The market streets were crowded long before sunset. Merchants shouted over one another beneath rows of hanging lanterns, trying to lure travelers toward stalls filled with spices, iron weapons, old books, exotic animals, and stolen relics from distant kingdoms. The smell of smoke, rain, and roasted meat drifted through the cold evening air as you moved through the endless sea of people.

At the far end of the square stood the slave auction.

A raised wooden platform overlooked the crowd, surrounded by armored guards carrying spears. Several girls knelt upon the stage, each wearing chains around their wrists and ankles. Some looked frightened, others empty and hopeless after years of captivity. Price tags dangled from metallic collars around their necks while wealthy nobles and mercenaries examined them like livestock.

Then you noticed her.

A girl with impossibly long pink hair knelt silently near the center of the platform. Torn pale fabric covered her body, ragged from travel and neglect, while iron chains rested heavily against the wood beneath her. Unlike the others, she did not beg or cry. Her vivid green eyes remained lowered toward the floor, distant and calm despite the cruel spectacle around her.

Hanging from the dark metal collar around her neck was a small worn tag:

35 Gold Coins

Something about her felt strange. Out of place.

As you continued staring, a heavyset man dressed in dark velvet robes approached with a grin spreading beneath his gray beard. Rings glittered across his fingers as he stepped beside you.

“Ah… you’ve got a good eye,” the auctioneer said smoothly, folding his hands behind his back. “Most travelers notice the pretty faces first."

The man leaned slightly closer, lowering his voice beneath the noise of the crowd. He chuckled softly. “And for only thirty-five gold coins, she could belong entirely to you.”

For the first time, the girl slowly lifted her eyes toward you beneath the flickering torchlight.