remaining work with you?" He asked incredulously.
Fabian shrugged. "What could I do? If I had left them back there, they would have just kept piling up. I had to take the most I could."
Azel stared at him in disbelief for a while before he scoffed. "Have I ever told you how terrible of an over worker you are?"
"Many times."
Azel merely shook his head, stood up from his bed and stretched. "I'm going for a walk." He said simply.
It was then Fabian looked up at him, his eyes studied his lord for a moment before he frowned.
"Very well," he replied in spite of himself. He had intended to refuse him and instead force him to complete the work he was with but he had seen enough to know that wasn't what his master needed at the moment.
"Hopefully, I'll be done by the time you get back." He added
"Please don't." Azel stated as he approached the door. "If you do, I'll have to continue listening to your incessant complaints till we're out of this place."
Fabian pushed up his glasses. "Since I have been so incessant as you say, Milord. Would you at least find it in your heart to consider them?"
"No." Azel said curtly, walking out the door and shutting it firmly behind him.
Fabian waited for a while before he finally clicked his tongue in response. "Tch."
Azel went down the stairs and out of the inn, relishing in the bright afternoon sun. He then looked around the bustling streets uncertainly.
He had said he wanted to take a walk, but where would he go?
He shook his head and sighed; what did it matter, as long as he walked. It was going to take a reasonable distraction to get that dream out of his mind and that was what he needed.
He would find one eventually.
Azel looked around, the inn they had chosen was substantially close to the city's market, so all he needed to do was walk a few meters and he would get there.
****
The bustling crowd and everything within was overwhelming, so much so that Azel had to wrinkle his nose in displeasure. The prickling mix of smells of herbs and foodstuffs nearly made him reel.
And the noise made by haggling merchants and commoners did not make it any better.
He sighed again. It was a distraction, at least.
His eyes scanned the crowd and his gaze caught a woman dressed entirely in purple. She was adorned with jewelry from head to toe and the majority of her face was covered with a silk scarf.
She stood out like a sore thumb and a lot of people glanced her way several times but she didn't seem to mind.
She was looking around frantically, as if searching for someone and as she limped, the chain with bells at her waist jingled softly.
Wait, limped?
Azel's eyes traveled to her legs and he immediately noticed she was hurt. Her right ankle was wrapped up in a bandage.
The woman sidled up to a man who was passing by her and appeared to make a request to him, but he only shook his head firmly and walked away.
Her shoulders sagged, apparently disappointed. She looked around again for a moment and then she found him. He could have sworn their eyes locked from under her veil when she smiled.
Azel turned away quickly. He didn't exactly fancy going on errands for middle aged women.
He attempted to walk away but she was quick to approach him, the bells on her waist jingling melodically as she did so.
"Please hold on a moment," she called, limping towards him. "If you would just spare me a minute."
Azel swallowed a groan and turned towards her, nearly rolling his eyes, only to see her beaming up at him. Her eyes were entirely concealed so he couldn't read them.
"You look like an honest young man," she started. "Not to mention handsome too."
Azel's lips twitched in amusement but he managed to furrow his brows. "What does that have to do with anything?"
The woman beamed again and reached for her skirt, untying a part of it to reveal a beautiful emerald hairpiece with intricate gold designs at the edges.
He watched her until she held it in front of him.
"Could you deliver this hairpiece to someone for me?"
Azel raised a brow and folded his arms. "I cannot, I'm afraid," he said. "I'm a rather busy man."
"Hmm…" the woman mused. "You do not seem busy to me now. A busy man wouldn't be so aimlessly walking around a market, would he? Or are you a beggar by any chance?"
"I am not." Azel frowned in offence.
"Then won't you please help this poor woman deliver this ornament?" She pleaded. "As you can see, I cannot go by myself, it would be difficult." She gestured to her bandaged leg.
Azel inhaled and managed to swallow another groan. "Where do you want me to go?"
The woman beamed again. "A lovely lady came to my stall some time ago and she forgot this," she told him. "I would like you to help me deliver this to her."
Azel huffed and took the ornament from the woman's hand and examined it. It obviously belonged to a noble.
She was quite the straightforward one if she wanted to return something of this value back to its owner.
Most of the nobles don't even know when their things go missing.
"Do you know where she went?" He asked.
"I haven't the slightest idea."
Azel's eyebrows twitched in mild anger. "So how do you expect me to deliver it then?"
The woman waved her hand at him dismissively. "Oh, I'm sure you'll be fine." She said nonchalantly. "But I think she and her companion were on their way to Saksle street. She's a lovely woman with bright auburn hair. Saksle is an isolated place, so I'm sure you'll be able to find her easily."
"And where is this street?"
The woman looked up at him from her veil with disbelief. "Do you not have a mouth? Ask enough people and you'll find it."
Azel nearly gave into the urge to throw the ornament back at her and ask her to deliver it herself but he composed himself and simply turned around, leaving her to watch his back as he went.
"Thank you, young man!" She called after him.
He only shook his head and stared at the hairpiece with a confused smile. 'Why am I even doing this?'