The Merchant

Her scent lingered on Rueben's skin as she watched the woman stare into the tent. She flicked her hair out of her face before leaving the other way, but Rueben's eyes couldn't help but stare at the werewolf's bountiful ass as she walked off. 

"I heard about talking out your ass," the hum of a voice sounded behind Rueben, "but this is ridiculous" She rolled her eyes and turned to be faced with a famous masked merchant 

Their masks were white with two crosses for eyes and a wiggly line for a mouth. And they were covered in a leather coat and bandages. Not a piece of skin showed. 

"It's really early to be a bitch, isn't it?" Rueben gave them a fake smile, but they hissed at witch "I need some tea leaves" they raised their arms which made their kimono flap, gesturing to their merchandise "peppermint, lemon balm and hibiscus tea" Rueben mentioned over her shoulder as she walked around the tent. 

"How much?" they sneered as she walked about the tent, looking at the Persian rugs, tapestries, crystal, and incense that smoked, giving off a sweet musk. 

"Half a kilo," she threw over her shoulder. Rueben stared at the different items, jars and relics, mostly fake, but one caught her eye "where did you get "the fake palm of Bath?" she asked, looking at the familiar relic which had a scroll in the bottle with an ancient script written on it. 

They lifted their heads. "Oh it's real" they reassured Rueben as she shook her head and moved back to their station. 

"No, it's not" 

"Yes, it is" 

"No, it's not" 

They slammed the spoon they were using to scoop up the tea leaves. "And how would you know?" the merchant crossed their arms and cocked their hips. 

"I have it" Rueben bounced on her heels "I had to fight this weird guardian called Mune, horrible experience to be honest" she began to rumble as the merchant ignored her "but it's a great replica," she said with a smile, she felt their eyes roll even though she couldn't see them "although…"

"What!" they shouted. But took a deep breath to control their temper. 

The witch raised her hands in the struggle "It's minimal, compared to the actual thing. I mean, the whole point of the relic is because it was made by the hands of giants" she walked around the room touching the necklace and healing crystals. "so it is about my height and this massive" she pulled her arms apart to show them just how wide.

They were silent for a moment. "H-how did you…" they shook their heads and handed her the jars of tea leaves. "Anything else?" she gave him a look before shaking her head. 

Rueben pulled out her sack of gold chips. "Nope, how much?" she smiled while they just stood watching her. 

"Five," they pronounced with annoyance on his tongue.

Rueben counted the gold long chips and placed them on the table. They placed their hand over the cold metal, but she stopped them from grabbing it. "What is that shine?" the witch asked, staring at the shining leaves that sat in the cylinder jar.

They shivered, the fear settling around the two. "Nothing, just the lighting in here" the merchant stiffened behind the desk.

Rueben let out a bitter bark. "Let's see" she opened the jars and took a hearty sniff. She couldn't believe what she was smelling. So, the witch took another whiff, "pixie dust?!?" Rueben looked up at the merchant, "you lace your tea leaves with fucking pixie dust" the witch expressed with disbelieve in her eyes. 

They struggled. "It preserves the tea much longer," Rueben scoffed at the notion. 

"No, it doesn't," she argued. "All it does is a glow in the dark, give the tummy a floating feeling and make fairies drunk," Rueben complained while shaking her head. She released the gold, and the merchant began to take the gold happily from the table. "Don't tell anyone you saw me here, ok?" the witch threatened before leaving the tent, making her way home. 

…

Rueben's footsteps mushed the damp grass, causing droplets of water to spring onto her combat boots. She munched on dates, which were filled with crunchy peanut butter and covered in dark chocolate that she bought from a local vendor. She walked past fairies that floated through the air, cervitaur stroll through the quiet forest, hopping away when the witch came into view. A breeze blew through her hair and cooled off the sweat that sprouted on her forehead. And in the distance she saw her humble hut with a thatch roof and moss climbing the side. Rueben smiled at the being home and made a beeline for the door, but she found it was broken in; her heart stopped at the sight. 

Rueben's heart began to beat in her ear, matching each footstep she took towards the hut. She pulled the dagger from the holster, clutching at her side. She looked at Crystal who sat on the table, but they were still, not a blink. Suddenly, a low vibrating growl moved through the room, bouncing off the hut's walls, and an Awiaanomaa walked into the kitchen. The creature had glowing beady eyes and a bird-like skeleton was bursting with flame. And bat-like wings that sat tightly against its body and sharp claws that clicked against the stone floor. 

Rueben's eyes locked with its beady ones, and she took a step back. While keeping her eyes on the beast as she backed out of the hut and jumped onto the roof. A loud screech followed by a heavy thumping which caused Rueben to fling up in the air, but she landed on her feet. The witch ran across the roof as she passed. She laid her hand on the structure. Enchanting the old bones of the hut to hold the weight of the raging beast that followed behind her. 

Rueben backflipped off the roof and made a run for the forest. Her mind was racing, and her heavy breath sat in her ear. She tried to level her breathing, but with Awiaanomaa on her trail; she couldn't. A swoosh sounded behind her and on instinct, Rueben aimed for a tree. She ran up it before flipping over, a violent blade of fire gushing below her. A blade of flames slid the tree clean off and took a few others with it. The witch landed on her feet but didn't dare look back, she kept moving forward. Until a clearing came into view and the neatly planted mushrooms that were formed in a pentagram, nesting in the grass.

Rueben jumped into the pentagram, waiting for the Awiaanomaa to take the bait. Once it stepped foot into the circle, she closed it with a smirk on her lips. "You are stuck here with me" the witch circled the creature which stared at her. It curved its exposed spine and spread its bat flaming wings. It screeched at her, "ok" she raised her hands, "no need to shout" Rueben summoned her twin daggers as they charged towards each other. 

Rueben jumped, flipped over, and landed on its beak. She stabbed her daggers into its eyes, scratching them out, then pushed off. The Awiaanomaa screamed out in anguish while Rueben landed on one knee and her head bent down. Looking up, the witch saw its nose engulfed in flames and its structure aflame with anger. The beast charged towards her, but she slid under its body, summoning an axe and slicing its legs. Lava began to fall from it, which coated Rueben's body, causing her skin to glow. The witch shook off the access lava and turned towards the creature. 

Rueben walked towards the creature and summoned water that floated in the air. "Tell your master he can go to hell," she sneered and threw the water over the beast. Its skin blossomed into daffodils.

Sweat barreled down Rueben's back as she pulled the massive creature's body by the robe towards a patch of daffodils. The witch exhaled, throwing down the robe and began digging the hole when a bright light came flying towards her. It fluttered around her before landing in the soft daffodils field and transformed into a man. Rueben swiped the sweat from her brow and leaned against the spade. As the prince's princely glow surrounded his perfect polish and lean body, his golden hair flowed through the wind along with royal wear which was floaty and airy, in blue and gold.

"Good morning, fair prince, to what do I owe the pleasure?" She smiled before going back to digging the hole. 

He flipped his hair as he stared at the dead creature, "so… burying another Awiaanomaa on my land" he stared at the blossoming corpse which Rueben had flipped into the hole. 

The witch hummed as she closed the hole and gave it a good pat. "They make daffodils grow" she stepped back from her handling work as a few sprouts formed. "It's the second one this week, so you know what that means" she turned to leave as the Prince followed her. 

"You are leaving again," he gasped as she nodded, "when? Tomorrow, next week" he was frantic in his questioning, which made Rueben stop. 

"As soon as possible," she watched the emotions filter through his face, until he picked one.

"Why in such a rush?" Concern clouded his vision, and he wasn't thinking of the possibility of Rueben staying and what it meant. 

"If I stay, more of these will come and bring way worse things, so to protect you, your kingdom and I, it's better if I skip town" Rueben took off again as he followed her like a droopy-eyed pup. 

"Where would you go?" He wandered next to her with his head bowed. 

She stopped in her tracks. " I don't know, maybe, Morocco, but then I will have to braid my hair," she touched her blunt bob subconsciously. "So this is goodbye, Raine" Rueben presented her hand with a sweet smile, but he just stared at it. 

"Will you ever come back?" The words lingered in the air. Rueben knew she couldn't. After the first time she was here, coming back would be a death wish for him and his people. 

But she couldn't break his heart. So, she gave a bittersweet smile and offered her hand again. "Only time can tell'' he stood still for a moment. He grabbed her hand, which turned into him, pulling her into his embrace, burying his head into her neck. And tears sprinkled into her eyes, but she forced the lump in her throat down. 

He smelled like rain, freshly cut grass with a hint of lemon. "I am going to miss Rue," he whispered into her hair. 

"Me too"