A day with Mei .

 The sun was up and shinning brightly , lifting the moods of everyone at the market on that early morning . The food vendors had already stocked up their stalls with all manner of edibles ranging from sacks of cereals , shoals of previously caught fish all the way to crates of hot freshly baked bread . The sellers were starting to get loud , trying to attract the early shoppers of that day. Mei was caught into the trap of one such vendor selling green radishes.

 " You really think these ones are the best ? " she asked the seller , a short skinny old man in a straw hat with a large shaggy grey beard .

 " My child , here at old man radishes , you only get the best radishes the capital has to offer. Why you could ask anyone ," he quickly answered , already running through some of the biggest radishes with his hands for Mei to see.

" Alright , quickly wrap me radishes worth ten silver coins , " Mei suddenly shouted upon seeing Lan making contact with some bystanders . Once she had her vegetables , she made a straight dash for him . He was standing right in the middle of the group , dressed in tattered brown commoner clothes completely at odds with his usually elegant and expensive regal suits .

 " Come with me , the last thing you should be doing is drawing attention over to yourself , " she pulled him by the arm and walked over to a secluded part of the marketplace . 

 " How many times do I have to remind you that if anything happens to you , heads are going to start rolling and my name will be on top of that list ," she started once they were out of earshot . 

 " My most trusted security detail has been patrolling this area since last night , no one will even touch me without my knowing. Now I think we have wasted enough time , where are those people I need to meet ? " he calmed down her anxiety.

 Mei sighed reluctantly then turned around to face the old man who had been selling her radishes . She gave a slight nod and soon after , the man left the stall and started walking down the road.

 " He will lead us , let's follow him, " she answered Lan's question and again grabbed his hand and pulled him along.

 As they walked , Lan tried to start a conversation , " When were you planning on telling me that your family was part of the relocated refugees ?"

 "It's illegal for a refugee like myself to be working near the crown , everyone says we can never truly be loyal . I expect that you will hold up your end of the deal and keep my family out of the crosshairs when I get punished ," Mei replied , her eyes focused on the old man walking ahead of them.

 " As long as you take me to where other refugees doing what you are doing are , I will stick to my promise , " Lan maintained his composure despite the speed at which she was dragging him .

 As long as she had lived , Mei had never known fairness . As a child born to a family of slaves , she never had the chance to enjoy life as a human being of dignity. Every one saw her as an object , something they could own and do with as they pleased . By the time she was in her teens , she'd stopped counting the number of times she had been sold off and changed hands , been assaulted ,overworked and had to face the ridicule of nobles and commoners alike who treated her like filth . She got a lucky break when she was sold to a master who was engaged in international trading , using his business as a means to take herself and her family off country .

 When she came to Agreya , she was lucky to meet a high ranking member of the church who upon seeing her great talent decided to bring her to the capital . After that she kept working away till she found herself in the palace , serving the royal family with wine .

 " How did you find out ? Did someone tip you off ?" she decided to release the question that had been eating at her .

 " Yes . Are we getting close? " Lan was tiring and started wishing he had brought along a horse carriage . 

 " We are , one more turn and we arrive. If I may ask , since you asked me to have all of them gathered there , what is your plan . Are you going to arrest all of us on the spot and send us to the dungeons ? " Mei continued laying out her anxiety .

 " If that was the case I wouldn't have come here in person. There are questions that the refugees will have answers to and I can't trust a messenger to relay them ," he answered between instances of being out of breath .

 Mei stopped abruptly and Lan almost crashed into her . She pointed at a small house whose roof was overgrown with moss and looked abandoned . Walking over to it , she knocked three times , waited , then repeated the process. As Lan was watching , a lock was heard turning from the inside and the door was opened by a small child about half the height of Lan. 

 Looking back at him , Mei invited Lan in ," this is it . Please ask the guards following us to remain outside , these people are already scared enough ."