So I Bought An Elf Princess Attempt #2

The Trading Fields stretched as far as the eye could see, from the stone cobble road to which it sat adjacent to the forest that marked the border between the Kingdom of Alenor and the Eastern Free State. Humans had been coming there for years to buy and sell spoils from The War Divine. Whether those spoils be slaves or artifacts or even foreign estate deeds, one could always find a buyer at the Fields for some kind of price. Of course, human slave trafficking was illegal, at least at the Fields, but there were plenty of other races there for sale.

A horse-drawn buggy slowly made its way down the Alenite road, carrying two passengers to the Fields. "I say, is this it? The smell is unbearable, my dear Nez. You didn't tell me about the stink," one of them, a woman, complained. The other, her husband, sighed. "Lissy, you'll soon get used to it. And once you see what the Fields have to offer, you'll forget all about it." "I hope you're right. Otherwise, it'll be such a waste of a day," she replied.

Nez had come to the Fields on business, but as his wife had insisted on coming, he would have to buy one less slave than he planned. Still, the carriage could carry six people, so he could buy at least three slaves, leaving a comfortable space between him and his wife on the way home. Anything less than two purchases wouldn't be worth the trip though.

As the buggy pulled up to the entrance to the Trading Fields, it was stopped by two guards. One of them rapped on the door, and Nez opened it, passports for him and his wife already in hand. The Fields was territory that belonged to no one, but security was handled by the Kingdom of Alenor. "Ah, a fellow Alenite, I see. Very good," the guard said, smiling. "You can go in. Your buggy will be directed to Lot B, Section Five. Have a nice day."

Once Nez and Lissy had passed onto the Fields, Lissy remarked, "Such a fine welcome. I would have thought that it would be...darker somehow, given the nature of the place." "Everyone here is making money. Of course they're going to be happy," Nez said. He wanted to insult her, but he held his tongue. She was wrong. The Fields changed a man, especially when he was there, in the thick of it.