Runefork was a quiet town just to the west of Haven, surrounded by rolling farmland. It's one feature was that it sat at the start of the Orhon river, which emptied into the Terilee River. Lazy barges crowded with produce, animals and grains drifted up and down the rivers to Haven. Nothing exciting ever happened in Runefork, well unless you counted the time Handrick's bull decided to walk into Granny Tersa's kitchen. Granny still glared at Tip Handrick, the eldest boy every time she saw him. She still swore he had something to do with it, even going so far as to demand of every poor herald that came through town to make the lad tell the truth with their witchy ways.
On this late spring day Granny Tersa was sitting outside shelling peas with her gnarled hands and watching as the people that lived in town headed to farm or work. The blacksmith was frowning as he stoked the forge, must have another big order she thought to herself. Tanner was loading up a wagon with baskets of peas, greens, berries and eggs, the light little cart was fast on the roads and would make it to Haven before the produce went bad easily. He was leaving the seat empty, must be taking the Collings girl with him.
Granny sniffed in disdain, that child was a changling, Vanton and Ella had produced five sons in as many years, each one as sturdy as an ox and as alike as peas in a pod. Then the sixth year brought that puny little girl that didn't look anything like either parent. The boys all had their mother's brown eyes and their father's black hair, the girl had mouse brown hair, pale gray eyes and barely came up to her mother's shoulder at fifteen. There weren't going to be any offers from the local boys for her as a wife. She might be pretty enough, but they wanted strong healthy wives who would have healthy children.
As she finished the last of the peas she tossed the pods in a basket to feed to her piglet out back, when she saw the mousy child walking down the road carrying a carefully wrapped bundle of cloth and a large basket. Must be taking her fancy sewing to Haven to sell again, only thing the child could do right, but lord and lady, not even Granny Tersa could find a flaw in her sewing. Other than it being a useless waste of time until that Herald girl had taken a fancy to a piece and taken it with her to Haven. Now the child took the trip with Tanner once a month during good weather to drop off the sewing and take more orders. Granny Tersa frowned at the girl as she passed by, well at least the child wasn't being a complete drain on her poor parents now.
Lyrissa looked up in time to see the elderly woman frown at her, she nodded politely and tried to smile back reminding herself Granny Tersa didn't like anyone, so not to take it personally. So why did she always feel so nervous and upset by the old woman? She hugged the bundle to her chest, careful not to trip or drop it in the muddy street, there wouldn't be time to wash it, even if it wasn't ruined. She liked these trips into Haven and this time she wouldn't even have one of her brothers there to watch over her, they were needed in the fields more. Besides Uncle Tanner would make sure she was taken care of.
She handed up the bundle and basket then clambered into the wagon seat, "So my little Mousekin, what treats did your mother send with us today?" He smiled at her, his kind blue eyes calming the last of her nervousness away.
"Momma made sweet corn cakes, lamb stew and blackberry-apple fritters you love so much." Lyrissa wished she could cook as well as her mother, but cooking was on the very long list of things she simply was a disaster at. "Oh and before I lose it." She dug into her pocket and fished out the pair of silver coins, one for Uncle Tanner and one for her lodging in Haven.
"See you didn't lose it this time.." He smiled at her and slipped the coins into his front pocket, "We have a beautiful day ahead, and I have a feeling we'll both make a nice profit from this trip. So no frowns allowed my little Mousekin, after all this might be the day you find your destiny."
She laughed shyly, Uncle Tanner said that at the start of every trip. And for the next few days maybe she could even believe she did have a destiny. Even if in her heart she knew she had nothing at all.