Ancient Times
Ironhold City, A Thin Alley Close to the City Gate
Lucy Hartwell stood silently, her body held steady under a tattered cloth umbrella. Her black hair was done up, face lightly made up, elegant, serene, and misplaced among stone and dust.
In the proper light, she might be confused with a noblewoman from a painting.
Her younger brother stood beside her, fidgeting from one foot to another.
"Lucy, it has been half an hour. What if he is not coming? Did he forget?"
Nathan Hartwell, seventeen, agitated and always a breath from pacing, frowned at the vacant end of the alley. His shirt stuck with sweat, his boots were dirty, and his arms were folded in frustration.
Yesterday, Lucy had come home with something unthinkable. Clean water.
During a famine and drought year, that was not just precious. It stood on the borders of nearly miraculous.
And when she explained to her family that she had purchased it from a stranger in odd clothes, their reactions ranged from disbelief to interest.
Nathan, naturally, had insisted on coming along today.
Lucy, finally wearied of his pestering, agreed to let him come.
They had been waiting till now, but the oddly dressed water vendor had not appeared.
"Just wait," Lucy murmured. "He may be late. Something may have come up."
"We will wait. You can go home if you need to hurry."
Nathan grumbled but remained silent. They needed this. Clean water was no longer a luxury. It meant survival in this famine.
Besides, Lucy had a vivid memory of the young man. Handsome features, clear eyes, unusual clothing.
He did not seem to be the kind of man to break promises.
Suddenly Nathan jumped up and gestured down the road.
"Lucy, look!" Nathan shook her hard and gestured down the alleyway. "That man, his clothes are strange. Is that the guy you mentioned to me?"
Lucy followed his gaze, her eyes narrowing.
Across the way, Alex was coming down the alley, both arms bulging with the weight of two heavy wooden crates, water splashing with each step. His clothes looked like a sore thumb in Ironhold.
His hair glistened with sweat, and his face was set in pure regret.
"If I ever catch up with my past self," Alex growled, "I am punching him right in the face."
"Ten blocks. With this much weight. And for what? A meeting spot with no name, no landmark... just an alley."
He scanned the identical stone walls and twisting paths, all blending together like a maze carved from boredom.
"Seriously, how do people live like this? No signs. No maps. Just... rocks."
He walked on, his sigh heavy with frustration.
At least this part was familiar.
Each time he came back to this world, he would reappear in the same location, like being loaded back into a game save that refused to be altered. It was predictable. Unshakeable. But incredibly frustrating.
But as he turned the last corner and saw Lucy standing there, umbrella clutched in her hand, as beautiful as ever, and the wide-eyed boy beside her, something in him unfolded.
He smiled weakly through the fatigue.
Yep. This is the right alley.
"Sorry I am late," Alex said, approaching Lucy and placing the two crates down with a thud.
"These alleys all look the same. I got lost three times before turning up in the spot we planned on."
"Haha, that makes sense," Nathan said with a chuckle. "I used to get lost all the time too until I began running around here with my friends causing trouble."
He eyed Alex playfully. "But you are just like Lucy said. Odd clothing, odd tone, and, well, rather annoyingly handsome."
Lucy flushed in a second and shot a warning glare at her brother.
"Nathan, shut up!"
Lucy turned to Alex and introduced Nathan to him embarrassingly. "This is my little brother."
She was talking too quickly. "He has no manners. Do not mind him."
Alex laughed, looking at the boy.
"Nathan, yeah? Nice name. Solid one." He had a friend like that named Nathan too.
But then his focus wandered back to Lucy. She was... different today.
A little more put together. A little more refined. The way the sun shone on her, she nearly looked like something from a dream.
He blinked.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" Lucy asked softly, her flush deepening with his attention.
Before Alex could even reply, Nathan jumped in with a big smile.
"What do you think? Do you like Lucy? You would not believe how many guys come through asking to marry my sister. She is sort of a big deal."
"She is not easy to impress."
"Nathan!" Lucy hissed, embarrassed. "If you just do not keep your mouth shut, I am not talking to you for a week!"
The boy grinned and pretended to zip his lips closed.
Alex cleared his throat and attempted to regain his composure.
"Right. Business first."
He knelt and flung open the crates. Within were twenty-four sealed bottles of pure, clear mineral water.
"Two full boxes this time."
Lucy's eyes widened.
She had thought he might bring a few bottles again, just enough to make a point. But this? This would be enough for days, and if lived frugally, weeks perhaps.
"All this... is water?" she breathed in awe.
Even Nathan came forward, bewildered.
"That is... that is a lot of water," he stammered. "Is this all for Dad?"
Yesterday, he had stolen a sip from the drained bottle their father had finished.
Only a few drops, but it had been clean, sweet, and fresher than anything he had ever tasted.
Now, gazing at it in such quantities, it felt unreal.
"I will sell all of these to you," Alex replied calmly.
"Sir, this is too much," Lucy hesitated. "I am afraid we cannot afford to pay for all this water."
She rummaged through her handkerchief in embarrassment. There were seven or eight gold ingots the size of her thumbs inside.
Nathan looked at them and scowled. "Sis, that is not going to do. That is probably ten taels at best. In the black market, that amount of gold will get you perhaps five jugs of water. He has got more than twenty here."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "If there is a black market, why did you come to me?"
Lucy raised her head. "Because I want clean water. The stuff on the black market is revolting. Most of it is either sewage or poorly filtered. You cannot even drink it."
Nathan continued, "Yeah, and stupidly expensive. Two taels per pot, and it tastes like... filth. But people still fight over it."
Alex's eyes narrowed, ideas already brewing.
So the black market has got demand... and no supply.
"Okay," Alex told them, "I will give you both these boxes for free."
They both stared up at him in surprise.
"But there is a catch," he went on. "I require two favors."
Nathan's eyes flashed. "You are serious? Man, you are too generous!"
He was just about to take hold of the boxes when Lucy threw him a look and he hesitated.
"What are the conditions?" she asked warily.
"It has to do with the black market, does it not?"
Alex nodded slightly, impressed. "Did not even say it, and you figured it out."
Lucy did not answer, simply waited.
"It is easy," Alex said. "One, find me a granary. Large one. Two, I want you to handle the sale of the water for me at the black market."
"I get ninety percent, ten percent to you. Or," he added, "if you do not need money, I will compensate you in water."
Nathan did not hesitate at all. "Done!"
Lucy hesitated, but the deal was too enticing.
They were getting fresh water, and an opportunity to earn more. She agreed.
"This is perfect!" Nathan grinned.
"Do not worry, sir. No matter how much water you have got, I will sell every drop. I might not have money, but I have got plenty of friends."
Lucy glared at him. "Yeah, friends you fight with every other day."
Nathan chuckled. "They start it!"
Watching them bicker, Alex could not help but smile. "Nathan, if you do not want to get pushed around anymore, come see me. I will teach you something."
"No way?" Nathan's eyes opened wide.
He had never had anyone talk to him like that, particularly not anyone who actually seemed to mean what they said.
Alex turned to Lucy. "If you just keep trying to get him not to fight, it will make it worse. He will fight back harder."
Lucy looked at the bruises on Nathan's arm and nodded slowly, uncertainty clouding her features.
"It is worth teaching him. Show him when to fight, when to walk away, and how to defend the people he loves."
He hesitated, then continued, "Honestly, the best thing? I think we should assist him in building his own strength."
Nathan was fired up. "Exactly! That is what I want!"
"Sir, please, teach me. I will do whatever you want!"
His eyes were burning with respect. By that point, Alex had earned himself a loyal follower.