Welfare of the Citizens, Eh?
The prince balked upon hearing this, protesting, rightly, that it would lessen the funds in the royal coffers. Funds that were close to depletion due to being stretched thin fighting an invisible war in several fronts. I was ready to make up another scenario at this point, mainly that it would improve trade in towns, and the mood of the people but Litoc did me one better.
A tenth didn’t mean anything for the common man. A small time merchant, like the fishmongers at Osea who ventured into the sea nightly with their small boats and come back with a bucket or two of catch would hardly feel a difference in their purses by paying ten percent less taxes. But for a time, they’d feel better about it. Meanwhile, the large merchants would be spurred on because they dealt in large enough quantities to see gain with every transaction.
I could have kissed him then, honestly. But while he was talking, another glaring idea popped into my head, and this one was rooted in fact. There was simply no denomination small enough in the kingdom’s currency to account for the smallest difference in transactions.
A bronze coin fetched a stale bread and watered down ale. If you didn’t want bread, you still pay an olma. If you only wanted bread, still an olma. That meant that the small-time hawkers and those who borrowed the goods of others – salt, grain, spices, and the like, and sold them at a bit of a higher price to earn a quick coin, and who were unfortunate enough to meet the taxmen, paid an olma even if they technically owed less.
When I raised the suggestion, citing my reasoning and supplementing Litoc’s argument, the prince almost wished he thought of it. I could see it in his face. And I felt it in his offhand comment about easing the pressure on the esteris. I did not understand what he meant by it but I was somewhat sure it had something to do with the idiotic division of denominations that Silaron had.
The finishing blow was the crown jewel – putting the soldiers to work. Recruitment was at an all-time high. It was so enticing that towns in the far end of the kingdom, like Osea, were running out of workers willing to earn the same amount of coin for the same amount of work.
But where did they go? To the camps apparently. Training day in and day out, being made to do all kinds of menial stuff while getting yelled at and when they finally make it through? Either they get sent to shore up the borders, guard the mines, or stay and do the same to the fresh recruits. Once they’re settled in, it was all peacocking and posturing until the day an actual war came. Or a rebellion.
I suggested that fresh recruits who made it out of initial training be stationed with a few other fresh graduates and a higher ranking person along towns and villages along trade routes, for the main purpose of escorting merchant caravans and any trader willing to pay the fee – plus food. There would be at least two, small squads per town. A security detail for hire, paid to the kingdom, from the origin.
Between towns or villages, the squads would switch. The arriving squad stays, the reserve squad goes to the origin, and the remaining squad now accompanies the trader or merchant. This would ensure rotation, preventing the risk of getting familiar with the client, and improving the troop’s familiarity with the kingdom’s terrain. The soldier’s pay remain the same, the kingdom earns, the trade routes become more secure, and as a bonus, the soldiers become more familiar with other parts of the kingdom.
A brilliant, cobbled-up plan, conjured by an increasingly tipsy and tired brain. Ha. That will make ye popular fer sure, said Litoc to Jakeli. I was ready to rest my case. Apparently, we weren’t done. No sir. Someone else pointed out something we all missed.
Messages. Reports. We could make use of the same network to send them. It was Jibel who butted in, quite excitedly if I might add. I glowed with pride, after Jakeli, Litoc, and I were finished staring at the kid with dumbfounded expressions. When Jakeli pointed out that there were limited number of people who knew how to write in towns, nevermind the villages, it was Vindeth who answered. But you’re already making us learn!
Full frickin’ circle. I don’t know what my sign is, rising or falling or shadowing or whatnot. Even if that stuff were true, I don’t think it applies to this world. But that whole conversation, that was the best example of the stars aligning, if I ever seen one.
After that, Litoc only made the prince swear that any child who wants to go back, especially those who weren’t orphans, will be sent back. When Jakeli agreed, we called it a night.
I was only goin’ ta stay because I wanted ta make sure this, whatever this is, would not be passed on ta the people. Seems I’m goin’ back early. Whether he meant Osea or somewhere else, I wasn’t quite sure. His decades old secret was now out, it would only be a matter of time before rumors catch on.
Still, everything turned out alright. So yeah, I felt great. As far as I’m concerned, the road we were passing through was just one of the steps on the way back home.
I only had one, very slight, concern. Now that Jibel was safe and with me, Hanni already fulfilled her promise. I dread the day, but it’s bound to come. I just hope it’s later rather than sooner.
Like a Thief in the Night
Fueled by boring familiarity of the landscape, and the fact that I did not need to do anything but just make sure my magral was maintaining the same speed as the others, my thoughts ran wild. I let it. The first fanciful imagining I had was that of flying.
Now that I didn’t have a purpose except head back home to Osea, the road, the time spent on it, was fast becoming an annoyance. So, naturally, my thoughts turned to flying. Of how wonderful it must be to be able to soar and rid myself of annoying restrictions. Like roads. Every journey would be point to point. Fast, freeing, efficient. It did not take long before I settled on the conclusion that, after a time, even that would lose its appeal. Flying would eventually be boring too.
Would be cool though.
Around the fifth or sixth guard post the road widened. It also showed signs of traffic. At this point I began to think about home. Would I continue to stay at Stakk-taran? Continue working as a porter? What if Litoc doesn’t come back with us? How do I make the children’s lives better? What if Bira really was thiuram?
Unlike my fantastical meanderings, these questions were rooted on fact. The fact was, I was dirt poor. I reflected on my initial drives, my hopes, and found them to be lacking. In everything.
I was being hard on myself. A long, dull, and unfulfilled life taught me that trick – identifying when I was being too critical of my efforts. I was being hard on myself but this time it was warranted. It wasn’t just me now.
I could have continued working as I did until I withered away and that would somehow be acceptable. It was honest work. I probably would be able to save up some coin to let me live an OK life once I’m old but, even if that happened, it was only true for me. I have Jibel and Bira to look after now.
While the innkeepers were kind, I could not depend on them. It’s nice to have someone to depend on but I consider them bonuses. I’ve eked out every inch of space I’ve built for myself in my previous life and that came from learning a valuable lesson early on – never make plans that depend on others.
As the sun dipped further into the horizon, I was left with more questions than solutions. Being a merchant or a trader, was out of the question. I didn’t know the lay of the land, I was weak with math, I hated the kingdom’s apparent infatuation with the number sixteen, and I suck at bargaining. A store perhaps? That was too close to trading. I briefly entertained being the town doctor. I was confident I knew more about health than anyone, I just didn’t know anything about herbs. A restaurateur? I could do that. My nembil subi was a hit. I wouldn’t mind being in the kitchen all day. There were tons of dishes I could make that didn’t exist in this world.
I filed that idea under maybe. It was good one. It got me excited. That’s a good thing. I only needed capital. And place. Hmmm. That or become a teacher. That too was filed under maybe. I decided to pitch it to the prince when I got the chance, he was starting one himself after all. I may even get some funding, if not a reward for helping the kingdom. Yes, it was worth a shot.
My attention snapped back to the present as we slowed down. Dusk was at hand. Our entourage entered a smaller street. Before long, I saw houses interspersed along the landscape. Some of them had lights spilling out of their windows. Aside from the plants on both sides of the street, the occasional soldier and peasant bowing as our party passed by, told me this was a farm, probably owned by the kingdom.
My admiration for our mounts grew as I realized we have been riding non-stop for more than half a day. We slowed down once, but it was for us people, not exactly for the animals. The prince called for a stop because he needed to pee. We all needed to, from the looks of it.
Litoc never subjected our rides to something like this, but we were still going. It wasn’t just the prince’s beasts either. Was this how they were able to move so fast? How they gained so much distance in a day? Litoc would have known, surely. That wasn’t it, I decided but still, I was awed at the endurance of these animals.
Just as dark finally came, Osmouth announced itself. In the modern world, it’s something taken for granted but in this world it’s pronounced. Civilization has a smell, where it reeked there will be people. The mix of smells told me we’ve reached the capital.
Our path was lit only by the spilled lights from windows. It wasn’t much to go on but it functioned more like runway lights. For the first time since we left Riverhold, our pace changed into a walk. People that walked the path made way for our party, nodding deeply.
After about ten minutes, we arrived at a junction and turned left. As the number of houses thinned, our pace transitioned into a trot. We had no lights, the moons weren’t particularly bright so I found it odd that we were speeding up again.
Lights high up, small groups of them answered my question. A small distance from us were the castle walls.