The Merchant Who Would be King

Preparations

Rays of sunlight flickered through distant treetops on either side of Belleville. On the other side of the town wall, gruff male voices called and grumbled. With a slow creak, the main gates opened, two armoured guards pushing on them, one yawning, while an officer in the back held a steaming mug of what was likely tea to his lips. Belleville was open for the day.

Hadiin's brain was fuzzy with lack of sleep and his body craved rest. He flicked the reins and wheeled forwards, hoping he wouldn't fall out of his seat.

Despite the tiredness, he was keenly aware of the gold in his pocket, and nervous about the hours ahead. He was sitting on a bit of a gold mine, something completely unexpected considering he was just starting out as a merchant. If everything went as he planned, he'd make a lot of money and give his new career a huge boost right from the start. He wanted to succeed so much that he could practically taste it.

One of the guards gave him a surprised look. "Wasn't expecting to see anyone at the crack of dawn."

Hadiin wearily chuckled. "There's work to be done. You know."

The guard ruefully laughed. "Yes, I do. Would much rather be in bed with the wife for another two hours." He waved Hadiin through.

But the other guard at the entrance was the same one that had allowed Hadiin through the previous time. And he had a sly smile on his face. "Hold on. Got to check the wagon. Open it up."

Hadiin gave him an even look, suppressing a spike of distress. "Why's that? We're not hauling anything dangerous."

"Hey, don't blame me. Just doing my job." He looked up at Hadiin, perfectly smug. And completely untrustworthy.

Hadiin wondered how to get the bastard to back off and mind his own business. "Let me guess. You go snooping around unnecessarily. You just happen to catch sight of a certain secret ingredient in the wagon and someone's going to give you a nice little kickback for a tip."

He smirked. "Hey. Guy's gotta make a living."

The man drinking tea caught their conversation and frowned. He strolled over. "What's this then?"

Hadiin's hope rose at the thought that he might have an ally in the officer. "You heard about the ice cream yesterday?" he asked the older man.

The officer nodded and studied the smug guard ready to investigate the wagon. "I did."

"No one can figure out how it's made." Hadiin pointed. "This guy figures he'll uncover the secret in my wagon and sell it off for a little personal profit and thereby ruin my business."

The mug lowered and the officer turned with a serious expression to the potential snitch. "That so, Thorton?"

The smug look turned defensive. "Just doing my job, Lieutenant. We're supposed to check all cargo coming through, ain't we?"

"I'm new here," Hadiin continued to press, "but when I registered with the Merchants Guild, I didn't get the impression they were keen on town employees ruining the livelihoods of decent merchants doing an honest business here. Not sure they'd look kindly on a town guard selling out someone's trade secrets and ruining him. Kind of sets a bad precedent, doesn't it?"

The lieutenant's frown deepened. "Yes, it does." He stared hard at Thorton. "You aiming to make the Merchants Guild an enemy of the Watch?"

Defensiveness quickly morphed to rising panic and self-righteousness on the man's face. "Ain't nothing of the kind, sir. Just doing my job is all." He reached up and started fiddling with the side cover. "Ain't no harm intended. Just being safe. Making sure he ain't bring through no contraband. Ain't got no bandits stashed in there."