Chapter 271. Eude

Chapter 271. Eude

Built at the foot of a mountain that separated Drara from the Cursed Forest, Ishtar was one of the largest and most important cities on the continent. Travelers and merchants from faraway kingdoms often came to the Big Bazaar to trade spices, rare fabrics, enchanted trinkets, desert herbs, precious stones, and hand-forged weapons. Perfumed oils and glassware shimmered under the desert sun, while storytellers from every corner of the continent gathered in shaded courtyards to trade tales for coins or shelter.
It was here, in the Great Bazaar, that Eude took Marianna only a few hours after their arrival in Ishtar.
The air was thick with the scents of spices, oils, and sizzling street food. Loud vendors shouted over one another to advertise their goods, while customers haggled fiercely before buying.
Marianna grabbed onto Eude’s arm and pressed herself close to him. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Too loud. Too many people,” she said as her gaze studied the crowed, a deep frown on her face. “I don’t like it here.”
Eude hadn’t realized how overwhelming the Great Bazaar could be for her. He hadn’t just wanted to buy her something—he’d wanted to show her a place he’d heard countless stories about. He’d hoped Hudde would join them, but his twin had decided to help the caravan settle instead.
Many caravans came to Ishtar to trade, and the city provided places where they could pitch their tents and let the thaledrakes rest.
Hudde was still keeping his distance from both Marianna and Eude, and it made Eude restless. He and his twin had never been apart before. They’d always done everything together. Now, a rift was forming between them, and Eude didn’t know how to fix it.
“Do you want to go back?” he asked.
Marianna hesitated before replying. “There’s no need. But…don’t leave my side.”
“I’m right here,” Eude said, trying to reassure her. Their fingers interlaced, his thumb brushing over her skin in a soothing gesture.
She looked up at him with eyes full of trust. Gods, she was beautiful.
He dipped his head and pressed a quick kiss to her brow. “I will always protect you.”
And he meant every word.
Marianna didn’t need protecting—she was a warrior who could defend herself—but Eude still felt the need to shield her. Not from any imminent danger, but from the world itself. There was something so pure, so gentle, so innocent about her, and he couldn’t bear the thought of the evil spreading across the land ever touching her.
She rested her head on his shoulder, and it took all his strength not to gather her into his arms and take her far away—somewhere safe from Beliar, the Orcs, or any other danger. Somewhere where they could have all the time in the world to get to know each other and slowly fall in love. 
He wanted that. 
He could see it–him and Hudde working hard during the day for their family and returning in time for dinner; Marianna waiting for them, a big smile or her sweet lips; a couple of children sleeping peacefully in their little beds, while he and his brother tried to get her pregnant again. 
It was a beautiful dream, one he would make sure came true. 
“And I will protect you as well,” she whispered.
His heart hammered in his chest.
This woman had never judged him or Hudde, and she had been ready to defend them when Karin demanded they marry his daughter simply because they had accidentally seen her face.
Except for Hudde and Ayla, no one had ever had his back. Even during the war, the only person he could rely on was his twin.
He had been ready to give up on a woman who had wanted him from the beginning. He was glad that, despite being a fool, he hadn’t pushed Marianna away completely and that he still had time to mend things between them. All he had to do now was knock some sense into Hudde.
As they walked, Eude’s gaze swept over every stall and every vendor, searching for something to buy for Marianna.
It didn’t take long to find a gift for her. Unconventional for a woman, perhaps—but he knew it was perfect the moment he saw her gaze linger on a weapon stall. There, amid swords, shields, maces, battle axes, bows, and other weapons, was a set of throwing knives.
They were small and delicate, double-edged and forged from black ore—the second strongest material after magic ore. Both were rare and hard to find. 
While magic ore could be found in Nordmar, no one knew where black ore came from. The Shadow Elves, who lived on the Mystical Islands of Avalon, were the only ones who forged weapons from it—but they refused to reveal where they obtained it.
Weapons made from black ore couldn’t kill an Orc, but they could debilitate one, buying just enough time for an opponent to flee if needed.
They stopped in front of the stall, and Eude said to the vendor, “I want to see the throwing knives.” 
The vendor picked up one of the five throwing knives and said, “They’re one of a kind. They once belonged to a warlord from a faraway continent. I won’t go into the specifics of how I got them, but let’s just say, it left a few scars.”
Eude said nothing as he tested the weight and balance of the small blade in his hand. He liked the balance of it. 
Its shape was precise and balanced, clearly crafted for speed and silence rather than brute force. The blade bore no ornate decoration, only the clean, efficient design of a weapon made to fly true.
Its hilt was flat and bare, carved with a series of perfectly symmetrical holes—not for beauty, but to reduce weight and improve the knife's flight through the air. 
“What do you think?” he asked Marianna.
She took the throwing knife from him, inspecting it with focused curiosity—until someone suddenly bumped into her. She managed to avoid cutting herself or Eude as she was shoved into his chest.
The man who had collided with her took off running a second later.
“Thief! Thief! Someone stop him!” the vendor shouted, his voice rising above the noise of the bazaar.
Eude’s gaze swept over Marianna quickly. “Are you alright?”
“Yes.” Her voice was steady, but her eyes were already locked on the fleeing figure. Seconds later, the thief disappeared into the crowd.
While Eude couldn’t catch a clear glimpse of their face, he was almost certain it had been a woman, not a man.
“Did they steal something important?” he asked the vendor.
“An old whip,” the vendor replied, scowling. “Along with a dagger made of mithril.”
Mithril was a rare, silvery metal prized across all the continent of Aylarra for its extraordinary properties. Lighter than steel yet far stronger, it never dulled, never rusted, and seemed to hum faintly with a magic of its own. Weapons forged from mithril were said to strike faster, cut deeper, and endure far longer than those made of ordinary metal.
Only the most skilled blacksmiths—often working alongside enchanters—could shape mithril. The process required extreme heat and precision, as well as a touch of magic to awaken the metal’s full potential. Because of its rarity and difficulty to work with, mithril weapons were incredibly valuable, often passed down through generations or reserved for royalty and elite warriors.
Some believed that mithril came from fallen stars, or that it was drawn from the bones of ancient, long-dead dragons. Whether those tales were true or not, one thing was certain–any weapon made from mithril was a treasure, and often, a target.
“How much for the throwing knives?” Eude asked as he handed the blade back to the vendor.
“Five hundred gold pieces,” the vendor said without hesitation.
It was far more than Eude could afford. The set was beautiful, no doubt, but not worth that much.
The vendor leaned in slightly. “But I’ll tell you what—find that thief and return what was stolen, and I’ll give you the set for a hundred gold coins.”
So at least one of the stolen items was valuable.
“Deal,” Eude said.

This part of the story has always been a struggle for me ecer since I stated plotting this entire story and it took me a while to figure out what´s going to happen. But now I finally have clarity and writing won´t be a struggle.