[Mkguild] Merry Marriage RR: Stop at Midtown

[Rimme the Weasel]

I'm putting myself back into MK with a couple new Round Robin sections.
This first one follows on directly from "Gallus's Story" I sent out in
September.

----

Before Gallus could respond, the caravans suddenly shuddered to a crawl.
"We're here!" the merchant told them. Midtown was a small town normally,
but enough caravans were there that it looked like a carnival. Gallus saw
Gwayn waving to him and Achem, and so he nodded to the three travellers. "I
must return to business. I hope we'll see each other again tonight or
tomorrow."

Gillie smiled. "Thank you for your time, mister..."

"Gallus. I hope you do find your brother. And I hope he hasn't caused any
trouble up here."

Gwayn and his guards followed the other wagons to a roped-off area that
directly adjoined the common green, where several tents had been set up for
each party. Instead of following them, Gillie, Timios, and Freya rode with
their merchant into town, the dirt roads more lively than ever.

"Watch the wagon for me, would you?" the merchant said, rising from his
seat. "I'll see if I can find Stefan in this mess."

"We will," Gillie waved him off. Freya took out her whetstone and began to
sharpen one of her blades.

"How long were you going to tell us you were seeking your husband-to-be?"
Timios asked.

"Didn't matter until now. It may still not matter, depending on how the
curse took him. But I believe our paths have crossed for a reason, just as
my man and your brother's have. Are you two both still headed for Metamor
as planned?"

"Of course," Gillie said. "If what Gallus said is true, everything we need
to know is there."

"I see." Freya was silent for a moment in thought. "I will continue to
Metamor tonight on foot. Perhaps we will meet in the marketplace, but if
not, I thank you for your company."

"Leaving already?" Gillie was astounded, as Timios held in a sigh of
relief. "But surely we could help each other. Someone may have heard
something about your fiance or my brother, and surely it will be easier if
we work together."

"My business with Reed is a personal one, and not one that needs a
chaperone. If you really need to find me, just look around. I will find you
first."

"Well, if we don't, you were very pleasant company to ride with," Timios
said with an insincere smile. It seemed to Gillie that he could not, for
even an instant, conceal his true feelings.

For her part, Freya kept her feelings to herself. She dismounted and had
disappeared into the crowd within an instant.

----

The first problem came when he tried to enter the inn. Every corner of the
bar was packed with travellers and soldiers of all kinds. Some looked like
common guards, even bandits. Others looked to be knights and captains. Some
were plainly garbed merchants; others were richly garbed merchants. Some
held themselves as if they weren't merchants. More than a few were speaking
in foreign tongues; some looked to be from the Southlands, or even the
Eastern deserts. How many friends could one fox have?

"No room," said the gruff innkeeper. That was plain enough, even with the
din. "You want a drink, pay upfront."

"I'm looking for Stefan," the merchant replied. "Where is he?"

"Busy with the rest of you. You gonna order something or what?"

"Actually, I'm looking to sell."

"I have enough merchants in here, I don't need some Sathmoran..." The
innkeeper stopped and gave him a second glance, snapped his fingers for one
of the serving girls to handle the bar, and then walked up to the merchant
with a smile. "Sorry about that, Isador. We're all on edge here. We got
more people here than over a decade, and most of them keep grumbling about
the curse. I gotta keep one eye on the bar, and on the rooms, and on any
fight about to break out. Us normal folks are ready for them to be gone
tomorrow."

Isador offered a polite hand to shake. "No apologies needed. Is there
anywhere quieter we can talk?"

"If you want to talk, come back in the morning when no one's left to drink.
If you just Stefan, you'll find him at the tents outside of town. Better
yet, sell it yourself. Most people here are in a buying mood."

"I've got potatoes and spices. You think you could use any back there?"

The innkeeper grinned. "How much?"

"Two sacks, and whatever you fancy. I've got rosemary, parsley, chives,
coriander, cloves, pepper, mustard..."

"Hey, hey, we ain't that fancy. We'll take pepper, and ginger if you have
any. The rest, you oughta take to the tents, they've got rich men aplenty
who'll eat that. Can you believe it, how much some people are willing to
pay just to keep the riffraff out?"

"I'd be surprised if they didn't. Most rich folk prefer a castle to sleep
in."

The innkeeper laughed. "Then it's no wonder why we get none here in
Midtown."
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