Mercedes Lackey owns the world I'm visiting here, but the story is mine
Ch 1 The Horse fair
Once rode home
A simple man
Glad to see his family
Again.....
Rannel looked up from the instruments to the stalls other occupant. "May I " he asked. The man nodded. He carefully picked up the gittern, looking down it's length in the light. Twelve strings, he thought to himself, should give Marren a challenge to master.
"The strings are steel, the kind used in harps" the man said sensing a possible sale. Rannel looked up sharply, but kept his face impassive. He tested the strings, then fiddled with the tuning, then he launched into the beginning of My Lady's Eyes, drivel he thought to himself, but the music was pretty.
"You have a true gift" the man gushed. "It was made for you".
"It's not for me" he said. "My son needs a new instrument".
He looked again at the gittern, putting it down then looking at some of the other instruments before coming back to it.
"How much" he asked, then the bargaining began in earnest. In the end he walked out smiling the gittern slung over his shoulder and a bag with a handful of strings and a little flute for His wife Graella. He couldn't wait to see the look on their faces.
Coming back to the bustle of the busy market after the relative quiet of the Luther's stall, he shifted his purse back into his shirt. It wouldn't do to lose this years profit he thought to himself, though as a veteran of the Harvest fair most of his earnings were safely installed in his money belt.
As he walked a wandering path through the fair to his inn, he came to the horse seller's section of the fair. This year the Shin'a'in had brought some of their horses, they didn't come every year and he wanted a look at their horses, it was time perhaps time for him to replace his old horse Grey, he grinned thinking he could give Grey to Marren. He had been asking him for a horse of his own.
He frowned remembering his father saying that he spoiled his son, just because he saw nothing wrong in fostering his dreams. At least his son would have the chance to be a Bard, if that was what he wished. Every year he had been putting away a part of each years profits so that he could send his son to the school of his choice when he was old enough, though at five that would be a few years from now.
When he reached the fence enclosing the herd of horses to be sold, he stopped, watching intently as the Shin'a'in herder put them through their paces. He saw one, an odd black and grey beast shy away from the edge of the other horses, strange coloring aside, he liked the lines of the horse. He waved to the partner of the man running the horses. He walked over to him. "What's the price on that one" he asked pointing to the horse.
They bargained easily, both veterans of the trade. Finally for a price a little higher than he would have liked, the horse was his. After another bargaining session he also picked up two other mares, One a red gold with a darker mane and tail and the other a dull silver grey shading to black. After he paid for them, he gave the man the directions to his inn. The three would be delivered later this afternoon.
Then all he had to do was go to the Mercenary's guild to deposit this years profit. He had joined eight years ago, when he was eighteen, planning to become a mercenary, then his father had found out and he stopped him.. Not long after that he met and married Graella then settled down to breed cattle and horses.
He had kept up his membership though, not even his family knew of it. It was convenient to have a place to bank his profits, at least that's what he kept telling himself. As far as anyone else knew, he hid the money somewhere on his property..
It was ironic he thought to himself, the black and grey horse he bought today looked to have real potential as a warhorse. That thought made him wonder if he should start a line with that in mind.
He left the guild, his belt much lighter, and continued on to his inn.
At the door of the inn he put all such thoughts aside and breathed deeply, suddenly he was starving, a good bargaining session will do that he thought to himself.
When he entered he waved for a server and asked for a cider, stew and maybe some of their bread. He grinned slightly, he never drank away from home, and especially when he was carrying any amount of coin.
After eating Rannel went up to his room to drop off his purchases. Then went down to the stables to see if the horses had been delivered.