Heralded by the soft jingle of mule harnesses, the caravan slowly entered the village of Wortbank. A few people gathered round, mostly the young or elderly – there would be time later for adults to inspect the wares, but for now, there was still work to do in the fields. When she heard of the arrival, Liina quickly excused herself from her tasks and briskly walked to the commons. Now that the moment was here, her stomach started twisting. She scanned through the dust raised by dozens of hooves, trying to locate the merchant that would be her guide to her big adventure out into the world. The sound of eager chatter guided her, and quickly she found Katrin, already being bombarded with questions by Nopsa.
"Aren't there more people with you? I thought there would be at least some other people traveling with us! Don't the people WANT to see the new king? And what about –"
Having already set her assistants to taking care of the mules, Katrin was checking through her bags, more than bit obviously ignoring Nopsa.
"Hush! Let our guest take care of her business. We'll be able to go through the details of our trip later."
Nopsa gave Liina a disgusted look, but trotted off.
"So. Welcome once again to our humble village, good merchant. May I be of any assistance?"
"I'm sure your parents and the others will be along once they've finished the day's work. You can carry this bag to the guestroom." Katrin held out one of the dusty saddlebags. "And get some extra water heating, if you don't have any yet. I'm filthy from the road."
Liina took the bag and started helping Katrin getting settled in. Catching a glimpse of Nopsa chatting with an muleteer, she called out. "At least help him rub them down!"
As dusk started settling around Wortbank, most of the families had gathered to the common-house, but there was a conspicuous absence. Janos was the third of them meant to leave with Katrin on the morrow, but there was still no sign of him. Liina knew that he had reservations about the trip – he had reservations about most things outside the village, and didn't much like gatherings in general – but Anna had decided that her boy needed to learn how to live in the towns as well as the wilds, so off he would go. On the whole, Liina was happy he was coming. Though quiet, Janos was trustworthy, and a sharp set of eyes on Nopsa would leave her a lot less stressed. Still, he needed to be here, to hear what Katrin had to tell about the journey, and for the others to see him off. Luckily, Anna had shown enough foresight concerning this evening, and Janos appeared, being dragged along by his younger brother.
"Ah, didn't think of a different hiding place?" Liina wasn't one for much teasing, but there was already a wager going on whether Janos would appear before Katrin had her dessert.
"I was just… making sure everything was packed correctly."
"He was up in the attic!"
"I… was wondering if my grand-uncle's cloak was there."
Liina was curious. "A cloak? That's the only kind of clothing you have more than two of. Yet another?"
"Well, I recall it had a nice fur lining. Maybe a bit hot by now, but it's the only thing I could think of that would really suit me. Mother has been talking my ears off this last week about presenting myself well, going to the capital city and all."
"Huh. That's actually a decent argument. Maybe save that for when you need to leave tonight?"
"Uh, thanks, good idea."
"Well, come on in, already. She let you be for a while, anyway."
Inside, all their parents were talking with Katrin around a small table, with maybe a third of the adults of Wortbank standing around or sitting nearby. Most of the others were listening to her assistant telling some slightly bawdy story, with Nopsa and a few young men encouraging him on. Entertainment was thin on the ground in small villages like this, so he seemed to be used to the attention. Janos tried to angle to a different spot, but his mother – naturally seated next to Katrin – pushed his father a bit further and plunked her son between them, hands on both shoulders. Liina's mother more graciously moved herself further away so that Liina could sit next to Katrin. Nopsa's father called out to his son to come join them, which he reluctantly did.
"Aww, he was just getting to the best part!"
Katrin seemed indifferent to Nopsa's pleadings.
"You'll get to hear it time and again on the way. Now, I agreed with your parents on the main things the last time I came through Wortbank, but I want to be sure you three are clear on the details."
"We get to travel with you to–" Nopsa's quick tongue got him surprisingly far before Anna interrupted.
"You take our three" – and there was a certain look of distaste on her face as she glanced towards Nopsa – "children… ah, young ones here to witness the coronation of our new king, Garan the Second, in exchange for us giving you the scoured wool of three dozen sheep now, and first buyer's rights to our wool in the following three years."
Liina's mother, Melia, spoke up. "You will take care of our children decently. They will assist you in your business along the way, and you will use your worldly knowledge to help them in the tasks we have set for them."
Katrin nodded. "Right, now let's make sure everyone around this table knows and agrees on those. Janos, your mother has cleared with you what kinds of dyes she wishes you to purchase, and what are acceptable substitutes?"
"Yes. I am aware of the colors and amounts needed, both for flaxen, hemp and such, as well as for the woolens."
Anna beamed with pride.
"And Liina, you wished to visit the Great Cathedral of Kalaun, as well as the monastery of the Blessed Nest of the Three Birds along the way back."
"Yes. I also have a few letters to deliver, as well as some smaller purchases to make."
"That should be fine. Now, Nopsa…"
His father spoke up. "For this, I'll be official. Tiemo, son of Vilho, do you promise to obey Katrin, wool-merchant of Kassburg, to keep you safe on this journey?"
Nopsa stiffened, not used to his real name.
"Yes, dad, I'll do what she says."
"And if you do not, it is not the responsibilty of Katrin what happens to you after that."
Katrin sighed. "I'm really not sure if this is a good idea. A boy as quick as he can get into a lot of trouble in a big city."
"That is true, but I owe him a big debt from three springs past. The goblin raid hit our farm badly, but I likely wouldn't be here if he hadn't given us the advance warning." He turned to Nopsa. "Therefore, son, be careful with your wits and the coins you have collected since. No doubt you'll hatch many a plan. I just hope you'll stay as quiet as you can, keep your ears open and return with many stories to lighten our winter evenings."
Giving Nopsa a piercing gaze, Katrin continued. "And remember, you may be the smartest boy in Wortbank, but in the city, many an experienced rogue will see right through you. They'll string you on, and you'll be lucky if you lose just your coins."
She straightened, looking at the parents in turn. "Hopefully, he'll learn that along the way and be sufficiently wary when we get to Kalaun. Now, I assume Janos has the biggest amount of money on him? Since there'll be no need of it until we find the right dye merchants, I'd suggest he hide it in the middle of his backpack. I'm certainly willing to carry it if you want me to, but anyone looking to rob us is likely to go for me first."
Janos looked up. "I wasn't aware of any bandits being active on the King's road?"
"No, you're right, and that's not what I'm worried about. The thing is, with so many travelling to the coronation, anyone with half a chance to sneak a purse off a stranger is going to take it. Better to keep our eggs in separate baskets, eh?"
Nopsa flashed a smile. "So, separate purses for all of us, kept under our clothes?"
"Yes, a better use for your shady thoughts. If you think you've noticed a risk, come tell me, and we'll figure out how to make our trip safer. If you can think up something I haven't seen in my travels that I consider an actual danger, I'll give you a silver oere."
Liina hid a smile. Certainly a good way to channel Nopsa's thoughts. She just wished she had as much confidence in the usefulness of this trip as Nopsa or something as clear and important to do as Janos. It seemed as Katrin had noticed her thoughts.
"Now, if you don't mind me asking, Liina, what are you hoping to get out of our journey here? You haven't spoken of this as a pilgrimage, though some might."
Her mother saved her from trying to unwind an answer from her tangled thoughts.
"Ah, our daughter – she has a good mind. Learned to read quite well, has taken on writing some of the letters of our fellow villagers. She seems to have some sensing of the holy as well. I've tried to guide her thoughts to serving the Church, but she seems hesitant. I think that if she saw more of the glory of the Seven, she might be more willing to join the clergy."
"A noble pursuit, that."
And a great deal to be proud of for mother, if I took up the vows, Liina thought. She knew her mother tried to live a life of modesty, but she also loved getting one over Anna when she could do so without seeming to be competing for status. Well, at least it had helped her cultivate a friendship with Janos with no assumption of future spousehood.
"Well, this seems acceptable to me. Elmar, if you'll come to also witness?"
Katrin's assistant interrupted his story and came over. She restated the terms, the three young and their parents accepted, and the villagers collected around nodded their assent and witnessed the deal.
The converstion then turned to the coming weeks. Their parents could theoretically supply enough storable food for the three for their entire journey, but that would be uselessly harsh. Even Janos would've balked at eating grain porridge and cured meat for what was likely to be over a month, possibly close to two. Therefore, they would supply an amount close to that, but Katrin could decide how to ration it out, likely buying or trading for food on the way back. That also allowed for some fresher food to be added in. As spring moved on, there would be more fresh produce available, anyway.
As for their travelling companions, Nopsa had indeed been on the correct track. Liina, Nopsa and Janos were simply the first three of many, as Katrin had plans of collecting others along the way. She also considered it likely that as they got closer to Kalaun, she'd meet merchant friends with whom to share the road. Accomodations at the capital were likely to be cramped, but at least they were secured: Katrin and two fellow travelling merchants had been able to rent an empty warehouse for the two weeks surrounding the coronation. The distaste on Janos' face was plain, but Katrin quickly explained that no, there was no open land to camp on near the city. He managed to leave soon, claiming he had to rethink his packing. Nopsa also showed little interest in planning, and once he realized he'd have many days ahead of him to pester Katrin qith questions, he excused himself to exchange his farewells with his friends. To Liina's ears, it seemed a lot more like boasting about his awesome-to-be adventures, but as the other elders of the village started to gather around to discuss what changes the new king's reign would herald, she too rose up and left the common-house. She feared there would be little sleep tonight, but hoped it would be enough to help her last through the first day of travelling.