We pulled into port and I pulled the mask up over my face. The air here was wrought with the black plague and spitting out my insides was not a wanted part of my immediate future. I had been called here by the king. The king who had given me the ship I had been sailing on for 8 years. He wanted me to transport the map makers he had hired.
In the letter he had told me how he had chosen me for the job. He said that I was the more worthy sailor and would be able to transport them through the treacherous waters they intended to travel. I knew better though. His intent on hiring me was so he could appease the people who were constantly complaining about me. He would rather send me away on a death mission than set me on fire in the court yard to appease the peoples requests.
I know how many clergys and dukes had come to him complaining about my funny little trinkets I had sold them. You must admit though I was skilled if I could sell a clergy a fake religious relic for as much as I did. I sold about 40 monks the cloth Jesus was buried in. 12 of them were from the same church. It was not my fault if they were stupid enough to believe that the item in question would be sold by a traveling merchant. Looking for advice from the church no less.
I’m not sure why the king bothered to show me kindness. Perhaps it was because he was my uncle. Then again he hated his brother. Perhaps he feels sorry for killing his brother for the thrown and feels its his duty to try and support me.
I was born to my peasant mother out of wedlock. My father was always having children out of wedlock the only thing that made me different was that my mother was going to be married to him. That was before he got killed. Before we were thrown back into poverty and before I met Willy.
Willy was a merchant like I was. He picked me and my mom up off the streets. He took me under his wing and taught me all that I know about selling relics to people. He took me and my mother out traveling around the world to sell the relics with him. One time he and my mom went on their own and their ship was found smashed to pieces on the shore. Thats when the king started trying to assist me with my future and way of living.
First he tried to talk me into becoming a knight. It was unusual to start this late but he would open the door for me anyway. I tried that for a bit but I wasnt cut out for it. Then he tried helping me to become a higher member in the church which would gain me a higher standing through out the kingdom. That didnt work either though, I only had an interest in it because I was finally learning about all the things Willy had sold. Thats when I came to the conclusion that selling relics like Willy was the career destiny had chosen for me.
I went to my uncle and asked him for a ship. Explaining that I wanted to be a traveling merchant. He was hesitant at first but one look out his tower window at the dirty filled streets below and remebering how i had crawled in the muck as a child he gave me a ship. It was a really good one as well. A howker that was big enough to be intimidating and shallow enough on the draft to be fast. The abnormal amount of sails it was equiped with helped it to be even faster. The gift was grand and I intended to use it to its full extenet.
I walked down the gang plank and stepped onto the dock. My crew wrapped cloths around their faces and mouths as I had. I didnt need any of them getting it on my ship. Only a few would come with me to see my uncle. The others would stock up on supplys for the journey. I didnt like stopping in ports in the areas the map makers were headed for. So i would stock up now so i wouldnt have to.
The crew split off in the other direction to get the supplys. My first mate left with them. I needed to know that someone smart was amoung them. I walked to the end of the dock and bagan balancing on the boards that rose above the muck covering the streets. I didnt intend to scuff up my boots on the vile substances that lay in the bubbling grey goo beside the thin board i balanced on.
