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just you. They've all seen the market. Growing up, they visited there to purchase food, clothes, supplies for their shelter; whatever they needed. I like that I can show you the world."
    She felt a strange tingle in her stomach and smiled. Though far from happy, she tried to make something good out of a bad situation. Besides, if she could get away from James, slip past him at the market, maybe she could escape for good. It's not as though he was going to want her in a month. She'd be doing them both a favor.
     
    * * * * *
     
    The driver pulled the vehicle around to the front entrance and unlocked the doors. "I have orders for you to put this on the girl." He handed James a black electronic bracelet.
    Aria's cheeks burned red. How would she escape if she was connected to a tracking device?
    "No, Matthew," James said and stepped out from the vehicle. He didn't wait around to hear the driver's response. "She's with me and my responsibility. You won't run, will you?"
    "Of course not," Aria said, following the prince out of his car.
    He took her hand and Aria knew if he didn't let go, leaving would be just as difficult gripped to him as it would be tracked.
    "Good," James said and led them through a jungle-filled maze of antiques, trinkets, food, and clothes. The market smelled warm like cinnamon as he dragged them through the aisles in a specific direction. Relieved James knew where they were going, the market was enormous. All the villages congregated here to sell their goods. This had been where Aria's father ventured when she was a little girl. It was likely where he bought enough seed to bring home to help them cultivate the land. Aria swallowed back a silent sob telling herself that she would not cry.
    James didn't notice her discomfort or he chose to ignore it. He dragged her from one stall to the next, until he found what he'd been looking for. The market was outside, the warm sun baked her cheeks. Some of the tents were covered, but many were just tables with trinkets for sale.
    "Here we go!" He looked excited and the smile seemed to be infectious. Aria smiled in response and let go of his hand, her fingers grazed the old relics of a past generation. "What do you think this was used for?" James asked. He took a metal disc and pretended as if he were going to use it as a Frisbee.
    "Wouldn't that hurt catching it?" Aria asked.
    "Only if it was used for sports. The shop keep was telling me how it holds movies on it."
    "Movies?" Aria repeated, confused.
    James grinned. "I'll show you sometime back at the palace." He placed the metal disc down and grabbed her hand again, leading her farther into the stall.
    A minute later he released his grip to grab an object to put onto his head. "What about this? How do I look?"
    "Ridiculous." Aria granted him an honest smile.
    James removed the hat and glanced it over. "It's a fedora. At least according to the price tag. It's also super cheap. I should get this and wear it around the palace."
    It should be no surprise that it was practically free. "People didn't wear silly hats like that then, and they definitely don't today." The heat scorched the earth, wearing a hat would just keep your body heat in and make you sweat faster.
    "How do you know?" James asked. "You weren't alive back then. Find me something better or I'm buying it."
    Aria didn't understand why she cared what he bought with his money. It must be nice to live as a prince and can afford anything you desire. She groaned and rummaged through the antiques. There were ceramic mugs with states that no longer exist. A globe sat on the shelf and she spun it slowly, examining the shape of the continents and the world that had once existed.
    "I'm not buying an outdated globe," James said. "My father would kill me. Who needs a reminder of the world before we came into power? What else have you got?"
    Aria snorted under her breath and walked deeper into the stall. There were dolls covered in dirt and racecars with chipped paint.