All Is Not What It Seems

It was a Sunday morning. The town's market was already bustling with people. Farmers filled the streets, as they were ready to sell their fresh produce. Merchants set up their stalls, lining all their products on tables so the public's eye could see them. The sweet aroma of freshly baked bread was very apparent.

"Come get your fresh bread! Only three pence a loaf!" shouted a baker at the top of his voice. Every Sunday, he would set up a stall outside his famous bakery and sell bread and sweets to the general public at an affordable price. Many people crowded his stall to buy his bread and sweets, knowing that only on Sunday they can buy from a bakery meant for the rich and aristocrats.

"Excuse me, sir?" said a voice from behind.

The baker turned around to see a young girl who he assumed to be around the age of twelve or thirteen.

"I-I think I'm lost..." the girl said, her voice quivering.

"Did you come with your family?" the baker asked while handing her a piece of bread. She looked like she hadn't eaten in ages.

"I came with my b-brother," the girl answered back.

The baker then took a wooden chair and placed it outside the bakery's entrance, earning the disapproving looks of his workers. He signaled them to get back to work.

"You can wait here for your brother," the baker said, pointing to the chair. "And no need to call me sir, call me Armin," He added whilst smiling.

Armin knew that having a dirty, ragged girl outside his bakery wasn't good for business. With the number of nobles and aristocrats that visited his bakery, he was bound to get many complaints from them. But his kind heart couldn't bear the thought of sending her off back on the streets. Especially knowing that this side of town was notorious for thieves and abductors.

The girl hesitated. Her emerald eyes looked up at the baker, suspicious of his kindness. But after a few moments of contemplation, she sat on the chair. She looked up at the baker. "Thanks," she murmured, her face filled with gratitude.

Armin kneeled down. "No Problem, miss...?"

"Lyn," the girl said.

"No problem, miss Lyn!" He grinned.

"I have to go back to work. Call me if you need anything," the baker announced as he got up and dusted his apron. Lyn nodded in response.

•———•°•✿•°•———•

'It's been 2 hours and the young girl's brother still hasn't come,' Armin thought, looking at his pocket watch. 'Maybe she was abandoned.'

Armin turned around to see the little girl becoming more visibly agitated by the minute. He looked around his stall. The number of customers reduced significantly. In an hour or two he would have to pack up, and his wife wasn't as kind-hearted as he was.

"The moment she finds out about the little girl, she's going to get rid of her and probably scold me," Armin mumbled to himself. 'And Luther is also visiting today, he's going to kill me!'

"Aiden!" the girl shouted, snapping the baker out of his thoughts.

Armin's eyes widened. 'Did the brother come?' he thought to himself as he scanned the area, looking for a young lad.

He finally spotted a boy who looked similar to the girl.

"Lyn!" the boy shouted as he went to embrace his sister.

"I looked everywhere for you. I thought I lost you," he mumbled, still hugging his sister.

The brother then leaped out of her arms and started scolding his sister, completely not aware of the baker that was near him. Armin smiled heartily, wondering how long it would take for the brother to notice him.

"Promise me you won't wander off alone ever again," the young lad said to his sister, his voice quiet but firm.

"But you were-" Lyn started.

"Promise me," he said, squinting his eyes.

"I promise," Lyn replied quietly.

The brother then turned his attention to Armin. "Thank you so much, sir," the boy said, bowing his head. "I apologize for any trouble my sister has given you."

"No need to apologize, she's been no trouble to me at all," Armin replied indifferently.

The Boy got up from bowing, and for the first time, he got a proper look at the baker. Armin wore simple attire that even lower-class bakers had. But It only took a simple look at Armin's pocket watch to know that he was from a well-off family.

Freckles were scattered across the baker's face. His deep blue eyes went perfect with his dirty blond curls.

"Well, you two should carry on home. Your mother must be worried sick," Armin said.

The boy snapped out of his gaze, looking to his sister, who shared the same worried look. He grabbed Lyn's hand and started running, causing him to bump into the baker. The brother quickly bowed his head and mumbled an apology. Armin smiled warmly as he witnessed the siblings running further and further from his sight.

But he found one thing strange.

'When the boy bumped into me, it almost felt as if a hand went into my pocke-' Armin's eyes widened. He hastily checked his pockets for his pocket watch, only to come to the realization that it was gone.

They had robbed him.