I find Keira tidying up her bed sheets.

She has arranged the best pick of her fl owers in a straw basket, that I might take them to sell at the market. Jasper, I She starts, but Im not listening. Keira Raine, you are coming to town with me today. I tell her just that as I hook the basket on my right arm, p ulling my sister out of the room with my left. I sweep her along the corridor an d out the front door. On the pebble path I let her pause to breathe in the summe r air, and as she inhales I can see Keiras anxiety loosen its vice-like grip; her face relaxes one degree, a change that only I, her brother, would notice. I ris k letting go of her little hand, and she trusts me, stays by my side. Youll be fine. Enjoy yourself. Its only the market! Come along, Keira. I smi le at her. She is one year older than me, but it is I who look after her, not vi ce versa. We walk along the street, down the hill towards the market. Atop the hill is the castle where our parents work for the court. Mother is a seamstress and Father brings news from the town and the kingdom. He is often away. They hold decent jo bs and so we have a decent life, living just outside the keep in our little hous e. As we descend the hill I can feel the energy increase in the air. There is mo re life among the townspeople, who live at the foot of the hill. The air buzzes with the hustle and bustle of market day. Occurring once every fortnight, the wh ole town comes outside to exchange the fruits of its labour. The slope of the hill levels out under our feet and today is no different from a ny other fortnight. I make my way through the gathering crowds, gripping Keiras h and tight once again, until I find my usual spot between the fountain and the mi lk stall run by Miss Esther. This is the perfect place for me to sell Keiras flow ers. Esthers milk is famous in town, so there is no shortage of customers in this part of the market. The fountain is also useful for keeping the flowers fresh. Keira sits down next to me and I reach for my leather satchel. Ah! In my preoccu pation with Keira I have left it on the kitchen table, and I need it. I turn to Keira Keira, Ive gone and left my satchel at home. Youll be alright here for ten minutes, wont you? Keira I know it isnt a question Im meant to answer; even as I look up he is dart ing back up the hill towards the house. Suddenly I take in everything the crowde d streets, the noisiness of it all. With Jasper here I could focus all my attent ion on him, but now I am forced to breathe in my surroundings. The buildings around me each two stories, made of a slapdash mixture of timber, stone, and the ivy clung to the walls, made verdant by the recent weathe r. From balconies, women hang clothes for drying and beat the dust off tapestrie s. Above my head a bird circles the marketplace, eyeing up the food on the towns peoples stalls. There are shining tomatoes and dusty potatoes, live chickens and a rainbow of vegetables, and, opposite our spot, a wagon full of luxurious forei gn spices. They smell of stories that Father tells, of sun-drenched desert-lands and summers of rain. I wouldnt mind a summer of rain. Our very own monsoon, here in England. Then Jasper wouldnt be able to drag me outside all the time. I let myself lose focus, just for a moment, when a small boy taps me on the shoulder. Hes not wearing any shoes, and when I look up at his face he smiles at me. Good morning Miss, he says. I was wondering Miss, if maybe I could have a f lower, Miss. We aint got any money, see, and I just know that a flowerd bring a sm ile to Mothers face. Youve got such an awfully pretty face Miss, I thought maybe y ou could spare just one flower? The boy is charming, and skinny as Hell, so I let him choose and he skip s off with a pink tulip in his hand. It wont feed him, but it might cheer up his poor mother. Jasper is still fetching his satchel, so I wander across the street to the wagon opposite. I take in the rich colours and breathe the scent in deep ly. Then the stall keeper turns to me, dressed in fine clothes of foreign fabric s, and round from too much good food. He must be a traveller, wealthy. You girl are you buying? Can you afford these? He looks down at me. No Sir, Im just looking, and smelling. Your spices are so wonderful; I cou

ldnt help noticing them from across the str- If youre not buying you can make room for the people who are, girl. Go bac k to your stall. But Im not doing any harm, Sir... You arent doing any help either, thats for sure. Mind your own business. And he pushes me aside, and I feel the sting of fresh tears in the corner of my eyes. Sitting back down on the steps of the fountain, I wait for Jasper, sobbing silently into my handkerchief. I dont try to talk to anyone else. I just stare a t the ground until Jaspers brown shoes enter my vision.