Elizabeth of the Manticole Trading House

My curiosity flared as I knocked on the study door. It was so rare that my father had any dealings with me anymore. Not since news of my engagement to Lord Bicman had ended. So, being called now made my palms sweaty.

Did he decide not to wait until the engagement was over to announce who I was to marry? No, he wouldn't go back on his word. Not even to me, who was just his daughter.

"Enter," his sharp voice commanded.

He looked me up and down. The look was the same way he always looked at me. Like a prize horse whose value he was trying to evaluate.

After a long moment, he said, "News has reached Falmor that the marsh dweller is in Kimton."

I shuttered and reached for my hair, running my fingers through it. There was only one person he called a marsh dweller, and so I knew immediately he meant the monster, Bicman.

"I- I mean, why would that be news? He is a baron from the marshes," I said, stumbling over my words at the surprise.

"Apparently, the duke invited him, and anything the duke does is of note. Especially something as odd as this. The rumor is that the young baron was gaining popularity in the county where he lived due to his talent for the arts. He created a new method of painting that truly makes the pictures seem alive."

My mind reeled at the thought. The fat, lecherous slob was invited to Kimton to paint the Duke? Impossible. He was nothing but a drunkard.

"This provides you with an opportunity?"

"Me?"

"Of course. Why wait until next year to cancel your engagement when you could travel to Kimton and break it there."

My heart began to race. It was easy to think about confronting the monster when the time was so far away, but now, facing the demon who haunted my dreams became a terrifying thought.

"But- but will I make it in time?" I said.

"The pigeon that was sent from Falmore said he had just left Vaspar, which means he has probably just arrived in Kimton. If you take the riverboat up to the Kimton Road and travel from there to the dukedom capitol, you should arrive in about fifteen days, weather permitting. Just remember. If you want to marry your knight, I suggest you find a way to get a large compensation for the cancellation. Enough to compensate for you marrying the third son of a non-hereditary knight. You are also to evaluate his skills as an artist and, if possible, obtain one of his paintings."

And that was the true reason he was having me go. He did not care when I got the engagement canceled. This was all about gathering information. It didn't matter, though I must do this. I must convince the monster to give me compensation.

"Is it still ok if I bring Aramis?"

"You may bring anyone you like if you think it will help you succeed, but bringing your lover to this meeting may do more harm than good."

"He will only be my escort," I said defensively.

"Do whatever you want. Just accomplish your task. You are dismissed."

I bowed and then left quickly. As soon as the door was shut, I raced down the hall. I had to tell Catherine about her cousin.

Amos

I woke in the morning to find Benjamin up and about already. He had already gone to bed by the time I got home, so I did not bother him. Not to mention, I was exhausted myself. He seemed to be anxiously waiting to see me.

"You have news?" I asked.

"Yes, my lord. My father intercepted a message a while ago that they were not able to interpret, but it indicates that it may be related to us. The message was headed to an agent of Lady Blackwell. The only part of the message they got was northern cove. That in itself wouldn't mean anything without the source. It came from Rabiss slavers. The same people that you ran into before when you went to the cove. I believe they were a scouting party. The raid will most likely come next year once it is safe for their ships to travel.

"Ideas?"

"The shipping season starts in six months, but if they are cautious, they won't sail for seven. So, we must do all we can to prepare for an invasion in five months. If they have the latest numbers on our barony, they will bring enough men and ships to enslave at least a third of our population. They will slaughter anyone who doesn't flee. This is based on past reports of how Rabiss raiders operate."

"Do you think the Bicman Defense Force can stop them?"

"I don't know. The Rabiss slavers are trained fighters but are used to rounding up commoners who have no defense against them. With our fortifications and our current strength of four hundred people with weapons, it may be possible. But none of our people have been tested in war. Many may flee at the sight of opposition."

"So our advantages are that we know that they are coming so we can prepare. They don't know that we know they are coming, so we can lay traps with them in mind. I think the crossbow will help. Money is coming in. Do you think we could purchase enough horses to build a cavalry?"

"We would need someone to train them?"

"We could ask Fredrick in Vaspar for a suggestion. Possibly even the count." I said.

"We cannot let them know why, though," Benjamin said with insistence.

I grimised, "I, uh, kind of already asked Count Vaspar about it."

Benjamin put his hand to his face. "I thought we already discussed that, but that was a bad idea."

"I disagreed, and it turns out I was right. He wasn't involved and did give a bit of insight as to how the king will react. He said the king will not be able to help us."

"Forgive me, my lord, we could have gotten that information from my father."

"True, but he will be keeping an eye on the southern road to make sure no large forces move through it. Of course, the fact that we will be invaded from the cove by Rabiss raiders kind of makes that a moot point. On a positive note, I found a glassmaker to bring back to Bicman." I said excitedly.

On a positive note, I found a glassmaker to bring back to Bicman." I said excitedly.

"You found a glassmaker in the Upper City willing to come to Bicman?" He said

"Well, it was an apprentice, and I actually found him in the craftsmen quarters of Middle City."

The color drained from Benjamin's face. "You went yourself?"

"Well, I need to find someone to make canvases and a place to buy paint. I found both, by the way. I also found a glassmaker shop and snagged an apprentice for fifty gold. I may have overpaid, but it was the man's son, so he should know what he is doing."

"My lord, do you not remember me saying that nobles were not to mingle with the commoners of Middle City?"

"Yeah, you said the duke dislikes it when nobles mingle with the commoners of Middle and Lower City. But I just went there to pick up the goods. It's not like I went down there and hung out. I had to pick out paints, and none of our servants know what I am looking for."

"Then you have your servant buy the paints, bring them here, and return them if you are displeased." He said.

"That sounds like a lot of work for such a simple thing. I found what I was looking for quickly and left. No one could accuse me of mingling." I said, a little frustrated that Benjamin was chastising me like I was some little kid.

"Perhaps I should have been more clear. Any interaction at all with commoners can lower your status here in Kimton. I understand it is ridiculous, and I don't think anywhere else in the Kingdom has these unspoken rules, but this is one of the quirks of living in Kimton. All the nobles complain about it, but at the same time, they would not hesitate to turn someone in who has broken the rule. Gossip is more important. My lord, I hope that word of this does not get back to the duke or that he is in a good mood when he does."

"All I am here for is to paint his picture and leave. What can he do? Send me home, saying I am not worthy to paint him."

Benjamin just shook his head. "I hope that is all. But it is done, and we have something else to discuss."

"Ok, you know what, I shouldn't be arguing with you. I guess I messed up. Sorry about that. I really didn't think it was going to be a big deal."

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"It is also my fault. It is hard for me to remember all the things you don't understand. I should have been clearer on what I meant by mingle. It is best to just not associate with any commoner. On another note, you have a letter from the son of Baron Gaven Frabak to visit at your earliest convenience. I recommend seeing if he is available to meet this morning before your scheduled meeting with Yemis."

"Yes, I would like to deliver Baron Sophis's letter to him as soon as possible."

"I will write a response, and we will see if we can schedule something for this morning."

"Good, now I am going to exercise, take a bath, and get something to eat. Because as Sir Kellogg once said, 'Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.' Of course, that was just good marketing and not an actual fact, but hey, it sounds good, right?"

"I don't think I have read that story," Benjamin said. I had started to use the excuse that anything odd I said was a line from a story I was working on. It allowed me to make quips, and sometimes, I would get feedback, or it would lead to a discussion. I still kept it to a minimum, but it gave a good reason for my slip-ups.

It turned out that today was not going to work for Carter Frabak, so we will postpone it until tomorrow morning. That means I had a couple of hours to write before I went to Yemis's home. And so I wrote another short story about a girl with way too much hair.

The visit to Baron Yemis went very well. He had a splendid garden that he and his wives enjoyed sitting in, so they asked for their painting to be done there. After the initial positioning, I got to work. As they sat on the bench, I wondered if I should invent a garden swing. I always loved sitting on ours back home. Maybe I could sell the idea to Baron Sophis or maybe Lord Cumfrence. I am sure Becca would love a swing.

"Benjamin, remind me to dispose of that stuff Becca gave me. I keep forgetting." I said to him as we were about to leave.

"Of course, my lord. I will dispose of it when we get back to the inn." He said.

"Just be careful. I don't want it just thrown out where anyone can grab it. If it accidentally ended up contaminating drinking water and poisoning everyone, I would feel bad. Or, if the bag released spores, everyone who touched them would grow mushrooms all over their skin. Yeah, just be careful with it, ok."

We left and returned to the inn for lunch. Shortly after that, we were off to Count Fenro's place. When I arrived, I explained that we could paint him in a natural setting or in a fantasy setting. I showed him the various pictures. He was so fascinated with them that I spent the next hour going over what each one was. The picture he decided on was him walking through a forest and picking a cocoa bean from a tree. I explained that it was the primary source of trade from an ancient civilization lost to time and that the beans within were processed and turned into a dark, bitter drink.

"Are you familiar with the Arrock then?" Count Fenro asked.

"I'm afraid not," I said in confusion.

"Ah, well, they have some plant or tree down south, and the fruit is turned into a white powder from which they make a drink. It is very bitter."

I didn't know if they fermented cocoa beans, but the fact that the powder was white made me think it wasn't the same thing. But if it is mixed well with sugar, then it might be similar. Or…

“Does it give you a burst of energy or make you feel jittery?”

“No, just a bitter-tasting drink.”

Okay, so I didn't know anything from Earth that fit this description, but maybe it wasn't too far off from chocolate—maybe it was even better.

"So, how could I obtain this powder?"

Count Fenro smiled at me as if I were a child who had said something incredibly foolish. "Lord Bicman, not even I have tasted it. I said that it came from Arrock. It is a great way south and comes by the way of the Mahador port. From what I understand, it must be grown in a specific climate where the air is so heavy with water that it can be hard to breathe. Only a limited amount makes it to Falmoren each year. Therefore, the price is many times more expensive than that of your paintings."

Crap, I keep forgetting how much more shipping costs are here without modern transportation.

"This isn't to say I couldn't afford it. It is considered a great status symbol, but I prefer investing in wine. The duke buys some of the powder every year but never drinks it. It sits in some storage room until it spoils. But it proves that he can. Many nobles, including the king, do the same. I sometimes wonder why I pay taxes to these people if they are just going to waste the money," He said while shaking his head.

I wanted to laugh. I had seen this guy's fine clothes and amazing manor, and I thought most of it was impractical if he was using taxes to pay for it all. However, throughout social classes, value was placed on different things.

And so we continued to talk as we found out what type of clothing he would wear for the picture. I had to admit I never really thought that these nobles would want such bizarre scenery for their backgrounds. I guess, once again, it was all about novelty and uniqueness.

It was a long visit, but I had gained more information concerning the political situation in the country. And to tell the truth, I was undecided on which faction was the most correct. I was becoming less naive and knew that both sides used manipulation and intrigue to gain what they wanted. If it benefited the king or one of his noble supporters to poison my family or attempt to assassinate Aaron in order to frame me, I have no doubt that he would have done it. I was only a lowly baron, a pawn easily sacrificed in their attempt to gain power.

I would never side with the council, even if I believed in their cause. Countess Blackwell and her cronies were enemies of mine, and as long as her group was part of the council, I would never join their side.

When I arrived home that evening, I had a letter from the son of Baron Gaven Frabak asking if the second bell past dawn tomorrow would be acceptable, and I sent a message back confirming the appointment. Then, it was off to another function. This one was actually a birthday party where part of the entertainment would be me sketching those who the host wanted me to. It was a little demeaning being invited as part of the entertainment, but it isn't like I wouldn't have been doing it anyway. And there was quite a hefty sum involved as compensation.

Really, I could make an amazing living as a painter here. Sure, the novelty would wear off eventually. Still, there were thousands of nobles throughout the kingdom, and even if I only got a gold crown from each, that would still set me as one of the top earners in the nation. I could also do landscape paintings instead of people. When the novelty of what I was doing I could show off a new form of painting. Something like cubism.

It was a long night, especially since the moment I got there, I was sketching people. I also learned that my father was a bigger jerk than I thought. The birthday party was for the son of a baron. Apparently, outside of my barony, nobles did celebrate their kids' birthdays. I gave the kid, who was fifteen, a book as a present. Maybe he would pick up the meaning behind Shel Silvertein's book "The Giving Tree," or maybe he would just see it as the way a servant should be towards his master, but he loved the artwork.

******

The next morning came early. And I was so glad of the fact that I had given up drinking because there was a lot of alcohol at the party. I can only imagine the pain of trying to fit everything I need to do today into my schedule while dealing with a hangover this morning.

I arrived just a little before the second bell to the manor of Baron Gaven Frabak. The steward was just bringing me into the house when the ugliest man I had ever seen walked down the narrow staircase to the side of the foyer. I kept the shock off my face by sheer force of will. I now had a new reference to the term 'As ugly as sin.'

"Who is this man, Jimmy." He said in a deep baritone voice.

The steward said, "My Lord, this is Baron Amos Bicman. An acquaintance of Lord Sophis. And-"

"Is that conniving midget trying to get one of his sycophants to marry my daughter again?" He said in an extremely displeased tone.

Sir, if I let a drop of your genetic code into my line, my children and all the generations afterward would never forgive me. I thought.

Fortunately, I did not let that thought slip. I was getting better at that.

"No, my lord, he is here at the behest of Lord Carter."

The baron grunted. "Keep an eye on him. Welcome to my home, Baron Bicman. My son is in the training hall."

We walked through the finely decorated house to the back, where a yard revealed a dueling arena. Two men in their twenties were on the field exchanging blows with long wooden swords. They wore padding, but with the strength they were putting into the blows, I am sure they felt those strikes.

Two women in their late teens or early twenties watched them from the side. One of them had a little girl about two years old clinging to her very fine emerald green dress. She also held a baby in her arms. The other woman was slightly older and watched the two duelists with a concentrated look on her face.

As I approached the younger of the two women, I heard her say to the other, "He is going to win again."

The older one snorted. "He hasn't lost to Cater in years."

The younger sighed, "I wish he would lose. His head is swelling from all the praise."

"Your husband is a natural with the sword. Just be glad of the income he gets from it," The elder said.

"His dueling skills would mean nothing without Baron Frabaks patronage." The younger said meekly.

"If it weren't Baron Frabak, it would have been another baron or count. Talent like Rulot's does not go unnoticed for long. Besides, It would be dull in this house if it weren't for visits from you and Rulot."

It was at that time that one of the men, who must have been Rulot, knocked over Carter and put his sword to his chest. Rulot put his sword away and held out his hand to Carter. I would have been able to tell who Carter was even without the commentary. He was not quite as ugly as his father, but that may have been because he hadn't been punched in the face as much as his father had. Either way, a career in modeling was not in the cards.

As the men approached the two women, they saw me and the steward behind the ladies.

"Hey, Jimmy, have you brought someone to beat me." Rulot beamed cheerfully.

The ladies suddenly turned to face me. They also had curious looks on their faces.

"I am afraid not, Sir Vamar. He is here on invitation from Young Master Carter. He carries a letter of introduction from Baron Sophis."

I nodded politely to all of them and said, "Lord Carter, here is the letter from Baron Sophis. And I might add that if it mentions trying to set me up with your sister, your father has specifically told me that she is out of reach for someone like me." I said it with a smile so that there would be no misunderstandings.

This got a laugh out of the gentleman and a small smile from both women.

"I want to tell her. Please let me tell her." Rulot asked Carter.

"Rulot, Don't you dare," Carter's wife said sharply. "That girl is difficult enough to deal with. If she finds out father turned down another individual, I will be hearing about it for the next month."

They both got into a little argument while Carter read the letter. After he finished, he turned to me.

"It looks like you are in luck, my new friend; there was no mention of wooing my sister, " he said with a wink. "She has the personality of a hurricane."

"She is not that bad," his wife said defensively. "And she would be calmer if your father allowed her to have a man in her life."

"Do not blame my father for protecting all the young men of Kimton. And now I have even less hope for her. If he wasn't willing to give her over to a young, handsome man such as this, who already has his own barony and also comes highly recommended by Baron Sophis, then she will surely die alone without ever feeling the love of a man."

"You are so incorrigible," His wife said.

He smiled back, "Thank you. Unfortunately, it is my only redeeming quality. Now, let me make some introductions. Baron Amos Bicman, this is my wife, Trish. My best friend Rulot and Nina, his wife."

"It is a pleasure to make all of your acquaintances. I would like to express my gratitude to Baron Sophis for the introduction. I have to admit, as the Baron of my house, most of my meetings have been with the older members of society in Kimton, and they tend to be quite— stuffy." I said.

This got another laugh. "There are plenty of less stuffy nobles around, but we just aren't invited to those types of parties. Let us adjourn to the sitting room and speak. Give us both a quarter bell to change."