Shadows Over Arcadia Chapter 11: 11. Worthless Street Rat

Read chapter 11 of Shadows Over Arcadia by Zacheas on NovelPedia.

11. Worthless Street Rat I am Maribel Holloway, age 15, and I am a worthless street rat. https://shadowsoverarcadia.com/api/storage/objects/uploads/1edee5c5-b36a-4cb5-8669-6258c8b51187 I walk along the market street of Cairndorn, surrounded by bustling crowds. The noise of bartering voices and the clatter of cartwheels on cobblestone fills the air. People carry sacks and baskets, others push carts laden with food or goods, weaving between the ornate storefronts and street vendors that line the wide thoroughfare. Cairndorn is said to be the jewel of Arcadia, a city of unmatched wealth, power, and beauty. Its gleaming marble facades, meticulously crafted archways, and magically cleaned streets exude an air of prosperity. Merchants boast wares from across the world, their carts overflowing with vibrant produce, shimmering fabrics, and exotic trinkets. From a distance, it feels like a utopia of abundance. But I know better. This city is a mirage. Beneath the polished surface lies a kingdom of unbearable inequality, where the elite hoard unimaginable wealth while the masses fight for scraps. Look closely at the market, and the truth becomes clear. Among the crowd, nobles stand out like peacocks in a flock of sparrows. They parade through the streets in extravagant carriages or on foot, their finely tailored clothes glittering with gold embroidery and enchanted jewels that catch the sun. Slaves and servants trail behind them, burdened with purchases and catering to their every whim. They move through the market with a stench of entitlement, and look at commoners like me with disdain. The commoners are the majority of those who fill these streets. They shuffle from stall to stall in threadbare, hand-stitched clothes that mark them as the working poor. Their faces are weary, their postures hunched from the weight of survival. They cannot afford the luxuries displayed in the marble shops; instead, they haggle over wilted vegetables and bargain goods offered by street vendors. I see the mothers clutching small bundles of bread, rationing what little they can afford for their children waiting in cramped, crumbling homes back in the commons. Fathers scour the market for work or for anything to fill their families' empty stomachs. I see the desperation in their eyes, the same desperation I've felt countless times. These are my people. We are the worthless street rats of Cairndorn, scorned by the nobles who hold this kingdom in their gilded hands. They look at us and see filth, a nuisance that sullies their pristine city. To them, we are invisible until we inconvenience them. I know this because I've lived it. The hunger, the shame, the crushing weight of a world designed to keep people like me at the bottom. Still, I walk these streets, my injured leg aching with every step, determined to make it to the next meal, the next quest, the next small victory. Because no matter how worthless they think I am, I'm still here. They may call me a street rat, but I am also a survivor. Ahead of me, a fat nobleman in gilded robes waddles along, his gaudy jewelry clinking with every lumbering step. Beside him walks his equally overfed wife, her fingers stacked with rings worth more than a common family could eat in a lifetime. Following close behind are two slaves, a rabbit and a feline beastkin, each staggering under massive totes on their backs. The slaves walk with their heads bowed, their eyes fixed on the ground. They shuffle forward with calculated care, trying to strike the impossible balance: staying close enough to their masters to avoid reprimand for falling behind, but not so close as to be accused of getting in the way. It's a cruel trick because the truth is, it doesn't matter. The nobles will beat them regardless, just to assert their dominance and remind them of their place. Afterward, they'll justify the abuse with some fabricated offense. I stop and watch as the pair of waddling pigs make their way into the high-end tailor's shop Imperia