Hear Me

Pulling Alexander by the arm, the woman led him deep into the market, passing several stalls and a few people until they eventually arrived at an unmanned store.

Quickly getting behind the counter and offering him a seat, the woman turned to Crealine.

"You, sit."

Knowing she had been in the wrong, Crealine took a seat on the bench beside Alexander, a sad expression on her face, while her mother turned back and began cutting a melon.

The little girl's misery lasted only a second though, as easily distracted as any child, she forgot what her mother had said, got down from the bench, and began playing with some sticks on the ground.

When Crealine's mother turned to hand Alexander the large melon she had cut, she was taken aback to see her daughter already off the bench. Though she frowned, seeing the girl was engaged in a harmless activity for now, she let out an exasperated breath and handed Alexander the cut melons.

"Here, I picked the best for you."

"Thanks," Alexander muttered.

The melon piece in Alexander's hand had a deep red interior, and though he would have rather not, his body thirsted for the fruit. In no time, he bit into it.

After serving Alexander, the woman focused on the various items displayed at her stall, scanning for customers to serve.

"Hey Natrish, did I see wrong or did you bring Garve over here with you?" a voice called from the front of the stall.

"Yep, and it's no longer Garve, it's Alex," the now-named Natrish said, stepping back and pointing at Alexander, who had been enjoying his melon.

"Hello," Alexander said, unsure of who the chubby woman standing on her toes and leaning over the stall to see him was.

"Hello, Alex. I see Natrish got to you first. Well, if you're done here, consider coming over to my stall. I have apples you'll love."

"Thank you," Alexander nodded, not sure what to make of the situation.

"No worries."

Looking away from Alexander, the newly arrived woman and Natrish chatted briefly before she left.

Having returned to his melon, Alexander tried to use its sweet taste to drown out the thoughts popping into his head since the sudden visit, but he found himself failing.

"Did you know me before I was Garve?" he asked.

"Yep, but unfortunately, we weren't close at the time."

"In general… who am I to you?"

"One second."

Looking away to make a sale, Natrish returned after some seconds and, with a friendly smile, answered.

"Well, after you first came to the village, you were known as the boy who forgets. But now, recently, people call you the boy who cheated death."

Silently nodding, Alexander grew contemplative at Natrish's words, then suddenly spoke.

"Natrish… if I were to tell you that in a few days, the village would be attacked by slavers, and we would all either be enslaved or killed, what would you do?"

"That's a grim thought," Natrish said, her eyes drifting to Crealine, a bit of fear flashing within them.

"If you were telling the truth, I would tell my husband, and together with our daughter, we would flee."

"I see."

"That's a strange place for your mind to go, Garve… sorry, I mean Alex. What prompted such a thought?"

"It's been revealed to me through a dream—that in a week and four days, slavers will storm this village."

Silence fell after Alexander's words, and he used the quiet that followed to bite into his melon.

"That's not funny."

"Yes, but it's the truth."

With those words, he took his last bite and rose to his feet.

"Thank you for the melon, Natrish. It was very delicious."

"You're welcome," the woman said, though her mood was now a far cry from what it had been when she had first brought him to her stall.

As a small village, Beckle had nothing particularly fascinating about its market. The village's major export was meat, and its market was mostly full of vegetables, fruits, and a few traders with clothes.

The market was in no way big, and rather than leave it, Alexander moved deeper into its center and climbed onto a podium placed there.

Compared to the markets in Persia, and even Macedonia, the thought of Babylon gave him goosebumps, Beckle's market could be described as deserted. But this worked to Alexander's advantage: his voice would not only travel farther but also reach the few ears in the market more clearly.

His position on the podium drew some attention, especially from stall owners without customers.

Taking a deep breath, Alexander looked around and spoke:

"People of Beckle, hear me!"

"Most of you know me, and while it is unfortunate that I do not recall my time with you, the feelings I have formed over the years of living with and among you still remain. And I cannot keep silent when I see disaster coming.

"I saw it, not in a tale, not in a madman's dream, but in a vision. A warning.

Slavers. Armed. Ruthless. Moving under the cover of darkness. They are coming for this village.

"I saw fires. I saw chains. I saw your homes torn apart. Your children stolen. I saw men dragged away, never to return. It has not happened yet but it will. Unless we act.

"Our leader will not listen. He believes me mad, thinks this is just fear.

He has refused to acknowledge the words of our great doctor, throwing them aside as baseless. But I beg you—do not wait for proof in ashes and regret.

Watch the roads. Arm yourselves. Hide your children. Prepare to defend and repel the slavers who will soon come, looking to destroy all you have worked for.