The wall of Redstone's capital city, Lakeshore, loomed in the distance. The last week of the journey stretched to ten days, while it wasn't a winter year and the snow wouldn't fall, the temperature still dropped significantly. As I sat at the back of the wagon, the grey stone walls approached. I studiously ignored the shivering peasants around me. Few had proper protection against the chilly wind. I refused to offer help in any form. Kindness was a weakness in the end.
More than once, a pitying merchant would offer bread or meat to a starving peasant only to have it stolen as soon as their back were turned. Offering help to only one, while dozens starved, created envy. And from this envy, violence inevitably followed. It was strange to witness; most were content if all suffered. But as soon as one got lucky, they turned into animals.
As we got closer, the number of farms and villages increased, and so did the traffic. The caravan traveled on the left side of the road, allowing carts and carriages exiting the city to pass freely. Over the weeks of travel, the number of carriages in the caravan decreased until we numbered only fifty, retiring to their respective towns and villages. In another six months, the caravan would assemble again.
Only now did I realize how small my world was compared to the size of the city. The porters separated from the caravan, veering off to the side of the road.
Our driver stood up and announced, “Alright, folks, we're here. This is where you disembark. Our runner just came back; the entrance fee is seven bits.”
“What? Why so much?” A man behind me complained.
“There’s conflict out west, Baron needs coin, so prices are up.”
I wonder if Sim is involved.
Worried whispers echoed through the carriage. I wasn't happy to separate from seven bits, but I had the coin. If pressed, I could sell my bridal band.
“We do a last headcount and you're on your own, our job is to get you here, not through the walls.” The man said.
I hopped out of the carriage and stretched. It was a 28-day journey, slower due to being in such a large group, but the safety on offer was unparalleled.
I stretched and got a good look at Lakeshore as a whole.
It was built on the edge of a massive lake. There were two entrances, one to the southeast and another west, which was the one we were using. The wall only went as far as the water. The city seemed to be built on a hill where the baron's castle was perched at its highest point, with its own wall looking over the lake beneath. The hill had a steep cliff that fell almost perfectly vertical to the lake, offering more protection than a wall ever would.
What was the population? 50,000? 80,000? It had to be that much at least.
My home village was a little more than a dot on the map compared to Lakeshore.
First, I had to find somewhere to rest my head and get information. Through my journey, I made sure to keep an ear out. Fortunately, Baron Redstone had a good reputation. He was fair and firm in terms of laws and did not abuse his citizens. Crime wasn't high, and though there was still corruption amongst the guards, as there was in any city, it wasn’t to the point where guards could openly rob, rape, or murder without consequence.
That was good news for me since I wouldn't be able to keep up with this act forever. Several times, I slipped up and my real voice came out. Dealing with my moonblood in secret was also a pain. One unfortunate stain and the lie of my gender would be revealed. Male clothes simply weren't designed to hide such things. Nor would I be able to explain why I was cleaning bloody cloth in the morning if someone stumbled upon me by a river.
I'll keep it up long enough to find stable employment, whether it would be as Emyr, remained to be seen. A family of three walked in my direction. It took a few seconds before I realized they were heading for me. I faintly recalled them being amongst those worried about the entrance fee. Both the mother and father had brown hair, though the mother had green eyes and the father had blue. The daughter was perhaps my age, plain-looking with blonde hair. They were slightly gaunt from the journey but wore proper clothing, worse than mine, but better than canvas sacks.
“Pardon, Ser,” The woman said as they approached.
“What do you want?” They could only want one thing. Considering half the men would probably want to bed their daughter for what they would ask for, I was probably their best bet.
The woman spoke, and the man bit his lip as if this hurt his pride, “Well, you see. We didn't think the fee would be so high. Would it bother you to share Anier’s blessing on us today?”
Offering a helping hand when one was needed was often called sharing Anier's blessing. These fools attempted to call on my nonexistent faith.
I couldn't care less about their situation, and I certainly wouldn't part with coin for nothing.
‘Let’s have them make the first offer.
’
“I barely have enough coin for myself, can't spare any,” I said, shaking my head. I had over a hundred bits and a silver bridal band, but they didn't need to know that.
“We could trade,” she said, pulling out some old hard tack from a small sack.
I reached into my bag and pulled out the rest of my jerky.
“What do you have to trade?” I asked.
Her eyes looked upon the meat, any confidence deflating.
“You've never been to Lakeshore before, right?” The girl said.
Her mother’s eyes widened, and she turned to her husband. “Your cousin,” she said.
The man nodded and stepped forward. “Do you have accommodations waiting for you?”
I was slightly impressed by his proper speaking, “No, you have a suggestion?”
“My cousin runs an inn, small but has a good reputation. No rats in the stew, clean beds, and no thieves; he charges 8 bits a day. I can talk him down to six.”
‘Now that was a deal, since everyone I asked mentioned that decent inns charge ten. ‘
I wasn't quite satisfied, though. I needed some assurance: “What if you can't talk him down? I’ll be out…” I paused, “How many bits do you need?”
“Twelve,” the man said. Catching my thinking, the man went on, “Can you read?” He asked.
“Yes,”
He reached into a leather bag flung over his shoulder and pulled out a book. It was only a finger-thin, bound in cheap peeling leather. “It's a basic math primer, old, but can still fetch a decent price.”
“Let me see,” I said.
He handed it over.
It was basic, flipping to the back of the thirty-page book, I realized that it couldn't teach me anything new. The pages were stained and faded from years of use. Some were torn, and others appeared to be missing completely; it was almost worthless. Still, though, any book could fetch a few bits from the market.
“Fine, I'll hold onto this until you make the deal with your cousin. A single bit greater than six, and I keep the book. Deal?” I said, pulling out the twelve bits. Even if he couldn’t talk his cousin down to six. Eight bits a day for a week wasn’t bad.
The man made a deep sigh and accepted the coin.
Signing in relief, the woman said, “I’m Iris, this is Kelsie, and that’s Davos.” She said.
“Emyr, we should probably get in line. Looks like this will take a while.”
Already, there was a long line to enter the city. The four of us stood behind a group of peasants wearing little more than canvas sacks. Three men and one woman. They had a vague resemblance, since all sported brown hair.
“So, what are ye doin’ in Lakeshore?” Kelsie asked.
“Looking for work mostly,”
“You're around the same age as Kelsie. No family?” Iris asked.
Davos interrupted, “No need to badger the boy.”
‘Might as well practice my story.’
I shrugged, “I don't mind. Mother died in labor, and my father died two months ago.”
“Sorry to hear that, son,” Davos said.
“That's the way of the world,” I tried to sound like I genuinely believed my lies. It was a skill I should practice.
“You're too young to be so mature about death,” Kelsie said.
I smiled grimly, “I don't have a choice, I'm alone in the world. But enough about me, what do you all plan to do?”
“A scribe, most likely, if not, I can work for my family. We do textiles mostly,” Davos said.
“Why did you come back to the city then?” I asked.
“I traveled for some time, met my dear wife, and settled down. Was a farmer for a while until the fields went barren.”
“Do you have a preference for a job, Emyr?” Iris asked.
“Not necessarily. My father made sure I could read, write, and do math. But that's all my skills,"
We reached the front of the line.
"Let's get through the gate, and we can get to my cousin immediately,” Davos said.
The massive portcullis loomed above us as we reached the entrance. There were at least a dozen guards armed with swords and shields, wearing a mixture of leather and plate armor. They looked impressive.
The group ahead of us was stopped by a guard who came over. To my surprise, each person handed him the entrance fee.
The helmeted guard then called my group forward, “Entrance fee,” he demanded, sounding bored.
I pulled out the coin and dropped it into a waiting sack held by a boy standing next to him. The family behind me did the same, and we were waved through without any drama.
I paused, struck by the city. The first thing was the noise. The line of caravans couldn't compare to the massive market that I stepped into. Hundreds upon hundreds of merchants lined the wide streets.
‘By Anier's name, how was I to navigate this maze?’
In the distance, I could see the baron’s castle, its high walls and towers looming over the city. There was one tower significantly taller than the rest; it looked more like a giant metal chimney than anything else.
Iris, Kelsie, and I all shared the same dumb stare. Davos chuckled and urged us forward, “It’s quite a change from a small village.”
I nodded silently. Anything and everything was on offer: food, clothes, pets; there was no limit. I could spend weeks searching through all the stalls. Not to mention all the businesses in proper buildings. I was quite interested to know what an actual apothecary sold. I made a note of a bookstore a few minutes into our walk.
“Come, Crow’s rest isn't that far.” Davos confidently led us through the main street. Then we took a left. Followed the narrower road for several minutes, then made two more right turns. I followed him like a dumb horse, too distracted by the sights and sounds. As we walked, the quality of the buildings decreased, and every so often, I saw a beggar. Finally, he stopped.
“Here we are, it's not the best, but you'll have a clean bed and good food.”
Taking his word for it, I entered the small building. Near the entrance sat a man behind a simple wooden desk, whose eyes lit up in surprise.
“Davos!” The man yelled and ran over, wrapping him up in a hug. He shared Davos’ brown hair but had quite a stomach.
“By Anier, I didn't think I'd see you again. And you two must be Kelsie and Iris. The letters didn't do your beauty justice, my ladies.” He offered a clumsy bow.
Iris tittered, and Keria smiled at the man's jovial tone.
He turned his smile to me and said, “You, I don't know.”
Davos jumped in, “They raised the price on entrance. You see, Hendric, Emyr here helped us cover the difference. He’s looking for a place to rest his head for a while. I might have told him you could offer him a deal.”
“Bah, of course you cost me coin as soon as you come back. What did you bleed me?” He tried to sound serious, but I could see the ghost of a smile on his face.
“I promised you could do 6 bits a night,” Davos said guiltily.
“Alright, alright for you, dear cousin. I'll get him settled. Go take a load off on those chairs, and we'll catch up,” Davos nodded at me and went off to the side of the entrance room to sit on a few chairs with his family.
“Alright, son, for helping my kin, I'll offer you a discount. How long you want to stay?”
I debated it for some time, then settled, “Call it a week. So that's 48 bits, yes?”
“Aye, the room comes with a meal once a day, whatever the wife got cooking. We don't serve no horse meat, nor rats, if'n we don't have meat, it'll be beans. If’n you want to stay longer, it goes back to eight. Sounds good?”
‘How much of a problem is rat stew that the Crow’s rest prides themselves on not serving it?’
I nodded and handed him several handfuls of bits. From under the desk, he brought out a key.
“It locks the door. I have a master key, of course, but so long as you pay for the room, I'll not enter. Feel free to ask anyone in the neighborhood about my Inn. They’ll say the same.”
‘That’s reassuring at least, but I still won’t trust him as far as I can throw him.’
Taking the iron key, I nodded, “Good doing business with you, Hendrick.”
“Third down on the left. I'll have the wife bring up supper for you in a couple of hours.”
“That sounds lovely,”
We shook hands, then I headed over to Davos and his family. Before I could take the book out, Davos stood, “Keep it. Take it as a gesture of gratitude.”
Instead, he offered me his hand, which I shook,
Iris added, “Thank you, dear, I hope you find what you're looking for.”
“If you're still looking for work, check out the Lower East Side. My family could find you something.” Davos added.
After taking directions from him, I turned to leave.
I overheard Davos speaking to his daughter, “A decent boy. Kelsie, what do you think of him?”
Knowing where that conversation was going, I quickly entered the room. It was tiny, only a few feet wide, with a small window and a simple writing desk.
“It's a start,” I said as I dropped my things and removed my hood. The oil and clay were getting rather crusty. I sat on the chair, feeling the weight of my actions falling on me. What would my life be like in the city, I wondered.
Putting my hood up, I flopped onto the bed, staring up at the low ceiling.
Step two is complete. Next, I need to find out if the Baron has a magus, and then how to get close to him or her. Before that, though, I need to find work.
I closed my eyes and immediately drifted to sleep.