The fire crackled merrily in the grate, two armchairs sat near this fire, each with a small table which held two half glasses of brandy and a third larger table with a decanter full of the rich brown liquid.
Derek Contyre sat in the hazy smoke filled room with ease, in the next chair sat the young Mayor Walter Heim, his pipe puffing away slowly, the tobacco inhaled deeply before being breathed out in an impressive smoke ring that wafted towards the ceiling before being obliterated by the chandelier.
The sitting room they were in held numerous bookcases and shelves with small oddities atop and in between the numerous spines.
Mayor Walter looked over at his drinking companion and possibly future baron, the Duke was young in age but seemed far older for his years, he drank brandy the way an old general would, and he appeared immune to the effects of smoking.
Walter liked that.
"Tell me Contyre, what brings you so far from your northern caves? I hear the barbarians there are frightfully clingy when winter descends over the forests." A normal conversation was impossible between these two men after an hour in each other's company, all pretence of rank was dropped after the first glass of alcohol was consumed at dinner, though not teetotallers, the two nonetheless shared a bond only young men of rank share.
"I grew tired of their fury hides to be honest Heim, and preferred a great southern beauty to warm my heart during the fell snowstorms."
Though the disrespect was minimal, the Mayor didn't seem to mind, his Baroness was a great beauty after all and the two men shared a sip of brandy again.
"Well at least your taste has not degenerated into that of a Middenlander, Sigmar only knows who they get to warm themselves."
The chuckles continued for some time and the brandy slowly disappeared.
"Well Heim, we have danced around the subject for a while, and though talking of less serious things is a great deal less tedious, I must press the issue with you." Derek began, sipping more brandy.
"Press away my friend, the brandy won't drink itself, and there is always more for me while you talk, and for you while I answer." Walter smiled into his glass.
"Thank you, I wish to know the political climate of Sonnefurt, and also of the suitors for the Baroness' hand. I believe I saw one on the ferry this evening, a well built man, dark hair. Had an ancient Norseman with him."
Walter thought for a moment, his brow furrowing in concentration.
"Ah I have him now, that would be Graf Johann Bieter, a middle aged knight from a Barony close by, Steingart I believe. Rumours have been said that he has been eyeing off the Baroness for years, but it is strange he has never made a move before now."
"Maybe he has a father pushing him into it?" Derek morosely added, thinking of his own father in Stattenland.
"You? pushed into something? Why Contyre, it seems you look for an excuse to not court my lovely Baroness."
"You have me Heim, I travelled all this way to give up at the first sight of a man who before now had made no move." Derek replied sarcastically.
"Well I wouldn't of blamed you Contyre, the man is a local after all, you northerners were never really welcomed here to begin with."
Derek narrowed his eyes at him, "You speak the truth Heim?" he said with the least amount of malice he could summon. Which was difficult under the effects of the brandy.
"Why yes of course." Heim continued, oblivious to the fact that Derek had instantly become sober, "There are several factions here that dislike northern influence on our little Barony, though luckily I am not one of those, and nor are some of the more open merchants and council members that I know of."
Derek listened closely before replying. "That is good to hear Heim, for I intend to open a Contyre-Statten trading company office in your town of Sonnefurt to further business between 'us northern barbarians' as it were. The CSTC dominate most of the northern markets from Altdorf to Kislev and could offer very lucrative trading contracts between your merchants here and across the Empire." Heim's eyes bulged at the thought of having Sonnefurt goods being talked off throughout the Empire and beyond.
"Having your authority would of course make it easier to acquire a dock and offices for my families company here in Sonnefurt, for I would never to do so without the support of the council."
"And that is good and proper Contyre." Heim began, beginning to see the direction the conversation was going in, "I could of course, arrange several meetings with prominent council members to make it legal." Derek smiled.
"That would be excellent indeed my friend, may I make a toast?" Heim nodded and filled both their brandy glasses.
"To the health, wealth and continuity of trade between the northern barbarians and great southern dames."
Clink.
The ferry steamed its way across the river, the old dwarf grumbling about something or other as he expertly guided the craft through the currents.
Derek sat in the same exact spot he saw Graf Bieter sit in yesterday, he ran a gloved hand along the rail and remembered every detail of the man.
"This could be interesting." He said aloud, scanning the opposite shore. His eyes widened in alarm, a two masted galley lay anchored in harbour, bearing the red lion of Nuln with another pennant below that, a bronze key over a blue field, that brought back memories. Derek turned and looked for his captain, who had seen the pennants and was walking towards him.
"Dietrich, alert the men, there could be trouble at the docks." Derek said quietly, not wishing to alarm the ancient dwarf mariner.
"Your grace, it has been two years, surely they would not remember?"
"If this is indeed the same man who fought us at the Hugelburg, then he would remember my colours in an instant, do not unfurl my standard till we are ashore, I don't want to be sent to the bottom of the Sol before I have had my chance at the Baroness."
Dietrich nodded and wandered back to the men, they were on guard instantly, all having fought with their Duke two years ago in the battles of Hugelburg and the siege that followed.
He would remember them. They knew it.
The ramp settled onto the dock with a satisfying CLUNK, the dwarf began muttering about 'docks not being what they used to' and began to check his steam boat.
The men of the Guard led the blindfolded horses down the ramp by two's, not wanting to be tipped over the side unceremoniously. Derek had changed into his full plate for his disembarkation and led Caspian onto the dock without hesitation. The ferry had been entirely taken up by the horses and soldiers, though the dwarf had uttered not a word after a gold crown had passed hands. In fact Derek was surprised the ferry didn't crash into the docks, the way the dwarf stared at the gold.
Leaping atop Caspian, Derek was resplendent in his bright red cloak with fresh, green laurels atop his hair. The polished steel armour stood out in the sun and, at his hand wave, Dietrich unfolded the Ducal coat of arms:
Instantly the press of bodies opened for the noble retinue, people stared in wonder as Derek passed, he smiled to some and waved to a few more, but it wasn't until Dietrich shouted; "MAKE WAY FOR HIS GRACE, THE DUKE OF NUEREMBURG!" that broke the silence and people started cheering.
Many clapped hands and smiled at him, while others threw flowers which he caught. Caspian, excited by the attention reared and expanded his stiff wings. The brilliantly white Pegasus glowed in the mid morning sun and drew a collective gasp from the crowds. Derek, almost thrown from his saddle, kicked Caspian in the ribs.
"Careful you great idiot, you almost threw me!" Derek whispered frantically in the Caspian's ear.
The Pegasus snorted and retracted its wings. Thoroughly impressed, the crowd parted with a frenzy of cheering at the foreign Duke from Nueremburg with his beautiful white Pegasus, presumably come to court their beloved Baroness.
The Stattenland and Hamburgian Armoured Guard colours were revealed by the two lead Guardsmen and the procession wound its way from the lower dockside towards the Merchants Quarter. People cheered as they passed and every so often Derek would let Caspian rear and stretch his wings again, their nine meter span covering the whole street. Each time he did this the crowd would cheer frenziedly and children would run laughing and screaming through the crowd.
Dietrich and the Guardsmen were on full alert in case the crowd turned overzealous but Derek was smiling through the whole thing.
Forty five minutes later, after word of their arrival had spread like wildfire through the town, the company of celebrities made it to Gilles Wine Bar intact and, after passing through the main gates that separated the nobles horses from the rest of the town, managed to dismount without being swamped. The stables however were full, or, mostly full. Many had large red lettered 'RESERVED' signs on them.
"Well men, we got in, finally." Dietrich let out with a sigh. "You Grace, what move should we make now? Did the Mayor of Ertingen give us anything to go on? Or are we to requisition this tavern?"
Derek sighed as he dismounted, he was sweating terribly from sitting in the sun for too long.
"Is there no wind in this town?"
"Our next move your Grace?" Dietrich began.
"Our next move captain is to have a drink, unlike you I seem to be famished and dehydrated. Now get this armour off me so we can arrive without causing a riot."
"Now that the business of your town house is sorted my lord, we can turn to the more important matters, of trade, and marriage." Miengot Elzacher said, looking over his paperwork at Derek.
"Excellent, as part owner of the Statten-Contyre Trading Company, I have authority to establish a Trade House in any town and city I deem it productive to our business. My father, Prince Seth Contyre, has given me leave to do this with Sonnefurt, knowing that your proximity to the Border Princes has lucrative trading opportunities for a business venture. As the head of the Chamber of Customs and Commerce, I thought it best to come to you first before I go buying parts of your city."
"You thought correctly your Grace, as there are many places in Sonnefurt that would not welcome a Northerner like yourself, no matter how much business you bring." Derek nodded.
"I knew I could count on Mayor Heim's judgement in arranging an interview with you Herr Elzacher, he assured me that you were the man to see in Sonnefurt with matters of trade."
Miengot smiled.
"Well I am one of the best they say."
Derek forced a chuckle, "Indeed. Now one of the reasons I am here now Herr Elzacher is that the taxes of Nuln are crippling your economy down here. You must ship your goods to Nuln in order to sell them for fair price which of course the Countess won't allow as the woman is jealous of your Baroness."
Elzacher nodded, he knew this only too well.
"I propose this, you help me with the Baroness' hand, and I will, how shall I say this, pull some figurative strings and get these embargoes on your goods lifted, open your trade lanes to Talabheim and beyond and let you sit back and watch the wealth flood in. All I need is information on the other suitors, surely there have been some to have come through in the last couple of days?"
Elzacher looked Derek up and down.
"Your hand is fair your Grace, but at what cost I wonder for the Barony? Have you heard of the bandit attacks on merchant caravans coming into and out of Sonnefurt?" Derek nodded, he had proof in his front pocket of the extensive havoc these 'bandits' were wreaking.
"I have."
"Then you know of the danger we are in?" Derek almost let his mask slip.
Danger? What does this man know that I do not?"I try to keep a positive outlook on the recent times, my own border patrols have been stepped up and are working in concert with the neighbouring Baronies to stop these widespread bandit attacks."
"I thought you might. Our own military can ill afford a major disruption with bandits right now, after the recent war with Kreutzhofen, Sonnefurt is limping along. It would go along way to your goal if you could somehow lower the tax burdens on our trading with those outside of Nuln."
This time it was Derek who nodded.
"I understand Herr Elzacher."
"I am not sure you do your Grace. You see, Northerners are ill trusted by many, regardless of your impressive entrance this morning, many of these suitors are from the immediate area and have families that have lived here for generations. The people trust those who live here. Many of these suitors are from here. Do you have my meaning?"
Derek held the man's gaze for a long time before Miengot dropped it.
"Normally I would push your business away, but any blow to the Countess crippling taxes are a blow worthy of my praise. If you can promise half of what you said, it will still go along way with the council."
"I can promise all of what I say Herr Elzacher, and this afternoon, a letter will be sent from my estate to the north to my trade office in Nuln with the express opinion that we exert pressure there to loosen the embargoes on Sonnefurt."
Miengot Elzacher's eyes widened considerably.
"Well, this changes things my lord... What is it you wanted to know?"
Derek smiled;
"Everything."