Chapter 2- Visitors in the ring market

People swarmed the Commonwealth's capital every day. Located at the very center of the fertile, golden plains, the city could host and accommodate hundreds of travelers. All sorts of wanderers, local and foreign, flowed in and out, just like its oily river. Traders, villagers, herbalists, healers, shamans and many others would gather in one of its four gates, patiently waiting to be checked, before entering the city's first circle.

The wall protecting the first zone, the residential area, mostly inhabited by soldiers, priests, wealthy farmers, and traders, was ridiculously high and thick. Scared but protective ancestors had laid three rows of large stones reinforced with metal. The three-row wall would rise up to five meters. Archer towers, stone stairs, as well as arched embrasures completed the protection collage of the city's first section.

The market was located in the second section, behind the next level's open wall. In contrast to the first wall's compact form, this one was no more than a brick one-row arched structure, decorated with local patterns and earthy colors. It was common knowledge that it served mostly as an entrance, rather than a form of protection. It could be described as a broad ring, infested with shops and stands.

City founders had arranged the marketplace in such way so that permanent and wandering traders wouldn't stumble into each others' feet. Permanent shops were located at the inner ring wall. Bakers, butchers, tailors, smiths, potters, and carpenters had their workshops meticulously installed, shutters open, ready to be paid a visit. Taverns would spring up every ten to twenty workshops away, sneakily boosting a man's appetite with the smell of freshly roast meat hooking the nose, leading the mind to hungry dreams of mouthwatering delicacies.

The outer ring wall, the one that belonged to the decorated arches, was a colorful mixture of jokes, smells, and flavors. The wandering traders booked their spots a week before arriving in the city. Their stands were set up, waiting for them to rest their goods before selling them. Stands on the eastern side of the market were brimming with lake fish, salt, herbs -which were famed to be the strongest in the world- honey, silk, colors, nuts, olives, oil, onions, and garlic. Grains took up a small portion of the eastern market, as the Eastside was closer to Lake Bebeys, the port of Melebea and the Black Mountain.

The West was equally bountiful. A lot of grains could be found there, along with fruit, honey, cow meat, pigs and their world famous pig sausages, wood from the Mountain range of the Ox, dark red wine -favored by the Mayor and the Emperors themselves- and rare, but edible mushrooms.

The most crowded side and the largest though was the Southern market, where all the wealthy farmers displayed their crops. That section was a whole lot of glamour and trouble since a non-stop contest played out every day. Each stand represented a family and each family a potentially different crop quality. Family heads or their silver tongue members lingered at the end of each large stand, well dressed and addressed in a verbal battle to earn clients from both the Plains and beyond. The Southern market was all foreigners' attraction, at least those who wanted to export the famed twin-seed wheat. Along with the grains, beans, legumes, wool, white cheese, cotton, and corn were sold in large quantities.

Lastly, the Northern market was the smallest of all four parts. The vast majority of those traders came from the outskirts of Perrevi, the mountain plains. They didn't have endless qualities of twin-seed wheat to sell but, they too, had their unique products to offer, with their main attractions being tobacco and wine. Mountain cheese had recently gained popularity, since Perrevians were giving advice on how to pair it with their fruit, growing on the slopes of the Holy Mountain, or how cheese quality was inevitably achieved. Their wool was also considered top notch.

Agitation hovered over the Northern market like a cloud of moisture at dawn. There was a lot of fuss among the traders and the crowd. People were whispering and women were chuckling under their breath. Everyone's eyes were darting back and forth, anxiously waiting to confirm early morning rumors. Old hags were winking to each other:

"I saw 'im." a hag whispered to another.

"Liar, how could ya see 'im, he isn't here yet."

An unsuspected visitor was curious enough to ask a cheesemonger who they were talking about. The old lady behind the bench let out a long sound of fake disdain on the foreigner's ignorance.

"How could ya not know me child?" she asked as she clapped her worn hands in front of her old chest.

"We have a visitor, we've got us a lords' man! It's the Cook coming!"

"And who may that man be?" the foreigner asked.

Another prolonged sound of pity was heard, followed by the usual hand clap. The old lady was gently rocking her torso back and forth, while at the same time, her head was shaking left and right.

"You don't know of our lad?" she went on, still rocking herself.

"It's our pride, Lados, the Commonwealth's decorated cook, he's from Perrevi."

The foreign man scratched his chin.

"Hhhhhmm, now that you mentioned it, lady, I might have heard something..."

"Hush, hush now." the old lady interrupted him "here he comes, here's our lad." pointing to her left.

Lados could be told apart from the crowd. He was a handsome man in his mid-thirties, tall and muscular. His build would seem scary at least to those that didn't know him well. A look on his face though could steal that thought away. He had a very kind face, innocent eyes, thin nose and lips, always smiling.

People made way for him to pass. Lados stopped in front of a tobacco trader. As he bent forward to inhale some of his favorite tobacco leaves, his long locks slid over his shoulders, hiding his view of what he wanted to buy.

The trader, who was more than eager to help him, stroke a conversation with him. The old tobacco trader looked unnaturally nervous.

"What's bothering you old man?" Lados asked as he was searching for coin.

The old man lowered his head, humbled and perplexed.

"Nothing lad, nothing to bother you with." he let his coarse voice trail off.

"Is it your lady?" Lados insisted. "I don't see her today."

The old man frowned in sadness.

"Aye my lad, it's the lady." he let out a sigh "she hasn't been feeling herself lately."

"Have you visited the Sanctum? The Healers?" Lados pointed towards the third part of the city, where all the temples were placed, where healers and alchemists could work out their holy craft.

The man shook his head in response.

"Aye my lad, but they won't see us until five days from now."

The old man shrugged. "I don't have the coin my lad.", lowering his head even more.

Lados banged his fist on the old, wooden stand and laughed.

"Don't fret old man, it's your lucky lady!" he exclaimed confidently.

The poor tobacco trader looked at him confused.

"Where's your lady?" Lados asked

"She's with the cart my lad. I left her there after we passed the first check, I let her rest under a tree."

"Then fear not" Lados concluded "I've got more shopping to do for now, but when I'm finished, I'll come to pick you and your lady up. We'll be visiting the Wise Woman."

He handed the coin for the newly bought tobacco to the surprised old man, then patted his shoulders reassuringly before moving on.