Chatper 32: Fair trade
The door opened. A chilly wind rushed inside the tavern, together with a new visitor. Gert, a young traveling merchant, closed the door before any patron inside would complain. He could finally enjoy some rest in a warm place. At least, until the next morning, when their group would resume their travel.
The tavern was packed with various travelers and locals alike, but after a brief glance, he spotted his brother, Fehl, who had managed to get them a table while Gert had been stabling the horses. Beer had already been placed on the table, which brought a relaxed smile to Gert’s face. We are already at the duchy border.
The weather had been really solid. Despite his worries, they hadn’t gotten snowed in, and were managing the whole trip to Ehrenfest’s capital and back without any issue. Tomorrow, they would already be traveling through Frenbeltag.
Fehl noticed his smile and teased him. “Will you stop worrying now?” He grinned. “We’ve made it.”
“At least one of us has to think about this stuff.” Gert smirked.
While he was a bit too carefree, his brother was pretty much right. Not only was the weather getting warmer with every passing day, their path would also curve quite a lot towards the south from here. There was no need to worry about snow anymore.
“I will stop worrying once we finally deliver the goods,” Gert declared and drank half of his jug.
He really needed the rest.
“Same old.” His brother shrugged and took his own jug.
They were both in a celebratory mood as their big gamble had paid off in a huge way.
Ehrenfest’s increased harvests in recent years had led to a gradual increase in trade with Frenbeltag, which currently suffered from degraded food production. Buying food supplies had seemed like a stable opportunity for any merchant.
However, the “Saint of Ehrenfest,” a noble credited with this miraculous bounty, had been poisoned. The local merchant guild had gotten spooked, and began fearing the return of the old times. As a result, they had put various limits on food exports.
I understand being cautious, but their harvest didn’t suffer at all, Gert mused as he took another sip.
When they had taken this trip in autumn together with other merchant groups, they had crossed various farming towns. Gert had spoken with locals, and apparently, their archduke’s son had participated in the Spring Prayer instead, with a similarly bountiful outcome.
Despite that, the local merchants in the capital had remained pessimistic, telling the visitors that noble decisions were fickle. Without the Saint, they kept the restrictions, allowing only limited sales. At the very least, the visiting merchants had managed to buy enough other goods to pay for the trip and earn some small profit on top.
I guess I can’t blame them for wanting to stock up for worse times. Gert smiled as it all had played into their fortune.
As a merchant, he had a nose for profit. The foundation was solid after all; Ehrenfest had the food. Their officials had been merely cautious. With that in mind, Gert’s group had pushed through the winter roads the moment the snow had allowed it, and they had been in luck. Apparently, the Saint of Ehrenfest had woken up from her sleep at the beginning of the winter.
The hard negotiations he had expected hadn’t occurred at all. Quite the opposite—everyone had been willing to sell in order to clear up their storage for the next year’s harvest.
Normally, only a fool would have tried to buy food supplies at the beginning of spring. Nothing was sown yet. People were living off their winter preparations, some even rationing. Food was scarce. However, the granaries in Ehrenfest’s lower city still had enough reserves. With their High Bishop returning, and the certainty of future harvests, all those reserves were not only available but also cheap.
“Are you doing the profit calculations again?” Fehl wondered.
Gert shrugged. “The beginning of spring is always the hardest; only a few fruits grow. Last year, the price of flour spiked to almost four times the old norm. This year should be no different.”
They had the best time window. Once the news had spread and more merchants headed to Ehrenfest, the price would fall.
“I wish we were rich enough for a big caravan. Imagine quadrupling our money on that,” Fehl dreamed as he drank from his jug.
“This trade should still be enough to afford us citizenship. We are finally set.” Gert smiled, resting his head on his right hand.
It was then that he noticed a girl looking their way. She had snowy blond hair braided into a ponytail and a well-kept face.
Is she a waitress? Her appearance wasn’t that of someone who worked on a farm.
Gert turned away. He hadn’t seen any drinks or a plate with food in her arms, so it was possible that the girl provided different services today. And as it stood, he wasn’t interested.
She looks barely twelve, not even. Gert didn’t really get what some customers saw in such young girls. He liked women where one had plenty to grab. This one’s chest must have started to grow only recently.
“Another round?” As if to confirm his thoughts, another waitress stopped by. She was busty, but what was more important, she was already holding two more jugs.
“Yeah, thanks.” Gert smiled and exchanged their empty ones.
“Cheers.” Both brothers clanked their beer.
“You know what? Ehrenfest doesn’t seem so bad, after all,” Fehl declared with a warm feeling in his nose. “It even stunk less than I remember.”
“Yeah, because we got there at the end of winter. In summer, it will be bad again.” Gert shrugged.
As they kept rambling over their second beer, the young girl from before showed up at their table.
“Hi, I’m Elsa,” she began with a friendly smile. “Can I ask you about something?”
Immediately, Gert felt suspicious. As traveling merchants, they were always an easy target for any swindle. Nobody would have come to their defense if they had gotten scammed, so he wanted to shoo the girl away.
However, his brother was faster. “Hi, I’m Fehl, and this is my brother Gert.”
He is too trusting when it comes to strangers, Gert grumbled.
“I overheard you a little, and it so happens that I might have a proposition for you,” Elsa continued with her friendly attitude.
And here we go. You need money, right? Gert wanted to sigh.
It wasn’t uncommon for swindlers to acquire some better quality clothes used by merchants and then impersonate a rich family in need. They were usually “robbed” or “scammed” and needed financial help, which they would return “tenfold.”
Gert could usually tell them apart easily. The really rich merchants conducted themselves a bit differently and took good care of their facade, as they had to interact with rich clients, or even nobles. Most scammers thought they could just put a pretty girl into expensive-looking clothes, and that was enough for her to be someone’s rich daughter.
Although… Gert inspected Elsa’s look. While she wore quality clothes that could be worn by a merchant, her attire wasn’t necessarily expensive-looking. It was why he had initially mistaken her for a waitress. Weirdly enough, her pleasant expression and well-kept face really seemed like that of a rich merchant girl. She actually looked like someone affluent who had been robbed and stranded here.
“We already have all our money invested in the wares, so we can’t afford new propositions.” Gert shook his head.
“Oh, this is not about investing. I want to pay you for your services.” Elsa smiled at him.
“Huh?” Gert raised his eyebrow.
“Pay us?” Fehl repeated.
“Yeah.” Elsa nodded, keeping her friendly smile. “You are merchants from Frenbeltag, right? And you will be buying citizenship there. As it stands, I need to have letters delivered sometime in the future.”
“Sorry to disappoint, but we are not buying citizenship yet. With the food situation in that whole region, it seems unwise to commit to any particular city.” Gert rested his head on his fist.
“Ehm.” Elsa smiled awkwardly.
“We have a good contact in one of Klassenberg’s cities,” Fehl divulged. “If the situation doesn’t improve in the next three or four years, we might settle there.”
“Klassenberg sounds good.” Elsa nodded. “Though, living underground might feel quite different, no?”
“We are traveling merchants,” Gert remarked with an unperturbed voice. “Even when we get our own place, we still plan to go on long trips and buy wares. Us having a lot of contacts in Frenbeltag could prove valuable to Klassenberg merchants. They are always interested in boosting their own network.”
“Yeah, it would get boring really fast if we had to stay in one place.” Fehl chuckled. “It’s about having a safe harbor, knowing you can rest without any fear.”
Gert nodded along. He could still remember the struggles from only a few years back. At least their current arrangement was solid enough that they could afford to postpone buying their citizenship and be picky in their selection.
“Well, if you plan to stay in Frenbeltag for a few years, my offer should still prove lucrative. Especially if you are going to travel between various cities anyway. You can do this delivery without any additional cost.”
“I guess.” Gert shrugged.
He remained suspicious, but it was true that such a job would not cost them anything extra. Any payment would have been pure profit.
Elsa moved closer. “I am offering one small gold to both of you, if you are interested,” she whispered with a content expression.
“Girl, for one small gold, I can deliver whatever you want.” Fehl laughed.
Don’t promise anything before you hear the whole story! Gert admonished him in his head. His brother was a hard worker, but way too careless.
“I’m glad.” Elsa widened her smile. “Can we discuss this in your lodgings? It will be quick, and you can return here if you want. I’m just short on time.”
Gert felt too comfortable in his chair. He didn’t really want to move through the cold weather yet. Although, a small gold was definitely motivating. A year’s worth of wages for a simple service didn’t just appear every day.
“I wanted to eat something, but if it’s quick…” Fehl shrugged and stood up.
Gert was forced to follow.
“Alright, here’s the deal,” Elsa began right as the door of their room closed. “My family is quite wealthy.”
Hearing those words, Gert remained on guard. He wasn’t going to be swayed by sweet promises.
“We even make deals with nobles. However, you know how it is; the nobles have all the power. They can decide to step on your neck whenever they please—especially this one noble.” Elsa frowned for a moment. “I’m worried about my sister Anna. She and her husband Kristoff lead our family business. The nobles could just take it for themselves and make them disappear.”
“That sounds rough.” Fehl frowned as well.
“Yeah, I guess I’m kind of glad we don’t have to deal with that.” Gert nodded sympathetically. This doesn’t exactly sound like a scam.
Elsa exhaled. “That’s why we need any leverage we can get. Nobles are all about their reputation, and we have acquired some dirt that can be used in negotiations.”
“You want to blackmail a noble?” Gert widened his eyes.
“I don’t.” Elsa grimaced. “But if they ever decide to kill us all, we can at least try to negotiate for a different outcome. I’m aware that it’s desperate, but what else is there to do for people like us?”
“True.” Gert furrowed his brows. In such a scenario, he couldn’t imagine any alternative other than just accepting his fate. “So you want us to hold onto this dirt?”
“Yes, exactly.” Elsa nodded. “Nobles aren’t allowed to cross the duchy borders without permission. It is considered a declaration of war, so if you are the ones with the package, you are completely safe. I basically want to pay you to sign a contract agreeing that you will remain in Frenbeltag for a few years, avoiding Ehrenfest. After all, it’s also for your own protection.”
“I can see the cost isn’t in the work, but the responsibility,” Gert mused, scratching his chin.
Still, he and his brother didn’t plan to return to Ehrenfest any time soon. Once the news about the Saint spread among the merchants, the trade would resume in full. If every merchant started buying the food supplies, there would no longer be such a steep price difference between the duchies.
The two brothers had wanted to refocus on their old trade routes, anyway.
We are basically paid for holding onto a letter.
“How many years?” Gert wondered.
“You mentioned three or four years; is that settled? Can I put four into the contract?” Elsa wondered.
“One more year doesn’t make much difference.” Gert shrugged.
He had been worried about some long period, like a decade or more, as it was hard to plan so far into the future. The markets could shift quite a lot. Still, despite what they had said to Elsa, Gert planned to settle in Frenbeltag. Most of his contacts were there, so he didn’t see much problem with the longer variant.
“Thank you.” Elsa gave him a pleased smile. “The scheme is simple. Some other merchants that frequent this route will carry a letter once a season. Except for winter—I don’t want to risk anyone getting stuck because of the weather.”
Yeah, the winter would definitely be risky. “Are the merchants associated with you?” Gert wondered.
“Not at all. The whole point is that I don’t know any of them. They will be some random merchants on their own business, who will be asked to deliver a letter with a number. I will give you a list of twelve numbers for each corresponding season in the next four years. If their letter matches, everything is fine, and you don’t have to do anything,” Elsa said with a hopeful expression.
“And if they don’t?” Gert uttered.
“I’m probably dead, and someone is trying to make it look as if everything is normal. You will deliver the leverage to the recipient,” Elsa replied dryly.
Business with nobles must be really risky. Gert exhaled. “I guess the same thing applies if no letter arrives.”
“Eh… if no letter arrives, you will wait for the next season, and try again.” Elsa grimaced. “Anything can happen on the route. I don’t want to doom my whole family just because someone was robbed by bandits.”
“Yeah, that makes sense.” Gert smiled tensely.
It was the way of life. One always risked something when venturing out of the safety of the cities.
“If you don’t receive anything even in the next season, you will deliver the leverage. You will also get twelve letters of your own that you will be exchanging with the other merchants. If no one receives your answer, they will make sure the next package arrives no matter what. ”
It seems like she has the whole exchange planned down to every detail. Gert was taken aback. “That’s so much parchment. Your family is definitely wealthy.” He smirked.
Elsa smirked as well. “Parchment isn’t an issue.”
It was quite a statement. Both traveling merchants could only shrug. For them, even the price of a simple contract parchment had always been so steep. Most of their time was spent with wooden boards.
“And who is the recipient?” Gert asked.
“Frenbeltag’s High Bishop. As commoners, you should still be able to leave it with the gray priests at the gate. And the High Bishops have their own way to communicate with the castle in a certain capacity.”
“The HighBishop?” Both brothers muttered.
“To give you some advice: just act like a random lehange delivering mail on someone else’s behalf and disappear from the premises before any possible response. You probably have three years to think about the ways you can do that so it won’t be traced to you,” Elsa tried to sound positive.
“Yeah, on that we can agree. After hearing you, I don’t want to be involved with any nobles.” Gert shook his head.
Yes, we’d just give it to some random orphan at the temple’s gate and be long gone before the High Bishop reads it. For one small gold each, it’s doable. The gold really was motivational.
“Have you ever signed a magic contract?” Elsa wondered.
“No, never. That’s for very valuable trade secrets; we have none.” Fehl waved his hand.
“But you do know how to read, right?” Elsa narrowed her eyes.
“Yeah, we know how to read.” Gert crossed his arms.
He had definitely been surprised by the mention of the magic contract, but the question about their reading ability was a bit insulting, so his thoughts got derailed. Just because they weren’t merchants with citizenship, it didn’t mean they weren’t educated in their craft.
“That’s relieving.” Elsa smiled. “I will prepare the contract for tomorrow morning, with every stipulation. You both will have to read it, and more importantly, understand it.”
“Hey, Gert already said we can read.” Fehl crossed his arms as well.
“Then, there will be no problem.” Elsa smirked before opening her pouch and pulling out two small silvers. “Bring all your belongings to Frenbeltag’s side, and meet me two hundred paces left from the border gate at first bell. Once we sign the contract, you won’t be able to leave the duchy for four years.”
“Getting everything on the other side before the first bell? You want to kill me?” Fehl grumbled.
“Sorry, I just have to be available elsewhere half a bell later.” Elsa sighed apologetically.
“Well, I guess one small silver helps with waking up a bit.” Fehl shrugged.
Elsa smiled at both brothers and left their room.
“Weird, right?” Fehl uttered.
Tell me about that. Although… “I was quite skeptical, but holding actual money in hand makes her claim more reputable,” Gert mused out loud.
“So you are fine with signing this contract?” Fehl wondered. “You have a good nose when something is too fishy.”
His remark made Gert feel quite dependable. He gave it some thought. “The thing is, she mentioned the risks. Normally, getting paid in gold for a letter delivery would sound too good to be true, and I would refuse that. But with the risk involved, the money makes sense. As merchants, we take risks to gain profit, so this is actually nothing new.” Gert shrugged. “The rich merchants use magic contracts all the time to make sure that the nobles honor their end of the bargain. We just have to be careful while reading everything written there.”
“Great, so more money.” Fehl grinned. “Let’s drink on this!”
Wait until we get paid before celebrating! Gert grumbled. “You were worried about sleep. Do you really want to drink more?”
“Point.” Fehl knocked on his head. “But I’m still starving, so at least one sausage.”
“Yeah, sure.” Gert grimaced.
And “the food needs to be washed by a drink,” I already know.
Shortly after first bell, both merchants walked slowly around a few big snowy bushes. Their heads ached a little, but the chilly morning air was keeping them firmly awake.
Elsa was already standing in her spot, playing with a stick. When she noticed them, her eyebrows furrowed a bit, as if to tell them to hurry up.
In front of her, there was a line in the snow.
“Here is the border.” She pointed at the line with her stick before throwing it away. “If you want, you can jump over it one last time.”
“Why?” Gert raised his eyebrow.
“I don’t know. If you felt the need?” Elsa shrugged. “I have prepared the contract. Please read it carefully and ask about anything you do not understand or you disagree with.” She threw them a wooden board with a clipped page and pen.
The text itself started quite positively: “Gert and Fehl, signed below, will be paid one small gold for…”
Both brothers smirked and read further.
“Wait, failing to fulfill the contract will result in death?” Fehl’s eyes widened.
“That’s how magic contracts work.” Gert acted unfazed.
He didn’t care about penalties, but about every stipulation they needed to adhere to. After all, he didn’t plan to break the contract. His mind was solely focused on the rules. If there was any hidden catch, he definitely needed to find it.
Although, this feels a bit… “If we ponder the idea of opening the package, we get a headache?” It sounded weird even to him.
“It can be removed from the contract if you want. I put it there for your own protection.” Elsa shrugged. “Personally, I don’t like the uncertainty when I’m not sure whether I’m close to breaking a contract and bursting in flames. A headache seems like a nice reminder that you are about to do something stupid that might get you killed.”
Gert glanced at his brother. “Right, leave it there.”
“What?” Fehl frowned at him.
“Nothing. If you ever forget to not cross the duchy’s border, you also get a reminder.”
“Why would I ever do that? Our usual routes don’t cross borders. I bet the first to get a headache will be you. Look!” Fehl pointed at one of the stipulations. “…barred from informing anyone about this arrangement.”
Sure, I’m the one who easily starts conversations with strangers. Gert smirked.
Nevertheless, the contract didn’t seem to contain any catch. To sum it up, it asked them to not bring any attention to themselves, which Gert planned to do anyway, and to visit a certain town on this trade route three times a year, for four years, just like they had agreed to yesterday.
They would guard the package Elsa was going to provide them, and if the conditions were ever met, deliver it to the temple.
“The secrecy is vital. The best protection of any commoner against nobles is being invisible to them,” Elsa added.
Her remark actually made Gert remember a few things. “Hey, aren’t these contracts supposed to be confirmed by the archduke? I’m pretty sure I heard something like that.”
“Only the ones that affect people who didn’t sign the contract. Naturally, those need approval from the higher-ups, but otherwise, nobles make submission contracts all the time without anyone caring. This contract affects only you, so there’s no need to inform anyone.”
“That’s relieving.” Gert nodded and signed the contract.
Fehl followed suit, and then threw the board back to Elsa. She looked over the text once more and signed it as well.
Is that it? Gert wondered, a bit restless.
“Though, I obviously don’t know what kind of magic the archduke possesses,” Elsa said with an annoyed voice. “It’s always possible that they get some magic copy of every contract or who knows what.”
I didn’t need to hear such a thing! Gert complained, getting more paranoid.
“That’s why I came up with a precaution. Just in case.” Elsa smirked and pulled out another board with a clipped parchment and pen. “Look.” She threw it to Gert.
Gert and Fehl, signed below, agree to follow the contract that they had signed prior to this one. All stipulations and penalties from the previous contract apply to them.
“Clever, right?” Elsa smiled in excitement. “If someone actually gets a copy of this, there is nothing for them to see—just a mere contract between two random merchants who want to magically enforce their deal. Only you have the real content in your head.”
“Huh.” Gert nodded in acknowledgment. I have to give it to her; I wouldn’t come up with something like this.
“As this is the real magic contract, when you sign it, you have to put a drop of your blood on your signature to make it shine.”
“Blood?” Gert furrowed his brows.
“Shine?” Fehl sounded excited.
“Yeah, it’s magic, after all.” Elsa smiled. “There is a thin needle on the side that makes it painless if you are afraid of getting pricked.”
The pair of brothers scoffed and used a knife instead. The signatures changed color and began shining. The whole contract shone, and after a moment, burnt in a bright golden light.
“Perfect.” Elsa widened her smile. “And since it was signed in Frenbeltag, there is not even a chance for your names to pop up on some kind of magic list for those in Ehrenfest.” She really looked satisfied, like someone who got away with a scheme.
At that moment, Gert had a weird feeling, like he had already seen such an expression. Somewhere in Ehrenfest… in the Merchant’s Guild’s building? Though, as he went over his memories, he couldn’t find a proper match to any blonde girl he had seen there. As such, he only had this undefined feeling… Wait! Only Fehl and I signed the contract. It only applies to us!
The sudden realization froze Gert in place.
How could I be so blind! The girl in front of them hadn’t signed the magic version, so she wasn’t bound to pay their reward. Gert despaired as his eyes fell on the line in the snow. There was now an impassable barrier between them. They had no way to enforce her end of the bargain.
Gert glanced at Fehl. He seemed content, unaware of the catch. It frustrated Gert even more as his brother had relied on him in this whole exchange.
How could I miss such an obvious thing? Gert sighed dejectedly, glancing at Elsa who had been smiling at them the whole time.
“Oh, right,” she remarked nonchalantly. “Here is your payment. One small gold each.”
To Gert’s utter bewilderment, a pouch with ten large silvers landed in his hands.
Did she not realize… no… that knowing look, she knew.
“You didn’t sign the magic contract. With us being stuck behind the border, you didn’t have to pay us at all,” Gert uttered with a conflicted voice.
“What?!” His brother widened his eyes.
“Oh, I hate people who don’t respect the spirit of a contract and put loopholes there to not honor it. The whole point of a trade is to exchange goods and services to benefit both parties. If one side is scammed with loopholes, forced, or exploited, it’s not really a trade.” Elsa shook her head.
“That’s… quite honest,” Gert uttered with a confused look. Is the girl really a merchant? She didn’t sound like most of the merchants he dealt with.
“I mean, it’s in my best self-interest.” Elsa crossed her arms. “I want you to be happy about this deal, not for you to spend the next four years angry at me while thinking about all the possible ways to get around the contract. I have very limited time-windows to come up with these schemes, so there are no doubt many holes in those stipulations.”
“I guess that makes sense.” Gert smiled, clutching the bag in his hand. His body was slowly filling with relief as he put the bag behind his belt.
“OK, here’s the package.” Elsa threw a stack of letters, together with a heavy envelope, into Gert’s hands.
The surface of the envelope felt weird. It definitely wasn’t parchment. As Gert turned it around, he could see four colored marks in green, blue, yellow, and red.
“It’s a magic tool,” Elsa divulged. “The only way to open it properly is to put a drop of blood on summer, autumn and spring, in that order. Remember that. Opening the envelope without this code, or getting it wrong, will end up with the whole thing burning away. If it’s a result of your own actions, you know the penalty.”
Yeah, death. Gert smiled wryly.
“Ah… my head,” Fehl grumbled.
Both brothers looked at each other.
“I didn’t lose! It’s because of yesterday’s drinking. I wasn’t thinking about opening it,” Fehl declared with a firm frown.
Gert narrowed his eyes at him before turning to Elsa.
The girl was smirking. “Well, I guess if you ever forget the combination, you merely need to keep guessing in your head until the headache stops.”
“One of us will definitely remember.” Gert smirked as well.
Elsa nodded, though her smile soon morphed into a tired sigh. “I hope you will never have to deliver this.”
“Should we destroy the package after the contract expires?” Fehl eyed the envelope.
“It’s already covered. The magic tool will burst into flames after sixteen seasons,” Elsa replied before muttering, “It required surprisingly little golden dust for such a long period of time.”
“Alright.” Both Gert and Fehl nodded.
“Goodbye, then.” Elsa smiled one last time and turned away. “Now, if you excuse me, I have to hurry as I am about to be woken up. Not to mention, I have a full schedule of work, and gardening in the Noble’s Quarter later tonight…” she kept complaining while walking away at a fast pace.
What a weird girl, Gert mused as he watched her reach another thicket.
Once the contract had been signed, she no longer kept her previous facade.
“Frenbeltag done. I wish those Ahrensbach merchants didn’t go through Gerlach. Though, I could use that to lay…” Her voice suddenly stopped as if she had disappeared in between the bushes.
The traveling merchants looked at each other, shrugged, and returned to their wagons. Today was a good day. They resumed their journey with two bags of additional coin.