7 Vanein City

The city of Vanein is located a few hundred meters from a very important river in the area. The city is the capital of the Vanein county, the last mountain territory on the border between the kingdom of Olmaria and the neighboring kingdom of Lubestain.

About two thousand people live in the small city. The houses begin along the stone road that leads from the castle to the capital of the kingdom. All other roads are only covered with gravel. The wooden houses are all predominantly low except some mansion of some rich merchant.

Just after a pile of shapeless houses built without a precise logic, you get to a small wall surrounding a square where you can clearly distinguish the heart of the castle, the house of Count Uden Vanein and two villas of some noble relative.

Obtained at a later time by knocking down the houses you can see a small square full of stalls just steps from the door of the castle. From the square there are small streets full of shops and businesses. On the two opposite points of the square, to the east and west, there are respectively the church of the deity of the order and that of the deity of fate. The first state religion is lavish and well kept, dozens of practitioners mingle with the faithful. The other is bare and simple and as far as I know Simon is used only during some oracle or to try to read the wishes in the stars.

For Simon it is the first time in a big city but it is quite certain that it is not normal for every street to be crowded with dirty people dressed in rags. Many children flock near the stalls in the hope of some surplus or better still some alms.

The shopkeepers say that this year because of the war with Lubestain, many villages have been evacuated and this has led to an exaggerated increase of people in the slums of the city.

Desmond stopping the cart a few meters before the square shows Simon the stall with the sacks of wheat. The merchant is a woman in her thirties, with thick brown hair in curls and a healthy breast. Simon arrived at the edge of the counter asks "Send me Paul, I would need the usual goods. A dozen bags of wheat and two of sunflower seeds. "The woman, showing a winking smile, begins to prepare the goods.

Simon completely hypnotized by the woman's armament remains shocked when examining the money in hand, realizes that the rest does not match. "Missing two copper coins?" She immediately "But we checked it together right?" "Well yes, but then I realized that it does not come back" "You do not want to say that I cheated you?"

Some curious people approach Simon and when the mutter starts to rise Simon stammering responds "I'll be wrong now, forgive me madam, the next" then to Desmond "He screwed me like a chicken and now I have two copper coins to Paul otherwise I forget I have a job! ".

The other shopping goes much better, perhaps because the boy has learned the lesson or perhaps because the other merchants are all men.

The first information that Simon manages to recover is related to the noble Zacharias.

The salt seller confirms to the boy "Sir Zacharias is now a baronet but only twenty years ago he was one of us. Indeed perhaps it was even worse. I remember he was a robust but rather clumsy guy. His parents urged him to join the count's army to learn some discipline and improve himself. "

Sitting on the stool "The beginning was terrible, his friends urged him to give up but he resisted and finally managed to be drafted. It was immediately sent along the border. There he obviously did not distinguish himself but at least survived. Returned on moved to the militia and there for a pure chance was hit in the face by a miracle! "

Simon "In the face of a miracle?"

"That's right, in the face. While he was guarding the gate, a stone detached itself from the wall, threatening to hit the Count on the head, but he intervened and took it straight to his face. The miracle was that despite everything, he was not seriously injured. The Count thought that his gesture was worthy of a noble, sacrificing his life for his lord is the highest gesture of loyalty. A few months later Zacharias was given the title of baronet and was entrusted with the management of the territories that did not belong to any nobleman like the post where you live. "

"So something good really did it. But I was wondering how he is as a person? "

Weigh the bag of another customer "He is not the smartest, he is not the wisest and not the strongest but he still remembers where he comes from. Unlike the other nobles in the area, I have never seen him mistreat anyone or try to take advantage of his title. "

Simon shrugging "Of course it makes my job so difficult. And his family?"

"Well, the wife died a few years ago, then there is the eldest son, his heir, a knight all muscles and no brains and then there is the daughter Gemma. A good girl but do not think about doing business with her, she would take your underwear away too. "Then looking at the vendor of the stall next to him " by the way Rick! But is not it a bit 'that the girl is no longer seen in these parts? Usually it passes at least once a week to pluck us. "

The other thoughtful winks in his direction confirming the question.

The subsequent questions to the merchants were all related to some news of the area. Simon hoped to find some reference in the stories of the merchant travelers on some unsafe road near the two peaks of the saint because of the bandits.

Many merchants did not even mention the road in question since their usual route was to the capital and not to the border. Few others, however, specialized in more exotic and difficult to obtain goods, were often obliged to try to cross the border or at least approach to be able to grab some particular product. The latter did not confirm Simon's assumptions but rather assured the boy that the safest street of that had not been seen in the area for some time.

Sitting on the side of the road, the two boys stop to rest near the cart before heading home. Desmond crunches a bunch of freshly bought bread with a piece of cheese. Simon with his stomach grumbling "Damn merchant, because of her today I can not eat and maybe not even tomorrow! I have to recover the two copper coins quickly. "

Desmond once finished the food in his mouth "You are satisfied with the information you got."

Simon with a hidden hand retrieves a couple of crumbs from the ground "In reality I'm more confused than when I left home. Zacharias is probably a good person at the back, a stupid but not a delinquent. So what are you doing? Is he very good at pretending or anything? We do not talk about the history of bandits. I do not know whether to think that Michael has invented everything or that the bandits appear and disappear by magic. "

Desmond is disgusted to see Simon picking up the crumbs and extends a piece of bread and cheese "Listen Simon I can not help you in these things, but I have already loaded the cart so if you want we could be by Paul by night if we move now"

Simon thanking the gods for the food "You're right, we have nothing more to do here, let's do it at home!"

After a few hundred meters towards the edge of the town, an unusual scene captures the gaze of the two friends. In front of them a crowd is arguing heatedly with two militiamen. The two soldiers are not in good condition.

Simon staying on the cart asks an elderly man. "Excuse me but what happens? We can leave?"

The man turns slowly and answers "Those scoundrels were taking advantage of a homeless girl who arrived the day before yesterday. They told her that without the written permission of the Count if she wanted to stay he had to do everything that they asked her to do. Bounty pigs! "

"So the crowd attacked them?"

"Oh no, in fact the mother intervened immediately and when the two men slapped her they were badly beaten by two hunters. You had to see a sting, a kick ... then a fist and down like ripe fruits on the ground ... ahahhaha "

"Hunters?"

"They looked like hunters, but they're not who they are, they just ran out of town. Then the crowd gathered to prevent the militia from taking action with random people. Thank those two heroes! "

A woman of the same age joins the discussion "I have seen them, they are rebels."

Simon suddenly intrigued "Rebels?"

"Of course the rebels! Everyone knows that because of the Count and all the villages he had to close to avoid having to defend them from the neighboring state, many people lost everything. Many of them have gathered somewhere in the mountains and wait for the right moment to make them pay! I am old, but if they should do anything, I will gladly join in at the cost of throwing my own walking stick against the count "

Man "Do not make yourself feel like saying such crazy things!"

Simon leaving the two to their quarrels "We're going, good day" and then to Desmond "All this is incredible! I did not understand anything "

Immediately Elza sitting on the sacks of wheat "No you did not understand anything as usual"

Simon looks up at the sky praying for gods that do not even exist.