Ambassador to the Freaks

(1) Mercenaries Visit Joten

If you look over the eastern wall of Castle Joten just as the morning light hits the clock tower, you might catch a glimpse of the mermaid who lives in the moat. She's been there for years, and most folks don't remember when she first appeared in the water, probably because there was a lot going on that day. It was the princess's first birthday. If her highness had been old enough to be jealous and sullen, she would have been, because she was overshadowed on her own birthday by the arrival of a team of mercenaries.

The mercenaries first came into view of the castle when they crossed the West Caravan Gate. It was the only gate large enough for their wagon to pass through, at least on that side of the great river. The wagon was filled to the brim and overflowing: a tent, trunks of personal items, supply barrels (now mostly empty), cold weather blankets and coats, mountaineering equipment, and even a cracked canoe. Surrounding the wagon was a small troupe, but most were hirelings, not true mercenaries. Only three of them bore the Prince's Emblem.

Leading the group was a man with broad shoulders, a dour face, and a head as smooth as rock. Across his back was a huge sword. And that's all there was to know about him.

The next man was far more interesting. Curls of black hair fell down beneath his magnificent hat. This headpiece had once sported a large feather, but the hardships of travel had destroyed that, so he had replaced it with a leaf-covered twig. It looked silly, but this was one of those unique men who can make silly look good. His coat matched his hat, his boots matched his coat, and the whole outfit was pulled together by his winning smile. Two of his daggers were visible at his belt; he had at least eight others.

Lastly, a girl. She followed close behind the twig-headed man and bore a resemblance to him, though he was far prettier than she. Her dress had been new very recently, but hard traveling can make something old quickly. When the wagon stopped for inspection, she pulled off a small water barrel and sat down on it, exhaling a long and weary sigh that she had been saving up for over a hundred miles.

They waited for the inspector to finish with the group in front of them. Every wagon and carriage was checked inside and out. After all, this was the last gate guarding Joten from the many evils of the world. The inspector moved with the speed, efficiency, and boredom of someone who has done the same job for too long.

While he was working, the second and third inspectors began their searches. Their jobs were different, though. The second inspector held a severed branch of a rowan tree, its leaves still green, and the third inspector had a long pole, and from this hung a hundred tiny bits of iron, each the size of a grain of rice. These implements were brushed across all the group's possessions as if they were dusting. The group leader signed the ledger, and they were let through.

The mercenary company moved forward for inspection now, the girl dragging her makeshift chair along with her. At the touch of the rowan branch, the canoe jolted, as if it had been tickled. The second inspector froze with the rowan leaves touching the canoe while the first inspector turned and began to ask a question.

But the handsome mercenary, the one with the twig in his hat, turned and smiled a winsome smile. "We encountered a problem in the swamps. Found some fae willing to help repair our vessel. Seelie, of course."

The inspector narrowed his eyes. "What did you give them?"

"A small golden flower, a song, and a pear shaped like a man's face."

"They declared your business finished?"

"They did. No trace on us."

Despite his assurance, the inspectors went over the wagon twice with both the rowan and the iron. The inspector nodded once they finished. "You'll have to destroy the canoe, you understand."

Before replying, the smiling man took out a coin. It was thick, made of shining silver, and bore the image of the king on one side and the queen on the reverse. He flipped this coin into the air, caught it showing the king's side up, and turned to the inspector confidently. "We would be willing to sell it to you. It's no danger, but the laboratory in Grondell would pay to examine it. It's out of our way or we'd take it there ourselves."

The inspector raised an eyebrow.

Moments later their wagon was one canoe lighter, their purse was a few coins heavier, and they were ushered through the gate. The girl returned her barrel to the wagon and they headed down the road to Joten.

The walls of Castle Joten look old, and that's because they are old. After so many years of protecting the kingdom, the walls have become like a monument, and so now they are repaired, but never updated. They will always look like they did when they were built.

Joten's inner keep, however, looks very new. The ornate shapes on the columns and balconies match the latest architectural trends of all the other kingdoms. The city surrounding the castle also looks new, at least the richer districts. Poor boroughs dot the city here and there, so run down that it looks like a fire had started to consume the buildings, but had gotten bored halfway through and just left.

The mercenaries left their wagon and supplies with their hired workers. All they took were their own possessions, though the large bald man carried a bundle of cloth, and the girl took that water barrel, which was small, but still pretty heavy for such a young girl to carry. They caught a few looks as they wandered through the streets, but that was just because they carried weapons. Only soldiers, who wear the King's Emblem, and mercenaries, who wear the Prince's, may carry weapons in civilized places. There were many weapons in the street that day, since festivals are good times to get work.

Flags and streamers hung from nearly every roof of Joten that day. Hired performers were everywhere playing music. Even if you tried to get away from a performance, by the time their music faded you would be hearing another one. Princesses only have one first birthday, and the king and queen had wanted a daughter for years. Most of the people would never see the princess, but that was no reason not to celebrate. Besides, festivals were good for business.

The farther the mercenaries got into the city, the thicker the crowd became. They found themselves pushing past jugglers, trumpeters, salesmen, and pickpockets pretending to be salesmen. (Most pickpockets know better than to rob a mercenary, especially one returning from a journey, which is when they're at their most grumpy.) There were sounds of children running and laughing in the streets, but the crowd was so thick that they couldn't be seen.

A hollow thunk sound told the girl that her water barrel had hit something. She turned to see a juggler's ball flying away from its owner. Her mouth opened to apologize, but a second performer caught the wild projectile and returned it. The two of them combined their swarm of brightly colored balls into a single act, each small sphere soaring like a colorful bird. The girl, not yet a grizzled mercenary, laughed and watched them perform.

"Auren!" The girl turned her head to see the handsome mercenary waving her toward him. His hat stood out even in this huge crowd. Auren turned quickly, nearly loosing her balance because of her heavy load, and hurried to catch up.

Separating the city from the castle was a moat, and not a small moat either. It was wide enough that an entire cottage could fit in it comfortably. Stone bridges crossed the water, and from the sky probably looked like the spokes of a wheel. A guardhouse with a heavy wooden door stood at the end of every bridge, and a guard was stationed at each of these. The handsome mercenary removed his hat and bowed to the guard who stood before him. "Idan, of the Chaser Company, to see his majesty."

The guard couldn't hold back his laugh. "Ha! You're serious? No one is getting in today! Come back tomorrow."

"I have papers, my good man..." He pulled out a rolled up sheaf of documents from his sleeve.

"Doesn't matter. No one crosses into the castle without the king's permission."

Idan fumbled with the papers. "I assure you, I have orders to report to his majesty as soon as possible."

"Well, I have orders too. You aren't getting in."

The mercenary's face dropped with sadness. Auren's face was sad as well. The tall man seemed indifferent.

"Very well." Idan started to roll everything back up, but his hand slipped as one page nearly dropped. A metallic clink was heard as his heavy coin bounced on the cobblestones. The three of them walked away, seemingly unaware of the loss.

This guard was a good man. He could have stolen the coin, but he was paid well enough for his job, and besides, it was a festival. He reached down and picked up the coin, which was showing the queen's face. "Mercenary!"

All three of them turned back, as if it had been choreographed. "Yes?"

"You dropped this." He pressed the coin into Idan's hand.

"Ah, thank you! I'm so sorry for your inconvenience."

'It's no trouble."

The mercenary rubbed his finger across the image of the queen. "I wouldn't be so sure of that."

A cry for help sounded in the distance. The crowd parted and a goat leaped out onto the road. This was a mountain goat, with a woolly coat and large horns. It capered wildly across the stones toward the dumbfounded guard, who barely had time to react before the animal rammed him in the chest. The thick plates of the king's armor protected him from serious harm, but the man was still flung backward, and since he had been unfortunate enough to be assigned to duty at the moat that day, he found himself plunged into the water.

The goat seemed fairly content after this victory. It trotted around with its head held up, as if it had no idea what it had done. While the animal was recovered and the guard struggled to climb up the moat's slippery walls, the three mercenaries made their way through the guardhouse and across the bridge.

Auren stopped halfway across and unplugged her small barrel. She emptied its contents, which was mostly water, into the moat. However, something else fell out as well. The mercenary set the barrel aside and smiled sadly. "Good luck, little fry."

"Pardon me, footman."

The castle footman turned to see three dirty people, each bearing the mercenary badge. How they had made it inside the castle he had no idea. He raised up his chest to let them know how offended he was by their presence. "Yes?"

"Idan, of the Chaser Company, to see his majesty." Idan presented one of his documents. The footman saw that it bore the royal seal and reluctantly took it. His eyes scanned the document, and with every line he read his expression grew more and more surprised. By the time he finished, his face had become white. He looked up and stared at the bundle that the tall, scary man was carrying. Idan smiled even wider. "Do you think we could freshen up? I would hate to appear before his majesty looking as I do."

The footman nodded dumbly and motioned them inside.

With a great double backflip, the acrobat leapt from the shoulders of his fellow performer and landed with a flourish. The little princess bounced in her nurse's arms and laughed. She was dressed in a flowing pink and white outfit for the occasion (the child, not the nurse). A headdress had been picked out as well, but her highness had thrown it to the ground so often that her short golden hair now flew about uncontained.

The nurse was seated at the foot of the dais of the thrones, where the king and queen were currently seated, smiling as their daughter laughed at the various performances. The acrobats gave one final bow and were ushered out of the room. From another door the next act entered. It consisted of two men and a young lady. Strange, they did not have any instruments, and they did not seem dressed for any kind of acrobatics. One of the men stepped forward, removed his large hat, and bowed so low that his nose might have scraped the rug. "Honorable King Mellius III, I stand here as your servant."

The king and queen straightened in their thrones. These were the words of a diplomat, not an entertainer. There was not supposed to be any business today. The king tapped one of his heavy golden rings on the throne's arm. "We have no time for this. Guards, escort these people..."

"Your daughter is beautiful, if your servant may say so, eminent king." This brought about a shock from everyone in the room; one does not interrupt the king. "When last we spoke, she was yet to be born. The sight of her healthy face fills my heart with sunlight."

Now the king recognized this man, though he did not remember from where. Well, he was feeling generous today, and this man had complemented his darling daughter, so the king waved down the guards who were ready to grab this intruder by belt and toss him into the moat. "What is your business?"

Finally, Idan rose from his bow, though he kept his hat in hand. "Your Majesty hired us for a mission that took us across many miles to Angel's Cave. As instructed, we have returned with haste, and have alerted Your Majesty as soon as possible."

The king and queen both turned their eyes to the bundle of cloth, which Auren now carried. After being motioned forward by the queen, Auren stepped forward until she was next to Idan.

"So," the king said as he stood and moved toward them, "this is the one?"

Auren spoke, though her voice trembled. "F-found in the cave, as Your Royal Majesty said he would be."

The king stared down at what she carried. "This is the next ambassador to the freaks?"

Auren prickled at the king's words, but Idan put a hand on her shoulder. "Your Majesty," he spoke with every drop of eloquence he could muster, "I believe we have one more surprise for you on this glorious day." He drew back the cloth to reveal a face underneath.

A smile broke across the face of the king. He barked out a laugh, and then guffawed so loudly that it filled the entire chamber. "A boy! A human boy! It's really one of us this time?"

"As much a human as I, sire."

The king was giggling and grinning, acting very much un-kinglike. "This is wonderful news! Nurse, take Elocyne to her room. Chamberlain, call the lords together. We don't care what they're doing, get them here!"

He went on barking out orders while the mercenaries remained where they were. The princess seemed to be the only one to notice them. She gazed at the baby as she was taken away. Finally, the queen stood and approached Auren. "Rise, girl." She obeyed. "I'll take the boy now. Your job is finished."

Auren tried to hand him over, but felt like her arms were being held back. Her eyes fell on the small boy and she seemed ready to cry.

The queen smiled and said, "We will have need of you again, once he is grown. Will your company be willing to take on the task again?"

"The Chaser Company would be honored to serve, Your Grace." Auren had practiced saying this about a dozen times. If she hadn't, she would have broken down and cried. She handed over the boy.

"Well done, cousin!" Idan slapped Auren across the back. "A very good performance indeed!"

"Thank you."

"It may be years from now, but we'll have a lucrative job waiting for us. By then, I wager our pay for this job will be long spent."

"Knowing your penchant for wine, the money will be gone in a month."

Idan laughed. "Well, one share is yours. Spend it how you like." He then pulled her so close that her head was covered by the brim of his big hat. She could smell the perfume he had been given at the castle. "By the time our next job comes around, I'd suggest you rid yourself of your overprotective instincts."

"Wh-what does that mean?"

"It means helpless things can't pay us anything, but they can get us into trouble." He released her and headed directly toward the nearest tavern, his purse jingling with coin.

Auren gazed back at the castle, and at the golden flecks of sunlight glistening in the moat.