I wish Auden’s question didn’t sting in my chest as much as it did. Even with my bit of money, I felt as though the answer was ‘nothing’. I had nothing that wasn’t given to me by my mother. Even my sewing talents were just a diluted version of my mother's. This taste of bravery and boldness was only due to Ella. What did I have that was my own? What did I have that anyone would want? And it seemed like this trader knew that. He knew I had nothing. 

With shaking fingers, I set my handful of coppers down on the cart. And he laughed. The bastard actually laughed. My cheeks flushed once more, but this time with shame and rage. At least most people in the village had the decency to laugh behind my back instead of to my face. 

“Sir,” I snapped. “Are you laughing at me?” What sort of soulless merchant laughs at their potential customers? 

A flame within me prickled and I reached out to grab my coins. I’d rather sew them onto the dress as they were and turn it into a coin dress than give this mocking son of a-

“You misunderstand me,” he said gently as he set his hand on mine. I snatched it away immediately. His hands felt cold and too smooth. “I simply found it endearing to have a girl so earnest here with her last handful of coins.” It didn’t seem as though he was lying when he said it, but neither my cheeks nor my temper had cooled. Whatever his meaning, it felt insulting to its core. While he might not need my last coppers for his earnings, I knew all the traders in town and my mother had an honest reputation. I’d make their ears bleed with how crooked this man was. “Truly,” he said in response to my glare. “I meant no offense, Ms. Esther.” 

On any other day, I would have stomped away and told him to find his kin in the cow fields. But I did want those glass beads. 

“Your sales pitch could use some work,” I said thinly. It was my best imitation of my mother, and for a moment I wished I had Correen’s talent at looking down at people that were taller than her. 

Somehow, I thought maybe my statement would add a little shame to Auden's behavior. But I supposed to him I was still just a young girl, maybe even a child, while he was an experienced trader who had even been to the ocean before. Instead of any further apology, he leaned against his wagon and entirely ignored my coins. 

"What if I could supply you with something else?" 

Before I could help it, I let out a heavy sigh. I was used to traders trying to scam me out of everything I owned. Once, a foreigner tried to trick me out of the deed for my mother's house. Luckily, even if I had been tricked, we didn't outright own the house regardless. But it had been a reminder that next to no one had our best interests at heart. It seemed like this man was no different. So, I didn't take his bait; instead, I pulled out the embroidered handkerchiefs. 

"They're sturdy," I said, trying not to let my voice sound disappointed. It took a lot out of someone's spirit to be laughed at and immediately baited. "I've never had one break unless you're taking a knife to them." Florals were always a popular choice of handkerchief. However, I'd done a couple of trees as well. One was a horse, which I figured might be popular with men. The intention had been to sell them with Ella on the side of the road. But I hoped it might be well enough for beads in this case. "I'd price them at fifteen coppers each." They were just plain linen so no nobles would be interested in them. But they'd be a nice piece for commoners. When I looked up, Auden seemed stunned. 

"You're..." He let himself trail off a bit before he pushed the smile back onto his face. It was a careful tone of voice. "You're not interested?" In whatever nonsense he was about to sell me on? 

"No." I scoffed. It was much simpler to deal with him when it was clear the entire ruse was to sell me on something ridiculous. I would have thought better of him with his nice clothes. But liars were all the same, regardless of where they’re from, I supposed. "You're going to offer me what? A magic mirror? A dragon? I'm poor. I'm not stupid." Besides, I didn't have anything he could steal. Maybe I could sell my hair. But it wasn't a very valuable color and the ends were a bit ratty. 

"I--wait, let me back up a bit." Auden wasn't stuttering, but he wasn't acting as smoothly as he was a moment ago. That gave me some petty sense of victory. I suppose he thought he'd be able to scam me easily. Like I was just another stupid village girl who would do anything for a foreign trader's crafty tongue. "You're misunderstanding me. Yes, your handkerchiefs are very nice. But wouldn't you like more of a guarantee?" 

"I'm just trying to buy beads. I don't care about anything about your guarantees. How many will this buy me?"

"Would you please-"

"Enough," I stated with a stomp of my foot. It made me feel childish but I simply had no more time to play games. The entire reason I'd sought him out at this time was because I'd bought time away from my mother. "I quite plainly do not have time for your games nor do I have the interest in them. Just sell me the bloody beads and leave me in peace." 

I think I let out a sound similar to a squawk as he suddenly grabbed my hands. My mouth hung open in surprise as he practically forced a tied clothe in my hands. Honestly, I hadn’t even seen him pull it out. He’d make more money as a street performer than he would a trader if he was so adept at pulling things out of thin air. 

“The beads. For the coppers, here. Keep your handkerchiefs. All I wish from you is a favor. A chore, if anything. Something you may benefit from as well." He was speaking quickly now. Maybe in an effort to get all the words out before I charged off. "There’s a witch, I hear, in your woods.” With the beads in my hands, I snatched myself away from him. I was not at all happy about the touching and even less happy about him insisting on his pitch to me. 

“Old Maggie,” I said with a pinched nod. Carefully untying the bag to make sure he hadn’t cheated me and put clay beads in there instead. They looked adequately glass, but I wanted to estimate their number regardless. “We all know about her.” I’d only seen her at a distance, once or twice. My mother would hurry me away before I could catch a true look. But she was dressed up in an old cloak and always stayed away from the villagers. If she ever bought anything in the market, I'd never seen it in person. When I was younger, I wondered how she got her clothes and food. But now that I was older, I figured she just made and scavenged her own. Or used magic. “I heard she killed her children to live forever.” Everyone local knew the story of the witch Old Maggie. They all said she sold her firstborn to live forever, her secondborn for unlimited power, and her third for money. However, I was skeptical about the last one. If she had money, I doubted she would live in the forest by our village. “Or ate them.” I heard she sometimes traded strange bottles with equally strange merchants--I gasped and nearly dropped the cloth. "Do you want to trade with the witch?" He was definitely strange enough to meet the criteria. 

“Old Maggie,” He repeated her name with a relieved grin. “I heard she's cagey around strangers." I heard she was cagey around anyone. We'd go years without even catching a glimpse of her. "I do wish to trade with her. But I need a sort of introduction first. A guarantee-" There was that word again. "That she'll listen to anything I have to say."

"I barely want to listen to what you have to say." I honestly couldn't help the statement. "And I'm not interested." With the handful of glass beads, I had what I needed. 

"If you do as I ask, and bring her a gift from me, I'm sure she'd listen to your request as well. If anyone knows a way to make a night magical, it’d probably be her.”

"Thank you for the beads, sir; I wish you a pleasant day." I wasn't going to entertain this any longer and I had plenty of work to do. How ridiculous. What would a witch who ate her children–or whatever it was she did to them–know about happy endings? She was the exact opposite of a fairy godmother. Besides that, I doubted the intention of this man without a doubt of my own. I trusted nothing about him. 

"Well, if you don’t change your mind, I know someone else was interested in my offer.”

A cold flash spread down my spine. I was stupid. I was so stupid. How could I forget? The very first time we’d met, he’d said something about Ella telling him if she was interested. I’d assume it was about marriage or something shallow like that. I immediately twisted around.

“Wait-” But he was gone.