The Storyteller

The Storyteller Part 8 chapters 21 -23

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

DANGER IN DONGES

Every day the nights grew shorter. The sunshine was warmer and melted the snow. The first shoots of grass were incredibly green and the plains were sprinkled with early flowers. The time to leave for the Winter's End Market in the harbor town of Donges was marked with increasing excitement and trips back and forth between the farms to coordinate.

It was decided that two wagons from each farm would take all the cloth and clothes to be sold. The production of each family was clearly marked and inventoried. A trusted person from each farm would be on each wagon and hold the accounts. She would be accompanied by two other people to help with the selling. Not knowing what prices could be asked, Raif had undertaken to find an honest merchant, or at least one who wouldn't want the Duke to be angry with him, to assess the value of the merchandise.

In the unlikely event that there'd be trouble or attempted theft on the road two wagons of soldiers went to provide protection and to guard the wagons during the nights of the journey.

To make sure that the market was successful, the Duke had said that the marketplace would be guarded day and night by troops. To celebrate the reopening of a market that had fallen into abandon during much of the civil war the Duke and Duchess would be there to officially open the event. It was also a chance for the Duke to underline the importance of growing trade with other nations.

Raif was, of course, going and Lyrra, still eager to see ships and the sea went along. After a fair amount of pleading Gill was allowed to go on the understanding that he would work extra hard when he got back. The work of the farm couldn't be ignored. Fences had to be installed, fields plowed and crops planted. The flocks of sheep needed to be put out to graze and watched carefully both so that they didn't over eat but also in case any wolves had not retreated with the snow. But, as the journey there and back and the fair would not take more than ten days, Yarrow and Willow finally agreed to his going.

The town of Donges was a disappointment to Lyrra. First of all it was approached from a valley and it wasn't possible to have a view of the sea before arriving. Then, once it the town, it was as crowded as the capital and even dirtier. With the influx of visitors come for the market it wouldn't be easy to find lodging but Raif had arranged for them to pitch tents on a field that was within the walls of the Ducal manor.

Considering that everything was new, the setting up of the market went quite smoothly. Someone in the Duke's entourage found a reliable merchant to suggest prices. Stalls were set up in front of each wagon to display items so that, when they were sold, new ones could be easily reached to fill the space.

The Duke opened the Market with a short speech welcoming the merchants who had come from other nations. Their presence recognized that Wental was, once again, at peace and eager to trade. Trade would benefit all.

There were not as many foreign merchants as the Duke had hoped but, if they were pleased with what the bought, there was no doubt that more would come the next year. Some of the merchants were only interested in the precious stones that came from the mines far away in the forest but others looked at the woolen goods and found the quality satisfactory. They were mainly interested in the blankets and bolts of cloth that could be cut to measure for clothes in the stores of tailors in their homelands. Some even placed orders for more material in certain colors and widths that they would pick up in a year's time. They understood that weaving took time and, knowing they would make a profit at home, wanted to assure supplies.

The clothes were not as much interest for the foreign merchants, but people from Donges, the surrounding countryside, and even the capital came in large numbers. They enjoyed haggling over prices and leaving with a new cape dyed a bright red or a scarf of soft new wool.