[Mkguild] Fwd: The Merry Marriage RP: In Traffic

[Rimme the Weasel]

Inspiration struck me, and I have another part, with some new characters,
and some familiar ones.

----

June 18, 708 CR

It was three days before the Summer Festival was to begin; three days
before the wedding. With every day, the wagon trains into Midtown were
getting longer and longer. They contained not just wedding guests, but also
the usual merchants who made the annual trip to Metamor for the great
market days to come. Some heard of the alternate route to Laselle and chose
to detour there through Menth; a few more followed the lead of those
knowledgeable guests to take another detour into Lapis. It appeared,
though, that most had chosen the direct route through Midtown, and thus it
also became the slowest route.

For the regular merchants, this surge of activity was unexpected but not
unwelcome. The traffic may have been congested, but there was safety in
numbers. Many merchants, always in pursuit of cost-saving measures,
traveled without guards to take advantage of those who did. With many of
the wedding guests bringing their own guards, there was near certain
assurance that no bandits would try their luck on even the flashy carriages
among them.

Still, the roads did narrow at times, and each wagon had to move in single
file. One merchant, carrying bottles of wine and perfume from Giftum,
ordered his four guards to help steady his wagon, and the unguarded one
behind, as a show of good will. This other merchant, carrying sacks of
potatoes, jars of spices, and a group of three passengers, thanked them and
apologized profusely for not assisting them personally.

"I have to hold the reins steady. And the rest of my party... well, they're
free to assist, but I doubt you'll get them to lift a finger."

Howel and Oison opted to stay with Gwayn's wagon, while Achem and Gallus
helped the other merchant's. From the back, Gallus got a good look into the
back compartment of the wagon, divided as it was into three separate bins.
The one blond man looked strong enough, but he was putting all of his
weight holding a massive cloth-wrapped bundle steady. One of the women, who
was dressed in a hunter's outfit with several satchels hanging from her
belt, merely glanced back down the road, uninterested in any delays. The
other woman, wearing an embroidered dress with long auburn hair, was quite
interested in helping, but Gallus turned down her offer.

"I wouldn't want to spoil your dress, especially with so little time before
Misha's wedding." Gallus had only met Misha that one time, but every
carriage that passed them was buzzing with talk about the marriage; it was
impossible not to hear of it.

The young woman was taken aback. "Oh, I'm not here for the wedding; I
didn't even expect there to be so many people. I'm here on another errand,
actually. Concerning my brother."

Gallus looked at her again, noting something familiar about her features
and bearing. "You believe your brother is in Metamor?"

She shrugged. "Could be. I heard that he joined a caravan in Sathmore
heading that way last month. I don't know what became of him afterwards."

Gallus nodded, and glanced at her two companions. "And you two are helping
her?"

"Oh, yes!" the man said, almost springing to life at the sudden attention.
"I am Timios, clockmaker of Kelewair. My family and Gillie's have been
close friends for generations. I am honored to act as her escort into
Metamor, to share in the wonders and splendors of its --"

"And you? Are you also a friend of Gillie's?" Gallus interrupted, turning
to the other woman.

The raven-haired woman looked up as Timios stammered quietly to a halt.
"No. I hitched a ride a few days ago."

"Do you have a name?"

"Yes. In my experience, most people do."

Gallus stared at her for a few seconds, but she was already looking back
down the road, watching the carriage behind them.

"Don't mind Freya," Gillie said. "She's pleasant enough, once she's gotten
to know you."

Gallus decided against arguing with the huntress, so he turned back at
Gillie. "A caravan from Sathmore last month? That's where we were from. We
were hauling carpets up to Metamor. What was your brother's name?"

Gillie looked at him with renewed interest. "His name is Darrel. But I
believe he was traveling under a different name." She started, as if
remembering something. "He might have been traveling with a friend. Someone
named Rodrick."

"Rodrick!?" The faces of his previous companions from a month ago flashed
in his memory. He remembered Rodrick's closest friend. And he shared the
same nose as this young woman. "Is your brother Jerrod?"

Gillie stared blankly at him. "Jerrod... Darrel. What color was his hair?"

"A unkempt blond. With a heavy stubble. His weapon of choice was the
dagger."

Gillie gasped. "The knife," she whispered, as if at a distant unpleasant
memory.

Gallus shook his head. "I fear his appearance will have changed
dramatically, since we left him there."

She bolted upright. "Then he's... what happened?"

Gallus sighed and began telling them the long story, as the wagon clattered
beneath his hands.
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