The merchants' platform was busy, but that was to be expected this time of year. Moonhaven was a major trade hub, and with the spring thaw, travel routes were open again, clearing the way for merchants to start the year's trade.
Barnet had made sure his caravan arrived on time. Timeliness was important, as was being able to unload and reload the caravan quickly. He hoped having to pick up his great-great nephew wasn't going to slow them down.
Judging by the shear length of the notes General Ronin had sent him, the boy was a handful. Barnet still didn't understand why someone as important as the general of the Leafmen had been reduced to playing nanny for a lost seven year old. He would probably be relieved to have the boy taken off his hands.
Barnet had given the notes to the governess he had hired to care for the boy without reading them. He was hoping to make the return trip quickly and be able to deliver the boy to her care as soon as possible. He had no desire to raise another child, particularly since the death of his wife four decades ago. It was too time consuming and too much work.
Still, the boy was family, and Barnet was apparently the only family he had. Family obligations weren't something that could be lightly ignored, no matter how tedious and unpleasant. He would see to it that the boy was provided for and hope that he wouldn't be too much of an inconvenience.
The general arrived with the child in the afternoon, just as he said he would. The boy wasn't much to look at. He was small for his age, and he clung to the general's neck and refused to look up. He was obviously already crying. Barnet did his best to reign in his irritation. This was going to be an unpleasant trip back to Willowbrook if the boy was already in hysterics.
"Nod," General Ronin bounced the boy on his hip, trying to get him to look up, "this is your Uncle Barnet."
"Thank you for bringing him down General Ronin," Barnet said politely; if the boy wasn't even going to look up, there was no point in greeting him, "it was good of you to look after him for so long."
"It was my pleasure," the general gave him an odd look, then turned his attention back to the crying child, "Nod, it's time to let go. You're staying with your uncle tonight."
"No!" the boy screamed and tightened his hold on the general.
Barnet winced. He would definitely be passing off the child to one of his workers for the night.
"Nod, let go of General Ronin," Barnet told the boy firmly, "he needs to get back to work."
"No!" the boy sobbed, "I'm not going."
"You are," Barnet said, "your belongs have already arrived and been packed onto the wagon, and we leave tomorrow afternoon. There's no sense fussing over it."
The boy's sobs increased in volume, and Barnet heard murmuring from some of the passing merchants. It was obvious the general had been coddling the boy and allowing him to get away with behaving however he wanted. It had probably been easier than trying to discipline him.
The general gave him a displeased look and ducked his head to speak softly into the boy's ear. The child shook his head vigorously, and the general sighed and looked up.
"I think it would be better if Nod spent tonight with me," the general rubbed the child's back, "I'll bring him back tomorrow morning."
While indulging the boy's poor behavior seemed like a bad idea to Barnet, it was too tempting to not have to deal with him for one more night.
"Whatever you think best General Ronin," Barnet tipped his head respectfully, "I'll see you in the morning."
It was a relief when the general left with the crying child. Barnet was not looking forward to the trip home.
Not surprisingly, the general was on time the next morning. He was probably eager to turn the boy over. The child's eyes were red from crying, and he was still sniveling when the general arrived with him in his arms.
"Good morning General Ronin," Barnet greeted.
Nod whimpered and pressed his face into the general's shoulder, tightening his hold on him. He had a stuffed bird held in the crook of one arm, and he almost dropped it in his attempt to cling more securely to the general, but General Ronin caught it, tucking it in his arms again. Barnet managed not to roll his eyes.
"Good morning Lord Barnet," General Ronin greeted, rubbing the boy's back, "Nod didn't have a very good night so he's tired, but if you sit with him someplace quiet for a while he might go down for a nap."
"No," Nod's sobs were muffled against the general's shoulder, "I want to stay with you."
"It will be alright chickadee," the general murmured softly, "I'll come visit as soon as I can."
Barnet vaguely remembered General Ronin mentioning that he would be visiting within the next month or so. He doubted he actually would. The general of the Leafmen had more important things to do than indulge a spoiled child.
"I'm sure we'll be fine general," Barnet said, "thank you for bringing him."
"Of course," General Ronin was giving him the same odd look he had given him the other day.
"Come along Nod," Barnet motioned for the boy to let go, "it's time to let the general go."
"No!" the child screamed.
Several loaders paused to look at them before continuing with their work, and Barnet's eyes narrowed slightly.
"It's time to go with your uncle, chickadee," the general knelt down, setting the boy on his feet.
"I don't want to go!"
The boy's yell caused the beetles harnessed to another merchant's wagon to skitter and shift restlessly, and the merchant gave them an irritated look. Barnet was not particularly amused with the scene the child was making either.
"I know you don't," General Ronin hugged him close, "but it's going to be okay. You'll have a good home with your uncle."
"My home is with you," the child wailed, "I belong to you!"
"No you don't chickadee," the general carefully pried the boy's arms off his neck, "I love you, but you don't belong to me."
"Yes I do!" the boy screamed and tried to grab back onto him, but the general wouldn't let him.
Several merchants stopped what they were doing to stare, and Barnet gave them a pointed glare. The general had obviously been lax in disciplining the boy, and this sort of display was the end result. Hopefully, the governess would be able to correct the problem. Until then, Barnet would have to find some way make sure the child wasn't an embarrassment to him.
"I won't go! I won't! I want to stay with you!" the boy's screams sent more beetles rattling and a few of their handlers turned to glare.
Barnet clenched his fist, then forced himself to relax. There was no point in making it worse by making a scene himself.
"You can't stay with me," General Ronin told him firmly, "you have to go with your uncle."
"But I don't want to," the child sobbed.
"Sometimes we have to do things we don't want to," the general told him, "that doesn't make them bad."
"Yes it is!" the boy's wail reached a particularly irritating pitch.
"Everything is going to be alright. I'll see you soon, I promise," Ronin stood and pressed a kiss to the boy's hair, "I love you chickadee."
With that the general turned and left. The child screamed for him and tried to follow, and Barnet had to grab the collar of his jacket to stop him. The boy's screams attracted the attention of most of the loading bay. Barnet kept a good grip on his jacket and waited until General Ronin was gone before grabbing the child's arm and pulling him out of sight behind one of his caravan wagons.
"Let go!" the child tried to push him away.
"Quiet," Barnet snapped, releasing him, "you are an embarrassment."
The boy ignored him, hugging his stuffed bird and continuing to sob for the general. The entire fiasco had reached the point of ridiculousness, and Barnet's patience with the situation had reached its end. There was no excuse for a child Nod's age to be carrying on in such a manor.
"Listen to me you sniveling brat," Barnet grasped the boy's chin, forcing him to look up, "I am a merchant of high repute and now that you've been forced on me, you will conduct yourself in a manner that reflects that."
"I don't want to go with you," the boy pushed him away again.
"Well, neither of us have any choice in that," Barnet glared at the child, "you have no one else to take you."
"Ronin will," the boy said defiantly.
"Let me put this simply as you are obviously a simpleton," Barnet explained coolly, "the general does not want you because you are bad. If you continue to be bad, no one will want you."
It was time the child understood the reality of his situation. General Ronin had obviously been pandering to the delusion that the boy could have whatever he wanted no matter how unreasonable.
"But Ronin said…"uncertainly crept into the boy's voice.
"I'm sure the general said a great many things to placate you and keep you quiet," Barnet responded, "that doesn't make them true."
The boy's eyes filled with fresh tears, and he hugged his stuffed bird to himself tightly.
"Now be quiet and do as you're told, or you really will find yourself without a home," Barnet snapped.
Satisfied that the tantrum had been quelled, Barnet strode back around the wagon, leaving the boy there to compose himself. He had a caravan to run; he didn't have time to deal with a hysteric, spoiled child.