Tam walked from booth to booth, mentally going over his shopping list. He needed to by several loaves of bread, some fresh fruit, a few lengths of cord, and some long sheets of cloth. He also needed some bees wax and a few sharpening stones. With a practiced eye, he went from one booth to another, eying the different kinds and sizes of bread. Sourdough or barley loaves? Loaves or rolls? Which would be more cost effective and economical? After buying several very large loaves of sourdough and a few smaller of the barley rolls, Tam trotted on over to the bee keeper's booth. The man was short, plumb, and jolly. He had a completely white beard and hair and always war a big, toothy smile. Tam ran up, "Hello there, Zander." The man's smile got even larger. "Tammello! How are you, son? If has been many a week since I've had you as a customer." Tam shrugged, "Thire is kind enough to have taken me into his home to work for him for awhile. I need a jar of honey and a few good sized chunks of wax. Do you have any?" Zander laughed, "Do I have any?" He reached behind the window of the booth and pulled out the largest jar of honey Tam had ever seen and several sizable chunks of bees wax as well. "Excellent!" Tam said, "How much?" Zander replied, "Three for the jar, and one for the wax." Tam looked at him questionably, "That's it? The jar must be near a gallon and a half, and those bees wax would fetch far more if bought by the bow maker." Zander just winked, "Aye, but your not the bow maker. Besides, Thire is a friend of mine." Tam smiled and handed over the money. Then he carefully wrapped the wax and put both it and the jar in his pack. Thanking the jolly fat man, he walked towards the bow maker's, store. The bow maker was like the bows he made, long and skinny. He was also a very serious looking fellow, which belied his very dry sense of humor. Tam walked into the dimly lit room. "Hello Tam. How can I help you today?" asked the man behind the counter. "Can I have a couple dozen bowstrings?" The man nodded and pulled several lengths of string made from the sinews of deer. Deer sinew made the best bowstring. "Do you need bees wax today for your strings?" Tam shook his head, "No sir. Thank you. I think we are good for the time being." The tall, thin man just smiled and said, "Zander gave you some didn't he?" Tam just laughed and payed for his bowstrings. After bidding the bow maker good day, Tam was about to head home when he thought of visiting Thire's daughters at there wagon. After stopping at the Wolf's Belly, a tavern that was also a trade post owned by a family of Sapian merchants, Tam trotted off towards the direction of the barracks, munching on some stick candy and drinking a small skin of fresh cider from the flatland provinces. On the right side of the barracks was Merrick's smithy, where he made weapons and armor of all kinds. Swords, axes, lances, spears, halberds, shields, and all manner of other weapons and several suits of armor covered the walls. Merrick grinned massively through his big, bushy beard. "Tam! How is the new life at Thire's?" Tam smiled, "Better than I thought it would be." "Good, Good. I'm glad to hear that. Make sure you come and visit us though." Tam smiled, "Of course I will." To the left of the barracks was Thire's wagon and his daughters. Liana stood in front of the wagon seat. In the wagon was Merssona. Tam was about to walk up and realized that he could not think of a good reason to do so. After a few moments, he strode up and said, "Could I have a few strips of goat jerky, please?" Merssona smiled and lifted down to him three strips of the smoked and salted meat. Liana looked at him expressionlessly and said, "That would be one copper a piece." Tam nodded and handed her the money. She thanked him and pretended he wasn't there, but Merssona asked, "Did you remember to get the skins of drink that father wants, Tam?" Tam smote his brow, "Plagues!!! I forgot. Thank you, Merssona. Your father would not be pleased if I came home without those. Have a wonderful day, my ladies." He hustled off to the cold house owned by Alucard. The man was getting on in years, but seemed to have lost none of the energy and vigor that he was known for as a youngster and a man. As Tam jogged up, the old man leaped up, "Tammello, son of Thracken! Are you looking for a cold drink? I have some new wine I got from a small group of flatlanders. Actually, they were lowlanders and lived in the wet areas of our fair kingdom. It's a wine made out of rice and cranberries! It's marvelous. Please come and try some." He grabbed Tam's arm and hustled him inside. It was cold in the building. Skins, barrels, bottles, and flasks hung from rafters and sat on shelves. Each one was neatly labelled. Alucard pored to earthen goblets of wine that was mostly clear with a slight pinkish-purple tint to it. Tam took the goblet and said, "Thank you, Al." The man was to busy drinking to answer. Tam took a sip and felt fire go down with the liquor. It was very sweet and strong. Tam downed the rest and put the vessel on the table. Alucard was about to pour him more, but Tam shook his head, chuckling, "I can't have too much Al. Thire would not be pleased if I came home drunk." The man nodded. "True, very true. What are you buying today, Tam?" Tam listed several skins of wines and a few bottles and flasks of other drink. He was about to leave, but then turned around and said, "Al, how much are you selling a large skin of that new rice and cranberry wine for?" The man grinned, "I knew you would ask." he scurried into a back closet and brought back a massive skin that could have been an entire goat. "This is yours. How about twenty coppers? The merchant I got it from told me that it was a hundred years old." Tam nodded. The older wine was, the more expensive, and potent, it was. Tam handed the money over, slung the skins and flasks that wouldn't fit in his pack over his shoulder, and walked on out. With the fire of the liquor still in his veins, he trotted towards one more stop before he headed home. It was a large inn, the Sleepy Pup it was called. It was run by a family of four. The father and mother were very good people. The son was a stout lad who was known for being quiet, strong, and rather deliberate. Tam walked in and saw the three of them standing behind the counter. The old man smiled at him, "Tammello. How are you in these waining fall days?" Tam walked up to the bar and sat on a stool, "I am well, thank you Narrath. I just wished to offer my condolences and my apologies for the death of Turgon. It was my fault." The old man sighed and pulled out a bottle and four glasses. "I know. I appreciate the gesture, though. Come let the four of us drink to his good memory." Tam, Narrath, his wife Tarah, and there son, Boon drank of the good wine. Tam set his glass on the counter and said, "I think I need to get back to Thire's home." Narrath nodded and bid him good day. Tam turned towards the door and saw the fourth member of Narrath's family walk in. Narrath's oldest daughter Parrisha was eighteen years of age and was considered by all to be one of the most beautiful young women in the town, with large green eyes and long brownish red hair. She was betrothed to Turgon. Tam froze, and then lowered his head. Parrisha walked up to him and stood, looking at him. After several moments, Tam looked up into her eyes. They were sad and tears were about to spill out. Tam cleared his throat. He tried to speak, but no words came out. A few tears leaked down his own cheeks. All he could manage was, "I'm so sorry." Tears fell down Parrisha's face. Tam walked by her and was about to exit when she said, "I forgive you, Tam. Please forgive yourself." Tam froze for a moment, but then walked out and made his way back home, the words of the young lady who was to be married to his best friend, still ringing in his ears.
For several months, life went by without event. The scrolls and papers that Tam had recovered were sent to the royal court in the city of Carfan, the capital of Sapia. Tam and Thire's family grew closer. Only Liana stayed distant to him. As Autumn moved into Winter, Tam continued his work. After a few days, Thire began to teach him how to use the large sword that his father used to wield, as well as strategy, diplomacy, interagation, and negotiations, all of which were necessary for a minister of war. Tam visited the barracks regularly and trained in all forms of weaponry and combat under the watchful eyes of both Thire and Merrick. One day, Tam was sitting in the Sleepy Pup, playing a game of Pieces with Albor, Narrath's fourteen year old son. The game was made up of a large amount of metal, wood, and clay pieces, each one either white or black. Every piece had a specific purpose, and the mke and model ment something different whether it was for battle, siege, supply line, civilian or building. The game was created to help teach strategy and tactics. Albor was slow and deliberate as always, and his moves were very effective. Tam had already lost several games. Now it was Albor's move again. Rubbing his chin, the boy finally took a piece representing a sharp shooter with a crossbow, and moved it into range on the edge of a tower of Tam's general. Tam watched carefully. If his general was slain, he would loose. Albor rolled the dice to see if he would score a hit. With a satisfied smile from Albor, and a sigh of resignation from Tam, Albor tipped over Tam's general. Tam smiled, "No more. You have beaten me soundly, again." Albor nodded and shook Tam's hand. Parrisha came in and asked Tam, "Would you like to stay and eat with us tonight, Tam?" Tam smiled politely at her and said, "I would love to, but I need to ask Thire's permission." The man's deep voice startled him from behind, "No you do not. You are a man now, Tam. As long as you get your chores and your studies done, you can do as you will." Tam nodded, "Thank you, sir." The man smiled and walked out of the inn, whistling. Parrisha smiled, and Tam's heart skipped a beat.
To be continued...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment