The carriage slowed long before it stopped.
The streets thinned, stone giving way to packed earth, the buildings growing lower and more utilitarian. Warehouses loomed to one side, their wide doors shut tight, while ahead the road dipped toward a cluster of lantern lights that glimmered like grounded stars.
The driver reined in the horses. "This is as far as I can go, Your Highness. Beyond this point, carts and stalls block the way."
I leaned forward, peering out the window.
The hub was… lively.
Canvas awnings stretched between posts, lanterns hanging low and swaying gently.
Tables were laid out in rows and circles, some displaying glittering jewelry, others holding velvet-lined cases that were snapped shut whenever anyone official-looking passed by.
Women moved through the space with confidence, bartering, laughing, arguing softly. It felt older than the city behind us. Less regulated. More alive.
