Easter - Travelling Trader - short story
It is that time of the year again, when rabbits are seen all across the plains, forests and lakes... when everyone is in a rush to finish preparations, bake cookies and do the last minute cleaning. If you thought that is Easter then you are right! It is indeed Easter.
As a trader, I am busier than ever. Is not like am not busy during the rest of the year but this time is different. I have errands to make, goods to buy and customers to serve. There are always towns or villages that need my flour and water to bake bread or wheat for their horses. You never know when you need that last gram of marble for a better bread oven or even some planks for that last mill you were building some weeks ago. I am always there to deliver.
Right now I have a special task from a long-time customer of mine. In a faraway land some lord wishes to have an Easter celebration with lots of eggs, drinks and food but also a special military parade. My brew has been delivered already and I was going to acquire the remaining fish and meat the lord needed but then bad luck strikes, exactly when you do not need it.
The lord's messenger told me that his copper smelters cannot smelt enough bronze to make swords, in time for the celebration. The situation is dire and he would need more swords than his weapon smiths can produce. The good part is that they have more than enough copper and coal on their hand, the bad part is that I have to find a buyer for his ore and return swords in exchange. Time is short, the road is dangerous but I have no choice. I've got a job to do.
First, I have to travel to the Lord's kingdom, acquire the coal and the copper ore, fill my carts and then take the north road to the cousin of a friend of an uncle who knows a mayor in another town. There I shall find the much needed swords. Sounds simple enough, doesn't it? Unfortunately things are not always as they seem or as simple as we make them to be.
Remember kids, you need wood first to make coal. A coking plant or a Wood Yard will do the job. Copper ore can be extracted only from copper veins. Oh and you need a safe road for travelling, in order to trade your goods.
But a safe road can never be found so easily these days. Bandits roam the place like they own it. Luck made it, yet again, that some outlaws were taking hold of the town I was heading to. My oh my... the way was blocked and I could go no further without risking to lose my goods and most of all, my gift baskets that Aunt Irma gave to me before I left home. Usually I can fend for myself and keep my lunch safe but now there was no chance that I could take on all these bandits by myself. So I had to take a break and wait for the reinforcements to arrive from the Lord. Surely they are trained recruits and soldiers, they can handle the situation with success, maybe even drive these outlaws away from here.
After having my delicious lunch and an afternoon nap, I wake up. A general was pinching me... Hey stop that, it hurts. As soon as I got my bearings I hear the great news: the road was clear and the bandits were gone. In the name of Settlers... I could now complete my trade run. The Mayor was quite happy to see the town freed from the bandits so he rewarded the soldiers for their bravery with some freshly painted Easter Eggs that they could take home. Everyone was cheering, except myself. My work was not done yet, almost there... now I just have to go back to the Lord and hand the swords.
I hope this time around no bandits cross my way cause I don't know what I am going to do. Don't even have a lunch now but what can you do? A trader's job is never done... Until next time folks!!!
The Travelling Trader
Disclaimer: images depicted are property or show assets from BlueByte / Ubisoft. I take no credit for them.
