Balthazar approached the path down to his bazaar carefully, his eyes fixed on the group standing in wait outside, facing the entrance.
There were four town guards, two on horseback, two on foot. Standing between them was an old man wearing a fine quality green robe and thin framed glasses that sat far down at the tip of his nose.
It did not surprise the crab to see Abernathy back, but the fact that he had more guards with him and something about their posture felt different and tense.
Suspicious as he was, the shrewd merchant wondered if he was about to be blamed for something he hadn’t done again.
“Well, well, if it isn’t my favorite tax inspector,” Balthazar tentatively said, announcing his presence to the town visitors as he approached.
They turned to face the crab, and the older man expressed surprise, but much to Balthazar’s relief, also friendliness.
“Ah, there you are, Mr. Balthazar. We were expecting your partner to fetch you inside, but it appears you were out. No matter, you arrived just in time.”
“Balthazar?” a voice called, before Tristan hurriedly came out of the bazaar to join them. “Oh, thank goodness! I was worried you were missing at the worst possible time.”
“What’s all this about my timing?” the puzzled crab asked. “What’s going on?”
“Allow me to explain,” Abernathy calmly said. “As I’m sure you recall, last time we met, during that unpleasant situation with Mr. Antoine, we both agreed to postpone our meeting for a later date, given the unforeseen circumstances, correct?”
“Yes, of course,” said Balthazar. “And things only got more chaotic since then, but if you wish to have that meeting, I guess now will be as good of a time as any. I’m just not sure what’s with all the unannounced entourage, with the extra guards and the horses. There’s more to this, isn’t there?”
“Apologies. Yes, indeed, there is. The fact of the matter is, we are the announcing party.”
The crab raised a confused eye stalk at the tax collector.
“Ever the impulsive man he is, our esteemed mayor has decided to meet with you in person,” Abernathy continued. “We came here to announce his arrival, as well as to scout ahead, for security reasons, given the dangerous times we have been experiencing lately, as I’m sure you know better than anyone.”
“Oh,” the crab said, surprised by the unexpected announcement. “The mayor of Ardville is coming down here himself for me?”
Abernathy simply nodded.
“I know, right? Exciting!” exclaimed Tristan, placing an arm around the crab’s shell and pulling him closer. “I couldn’t believe it myself.”
“Are we sure this is a good thing?” Balthazar whispered, turning his face to his business partner and out of the other men’s sights. “What would the mayor want with a crab outside of town?”
Tristan made a befuddled face before speaking in a hushed voice. “Thinking so little of yourself? That’s unlike you, Balthazar! Of course the mayor wants to meet the famous crab that aided an army of adventurers in driving a dragon away from his town.”
“What?! But I didn’t—”
The sudden sound of a trumpet startled the crab, and he turned to meet its source.
A town guard mounted on his steed loudly announced the arrival of a carriage, pulled by two robust brown horses and flanked by four horse riders, two on each side.
The carriage was of a fine craft, made with dark wood and covered in gold details, the windows on it covered by maroon curtains on the inside, keeping the interior private.
Balthazar had not yet met the mayor, and he was already impressed. Someone who travels in such an exquisite shell could only be someone with good taste.
Abernathy cleared his throat and stepped forward. “I see our good mayor has grown tired of waiting and decided to join us sooner than expected. Allow me to present his excellency—”
The side door on the carriage swung open violently with a loud smack against the wood, interrupting and startling the tax inspector, who closed his weary eyes and let out a discreet sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose above his tiny glasses.
“Where is this crab?” a booming voice cheerfully exclaimed.
The carriage shook as a robust man stepped down from it and onto the cobblestones of the road. He had a thick grizzly beard that looked immaculately combed, and carried a thick iron crown on his forehead, both things framing his rosy cheeks and small eyes in what little space was left between them.
Balthazar couldn’t help but notice how, despite his exquisite royal blue silk vestments, the mayor wore a vest of thick leather covered with chain mail stretched over his rather large chest and gut, as well as a few other pieces of armor around his body, such as pauldrons and shin guards.
The crab wondered what level the seasoned warrior strolling out of that carriage might have been, and it only reminded him of how much he missed his old monocle.
“There he is!” the heavy man shouted with a pleased smile as he opened his arms and stepped towards the eight-legged merchant.
“Hello, it’s—” Balthazar started, but the mayor cut his greeting short with a firm pat on the shell that nearly made him stumble forward.
“At last! It was about time I finally met this big crab I’ve been hearing so much about,” the strongman loudly said, looking pleased as he grinned. “I’m Mayor Bergen, by the way.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” Balthazar struggled to say as he tried to recover his breath. “Wasn’t really expecting you to come down here and visit me yourself, I must admit.”
“Bah!” Bergen scoffed. “I had to! At first you were just a peculiar story I’d hear about from time to time, but after I found out you were the one responsible for stopping that dragon’s rampage, saving the town and the lives of countless of our good adventurers? You certainly proved yourself someone worth meeting, my friend!”
Balthazar glanced at Tristan as he wondered where those high tales of his deeds against the dragon had come from, but he found no answers in his partner’s usual dazed gaze.
“My lord,” Abernathy interrupted. “It would be wiser if we stepped inside before we continue this conversation. Far less exposed than out here.”
“Ah, yes, yes, of course,” the loud man agreed, before turning back to the crab with an amused smile. “Always worrying about my safety, as if I couldn’t handle myself against any roadside fools who dared trying their luck.”
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“Sir, with a dragon on the loose, it's—”
“Bah! Let him come, if he dares! I’d love a go at that overgrown lizard myself!” The mayor gripped the handle of the thick sword hanging from the side of his rather wide waist, as if ready to draw it at an invisible opponent.
“Gentlemen, gentlemen,” Balthazar pleaded with a slightly nervous chuckle. “Please, let’s go inside now. The road is no place to discuss these matters, anyway.”
“Aye, the crab is right, Abernathy,” Mayor Bergen said. “Lead the way.”
They walked down into the bazaar, most of the guards staying outside, except for two who stood vigilant in the doorway. As they all entered the partially ruined gazebo, the mayor looked around, his hands tucked into the sides of his armor, a pleased smile peering through his bushy beard.
“I’d have tidied up better if I knew you were coming, but well… hard to clean up holes in the roof and scorch marks on the floor on such short notice,” the crab said.
“Ah, no matter,” Bergen responded with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Don’t let the pomp of being a mayor fool you. I’m not one to stand on ceremony.”
“Apologies for not having any delicacies to offer, either. My usual baker is currently… out of town.”
He looked at the mayor and glanced at the glutton tax inspector too, knowing full well that even if he did have any pastries, he wouldn’t be offering them anyway.
Some lines he was just not yet ready to cross.
The sturdy man pulled the nearest chair and sat down on it, causing the rickety wood to creak under his weight.
“Now, let’s get down to it,” he said, vigorously smacking his hands on his knees. “I’m a busy man and we still got things to discuss.”
“Right,” Balthazar hesitantly said. “To be honest, I’m still not sure why the mayor himself would come down here in person to talk to me.”
“Hah! You joke?” the amused mayor said with laughter. “My advisors also thought it should be you coming to me instead.” He leaned over and spoke in a more hushed tone that, by his metrics, was still incredibly loud. “I told them that given the recent events, the last thing you’d have time for was to leave your place and come up to town for some bureaucratic nonsense.”
The burly man laughed out loud at his own joke and looked around, as if looking for company in his amusement. Abernathy, who was still quietly standing by a nearby shelf with his hands behinds his back, drew a discreet smile, while Tristan chuckled along nervously.
“Besides, I was dying for an excuse to get out for a bit anyway. If Abernathy and the other worrywarts had it their way, I’d be stuffed up there all day, because it’s ‘safer’ for me. Bah!”
“Heh,” said the crab. “I guess it was a good thing you wanted a change of airs, then.”
“And what a great place for that this place is!” exclaimed Bergen, standing back up and striding to the other end of the bazaar, looking out the back to the pond and its trickling waterfall. “The pure, fresh air here alone is worth the trip. Truly a beautiful place you have here, good crab! Speaking of which…”
He turned back and looked at the tax inspector. “Abernathy?”
Without hesitation, the old man pulled his satchel forward and retrieved a long piece of rolled up parchment, which he then opened over a table, revealing an extensive map of what Balthazar recognized from some of his readings as the areas surrounding Ardville.
“I’ve noticed,” the mayor started, “that none of our maps seem to show a name for this pond. Probably because it was always uncontested territory outside borders with little of value to it, nobody bothered naming it. Do you happen to have a name you call this place here?”
Balthazar paused for a moment, pondering with the tip of his pincer on his chin.
He had never even considered a name for his pond. To him, it was the only pond he ever knew, the only place in his world. There was little need to call it anything other than home.
Looking at the tiny lines and a circle representing his territory on the old yellowed out piece of paper, the crab realized how small it all was when compared to the rest of the world out there.
So much to see that he had never even dreamed of.
“You know, I had never really given it much thought,” Balthazar declared. “To me, it was just my pond.”
“Well, you definitely should consider giving it one. It’s only right!” Bergen stated. “All great places need a name, and this lovely little pond has all the makings of one.”
Abernathy coughed lightly. “My lord, shall we address the reasons that brought you here today?”
“Ah, yes. So, I hear you have a proposition for Ardville?”
“Right,” said Balthazar, straightening himself and taking his eyes off the map. “My idea was to grow my trading post here. First it was by building it up into a proper bazaar, but I think it could be more. It could become a fully fledged trading hub for everyone, including those coming and going from Ardville. In my time here, I’ve met and formed relationships with many clients, some of which have never even been to your town, but could prove valuable assets with their goods and trades. I don’t intend to compete with your city. In fact, I’d very much like it if we became partners instead. All I propose is a friendly relationship, instead of hostility, like the one your former merchant guildmaster offered.”
Mayor Bergen ran his hand down his grizzly beard and smiled. “I agree.”
“The benefits would—wait, what?” the baffled crab said. “You haven’t even heard what I could offer, or the finer details.”
The imposing man stood up and raised a halting hand. “I do not need to. I know I might not look it, but I am one who prepares for his battles the eve before, not when already stepping into the battlefield. That is exactly why I have Abernathy here, too. Him and I have discussed your intentions at length already, and we’ve studied your case thoroughly. I knew exactly what my answer was long before I rode down here. I just needed to meet you face to face and get a good feel for you to seal my decision first.”
Balthazar stood staring at the mayor with confusion in his expression, while the other simply smiled back. “But… you don’t even know me.”
Bergen laughed.
“Oh, but I do! For you see, my town knows you, and through its beating heart, I’ve learned who you are and what you are made of. The farmers, the innkeepers, the market merchants, and, of course, all the adventurers seem to have taken quite the liking to you. And when I speak as a mayor, I do not speak as a man, I speak as the whole of Ardville, and crab, I can safely say my town sees you as a friend.”
Feeling taken aback, Balthazar struggled to find a reply. “Oh. I… thank you, I suppose.”
Once again, the robust man let out a hearty laugh.
“Besides, I wouldn’t want to be anything but your friend. I’ve seen what usually happens to your enemies!”
Everyone around the room chuckled, even the guards.
“We have all seen what you have achieved in such a short time, Mr. Balthazar,” Abernathy added. “And we all agree it’s quite impressive. It would be foolish not to see the potential in being allies. The dangers you’ve rid Ardville of alone, from a corrupt guildmaster to a dreadful dragon, are proof enough that you are a friend of our town, even without the prospect of a fruitful trade deal.” The town officer uncrossed his arms from behind his back and stepped closer. “But with that in mind, we’d very much like to arrange for imports and exports with you, as well as a more tightly knit relationship between our communities. I’m sure there are plenty of supplies you could use from our town, while you might be able to procure goods we haven’t encountered yet. I hear you seem to have access to some very interesting brews and armors, for example.”
“Ah, and that,” Bergen interjected, “is the kind of bureaucratic stuff I have Abernathy for. He will arrange any little details of how we shall deal in the future with you, as well as keep you updated once Antoine’s trial takes place and his fate is decided. As you can probably guess, I’m much more of an action man myself.”
The mayor stepped closer to the exit and stopped next to Tristan, who had been nervously standing some distance away, watching everything with bated breath.
“You should thank your partner here, too,” Bergen exclaimed, giving the former drunkard a vigorous slap on the back. “He spoke very highly of you every chance he got. I’d be lying if I said he didn’t help sway me in your favor, hah!”
“Right,” Balthazar said with a light chuckle. “I take it things between Tristan and you are settled now, after Antoine’s true colors were revealed?”
“Ah, yes, of course! Let bygones be bygones.” The mayor paused and put on a more somber expression before speaking in a lower voice. “He’s still not allowed in my garden for the time being, though.”
Awkward silence ruled the room as the mayor wrapped an arm around Tristan and gripped his shoulder tightly.
“I joke, you lot!” Bergen barked with a sudden laugh. “I do have some beautiful new chrysanthemums blooming right now, though. I’ve been told you’re not one to get out much, but I’d love to give you the tour and show them to you some day, if you ever come to visit, crab.”
Balthazar gave another—slightly less—nervous chuckle, along with Tristan and everyone else.
“You know, I might change that soon and take you up on the offer.”
“Great to hear! If you ever visit our town, do come by. But for now, I must take my leave. Very busy schedule, as you can imagine. Just today I still need to visit three barracks and inspect the new air defenses being built because of the new dragon threat, as well as attend a meeting later about the selection of a new master for the merchant’s guild.” He paused and smiled at Tristan. “It was a pleasure to meet you and visit your lovely pond. Keep the map, by the way. We have plenty, so consider it a gift. Do give some thought to a name for this place. We’d love to make it official.”
Balthazar looked around and smiled.
“You know, Mayor Bergen, I think I already know exactly what I’d like my home to be called.”
The mayor’s bushy eyebrows perked up with curiosity.
“Well? Don’t keep us guessing. Do tell!”