The street ended in a square filled with dozens of stalls. Thea paused on the threshold as she looked at the wares on offer. She was giddy with the idea of buying things, but she only had so much money to spend. Biting on her upper lip, she peered around, blue eyes squinting and widening in equal measure. There was a stall brimming with cakes, but there was another with shiny jewellery. Mum loved her jewellery; all Thea had was a little charm. Maybe she could get a pretty glass flower like Mum's! She started towards the jewellery stall before pausing, then turned to face the cake stall only to pause again. Her nose scrunched up in thought.
"Daddy?" Thea turned around, expecting her dad to be standing behind her. He wasn't. She stood up on tiptoes, then started to jump when she couldn't see him. She settled back on her heels with a frown. She wasn't concerned - after all, there were plenty of people around to look after her - but it did mean she couldn't ask for money for both a cake and some jewellery. Exhaling a little puff of regret for losing her dad, she looked for someone big and clever to ask. There were a few Aes Sedai and Asha'man that Thea could see, but she didn't want to pester any of them. "They are very important people," her mum had told her, "if you need help, ask one of the Dedicated or Accepted." Well, Thea couldn't see any Accepted or Dedicated to ask.
After peering up at various people, Thea finally opted to approach someone who looked smart. At least he dressed smart, and he had a sword a bit like Dad's. She skipped over to him, jumping into his path as he walked.
"Hello, I'm Thea, nice to meet you!" She curtsied like an Accepted, with a bend of her knees and a deep bow of her head, except in half the time. "Can I ask you a question? What's better, cake or jewellery?" She grinned up at the stranger she'd accosted, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "I want cake, but Mum likes jewellery, and I can only buy one or the other." She held up her coin purse, shaking it to show how many coins she had left. "What'd'you think?"
- Spoiler: show