Dragon Clan #1: Camilla's Story

CHAPTER EIGHT

Edward, the eldest son of the Earl of Witten, finished his midday meal alone and climbed the stairs of the palace wing where his personal chambers lay, near the end of amber tinted stone walls of the royal hallway. The fifth-floor carpets matched the shade of amber stone lay on the tiled floor. However, he saw little because of his intense concentration on the upcoming trip.

Climbing the five flights of stairs every day came easier with daily practice, and the view of the courtyard and gardens was worth living on the top floor of the palace. During his meal, three manservants packed for his trip after listening to detailed directions. Five large trunks and several bags occupied the center of the room, with more to come. The servants were rushing about the various rooms, grabbing anything else he might require.

He said to them, “Well done, but there is still much to do. Deliver this to Tomas at the stables as quickly as you can. If I’m needed, I’ll be in a meeting with the sheriff.” He stepped around the pile of possessions sitting in the center of his reception room. Turning, he tried to stride away in the same confident, aloof manner the sheriff had used earlier when exiting the first-day meeting. A small stumble at the threshold ruined the effect, but he quickly recovered, and was off. Edward missed the haggard expressions his servants passed between them as he stalked out the door.

Tomas said he would ensure they departed this day, so Edward hurried to him with his preparations. He hadn’t even taken the time to change from his dinner attire, let alone bathe. There remained a lot to do, and he wanted to be there, making certain all went as hoped. He would take charge with a firm hand if needed. After all, this was the official business of none other than the sheriff, which is also the word of the king.

Arriving at the stable, he might have believed he encountered a traveling carnival. People and animals milled and bustled. Dogs barked. Men shouted. Women laughed. Animals whinnied, snorted, or bawled. At the center of the activity stood Tomas, pointing and shouting. Edward decided he may need to back off his determination to use a firm hand. He had no idea of why so many were at Tomas’ beck and call unless he worked at planning more than a single trip this day.

Tomas spotted him and called, “The man of the hour.” He leaped off the table he’d been standing on while shouting directions and walked briskly to Edward, waving people and animals aside. He pumped Edward’s hand with enthusiasm and pulled him to his office while rattling off a list of all he had accomplished, and what he intended to do. It seemed endless.

A second chair now sat at the desk across from Tomas, and a small stack of papers sat beside a pen and inkwell. Edward ignored the chair. “Why are all those people out there?”

“We are preparing for your journey, of course.”

“But, there are so many!”

Tomas sat in his chair and smiled the same smile he used when selling old horses, with little life remaining in them, to gullible buyers. He passed them off as well-trained and child-friendly. The fact the horse was too old to bite or buck made little difference to the truth. “Not all are going to travel with you, of course. That would be over-doing it, don’t you think?”

Edward, feeling relieved, fell into the other chair.

Tomas continued, “For instance, your servants, delivered your things, but they are not traveling with you, are they? If so, we can always add a few more horses and carriages to your budget.”

“I’m paying for all this?”

“No, no of course not. You’ll pay only for what you requested, and not a copper snit more. In fact, I have the numbers right here so we can go over them before you sign, as I promised. For instance, you said you need tents. They are expensive to purchase, so I’ve informed most of the laborers to provide their own tents or do without. I assumed you would not want to purchase one for yourself either, so I have made arrangement for a tent at a price of less than half you’d expect to purchase one for.” His finger darted to an entry in a column of numbers. “See right here? However, if you wish to buy it, I can add that amount to the bottom line.”

The column of numbers went to the very last line on the sheet of paper. Edward slid it aside with his index finger and saw more numbers continued to the next and next. “What is all this?”

Tomas tried to look embarrassed. “Men, horses, tents, wagons, food, and supplies as you instructed. You also asked me to determine what else you might need and have it ready for travel today. I did not have time to dicker the prices but did the best I could with such short notice. You did tell me to do what was needed for an extended trip, did you not?”

“I-I guess I did.”

“Edward, if there has been a misunderstanding, I apologize. I was doing my best to please you.” He shuffled the papers to the one on the bottom and examined the figure totaled as if seeing it for the first time. He looked up into the eyes of Edward, “This is indeed a lot of money, but your father can afford it. Still, you should present him with a number that is a bargain, don’t you agree?”

“Yes, that is more gold than I have ever signed for.”

Tomas dipped the pen in ink and drew a single line through the number at the bottom of the page. It was five digits long, 17,387. Tomas winked at Edward and wrote 16,999. “There, that should look much better to your father, and I will still have enough coin to pay the expenses. It means that I will forfeit part of my salary, but I’m sure you will remember what a good businessman I am when you are Earl.”

Edward breathed a sigh of relief and reached his hand to take Tomas’. “When will we be ready to depart?”

“Well, you should have already left by now, but those four trunks you sent to us a short while ago set us back a little. I had to procure another two-wheel wagon and driver, but I assure you there will be no extra charge. I should have anticipated that in the beginning, and therefore, I will bear the brunt of the additional cost.”

“What would I do without you, Tomas?”

“I’m sure you would have gotten along fine,” Tomas smiled.