Free Bound by Sin by Jacquelyn Frank Page A

smile gently at her. She honestly saw no trouble in the idea of running around naked. If this were true of all of her people, he didn’t imagine they would be hard to defeat in battle…not if they went into the battle stark naked and unprotected.
    “I think it would be much better if you had clothing,” he said with a careful smile.
    “If you think so,” she said, her enthusiasm for his input amusing. “I shall defer to your judgment on this.”
    “Very well, let’s go shopping. I am told that it is a favored pastime for most women.”
    “Well, if it is a favored pastime for most of your women, then I most certainly have to take part in it,” Jileana said eagerly.
    Jaykun held out his arm and she took it. In her excitement, she squeezed him. It was like that the entire time they walked from the castle to the middle of the city, where there was a great bazaar in place. The bazaar was busy overall, but almost all the vendors were severely lacking in selections. The siege on the city had taken a massive toll on the businesses. But now that the siege was over, things should return to normal.
    As it was, Jaykun did not venture out to the bazaar without an armed escort. He was of course not worried for himself, but Jileana was a stranger to these people just as much as he was and they might mistake her for a member of the invading forces, which might put her in danger. He would not have her harmed. The very idea of it turned his stomach sour. He told himself it was a concern he would feel for anyone he deemed vulnerable, but in truth, the feeling ran a bit deeper than that. He didn’t know why and he didn’t care to acknowledge or examine it.
    So they were accompanied by guards as they walked through the bazaar. It seemed the only vendors who had not been too greatly affected by the war were the clothing and household goods vendors. They had their wares on ready display, the vendors themselves tidying up in the aftermath of the war. The booth Jaykun and Jileana approached was manned by a Krizan woman and her two small children. The children took one look at Jaykun and went darting behind the protection of their mother’s skirts.
    “Will you service us?” Jaykun asked directly. “This woman needs clothing.”
    The Krizan woman took one look at Jileana and her already large eyes went wide. “B-but sh-she’s…” the woman stammered.
    “Will you service us?” Jaykun demanded. “I have gold and I know the business in this city has suffered. Are you so rich that you can afford to be prejudiced against us?”
    “No, my lord,” she said at last, turning her attention on him. “I-I will give you whatever you need. Th-thank you, my lord, for choosing my shop. I-I need to feed my children and we have had so little to eat since the siege began.”
    “I am sorry you have gone hungry,” he said sincerely. “But that is over with now. The battle is over, and you and your people will be treated as fairly as you treat us in return.”
    “Yes, my lord,” she said with a weak smile. “That is much appreciated. Now…how can I help the young w-woman?”
    “Whatever the latest in fashion is for a Krizan woman should be fine.”
    “Oh, I like this!” Jileana said suddenly, dashing over to a mannequin with a dress of orange silk crepe on it. She fondled the fabric. “Oh! It feels so nice!”
    “That is silk, my lady. The finest there is,” the shopkeeper said with a wan smile. She cautiously approached Jileana, her eyes shifting back to Jaykun often as she moved. It was to be expected, this kind of fear. He was one of the conquerors, after all. They had no idea what to expect from him. The one thing in his favor was that he had not allowed his men to pillage the city, stripping it of every valuable thing they could find. He paid his men well enough in gold and gave them opportunities to fight. He saw no purpose in raping a village once he conquered it. It would take much longer to get it back on its feet if he